12x09 - Brick by Brick

[bunniefuu]

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

GARY:
What is it?

ALEX:
These are bricks.

BILLY: That's looking
pretty structure-like to me.

What a perfect place
to hide something.

- Yeah.
- Oh!

GARY: That has got a
good chance of being gold.

You see the CT scan?

Oh, my gosh.

Imagine my surprise
when I saw that.

As I was going down, there's
definitely nothing solid there.

Like, totally open?

- Yeah.
- That sounds like a void.

It could be the
treasure chamber.

NARRATOR: There is an
island in the North Atlantic

where people have
been looking for

an incredible treasure
for more than 200 years.

So far, they have
found a stone slab

with strange
symbols carved into it,

man-made workings that
date to medieval times,

and a lead cross whose
origin may be connected

to the Knights Templar.

To date, six men have died

trying to solve the mystery.

And according to legend,
one more will have to die

before the treasure
can be found.

♪ ♪

- TEDFORD: Ready to rock?
- TERRY: Here we go.

Thank you.

- Hey, Rick.
- Hey, Steve.

Where are we?

TERRY: We're down to
about 35 feet in D.25-8.25.

It's a place where we don't
have any information on.

So let's gather that
information in right now.

NARRATOR: A new day of
hope and excitement has begun

on Oak Island for brothers

Rick and Marty
Lagina and their team...

That is undisturbed material.

That's within the
range of normal.

As they explore the
fabled Money Pit area

in search of the answers

to a 230-year-old
treasure mystery.

If we're drilling
near the Money Pit,

what should we expect
to see as we go down?

We're really close to
areas where Dr. Spooner

and Dr. Michel have tested for,

uh, precious
metals in the water.

But we don't have a lot
of information in this area,

- so I don't know what we're gonna see.
- Well, we're hoping for

a structure in and around 150.

NARRATOR: After high traces
of gold and silver were detected

through recent groundwater
testing in this area,

over the past three weeks...

- TERRY: Whoa, whoa, whoa!
- CHARLES: We've got a lot of wood.

The Oak Island team

has drilled through a
mysterious nine-foot-high tunnel,

some 109 feet deep,
on multiple occasions.

PETER: We're seeing wood.

A middle section.

Then wood again.
And concrete after that.

- This looks like the vault.
- Interesting.

NARRATOR: However,
at a depth of some 150 feet,

they also recovered compelling
evidence of the legendary

Chappell Vault.

A seven-foot-high wooden
chest encased in concrete

that was first reported
by treasure hunters

Frederick Blair and William
Chappell back in 1897.

You know, every time
a drill bar goes down,

you know, you're
hoping for the one thing.

- Right.
- Yeah.

NARRATOR: Now
the team is drilling

borehole D.25-8.25

just a few feet
to the northeast.

If the location of a
possible treasure vault

can be verified,
they will install

a massive steel caisson
in order to retrieve it.

Let's hope we continue to gather
information all the way down.

And something
more than information.

- Exactly.
- Treasure.

TERRY: Treasure,
treasure, treasure.

What I'm hoping
for is a breakthrough.

I'm hoping for what Rick
always calls the aha moment.

And finally bring this
treasure to the surface.

I always say, you know,
"Cross your fingers."

Well, now maybe you might
want to cross your toes, too.

- Yep. Let's see what happens.
- RICK: Let's see what happens.

NARRATOR: While
the core-drilling operation

proceeds in the
Money Pit area...

later that morning

on Lot 5, located on the
western side of island...

FIONA: This test pit area
has been a conundrum to us.

We really felt that
there was something

that we were gonna
discover at this level

and we haven't yet.

Rick Lagina and
metal detection expert

Gary Drayton join
archaeologist Fiona Steele

and other members
of the team to assist

with the investigation of a
mysterious stone foundation.

FIONA: We haven't
totally given up on this.

So we would really like to see

if you wouldn't mind
doing a check, too.

- All right.
- RICK: In fact, Gary, if you'd

- wander everywhere, just in case, right?
- GARY: Yep. Yep.

NARRATOR: Over
the past two years,

this stone structure has
yielded numerous clues

that suggest it may
be directly connected

to the Oak Island mystery.

[beeping]

In the wall?

- Yeah. In the wall, you've got some iron there.
- FIONA: Okay.

NARRATOR: These discoveries

include 17th-century
trade beads,

a mortar-like material
that matches soil samples

from more than 100 feet
deep in the Money Pit area

and iron tools that
have been scientifically

linked to Sir William Phips,

the 17th-century
English politician

who some believe conspired

with a high-ranking Freemason
named Andrew Belcher

to bury a vast cache

of Spanish silver and
gold on Oak Island

back in 1687.

FIONA: We're coming over, Moya,

- to do a scan of your pit.
- MOYA: Okay.

