13x13 - Testing Their Metal

[bunniefuu]

[narrator] Tonight on
The Curse of Oak Island...

[Marty] It's designed
to hide something.

I want to pick it up
and see what's under there.

[Alex] Well, this could
get interesting.

- Oh.
- [Gary] Yeah, that's a brick.

[Tom] Somebody was
in here doing this.

It looks like a road
toward where the vault is.

-[Peter] Yeah. -[Charles]
We got something in here.

Look, it's all through it.

-[Terry] This is very, very
important. -It may be the thing.

We've processed
these deep samples

from the Money Pit area
and found something interesting.

[Jack] We could be closer
than we've ever been.

Amen.

[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.

♪ ♪

[Ethan] Hey, guys.

- [Craig] Wow.
- Hi.

- [Marty] How we all doing?
- [laughs] We're doing great.

[Marty] It looks like
the booby trap

-in the Indiana Jones movies,
doesn't it? -[laughter]

[narrator] As a bright
new morning begins

on Oak Island,
Rick and Marty Lagina

and their partner Craig Tester

join other members
of the team on Lot 8

to continue investigating

a potentially
breakthrough discovery:

a massive boulder
that sits above a series of

smaller, evenly-spaced stones
that strongly suggest

it is not a natural formation.

There's this trench
that they've excavated that goes

well below
the bottom of the boulder,

that was filled with rubble
that's all over there, and...

[Marty] You dug
all that out from under there?

- [Fiona] Yes. Yep.
- [Jack] Wow.

This was a huge effort
for somebody to do this.

We just don't know
when, why and who.

- Okay.
- Yeah.

There's actually voids
underneath the rock.

We had a camera in there,
and you could see spaces.

Okay.

[narrator] In recent weeks,

the team has found
links of a chain

that could be 500 years old,

as well as
a potentially 700-year-old

English bag seal
near this feature.

I'll show you, there's a really

- good spot.
- All right.

[narrator] And after feeding
a snake camera into a small void

that was discovered
below the boulder,

they've seen not only
a possible iron spike

but perhaps
evidence of treasure.

[Rick] Oh, my God. That
looks like there's a pearl.

[Peter] Yeah.

One of the key things here
is that the trench you see,

it's a trench that was made

- by somebody.
- [Marty] Sure.

[Ian] So, somebody was

trying to get,
and probably did get,

underneath the rock
with excavation.

[Marty] Okay.

What about it's a plug?
It's a plug.

It's designed to hide something.

[Rick] I think
it is covering something.

Some sort of cavity
where something was placed.

Yes, something's under there,
in my opinion.

[Marty] That's more exciting.
I mean, somebody tunneling

underneath it could have
just been a searcher.

Somebody plugging something
wasn't a searcher.

And it really doesn't
appear to be modern.

You can see the soil stains
on the bottom of

those two big rocks there.

That's an indication
that these rocks have been

sitting in that soil
for a long period of time.

-Right. -Possibly before
the Money Pit was discovered.

[Marty] The Lot 8 boulder

is the thing
we weren't anticipating.

And it's very exciting

because 100%
of the archaeologists

and the scientists

who have looked at it
said it was moved there.

We are quite sure
nobody in the searcher record

ever said anything
about this boulder.

This is our find, and
we get to figure out what it is.

Is it possible

that those rocks could be
excavated rocks?

From a tunnel, say?

Could be, right?

[Marty] Okay,
here's the next question.

What are the rules
at this point, Laird?

What's the archaeological rules?

I mean, I'll just
come right out and say it.

I want to pick it up
and see what's underneath it.

- We know. Yeah, we heard that.
- [Marty] Yeah, no, for sure.

I mean, and nothing
I've seen here

makes me not want to.

We are on a treasure hunt,
and we have limited time.

I think our job is
to determine significance.

Yeah. Well, I'm with you.

But what would be wrong
with plopping...

picking that straight up

and then seeing
what's under there?

