11x20 - Wet and Wild
Posted: 04/17/24 08:35
NARRATOR: Tonight
on The Curse of Oak Island...
The way to unlock Nolan's Cross
is built into the cross itself.
If the ark is here, it will
be found using Nolan's Cross.
Let's dig there.
GARY:
Ooh, look at that.
BILLY:
There's a boulder.
Maybe this boulder
is marking the spot.
This is the copper artifact
found on Lot 8.
This could be identified
as Viking.
ROGER: Water started
coming in faster and faster.
RICK:
We may have hit a flood tunnel.
RONNIE: Whoa! Whoa! Hey!
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.
♪ ♪
- SCOTT: Morning, Paul.
- COTE: Morning. -RICK: Morning.
So you've got
the horizontal drills
- right by the shaft.
- Yeah, yeah.
I guess the next stop
is the shaft bottom?
Shaft bottom.
That's where we're going.
We're getting ready
to lower the drill there.
And start probe drilling
right at the bottom.
- That's good.
- Yeah.
NARRATOR: It is the beginning
of another hopeful
day on Oak Island
as Rick Lagina and Scott Barlow
arrive in the Money Pit area
to oversee a new
probe-drilling operation
at the base of the Garden
Shaft that could help
finally solve a 229-year-old
treasure mystery.
The priority, in my opinion,
- is to drill the tunnel.
- Right.
SCOTT: Look at
that, right there.
RICK: Wow.
Those are big beams.
NARRATOR: Three weeks ago,
after extending the
down to an approximate
depth of 100 feet,
the team was elated
to reach a potentially
A tunnel that a previous
core-drilling operation
has tracked westward
into the so-called Baby Blob,
where high traces
of gold and silver
have been detected
by water testing
between 80 and
We cannot find any
sign of walls or a ceiling.
NARRATOR: However,
the team was stunned
to discover that
the section of tunnel
that they uncovered
beneath the Garden Shaft
had been partially dismantled
sometime in the past.
- Big day here.
- Yeah.
This horizontal drill program
is gonna be, uh,
very important to us.
Yeah.
NARRATOR: Now,
having just finished
extending the Garden Shaft
down to a total
depth of 106 feet,
over the course of
the next few days,
representatives from
Dumas Contracting Limited
will conduct a probe-drilling
operation to look for sections
of the tunnel that
may still be intact
and hopefully
pinpoint the location
of the possible treasure.
MARTY: Mystery number one.
No tops and no
sides of the tunnel.
Did somebody remove 'em? Why?
Did somebody
do it intentionally,
so the thing would
collapse? Why?
We're searching for
a great treasure here.
I have said many
times a collapse
would be an excellent
way to hide something.
The sooner we get to drilling,
- the more information we get.
- That's right.
If you encounter
something and you say,
"Hey, this is unusual,"
- Please let Scott or myself or someone know.
- Yeah, yeah, of course, yeah.
And maybe we have
to readjust the plan.
- Yeah.
- RICK: It's been a long
and difficult road to
try to chase this tunnel.
It's just an intensive process.
The hope is that we're
nearing the end of it.
The Garden Shaft has
been extended to the point
where that work is
over and done with.
And now we begin
the process of drilling.
We all have great hope for that.
When you drill
into the tunnel itself,
we would like to get samples
every ten feet of the tunnel.
- Yeah.
- Accurate records, right?
- Yeah.
- We want to know distances,
elevations.
Because that, those
samples will go out
- to the lab for carbon dating.
- Yeah.
So I look forward to that.
I've got this
tingling in my toes.
[laughing]
Or in my hands, whatever, uh...
- Make sure we check his pockets at the end of the day.
- [laughing]
SCOTT: I'll turn him
upside-down and shake him.
- Anyway, we'll let you get to it.
- COTE: Yeah, okay.
- Thank you.
- See ya, Paul.
NARRATOR: As Dumas prepares
for the probe-drilling operation
in the Garden Shaft...
GARY: What's the
battle plan, Billy?
BILLY: I guess
the battle plan is
continue finding good
stuff over here on my right.
GARY: Yeah, and
this is the place to dig.
This is the hot
spot in the swamp.
- Yeah.
- JACK: Yeah.
NARRATOR: In the
southeast corner of the swamp,
next to the potentially
Or ship's wharf... Jack
Begley, Gary Drayton
and Billy Gerhardt
are excavating
a mysterious wooden structure
that was first discovered
three weeks ago.
I think we're the first
people to dig this up
- since it was built.
- Right.
JACK: And the more
artifacts that we have found,
they tend to suggest
that this area could be
from pre-Money Pit discovery.
- Oh, yeah. Same as the road.
- So... Yeah.
NARRATOR: In the past week,
while investigating
this feature,
the team has unearthed
hand-forged iron spikes,
a possibly ancient metal tool,
and a piece of a wooden barrel,
offering evidence
that this structure
may be related to the stone road
and, possibly,
an operation to offload
cargo from a ship
onto Oak Island.
The questions that arise
are what kind of cargo
could it have been?
And just where is it now?
You have to think
that that road was built
only because you had
something really important
to go on here or off,
one or the other, right?
Yeah, and it went
just over the hill
there in that Money Pit area.
- Right.
- GARY: Well, let's go for some
more of those old finds
- and let's fill our pockets.
- I'm ready.
Get the top pocket
open, get ready.
All right, mate, let's
find some artifacts.
RICK: We had hopes
that the stone road would
be our point of
beginning, i.e. the route
that may be heading
towards the Money Pit.
And it did lead somewhere.
It led to the stone path.
Then we lost the trail.
Where do we go from here?
There's certainly
unexplainable discoveries
in the body of the swamp.
I believe they are associated
with the mystery and we continue
to try to uncover them.
See the band of
rocks on top of the...
JACK: On top of
that bit of swamp.
And it's all the
same depth, right?
JACK: That's weird.
BILLY: I don't know, Jack,
but that's looking suspiciously
like a bit of a road
over top of the swamp.
- Like someone buried it on purpose.
- Right.
JACK: They wanted
to cover their tracks.
This could be the road
we were looking for
that leads to the Money Pit.
NARRATOR: In 2019,
the team discovered
aerial photos of the island
dating back to the 1930s,
which revealed a stone pathway
running between the swamp
and the Money Pit area...
that, unfortunately, was later
destroyed by searcher
activities in the 1960s.
However, could Jack
Begley be correct
that Billy has uncovered
a section of that same pathway
next to the stone road
in the southeast
corner of the swamp?
What we found
here is really exciting,
and we need to let
all the guys know.
And they have to come over
here and take a look at that,
'cause it could be
a new discovery.
- Yeah.
- A new road that we didn't know existed.
We might be really
onto something.
GARY: Agreed, mate.
Let's share the good news.
This was a good dig.
NARRATOR: Later
that afternoon...
Welcome back, Carmen.
NARRATOR: Jack Begley
joins archaeologist Laird Niven
and archaeometallurgist
Emma Culligan
for a meeting with
blacksmithing expert
Carmen Legge in the
Oak Island laboratory.
We have two different artifacts
we wanted to show you today.
They were recovered from
a dig that we were doing
in the southeast
corner of the swamp.
NARRATOR: Carmen will
be assessing the possible
metal tool and iron
spike that were found
near the mysterious
wooden structure
just one week ago.
So we're hoping some of these
artifacts that we found
can help tell the story.
Really?
JACK: Wow.
No way.
This is French.
From the early 1600s
to no later than 1750, 1760.
JACK: Wow, it speaks
to hauling around the
southeast corner of the swamp.
They were hauling
something, yes.
NARRATOR: In the
Oak Island laboratory,
blacksmithing
expert Carmen Legge
has just given his assessment
that an iron backing bolt
that was found near the
mysterious wooden structure
and the stone road in the
swamp could be of French origin
and date as far back
as the 17th century.