NARRATOR: Now, since
the feature has been deemed

a "special place" by the
government of Nova Scotia,

Gary is allowed to detect
potential metal targets.

However, the archaeological
team must then slowly

and methodically
work to uncover them.

RICK: The Lot 5
feature, though it has

expanded two to three
times its original appearance,

it's still not
completely exposed

and to do it properly,

you have to have
a lot of patience.

And that's fine,
that's the process.

Yep, I'm getting iron.

I'll get out of the way.

GARY: Bigger
piece of iron there.

Iron.

There's iron all
over in this one.

Iron.

Cor blimey.

FIONA: You guys
are going to be busy.

[louder beeping]

- RICK: That's different.
- [Gary chuckles]

- Non-ferrous!
- [laughter]

Yeah. That is non-ferrous.

-Oh! -Okay. We'll remember that.

GARY: There's a good
chance that's a coin.

NARRATOR: A non-ferrous target?

Indicating that something
potentially composed

of precious metals is
buried in the feature?

If so, could it mean
that this structure

was used to hide
something of great value?

GARY: I'm telling you now,

there's only three metals
that really make that sound.

It's gonna be
copper, lead or gold.

You've got some great things

- waiting for you there.
- FIONA: Mm-hmm.

Well, we'll keep excavating
and maybe when we get further

into it and have this
pit almost complete,

- we can call you back for that again.
- HELEN: We'll find it.

We'll call you, you have to come
down and do your gold dance.

-[Rick laughs] -GARY:
Okay. I will do that.

Can't wait to see
what you dig up.

RICK: Yep. Let's
hope for the gold.

NARRATOR: While the
search for answers and valuables

continues on Lot 5...

several hundred
yards to the east,

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

ALEX: Hey, Craig.

- CRAIG: So how we doing?
- ALEX: Well...

over in the corner there,

we found this huge pile

- of logs.
- Okay.

And there's stones
underneath it.

Yeah. It's definitely path-like.

Okay.

NARRATOR: Gary Drayton joins

Craig Tester, Alex Lagina

and Billy Gerhardt
as they investigate

a recently unearthed
cobblestone feature.

- ALEX: Kind of leading towards the Eye of the Swamp.
- CRAIG: Okay.

- So that's another reason we thought it might be something.
- Mm-hmm.

Because we feel that the
Eye might also be something.

- Yeah.
- ALEX: We already have dates from that.

I mean, there's several
theories that fall into that interval.

That's early enough to fit
Phips, but we need to prove it.

- That's solid.
- Yeah. That's a good one.

NARRATOR: In 2019,
the Oak Island team

began investigating a
mysterious circular feature

near the apex of the swamp

that resembled a
well-known symbol

of Freemasonry known
as "the All-Seeing Eye."

GARY: Wow. That is massive.

That's a big boulder.

NARRATOR:
Incredibly, after draining

and excavating the
area, the team discovered

that the so-called
"Eye of the Swamp"

was a man-made feature.

I'm very confident we're
looking at 1680 to 1700.

Really interesting.

NARRATOR: And when
geoscientist Dr. Spooner

carbon-dated organic
materials within it,

he determined it was
created in approximately 1680.

The same time period
that Sir William Phips

and his masonic partner

Captain Andrew
Belcher are believed

to have hidden Spanish
silver on Oak Island.

The plan now is to
just keep going here

and then we'll dig.

CRAIG: And then
work our way over?

Getting closer, closer in
here, as well, as we go.

Okay. Okay.

NARRATOR: Now, the
team hopes to uncover

more of the possible
cobblestone pathway

to determine if it
may actually lead

to the Eye of the Swamp

or perhaps other
man-made structures.

I have to be honest
about the whole swamp.

I never thought
we'd find anything.

- Just keep going, right?
- CRAIG: Continue on.

MARTY: And yet every time
we dig there, we find something.

Maybe one of these
days, it will all fit together

perfectly and answer
the Oak Island riddle.

It seems like a lot of rocks

- towards the surface right through here.
- ALEX: Let's find out.

CRAIG: This is
definitely higher up

- than what you've been, uh...
- ALEX: Yes.

Digging over there.

So far, I'd say

they're sitting on other rocks.

CRAIG: Seem to be
quite a few more rocks,

at least right in through here.

Yeah, those are placed
in there by someone.

NARRATOR: Another
potentially man-made feature?

If so, could it contain
clues that will help identify

who made the
cobblestone pathway?

And, perhaps, the
Eye of the Swamp?

BILLY: Yeah, there's a
piece of cut slate there, too.

- See it?
- CRAIG: Oh, yeah.

GARY: Oh, that's a bigger piece

than I thought.

ALEX: How big is
that piece of slate?

It's at least six
inches deep in there.

ALEX: Uh...

