Lake Bottom Treasure

[DeSotoTreasur42]

I have found a cave with a rather large lake on the inside. There are shipwrecks at the bottom of the lake that look like they range from Indian canoes to John boats. The shallowest wreck is between 20ft-40ft. I need a way to get to these wrecks. I don't know how to scuba dive and I don't have the money or the time to learn. If anyone has any ideas about how to get these wrecks some other way please tell me.

Thanks

 

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[xXx]

DeSoto, I sent you a Private Message.
xXx

 

[Parangjim]

DeSoto,
This may sound like heresy...but why not team up with four or five of the REAL treasure hunter/explorers on this forum? We're all looking for "that big one" but it sounds like you may have an interesting bit of history there. Seeing what's there and solving another piece of our past(and present) could be more important than monetary gains.
Forgive an old man's ramblings, but as I age (very well like fine wine) I have begun to realize that there is more out there than I can ever spend or need. ask Marc or Cornelius, or any of the regulars if they have some time to give you a looksee and give you some suggestions.
parangjim

 

[DiggerDude101]

Desto What State are you in? Maybe I could assist! I,ve taught Scuba for over 25 yrs and have alot of equipment. (owned a couple of shops)

 

[cptbil]

YES!
What state are you in?
I have a TH'ing friend, back east, in IN., who has some really nice underwater cameras!
Needless to say, he also dives!
Doesn't everyone? (TH'ers, wise!)

 

[YankeeDownSouthAdv.]

well makes me wish i knew how to swim..lol....morris may be able to help you out with that he has a few family contacts...right morris??

 

[godisnum1]

Desoto,
I have been looking at your profile and previous posts. In reference to the cave you happened upon, I have family there in Alabama if that's where you live. My family live in the Lanette/Valley area... so if you ever need a hand or just someone to tag along and explore with ya', let me know. I also used to be a part of the Gulf Coast Archaeological Society for 5 years back in high school, so I have some additional experience there as well. I'll be 24 this November, so I'm not too much older than yourself. I'm actually from Saint Petersburg, Florida and go to a Bible College in Springfield, Missouri. Which sorta brings me to my second idea that I'm going to post on your other thread about DeSoto.... :-)

Brandon <><

 

[Southcacalaky]

Interesting, HH Art...

 

[DeSotoTreasur42]

There anything wrong with it being from June 2005? It's point is as valid now as it was then. Any help is still appreciated.

 

[DeSotoTreasur42]

To update, I have done some explorations in the cave with a friend of mine. It's a steep climb (or slide) down the muddy entrance of the cave probably close to a 45 degree angle. The very top is like this but as you get deeper in the cave, you start to see the rock, but at points it has a thick layer of mud. Once you get to the bottom of that you are at the shore of the lake, but if you turn around, you notice that it looks like where you just came down was steps. I say this because although they are a good bit washed out, you can still see the stair layout.

When I was at the shore I looked around and found the average kind of graffiti but with closer inspection I found a really nice one from 1942, another one we weren't sure about that said 1915 or 1815 (written in charcoal), on the ceiling there was a complete trilobite, a spiral that could of been the trilobite fossil without the shell or possible carved, and finally there was something next to the trilobite that looked like a very simple carving of a snake.

After the trip we found all of this, we came back with a raft. We tied the raft to the shore and paddled out which might I say is a little scary considering the circumstances. So we didn't really notice anything other than a few geological formations while we were out on the lake. At the back of the cave we hit another patch of land. It's ceiling is a lot lower so its a crouch. We didn't go far back at this point because there was what looked like sulphur (yellow, chalky, small yellow dots all over the place). We did notice some more graffiti which was interesting because one was clearly 1847. So with what little time we spent back there we saw a small one seater boat that was split right down the middle, laying near the shore. There was a small stream coming from a hole in the wall, which I've been told if you crawl through, you come to another lake. The only other thing of note that we saw (which is mostly just spooky) was we saw a fresh foot print heading to the back of the cave but not one coming back and a broken hypodermic needle.

I have intentions of going back, a little more prepared, and exploring the back of the cave. Any suggestions of what I should be looking for or things I might have missed. Also nearing the end of our last trip into the cave we all started smelling something like paint or paint thinner, if anybody knows what might cause that please tell.

 

[gldhntr]

sounds like a great site...but,, with hypo's ,fresh footprints going in, and the smell of solvents, i would be wary of a drug lab {meth}....well worth pursuing but do not go alone......... biodegradable liquid detergent or bubble bath would show you if drainage is into an adjacent lake, yet be so insignificant as to not harm fishes.............gldhntr

 

[DeSotoTreasur42]

The owner of the property tried to find out where the water came from and where it is going. Even tried dyes but it never showed up. Also I might note that the owner put in an artificial lake at one point and pumped water out of the cave for 3 months straight and the water level never dropped. Also the meth lab thing would be kind of hard to do I would think, (but I don't know much about meth) because the biggest kinds of boats you are gonna get in there are at best a canoe but more likely an inflatable raft (what we used).

 

[Southcacalaky]

Hey Art, Did you notice this post is from LAST June, of 2005?

CZ

Yes I did, Art...

 

[Celtic Crusader]

http://www.treasurehuntersuniversity.com/danger_symbols.html
Snake=boat split down the middle? This may be helpful in your Goonies adventure. As for the foot prints and needle, your guess is as good as mine.Best of luck. -CC

 

[jeff of pa]

a Needle Dosn't Necessarily Mean Illegal Drug use.

there are people who carry them to take their Medication.

This is a Very Intresting thread.
I hope you continue to keep us Updated on your Adventure.

Happy Hunting.
Jeff

 

[grizzly bare]

Jeff,
grizzly bare here. You are absolutely right about people carrying hypodermic needles to take medication! I always have insulin and a syringe and nitrostat with me when I am in the woods or out detecting. High or low blood sugar or chest pains are nothing to ignore when one is an hour from help.

Jim Johnson

 

[EDDE]

a Needle Dosn't Necessarily Mean Illegal Drug use.

there are people who carry them to take their Medication.

This is a Very Intresting thread.
I hope you continue to keep us Updated on your Adventure.

Happy Hunting.
Jeff

i use them to inflate worms when i bottom fish so the worm floats off the bottom...

 

[Roadquest]

Desoto, Give us an up date. ....Roadquest.

window of time

 

[DeSotoTreasur42]

Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, but I haven't taken another trip to the cave. My friend who goes to the cave with me is going into the army so he has been busy, but we will make another trip this month before he leaves. Before we go though I would like some of yalls (I hate that word) opinions on some things.

1. We really think that this cave has Indian history, so what are things we should look for?

2.If there is sulphur in the back of the cave, what kind of precautions should we take if any?

3. My friend really wants to carry a metal detector, but the only real place to use it in the cave is the land on the other side of the lake. It would be possible to keep the thing dry but would it be worth the hassle?

4. Finally any suggestions on things we should look into.

All info appreciated.

P.S.
Should I move this post to another category other than techniques, because the topic has kind of changed since the original post.

 

[daydreamer]

I am drooling over this post. THe snake should say a lot, along with the old boat on the inner shore. I would love to take the time to thoroughly search the bottom of that cave underwater; Scuba for a recon then set up on a hookah rig if anything is there.
The sulphur makes me think you are in a thermal vent that would have been attractive to indians so you might find a few arrowheads, you also might find a distinct lack of the 19% oxygen we all like to breath, so borrow an oxygen sniffer, and/or a scott style resprator mask with chemical filters, if not fully supplied air.
Good hunting and be smart- take action on this one- don't let the daily things of life sidetract you too much - this spot has real possibilities.

Please show us pictures.