So this might be some
evidence to people doing
a lot of hauling or
using oxen for that work.
I tend to think they were.
RICK: Oxen come down the road
and pull a ship or a
load up the slipway.
I think that's a very
plausible explanation for it.
Sometimes the simplest
explanation is the best.
If that is real
connective tissue
to what happened here long ago,
maybe that's a step
towards understanding
the work on this island,
relative to the mystery.
JACK: Our other object...
You can see remnants of the wood
that's still on top
of this piece of iron.
So we didn't know
if it was a fastener
or if it was some type
of a tool that had
a wooden handle.
CARMEN: What I'm looking at is
probably something 14 inches long.
But why is it so thin down here?
What's the, uh,
metallurgy on this?
So it's too big for me
to pop it in for a full scan.
So I did only get
a section of it just to get a
good look at the cross section.
NARRATOR: To provide
Carmen with additional context,
Emma has scanned the artifact
using the X-ray
fluorescence spectrometer...
A device that emits
nondestructive radiation
to reveal an object's
elemental composition.
EMMA: This one, with its
high manganese content,
it's too high to be
considered modern
and it's jumping
from different percentages
throughout the metal.
I think it is early
- JACK: Really?
- EMMA: Yeah.
Because how inconsistent
the manganese content is
throughout the metal.
I think it's Swedish metal.
- CARMEN: Oh, I see.
- EMMA: Because the Swedish had
a natural manganese content
in their iron.
Yeah. Well, that's what
we've been suspecting
could've been there, was
a wharf that extended out.
Yeah, it'd be a wooden wharf
- that extended out from the beach.
- Correct. Yeah. Yeah.
NARRATOR: A wharf pin?
Of Swedish origin that
could predate the 1700s?
But if so, could
Carmen Legge's notion
of a possible Viking connection
have any basis in reality?
Templars used Vikings
for transportation to come
to a promised land...
North America.
NARRATOR: Two weeks ago,
retired professor of
psychology Dr. Doug Symons
presented the Oak Island team
with his published research...
SYMONS: While
they're in Jerusalem,
they interact with knights
who would form
the Knights Templar.
NARRATOR: suggesting that
members of the Viking culture may have
conspired with the medieval
order of the Knights Templar
to hide priceless
religious artifacts
on Oak Island more
than 800 years ago.
Is it possible
that this wharf pin
could offer evidence that
Dr. Symons' theory is true?
And if so, could
it also be related
to other ancient discoveries
that the team has
made in the swamp,
including the
that was uncovered in 2019,
as well as a piece of ship's
railing that was found in 2020,
and which was dated to
as early as the 8th century.
JACK: It really appears like
there could have been a wharf here
and that someone
was hauling goods
pre-Money Pit discovery
in the southeast
corner of the swamp.
- We know there was an operation going on.
- JACK: Mm-hmm.
And hopefully we figure
out what they were hauling.
Oh, yes.
JACK: Thank you, Carmen,
for properly analyzing
what these are.
CARMEN: All right, very good.
NARRATOR: The
following morning...
as the horizontal
probe-drilling operation gets
underway in the Garden Shaft...
on Lot 5, located near the shore
on the western
side of the island...
Hey, everybody.
-Hi. -Hi, Jack.
I guess it's all hands
on deck today, huh?
- Yeah.
- Yes.
NARRATOR: Jack Begley joins
archaeologists Helen Sheldon,
Moya MacDonald, Jamie Kouba
and Fiona Steele
as they continue investigating
a large stone foundation.
FIONA: Well, we're finally
down at the floor level
and it feels good to start
seeing things happening.
JACK: After what
you found recently,
everyone else wants to get
- a bit of treasure for themselves.
- [laughter]
NARRATOR: Since Rick,
Marty and Craig Tester purchased
Lot 5 one year ago,
the team has made
a number of incredible
discoveries in this feature,
including potentially
a cement-like substance
that has also been found
around the tunnel
beneath the Garden Shaft
and a 14th-century
lead barter token,
which, just like the lead
cross that was found
in 2017 at Smith's Cove,
may be connected to
the Knights Templar.
And, just one week ago,
Jamie Kouba found
a decorative artifact
that was almost entirely
composed of silver.
All right, well, can I sift
- through your material?
- Would you, please?
- Yes, please.
- [laughs]
- Yeah, we would love it.
- All right. Let's get to it.
NARRATOR: Now, Jack will
assist the archaeology team
by sifting through the materials
they have just excavated
from the structure
in order to look
for additional clues
and potential valuables.
RICK: This feature on Lot 5
is beginning to shape up to...
suggest that people have
been here for a long time,
perhaps pre-searcher era.
But what that activity
is, what it represents,
does it have anything to do
with the treasure
story or the mystery?
We don't know yet.
MOYA: I have
something interesting.
It's like this really
blue-ish fine clay.
HELEN: Oh, look at that!
FIONA: It's got a
slight blue tint to it.
So, Jack, do you want to
come and have a look at this?
JACK: Yeah. What'd you find?
FIONA: I'm looking at the soils
and I'm trying to, like, follow
- this blue-ish clay.
- JACK: Yeah.
So, why is there clay here?
Because, like in other places
we've dug around here,
you just get this sandy,
silt subsoil and it
just keeps going.
We don't actually hit clay.
JACK: That blue-gray
clay looks a lot like
that deep down Money Pit clay.
I mean, it's not completely
out of the realm of possibility.
NARRATOR: Blue clay?
Found in the stone
foundation on Lot 5?
In 1804, while excavating
the original Money Pit,
members of the Onslow
Company discovered a packed layer
of blue clay at a
depth of 40 feet,
which they believed
acted as a sealant
to stop the
legendary flood tunnel
from feeding seawater
into the treasure shaft.
MOYA: So similar.
NARRATOR: Could this
blue clay be further evidence
that this structure on Lot 5
may have a direct
connection to the Money Pit?
I don't want to jump to
conclusions and say it is,
but maybe we can test it,
and see if it has similar
chemical signatures
- as the Money Pit soils.
- JACK: Yeah.
So, put that in bags.
Very interesting. We're
gonna sample this.
- Give it to Emma.
- JACK: Well, cool find, Moya.
- I hope it's a match.
- MOYA: Me, too.
NARRATOR: As the
probe-drilling operation continues
more than 100 feet underground
in the Garden Shaft...
RICK: Welcome,
lady and gentlemen,
to what I think is gonna
be a very interesting
and unique presentation.
NARRATOR: Rick
and Marty Lagina,
along with other members
of the team, meet once again
in the w*r room with
researcher John Edwards.
Everyone is quite familiar
with John Edwards's
work to date.
He promised, at the
last meeting he had,
that he would come up
with X marks the spot,
which is what you're
always arguing for, right?
Having said that, John,
I'll turn it over to you.
EDWARDS: Appreciate it.
The last w*r room,
I presented a theory
that Oak Island may be
the possible resting place
of the Ark of the Covenant.
And there are spots
on Nolan's Cross
that I think are relevant
to the Tree of Life,
and they could be
the actual place to dig.
NARRATOR: In light of
the numerous discoveries
made by the team on Oak
Island during recent years
which have been dated
to between the 12th
and 18th centuries,
and which also may be connected
to the medieval order
of the Knights Templar...
EDWARDS: I've
spent the past 30 years
studying symbols and icons.
NARRATOR: last week,
Rick Lagina invited John Edwards
to present documents related
to the secretive fraternity
known as the Freemasons,
who some believe descended
from the Templar order.
Now, interestingly,
I have acquired
some ancient books
that have codes and maps.