GARY: What is it?

- ALEX: It's a brick.
- GARY: Ooh, look at that.

CRAIG: Let's get Laird out here.

- ALEX: That's a brick.
- GARY: Several in a row.

NARRATOR: In the northern
end of the Oak Island swamp,

Craig Tester and other
members of the team

have just uncovered yet
another man-made feature.

CRAIG: They do look
fairly crudely made.

ALEX: They do.

- Not like modern bricks. No.
- No. Mm-mm.

ALEX: Yeah, actually, you
can see where it was molded,

and it, it's just slumped
a bit right there.

Oh, yeah.

And there's three or
four lined up in a row.

Yeah, there's no way a bulldozer
pushed those back in like that.

No. N-Nice flat line?

BILLY: No. And
we're not very far

- from the Eye of the Swamp.
- Yeah.

NARRATOR: A brick structure
buried beneath muck and mud?

And just 50 yards
from the so-called

Eye of the Swamp?

Is it possible that the team
has found a related feature?

If so, could it prove
to be the secret

that the Eye was
created to signify?

Yeah, let's put it back and, uh,

let's get Laird out here
to take a quick look.

I don't know what it
means, but maybe Laird will.

- ALEX: Yeah. Okay.
- I'll give him a call.

-[line ringing] -CRAIG:
Haven't found bricks

in the swamp before.

It was definitely put
there by man, but why?

- Hey, guys.
- ALEX: Hey, Laird.

CRAIG: Why put
something in the swamp?

It didn't make any sense.

GARY: There's something
really interesting happening.

CRAIG: Here we go.

Now that, the middle
brick right there,

- Alex pulled that one up.
- LAIRD: Okay.

And then, uh, once we saw
there was multiple bricks,

- he put it back in place, but...
- LAIRD: I mean, you can tell

- right away, they're not modern.
- Right.

ALEX: You could see
it's almost like they're still

- as they were placed, even though that's broken.
- Yeah.

LAIRD: These are hand-made,

probably locally fired.

- Mm-hmm.
- I'm wondering if this is all part of...

I mean, Anthony
Graves' house was here.

I wonder if it's part of that.

CRAIG: He was known
to have bought items

from local merchants
with ancient coins.

- Spanish coins, wasn't it?
- CRAIG: Spanish, yeah.

NARRATOR: In 1857,

a man by the name
of Anthony Graves

purchased a
majority of Oak Island

from the family of
the late John Smith,

one of the three young men

who originally discovered
the Money Pit in 1795.

However, rather than living
on Lot 18 as John Smith did,

and where the
Money Pit is located,

Graves established his homestead

just north of the swamp
at Joudrey's Cove.

And curiously, after living
on Oak Island for some time,

he reportedly began paying
for goods on the mainland

with Spanish silver coins.

Is it possible that
the team has found

a structure that is somehow
connected to Anthony Graves?

And, perhaps, the
Spanish treasure

that he is rumored
to have possessed

while living on Oak Island?

I mean, the Spanish
silver coin legend

- is good enough, isn't it?
- Yeah.

Oh, yeah. You
had me at "silver."

There's got to be some
more artifacts here.

So, we got the go-ahead
to keep going here, though?

- Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
- Cool.

ALEX: We're gonna
keep exposing this

and see if there's
a path leading to it,

if there's more
structure around it.

If it does have something to do

with Anthony Graves, it
could be pretty significant.

Maybe it's related to
the treasure mystery.

So, we need to confirm
what the heck this thing is.

- All right. I'll take this back, give it to Emma.
- Perfect. Thanks, Laird.

- Okay. Well, thank you. We'll keep going.
- Cool. Thanks.

- CRAIG: If anything changes, we'll call you back.
- LAIRD: Yeah.

- See you later. -CRAIG: Thank you.
- GARY: See you.

NARRATOR: The
following morning...

ALEX: How deep
did you get, Leighton?

- LEIGHTON: 109.
- CHARLES: 109.

Thank you, Leighton.

NARRATOR: in
the Money Pit area,

Alex Lagina joins his uncle Rick
and other members of the team,

where they continue
to monitor the progress

of borehole D.25-8.25.

This looks really soft.

So, this is very
loose, and I'm...

I'm seeing something
here that interests,

I think, everybody.

ALEX: Yeah, I
see some here, too.

CHARLES: We've got wood.

♪ ♪

LEIGHTON: H-Holy...

- That's a big old chunk of wood.
- Big old chunk of wood.

- You said it, my friend.
- Yes, sir.

Yeah, that's a shaped
piece of lumber there.

- Yep.
- Definitely.

We got one more.

Oh, yeah.

We got some wood, guys.

STEVE: Does it
look like a tunnel

- or a shaft, Terry?
- I don't know, Steve.

This is a vertical piece,

and they sheared
it off that way.

