12x13 - Caissons h*!

[bunniefuu]

NARRATOR: Tonight on
The Curse of Oak Island...

[truck horn blows]

MARTY:
This is the culmination

of a big effort
by the entire team.

- It's time to dig.
- Yeah, it is.

Guys, you're not gonna
believe this.

- Wow.
- Is that a diamond?

So, somebody of importance
and wealth was on Lot 5?

- I think so.
- That's pretty significant.

TERRY:
We hit a lot of wood.

It's a structure.

ALEX:
Wow. This is a good chance

of being
the original Money Pit location.

Absolutely.

NARRATOR: There is an
island in the North Atlantic

where people
have been looking for

an incredible treasure
for more than 200 years.

So far, they have found
a stone slab

with strange symbols
carved into it,

man-made workings
that date to medieval times,

and a lead cross
whose origin may be connected

to the Knights Templar.

To date, six men have died

trying to solve the mystery.

And according to legend,
one more will have to die

before the treasure
can be found.

♪

A day of intense anticipation
has finally arrived

on Oak Island for brothers
Rick and Marty Lagina

and their partner Craig Tester.

MARTY:
It's time to dig.

- I always get excited when it's time to dig, you know?
- Yeah.

- This is the year.
- Yup.

RICK: After all that Choice
Sonic drill program and all

the geophysical investigations,

we hope we put X's
on the right spots.

NARRATOR:
They, along with their team,

are about
to begin a historic operation

in the fabled Money Pit area

to solve a 230-year-old
treasure mystery.

MARTY:
We have six or seven spots.

We think any one of them could
actually bring up treasure

or at least,
pieces of treasure, right?

- Yup.
- MARTY: Sometimes luck

is what you really need.

Maybe we get lucky.

NARRATOR: After completing
an extensive core-drilling

and groundwater-testing program
over the past several months,

they have not only identified
multiple locations

where evidence
of man-made workings

and precious metals
have been recovered

more than 150 feet
underground...

This looks like the vault.

NARRATOR: but
also, one potential target

where they unearthed
what could be part

of the so-called Chappell Vault.

A seven foot high
concrete encased chest

that was encountered in 1897
at a depth 153 feet

by Frederick Blair
and his drilling operator,

William Chappell.

- Hey, Vanessa.
- Hey, guys. Hey.

- Good morning and welcome back.
- Welcome back.

NARRATOR:
Now, working with Vanessa Lucido

and her company, ROC Equipment,

along with representatives
from Soletanche Bachy Canada,

the Laginas and their team
are preparing to excavate

seven foot diameter
steel caissons

at each location, down to depths

of more than 200 feet,
if necessary.

And they will begin
with the target believed

to set directly above
the fabled Chappell Vault.

PAUL: Pull one out.
We do one at a time.

RICK:
I have always believed

that there is something hidden
in the Money Pit.

I think there is a chance that
there are multiple treasures

in the Money Pit.
Think about it.

There was the original
Money Pit, and then

there was the so-called
Chappell Vault.

And now it's up to us
to exploit that area

vis-à-vis the caissons.

You know, after all
this exhaustive work we've done,

if we can come up with something

that I hold in your hand

to prove the story...

- that's pretty awesome.
- Yeah.

Are you guys in on this?

- Absolutely.
- MARTY: Yeah.

We're really excited
to get up here,

and we have all the tools
we need

to get down there
as deep as we need to go.

NARRATOR:
In the coming days,

the teams from ROC and SB Canada
will assemble a massive crane

and an oscillator,
which will rotate

and grind the sections
of steel caissons

into the ground.

Then, an 18 and a half ton tool

known as a hammer grab
will be used

to remove tons of earth, debris

and hopefully,
the legendary riches

that people have been
looking for since 1795.

RICK: Thank you, each
and every one of you,

- because without you, it doesn't happen.
- Let's do it.

- MARTY: All right.
- ADAM: Let's get there

- and dig it.
- MARTY: Yeah. You know what?

- I feel the same way.
- Yeah.

- Let's get digging.
- ADAM: Yeah.

We'll let you guys get after it.

- Awesome. - See you. Thank you.
- Thanks, guys.

NARRATOR:
As the preparations continue

in the Money Pit area...

later that morning,

in the northern region
of the triangle-shaped swamp...

The deeper boards are

- in much better shape.
- ALEX: Yeah.

NARRATOR:
Rick Lagina has joined

his nephew Alex

and other members of the team,

where they are searching

for other additional
possible caches

of buried valuables.

