10x11 - Oh, Well!
Posted: 04/17/24 08:14
Narrator: Tonight on
the curse of oak island...
Marty: We are
drilling in the blob
Where the gold is coming from.
Terry: Ho. Look at this.
Miriam: Oh, my god.
Rick, you've been looking
for this for a long time.
Jack: Oh, yeah.
Corjan: That is the
mark of the masons
- For the knights templar.
- Charles: Oh, wow.
Could be from a
medieval templar church.
The date I got was 1028 to 1172.
- Jack: Oh, no way!
- That is really cool.
- 12th century, right?
- Even earlier.
- Doug: Yeah.
- Yup.
Templars, baby.
[laughter]
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 d*ed
Trying to solve the mystery.
And according to legend,
one more will have to die
Before the treasure
can be found.
♪ ♪
Terry: Cn-11, here we go.
- Hey, guys.
- Terry: Hey, alex.
- How you doing?
- So, we're in the blob here?
Yes, we just broke
ground here a minute ago.
Narrator: For brothers
rick and marty lagina,
Their partner craig tester
and the rest of their team,
A day of great anticipation
has just begun on oak island...
One that they hope could
reveal the ultimate answers
To the 228-year-old
treasure mystery.
We are in the center
of the blob here.
The area that we expect is the
highest concentration of gold,
- We're right in the middle of it.
- Terry: Absolutely.
We've tracked this
through the area where
The relatively high gold
concentrations are coming from.
We're tracking it back
to its source in the north.
Right.
Ian: Oh, that's beautiful.
Nice and clear.
Yeah, that's... Looks great.
Narrator: One week ago,
geoscientist dr. Ian spooner
And his colleague
dr. Matt lukeman
Collected new water samples
From previously-drilled
boreholes
In the money pit area,
With the objective
of tracking the source
Of precious metals
that have been detected
Throughout the area
over the last two years.
Fred: To the
west of that line,
We're seeing gold
and silver values
In a number of monitoring wells.
Narrator: When the
samples were analyzed
By hydrogeologist
dr. Fred michel,
The results were nothing
short of astonishing.
Ian: The area in pink there
Would be exactly
where the gold is.
Wow. That is
astoundingly good news.
-Yeah. -Onward
- And into the blob.
- [laughter]
Narrator: According
to the processed data,
The treasure that people have
been searching for since 1795
Appears to lie somewhere
within a 70 by 25-foot zone
Several feet west
of the garden shaft,
At a depth between
Now, the team is
making their first attempt
To pinpoint the fabled
riches in borehole cn-11,
A borehole located some 27
feet west of the garden shaft
And dead center
in the treasure zone,
Which marty lagina has now
officially dubbed "the blob."
I, personally, am
very excited about this.
We are drilling in a
scientifically delineated area
Where the gold is coming from,
The origination
of the soluble gold.
The blob could be the treasure.
We could drill into something
interesting at any time.
Terry: That's right.
We may come across the source
As we drill these
holes. Absolutely.
Hopefully, we can
find the mother lode.
Narrator: As the core drilling
operation in borehole cn-11
Continues in the
money pit area...
Miriam: Helen,
I've got another...
Chunk of iron here.
Super corroded.
Similar to the other ones?
Nearly half a mile to the west,
Jack begley, along with
archaeologists helen sheldon
And miriam amirault,
continue investigating
A mysterious man-made
stone foundation on lot 5.
After purchasing this four-acre
property just three weeks ago,
The team has already made
A number of
incredible discoveries,
Including ancient tools
And a half-coin of roman origin
Dating back more
than 2,000 years.
We're finding amazing
artifacts in here,
And it's a relatively
undocumented area,
So that's interesting.
Is that pottery?
Rick: It's pottery. Glazed.
Narrator: One week ago, rick,
Marty and metal detection
expert gary drayton
Discovered the site after
unearthing metal artifacts
And english pottery dating back
More than half a century before
the discovery of the money pit.
Wow, look at this.
It's a copper nail.
Laird: This is turning out
to be really something else.
Narrator: After helen, miriam
And lead
archaeologist laird niven
Began inspecting the
feature themselves,
They quickly made more
intriguing discoveries,
As well as evidence that it was
deliberately buried by someone
More than two centuries ago.
Now they are looking
for more artifacts
In the hopes of identifying
just who constructed it
And why they attempted to ensure
it would never be found again.
Looks like that soil
May be getting a
bit lighter down there,
Which means we might
be hitting the bottom.
Jack: Finally
getting to the bottom.
- Miriam: That would only be...
- Whoa.
That would only be the
bottom of that corner.
- Helen: Yes.
- Meaning it's probably sloping down.
- Helen: Yeah.
- I feel like
- It continues on, kind of, both directions.
- It could go both ways.
- Even... maybe even that way, too.
- Yeah. Yeah.
So, these rocks in here,
they're really tightly packed in.
So I'm wondering if...
[clicks tongue] ...Maybe,
like, it is the edge of a wall.
- But we have to keep going to find out.
- Jack: Yeah.
Rick: If you apply
logic, the only peoples
That could have done this
would have been the or...
People who did the original
work, depositional work.
But it's early in
the discovery phase.
So we have to be patient.
Hey.
- Hey, craig.
- Have any luck?
Oh, lots of bits of...
Little bits of charcoal.
Uh, but helen found
something really interesting.
Here, come over
here and take a look.
Helen: The stones?
Yeah.
So, craig, when
we're taking those out,
They're fairly
loosely consolidated
- And voids in between them.
- Mm-hmm.
These are packed
Really tightly in there.
Maybe that
actually is inner wall.
We reach a stone layer,
And the stones seem
irregularly placed.
They seem, you know, filled in,
Like they're not part
of a feature. But...
Some of the stones
on the exterior wall
Seem to be placed.
So that's leading us to believe
That these are
actually part of a feature
And the loose stones
were sort of just filled in.
And, miriam, you tell
him about your soils, too.
Yeah, so right in this corner...
- Craig: Mm-hmm.
- And a bit in this corner,
I think it's sloping down,
Because it's way
deeper in this corner
And-and there's... You
know, there's no end in sight.
Craig: Interesting. Good.
- And more finds. -Helen: Yeah.
- Yeah, there's lots...
There's lots coming
out today, so...
- Craig: Wow.
- It's pretty cool.
I... now just find something
That says specifically
when it was dug
- And who did it.
- [laughing]
Yeah. Exactly.
And for what purpose.
Okay. Well, I just
wanted to check in.
- Mm-hmm.
- I'll let you keep after it, and...
I'll see you after a bit.
Miriam: Okay, see ya.
Narrator: Later
that afternoon...
Craig: Okay, gentlemen.
Lot 26 has been our
interest over the years.
Craig tester,
along with rick lagina,
Have gathered
members of the team
- In the w*r room.
- To me, I mean, more work needs to be done there yet.
Narrator: Given the
success of the water testing
That has been conducted
in the money pit area
Over the last two years,
Rick and craig have
recently had dr. Ian spooner
Apply this technology to a
mysterious feature on lot 26,
Located on the western
side of the island.
Years ago,
Dan blankenship and I were
wandering over by lot 26.
Came across a well.
No ice on it, and it
was the dead of winter.
Freezing cold. Way below zero.
And we thought, "what?
That... I... that's curious.
Why is there no
ice on this well?"
Narrator: The well
on lot 26 is curious
For a number of reasons,
Including the fact that it is
on property that once belonged
To two of the island's
most mysterious landowners.
In 1784,
It was purchased by
captain james anderson,
An american freemason
who is believed by some
To have potentially smuggled
treasure to oak island
During the american revolution.
Then, in 1788,
Anderson sold the
lot to samuel ball,
A former american
sl*ve who established
A humble cabbage
farm on oak island.
However, in the following years,
He would inexplicably
become one of nova scotia's
Most wealthy citizens.
The team has previously
investigated the remains
Of a massive stone wharf
off the shore of lot 26.
So is it possible that
this mysterious well
May also be
connected to the riches
That some believe captain
anderson brought to the island
And the great fortune
of samuel ball?
From the moment I saw the
well in the wintertime years ago,
It wasn't frozen.
That was the real "aha."
Why is this well so unique?
Dr. Spooner and I decided to
go ahead and take a sample
That's a few feet away
from the pond there to see
If it would tell us anything.
And, uh, we've
gotten the results back.
I'll turn it over
to dr. Spooner.
Ian: So, we got samples
O-of the water from the well.
And, uh, it was one of our only
Silver hits outside
of the money pit.
[laughter]
Well done.
Narrator: In the w*r room,
Geoscientist dr. Ian spooner
Has just shared a
report with the team
That water samples taken
from a mysterious well on lot 26
Revealed trace evidence
of possible treasure.