So, we could have
some type of a support.

And another piece here, look.

And there seems to be a
pretty darn good fit right there.

It could be a tunnel.

NARRATOR: More
evidence of a wooden tunnel?

At a depth of 109 feet?

Could that mean that
the team has once again

drilled into the previously
unknown nine-foot-tall tunnel?

If so, could it
be a critical sign

that they are getting
closer to finding

the original Money Pit?

- CHARLES: What you got, Leighton?
- Thank you, Leighton.

- 119 there for you guys.
- Thanks. -TERRY: Thank you.

Let's see what we've got next.

TERRY: This is
all in situ and it's...

just the way you might
expect to encounter it.

I would say we're,
we're beneath our tunnel.

We have to hit 150 feet
and see what we find there.

MARTY: So, here we are.

We're in a tunnel.

This, again, is
hugely significant

because it's in the
conventional Money Pit area.

- Gentlemen.
- TERRY: Hello. How you doing, Craig?

- Hey, Craig.
- RICK: Hey, Craig.

- Do you see that wood?
- Oh, wow.

MARTY: So, the next
thing we'll be looking for,

I would think, is
somewhere around 150 feet,

where this so elusive
Chappell Vault was encountered.

And we have lots of information

that says treasure
is still there.

-[metal grinding] -TEDFORD:
Probably getting close.

RICK: When you put a drill hole

down in the Money Pit, you know,

there's every hope that
you'll come up with treasure.

Everyone's very excited
around the drill table.

We have these
anomalously high values

of precious metals... gold
and silver... in this area.

So, as the dig proceeds,

we just have to
keep eyes on target.

'Cause we have to remember,

the goal this year

is to put X's on the
ground for the caisson work.

To actually find the treasure.

CHARLES: We have
another core, gentlemen.

- TERRY: Hey, guys.
- STEVE: 158.

- TERRY: 158. -158.
- CHARLES: 158.



TERRY: Okay.

So, we've come in contact
with the bedrock right there.

CRAIG: It doesn't
look like anything so far.

TERRY: Yeah.

Sadly,

nothing to write home
about in particular,

- I guess.
- Nothing.

NARRATOR: After
all the anticipation

for a major discovery,

this borehole has unfortunately

failed to reveal any more signs

of the legendary treasure vault.

However, given
the other evidence

of man-made workings,

and water test
results that indicate

a large source
of gold and silver

is buried in this area,

could the team have
just missed their target?

We need to put a few more
holes in this area, hopefully, to find

this previously unknown
tunnel or the Chappell Vault.

We're going to
chase this to the end.

There might be
a locatable source

for these high values of
gold and silver in the water.

The hope is that, as
we proceed further,

there will be something there.

CRAIG: I think
we just move south

of this location

and, uh, see what
we come up with.

Yep.

- The more information, the better.
- Yep.

Okay, guys.

- Thank you.
- TERRY: We'll keep you in touch.

CRAIG: Sounds good.

LEIGHTON: So, if we
find buried treasure,

do we get a bonus or what?

NARRATOR: As a new
core-drilling operation

gets underway in
the Money Pit area...

GARY: That's a lot
of bricks in a row.

- BILLY: That's looking pretty structure-like to me.
- GARY: Yep.

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

- Ooh.
- NARRATOR: Craig Tester,

archaeologist Laird Niven
and other members of the team

continue to investigate a
mysterious brick feature

that was recently uncovered

beneath the brackish
water and mud.

The bigger thing is
that it-it's... these bricks

are all sitting
on this rock here.

GARY: That is something.
That's something.

LAIRD: Interesting.

BILLY: You wouldn't
waste bricks and slate

for a walkway or... you
know, that's all reusable,

- pretty good material.
- Brick's not a great walkway material.

ALEX: It looks as
if it's been dug out.

- CRAIG: Mm-hmm.
- GARY: And there could be

some artifacts in
the bottom of here.

Is it feasible to determine
the age of the bricks?

- LAIRD: They're not factory-made.
- ALEX: Mm-hmm.

They're hand-made, laid down.

In terms of their fabric,

they come pretty close to Lot 5.

- Well, that's super cool.
- NARRATOR: A structure

composed of slate
and hand-made bricks

that resemble those
found one year ago,

in the rounded
foundation on Lot 5?

Because the team has
also unearthed iron tools

in the Lot 5 feature

that have been
scientifically linked

to Sir William Phips,

who is believed to
have buried a cache

of Spanish silver and gold
on Oak Island back in 1687,

could this structure
in the swamp

be another critical clue

that could help
prove that theory?

If so, just what
might the team find

when they get to the bottom?

- CRAIG: This is a board.
- LAIRD: Yeah.

There's a couple
boards in through here.

- ALEX: There's actually one...
- CRAIG: And right here.