This is somewhat
substantial board.

They are all
of different dimensions.

Curious thing:
where are the nails?

Where are the nail holes?

- There's nothing in the boards.
- Right.

Seems to be
quite a few more rocks,

at least right in through here.

NARRATOR:
Several weeks ago,

the team was astonished
to uncover

part of a cobblestone pathway

which led them to a buried brick
and slate vault-like structure.

Okay. Here's something.

NARRATOR: Although
no valuables were found...

Can I see?

NARRATOR:
the team recovered tools

and a lead artifact within it.

LAIRD:
That's odd.

NARRATOR: suggesting
it may have been built

more than three centuries ago.

KATYA:
Oh, my gosh.

RICK: A stake right
through the board.

ALEX:
Oh, yeah.

NARRATOR:
And just last week,

as the team continued
investigating the stone pathway

in the hopes of finding more
hidden vault-like features...

RICK: There's a board here,
and it drops down to this board.

NARRATOR: they discovered
a strange wooden structure.

Billy, you're gonna dig that way

and see
if there's more boards there.

- BILLY: Yeah.
- RICK: Okay.

NARRATOR:
Now the team is carefully

investigating the structure
in the hopes

of determining its purpose

and find out if it might be
covering something important

or valuable.

[clanking]

Wait, wait, wait, wait,
wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

What's that thing?

Look at that.

A piece of shaped wood.

- KATYA: Really?
- Yeah.

It was roughly three feet deep.

- Pretty cool.
- BILLY: Yes, it is. Yeah.

- RICK: That's definitely worth keeping.
- ALEX: Yeah.

RICK: Stylistically, Laird
might be able to tell us the date.

ALEX:
Yeah. Should be identifiable.

It's unique, that's for sure.

NARRATOR:
Shaped wood?

Found some three feet deep
underground in the swamp?

Could it be related
to the structure

that the team discovered
much closer to the surface?

Or perhaps another one
further below?

RICK: What is this piece
of wood doing at this depth?

I mean, this is quite deep
for anything to be there.

But it's suggestive, certainly,

of the possibility
of multiple treasure caches.

But at the end of the day,
you have to hold the proof

in your hand
and keep eyes on target.

BILLY:
The one thing we're sure is that

we continue to show
that people were working

in the swamp
for something, right?

The boards didn't get there
on their own.

RICK:
Right. Well, it certainly

continues to remain
of interest, right?

So, let's finish
this little area.

- Yeah.
- RICK: And hopefully

- we'll find some answers, not just questions.
- ALEX: Okay.

- Keep after it. Good luck.
- We'll keep working.

NARRATOR: As the excavation
continues in the swamp,

several hundred yards
to the northwest on Lot 5...

- Hey, Fiona.
- Hello, Jack.

So, how's progress
on this test pit coming?

This is actually
a really interesting pit.

NARRATOR:
Jack Begley joins

archaeologist Fiona Steele
and her assistant

Todd Langseth
as they continue to investigate

a mysterious, round foundation
near the shoreline.

The whole point
of this test pit is to see

if it's an entranceway.
There's a gap in the rocks.

And the bonus tie-in is that
this is the one area

of the entire structure that
we found that Money Pit soil.

NARRATOR: While meticulously
uncovering this foundation

over the past two years,

the team has discovered
man-made mortar

that matches soils
from more than 100 feet deep

in the Money Pit area.

Additionally, they have
unearthed multiple sections

of the feature,

along with an array of coins

and artifacts that,
incredibly, have been dated

to between the 14th
and 18th centuries.

What spot would you like me
to start at?

If you don't mind
starting through here...

you can see where it's higher...

that would be really,
really helpful.

NARRATOR: These discoveries
have made the team suspect

that the feature was used
and modified

by different groups
over a number of eras

when treasure may have been
deposited in the Money Pit area.

Let's get digging.

NARRATOR:
However, the varied finds

have additionally
made the team wonder

if the feature might also
have been used

to hide valuables.

FIONA:
Oh.

So, look at that.

I think it's a hinge piece.

- Wait. What is it?
- Well, if you look at it,

it's triangular,
and if this piece flaps over,

it was probably a small hinge.

What type of a hinge
would that be?

'Cause it doesn't look like
it'd be that big

for, like, a front door.

It just wouldn't
have been a very big door.

Or a hinge to a box or a chest.

We can't rule that out,
either. Hmm.

NARRATOR:
Could Jack Begley's suspicion

that this hinge might have come
from a box or chest be correct?