Ian: The thing that, uh,
I want to just bring up...
But just some background here.
So, this is the location
With the pond in front.
Lot 26 pond.
And the lot 26 well is right
about where that arrow is.
The lot 26 well, it is
very crudely made.
If craig had not shown it to me,
I wouldn't have thought it
was a well. I don't know...
I would have thought
it was just a... Hole.
Water's right to the very top.
And the construction,
- It's rough.
- Rick: The only reason
Why I did come
upon it was because
It was the middle of winter.
There's snow on the ground.
I saw it, you know, and I
thought, "well, that's strange.
Why is... why isn't
that iced over?"
It has, perhaps, easily
escaped observation
For a long, long time.
That's why we need
to core and date it.
Absolutely.
Rick: Is it possible
that this well is in an area
That has real treasure?
We have dr. Spooner's
water sample,
Which showed an
elevated level of silver.
Hopefully, you know, some
organic material can be found
That can be carbon-dated.
Once you have those
answers, you can move forward.
Let's get a sample
and have it c-14 tested.
- Right.
- We have to follow up,
'cause that was years
ago I found that well.
And only now, only now,
Are we learning
something really incredible.
Let's keep moving forward.
Ian: Absolutely.
Narrator: The following day...
Laird: Here it is.
Dr. Ian spooner
And archaeologist laird niven
Arrive on lot 26
To further investigate
the mysterious well.
You wouldn't know it was a well.
Looks crudely made.
- Uh...
- It does.
I'd want to get as much
data as possible, because...
I-I always wonder what
brought them to dig right here.
- I don't know.
- Some inherent knowledge they had?
- Ian: So, I'm gonna get this corer set up.
- Okay.
Narrator: Although the
team is eager to find out
If the well contains
anything of great value,
Laird has directed dr. Spooner
To first collect a core
sample of organic materials
In the hopes of determining
just when it was constructed.
So, this is a piston
corer. So, just looks...
It basically works
like a syringe.
I don't know if you've ever
had a blood sample taken.
- Yeah.
- Yeah. And pull it out.
- That's what this thing does.
- Okay.
This is the piston
head. So, this goes on.
- It's just like the plunger on the syringe.
- Mm-hmm.
Ian: Just like that.
What I do is I hit the bottom.
I know how deep it should be.
About that far to the gunk.
Laird: Yeah.
About three feet.
And so we just
go down like this.
As I push down, I pull up.
- And there's... I can feel the bottom right there.
- Mm.
Marty: The well is-is
really quite amazing.
In the context of other
things found on lot 26,
It maybe, uh, moves
the dial upwards.
And we're trying to
figure out how old it is.
So lift it up.
Marty: Because lot 26
has always been mysterious.
Let's just see how we did.
Oh, quite good.
Excellent.
There we go.
That's a pretty good core.
- We can see mud in the bottom of it.
- Yeah.
And then I know it got at
that interface between...
Abandonment
- And construction.
- Mm-hmm.
- So, yeah, let's-let's head back up.
- Okay.
Yeah. I can't wait
to see the results.
Narrator: The
following morning...
- Where are we at?
- Well, we're
Just pulling a sample
- From 59 to the bottom.
- Good.
Narrator: While the drilling
operation in borehole cn-11
Continues toward the
believed treasure zone
Of approximately 100 feet...
If the pictures...
Do it justice,
I think they could prove
to be quite interesting.
Rick lagina,
oak island historian
Charles barkhouse and
researcher corjan mol...
Are traveling some
To the city of
liverpool, nova scotia.
I know we're going to see
some carvings on stones,
So can you fill
me in a little bit?
Well, we were actually
contacted by a gentleman
By the name of isaac rafuse.
And he believes
That these carvings
just may pertain
To what we're
doing on oak island.
Yeah.
And I know corjan is quite
excited to see them, also.
I-I am, I am.
You know, they remind
me of fontarcada.
- Right.
- And I think it's incredibly exciting
- That it's close to the island.
- Oh, okay.
Wow, that's deep.
Narrator: Over the
past three years...
Okay, let's see
what we can find.
Corjan mol has shared
research and acted
As a guide overseas
for the team...
Revealing a number
of possible connections
Between the oak island
mystery and the knights templar,
A christian m*llitary
order that some believe
Hid sacred religious
treasures in the money pit
Sometime between the
Yeah, look at this.
- Right there. Yeah.
- Rick: It's perfect.
Narrator: Some of corjan's
most compelling revelations
Were made one
year ago in portugal,
When he showed the team numerous
stone carvings at 12th-century
Templar strongholds...
Such as the church
of fontarcada...
That were exact matches
To ones that have
been found on oak island.
The circle and the dot
in the center of the cross.
That's one of our
symbols on the h+o stone.
This, to me, screams
knight templar.
Rick: This is it.
This is the spot.
- Hey, guys.
- Hey. How're you doing?
Narrator: Arriving
at their destination,
Rick, charles, and corjan are
greeted by local landowners
Isaac rafuse and nick fralic.
So I-I just want to say, you
know, thanks for inviting us
Because the-the
point of all this
Is we've got a heck of
a mystery on our hands,
But according to
these two gentlemen,
You've got a little bit of
a mystery of your own.
[laughs] yeah. We're
excited to show you.
- Well, why don't you lead us on?
- Yeah, we'll take you down.
- All right, great.
- Lead the way.
Rick: There's
information everywhere.
My parents used to own a
home just up through here, so...
Rick: And we have to
be wise enough to listen
To people who may
have an understanding
Of local artifacts that we
currently do not understand.
There's still information
out there that might be
Highly relevant to
solving the mystery.
Yeah, just watch
your step, guys.
Yeah.
All right, so the first
marking that we wanted
- To show you guys is over here.
- Okay.
Oh, wow.
This one has been
here for a very long time.
The gentleman that showed me
Said that he had
asked his father about it.
And his father said when he
was little, he asked his dad,
And said it had just
been there forever.
We were told this might
be a british broadhead,
But we don't know.
We just know it's been
here for a really long time.
Narrator: Dating as far
back as the 14th century,
The broadhead
symbol was a stylized
Representation of an arrowhead,
Commonly stamped on
objects to signify ownership
By either the british
government or british nobility.
So that would go
back to, like, the, like,
The founding of liverpool.
Narrator: Because nova
scotia was an english territory
At various times between
the 16th and 18th centuries,
Is it possible that this
carving was simply made
During one of those periods?
It doesn't... See
how this comes...
- Like, like that?
- Yeah.
Doesn't the broadhead
mark come like that?
- You know what I mean? It comes to a point.
- Yeah.
This-this melds into a
point, whereas a broadhead
- Arrow mark comes like that.
- Yeah.
And in many cases,
The broadhead, the
middle leg will be...
- Rick: Is longer.
- Longer than the two ones on the side.
- Right.
- Corjan: And the other thing is
The broadheads were
put on, on everything
Basically that the, that
the king, uh, purchased.
So, it could be
weapons, uh, equipment.
They put it on trees if
they wanted to use them
For ships, but never on rock.
I think that's unlikely.
To me this looks like, uh,
What we call a "goose
paw" in, uh, in europe.
And if that's what it is,
that would be something,
Because that is the...
The mark of the masons
for the knights templar
In medieval europe.
Charles: That is very cool.
Nick: Super cool.
Narrator: In
liverpool, nova scotia,
Approximately 50 miles southwest
Of oak island,
Rick lagina and
members of the team
Have just been
shown a rock carving
That researcher corjan mol
believes could have been made
By members of
the knights templar.
Many of them worked
on the cathedrals
And the great churches.
So this, to me, is a goose paw.
And you see them in-in churches
All around the mediterranean...
Uh, northern portugal,
Spain, southern France,
Italy, sardinia... you
will often find this mark
On the cornerstone of
confirmed templar churches.
So it could be from a
medieval cathedral builder.
- That's pretty cool.
- Mm-hmm.
Narrator: A so-called
"goose paw" is a symbol
Depicting the webbing
of a goose's foot that was
Adopted by stone masons
originally from the holy land
Who aided the templar order
in constructing cathedrals
Across europe between
the 11th and 14th centuries.
Nick: And what do you
think that would indicate?
Why would they carve it there?
I'm a templar, I come
here, we have masons,
We need to build stuff.
Imagine, you come here,
you have 30 guys in a boat.
You know, you arrive
here from the ocean.
- Nick: Yep.
- Take a sloop, you know,
Take it up the shore there.
- And then put this...
- It's definitely a deep enough harbor.
Yeah, and then put
this symbol here to, uh,
- To tell your friends that you were here.
- Right.
So now you can see the
carving quite clearly here.
Narrator: Over
the past decade,
Rick, marty, craig and the team
Have investigated numerous
sites in nova scotia featuring
Stone carvings believed by some
To be connected
to the templar order.