- Is there any reason we cannot?
- Let's say

- there is something significant.
- Say.

The most effective way,
unfortunately,

is to excavate it by hand.

I'd prefer to go to where Fiona
is and work along that edge.

Well, you can do that
with it out of there.

- [chuckles]
- Seriously.

[Rick] You have to remember,

you know, archaeological context
is important here.

If we do this in haste
and we do some harm,

we cannot put it back.

I would prefer
the archaeologists

do as much work
as they deem necessary,

and only then, we engage
in the possibility of a lift.

When would you call it done?

I would... I think, safely,

we can only take one other side
down, I would think.

And then, we'd have to look
at some way to dig underneath.

Yeah. Exactly.

One thing that's limiting us
are the... are these

- three boulders.
- [Craig] Yeah.

[Marty] Well, then,

we should at least
make a road in here

for a backhoe,
'cause you're not gonna

move those without one, are you?

To continue this safely,
those have to go, so we can...

- [Marty] Yeah.
- Have more room.

[Craig] But you're fine
with us bringing

an excavator in and moving
these bigger boulders out?

- Yeah, of course.
- [Marty] Yeah.

Don't let my impatience
give you the wrong message,

'cause I am impatient,
but this is exciting.

- This is really cool.
- Yeah.

So, anyway, the sooner you guys

can get back to work,
the sooner we can

do all of this,
so get back to work.

Get busy, eh? Would you guys?

- Geez.
- [laughter]

[narrator] As the investigation

of the large boulder
on Lot 8 continues...

[Charles] Looks like
we have a core, gentlemen.

- Thanks, Leighton.
- Thank you, Leighton.

[Terry] Okay.
Okay, guys, here it is.

H.5-9, 168 to 178.

Hand me a cutter.

[narrator] ...in
the Money Pit area,

Terry Matheson,
Charles Barkhouse

and Steve Guptill are overseeing
a new core drilling operation

in borehole H.5-9.

[Terry] Yeah, this is
just gypsum, gentlemen.

Solid gypsum
all the way down to 178.

- Yep.
- Right into the bedrock plateau.

- Yeah.
- [Terry] As we drill down,

oft times, we will intersect

the bedrock plateau,
which is a gypsum ledge,

and then we'll push below it
into loose, slushy areas

which we hope
the treasure has fallen into.

What lies beneath is
the most important thing anyway.

We're going into
the solution channel,

-I would say, in about
a foot or two. -Yeah.

[narrator] After drilling
several boreholes

some 50 feet northeast
in the so-called Peacock

and collecting soil samples

to be tested for evidence
of precious metals,

the team is returning to an area

where previous water testing
has yielded

high traces of silver and gold
over 200 feet deep

in the solution channel.

I have high hopes for this one
because it's very close to

where we were before, H.5-8.5,

where we found
that piece of a drill.

Right? From the 1850s.

-Which is merely two feet
from this location. -Yeah.

[narrator] While waiting
for results

of the soil tests
from the Peacock,

the team is once again

drilling in an area
where, several weeks ago,

they recovered pieces
of an iron drill rod

that may be connected to
a critical searcher operation

from 1849,

one in which a drilling foreman

named James Pitblado
reportedly unearthed

a 14th century silver coin
related to the Order of Christ,

a Portuguese sect
of the Knights Templar.

- [Terry] Yeah, core it is.
- [Charles] Looks like

- we have a core, Terry.
- We got it coming now.

The scientists tell us
some big source

of precious and other metals

is still in the Money Pit.

It's consistent with
the Pitblado discovery.

- Thanks, Leighton.
- Thank you, Leighton.

So, guys, they pushed
all the way from 178

down through to 210 here.

They pushed into
relatively soft material.

Let's see just how soft.
Let's carve it up.

Yeah, this is nicely soft.

That's very loose material
at the top.