If so, where is the rest of it,
as well as its contents?

- We should bag it.
- Yeah. That's exactly the type of thing

- that we're looking for.
- Yeah.

Guys.

- What's up?
- What is it, Todd?

- You're not gonna believe this.
- Oh!

- Oh, no way.
- Wow!

Is that a diamond?

- FIONA: Oh!
- JACK: Oh. No way.

- Wow!
- Is that a diamond?

I don't know.

FIONA:
Well, it sure looks like it,

or at least cut glass
of some sort.

NARRATOR: While excavating
near the mysterious

round feature on Lot 5...

JACK [laughing]:
Holy smokes.

Members of the Oak Island team

have just made what could
be a historic discovery.

Oh, that's really shiny.

Look at that, look at
the star pattern on the back.

You can totally see it. Wow.

JACK: That's
a piece of treasure, Todd.

- For sure.
- Oh, yeah.

JACK: It might have popped off
of some jewelry.

I can see this being
maybe a ring or a necklace.

TODD: Yeah. Well, that's
what I was thinking, because

it looks like it was sat
in something.

Wow, that's really cool.

Look at that,
look at that up close.

JACK:
Looks like a gemstone.

Or it could be glass.

It would've been valuable
back then.

'Cause even to make this type
of glass was an art.

NARATOR:
A possible diamond?

Or glass gemstone?

Over the past decade,
the Laginas and their team

have found numerous
pieces of treasure

across the island that predate

the discovery of the Money Pit,

including gold-plated buttons,

silver coins,

and even gemstones.

One such find,

which was discovered
on Lot 21 back in 2018,

was made of purple glass

and is believed to be
at least 500 years old.

But that's the type of thing

you'd expect
surrounded by a bunch of coins.

TODD:
Yeah.

NARRATOR:
Is it possible that the team

has just found
another piece of treasure

in the round foundation
on Lot 5?

If so, could that mean
there are many more valuables

waiting to be discovered
on this side of Oak Island?

JACK:
What's it doing on Lot 5?

What's it doing
around this feature?

It makes me think
that maybe there is some sort

of further connection
to the treasure hunt, you know?

And maybe we're near
where they had a deposit.

Well, that-that's giving us
another piece of a puzzle here

that-that we've already been
a little flabbergasted about.

Wow, I love that you found that.

JACK:
You can definitely say now,

you found a bit
of treasure on Oak Island.

That is-is special.

- Takes the cake, huh?
- Yeah.

I think if we take that
back to the lab,

that-that CT scanner
should be able to pick up

a little bit more
of the design to see

exactly what it is.

You know what,
that is a top-pocket find

- if I've ever seen one.
- Oh, yeah?

And you can say
it's actually a dazzler.

- Yeah.
- [laughing]

It is quite the dazzler.

JACK:
That's an awesome find, Todd!

NARRATOR:
Later that afternoon...

as search efforts continue in
the northern region of the swamp

and preparations
for a large-scale dig

proceed in the Money Pit area,

some 500 feet to the east

near Smith's Cove...

RICK:
Hey, Billy.

I see we got a bigger,
badder, redder machine.

Rick Lagina and Scott Barlow

join Billy Gerhardt

to examine
a new industrial machine

known as a wash plant

which will act
as another key component

in the Money Pit excavations.

We use a lot of the same stuff
that the old wash plant uses.

So, I feel pretty good about...
about that part of it.

But this is different,
right, Scott?

Yeah. I mean,
it's the same principle.

Um, it's just
a little bit more modern.

NARRATOR: As the massive hammer
grab removes tons of earth

or spoils
from within the steel caissons

in the Money Pit area,

the materials will be
transported to the wash plant

where they will be fed and
funneled through metal grates

known as grizzly bars

in order to remove larger rocks

and other debris.

The spoils will then
be passed through a tool

known as a chopper,

which will break up
and remove thick clays.

From there, the spoils will
be deposited onto a shaker deck

where they will be sprayed
and washed with water

and then separated onto three
separate conveyor belts.

The resulting piles will then
be carefully searched by hand

for important clues
and signs of possible treasure.

Hopefully,
this is gonna speed things up

and we can keep up with
what's happening up there.

This will give us
the ability to do

more caissons
in the same amount of time.

BILLY:
Yeah. With this,

we're not leaving
any stone unturned.

Yep.

RICK:
At the end of the day,

what do we all want?
We want this.

We want to hold
something in our hand.

And this gives us
the best place.

- Right.
- Right?

SCOTT:
Oh, don't worry.