It looks like it broke.

CRAIG: Oh, maybe the
same board right here.

LAIRD: Oh, yeah.

CRAIG: Yeah, it went across.

GARY: Someone put
some work into this.

ALEX: A lot.

Yeah. I can work
on it for a bit.

- ALEX: Okay.
- Okay. We'll go ahead

and we'll get back on that-that
cobbled area over there.

Okay. All right.

- CRAIG: Okay.
- LAIRD: See you in a bit.

LAIRD: My first
impression is it's obviously

deliberately stacked
pieces of slate

with some brick
outlining the top.

Very unusual looking,
but very well made.

As I explored a little bit more,

I could see that the
slate was actually forming

a square structure,

which I found extremely unusual.

The really perplexing
thing about this structure

is that I haven't seen
anything like it before.

- CRAIG: Wow.
- Yeah.

Cleaning it off, it's a
whole different thing.

- Yeah. Yeah, completely.
- Yeah.

CRAIG: Why use slate and bricks?

I mean, any kind of
structure we're looking at

almost always is
just built out of stone,

especially in the swamp.

It wasn't your
ordinary farmer-used...

There was something
special about this...

this new, square structure.

Now, would it be normal for them

just to put the bricks
without any mortar or...

I wouldn't have thought...

Unless something
was sitting on top.

CRAIG: Yeah, I
don't know if that wood

could have been part of a frame

- that they put it in and just...
- A superstructure.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think Dr. Spooner
here take a look at it

- to help date this.
- Yeah.

CRAIG: We need
to keep following it.

NARRATOR: While members
of the team continue to uncover

the brick and slate
feature in the swamp,

later that afternoon...

JACK: I like to just
kind of push it around.

NARRATOR: back on Lot 5,

located on the western
side of the island,

Craig Tester and Laird
Niven have joined Jack Begley

and other members of the team,
as they continue investigating

the rounded foundation
and nearby test pit

where Gary Drayton identified

a non-ferrous target
just one day ago.

Oh, I think I found it.

- JACK: The metal hit?
- Yeah.

[blows]

- CRAIG: Oh, yeah.
- JACK: Oh...

LAIRD: It's looking
like a button.

It's got a pretty
big eye on there.

- CRAIG: Yeah, it sure does.
- JACK: Mm-hmm.

Does it have
designs on it? [gasps]

LAIRD: It's odd.
It's got, like, a rim.

CRAIG: Yeah.

LAIRD: That is a
weird-looking button.

JACK: Oh, jeez, Laird,

I bet you there's something
on the... on the face of that.

- You definitely see some sort of design there.
- JACK: Yeah.

LAIRD: Almost floral?

From first glance, with
that green, it's copper alloy.

- Mm-hmm.
- Mm-hmm.

Have you ever seen a button

that looked like that?

Honestly, no. I haven't.

Wow.

NARRATOR: An
ornate, copper button?

Could it be another
important clue

that might help determine
who created this feature,

as well as the brick
structure in the swamp,

and perhaps even the Money Pit?

LAIRD: But the beauty
of having the CT,

and even the XRF,
if that's a design,

Emma can bring it out.

It's certainly corroded
enough to be fairly old.

Well, good find.
That's for sure.

JACK: With it being so unique,

I'm hoping there's
a real deep story

in just who might have made it

and how it made
its way to the island.

- Yeah, for sure.
- Fingers crossed.

- Well, we'll get back after it.
- LAIRD: All right.

NARRATOR: While the
investigation proceeds on Lot 5...

STEVE: Now is when we
should start seeing something...

NARRATOR: in
the Money Pit area...

because our target depth
is here, all the way to 159.

NARRATOR: Alex
Lagina has joined

other members of
the team to monitor

the drilling of
borehole D.75-6.6,

which is located just a few feet

from borehole D.25-8.25,

where they hope to
obtain more evidence

of the legendary Chappell Vault

more than 150 feet below ground.

STEVE: Right now,
we're treasure hunting

and looking for
caisson locations.

- We're due for a win.
- [Alex chuckles]

That's true.

STEVE: So, I really like
this borehole because

it's in an area where we
have had a lot of success.

We have multiple water
testing boreholes around

that suggest there's gold
and silver in the water.

And so, ideally, today,

we'd love to tap
into the treasure vault

and bring up some coins.

That core looks
like it's not backfill.

No, it does not.

ALEX: Potentially.

- STEVE: What've you got, Leighton?
- TERRY: Let's have a look.

- I got 119.
- STEVE: 119.

- Thank you.
- ALEX: Thank you.

- 119.
- TERRY: Let's open it up.

We're into a lot of,
uh, shreds of wood.

Okay, this could be

the bottom of some
type of a structure.

There's some wood and
grainy material in there.