[Steve] We haven't hit bedrock
yet, so we know we're in one of

the deeper portions of the
solution channel here. -Yeah.

Charles, I think you can
have at it, if you like.

Unfortunately, gentlemen,
not in this,

but could be the next one.

I know you got to leave,
Steve, but, uh,

we'll go through the core
and, uh, hopefully get some more

- results for you.
- Thank you, fellas.

- See you later, Steve.
- Yeah, see you, Steve.

[Terry] Here it comes.
Thank you, Leighton.

- What do you got, Leighton?
- Uh, 210 to 218.

- 210 to 218.
- 210 to 218.

- Thank you.
- [Leighton] Not a problem.

This is the bottom.

Looks like they got
well into the bedrock.

-Yep. -[Terry] So,
when you're down that deep,

you're over 200 feet,

anywhere where you might
encounter the treasure,

that's where we have
to keep our eyes peeled.

- Thank you, Leighton.
- Fellas.

[Terry] But as far as
I'm concerned, this year,

we're as close as we're
ever gonna be to reaching down

and touching that treasure
beyond all imagining,

deep in the heart
of the Money Pit.

[Terry] It's a little
more promising,

but not the open, washed-out

- slurry that we hoped for.
- No.

I'm gonna go over this.

Something might get
driven down, you know?

Here we go. Okay.

[pinpointer beeping]

- Oh.
- Whoa.

We got something in here.

[beeping continues]

I'm getting
a metal hit in here, Terry.

[Terry] Wow.

Interesting, Charles.

- [Charles] Oh.
- [Terry] Whoa.

[Charles] We got something
in here. -[pinpointer beeping]

- Okay, you want to...
- Wow.

Take it over to the table?

- Yeah, let's.
- Let's do that.

[narrator] In the
Money Pit area...

-You ready? -This is
relatively precious cargo.

- Here we go.
- Yep.

[narrator] ...after reaching
a depth of 218 feet,

near an area where the team
has previously detected

silver and gold
in the solution channel...

Terry, wouldn't it be nice

to hit a silver coin
or something here?

- [chuckles] Yeah.
- The one thing?

[narrator] ...they have
recovered a fresh drilling core

that might contain
something made of metal.

-[Terry] That was a ringing
clear as a bell, Charles. -Yeah.

[sighs]

[Terry] Now nothing.

[Charles] Isn't that odd?

[Terry] That is frustrating.

[Charles] Doesn't make
any sense.

You know, I think we should
give, uh, Katya a call,

come out and go over it
with a big metal detector.

- Maybe I'll just text her.
- Yeah.

[Charles] We could be

where Pitblado discovered
that silver coin

on the pot auger after it was
brought up to the surface.

So, when Katya comes up,

maybe she'll find
something substantial

in this core that I missed.

Get 'er all on the table.
Here we go.

Go that way.

Pull tight.
Pull tight. Pull tight.

There we go.

- What do we have?
- [Terry] How you doing, Katya?

Well, I initially
got a hit, right?

-Mm-hmm. -We bring it
over to this table

and I don't get the hit anymore.

- Oh.
- So, uh, it's all yours.

[metal detector blips]

[Terry] Oh.

[Charles] What are those chirps?

I'm not seeing what it is.

I'm gonna try

- and pinpoint it as well...
- Okay.

Because I really like
to see what you're seeing

with the pinpointer.

Well, where we got the hit
was right in this one,

but we want you
to check everything,

- but it was right there.
- Right there?

[pinpointer beeping]

Found it and then
we're having that...

- [beeping]
- [Terry] What the heck?

[Charles] Could it be
little flecks of silver or...

- It could...
- [beeping]

- It could very well be.
- Yeah.

- [consistent beeping]
- I wasn't even

getting that when I run it over.

[Terry] No.

-I wouldn't be able to tell you
what it is... -Right.

Just with how small it is.

It's not being...

- Right.
- You know,

-fully registered by
the detector. -Mm-hmm.