I think
we're all gonna be down here,

standing there
with our hand out.

RICK:
I appreciate both of you guys

working together
and getting this stuff done.

For sure.

Okay, let's get back
in the ball field

- and continue to play.
- Okay.

- Thanks, Billy.
- Thanks, Billy. - Yep.

NARRATOR:
Later that afternoon...

- CARMEN: Well, looky here.
- RICK: Carmen.

CRAIG:
Hey, Carmen.

NARRATOR:
Rick, Craig Tester

and other members of the team

welcome blacksmithing
expert Carmen Legge

to the Oak Island laboratory.

So, Carmen,
thank you for coming.

And this particular item
in front of us here

is interesting.

It was found in association
with an actual treasure map.

Oh, okay.

GARY:
X marks the spot.

Let's go find this.

NARRATOR:
One week ago...

It does have a big X on it.

Doug Crowell, Judi Rudebusch

and historian Terry Deveau
led a search

on the western end of Oak island

based on a believed treasure map

related to the records

of 19th century treasure hunter
Frederick Blair.

The man who reportedly drilled

into the so-called
Chappell Vault

back in 1897.

Curiously, Blair's map
denoted three boulders

on the western end of the island

that he believed were
man-made markers

pointing to additional treasure deposits

more than a half mile
from the Money Pit area.

- Oh!
- Ooh!

That's what we're talking about.

Yeah, no mistaking this one.

NARRATOR:
Incredibly, after finding

the boulders depicted
on the Blair map,

- Iron signal right at the base of it.
- Oh.

Metal detection expert
Gary Drayton

discovered a large hand-wrought iron spike

buried more than
a foot below the surface.

Well, I'll have a look at this.

NARRATOR: Today, it is
Rick and the team's hope

that Carmen can help them
determine

what it may have been used for
and just how old it may be.

Well, it is very old.

It was beat out from
a blob of a section of iron.

It is a large pin, we'll say.

The fibers in here are not
consistent all the way through.

And if it came as round stock,

which would be after 1760,

the fibers through there
would be very consistent.

This was formed round by hand.

RICK:
If you had to put

a use for that,
what would be the use?

This size and length
and shape of it is very typical

if you want to provide
an anchor, so that you have

something to grab a hold,
to pull something up.

This is typical if you wanted
to maneuver a boulder.

Either the boulder
was moved on top of the pin

or somebody pounded that pin

down alongside the boulder
at an angle.

There is a little bit
of a bend to it.

This was under stress.

Yeah. If these rocks
were moved, it would...

That would certainly bend it.

Emma, do you have any idea about

- the age of the metallurgy?
- Yeah.

NARRATOR: To further
aide Carmen's analysis,

prior to the meeting,
archeometallurgist Emma Culligan

scanned the spike

with the X-ray
fluorescence spectrometer,

a device that emits
non-destructive radiation

to reveal an object's
elemental composition.

Compositionally, I'd say
it's blast furnace made.

So, it's high temp iron.

There is some manganese in it,

but not consistently throughout.

It's not clean

enough for me
to say 1600s, so...

I'd put it in the late 1700s.

I might push it
back to mid-1700s, but...

I tend to agree with you
to a point.

I think it's older than,
uh, mid-1700s.

RICK:
That's quite remarkable.

CARMEN: I think
it's older than mid-1700s.

Certainly not 1600s,
so we can rule that out.

NARRATOR: In the Oak Island
laboratory,

blacksmithing expert
Carmen Legge

has just shared a stunning
assessment of the iron pin

that was found one week ago
on Lot 1.

And that is based on?

Uh, just because
of the fibers through there.

And the metal was formed
under high temperature.

NARRATOR: He believes that it
may have been used to position

a large boulder,

which was depicted
on a mysterious treasure map

of the western end of the island

and could predate
the discovery of the Money Pit

by more than five decades.

CARMEN:
I'm thinking 1720s, 1730s.

Maybe 1740s.

You know, around 1740,
that's duc d'Anville and, uh,

you know, they were
coming over here to...

to, uh, take on the British.

I found eight pages
of a ship's log.

NARRATOR: In 2017, Oak Island
historian Doug Crowell

discovered part of a ship's log
in the provincial archives

regarding a failed attempt
by France to seize

Nova Scotia
from Great Britain in 1746.

"September 8th: It has been
agreed that a deep pit

"be dug and treasure
securely buried.

"The pit to have
a secret entrance

- by a tunnel from the shore."
- NARRATOR: However,

it also detailed the burial

of a large cache of valuables

in an area near
or potentially on Oak Island.