These include the overton stone,
Located some 140 miles
southwest of oak island...
What makes it
portuguese templar?
Alessandra: The shape of it.
Narrator: As
well as at a site
In new ross, just
Of the island, where
some believe the templars
Constructed a fortress
in the 14th century.
Rick: It's incredible
what it may represent.
Narrator: Is it possible that the
team has now found another carving
That could help
support the theory
That the knights templar
visited nova scotia...
And perhaps oak island...
Many centuries ago?
Rick: So there are two things.
One, this is certainly
worth further investigation.
We have something that's
carved by the human hand
In a very unique
place and it may have
- Codes or ciphers within it.
- Charles: Yeah.
- Nick: Yeah.
- And two, just the hint
Of what it might
represent, right?
You just said it could
be someone who
Brought his experience
creating cathedrals and...
And templar churches.
- Yeah.
- But I want to make certain.
- Corjan: It needs research.
- It needs research.
- That is very cool.
- Super cool.
So did you say you had
more carvings than this one?
Yeah, we do. We have some
more carvings to show you.
- Corjan: Wow. I can't wait, man.
- Charles: Lead on.
Nick: Yeah, just
watch your step, guys.
Rick and isaac: Yeah.
Got some good
lighting on it right now.
- Yeah.
- So this is it here?
- Nick: Yeah.
- Corjan: Oh, wow!
Isaac: If you, if you, look on
the underside, there's a very...
- Oh, there, yep, yeah.
- Distinct cross carved here.
Is that, like, a circle or
something at the base of it?
Isaac: Yeah. Just
below it there's a circle
With a line, it
looks, through it.
- Charles: Okay.
- Down here, you've got a half
A circle with a
dot in the middle.
Corjan: Oh, yeah.
Isaac: And then
here, you've got this.
Two definite, uh...
Branches on a line
here and then some,
Another, another piece
that could be an "x."
So I would say this
is a globus cruciger.
That's what they
call it, the, the circle
With the cross on top.
Can mean a number
of things: God, jesus.
Really?
Narrator: Dating back
to the fifth century ad,
The globus cruciger is a
symbol featuring a cross
Setting above an orb or circle
Representing christianity's
dominion over the world.
Corjan: But I'll
tell you something.
I think this here, this was
one of the marks in fontarcada
- In northern portugal.
- Mm-hmm.
Narrator: Is it possible that
rick and members of the team
Have found a carved
symbol less than 50 miles
From oak island matching
one found at a medieval church
In fontarcada, portugal?
A church known to
have been constructed
By members of
the knights templar?
And then, if you remember,
that might be a mason's mark.
- And then maybe they belong together.
- Charles: Yeah.
Rick: There's no question that
Oak island was not
the singular obsession
Of-of people traveling from
The old world to the new world.
Very intricate.
Rick: So if there's anything
Within the province
that indicates
Pre-columbian visitation
To the new world,
it's... It's of interest to us.
And, uh, I think these
carvings might represent that.
These are intriguing symbols.
They may represent some
very significant information.
The symbols were
used for centuries, right?
To represent
information that was
Meant for a specific
few individuals.
- We're gonna go back and we're gonna do our homework.
- Corjan: Yeah.
We hope that these clues
might lead us further in our,
In our search for answers.
- They just might.
- Appreciate it. Really do.
- That is cool.
- Yeah.
Narrator: The
following morning...
Charles: Hey, terry.
- Hey, charles. How ya doing?
- Good.
Charles barkhouse
arrives at the money pit
After being alerted
by terry matheson
And alex lagina
That the drilling operation
in borehole cn-11
Has reached the
target depth between
80 and 120 feet.
Terry: We're at 108.
And we're just about
to push 108 to 118.
And we're going
to take a close look,
- See what it gives us.
- Right.
We've got some gold and
we're chasing it up gradient.
Hopefully, the
signal gets stronger,
We get more and
more gold in the water.
Alex: Hopefully, these
cores have something
- Made of gold in it.
- Yeah, let's chase it down.
All right, we got
a core coming up,
- So let's see what it brings.
- Right on.
- Good for that one.
- Okay.
Marty: This borehole is
more exciting than normal
Because a void in this area
Could be the source
of all this metal
That is leaching out,
including gold and silver.
- 118?
- Yep.
Marty: So if we can pin
down where that gold is
Going into solution, there
could be the treasure.
Hey, mike! How're you doing?
Pretty good, pretty good.
So there's your hard
material... really, really tight stuff
In the last run...
I actually took that
one to 19, just to,
Just to make sure I
got a good plug in it.
Well, let's clear the table and
see what we got there. Okay?
Okay.
Thank you.
Right there, look at that.
That is very unusual.
In the middle of all this
bedded stuff, you have a fine
Sand in tighter materials.
So that's a classic
example of where material
Has been sh*t into
an area under pressure.
It says there's some
human activity nearby.
And, oh, my god,
I can't believe it.
Narrator: In the
money pit area,
After drilling to a depth
Of approximately 119 feet
In borehole cn-11,
The oak island team has
unearthed possible evidence
Of man-made workings
in the same area
Where high trace
evidence of gold
Has recently been detected.
What this does maybe suggest
is that there's some, been some
Activity or rearrangement
of material through this area.
Wow. Well, it seems
like a good thing for us.
That's, well, absolutely.
That's what we wanted
to see. This is good news.
Alex: We've got the gold
numbers that are higher in this area
Adjacent to the garden shaft.
We've got an area of disturbed
Soft ground, which
means you're close to...
Human activity, maybe
a structure, or a treasure.
So for a lot of
reasons, it's, it's a really
Exciting area to investigate.
Do we push a little deeper?
Um, I think all we might
encounter is a little bit
Of slush if we go deeper here.
If we can move in the direction
of the consolidated material...
Narrator: Because recent
water sample testing
Has suggested that a large
source of gold sits between
80 and 120 feet
underground in this area...
There's a lot of smoke
here, and we need to just
See if we can find the fire.
It is geologist terry
matheson's opinion
That it lies several
feet to the side
Of where the team
is currently drilling,
Rather than deeper below.
You want to take a
water sample, right?
- Yeah.
- Sample it from the install depth, right, terry?
- Yep. -Sounds good.
- Thanks, mike.
Narrator: Before
the team removes
Their drill casing in order
to begin their next borehole...
- Alex: Paul, you want a hand?
- Paul: Yeah.
They will collect
a water sample from
Cn-11 so that dr. Ian
spooner can test it
In hopes of further pinpointing
The location of the
believed treasure.
There we go.
Rick: It's exciting
for all of us.
We finally have
the location where
The so-called elusive treasure
may reside. It's possible.
But you still have to
hold it in your hand.
- How'd that go? Pretty smooth?
- Paul: Yeah.
We're going to do a series of
more holes around this area.
Fantastic! Then we'll carry
on and move to another hole.
Alex: Okay, so paul
and I are going to take
These samples back
and get them ready to go.
Okay. Thanks a
lot, guys. Take care.
Narrator: As the core-drilling
operation in borehole cn-11
Concludes in the
money pit area...
Jack: So, are you
guys finding anything?
Um, I think we're
nearing the bottom,
But artifacts are
still popping out.
Back on lot 5, jack begley
Is assisting archaeologists
helen sheldon
And miriam amirault
as they continue
To excavate the mysterious,
man-made stone feature.
I'm still finding ceramics and
pieces of iron and glass, so...
It's... You know,
there's still more in here.
All right, I'll get
back to sifting.
- Let me know if you guys find anything else.
- Miriam: Yeah.
Narrator: While miriam
and helen remove sediment
From the structure,
jack is sifting
The materials with a screen
In order to look for
potential clues or valuables.
Oh, my god, helen.
Helen: What do you have?
A clay pipe stem.
- In the rocks.
- Oh, wow!
Helen: In the rocks? We
hardly get any of those
- On the island. No.
- I don't think I have found
- A single one.
- No.
Yeah, and gary says he
typically finds lots of them.
It's perfect for dating.
Like, it's in the feature.
- Helen: Yeah.
- And based on the size of the hole...
- Of the borehole. Yes.
- We can tell how old it is.
Jack: And how do you
get a date from it, exactly?
Helen: It's the size
of the borehole.
- Jack: In the middle of it?
- Yeah.
So the hole going through the
pipe stem changed over time.
So why-why is it just
a piece of pipe stem?
Helen: Because
they were quite fragile.
And they were
fairly cheap to buy.
So, they used to, like,
import them by the barrel load.
And so, they were
one of the cheaper
Throw-away things of the time.
Kind of like a cigarette butt.
Yep, similar to that.
With a clay pipe,
what is the date range
Of its use in general?
The earliest pipes, I think,
were in the late-ish 1500s.