- But there is metal in there.
- [Terry] This is loose material

at the bottom of
the solution channel.

We're definitely gonna
take it back to the lab

but, I mean,
Charles, that's great.

[narrator] Is it possible
that the metal traces could be

related to the evidence
of silver and gold

that the team has
already recovered

in this area
of the solution channel?

- [consistent beeping]
- [Terry] Oh, look at that.

[Charles] See, you're getting
it again right there.

[Terry] Wow.

[narrator] To find out for sure,

the team will take
the core sample

back to the lab
for a thorough analysis.

- [Katya] Well, I'm excited.
- [Charles] Yeah.

Thanks for
inviting me over, guys.

[Terry] Thanks for coming out.

[narrator] The following day,
on Lot 8...

Here they come.

[narrator] ...Marty prepares
to move several large stones

away from the massive boulder

to help the archaeological team
dig by hand underneath it.

Nice.

[Craig] Gonna go with
the-the big one first?

- Yeah.
- Okay.

[Marty] It's not only tricky,
I want to make sure

that whatever I do, I don't

dislodge them
so they roll down in the hole.

[Alex] That's good.

[Marty] And so,
I got to make sure I keep

control of this situation.

[Fiona] Oh, look at that.

- [Tansy] Ooh!
- Nice.

[Craig] You know,
my biggest hope

is that we do find something
significant under the boulder.

But I'm hoping at least
we find some sort of artifact

to tell us who was there.

- Nice job.
- Done.

[Craig] What's your plan
from here?

Yeah, from here,
I think the plan, really,

is that we're gonna
kind of remove

some of these rocks here

because we know
there's some voids

between that large rock there,
and we want to explore those.

Because that'll determine
whether that large rock

was placed there or whether
that was already in situ.

But that really helped
clear that out.

And now we can clear out
more material

from underneath the boulder.

So, we've got
a way better chance

at getting the camera
underneath it again.

I think we need to investigate
that a little further.

Good. That's all you need
for right now?

Yeah. That was perfect.

This whole thing
has been a conundrum.

It's-it's exceptionally odd.

Well, this is Oak Island,
you know.

-It's the island that keeps
on giving. -Exceptionally odd

is normal.

- You guys, carry on.
- Thank you.

[narrator] Later that morning...

[Gary] Let's find
some treasure, boys.

[narrator] ...Gary and Peter
join Tom Nolan and Alan Andrews

on Tom's property

in the northernmost region
of the swamp.

They are following
a cobblestone pathway north

that is lined with eight-sided,
wooden survey stakes,

which, just one year ago,
led to the discovery

of an empty
brick-and-slate vault

several yards to the south.

[Gary] Last year,
we found that mysterious vault

and stone pathway that leads
to the north end of the swamp.

But I'm hoping that we can
discover another vault

this year along the same line.

But this time,
I hope it's full of treasure.

Okay. Coming in.

When you're down there, Gary,
I think that's a brick

- right there.
- I'll check it out.

-[Tom] See, there. Is that
a brick or a rock? -This?

[Tom] Nope, no.
Right-right there.

[Gary] Oh, there.
Yeah, that's a brick.

It's way down there
as well, innit?

-[Tom] Yeah. -And it's
a smaller, thinner brick.

What would that be doing
way down there?

- Yeah.
- Hmm.

- Looks old.
- It does look old.

[Gary] But we should put it
to one side

because we are testing
all the bricks.

Shouldn't have been
any structures out

in this part of the swamp.

And I see other little
flaky pieces in the wall.

So, there's probably
other pieces of brick

- in the area.
- Yeah, well,

we'll get more answers
at the lab.

-Put this aside
and keep digging? -Yeah.

And hopefully, we can find
a piece of metal that tells us

how old this brick is.

That would be great.

[Gary] We are noticing
more rocks and more cobble.

Well, I'm hoping
this leads us to another vault.

We're in for a great day.