The admiral in charge,
known as the duc d'Anville,

was a member
of the Rochefoucauld family.

A family of nobles
who are believed

to have been associated
with the Knights Templar.

- CRAIG: It fits in with that.
- DOUG: Yeah.

Does the map derive
from something

they were doing,
their activities?

NARRATOR:
Although the team has wondered

if the duc d'Anville
may have been connected

to the believed valuables
buried in the Money Pit,

could this spike offer a clue

that d'Anville's crew
also carried out

a secretive operation

on the western end
of the island?

If so, could that operation
have been related

to the so-called
Blair treasure map?

You know, to me, now,

there's meaning behind that map.

I think it's fantastic.

DOUG: If this artifact
is from the early 1700s

to mid-1700s, then that
gives us a possible timeline

for that map
to have been created.

Gives you a good starting point.

Good starting point.

RICK:
Carmen, it's been quite

enlightening, and we really
appreciate you taking time.

Oh, for sure.

Glad to help.

NARRATOR:
The following morning...

- ALEX: Hey.
- MARTY: Hey.

- VANESSA: Hello.
- CRAIG: Hey, everyone.

- Vanessa.
- Hey.

[both laughing]

- How are you doing?
- Good.

- This is great.
- This is great.

This is exciting.

NARRATOR:
Rick, Marty,

Craig and the entire
Fellowship of the Dig

gather in the Money Pit area.

Finally, this year,
we're going to dig.

NARRATOR:
After months of tireless work

and focused research,
the massive excavation

to recover the fabled

Chappell Vault from a depth

of more than 150 feet
is about to begin.

I'll just say something here.

Doug and I
were talking about it.

For 230 years,

people have come here

to this tiny speck of an island

in the North Atlantic

to try to solve

the longest running
treasure hunt

and an incredible mystery.

And every one of them,

every one of them,
including every one of you,

believe.

And I think it is

very appropriate
to call this caisson

"True Believer,"

because the people

that have come before us
have persevered

through tragedy,

through all kinds of adversity,

and yet they came and they saw,

and now,
it's up to us to conquer.

So, Doug, if you'd step up

and name this and sign
it for all of us.

Will do.

RICK:
We all believe in

something about this island...

- VANESSA: All right. Let's name it.
- DOUG: All right.

This story, this mystery
that has endured for 230 years,

that something
happened here long ago.

Way to go, Doug.

So, on some level,

"True Believer" seemed to fit.

I think that,

in a transformational moment
that this, hopefully,

will become,
I think it's very appropriate

that the ladies
should come to the table.

And Katya,

I think you now
have earned two spots.

You have earned
the metal detecting position

and you have earned a spot
on the archaeological team.

So, I'd like you

to press the button.

Ladies, if you'd be kind enough

to come up.
Let's get this started.

VANESSA:
So, first thing

you're gonna do
is go ahead and turn her on.

Okay.

VANESSA:
Okay.

So, see how she's
moving back and forth?

Okay? Now, you're gonna
go forward again.

Nice job. You're oscillating.

- Oh, my gosh.
- That is all it does.

[cheering]

JACK:
Let's get down to that gold!

NARRATOR:
Now that the oscillator

is grinding
the seven-foot-diameter

caisson into the ground,

it is the team's hope
that within the next few days

they will recover
a legendary chest of valuables

and the answers people
have been seeking since 1795.

All right. Everybody,

let's get back to work!

- ALEX: All right.
- CRAIG: I got 'er.

NARRATOR:
Later that morning...

- ALEX: Hey.
- MARTY: Hey, guys.

So, I called you in today
to look at this

kind of seemingly
innocuous artifact.

I find it really exciting.

It's a little glass "jewel."

NARRATOR:
Rick, Marty

and Alex Lagina join
archaeologist Laird Niven

and archaeometallurgist
Emma Culligan

in the Oak Island lab.

Emma did her analysis of it.

They are eager to receive

Emma's scientific report on
the glass gem-like artifact

that was found one day ago

near the round feature on Lot 5.

It is a really
high content of lead.

So, that high of a lead
composition, you wouldn't see

in modern glass,
especially glassware.

It's really clean,
really controlled composition.

I've never seen that before.

But then,
Laird took a look at it.

It's what we call "paste."

So, it's flint glass,
high lead content glass

that was ground up

and then pressed into a mold.

So, this would be

France, when this
was first developed.