NARRATOR: Within
these documents,
John found not only an image
of what appears to be Oak Island
but also what he believes
are encoded messages
that suggest the Templar order
buried sacred
religious artifacts,
including the Ark
of the Covenant,
on Oak Island
nearly 800 years ago.
And since then,
their descendants
in the Masonic
order have conspired
to keep them from
being discovered.
John also believes
that the key to finding
where these treasures
may be buried
is the megalithic
formation of six boulders
on the island's surface
known as Nolan's Cross,
which, like other researchers,
John believes
is part of a larger,
ten-point religious formation
referred to as the Tree of Life.
The way to unlock Nolan's
Cross is built into the cross itself.
NARRATOR: Since
John's first presentation,
Rick, Marty and
Craig allowed him
to work with
surveyor Steve Guptill
to investigate Nolan's Cross
and the believed locations
of the other markers
on the Tree of Life,
known as sefirot.
And when you go and look
at the two arms of the cross,
it's 720 feet.
And on the spine
of Nolan's Cross,
you have 864.
Everything was divisible by 72.
John, what is the
importance of 72?
NARRATOR: Written in the early
and Bernard of Clairvaux, who
founded the Knights Templar,
the "Latin Rule," also known
as "Specific Behavior
of the Templar Order,"
was a document
consisting of 72 directives
that all Templar Knights
were trained to live by.
Could John Edwards be correct
that the number 72
was intentionally used
in the construction
of Nolan's Cross,
and that it may
offer more evidence
that the Templar
order is connected to
the Oak Island mystery?
If so, how might it help
pinpoint the location
of priceless
religious treasures?
Okay.
EDWARDS: Where is the "X"
on Oak Island?
Now, if the ark is here,
it will be found at either
the Yesod, the Da'ath,
the Tiferet on Nolan's Cross.
NARRATOR: According
to many researchers,
the Templar order
adopted imagery
from the Kabbalistic
order of Judaism
that associated the Tree of Life
with ten divine principles
known as sefirot.
These attributes, such
as Yesod, or "foundation"
Tiferet, or "beauty,"
and Hod, or "humility"
are believed to lead one
on a spiritual path to God.
MARTY: It's on Tom's land?
- STEVE: Yeah.
- This is all Tom's property.
Maybe we should
take a machine in there.
That was what I was
thinking, but it's not my land,
so I was waiting, I was
waiting for you to say it.
- Yeah.
- But, yeah, that is curious.
I think these are
eminently diggable.
I think it's
a very elegant theory.
But as John and I have
had many discussions,
a theory is but a theory
till you hold the
proof in your hand.
We'll only know if it has
relevance when we dig.
- What say you all?
- Absolutely.
- Sure.
- Yeah.
[laughter]
RICK: I'd say, I'd say yes, too.
- 72 times, yes.
- [laughter]
MARTY: There you have it.
NARRATOR: As a new
day begins on Oak Island...
- GARY: Billy.
- BILLY: Hey, Gary.
We've spent a lot of time at
the front of the swamp there.
It's nice to be at the back.
This is exciting.
- This was a John Edwards spot?
- JACK: Mm-hmm.
NARRATOR: Jack
Begley, Gary Drayton
and Billy Gerhardt
are about to begin
an excavation in
the northern region of
the triangle-shaped swamp.
And at a location
of one of the sefirot
on the Tree of Life
known as Tiferet,
where researcher John
Edwards believes that
priceless religious treasures
may have been buried by
members of the Knights Templar
some eight centuries ago.
JACK: It's pretty rocky in here.
It's a lot darker by
you than it is over here.
That boulder should
be on C horizon, right?
JACK: Oh, I think it is.
See, that's not
C horizon, right?
No, that's not C horizon.
So that boulder is...
- That boulder was put there.
- That boulder was put there.
- JACK: That-that's pretty awesome.
- BILLY: Yeah.
NARRATOR: The C horizon
is a geological term
for the natural
layer of ground soil
that lies just above bedrock.
Because Billy and Jack
believe that the earth
beneath this large boulder,
where John Edwards
marked the sefirot,
known as Tiferet,
appears to have been
previously disturbed,
could they be correct
that the boulder
was placed here as a
marker in the swamp?
If so, what might be
buried underneath it?
JACK: I mean, why would
you go through the effort of
pushing a boulder around if
this position didn't mean anything?
The boulder could mark
- whatever's there, right?
- JACK: Yeah.
BILLY: I'm pretty excited
that we have a theorist's spot
that looks like somebody
dug here before.
JACK: I totally agree.
And judging by the size,
we still have a lot left to dig
before we reach what
might be a bottom.
We need to get Rick
and Marty over here
to check this out,
but also we need Dr. Spooner
- to come and see this.
- Yup.
Good work, guys.
GARY: Nice digging, Billy.
We'll be back.
NARRATOR: Later
that afternoon...
RONNIE: All good?
NARRATOR: as the
probe-drilling operation
in the Garden Shaft continues...
RICK: So, guys, this is a
rather unique w*r room.
And I think this is
a very unique piece.
I would think that
everyone around this table
would agree with that.
NARRATOR: Rick,
Marty, Craig Tester
and other members of the team
have assembled in the w*r room
for a meeting regarding
new developments on a find
that was made one
year ago on Oak Island.
RICK: This is the copper
artifact that was found on Lot 8
by Gary and Jack.
- GARY: It's that.
- JACK: Whoa.
Oh, yeah. This is fantastic.
NARRATOR: In 2022,
while searching Lot 8
on the western
side of the island,
Gary and Jack
unearthed a copper artifact
that was covered with
mysterious symbols.
And when renowned
archaeologist Dr. Edwin Barnhart
examined the metallic
composition of the object,
he presented the team
with a stunning assessment.
BARNHART: It could be
some sort of older object.
The other possibility
is the Vikings.
NARRATOR: While
Dr. Barnhart's speculation
was intriguing at the time,
after the recent discovery
of several more
artifacts on the island
which may have
originated in Scandinavia,
and the research
of Dr. Doug Symons
suggesting that Vikings
may have visited Oak Island
more than 800 years ago,
the team is eager to learn
more about this mysterious object
and the ornate
symbols on its surface.
RICK: It's just a
gorgeous object,
but it was folded.
Remember, there
were triple folds in this.
Doug reached out to a
conservator in Canada.
They were able
to actually unfold it.
And what we have
here is the result
of their effort, and
it is spectacular.
I think Marty and Craig,
you'll see a picture there.
Yeah.
It really, really is beautiful.
- It's spectacular.
- Mm-hmm.
MARTY: Well, Laird, what is it?
[laughter]
You know, the only thing I
can say definitively is that
I'm virtually certain
it's a decorated piece
meant to go on top of something,
so it's not an
artifact in itself.
It's meant to decorate
something larger.
We did some updating
of the metallurgy.
What we can say is that
the copper source for it
isn't local. It's not from...
- Wow.
- The area.
STEVE: Could that have
been hand-made, most likely?
- Or hand designed?
- LAIRD: Well... Yeah.
As a matter of fact,
they said that they believe
it was made by a
process called pressblech.
And that's a technique
that's been around for,
well, well over a
thousand years.
NARRATOR: Dating as far
back as the fifth century AD,
pressblech is a technique
by which metal workers
would place a thin sheet
of gold, silver or copper alloy
onto a patterned surface
and then carefully apply force
in order to create a decorative
appearance in the material.
The Anglo-Saxons, some
western European cultures used it.
Even the Norse
used this technique.
I'm gonna get
Steve to bring up, uh,
some images here.
So, this is the
restored artifact.
And if you look within
the borders of the design,
you'll see what looks
like a fish or a ribbon,
and then you have
a circle above it.
In our research so
far, we've only identified
one instance where we found
the two symbols used together.