This could be
clipping the very end

of some other structure.

TERRY: Okay, this could be the
bottom of some type of a structure.

There's some wood and
grainy material in there.

STEVE: That's good
news right there, guys.

That's really good.

Terry, I'm going
to pin-point that.

- TERRY: Absolutely.
- ALEX: Okay.

NARRATOR: In the
Money Pit area, while drilling

borehole D.75-6.6,

where the team hopes
to encounter evidence

of the so-called Chappell Vault
some 155 feet underground...

CHARLES: It's clear.

Curiously, they
have just recovered

part of an unknown structure

at a depth of just 120 feet.

TERRY: We're down 129.

Not too much to write
home about here, gentlemen.

Backfill.

TERRY: I don't
see any wood chips

or chunks included among
this, so that's disappointing.

When we get to about


what we thought was
a treasure chamber,

the edge of the
treasure chamber.

- CHARLES: Yep.
- TERRY: So, that's what I'm talking about.

We gotta really
hope that the, uh,

Oak Island gods
are on our side here.

ALEX: Well, we will see.

Time's gonna tell.

ALEX: Our target depth
is basically 155 feet.

If our interpretation
of the core is correct,

then we have drilled
into and directly through

an unknown
structure of some kind.

So, it's kind of an
exciting possibility here,

and it's also
exciting to know that

whatever we hit
down there at 155 feet

could be the original vault.

What we care about
the most is 155 to 159.

Okay, cross your fingers.

Hopefully, we get
some structure here.

TEDFORD: Definitely
nothing there.

- Hey, Mike.
- Hi, Mike. How're you doing?

Good.

So, as I was going down,

there's definitely
nothing solid there at 157.

ALEX: Feels like
there's nothing there,

- like totally open?
- That's what it felt like.

That sounds like a
possible void, doesn't it?

TERRY: Absolutely.

TEDFORD: There was
nothing in my core barrel,

and then we took
another measurement

and there was material right
at the bottom of my casing.

ALEX: So, you lost material

into a potential void?

TEDFORD: That's the only thing

I can come up with.

TERRY: We passed through

a relative void
or an open space.

NARRATOR: A void at 157 feet,

but no signs of the
concrete-encased container

known as the Chappell Vault?

Could that mean that
the team may have,

once again, missed
their intended target,

but perhaps penetrated

a man-made chamber
that contains it?

Okay. You were... you
were thinking where?

- In here?
- Here or here.

ALEX: Mike comes
over and tells us

he's gotten very
little recovery.

It was in a void.

This is where the treasure

is most likely to be found.

That's amazing.

You know, adding this
evidence to the rest,

it's just another
reason that we should

consider this as
a caisson location.

STEVE: I mean, that's the depth

we expected to see something.

Now, we didn't see
a wooden structure,

but we saw an open void.

TERRY: Absolutely.

ALEX: Let's finish this up
and bring back the news.

- TEDFORD: Sounds good.
- ALEX: Thanks, guys.

Nice work.

NARRATOR: The
following morning...

RICK: I can't even imagine
how many times we've come into

the lab here to talk about
an artifact from Lot 5.

And that little button

is quite unique.

NARRATOR: Rick
Lagina, Craig Tester

and other members of
the team join Laird Niven

and archaeometallurgist
Emma Culligan

in the Oak Island lab.

Laird, you certainly
have to speak to it.

NARRATOR: They are eager to hear

Emma's scientific analysis
of the mysterious button

that was unearthed
just one day ago,

near the rounded stone
foundation on Lot 5.

So, when I uncovered the button,

I thought it was just
a plain button back

until Emma showed me something

quite different and,
I think, quite unique.

-Mm. -All right.

Come on, let's see.

So, first off, the CT scan.

NARRATOR: Earlier today,
Emma examined the button

in the Skyscan 1273 CT scanner,

a device that uses
concentrated X-ray radiation

to produce
three-dimensional images

of artifacts and
their finer details.

So, there will be some, um,

image distortion but not a lot.

- GARY: Ooh.
- JACK: Wow.

LAIRD: It's the first thing
I saw, when I went, "Oh."

So, imagine my
surprise when I saw that.

GARY: Whoa, yeah, that
is a dandy button, all right.

JACK: So there
is a design on it.

There is a lot of copper,
especially buttons,

do have some lead in it.

So it's a copper alloy.

It does have a little
bit of zinc, some lead,

there's a little bit of
iron, but that's about it.

So, these two
rivet-like things...

I've never seen
before in a button.

And that's holding that
other level of design?

Yeah, so you have two...

You have at least
two layers of metal.

EMMA: It's a
multi-component button.

- JACK: Yeah.
- GARY: It's a two-piece button, then.

- LAIRD: At least.
- JACK: That's really unique.

LAIRD: At least a
two-piece button.