And you'd get them
up until the late 1800s.
Miriam: Oh, this'll be
great for dating this feature.
This reminds me of when
we were in the southeast
Corner of the swamp,
excavating the stone road
And rick was asking,
"where are all the clay pipes?"
We weren't finding any,
so it's really interesting
That they're here and not there.
I'm kind of wondering
maybe if lot 5 has something
To do with what was
going on in the swamp.
Oh, yeah.
Narrator: Could
archaeologist miriam amirault
Be correct that the
stone feature on lot 5
Might be related to the stone
road discovered two years ago
In the swamp,
A stone road that is believed
To be at least 500 years old
And potentially connected
to the portuguese sect
Of the knights templar?
Maybe they were living
here and working there?
- Miriam: Yeah.
- Something like that?
So maybe lot 5 has more
to do with it than we think.
That's something that
rick's been wanting to find
- For quite a while.
- Yeah.
Jack: I'm gonna
give him a call.
Jack: Hey, we're over here!
Miriam: Hi, guys.
Almost can't see you
because of the amount of rocks
- You pulled out.
- [chuckles]
Narrator: After being
alerted that an artifact
Possibly dating back
to the 16th century
Was found in a man-made
feature on lot 5...
Gary: Talk about digging deeper.
Rick lagina and metal
detection expert gary drayton
Arrive to receive a detailed
report on the discovery.
Okay, guys. I'm actually
kind of excited about this find.
- The archaeologists are excited, we're excited.
- Yep.
- Now, rick...
- Mm-hmm.
You've been looking
for this for a long time.
The one thing?
Well, not-not the
treasure, but...
- It's something really good.
- [chuckles]
'kay?
Oh. Clay pipe.
Gary: Oh, a clay pipe stem.
Oh, yeah.
It definitely is that.
And you're right... I have
been looking for that.
- But we all have. We all wonder why.
- I remember. Yeah.
Gary: Oh, yeah.
That's a smoking hot find.
[chuckling]
Rick: But can you date that?
Not right at the moment,
but we'd be able to
- Once we get back to the lab.
- We can... we can get a date range for it
Based on the-the
size of the borehole
- That goes through the pipe.
- Rick: Oh, really? -Mm-hmm.
It was actually found within
the rocks of the feature.
So we think it was deposited
as this was constructed.
Helen: And then, at
some later point in time,
It was filled with
rocks in the middle.
The rocks in the middle
were very loose and jumbly,
With gaps between them.
- Mm-hmm.
- The ones here on the side
Are cemented in.
- Miriam: Mm-hmm.
- Like, not actually cemented in there,
- But they don't move. So...
- Yeah. -Rick: Mm.
I've played with stone
enough to know that
- That piece there...
- Helen: Yeah.
- That's purposeful. Yeah.
- It's to wedge it. Yeah.
Rick: Implying some
sort of permanence
- To the structure.
- Yeah.
The nice thing
about this is this is
The oldest european deposit
We have found on the island.
Which is pre-discovery
of the m-money pit.
Mm-hmm.
A test pit
Indicating
pre-depositional work...
It's interesting. It's
exceedingly interesting.
And the hope is that
we'll find something more
Than just a little
piece of pipe stem.
I think lot 5 continues to be as
mysterious as it has ever been
And we just need
to continue to look.
You know, this is
probably not isolated,
- Based upon all the finds we've had.
- Miriam and rick: Mm-hmm.
Uh, there's something
that happened here.
- Rick: Yeah.
- Jack: I'd say
- This is just a start.
- Gary: Yeah.
And it's luck that we
would pick this one spot.
So it's-it's great that you
were here to be able to find it
And then for us to
come in and sort of...
- Bring it all together.
- Rick: Mm-hmm.
I-I'm hopeful that
there's more information.
A-and this strongly
suggests there is.
Gary: And only on lot 5
Can the pits and hitting
rock bottom be a good thing.
[all chuckling]
Narrator: Later
that afternoon...
Craig: Okay, gentlemen.
So, got some exciting
information, I think.
Dr. Spooner recently went out
And, uh, cored
the freshwater well.
Narrator: Rick
lagina joins craig tester
And other members of
the team in the w*r room
To hear dr. Ian spooner's
scientific analysis
Of the strange well
located on lot 26,
A well containing water
that has already yielded
High trace evidence of silver.
I'll turn it over to dr. Spooner
And let him describe the
core and then the results.
Ian: Thank you. Yeah.
What we got out of it, I think,
was completely unexpected,
Right from the get-go.
Um, but just some
background here.
The circle that we
see there in dashes,
That's really where
the well is, so...
Next slide there, steve.
[mouse clicks]
And so here's the core.
Now, you can see
that there's twigs in it,
There's little stones that
might have fallen in it.
So, I dated that little brown
piece of wood at the bottom,
Which I will say...
This is very important...
Was probably not in the mud
But was probably in the dirt
At the bottom of the well.
So it's more likely
associated with construction.
And how I know that
is, it-it sort of went...
- Below the mud in the core.
- Oh, okay.
Ian: And this is
where it really,
Really got interesting.
The date I got on
the twig at the bottom
Was, um, 1028 to 1172.
♪ ♪
[whistles]
Jack: That's a long time ago.
Ian: The date I got on
the twig at the bottom was
- [whistles] -this is brilliant.
- Ian: Yeah.
- Great.
- The dates, it blew me away.
I mean, what's this
doing in this core?
- Yeah.
- Narrator: In the w*r room,
Geoscientist dr. Ian spooner
Has just presented the team
with an astonishing report.
The stone well
located on lot 26,
Which has been
scientifically determined
To contain trace
evidence of silver,
Was likely constructed as
much as eight centuries prior
To the discovery
of the money pit.
So, there we go.
That's-that's where
we sat with this core.
To me, it was just a
whole bunch of surprises.
You can see up there,
The date, it's rock-solid.
Rick: There you go.
Doug: You're saying
the science suggests
That, basically, that well
could have been created
At the same time
As the disturbances
in the swamp,
Because the bottom of
your cores in the swamp
Were also coming
out in the 1200s.
- That's the paved area.
- Yeah, the paved area.
So this is a date
in the 12th century.
- Is that right?
- Right.
Doug: So that well could be
Contemporary with the swamp.
Right.
- Yeah.
- Yeah. The dates are
All matching.
- Right.
- That's very interesting.
- Yeah.
- Doug: That is really cool.
If that well is that old,
I mean, you got to really think
About what happened
on this island.
Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
Well, like templars
were here or something.
Well, there you go, jack.
You-you got to wonder
what the story is.
Templars, baby!
[laughter]
Narrator: Is it possible
that the well on lot 26,
Along with other finds
made in recent years,
Including the 12th
century paved area
And the 500-year-old
stone road in the swamp,
The structure on lot 5,
And even the stone carvings
located across nova scotia,
Validate the incredible theory
That members of
the knights templar
Visited oak island on
numerous occasions
In order to hide their
sacred treasures?
Now we have connective
tissue, perhaps,
Between a very unique
feature on lot 26, the well,
And the 1200 date in the swamp.
Maybe even gold
in the money pit.
And we might be close
to an answer here.
So, I'm very hopeful.
I was shocked when
the numbers came out,
And I'm hoping they can tell
Part of the oak island story.
Yeah.
Rick: That date may have
Incredible impact,
Uh, as we try to
make association
With other areas on the island.
Yeah.
Rick: And so we
should have a plan
To figure out what
this might mean.
That's the way to do it.
- Yeah.
- Jack: Why not try
To section the area off and have
the archaeologists go in there,
- So we can go section by section?
- Craig: Yeah.
We can find anything
significant in situ.
- I agree.
- Laird: Yeah.
I can do that over
the next few days.
All right. So, with that,
- Let's keep our eye on the ball and...
- Mm-hmm.
And keep moving forward.
Yep.
Rick: Okay. Let's go.
Let's go.
Narrator: Since 1795,
Determined treasure
hunters have been mystified
To explain what happened
long ago on oak island.
Their only certainty,
Given the construction
of the money pit,
Was that something
of immense value
And of great
historical importance
Must be buried deep below.
Now, thanks to a disciplined
application of science
And methodical digging,
Rick, marty, craig
and their team
May finally be zeroing in
On a treasure trove
Of answers.
Next time on the
curse of oak island...
Charles: We got
wood here, gentlemen.
- Got to be a tunnel.
- Craig: Yeah. This is a tunnel
Pointing towards
- The garden shaft.
- Absolutely.
There it is, mate.
- Look at that.
- Wow.
This is a first for oak island,
Which is fantastic.
So, in terms of
where it is from,
- You got roman empire going on here.
- There we go.
Marty: We're chasing
the gold in the money pit.
Wow. There it is.
- That's what we're looking for.
