Overview of Money Find Theories
Blaze's questions about the money find at Tina Bar have triggered an internal review within me of the theories of how the money got to T-Bar. Here's what I see. Please comment and add other angles that you perceive.
1. Dredge Theory
Somehow part or all of the money entered the Columbia River during the period of 1971 to 1974. In 1974 the ACE dredge Bedell scooped at least 6,000-plus dollars worth of Cooper twenties and threw them up on the beach at T-Bar, where they were spread out on the strand by the Fazio Brothers and their bulldozers.
Somehow a portion of those bills got chopped up as if in a Cuisinart and those pieces compose the shard field that was found buried at a depth of 3-4 feet in February 12-14, 1980.
But incredibly, a portion of the money that got dredged stayed mostly intact and was placed in the proverbial three-bundle stack that Brian Ingram found on Feb. 10, 1980.
This theory suggests the possibility that DB Cooper landed in the Columbia River and drowned, but requires that his body, parachutes, briefcase and bomb were never dredged up and deposited on land - inexplicably - only a bit of his money.
2. Cooper Cratered at or near T-Bar
Despite his denials, Bill Rataczak steered Flight 305 over the Columbia River near Longview, WA and flew south towards West Portland over a 40-mile stretch of river. At 8:13 pm, approximately, Cooper jumped in the vicinity of T-Bar. For reasons unknown he no-pulled, and his body and money satchel cratered on land in the area of Caterpillar Island, or somewhere just upstream from the money find site at T-Bar.
Over the next eight and half years, the money drifted downstream and downhill towards the money find site. The bundles of money separated in a variety of ways and natural forces eroded them into the shard field and the bundle site.
Intriguingly, Cooper's remains - and all of the metal components of his parachutes - are still in the Caterpillar Island area.
3. Propeller Theory - ala TK and Larry Carr
Cooper jumped over Ariel and fumbled, bumbled, tumbled due to the cold and hypothermia, either no-pulling or getting tangled in his shroud lines, ultimately landing in the Lewis River and drowning. His body, chute and money floated down to the Columbia River, snagging a propeller of an in-coming freighter and travelling upstream to T-Bar, where the money satchel dislodged itself and spilled the money bundles into the river. The money eventually ended up on the sand, either by natural means or during the dredge process.
4. Plant Theory A - Dwayne Ingram and Rackstraw
Dwayne planted the money at the direction of Robert Rackstraw or was told by Rackstraw or his accomplices where the money was buried, and Dwayne directed his son to the spot where it was found. Reasons? To fool the cops into thinking Rackstraw had died in the jump by drowning in the Columbia River. How the shards got there is irrelevant. Quote: "Let Georger and those smarty-pants at the DB Cooper Forum play in the sand on that one."
5. Plant Theory B - Rackstraw or accomplices threw the money into Vancouver Lake
This is Colbert's current theory and backed by the 40-cop ensemble at the CCT, presumably, despite all efforts to clarify their perspective independently of TJC.
How the money got from Van Lake to T-Bar is left to the power and mystery of Mother Nature.
Again, the reason is to fool the cops that Rackstraw died in the jump and drowned in Van Lake.
6. Plant Theory C - MKULTRA rituals
The money - bundles and shards - were planted in T-Bar during a series of rituals designed to imprint on MKULTRA trainees that they were DB Cooper and were planting their ransom for a later retrieval. This theory suggests that the DB Cooper skyjacking had many secret components, one of which was Cooper was part of a cadre of skyjackers being trained for covert ops. Part of this group was composed of what are now known to be copy-cats and confessees, particularly Richard McCoy, Duane Weber, Robert Rackstraw, Barb Dayton, and others.
7. Plant Theory D: Puppet Masters planted the money to mess with Tina Mucklow's mind
Individuals responsible for the cover-up and perpetration of Norjak planted the money at Tina Bar as a way to amplify their mental torture of Tina Mucklow, who was residing in a health care facility a few miles upstream in Gresham, Washington for the purpose of insuring her silence about what really happened aboard Flight 305.
8. Duane Weber threw the money into the Columbia River
According to Jo Weber, her husband was DB Cooper and he threw his money into the Columbia River in late 1979 from the docks at the Red Lion Inn in Vancouver for unknown reasons. Over the next six months the money floated to T-Bar and Mother Nature dispersed it throughout the sand layers as found in February 1980.
9. Inadvertent deposit during transfer of getaway crafts
Bill Rollins postulates that the money found at T-Bar originated from the night of the skyjacking when DB Cooper transferred the money from the satchel to hidden storage containers on his camper/pick-up truck. This happenstance occurred immediately following his arrival at T-Bar in his Alumacraft boat and prior to his departure from T-Bar to retrieve his Zodiac at the shoreline of the Columbia near PDX.
10. Natural Means
Somehow the money entered the Columbia River Basin, most likely through a mid-air mishap that caused the money satchel to rip apart or separate from DB Cooper's body. Part or all of the money floated down some body of water, such as tributaries to the Columbia, and washed ashore at T-Bar, where natural means deposited them in various layers.
The Washougal River Wash-Down scenario is the most commonly accepted version of this theory, particularly since Bill Rataczak has told several principals, such as Ralph Himmelsbach, he was flying far east of Victor 23 and was over the Washougal River Basin.
This scenario places great import on determining the actual the Flight Path, making this a very contentious part of the Norjak saga.
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