The march april issue of skeptical inquirer has a detailed article by joe nickell, whose analysis of spontaneous human combustion is featured in an update on that topic. nickell shows evidence that the pit is a natural sinkhole with natural limestone channels admitting seawater and that the details of proof of a manmade treasure are the result of imagination, exageration, and a kind of masonic parable perpetrated by some of the treasure hunting principles who were masons
Here is the article referenced: Oak Island treausre
This was a column by Cecil, not a Mailbag item, and so I am moving this topic to the appropriate forum.