A man who believed in a local legend discovers 'vintage sake sunk at the bottom of a lake'
In a small town called
Northern Ontario man solves local legend, finds long-lost vintage liquor at bottom of a lake | CBC News
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/larder-lake-local-legend-sunken-taxi-vintage-liquor-1.7332124
Timmins news: After decades-long search, man finds vintage vehicle in Larder Lake | CTV News
https://northernontario.ctvnews.ca/after-decades-long-search-northern-ontario-man-finds-vintage-vehicle-in-larder-lake-1.7055245
GOPR7108 - YouTube
Lader Lake is a town that prospered after gold mines were discovered in the early 20th century, and the population at the time of writing is about 700 people. There is a legend about a taxi that sank while trying to pass over the frozen Lader Lake in December 1937. Mr. Ploeger, who was born and raised in this town, said, 'Everyone who grew up in this town heard the legend. Everyone who told it had a different story.'
The legend that Proger heard most often was that the taxi that tried to pass through the ice on Lake Lader was on its way to a Christmas party carrying liquor and bonuses for gold miners. Some people said that the taxi was carrying 'gold bars' or 'gold ore', and some people said that it was not a taxi but a 'moonshiner delivering alcohol to nearby mining camps'. Even when Proger was a child, there were adults who searched for the taxi that sank in Lake Lader, and Proger himself had been searching for a taxi for 35 years.
Then one day in 2023, while Ploeger was taking part in a fishing tournament at Lake Ladersee, something strange was captured on his sonar, which searches for fish shadows. As the object formed the outline of a back window and tires, Ploeger became convinced that it was a car that had once sunk in Lake Ladersee. 'I was excited,' Ploeger said of his feelings at the time. 'I gave up on fishing that day.'
Ploeger marked the spot where he found the car and later returned with fellow divers to dive into the pitch black depths of Lake Ladersee. 'There was another diver right next to me, but we had to shine a light to see him. It was a spooky dive,' Ploeger said.
After a search, Ploeger and his team discovered the 1929 Leo Flying Cloud at the bottom of Lake Ladersee, 15 meters below sea level. The image below shows the actual hubcap with the car's logo.
While poor visibility made it difficult to get a full photo, parts like the lights were visible, as well as the doors and parts of the bodywork. 'The wheels were still there. The body had started to rot naturally and the fabric roof was gone, but it's generally in good condition considering it had been at the bottom of a lake for 87 years,' Ploeger said.
The existing 1929 Leo Flying Cloud looks like this:
by Michel Curi
There was no gold in the car, but six bottles of what appeared to be alcohol were left inside. When Ploeger and his team carried one of the bottles to the boat, it immediately exploded due to a change in pressure. However, when they dipped their finger in the liquid and licked it, they said it tasted like 'a very smooth rye whiskey .'
Then in the summer of 2024, Proger and his team dived again and pulled up the remaining five bottles. Two of the bottles had their corks blown off during the dive, but the other three were able to be safely pulled up. Here is one of the bottles Proger and his team actually recovered.
According to Ploeger, who actually tried the contents of the two bottles, one had a very smooth taste, while the other had a 'very rough' flavor, so the taste was inconsistent. 'I don't think this was a good whiskey when it was sold,' Ploeger said. 'The fact that I haven't gone blind from drinking it is a good sign.'
One of the intact bottles recovered from the bottom of Lake Larder was auctioned off at a charity auction on September 28th and sold for 4,500 Canadian dollars (about 480,000 yen). The proceeds were donated to a community group called 'Friends of Larder.' 'I thought that if I found a taxi, it would be the story of this town, not me. So I thought I'd donate it to the town,' said Ploeger.
'It feels weird because I've been searching and searching and searching for so long. Now I've found the car I was looking for and I'm here. That's the end of the story,' said Ploeger of his latest discovery. However, there are other legends about several boats sinking on Lake Ladersee, as well as rumors that a military plane crashed into the nearby bushes during World War II, and Ploeger says he will continue to pursue local mysteries.
The taxi is too fragile to be moved, so it will remain there for other divers to enjoy.
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