NARRATOR:
In the early 18th century,

French jeweler
Georg Friedrich Strass

invented what are known
as "simulated gemstones."

By adding
the elements of bismuth,

thallium and lead

to ground-up glass powder,

he developed
a paste-like substance

that, once heated
and placed into a mold,

created an artificial gemstone

that nearly equaled
the brilliance and value

of actual diamonds.

LAIRD:
French high society

were walking around
with things like this.

And it became all the rage.

EMMA: So, 1734 would
have been the invention

or introduction
of this kind of crystal.

Interesting.

- Yeah.
- EMMA: I do have

mid to late 1700s lead glass

- in the database.
- Correct.

And this has a ten percent
higher content of lead

than that glassware.
So, age-wise,

early to mid-1700s...

it does fit, compositionally.

MARTY:
What it squarely fits

is the duc d'Anville's
expedition.

- MARTY: That's a cool find.
- LAIRD: Yeah.

MARTY: What it squarely fits

is the duc d'Anville's
expedition.

NARRATOR: It is a potentially
revealing moment

in the Oak Island lab.

The glass gemstone
that was found

near the round feature
on Lot 5 has just

been scientifically proven
to be a kind of

high-valued jewelry
that was created in France,

back in the early 18th century.

Were both men
and women wearing these?

- Yes.
- NARRATOR: This means it could be another

key piece of
evidence that connects

the Oak Island mystery
to the duc d'Anville,

a French admiral
who may have buried

a vast treasure in this area

back in 1746.

So, somebody of
importance and wealth

was on Lot 5, at least, say,

visiting, at minimum.

- Yeah.
- Or... or overseeing

a whole bunch of activity.

It's a crude structure.

I mean, maybe
a workers' camp or something.

And a connection to
the Money Pit through the soil.

NARRATOR: Could Alex and
Marty's suspicion be correct

that perhaps
the round feature on Lot 5

may have been used as a camp
during an operation

to bury valuables
in the Money Pit

and explain why
the mortar-like material

found in the round feature
matches soil samples

recovered from deep underground

and near the location where
they are currently conducting

a large-scale excavation?

MARTY:
That underscores

that somebody
of importance was there.

I think so.

Somebody with wealth.

MARTY:
And then throw in the date.

That's pretty significant.

Laird, I mean, you've excavated

all around the province.
Is this the first one

- of these things you've found?
- It is. Yeah.

MARTY:
That's probably, to me,

one of the most
significant things on Lot 5.

- ALEX: Yeah.
- MARTY: Excellent data, excellent find,

excellent analysis.

Thank you.
Food for thought for us

but hopefully
we can find more stuff

in the Money Pit.

Let's go find some more.

Go find the brothers
and sisters of that thing.

LAIRD:
All right. Will do.

NARRATOR:
Later that afternoon...

VANESSA:
That was a bigger scoop.

EMBLETON: We're almost to
our first target depth of interest.

NARRATOR: while
the excavation continues

in the Money Pit area...

BILLY:
You just want to check that?

'Cause that's where
the boards were.

NARRATOR: Alex Lagina
joins Katya Drayton

and Billy Gerhardt
in the northern region

of the swamp to continue
searching for clues

near a mysterious

wooden structure.

There is one.

KATYA: It's looking like
there's no metal in them.

- ALEX: Yeah.
- KATYA: Do you want to dig them out a little?

I'm going to, just a little.

Well, it... Uh...

This wood structure,
whatever it is,

keeps going
at least as far as here.

It seems to end here

and then, right after it,

is a rock
right at the same level.

So, maybe we just
scrape this off.

Maybe there's a rock platform

- or something?
- Yep.

ALEX: This is the problem
with digging in the swamp,

looking for man-made features.

The difference between
something that's natural

and something
that's made by people

can be really slight

if we don't go slowly
and carefully consider

everything that we see.

BILLY:
Oh, my God.

ALEX:
That's enormous.

There's a couple rocks here,
and there's even one lower.

I think these rocks
were piled here.

Except for that big one.

NARRATOR:
Piled rocks?

Could the team have found
another section

of the cobblestone path?

Or perhaps a structure,
like the slate vault

that they uncovered
just a few yards away?

ALEX:
So, I think we should call

Dr. Spooner in
and have him take a look.

Yeah.

Let me send him a text here.

Well, we have this open question

about a lot of the features
we find in the swamp:

Are they real,
natural or man-made?

And we have
Dr. Spooner to help us

to determine what they are
and a date range.

- Hey, Alex.
- Hey.

So, we kept digging this way.