- EMMA: It's quite ornate.
- LAIRD: Yeah. -CRAIG: Yeah.

LAIRD: You have the
eye and then the boss

is what's holding
the eye in place.

It's almost like a dome, it's...

- JACK: Whoa.
- LAIRD: really big.

Is there anything
specific about the design?

Well, we weren't really happy
with the resolution on the CT,

so Emma did an XRF map scan.

NARRATOR: X-ray
fluorescence mapping

uses highly concentrated
X-ray radiation

to assign colors to
the individual elements

on the surface of artifacts.

The process creates a
two-dimensional image

that further highlights
an object's finer details,

but can also help to determine
when it may have been created.

Oh... my God.

GARY: That is one fancy button.

LAIRD: Mm-hmm.

What is that
design? Can you tell?

- Is that a flower?
- It's a flower

and there's an
intricate flower inside.

So, you see these
different little petals?

JACK: Oh, wow.

GARY: It's got an
English-y feel to it.

It looks like it could
be an English button.

LAIRD: Yeah.

EMMA: You see the
little petals and how...

GARY: Yeah.

EMMA: they're formed there?

- That's a really pretty button.
- Yeah, it sure is.

JACK: So, what are
the speculative dates?

Safe bet would be


- Yeah.
- Earlier.

GARY: I think there's a
good chance this button

could go in the late


Yeah.

CRAIG: It's an odd story
that's going on in Lot 5.

GARY: It could go in the
late 1600s, by the look of it.

JACK: Wow.

NARRATOR: In the
Oak Island laboratory,

Rick Lagina and
other members of team

are examining an ornate
button that was found

near the round,
stone feature on Lot 5.

And which may date
back to more than a century

before the discovery
of the Money Pit.

It's the multi-component
part that has me confused.

Yeah.

LAIRD: I haven't seen that.

JACK: What do you think
this button would have been?

Where would it have been worn?

It's relatively small, so I
would say it's not from a coat.

Mm-hmm. What do you think, Gary?

I think it's too big
to be a cuff button.

I think it's a jacket button...

fancy jacket button, as well.

To me, it looks like there's
a design on the outer ring.

LAIRD: T-That's what I
was noticing as well, yeah.

GARY: It's just
really worn, isn't it?

- JACK: It's super ornate.
- EMMA: Yeah.

If this button
dates to the 1600s,

that fits really well
with Sir William Phips.

NARRATOR: In 1687,

King James II of England
ordered Sir William Phips

to conduct two
salvage operations

of the sunken Spanish
treasure galleon

known as the Concepcíon,

near the modern-day
Dominican Republic.

However, Phips
and his assistant,

Captain Andrew Belcher,

delivered less than half of
the silver and gold treasure

that was recorded
on the ship's manifest.

We know that Phips found
silver on the Concepcíon.

And I believe
some of the treasure

from the Concepcíon
was secreted to Oak Island.

NARRATOR:
According to the theory

of 32nd-degree
Freemason Scott Clarke,

Phips and Belcher,

who was also a
high-ranking Freemason,

hid much of their actual
recovered valuables

on Oak Island.

I think there's something
about this button

that might tell us
if it's William Phips.

Yeah.

NARRATOR: Could Jack
be correct that this button

might prove to be another clue

that supports this theory?

Just like the iron tools
found in the round feature

that have been scientifically
linked to William Phips?

Laird and the team
have spoke often

of how you believe
that the feature might be

considerably older
than we first thought.

This may be one of those
points, uh, to support that.

Yeah.

CRAIG: Well, I mean,
I'm really excited.

What we have so far
sure is amazing, so...

- Love the flower design.
- LAIRD: Mm-hmm.

Yeah. It's a
blooming lovely find.

[laughter]

- Just got to button this one up.
- [laughter]

So, having said that,
we need to go find more.

And we'll leave the both of you

to try to come to a
further understanding

- of what that represents.
- Great.

- GARY: Great work.
- RICK: Thank you.

- CRAIG: Thank you.
- JACK: Thanks, Emma. Thanks, Laird.

NARRATOR: Later
that afternoon...

IAN: Hey, Laird. Hey, Craig.

- Hey.
- Ian.

NARRATOR: geoscientist
Dr. Ian Spooner

joins Craig Tester and other
members of the Oak Island team

in the northern
region of the swamp.

Holy cow.

NARRATOR: After uncovering
more of the mysterious

brick and slate
feature, or container,

that was discovered one day ago,

they are hoping that Dr. Spooner
might be able to help determine

just how old it may be.

Yeah, so there's a whole
bunch of things going on.

To me, it seems to be in
actually pretty nice shape.

You know, I wonder
what's inside it,

because you can
always get a core inside

and you know, maybe
get to the bottom of it,

so to speak, when
it was abandoned.