MARTY: Mm-hmm.
But we made a
recent, uh, discovery.
This here is an old
manuscript from Iceland
that has to do with
astronomy and astrology.
And if you see in the
lower, left-hand corner,
you'll see two symbols that
look very similar together.
And we found that
there's a Viking rune
that's very similar to
that ribbon-like symbol,
which looks like the
symbol on our copper piece.
So, this artifact could
possibly be identified as Viking.
RICK: Wow.
DOUG: This is
actually from Iceland,
and it's an old
manuscript that has
to do with astronomy
and astrology.
There's a Viking
rune that's very similar
to that ribbon-like symbol,
which looks like the
symbol on our copper piece,
so, this artifact could
possibly be identified as Viking.
NARRATOR: In the w*r room,
Doug Crowell has just presented
an Icelandic
document that suggests
the copper artifact
found one year ago
on Lot 8 bears
astronomical symbols
and may possibly
be of Viking origin.
DOUG: Just today, in
our research, we found
another artifact.
This is a quadrant
from an astrolabe
that's from Southern France.
they believe it was made in.
NARRATOR: An
astrolabe is an instrument
that was invented
in Ancient Greece
in order to track the positions
of the stars, planets
and the Moon in the sky.
With over 1,000
historically-documented uses,
astrolabes were critical tools
employed during medieval times
throughout Europe, the
Middle East and Asia,
to build megalithic structures
and houses of worship.
However, they were also used
as navigational guides on land,
as well as the high seas.
Steve, if you could go
to the next slide, please.
There's our two
symbols we're evaluating.
And within this medieval
astrolabe from the 13th century,
you'll see the repeating
use of those two symbols.
Here we have the lead cross
found on the island.
It's from Southern France.
So, this is yet another device
that may originate
in Southern France.
Now this is kind of
exciting to me because
we have Professor Gaspani
telling us about Nolan's Cross
possibly being
created in the 1200s.
There's six navigational stars
that Nolan's Cross aligns with.
And then we have another
artifact here on the island
that could have, possibly,
a couple of symbols on it
that relate to ancient
navigation, as well.
Wow.
NARRATOR: In the past year,
Italian archaeoastronomer
Professor Adriano Gaspani
has made two presentations
regarding his belief
that Nolan's Cross was
created nearly 800 years ago
by members of the
Knights Templar,
and that the six
megalithic boulders
in the formation were
placed on the island's surface
according to alignments with
specific stars in the night sky.
Could Doug's notion be correct
that the copper artifact
was part of an astrolabe
that members of
the Viking culture
and the Knights
Templar may have used
for a journey to Oak
Island nearly 800 years ago,
and also to create
Nolan's Cross?
This is a most
interesting object, and
we have to run this to ground.
I mean, what you
found on the astrolabe
could be incredibly significant.
So, there's all kinds of clues.
We just have to be observant
and pay attention to the details,
and I think we're doing
that with this object.
- Mm-hmm.
- DOUG: We have sent these images on
to Professor
Gaspani to evaluate,
hoping that he
might shed some light
on how this would've been used.
So that'd be good.
I'm all for that.
LAIRD: Yeah. I
think our research
tentacles are
getting stretched out
to broader areas in the world.
I think we have an entire
island of mysteries to solve,
so, let's get after it.
MARTY: Great. Thank you!
- Let's go find some more stuff.
- RICK: Okeydoke.
NARRATOR: While Rick, Marty,
Craig and members of the team
conclude their meeting
in the w*r room...
ROGER: We ready to rock?
NARRATOR: in
the Money Pit area,
the probe-drilling
operation continues
more than 100 feet
underground in the Garden Shaft.
SCOTT: This is exciting.
ROGER: Oh,
absolutely. Absolutely.
-[high-pitched
squealing] -[hissing]
- SCOTT: That's a lot of water.
- ROGER: For sure.
Okay, bring 'em up.
Okay, Ronnie, come on up.
- RICK: Hi, Roger.
- ROGER: Hey, Rick.
RICK: So is everyone
out of the shaft?
- Yes. Nobody hurt.
- That's great.
NARRATOR: It is
a critical moment
in the Money Pit area
for the Oak Island team.
ROGER: Water started
coming in faster and faster,
come right out of the holes,
and it was coming out of the holes,
like, just pouring out of
there. It's unbelievable.
NARRATOR: Just moments
ago, as representatives
from Dumas Contracting Limited
were conducting a horizontal
probe-drilling operation
to explore the
possible treasure tunnel
beneath the Garden Shaft,
more than 100 feet underground,
water began flooding
into the structure.
- Is the water still coming up?
- ROGER: Oh, yeah, absolutely.
Where he says the
water was coming in
was around the 97-foot mark.
That's where we
dug for that tunnel.
RICK: Let me just
give my brother a call.
[line ringing]
Hey.
RICK: This is not the Bravo
Tango call you expected.
Okay, so I'm up at
the shaft right now,
and I've got Roger
here and Scott.
I'm gonna turn
you over to Roger.
So, Roger, here you go.
Hey, Marty, how's it going?
All right.
So, the guys drilled
a couple of holes,
and they seen the water and silt
starting to come
out through the lining
around the 97-foot mark,
which was pretty well
where our tunnel was
if you remember, right?
Then the water started
gushing out of the hole,
and it started coming
in at a very quick pace.
The two sets had been
completely covered,
the drill was
completely covered.
That's how quick
the water came in.
It's a lot easier for
us to drill that way
and get as much
penetration with the drill.
[sniffs]
ROGER: no walls
or no roof in there.
Oh. Sorry.
I just drank a little
bit of the water,
and it's a little bit salty.
Yup.
NARRATOR: Could Rick
Lagina be correct that while drilling
into a tunnel, which
leads to an area
where the team has
detected high traces
of precious metals
deep underground,
they may have breached one
of the legendary flood tunnels
that have thwarted
treasure hunters
for more than two centuries?
Yeah.
ROGER: Yeah.
Yeah.
RICK: There's no
way to overstate
the potential problems
that this presents.
It could terminate the
work in the Garden Shaft.
Everything seems
to be coalescing here.
We're probe drilling.
We've got metals in the water.
So it does seem like
we're coming together here,
on one hand.
On the other hand,
we can't get to it.
And I mean, what we're
experiencing now is so like
what people experienced
that it's downright chilling.
Always something, yes.
All right. Thanks, Marty.
- All right. See ya. Bye.
- Yup. Bye.
It's a bump in the road,
but we'll get some answers.
- We'll pump her out.
- We'll see how big the bump is.
- Yup.
- But we have the right people,
the right attitude.
We'll figure it out.
- We'll get to the bottom of it.
- Yup.
RICK: Okay, well,
just got to keep moving.
- ROGER: For sure.
- RICK: Thank you, Roger.
- Thanks for the update.
- Absolutely, Rick.
NARRATOR: Over
the past two centuries,
numerous searchers believed
that they were on the verge
of recovering a fabled
treasure in the Money Pit,
when disaster suddenly struck
and shattered their dreams
of solving the Oak
Island mystery.
Rick, Marty, Craig and
their team must now confront
that daunting prospect.
However, the historic clues
that they have uncovered
and the physical evidence
that they have unearthed
prove more than ever that
their dream is still worth...
the pursuit.
Next time on The
Curse of Oak Island...
GARY: Wow! Look at this.
- CRAIG: What do we have?
- GARY: Check out
that circle of stones.
JACK: Right at the spot
where John Edwards theorized
we would find something.
ERIC: Here's the artifact.
DOUG: It was
found on the island.
RICK: If it is as old
as we believe it is,
it is quite remarkable.
CORJAN: In a castle
here in the Netherlands,
I found some symbols
that I recognize
from the island.