- The board ends here, and there's a rock there.
- Right.

So, the question for you is

are these rocks
glacially deposited?

Or were they piled here
after the swamp was in place?

- I'll have to get down there.
- Yup.

Okay.

ALEX:
The top of the pile of rocks...

if that's what it is...
is at end of the boards.

IAN:
Okay.

This feature, to me,
it's probably influenced

by people, um, mainly
because of this stacked rock.

My guess:
this is a similar construct

- to what we saw on the stone road.
- ALEX: Yeah.

NARRATOR:
In 2020,

the Oak Island team
was astonished

to uncover a massive stone road
in the swamp's southeast corner

that they believed
was constructed

to offload some type
of heavy cargo

from a ship onto Oak Island.

The team has wondered
if the road was used

as a starting point to transport
something up to the Money Pit.

So, if Dr. Spooner is correct

that Billy, Alex and Katya have
uncovered a similar feature

in the northern region
of the swamp,

then just what might it lead to?

- I'm interested where it goes.
- Mm-hmm.

And, so, um, I certainly,
wouldn't stop digging.

Yeah.

IAN: Let me know
if you find anything else.

- Happy to come down,
- ALEX: Okay. Thank you.

Okay? You're welcome.

Thank you, Dr. Spooner.

IAN:
Thank you.

NARRATOR: As a new day
begins on Oak Island...

- MARTY: Vanessa. Adam.
- VANESSA: Hey.

- How we doing?
- Doing great.

Yeah. It's going well today.

NARRATOR: Marty Lagina
arrives in the Money Pit area

to monitor the excavation
of TB-1.

VANESSA:
Right now, we are at about

- 87 feet with the dig.
- Okay.

NARRATOR:
If the data from their recent

core-drilling operation
is correct,

they are not only digging
at the location

of the original Money Pit,
but may be on course

to recover
the fabled Chappell Vault

at a depth of some 150 feet.

MARTY:
All right, here we go.

- VANESSA: It's exciting.
- MARTY: Yes.

JARED:
There's wood.

Oh, we got some wood there.

- MARTY: Yeah, we do.
- ALEX: Yeah.

TERRY:
We got some beams here.

MARTY: We're gonna let
you two get back to work.

- Okay.
- We're gonna go check out this wood

- that's coming up. Thanks a lot.
- Sounds good.

MARTY:
We start to encounter wood.

We have to look at it
as it comes out because

there's wood
and then there's wood.

Wood that's hand-hewn,
wood that might be oak,

wood that could be indicative

of the original logs
in the Money Pit...

those would mean some things.

And maybe the stuff
coming up means something.

All right, what do we have here?

This is actually a whole log,
but you can see

how it's kind of fitted
and placed in.

That's a wooden structure,

and this could be, perhaps,
a support beam.

NARRATOR:
Evidence of a wooden structure?

Unearthed some 90 feet
in the TB-1 shaft?

If so, just what
has the team discovered?

And you can see that
that is tapered,

and there's axe cut right there.

MARTY:
Where do you think

- that's axe cut?
- An axe or an adze

has cut into that right there.

NARRATOR:
Because Terry believes

that the wood has been hand-cut
with an axe

or an adze, which is a kind of
pre-18th century cutting tool,

could that mean that the team
has recovered evidence

of the original Money Pit?

If so, might this
be a critical clue

that they are on course

to retrieve the coveted
Chappell Vault?

We're trying to find the
Money Pit or one of the vaults.

So, it makes it an
extraordinarily interesting area

- to be working in.
- MARTY: Okay.

Sounds like a plan.

- Carry on.
- ALEX: Will do.

NARRATOR: As the excavation
continues in the Money Pit area,

several hundred feet
to the east at the wash plant...

CHARLES:
We got something stuck up here.

NARRATOR:
other members of the team

are carefully
sorting through the spoils

that have been removed
from the TB-1 caisson

for potential clues
and valuables.

Hey, Charles.

I'm gonna text Rick.

That's cool.

RICK:
So, a text comes in,

and when you think about
what we found in the caisson,

of the possibilities
of what might be

in the spoils piles
got me excited.

So, I go down to the wash plant
to see what they discovered.

- Hey, fellas.
- Hey. How's it going out here?

SCOTT:
So far, so good.

- Derek found this on the belt.
- RICK: Cool.

Look at that.

ALEX: Yeah. It's
irregular, and it's square,

and it seems
to be broken off at the end.

And Gary Drayton's measure is

if it's old, it's heavy, right?