- Yeah.
- Finally!
- [chuckles]
the curse of oak island...
Marty: We are
drilling in the blob
Where the gold is coming from.
Terry: Ho. Look at this.
Miriam: Oh, my god.
Rick, you've been looking
for this for a long time.
Jack: Oh, yeah.
Corjan: That is the
mark of the masons
- For the knights templar.
- Charles: Oh, wow.
Could be from a
medieval templar church.
The date I got was 1028 to 1172.
- Jack: Oh, no way!
- That is really cool.
- 12th century, right?
- Even earlier.
- Doug: Yeah.
- Yup.
Templars, baby.
[laughter]
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 d*ed
Trying to solve the mystery.
And according to legend,
one more will have to die
Before the treasure
can be found.
♪ ♪
Terry: Cn-11, here we go.
- Hey, guys.
- Terry: Hey, alex.
- How you doing?
- So, we're in the blob here?
Yes, we just broke
ground here a minute ago.
Narrator: For brothers
rick and marty lagina,
Their partner craig tester
and the rest of their team,
A day of great anticipation
has just begun on oak island...
One that they hope could
reveal the ultimate answers
To the 228-year-old
treasure mystery.
We are in the center
of the blob here.
The area that we expect is the
highest concentration of gold,
- We're right in the middle of it.
- Terry: Absolutely.
We've tracked this
through the area where
The relatively high gold
concentrations are coming from.
We're tracking it back
to its source in the north.
Right.
Ian: Oh, that's beautiful.
Nice and clear.
Yeah, that's... Looks great.
Narrator: One week ago,
geoscientist dr. Ian spooner
And his colleague
dr. Matt lukeman
Collected new water samples
From previously-drilled
boreholes
In the money pit area,
With the objective
of tracking the source
Of precious metals
that have been detected
Throughout the area
over the last two years.
Fred: To the
west of that line,
We're seeing gold
and silver values
In a number of monitoring wells.
Narrator: When the
samples were analyzed
By hydrogeologist
dr. Fred michel,
The results were nothing
short of astonishing.
Ian: The area in pink there
Would be exactly
where the gold is.
Wow. That is
astoundingly good news.
-Yeah. -Onward
- And into the blob.
- [laughter]
Narrator: According
to the processed data,
The treasure that people have
been searching for since 1795
Appears to lie somewhere
within a 70 by 25-foot zone
Several feet west
of the garden shaft,
At a depth between
Now, the team is
making their first attempt
To pinpoint the fabled
riches in borehole cn-11,
A borehole located some 27
feet west of the garden shaft
And dead center
in the treasure zone,
Which marty lagina has now
officially dubbed "the blob."
I, personally, am
very excited about this.
We are drilling in a
scientifically delineated area
Where the gold is coming from,
The origination
of the soluble gold.
The blob could be the treasure.
We could drill into something
interesting at any time.
Terry: That's right.
We may come across the source
As we drill these
holes. Absolutely.
Hopefully, we can
find the mother lode.
Narrator: As the core drilling
operation in borehole cn-11
Continues in the
money pit area...
Miriam: Helen,
I've got another...
Chunk of iron here.
Super corroded.
Similar to the other ones?
Nearly half a mile to the west,
Jack begley, along with
archaeologists helen sheldon
And miriam amirault,
continue investigating
A mysterious man-made
stone foundation on lot 5.
After purchasing this four-acre
property just three weeks ago,
The team has already made
A number of
incredible discoveries,
Including ancient tools
And a half-coin of roman origin
Dating back more
than 2,000 years.
We're finding amazing
artifacts in here,
And it's a relatively
undocumented area,
So that's interesting.
Is that pottery?
Rick: It's pottery. Glazed.
Narrator: One week ago, rick,
Marty and metal detection
expert gary drayton
Discovered the site after
unearthing metal artifacts
And english pottery dating back
More than half a century before
the discovery of the money pit.
Wow, look at this.
It's a copper nail.
Laird: This is turning out
to be really something else.
Narrator: After helen, miriam
And lead
archaeologist laird niven
Began inspecting the
feature themselves,
They quickly made more
intriguing discoveries,
As well as evidence that it was
deliberately buried by someone
More than two centuries ago.
Now they are looking
for more artifacts
In the hopes of identifying
just who constructed it
And why they attempted to ensure
it would never be found again.
Looks like that soil
May be getting a
bit lighter down there,
Which means we might
be hitting the bottom.
Jack: Finally
getting to the bottom.
- Miriam: That would only be...
- Whoa.
That would only be the
bottom of that corner.
- Helen: Yes.
- Meaning it's probably sloping down.
- Helen: Yeah.
- I feel like
- It continues on, kind of, both directions.
- It could go both ways.
- Even... maybe even that way, too.
- Yeah. Yeah.
So, these rocks in here,
they're really tightly packed in.
So I'm wondering if...
[clicks tongue] ...Maybe,
like, it is the edge of a wall.
- But we have to keep going to find out.
- Jack: Yeah.
Rick: If you apply
logic, the only peoples
That could have done this
would have been the or...
People who did the original
work, depositional work.
But it's early in
the discovery phase.
So we have to be patient.
Hey.
- Hey, craig.
- Have any luck?
Oh, lots of bits of...
Little bits of charcoal.
Uh, but helen found
something really interesting.
Here, come over
here and take a look.
Helen: The stones?
Yeah.
So, craig, when
we're taking those out,
They're fairly
loosely consolidated
- And voids in between them.
- Mm-hmm.
These are packed
Really tightly in there.
Maybe that
actually is inner wall.
We reach a stone layer,
And the stones seem
irregularly placed.
They seem, you know, filled in,
Like they're not part
of a feature. But...
Some of the stones
on the exterior wall
Seem to be placed.
So that's leading us to believe
That these are
actually part of a feature
And the loose stones
were sort of just filled in.
And, miriam, you tell
him about your soils, too.
Yeah, so right in this corner...
- Craig: Mm-hmm.
- And a bit in this corner,
I think it's sloping down,
Because it's way
deeper in this corner
And-and there's... You
know, there's no end in sight.
Craig: Interesting. Good.
- And more finds. -Helen: Yeah.
- Yeah, there's lots...
There's lots coming
out today, so...
- Craig: Wow.
- It's pretty cool.
I... now just find something
That says specifically
when it was dug
- And who did it.
- [laughing]
Yeah. Exactly.
And for what purpose.
Okay. Well, I just
wanted to check in.
- Mm-hmm.
- I'll let you keep after it, and...
I'll see you after a bit.
Miriam: Okay, see ya.
Narrator: Later
that afternoon...
Craig: Okay, gentlemen.
Lot 26 has been our
interest over the years.
Craig tester,
along with rick lagina,
Have gathered
members of the team
- In the w*r room.
- To me, I mean, more work needs to be done there yet.
Narrator: Given the
success of the water testing
That has been conducted
in the money pit area
Over the last two years,
Rick and craig have
recently had dr. Ian spooner
Apply this technology to a
mysterious feature on lot 26,
Located on the western
side of the island.
Years ago,
Dan blankenship and I were
wandering over by lot 26.
Came across a well.
No ice on it, and it
was the dead of winter.
Freezing cold. Way below zero.
And we thought, "what?
That... I... that's curious.
Why is there no
ice on this well?"
Narrator: The well
on lot 26 is curious
For a number of reasons,
Including the fact that it is
on property that once belonged
To two of the island's
most mysterious landowners.
In 1784,
It was purchased by
captain james anderson,
An american freemason
who is believed by some
To have potentially smuggled
treasure to oak island
During the american revolution.
Then, in 1788,
Anderson sold the
lot to samuel ball,
A former american
sl*ve who established
A humble cabbage
farm on oak island.
However, in the following years,
He would inexplicably
become one of nova scotia's
Most wealthy citizens.
The team has previously
investigated the remains
Of a massive stone wharf
off the shore of lot 26.
So is it possible that
this mysterious well
May also be
connected to the riches
That some believe captain
anderson brought to the island
And the great fortune
of samuel ball?
From the moment I saw the
well in the wintertime years ago,
It wasn't frozen.
That was the real "aha."
Why is this well so unique?
Dr. Spooner and I decided to
go ahead and take a sample
That's a few feet away
from the pond there to see
If it would tell us anything.
And, uh, we've
gotten the results back.
I'll turn it over
to dr. Spooner.
Ian: So, we got samples
O-of the water from the well.
And, uh, it was one of our only
Silver hits outside
of the money pit.
[laughter]
Well done.
Narrator: In the w*r room,
Geoscientist dr. Ian spooner
Has just shared a
report with the team
That water samples taken
from a mysterious well on lot 26
Revealed trace evidence
of possible treasure.
Ian: The thing that, uh,
I want to just bring up...
But just some background here.