I think the trip is warranted.
You're going to find
the answers in Europe.
on The Curse of Oak Island...
The way to unlock Nolan's Cross
is built into the cross itself.
If the ark is here, it will
be found using Nolan's Cross.
Let's dig there.
GARY:
Ooh, look at that.
BILLY:
There's a boulder.
Maybe this boulder
is marking the spot.
This is the copper artifact
found on Lot 8.
This could be identified
as Viking.
ROGER: Water started
coming in faster and faster.
RICK:
We may have hit a flood tunnel.
RONNIE: Whoa! Whoa! Hey!
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.
♪ ♪
- SCOTT: Morning, Paul.
- COTE: Morning. -RICK: Morning.
So you've got
the horizontal drills
- right by the shaft.
- Yeah, yeah.
I guess the next stop
is the shaft bottom?
Shaft bottom.
That's where we're going.
We're getting ready
to lower the drill there.
And start probe drilling
right at the bottom.
- That's good.
- Yeah.
NARRATOR: It is the beginning
of another hopeful
day on Oak Island
as Rick Lagina and Scott Barlow
arrive in the Money Pit area
to oversee a new
probe-drilling operation
at the base of the Garden
Shaft that could help
finally solve a 229-year-old
treasure mystery.
The priority, in my opinion,
- is to drill the tunnel.
- Right.
SCOTT: Look at
that, right there.
RICK: Wow.
Those are big beams.
NARRATOR: Three weeks ago,
after extending the
down to an approximate
depth of 100 feet,
the team was elated
to reach a potentially
A tunnel that a previous
core-drilling operation
has tracked westward
into the so-called Baby Blob,
where high traces
of gold and silver
have been detected
by water testing
between 80 and
We cannot find any
sign of walls or a ceiling.
NARRATOR: However,
the team was stunned
to discover that
the section of tunnel
that they uncovered
beneath the Garden Shaft
had been partially dismantled
sometime in the past.
- Big day here.
- Yeah.
This horizontal drill program
is gonna be, uh,
very important to us.
Yeah.
NARRATOR: Now,
having just finished
extending the Garden Shaft
down to a total
depth of 106 feet,
over the course of
the next few days,
representatives from
Dumas Contracting Limited
will conduct a probe-drilling
operation to look for sections
of the tunnel that
may still be intact
and hopefully
pinpoint the location
of the possible treasure.
MARTY: Mystery number one.
No tops and no
sides of the tunnel.
Did somebody remove 'em? Why?
Did somebody
do it intentionally,
so the thing would
collapse? Why?
We're searching for
a great treasure here.
I have said many
times a collapse
would be an excellent
way to hide something.
The sooner we get to drilling,
- the more information we get.
- That's right.
If you encounter
something and you say,
"Hey, this is unusual,"
- Please let Scott or myself or someone know.
- Yeah, yeah, of course, yeah.
And maybe we have
to readjust the plan.
- Yeah.
- RICK: It's been a long
and difficult road to
try to chase this tunnel.
It's just an intensive process.
The hope is that we're
nearing the end of it.
The Garden Shaft has
been extended to the point
where that work is
over and done with.
And now we begin
the process of drilling.
We all have great hope for that.
When you drill
into the tunnel itself,
we would like to get samples
every ten feet of the tunnel.
- Yeah.
- Accurate records, right?
- Yeah.
- We want to know distances,
elevations.
Because that, those
samples will go out
- to the lab for carbon dating.
- Yeah.
So I look forward to that.
I've got this
tingling in my toes.
[laughing]
Or in my hands, whatever, uh...
- Make sure we check his pockets at the end of the day.
- [laughing]
SCOTT: I'll turn him
upside-down and shake him.
- Anyway, we'll let you get to it.
- COTE: Yeah, okay.
- Thank you.
- See ya, Paul.
NARRATOR: As Dumas prepares
for the probe-drilling operation
in the Garden Shaft...
GARY: What's the
battle plan, Billy?
BILLY: I guess
the battle plan is
continue finding good
stuff over here on my right.
GARY: Yeah, and
this is the place to dig.
This is the hot
spot in the swamp.
- Yeah.
- JACK: Yeah.
NARRATOR: In the
southeast corner of the swamp,
next to the potentially
Or ship's wharf... Jack
Begley, Gary Drayton
and Billy Gerhardt
are excavating
a mysterious wooden structure
that was first discovered
three weeks ago.
I think we're the first
people to dig this up
- since it was built.
- Right.
JACK: And the more
artifacts that we have found,
they tend to suggest
that this area could be
from pre-Money Pit discovery.
- Oh, yeah. Same as the road.
- So... Yeah.
NARRATOR: In the past week,
while investigating
this feature,
the team has unearthed
hand-forged iron spikes,
a possibly ancient metal tool,
and a piece of a wooden barrel,
offering evidence
that this structure
may be related to the stone road
and, possibly,
an operation to offload
cargo from a ship
onto Oak Island.
The questions that arise
are what kind of cargo
could it have been?
And just where is it now?
You have to think
that that road was built
only because you had
something really important
to go on here or off,
one or the other, right?
Yeah, and it went
just over the hill
there in that Money Pit area.
- Right.
- GARY: Well, let's go for some
more of those old finds
- and let's fill our pockets.
- I'm ready.
Get the top pocket
open, get ready.
All right, mate, let's
find some artifacts.
RICK: We had hopes
that the stone road would
be our point of
beginning, i.e. the route
that may be heading
towards the Money Pit.
And it did lead somewhere.
It led to the stone path.
Then we lost the trail.
Where do we go from here?
There's certainly
unexplainable discoveries
in the body of the swamp.
I believe they are associated
with the mystery and we continue
to try to uncover them.
See the band of
rocks on top of the...
JACK: On top of
that bit of swamp.
And it's all the
same depth, right?
JACK: That's weird.
BILLY: I don't know, Jack,
but that's looking suspiciously
like a bit of a road
over top of the swamp.
- Like someone buried it on purpose.
- Right.
JACK: They wanted
to cover their tracks.
This could be the road
we were looking for
that leads to the Money Pit.
NARRATOR: In 2019,
the team discovered
aerial photos of the island
dating back to the 1930s,
which revealed a stone pathway
running between the swamp
and the Money Pit area...
that, unfortunately, was later
destroyed by searcher
activities in the 1960s.
However, could Jack
Begley be correct
that Billy has uncovered
a section of that same pathway
next to the stone road
in the southeast
corner of the swamp?
What we found
here is really exciting,
and we need to let
all the guys know.
And they have to come over
here and take a look at that,
'cause it could be
a new discovery.
- Yeah.
- A new road that we didn't know existed.
We might be really
onto something.
GARY: Agreed, mate.
Let's share the good news.
This was a good dig.
NARRATOR: Later
that afternoon...
Welcome back, Carmen.
NARRATOR: Jack Begley
joins archaeologist Laird Niven
and archaeometallurgist
Emma Culligan
for a meeting with
blacksmithing expert
Carmen Legge in the
Oak Island laboratory.
We have two different artifacts
we wanted to show you today.
They were recovered from
a dig that we were doing
in the southeast
corner of the swamp.
NARRATOR: Carmen will
be assessing the possible
metal tool and iron
spike that were found
near the mysterious
wooden structure
just one week ago.
So we're hoping some of these
artifacts that we found
can help tell the story.
Really?
JACK: Wow.
No way.
This is French.
From the early 1600s
to no later than 1750, 1760.
JACK: Wow, it speaks
to hauling around the
southeast corner of the swamp.
They were hauling
something, yes.
NARRATOR: In the
Oak Island laboratory,
blacksmithing
expert Carmen Legge
has just given his assessment
that an iron backing bolt
that was found near the
mysterious wooden structure
and the stone road in the
swamp could be of French origin
and date as far back
as the 17th century.