[Peter] What are
you seeing, Tom?

Tom, what are you seeing?

Well, I thought I was seeing
this cobble again,

- and it is...
- Mm-hmm.

- but there's brick
in with it. -Huh.

Every time we see
the cobble, it's like,

"Is it natural, is it not?"

but when you can
pull a piece of brick out

from inside the cobble...

somebody was working the cobble.

There's no other way.

It's just interesting,
with cobble here,

cobble here,
cobble right behind us.

I'm pretty sure
we're on a perfect line

going over towards the
other side where the vault is.

It's really looking that way.

[Gary] Maybe we'll discover
another vault in this area.

We're on a perfect line

going over towards the
other side where the vault is.

[narrator] While excavating
in the northernmost region

of the Oak Island swamp...

It's just interesting,
with cobble here,

cobble here,
cobble right behind us.

[narrator] ...members
of the team have just uncovered

another possible section
of the cobblestone pathway.

Want to see if Gary
metal-detects in it?

- [Tom] Yeah.
- That'd be a good idea.

- [Gary] Coming over.
- Okay.

All right, let's see if
there's any metals down there.

- Okay.
- [Gary] The more time

we spend in the swamp

and the more mysterious
features we uncover,

I'm beginning to think
that the swamp

is a much bigger part of
the Oak Island treasure story.

Where is all the metal?

No metals.

Whenever we run across
the cobble area, no metals.

It's an head-scratcher
all right, innit?

I'm just getting
a different vantage point.

We're right in line
with the other cobble.

-Yeah. -It's right along
the stakes that we're finding.

We found another really
tightly packed cobble platform,

probably about six feet around,

and it's right
on the other side of this.

- Mm-hmm.
- You know, we've found

wood chips in it,
we've found cut wood,

and now you've got a...
some brick.

- Yeah.
- It's nice to see something

you know man put in the cobble,

because it puts
the nail in the coffin,

somebody was in here doing this.

So, we have four cobble areas
that line up?

-[Tom] It looks like a road or
a path, I think. -[Gary] Yeah.

- [Tom] It really does.
- [Peter] I'm excited to see

what that ties into,
because I'm sure

it ties into something
on the other side of the swamp.

[narrator] Is it possible
that the team has found

a stone road
in the center of the swamp

that is related
to the other stone structures

uncovered earlier this year

along the western
and southwestern regions

of the brackish bog?

If so, could it lead the team
to a major breakthrough

in the 231-year-old
treasure mystery?

The constructions in the swamp
are too numerous

for there not to be
a relationship between them.

The hope is
they are treasure-related

and will connect, uh,
to the Money Pit

and perhaps, even,
the Lot 8 feature,

because there is
an intent there.

There is an intelligent design,
if you will.

I think it would be
really good to have Steve

pin that far extent
of the cobble,

just to see if it lines up.

-Yeah. -[Alan] I'll just
take a little bit off

till I feel the cobble,
and that's all I'll do.

Yep. Perfect.

And we'll have to keep
the twin optical scanners out,

because artifacts
can tell a story.

- Could find anything in here.
- Yep.

[Tom] Keep digging,
see if we can find

- a little more of it.
- Yep.

[narrator] While
the investigation

continues in the swamp...

[Craig] Lots to sift.

[narrator] ...Craig
and other members of team

continue their
careful excavation

beneath and around
the massive boulder on Lot 8.

[Fiona] Laird, I wanted you
to see this because, look,

I've identified
where the actual cut was

into the subsoil itself.

You can see it.

-It kind of comes down
in a nice slope... -Mm.

Very, very clean cut that
comes at an angle like this.

-[Craig] You guys find
anything more over there? -Yeah.

[Laird] I think
what we have to look at is:

Did they excavate that
with this in place?

Or did they create,
like, a cradle?

-[Fiona] Like a cradle/trench
type of thing. Yeah. -Yeah.

And as impossible
as I think it is,

did they create that cradle
and then put that rock on top?