So, this is the location
With the pond in front.
Lot 26 pond.
And the lot 26 well is right
about where that arrow is.
The lot 26 well, it is
very crudely made.
If craig had not shown it to me,
I wouldn't have thought it
was a well. I don't know...
I would have thought
it was just a... Hole.
Water's right to the very top.
And the construction,
- It's rough.
- Rick: The only reason
Why I did come
upon it was because
It was the middle of winter.
There's snow on the ground.
I saw it, you know, and I
thought, "well, that's strange.
Why is... why isn't
that iced over?"
It has, perhaps, easily
escaped observation
For a long, long time.
That's why we need
to core and date it.
Absolutely.
Rick: Is it possible
that this well is in an area
That has real treasure?
We have dr. Spooner's
water sample,
Which showed an
elevated level of silver.
Hopefully, you know, some
organic material can be found
That can be carbon-dated.
Once you have those
answers, you can move forward.
Let's get a sample
and have it c-14 tested.
- Right.
- We have to follow up,
'cause that was years
ago I found that well.
And only now, only now,
Are we learning
something really incredible.
Let's keep moving forward.
Ian: Absolutely.
Narrator: The following day...
Laird: Here it is.
Dr. Ian spooner
And archaeologist laird niven
Arrive on lot 26
To further investigate
the mysterious well.
You wouldn't know it was a well.
Looks crudely made.
- Uh...
- It does.
I'd want to get as much
data as possible, because...
I-I always wonder what
brought them to dig right here.
- I don't know.
- Some inherent knowledge they had?
- Ian: So, I'm gonna get this corer set up.
- Okay.
Narrator: Although the
team is eager to find out
If the well contains
anything of great value,
Laird has directed dr. Spooner
To first collect a core
sample of organic materials
In the hopes of determining
just when it was constructed.
So, this is a piston
corer. So, just looks...
It basically works
like a syringe.
I don't know if you've ever
had a blood sample taken.
- Yeah.
- Yeah. And pull it out.
- That's what this thing does.
- Okay.
This is the piston
head. So, this goes on.
- It's just like the plunger on the syringe.
- Mm-hmm.
Ian: Just like that.
What I do is I hit the bottom.
I know how deep it should be.
About that far to the gunk.
Laird: Yeah.
About three feet.
And so we just
go down like this.
As I push down, I pull up.
- And there's... I can feel the bottom right there.
- Mm.
Marty: The well is-is
really quite amazing.
In the context of other
things found on lot 26,
It maybe, uh, moves
the dial upwards.
And we're trying to
figure out how old it is.
So lift it up.
Marty: Because lot 26
has always been mysterious.
Let's just see how we did.
Oh, quite good.
Excellent.
There we go.
That's a pretty good core.
- We can see mud in the bottom of it.
- Yeah.
And then I know it got at
that interface between...
Abandonment
- And construction.
- Mm-hmm.
- So, yeah, let's-let's head back up.
- Okay.
Yeah. I can't wait
to see the results.
Narrator: The
following morning...
- Where are we at?
- Well, we're
Just pulling a sample
- From 59 to the bottom.
- Good.
Narrator: While the drilling
operation in borehole cn-11
Continues toward the
believed treasure zone
Of approximately 100 feet...
If the pictures...
Do it justice,
I think they could prove
to be quite interesting.
Rick lagina,
oak island historian
Charles barkhouse and
researcher corjan mol...
Are traveling some
To the city of
liverpool, nova scotia.
I know we're going to see
some carvings on stones,
So can you fill
me in a little bit?
Well, we were actually
contacted by a gentleman
By the name of isaac rafuse.
And he believes
That these carvings
just may pertain
To what we're
doing on oak island.
Yeah.
And I know corjan is quite
excited to see them, also.
I-I am, I am.
You know, they remind
me of fontarcada.
- Right.
- And I think it's incredibly exciting
- That it's close to the island.
- Oh, okay.
Wow, that's deep.
Narrator: Over the
past three years...
Okay, let's see
what we can find.
Corjan mol has shared
research and acted
As a guide overseas
for the team...
Revealing a number
of possible connections
Between the oak island
mystery and the knights templar,
A christian m*llitary
order that some believe
Hid sacred religious
treasures in the money pit
Sometime between the
Yeah, look at this.
- Right there. Yeah.
- Rick: It's perfect.
Narrator: Some of corjan's
most compelling revelations
Were made one
year ago in portugal,
When he showed the team numerous
stone carvings at 12th-century
Templar strongholds...
Such as the church
of fontarcada...
That were exact matches
To ones that have
been found on oak island.
The circle and the dot
in the center of the cross.
That's one of our
symbols on the h+o stone.
This, to me, screams
knight templar.
Rick: This is it.
This is the spot.
- Hey, guys.
- Hey. How're you doing?
Narrator: Arriving
at their destination,
Rick, charles, and corjan are
greeted by local landowners
Isaac rafuse and nick fralic.
So I-I just want to say, you
know, thanks for inviting us
Because the-the
point of all this
Is we've got a heck of
a mystery on our hands,
But according to
these two gentlemen,
You've got a little bit of
a mystery of your own.
[laughs] yeah. We're
excited to show you.
- Well, why don't you lead us on?
- Yeah, we'll take you down.
- All right, great.
- Lead the way.
Rick: There's
information everywhere.
My parents used to own a
home just up through here, so...
Rick: And we have to
be wise enough to listen
To people who may
have an understanding
Of local artifacts that we
currently do not understand.
There's still information
out there that might be
Highly relevant to
solving the mystery.
Yeah, just watch
your step, guys.
Yeah.
All right, so the first
marking that we wanted
- To show you guys is over here.
- Okay.
Oh, wow.
This one has been
here for a very long time.
The gentleman that showed me
Said that he had
asked his father about it.
And his father said when he
was little, he asked his dad,
And said it had just
been there forever.
We were told this might
be a british broadhead,
But we don't know.
We just know it's been
here for a really long time.
Narrator: Dating as far
back as the 14th century,
The broadhead
symbol was a stylized
Representation of an arrowhead,
Commonly stamped on
objects to signify ownership
By either the british
government or british nobility.
So that would go
back to, like, the, like,
The founding of liverpool.
Narrator: Because nova
scotia was an english territory
At various times between
the 16th and 18th centuries,
Is it possible that this
carving was simply made
During one of those periods?
It doesn't... See
how this comes...
- Like, like that?
- Yeah.
Doesn't the broadhead
mark come like that?
- You know what I mean? It comes to a point.
- Yeah.
This-this melds into a
point, whereas a broadhead
- Arrow mark comes like that.
- Yeah.
And in many cases,
The broadhead, the
middle leg will be...
- Rick: Is longer.
- Longer than the two ones on the side.
- Right.
- Corjan: And the other thing is
The broadheads were
put on, on everything
Basically that the, that
the king, uh, purchased.
So, it could be
weapons, uh, equipment.
They put it on trees if
they wanted to use them
For ships, but never on rock.
I think that's unlikely.
To me this looks like, uh,
What we call a "goose
paw" in, uh, in europe.
And if that's what it is,
that would be something,
Because that is the...
The mark of the masons
for the knights templar
In medieval europe.
Charles: That is very cool.
Nick: Super cool.
Narrator: In
liverpool, nova scotia,
Approximately 50 miles southwest
Of oak island,
Rick lagina and
members of the team
Have just been
shown a rock carving
That researcher corjan mol
believes could have been made
By members of
the knights templar.
Many of them worked
on the cathedrals
And the great churches.
So this, to me, is a goose paw.
And you see them in-in churches
All around the mediterranean...
Uh, northern portugal,
Spain, southern France,
Italy, sardinia... you
will often find this mark
On the cornerstone of
confirmed templar churches.
So it could be from a
medieval cathedral builder.
- That's pretty cool.
- Mm-hmm.
Narrator: A so-called
"goose paw" is a symbol
Depicting the webbing
of a goose's foot that was
Adopted by stone masons
originally from the holy land
Who aided the templar order
in constructing cathedrals
Across europe between
the 11th and 14th centuries.
Nick: And what do you
think that would indicate?
Why would they carve it there?
I'm a templar, I come
here, we have masons,
We need to build stuff.
Imagine, you come here,
you have 30 guys in a boat.
You know, you arrive
here from the ocean.
- Nick: Yep.
- Take a sloop, you know,
Take it up the shore there.
- And then put this...
- It's definitely a deep enough harbor.
Yeah, and then put
this symbol here to, uh,
- To tell your friends that you were here.
- Right.
So now you can see the
carving quite clearly here.
Narrator: Over
the past decade,
Rick, marty, craig and the team
Have investigated numerous
sites in nova scotia featuring
Stone carvings believed by some
To be connected
to the templar order.