So this might be some
evidence to people doing
a lot of hauling or
using oxen for that work.
I tend to think they were.
RICK: Oxen come down the road
and pull a ship or a
load up the slipway.
I think that's a very
plausible explanation for it.
Sometimes the simplest
explanation is the best.
If that is real
connective tissue
to what happened here long ago,
maybe that's a step
towards understanding
the work on this island,
relative to the mystery.
JACK: Our other object...
You can see remnants of the wood
that's still on top
of this piece of iron.
So we didn't know
if it was a fastener
or if it was some type
of a tool that had
a wooden handle.
CARMEN: What I'm looking at is
probably something 14 inches long.
But why is it so thin down here?
What's the, uh,
metallurgy on this?
So it's too big for me
to pop it in for a full scan.
So I did only get
a section of it just to get a
good look at the cross section.
NARRATOR: To provide
Carmen with additional context,
Emma has scanned the artifact
using the X-ray
fluorescence spectrometer...
A device that emits
nondestructive radiation
to reveal an object's
elemental composition.
EMMA: This one, with its
high manganese content,
it's too high to be
considered modern
and it's jumping
from different percentages
throughout the metal.
I think it is early
- JACK: Really?
- EMMA: Yeah.
Because how inconsistent
the manganese content is
throughout the metal.
I think it's Swedish metal.
- CARMEN: Oh, I see.
- EMMA: Because the Swedish had
a natural manganese content
in their iron.
Yeah. Well, that's what
we've been suspecting
could've been there, was
a wharf that extended out.
Yeah, it'd be a wooden wharf
- that extended out from the beach.
- Correct. Yeah. Yeah.
NARRATOR: A wharf pin?
Of Swedish origin that
could predate the 1700s?
But if so, could
Carmen Legge's notion
of a possible Viking connection
have any basis in reality?
Templars used Vikings
for transportation to come
to a promised land...
North America.
NARRATOR: Two weeks ago,
retired professor of
psychology Dr. Doug Symons
presented the Oak Island team
with his published research...
SYMONS: While
they're in Jerusalem,
they interact with knights
who would form
the Knights Templar.
NARRATOR: suggesting that
members of the Viking culture may have
conspired with the medieval
order of the Knights Templar
to hide priceless
religious artifacts
on Oak Island more
than 800 years ago.
Is it possible
that this wharf pin
could offer evidence that
Dr. Symons' theory is true?
And if so, could
it also be related
to other ancient discoveries
that the team has
made in the swamp,
including the
that was uncovered in 2019,
as well as a piece of ship's
railing that was found in 2020,
and which was dated to
as early as the 8th century.
JACK: It really appears like
there could have been a wharf here
and that someone
was hauling goods
pre-Money Pit discovery
in the southeast
corner of the swamp.
- We know there was an operation going on.
- JACK: Mm-hmm.
And hopefully we figure
out what they were hauling.
Oh, yes.
JACK: Thank you, Carmen,
for properly analyzing
what these are.
CARMEN: All right, very good.
NARRATOR: The
following morning...
as the horizontal
probe-drilling operation gets
underway in the Garden Shaft...
on Lot 5, located near the shore
on the western
side of the island...
Hey, everybody.
-Hi. -Hi, Jack.
I guess it's all hands
on deck today, huh?
- Yeah.
- Yes.
NARRATOR: Jack Begley joins
archaeologists Helen Sheldon,
Moya MacDonald, Jamie Kouba
and Fiona Steele
as they continue investigating
a large stone foundation.
FIONA: Well, we're finally
down at the floor level
and it feels good to start
seeing things happening.
JACK: After what
you found recently,
everyone else wants to get
- a bit of treasure for themselves.
- [laughter]
NARRATOR: Since Rick,
Marty and Craig Tester purchased
Lot 5 one year ago,
the team has made
a number of incredible
discoveries in this feature,
including potentially
a cement-like substance
that has also been found
around the tunnel
beneath the Garden Shaft
and a 14th-century
lead barter token,
which, just like the lead
cross that was found
in 2017 at Smith's Cove,
may be connected to
the Knights Templar.
And, just one week ago,
Jamie Kouba found
a decorative artifact
that was almost entirely
composed of silver.
All right, well, can I sift
- through your material?
- Would you, please?
- Yes, please.
- [laughs]
- Yeah, we would love it.
- All right. Let's get to it.
NARRATOR: Now, Jack will
assist the archaeology team
by sifting through the materials
they have just excavated
from the structure
in order to look
for additional clues
and potential valuables.
RICK: This feature on Lot 5
is beginning to shape up to...
suggest that people have
been here for a long time,
perhaps pre-searcher era.
But what that activity
is, what it represents,
does it have anything to do
with the treasure
story or the mystery?
We don't know yet.
MOYA: I have
something interesting.
It's like this really
blue-ish fine clay.
HELEN: Oh, look at that!
FIONA: It's got a
slight blue tint to it.
So, Jack, do you want to
come and have a look at this?
JACK: Yeah. What'd you find?
FIONA: I'm looking at the soils
and I'm trying to, like, follow
- this blue-ish clay.
- JACK: Yeah.
So, why is there clay here?
Because, like in other places
we've dug around here,
you just get this sandy,
silt subsoil and it
just keeps going.
We don't actually hit clay.
JACK: That blue-gray
clay looks a lot like
that deep down Money Pit clay.
I mean, it's not completely
out of the realm of possibility.
NARRATOR: Blue clay?
Found in the stone
foundation on Lot 5?
In 1804, while excavating
the original Money Pit,
members of the Onslow
Company discovered a packed layer
of blue clay at a
depth of 40 feet,
which they believed
acted as a sealant
to stop the
legendary flood tunnel
from feeding seawater
into the treasure shaft.
MOYA: So similar.
NARRATOR: Could this
blue clay be further evidence
that this structure on Lot 5
may have a direct
connection to the Money Pit?
I don't want to jump to
conclusions and say it is,
but maybe we can test it,
and see if it has similar
chemical signatures
- as the Money Pit soils.
- JACK: Yeah.
So, put that in bags.
Very interesting. We're
gonna sample this.
- Give it to Emma.
- JACK: Well, cool find, Moya.
- I hope it's a match.
- MOYA: Me, too.
NARRATOR: As the
probe-drilling operation continues
more than 100 feet underground
in the Garden Shaft...
RICK: Welcome,
lady and gentlemen,
to what I think is gonna
be a very interesting
and unique presentation.
NARRATOR: Rick
and Marty Lagina,
along with other members
of the team, meet once again
in the w*r room with
researcher John Edwards.
Everyone is quite familiar
with John Edwards's
work to date.
He promised, at the
last meeting he had,
that he would come up
with X marks the spot,
which is what you're
always arguing for, right?
Having said that, John,
I'll turn it over to you.
EDWARDS: Appreciate it.
The last w*r room,
I presented a theory
that Oak Island may be
the possible resting place
of the Ark of the Covenant.
And there are spots
on Nolan's Cross
that I think are relevant
to the Tree of Life,
and they could be
the actual place to dig.
NARRATOR: In light of
the numerous discoveries
made by the team on Oak
Island during recent years
which have been dated
to between the 12th
and 18th centuries,
and which also may be connected
to the medieval order
of the Knights Templar...
EDWARDS: I've
spent the past 30 years
studying symbols and icons.
NARRATOR: last week,
Rick Lagina invited John Edwards
to present documents related
to the secretive fraternity
known as the Freemasons,
who some believe descended
from the Templar order.
Now, interestingly,
I have acquired
some ancient books
that have codes and maps.