-Boy, that would be an awful
lot of effort. -I know. I know.

I think we can say, to a degree,

-that we know this was
worked by man... -Right.

- Not worked by machine.
- [Laird] Yeah.

[chuckles] Why?

Wow. Deconstructing this
is really helping

give us the information
that we'll need to finally make

an informed decision
about it all.

So, uh, so, we just need
to keep getting after it.

- Yeah.
- Okay.

[Craig] I got some more buckets
to sift through.

♪ ♪

Hey, Laird.

What you think of this?

I don't know if that has
any meaning to it or not, but...

definitely has some material
or something.

[Laird] Mm-hmm.

The red part looks like
cloth of some sort?

-I mean, it all looks shredded,
but... -Like a textile.

- [Craig] Yeah.
- Yeah.

You think the whole thing
is a textile of some sort, or...

[Laird] It sure looks like it.

[Craig] The red material,

is that a dye?

Can we determine
the type of dye, potentially?

It is a dye.

The red is definitely a dye.

-If it's older,
it's a natural dye. -Mm-hmm.

I think we have to get that,
uh, under the microscope.

It's quite possible the XRF
may be able to do that.

- Okay.
- Yeah.

[Craig] I see this material
and, quickly in my mind,

I see somebody trying
to move these boulders

and it scrapes
and takes a part of their shirt

or jacket or whatever,
and it's just a little piece

left on that larger rock.

[Laird] If we determine
it's old,

now that's pretty significant.

- Okay.
- We should be able to tell

if it's a natural fiber or not.

- Okay.
- Given the lack of artifacts,

-I think it's worth
bagging that. -Okay.

[Craig] We know it was under
one of the boulders

that Marty had just removed,

so it was probably


the normal surface
and below a boulder.

And it may tell us who was here
and when they were here,

so I'm excited to see
what the results are.

Even if a mouse buried this,

the mouse would have gone
into this rock structure

- after it was made.
- Correct.

-So, this is going to be
younger than, uh... -Yeah.

- Than the rock structure.
- Pretty cool.

-We know this had to be in place
before then. -Earlier.

- And that could help date it.
- Yep.

-It could be exciting.
All right. -Can I bag 'er?

Yep.

[Craig] Okay.
Well, we'll get 'er tested.

[Laird] All right.

[narrator] As a new morning
shines bright on Oak Island...

[Marty] Okay. I don't know
too much about this.

Craig, why don't you
give us some background.

Yep. So, uh, you know,

I was sifting through
the materials and I found that.

You moved the boulder.
It was underneath that.

- Really?
- Hmm. -Yeah.

[narrator] ...members
of the team meet in the lab

where Emma is analyzing
the piece of fabric

that was uncovered
near the large boulder on Lot 8.

It's the only thing
that I know of

that's been found
on the site so far.

- [Alex] Mm-hmm.
- Yeah. -So, yeah,

what can you tell us about it?

[Emma] Yeah.
So, I did do a CT scan on it,

XRF, um, the whole shebang.

But the CT scan actually...

gave great imaging.

And you can
kind of see the design

of the knitting or the loops
that go inward and then outward.

So, we're seeing
a style of weft knitting.

Mm-hmm.

[Emma] So, weft knitting
is knitting

by interlocking strands
of loops, or rows of loops.

- Okay.
- Yeah.

And whether or not it's handmade
or early machine-made,

first glance from the visuals,

I'm not 100% sure.

It's kind of hard
to narrow down.

- Yeah.
- Yeah. As for the material used,

I would like to do
a simple burn test.

- Really?
- Yeah. To determine

what kind of material was made,

because depending
on how it was burnt,

how it melts
or kind of turns into ash,

we can discern quickly
what kind of material it is.

[Marty] Like,
what are we looking for?

- If it's what, it's what?
- If it's polyester,

it will...
it burns really quickly,

and then it kind of
turns into a liquid form.