These include the overton stone,
Located some 140 miles
southwest of oak island...
What makes it
portuguese templar?
Alessandra: The shape of it.
Narrator: As
well as at a site
In new ross, just
Of the island, where
some believe the templars
Constructed a fortress
in the 14th century.
Rick: It's incredible
what it may represent.
Narrator: Is it possible that the
team has now found another carving
That could help
support the theory
That the knights templar
visited nova scotia...
And perhaps oak island...
Many centuries ago?
Rick: So there are two things.
One, this is certainly
worth further investigation.
We have something that's
carved by the human hand
In a very unique
place and it may have
- Codes or ciphers within it.
- Charles: Yeah.
- Nick: Yeah.
- And two, just the hint
Of what it might
represent, right?
You just said it could
be someone who
Brought his experience
creating cathedrals and...
And templar churches.
- Yeah.
- But I want to make certain.
- Corjan: It needs research.
- It needs research.
- That is very cool.
- Super cool.
So did you say you had
more carvings than this one?
Yeah, we do. We have some
more carvings to show you.
- Corjan: Wow. I can't wait, man.
- Charles: Lead on.
Nick: Yeah, just
watch your step, guys.
Rick and isaac: Yeah.
Got some good
lighting on it right now.
- Yeah.
- So this is it here?
- Nick: Yeah.
- Corjan: Oh, wow!
Isaac: If you, if you, look on
the underside, there's a very...
- Oh, there, yep, yeah.
- Distinct cross carved here.
Is that, like, a circle or
something at the base of it?
Isaac: Yeah. Just
below it there's a circle
With a line, it
looks, through it.
- Charles: Okay.
- Down here, you've got a half
A circle with a
dot in the middle.
Corjan: Oh, yeah.
Isaac: And then
here, you've got this.
Two definite, uh...
Branches on a line
here and then some,
Another, another piece
that could be an "x."
So I would say this
is a globus cruciger.
That's what they
call it, the, the circle
With the cross on top.
Can mean a number
of things: God, jesus.
Really?
Narrator: Dating back
to the fifth century ad,
The globus cruciger is a
symbol featuring a cross
Setting above an orb or circle
Representing christianity's
dominion over the world.
Corjan: But I'll
tell you something.
I think this here, this was
one of the marks in fontarcada
- In northern portugal.
- Mm-hmm.
Narrator: Is it possible that
rick and members of the team
Have found a carved
symbol less than 50 miles
From oak island matching
one found at a medieval church
In fontarcada, portugal?
A church known to
have been constructed
By members of
the knights templar?
And then, if you remember,
that might be a mason's mark.
- And then maybe they belong together.
- Charles: Yeah.
Rick: There's no question that
Oak island was not
the singular obsession
Of-of people traveling from
The old world to the new world.
Very intricate.
Rick: So if there's anything
Within the province
that indicates
Pre-columbian visitation
To the new world,
it's... It's of interest to us.
And, uh, I think these
carvings might represent that.
These are intriguing symbols.
They may represent some
very significant information.
The symbols were
used for centuries, right?
To represent
information that was
Meant for a specific
few individuals.
- We're gonna go back and we're gonna do our homework.
- Corjan: Yeah.
We hope that these clues
might lead us further in our,
In our search for answers.
- They just might.
- Appreciate it. Really do.
- That is cool.
- Yeah.
Narrator: The
following morning...
Charles: Hey, terry.
- Hey, charles. How ya doing?
- Good.
Charles barkhouse
arrives at the money pit
After being alerted
by terry matheson
And alex lagina
That the drilling operation
in borehole cn-11
Has reached the
target depth between
80 and 120 feet.
Terry: We're at 108.
And we're just about
to push 108 to 118.
And we're going
to take a close look,
- See what it gives us.
- Right.
We've got some gold and
we're chasing it up gradient.
Hopefully, the
signal gets stronger,
We get more and
more gold in the water.
Alex: Hopefully, these
cores have something
- Made of gold in it.
- Yeah, let's chase it down.
All right, we got
a core coming up,
- So let's see what it brings.
- Right on.
- Good for that one.
- Okay.
Marty: This borehole is
more exciting than normal
Because a void in this area
Could be the source
of all this metal
That is leaching out,
including gold and silver.
- 118?
- Yep.
Marty: So if we can pin
down where that gold is
Going into solution, there
could be the treasure.
Hey, mike! How're you doing?
Pretty good, pretty good.
So there's your hard
material... really, really tight stuff
In the last run...
I actually took that
one to 19, just to,
Just to make sure I
got a good plug in it.
Well, let's clear the table and
see what we got there. Okay?
Okay.
Thank you.
Right there, look at that.
That is very unusual.
In the middle of all this
bedded stuff, you have a fine
Sand in tighter materials.
So that's a classic
example of where material
Has been sh*t into
an area under pressure.
It says there's some
human activity nearby.
And, oh, my god,
I can't believe it.
Narrator: In the
money pit area,
After drilling to a depth
Of approximately 119 feet
In borehole cn-11,
The oak island team has
unearthed possible evidence
Of man-made workings
in the same area
Where high trace
evidence of gold
Has recently been detected.
What this does maybe suggest
is that there's some, been some
Activity or rearrangement
of material through this area.
Wow. Well, it seems
like a good thing for us.
That's, well, absolutely.
That's what we wanted
to see. This is good news.
Alex: We've got the gold
numbers that are higher in this area
Adjacent to the garden shaft.
We've got an area of disturbed
Soft ground, which
means you're close to...
Human activity, maybe
a structure, or a treasure.
So for a lot of
reasons, it's, it's a really
Exciting area to investigate.
Do we push a little deeper?
Um, I think all we might
encounter is a little bit
Of slush if we go deeper here.
If we can move in the direction
of the consolidated material...
Narrator: Because recent
water sample testing
Has suggested that a large
source of gold sits between
80 and 120 feet
underground in this area...
There's a lot of smoke
here, and we need to just
See if we can find the fire.
It is geologist terry
matheson's opinion
That it lies several
feet to the side
Of where the team
is currently drilling,
Rather than deeper below.
You want to take a
water sample, right?
- Yeah.
- Sample it from the install depth, right, terry?
- Yep. -Sounds good.
- Thanks, mike.
Narrator: Before
the team removes
Their drill casing in order
to begin their next borehole...
- Alex: Paul, you want a hand?
- Paul: Yeah.
They will collect
a water sample from
Cn-11 so that dr. Ian
spooner can test it
In hopes of further pinpointing
The location of the
believed treasure.
There we go.
Rick: It's exciting
for all of us.
We finally have
the location where
The so-called elusive treasure
may reside. It's possible.
But you still have to
hold it in your hand.
- How'd that go? Pretty smooth?
- Paul: Yeah.
We're going to do a series of
more holes around this area.
Fantastic! Then we'll carry
on and move to another hole.
Alex: Okay, so paul
and I are going to take
These samples back
and get them ready to go.
Okay. Thanks a
lot, guys. Take care.
Narrator: As the core-drilling
operation in borehole cn-11
Concludes in the
money pit area...
Jack: So, are you
guys finding anything?
Um, I think we're
nearing the bottom,
But artifacts are
still popping out.
Back on lot 5, jack begley
Is assisting archaeologists
helen sheldon
And miriam amirault
as they continue
To excavate the mysterious,
man-made stone feature.
I'm still finding ceramics and
pieces of iron and glass, so...
It's... You know,
there's still more in here.
All right, I'll get
back to sifting.
- Let me know if you guys find anything else.
- Miriam: Yeah.
Narrator: While miriam
and helen remove sediment
From the structure,
jack is sifting
The materials with a screen
In order to look for
potential clues or valuables.
Oh, my god, helen.
Helen: What do you have?
A clay pipe stem.
- In the rocks.
- Oh, wow!
Helen: In the rocks? We
hardly get any of those
- On the island. No.
- I don't think I have found
- A single one.
- No.
Yeah, and gary says he
typically finds lots of them.
It's perfect for dating.
Like, it's in the feature.
- Helen: Yeah.
- And based on the size of the hole...
- Of the borehole. Yes.
- We can tell how old it is.
Jack: And how do you
get a date from it, exactly?
Helen: It's the size
of the borehole.
- Jack: In the middle of it?
- Yeah.
So the hole going through the
pipe stem changed over time.
So why-why is it just
a piece of pipe stem?
Helen: Because
they were quite fragile.
And they were
fairly cheap to buy.
So, they used to, like,
import them by the barrel load.
And so, they were
one of the cheaper
Throw-away things of the time.
Kind of like a cigarette butt.
Yep, similar to that.
With a clay pipe,
what is the date range
Of its use in general?
The earliest pipes, I think,
were in the late-ish 1500s.
And you'd get them
up until the late 1800s.