NARRATOR: Within
these documents,
John found not only an image
of what appears to be Oak Island
but also what he believes
are encoded messages
that suggest the Templar order
buried sacred
religious artifacts,
including the Ark
of the Covenant,
on Oak Island
nearly 800 years ago.
And since then,
their descendants
in the Masonic
order have conspired
to keep them from
being discovered.
John also believes
that the key to finding
where these treasures
may be buried
is the megalithic
formation of six boulders
on the island's surface
known as Nolan's Cross,
which, like other researchers,
John believes
is part of a larger,
ten-point religious formation
referred to as the Tree of Life.
The way to unlock Nolan's
Cross is built into the cross itself.
NARRATOR: Since
John's first presentation,
Rick, Marty and
Craig allowed him
to work with
surveyor Steve Guptill
to investigate Nolan's Cross
and the believed locations
of the other markers
on the Tree of Life,
known as sefirot.
And when you go and look
at the two arms of the cross,
it's 720 feet.
And on the spine
of Nolan's Cross,
you have 864.
Everything was divisible by 72.
John, what is the
importance of 72?
NARRATOR: Written in the early
and Bernard of Clairvaux, who
founded the Knights Templar,
the "Latin Rule," also known
as "Specific Behavior
of the Templar Order,"
was a document
consisting of 72 directives
that all Templar Knights
were trained to live by.
Could John Edwards be correct
that the number 72
was intentionally used
in the construction
of Nolan's Cross,
and that it may
offer more evidence
that the Templar
order is connected to
the Oak Island mystery?
If so, how might it help
pinpoint the location
of priceless
religious treasures?
Okay.
EDWARDS: Where is the "X"
on Oak Island?
Now, if the ark is here,
it will be found at either
the Yesod, the Da'ath,
the Tiferet on Nolan's Cross.
NARRATOR: According
to many researchers,
the Templar order
adopted imagery
from the Kabbalistic
order of Judaism
that associated the Tree of Life
with ten divine principles
known as sefirot.
These attributes, such
as Yesod, or "foundation"
Tiferet, or "beauty,"
and Hod, or "humility"
are believed to lead one
on a spiritual path to God.
MARTY: It's on Tom's land?
- STEVE: Yeah.
- This is all Tom's property.
Maybe we should
take a machine in there.
That was what I was
thinking, but it's not my land,
so I was waiting, I was
waiting for you to say it.
- Yeah.
- But, yeah, that is curious.
I think these are
eminently diggable.
I think it's
a very elegant theory.
But as John and I have
had many discussions,
a theory is but a theory
till you hold the
proof in your hand.
We'll only know if it has
relevance when we dig.
- What say you all?
- Absolutely.
- Sure.
- Yeah.
[laughter]
RICK: I'd say, I'd say yes, too.
- 72 times, yes.
- [laughter]
MARTY: There you have it.
NARRATOR: As a new
day begins on Oak Island...
- GARY: Billy.
- BILLY: Hey, Gary.
We've spent a lot of time at
the front of the swamp there.
It's nice to be at the back.
This is exciting.
- This was a John Edwards spot?
- JACK: Mm-hmm.
NARRATOR: Jack
Begley, Gary Drayton
and Billy Gerhardt
are about to begin
an excavation in
the northern region of
the triangle-shaped swamp.
And at a location
of one of the sefirot
on the Tree of Life
known as Tiferet,
where researcher John
Edwards believes that
priceless religious treasures
may have been buried by
members of the Knights Templar
some eight centuries ago.
JACK: It's pretty rocky in here.
It's a lot darker by
you than it is over here.
That boulder should
be on C horizon, right?
JACK: Oh, I think it is.
See, that's not
C horizon, right?
No, that's not C horizon.
So that boulder is...
- That boulder was put there.
- That boulder was put there.
- JACK: That-that's pretty awesome.
- BILLY: Yeah.
NARRATOR: The C horizon
is a geological term
for the natural
layer of ground soil
that lies just above bedrock.
Because Billy and Jack
believe that the earth
beneath this large boulder,
where John Edwards
marked the sefirot,
known as Tiferet,
appears to have been
previously disturbed,
could they be correct
that the boulder
was placed here as a
marker in the swamp?
If so, what might be
buried underneath it?
JACK: I mean, why would
you go through the effort of
pushing a boulder around if
this position didn't mean anything?
The boulder could mark
- whatever's there, right?
- JACK: Yeah.
BILLY: I'm pretty excited
that we have a theorist's spot
that looks like somebody
dug here before.
JACK: I totally agree.
And judging by the size,
we still have a lot left to dig
before we reach what
might be a bottom.
We need to get Rick
and Marty over here
to check this out,
but also we need Dr. Spooner
- to come and see this.
- Yup.
Good work, guys.
GARY: Nice digging, Billy.
We'll be back.
NARRATOR: Later
that afternoon...
RONNIE: All good?
NARRATOR: as the
probe-drilling operation
in the Garden Shaft continues...
RICK: So, guys, this is a
rather unique w*r room.
And I think this is
a very unique piece.
I would think that
everyone around this table
would agree with that.
NARRATOR: Rick,
Marty, Craig Tester
and other members of the team
have assembled in the w*r room
for a meeting regarding
new developments on a find
that was made one
year ago on Oak Island.
RICK: This is the copper
artifact that was found on Lot 8
by Gary and Jack.
- GARY: It's that.
- JACK: Whoa.
Oh, yeah. This is fantastic.
NARRATOR: In 2022,
while searching Lot 8
on the western
side of the island,
Gary and Jack
unearthed a copper artifact
that was covered with
mysterious symbols.
And when renowned
archaeologist Dr. Edwin Barnhart
examined the metallic
composition of the object,
he presented the team
with a stunning assessment.
BARNHART: It could be
some sort of older object.
The other possibility
is the Vikings.
NARRATOR: While
Dr. Barnhart's speculation
was intriguing at the time,
after the recent discovery
of several more
artifacts on the island
which may have
originated in Scandinavia,
and the research
of Dr. Doug Symons
suggesting that Vikings
may have visited Oak Island
more than 800 years ago,
the team is eager to learn
more about this mysterious object
and the ornate
symbols on its surface.
RICK: It's just a
gorgeous object,
but it was folded.
Remember, there
were triple folds in this.
Doug reached out to a
conservator in Canada.
They were able
to actually unfold it.
And what we have
here is the result
of their effort, and
it is spectacular.
I think Marty and Craig,
you'll see a picture there.
Yeah.
It really, really is beautiful.
- It's spectacular.
- Mm-hmm.
MARTY: Well, Laird, what is it?
[laughter]
You know, the only thing I
can say definitively is that
I'm virtually certain
it's a decorated piece
meant to go on top of something,
so it's not an
artifact in itself.
It's meant to decorate
something larger.
We did some updating
of the metallurgy.
What we can say is that
the copper source for it
isn't local. It's not from...
- Wow.
- The area.
STEVE: Could that have
been hand-made, most likely?
- Or hand designed?
- LAIRD: Well... Yeah.
As a matter of fact,
they said that they believe
it was made by a
process called pressblech.
And that's a technique
that's been around for,
well, well over a
thousand years.
NARRATOR: Dating as far
back as the fifth century AD,
pressblech is a technique
by which metal workers
would place a thin sheet
of gold, silver or copper alloy
onto a patterned surface
and then carefully apply force
in order to create a decorative
appearance in the material.
The Anglo-Saxons, some
western European cultures used it.
Even the Norse
used this technique.
I'm gonna get
Steve to bring up, uh,
some images here.
So, this is the
restored artifact.
And if you look within
the borders of the design,
you'll see what looks
like a fish or a ribbon,
and then you have
a circle above it.
In our research so
far, we've only identified
one instance where we found
the two symbols used together.
MARTY: Mm-hmm.