- LAIRD: Yeah.
- That kind of thing.

But there looks to be
a fair bit of sediment

that you're standing on,
and I'm standing on too,

that's graded over it,
'cause this was not visible.

Not at all, no.

IAN: And it takes time for that
swamp material to build up over it.

And we have to kind of
suspend the reality of today

that none of this muck
would've been there.

- Yeah.
- IAN: It would have been sort of a little bit of a meadow.

And I'm just looking
at those bricks

and Laird probably knows,
they look hand-made.

LAIRD: They're hand-made.

Hopefully, we can section
one, get a better look at it.

W-What's kind of
interesting to me is

they've got the
slate to build the form

and it's very different from
anything I've ever seen.

Well, you know, we can
get Steve to pin the corners

and he'll get the elevation.

We'll see how far it
is above sea level,

or the swamp of the time.

- Yeah.
- I just wonder how deep it is,

because they of course,
would've had to excavate out.

I'm almost certain there'll be
something down within this.

- Within this?
- Yeah.

IAN: I'm just going to grab my
tools, so we can get these samples.

CRAIG: We need
to get Rick out here.

- CRAIG: Hey, guys.
- RICK: Hey. -ALEX: Uncle Rick.

- RICK: Okay, so, this is obviously new.
- CRAIG: Yep.

NARRATOR: In the northern
region of the Oak Island swamp...

RICK: What's going on?

CRAIG: It's hard
to tell at this point.

NARRATOR: Rick Lagina
has joined Craig Tester,

Dr. Ian Spooner and
other members of the team

as they work to determine
the age and purpose

of a mysterious brick and
slate container-like feature.

- CRAIG: Rick, why don't I show you this find over here?
- RICK: Yeah.

I mean, it looks like

bricks were probably
on top of the slate.

- They are on that far piece.
- RICK: Here. -STEVE: Mm-hmm.

You know, the whole
thing was covered.

We didn't see it until
we took off the top layer.

RICK: Which is a
strange, strange thing.

STEVE: Yeah. So, the best thing
I can do here for you guys today

is to survey the
location of this.

- Okay.
- So, the top elevation

matches the cobble path,
if that means anything.

- CRAIG: I don't know.
- RICK: It's completely unknown.

I know nothing of this, it's...

- CRAIG: Yeah.
- RICK: It's another mystery.

GARY: Yeah.

RICK: Well, you know,

Anthony Graves
lived right there.

- CRAIG: Yeah.
- About 100, maybe 100 yards away.

The family tore the house
apart looking for what he had.

What a perfect place
to hide something, right?

CRAIG: Yeah.

NARRATOR: After the death

of Anthony Graves in 1888,

his family reportedly
searched his home...

just north of the swamp...

for a cache of
Spanish silver coins

that he was rumored to have
discovered on Oak Island.

Unfortunately for them,
nothing was found.

But could that be
because the treasure

was located in a secret
vault, buried in the swamp?

If so, what might the team find

as they dig deeper
into this feature?

To me, it just looks like a
little tiny safety deposit box

in the middle of a bog.

And the suspicion

of where Anthony
Graves acquired his wealth

would be that he found
something on the island.

Your mind goes to
the Sir William Phips

salvage of the Concepcíon.

There was a tremendous amount
of silver recovered from that.

As the story goes, not all of it
made its way back to England.

I can only but think
that this is a place

where he stored valuables.

And maybe multiple vaults
could still exist in the swamp.

I think this is certainly a...

a turn of events, you know?

It's cool, it's very cool.

You know, I think we should
get on artifact recovery ASAP.

Okay.

Maybe removing soils from
around it, see how deep it goes.

Yeah.

GARY: Every time
we dig in the swamp,

we find something new,
from a long time ago.

- Well, this is fantastic.
- This is totally unique.

- Yeah.
- Totally different, and we're here now.

Now is the time
to investigate it.

CRAIG: Okay.

NARRATOR: Week by week,

day by day,

Rick, Marty, Craig
and their team

are peeling back the layers

of the 230-year-old
Oak Island mystery.

As clues continue to mount...

which may soon identify
just who may have buried

a vast horde of riches here...

have they finally
unearthed a feature

that contains a
portion of that treasure?

And if so, could it
merely be a sampling

of what awaits
them much deeper...

at the bottom of the Money Pit?

Next time on The
Curse of Oak Island...

FIONA: Look what we've got here.

This could be a
piece of the treasure.

Yes!

TERRY: Oh, Charles. We got wood.

This is incredible.

We could be within feet
of our offset chamber.

Doesn't that look
like a vault to you?

I would expect
a lot of stuff down there.

It's giving off
metallic signals.

RICK:
Oh, whoa, whoa.

Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.

Here's something.

- CRAIG: Wow.
- What the heck is going on?