Miriam: Oh, this'll be
great for dating this feature.
This reminds me of when
we were in the southeast
Corner of the swamp,
excavating the stone road
And rick was asking,
"where are all the clay pipes?"
We weren't finding any,
so it's really interesting
That they're here and not there.
I'm kind of wondering
maybe if lot 5 has something
To do with what was
going on in the swamp.
Oh, yeah.
Narrator: Could
archaeologist miriam amirault
Be correct that the
stone feature on lot 5
Might be related to the stone
road discovered two years ago
In the swamp,
A stone road that is believed
To be at least 500 years old
And potentially connected
to the portuguese sect
Of the knights templar?
Maybe they were living
here and working there?
- Miriam: Yeah.
- Something like that?
So maybe lot 5 has more
to do with it than we think.
That's something that
rick's been wanting to find
- For quite a while.
- Yeah.
Jack: I'm gonna
give him a call.
Jack: Hey, we're over here!
Miriam: Hi, guys.
Almost can't see you
because of the amount of rocks
- You pulled out.
- [chuckles]
Narrator: After being
alerted that an artifact
Possibly dating back
to the 16th century
Was found in a man-made
feature on lot 5...
Gary: Talk about digging deeper.
Rick lagina and metal
detection expert gary drayton
Arrive to receive a detailed
report on the discovery.
Okay, guys. I'm actually
kind of excited about this find.
- The archaeologists are excited, we're excited.
- Yep.
- Now, rick...
- Mm-hmm.
You've been looking
for this for a long time.
The one thing?
Well, not-not the
treasure, but...
- It's something really good.
- [chuckles]
'kay?
Oh. Clay pipe.
Gary: Oh, a clay pipe stem.
Oh, yeah.
It definitely is that.
And you're right... I have
been looking for that.
- But we all have. We all wonder why.
- I remember. Yeah.
Gary: Oh, yeah.
That's a smoking hot find.
[chuckling]
Rick: But can you date that?
Not right at the moment,
but we'd be able to
- Once we get back to the lab.
- We can... we can get a date range for it
Based on the-the
size of the borehole
- That goes through the pipe.
- Rick: Oh, really? -Mm-hmm.
It was actually found within
the rocks of the feature.
So we think it was deposited
as this was constructed.
Helen: And then, at
some later point in time,
It was filled with
rocks in the middle.
The rocks in the middle
were very loose and jumbly,
With gaps between them.
- Mm-hmm.
- The ones here on the side
Are cemented in.
- Miriam: Mm-hmm.
- Like, not actually cemented in there,
- But they don't move. So...
- Yeah. -Rick: Mm.
I've played with stone
enough to know that
- That piece there...
- Helen: Yeah.
- That's purposeful. Yeah.
- It's to wedge it. Yeah.
Rick: Implying some
sort of permanence
- To the structure.
- Yeah.
The nice thing
about this is this is
The oldest european deposit
We have found on the island.
Which is pre-discovery
of the m-money pit.
Mm-hmm.
A test pit
Indicating
pre-depositional work...
It's interesting. It's
exceedingly interesting.
And the hope is that
we'll find something more
Than just a little
piece of pipe stem.
I think lot 5 continues to be as
mysterious as it has ever been
And we just need
to continue to look.
You know, this is
probably not isolated,
- Based upon all the finds we've had.
- Miriam and rick: Mm-hmm.
Uh, there's something
that happened here.
- Rick: Yeah.
- Jack: I'd say
- This is just a start.
- Gary: Yeah.
And it's luck that we
would pick this one spot.
So it's-it's great that you
were here to be able to find it
And then for us to
come in and sort of...
- Bring it all together.
- Rick: Mm-hmm.
I-I'm hopeful that
there's more information.
A-and this strongly
suggests there is.
Gary: And only on lot 5
Can the pits and hitting
rock bottom be a good thing.
[all chuckling]
Narrator: Later
that afternoon...
Craig: Okay, gentlemen.
So, got some exciting
information, I think.
Dr. Spooner recently went out
And, uh, cored
the freshwater well.
Narrator: Rick
lagina joins craig tester
And other members of
the team in the w*r room
To hear dr. Ian spooner's
scientific analysis
Of the strange well
located on lot 26,
A well containing water
that has already yielded
High trace evidence of silver.
I'll turn it over to dr. Spooner
And let him describe the
core and then the results.
Ian: Thank you. Yeah.
What we got out of it, I think,
was completely unexpected,
Right from the get-go.
Um, but just some
background here.
The circle that we
see there in dashes,
That's really where
the well is, so...
Next slide there, steve.
[mouse clicks]
And so here's the core.
Now, you can see
that there's twigs in it,
There's little stones that
might have fallen in it.
So, I dated that little brown
piece of wood at the bottom,
Which I will say...
This is very important...
Was probably not in the mud
But was probably in the dirt
At the bottom of the well.
So it's more likely
associated with construction.
And how I know that
is, it-it sort of went...
- Below the mud in the core.
- Oh, okay.
Ian: And this is
where it really,
Really got interesting.
The date I got on
the twig at the bottom
Was, um, 1028 to 1172.
♪ ♪
[whistles]
Jack: That's a long time ago.
Ian: The date I got on
the twig at the bottom was
- [whistles] -this is brilliant.
- Ian: Yeah.
- Great.
- The dates, it blew me away.
I mean, what's this
doing in this core?
- Yeah.
- Narrator: In the w*r room,
Geoscientist dr. Ian spooner
Has just presented the team
with an astonishing report.
The stone well
located on lot 26,
Which has been
scientifically determined
To contain trace
evidence of silver,
Was likely constructed as
much as eight centuries prior
To the discovery
of the money pit.
So, there we go.
That's-that's where
we sat with this core.
To me, it was just a
whole bunch of surprises.
You can see up there,
The date, it's rock-solid.
Rick: There you go.
Doug: You're saying
the science suggests
That, basically, that well
could have been created
At the same time
As the disturbances
in the swamp,
Because the bottom of
your cores in the swamp
Were also coming
out in the 1200s.
- That's the paved area.
- Yeah, the paved area.
So this is a date
in the 12th century.
- Is that right?
- Right.
Doug: So that well could be
Contemporary with the swamp.
Right.
- Yeah.
- Yeah. The dates are
All matching.
- Right.
- That's very interesting.
- Yeah.
- Doug: That is really cool.
If that well is that old,
I mean, you got to really think
About what happened
on this island.
Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
Well, like templars
were here or something.
Well, there you go, jack.
You-you got to wonder
what the story is.
Templars, baby!
[laughter]
Narrator: Is it possible
that the well on lot 26,
Along with other finds
made in recent years,
Including the 12th
century paved area
And the 500-year-old
stone road in the swamp,
The structure on lot 5,
And even the stone carvings
located across nova scotia,
Validate the incredible theory
That members of
the knights templar
Visited oak island on
numerous occasions
In order to hide their
sacred treasures?
Now we have connective
tissue, perhaps,
Between a very unique
feature on lot 26, the well,
And the 1200 date in the swamp.
Maybe even gold
in the money pit.
And we might be close
to an answer here.
So, I'm very hopeful.
I was shocked when
the numbers came out,
And I'm hoping they can tell
Part of the oak island story.
Yeah.
Rick: That date may have
Incredible impact,
Uh, as we try to
make association
With other areas on the island.
Yeah.
Rick: And so we
should have a plan
To figure out what
this might mean.
That's the way to do it.
- Yeah.
- Jack: Why not try
To section the area off and have
the archaeologists go in there,
- So we can go section by section?
- Craig: Yeah.
We can find anything
significant in situ.
- I agree.
- Laird: Yeah.
I can do that over
the next few days.
All right. So, with that,
- Let's keep our eye on the ball and...
- Mm-hmm.
And keep moving forward.
Yep.
Rick: Okay. Let's go.
Let's go.
Narrator: Since 1795,
Determined treasure
hunters have been mystified
To explain what happened
long ago on oak island.
Their only certainty,
Given the construction
of the money pit,
Was that something
of immense value
And of great
historical importance
Must be buried deep below.
Now, thanks to a disciplined
application of science
And methodical digging,
Rick, marty, craig
and their team
May finally be zeroing in
On a treasure trove
Of answers.
Next time on the
curse of oak island...
Charles: We got
wood here, gentlemen.
- Got to be a tunnel.
- Craig: Yeah. This is a tunnel
Pointing towards
- The garden shaft.
- Absolutely.
There it is, mate.
- Look at that.
- Wow.
This is a first for oak island,
Which is fantastic.
So, in terms of
where it is from,
- You got roman empire going on here.
- There we go.
Marty: We're chasing
the gold in the money pit.
Wow. There it is.
- That's what we're looking for.
- Yeah.
- Finally!
- [chuckles]