But we made a
recent, uh, discovery.
This here is an old
manuscript from Iceland
that has to do with
astronomy and astrology.
And if you see in the
lower, left-hand corner,
you'll see two symbols that
look very similar together.
And we found that
there's a Viking rune
that's very similar to
that ribbon-like symbol,
which looks like the
symbol on our copper piece.
So, this artifact could
possibly be identified as Viking.
RICK: Wow.
DOUG: This is
actually from Iceland,
and it's an old
manuscript that has
to do with astronomy
and astrology.
There's a Viking
rune that's very similar
to that ribbon-like symbol,
which looks like the
symbol on our copper piece,
so, this artifact could
possibly be identified as Viking.
NARRATOR: In the w*r room,
Doug Crowell has just presented
an Icelandic
document that suggests
the copper artifact
found one year ago
on Lot 8 bears
astronomical symbols
and may possibly
be of Viking origin.
DOUG: Just today, in
our research, we found
another artifact.
This is a quadrant
from an astrolabe
that's from Southern France.
they believe it was made in.
NARRATOR: An
astrolabe is an instrument
that was invented
in Ancient Greece
in order to track the positions
of the stars, planets
and the Moon in the sky.
With over 1,000
historically-documented uses,
astrolabes were critical tools
employed during medieval times
throughout Europe, the
Middle East and Asia,
to build megalithic structures
and houses of worship.
However, they were also used
as navigational guides on land,
as well as the high seas.
Steve, if you could go
to the next slide, please.
There's our two
symbols we're evaluating.
And within this medieval
astrolabe from the 13th century,
you'll see the repeating
use of those two symbols.
Here we have the lead cross
found on the island.
It's from Southern France.
So, this is yet another device
that may originate
in Southern France.
Now this is kind of
exciting to me because
we have Professor Gaspani
telling us about Nolan's Cross
possibly being
created in the 1200s.
There's six navigational stars
that Nolan's Cross aligns with.
And then we have another
artifact here on the island
that could have, possibly,
a couple of symbols on it
that relate to ancient
navigation, as well.
Wow.
NARRATOR: In the past year,
Italian archaeoastronomer
Professor Adriano Gaspani
has made two presentations
regarding his belief
that Nolan's Cross was
created nearly 800 years ago
by members of the
Knights Templar,
and that the six
megalithic boulders
in the formation were
placed on the island's surface
according to alignments with
specific stars in the night sky.
Could Doug's notion be correct
that the copper artifact
was part of an astrolabe
that members of
the Viking culture
and the Knights
Templar may have used
for a journey to Oak
Island nearly 800 years ago,
and also to create
Nolan's Cross?
This is a most
interesting object, and
we have to run this to ground.
I mean, what you
found on the astrolabe
could be incredibly significant.
So, there's all kinds of clues.
We just have to be observant
and pay attention to the details,
and I think we're doing
that with this object.
- Mm-hmm.
- DOUG: We have sent these images on
to Professor
Gaspani to evaluate,
hoping that he
might shed some light
on how this would've been used.
So that'd be good.
I'm all for that.
LAIRD: Yeah. I
think our research
tentacles are
getting stretched out
to broader areas in the world.
I think we have an entire
island of mysteries to solve,
so, let's get after it.
MARTY: Great. Thank you!
- Let's go find some more stuff.
- RICK: Okeydoke.
NARRATOR: While Rick, Marty,
Craig and members of the team
conclude their meeting
in the w*r room...
ROGER: We ready to rock?
NARRATOR: in
the Money Pit area,
the probe-drilling
operation continues
more than 100 feet
underground in the Garden Shaft.
SCOTT: This is exciting.
ROGER: Oh,
absolutely. Absolutely.
-[high-pitched
squealing] -[hissing]
- SCOTT: That's a lot of water.
- ROGER: For sure.
Okay, bring 'em up.
Okay, Ronnie, come on up.
- RICK: Hi, Roger.
- ROGER: Hey, Rick.
RICK: So is everyone
out of the shaft?
- Yes. Nobody hurt.
- That's great.
NARRATOR: It is
a critical moment
in the Money Pit area
for the Oak Island team.
ROGER: Water started
coming in faster and faster,
come right out of the holes,
and it was coming out of the holes,
like, just pouring out of
there. It's unbelievable.
NARRATOR: Just moments
ago, as representatives
from Dumas Contracting Limited
were conducting a horizontal
probe-drilling operation
to explore the
possible treasure tunnel
beneath the Garden Shaft,
more than 100 feet underground,
water began flooding
into the structure.
- Is the water still coming up?
- ROGER: Oh, yeah, absolutely.
Where he says the
water was coming in
was around the 97-foot mark.
That's where we
dug for that tunnel.
RICK: Let me just
give my brother a call.
[line ringing]
Hey.
RICK: This is not the Bravo
Tango call you expected.
Okay, so I'm up at
the shaft right now,
and I've got Roger
here and Scott.
I'm gonna turn
you over to Roger.
So, Roger, here you go.
Hey, Marty, how's it going?
All right.
So, the guys drilled
a couple of holes,
and they seen the water and silt
starting to come
out through the lining
around the 97-foot mark,
which was pretty well
where our tunnel was
if you remember, right?
Then the water started
gushing out of the hole,
and it started coming
in at a very quick pace.
The two sets had been
completely covered,
the drill was
completely covered.
That's how quick
the water came in.
It's a lot easier for
us to drill that way
and get as much
penetration with the drill.
[sniffs]
ROGER: no walls
or no roof in there.
Oh. Sorry.
I just drank a little
bit of the water,
and it's a little bit salty.
Yup.
NARRATOR: Could Rick
Lagina be correct that while drilling
into a tunnel, which
leads to an area
where the team has
detected high traces
of precious metals
deep underground,
they may have breached one
of the legendary flood tunnels
that have thwarted
treasure hunters
for more than two centuries?
Yeah.
ROGER: Yeah.
Yeah.
RICK: There's no
way to overstate
the potential problems
that this presents.
It could terminate the
work in the Garden Shaft.
Everything seems
to be coalescing here.
We're probe drilling.
We've got metals in the water.
So it does seem like
we're coming together here,
on one hand.
On the other hand,
we can't get to it.
And I mean, what we're
experiencing now is so like
what people experienced
that it's downright chilling.
Always something, yes.
All right. Thanks, Marty.
- All right. See ya. Bye.
- Yup. Bye.
It's a bump in the road,
but we'll get some answers.
- We'll pump her out.
- We'll see how big the bump is.
- Yup.
- But we have the right people,
the right attitude.
We'll figure it out.
- We'll get to the bottom of it.
- Yup.
RICK: Okay, well,
just got to keep moving.
- ROGER: For sure.
- RICK: Thank you, Roger.
- Thanks for the update.
- Absolutely, Rick.
NARRATOR: Over
the past two centuries,
numerous searchers believed
that they were on the verge
of recovering a fabled
treasure in the Money Pit,
when disaster suddenly struck
and shattered their dreams
of solving the Oak
Island mystery.
Rick, Marty, Craig and
their team must now confront
that daunting prospect.
However, the historic clues
that they have uncovered
and the physical evidence
that they have unearthed
prove more than ever that
their dream is still worth...
the pursuit.
Next time on The
Curse of Oak Island...
GARY: Wow! Look at this.
- CRAIG: What do we have?
- GARY: Check out
that circle of stones.
JACK: Right at the spot
where John Edwards theorized
we would find something.
ERIC: Here's the artifact.
DOUG: It was
found on the island.
RICK: If it is as old
as we believe it is,
it is quite remarkable.
CORJAN: In a castle
here in the Netherlands,
I found some symbols
that I recognize
from the island.
I think the trip is warranted.
You're going to find
the answers in Europe.