- This is somewhat heavy for its size.
- ALEX: Yeah.

That could be old. It could be
part of original work.

I guess we'll find out
when the lab takes a look at it.

We're gonna bag it and tag it
and it'll go back to the lab.

- RICK: Okay.
- ALEX: Well, it's a good sign

that we're finding things
like that.

We could see something
very interesting come through

- the machine, so...
- Yeah. - Absolutely. Yeah.

- Yeah, well done.
- Yeah. - Yeah.

Bottom line is
things are working well.

And that's what's really key.

That's right.

I'll let you get back to work.
If you need me down here,

- I'm happy to volunteer.
- SCOTT: Oh, it's all good.

- Anyways, thanks, guys.
- RICK: All right.

Good luck.

NARRATOR: While the sorting
of spoils continues

at the wash plant...

KATYA:
They've been doing very well.

NARRATOR:
back in the Money Pit area,

Alex Lagina has joined
Katya Drayton and Terry Matheson

as the excavation
proceeds deeper in TB-1.

- All good.
- Clear?

NARRATOR: Before
these freshly-removed spoils

are transported down
to the wash plant,

Katya conducts
a preliminary scan

for signs of anything
composed of metal.

[loud beeping]

- Okay. - Sounds like it's there.
- Let's see.

It's not that, is it?

KATYA:
Um... no.

- [beeping]
- ALEX: Oh, it's still there?

KATYA:
It's still there.

TERRY:
Okay. Look at that.

ALEX:
More wood?

TERRY [imitates Schwarzenegger]:
I'll be back.

ALEX:
You're on it there.

That's it.

Wow.

ALEX:
That's it.

- Wow.
- KATYA: A huge spike.

Yeah, it looks wrought,
it looks old.

- KATYA: Old is good.
- Mm-hmm.

NARRATOR:
Just after the Oak Island team

recovered possible evidence

of the original Money Pit

some 90 feet deep
in the TB-1 shaft,

Alex Lagina and Katya Drayton
have just made another

potentially important discovery.

TERRY:
What do you got there?

KATYA:
We found a very big spike.

ALEX:
A huge spike.

TERRY:
That's really something. Wow.

- Find some neat stuff?
- KATYA: Oh, yeah.

Finding some interesting stuff,
for sure.

Some just bizarre stuff. I mean,

we're finding wood from...

we don't even really know.

- ALEX: Hey.
- Hey.

- Rick, how you doing?
- RICK: What's up?

- Kind of interesting.
- TERRY: Yeah.

So, we hit a lot of wood,


These are limbs that have been
cut off here, cut off there.

And there's a mate to this
just over on the ground there.

RICK:
We have all kinds of data

that strongly hints that there
is something to be found here.

We just have to stay the course
and be patient.

Is this

an opportunity
to find the one thing?

Maybe even the treasure itself?

Sure it is.

This area is of significance.

I've got my fingers
and my toes crossed

because I well and truly believe

that we will find something
in this location.

That's definitely wrought iron.
You can see it there.

It's extremely heavy,

so, I think
this might tell us a story.

- So, we need to pay attention.
- Yeah.

I'd like to take this to Emma.

If it is very old,
that tells us, "You know what?

Guys, we're close to something."

Yeah, exactly.

Find the one thing,
everything else will follow.

- TERRY: For sure.
- RICK: At some point,

- all will be revealed. - Yeah.
- TERRY: Absolutely.

RICK:
You know, look,

it's-it's phenomenal,
so, thank you.

- VANESSA: All right.
- TERRY: All right. Thank you.

NARRATOR:
For Rick, Marty, Craig

and their devoted fellowship,

what could prove
to be the most historic

and revealing excavation in
the Money Pit is now underway.

But as they dig deeper

into the heart
of this 230-year-old mystery

and continue to uncover clues

all across
these mysterious 140 acres,

a critical question
needs to be asked.

Just what depths will the forces
that have long protected

Oak Island's secrets go to

in order to ensure
they remain...

buried?

Next time on
The Curse of Oak Island...

- GARY: We got wood.
- ALEX: That's a lot of wood

we're bringing out.

MARTY:
Roman numeral three there?

- Yeah.
- It's the oldest-looking wood we've found.

We're close to something.

- I got a hit.
- That sounds good.

- Here it is. It's right on top.
- [Jack gasps]

Wow!

The book states that some

Biblical treasures went
to Oak Island.

JOHN EDWARDS:
The feature on the map

is outlined exactly like
the stone feature found

at the north end of the swamp.

This is big.