If it's more cotton or linen,

it's more ashy of-of a burn.

Um, if it's silk,
as soon as you move it away

from the fire,
it snuffs the fire out.

So, it doesn't burn,
it just kind of disintegrates.

Wool should kind of clump up
into like an ashy

or kind of burnt texture
and then you can crush it.

Okay.

So, who would like
to be my assistant?

- Peter.
- I will.

[Emma] Even though

burning a fabric is
a bit of a destructive method,

it's one of
the most telling methods

that can identify
or actually cancel out

what kind of material
that fabric is.

And that could help determine

whether the material
is modern or not.

Okay. You are just
going to light it on fire.

- Okay.
- [laughs softly]

- [Marty] Wow.
- [Alex] That was it?

[Emma] Yeah.
And then we'll let it cool.

And then we can crush it.

And that is wool.

- Really? -Wool?
- Yeah.

- [Marty] Amazing.
- [Laird] That's interesting,

because not far away
from where that wool was found,

Katya found the bag seal...

- Wow.
- Okay.

Which has a very distinctive
sheepskin symbol on it,

and that is associated with
the city of Leeds in England,

which is a major manufacturer
of wool products

dating back to the 1300s.

Oh.

And this makes it
all the more interesting.

Yeah.

[narrator] Could Laird
be correct

that this piece of wool fabric
may be related

to the potentially


that was found just yards
from the massive boulder?

If so, might it be
the first key clue

that could help identify
who created the feature?

What about the red dye?

I know they can date dyes
if there's, you know,

enough material
for you to look at there.

Yeah, so,
I was looking at the dye,

and there's no modern,
like, 20th century dyes

that I... or chemicals
that I'm detecting,

so that's a good sign.

[Laird] Yeah,
and the red dye is interesting

because it was desirable

but it was
very difficult to make.

- Yeah.
- [Craig] An average person

would not have "red" material?

Except the British military,
'cause they were the redcoats.

The French military had it.

I guess it was
relatively more expensive,

but it was still
widely, widely used.

- Okay.
- Yeah.

- What are the next steps?
- [Emma] I think getting

an expert into knitting patterns

and then with dye mechanics
and recipes

will point towards something
more accurate.

-Yeah. Well, it makes sense.
Yeah. -Yeah. Yeah.

[Marty] Okay.
Extremely interesting.

Maybe it's the tip
of the iceberg

in terms of what we might find

- under that boulder, right?
- [chuckles]

And actually, what we might find
under the boulder itself

-might shed a little light
on that. -[Emma] Yeah.

[Rick] We've got to
dig deeper under it,

as carefully as possible,
under your guidance.

Yeah. Absolutely.

[Marty] Good job as always.

Uh, enigmatic as always.

More things to do, as always.

- Let's do them.
- Mm-hmm.

- [Craig] Sounds good. Thank you.
- [Peter] Thank you.

[narrator] As the meeting
concludes in the lab...

in the Money Pit area...

[Terry] J.5-7.5 is
well underway here.

It's at the southern end
of the actual opening

which is the solution channel,
and that's where

- the deeper areas are.
- Yeah.

[narrator] ...the team
is drilling a new borehole

known as J.5-7.5.

It is located
less than 20 feet southwest

of their previous borehole,

where traces of metal
were detected in soils

brought up
from nearly 220 feet deep

in the solution channel.

[Terry] Coming up now, we've hit
the actual bedrock plateau

at about 160 below grade.

We're gonna punch through that

and go under the ledge
that has formed.

And we should pop out, you know,
in another ten or 15 feet

-and into the open
solution channel. -Yeah.

We have a core, gentlemen.
What have you got, Leighton?

- Uh, 158 to 166.
- 166.

[machinery whirring]

That's solid in there, isn't it?

- Yes.
- [Terry] He's jammed it

in there very tight because
he's drilling in solid gypsum.

- It's a tough one, eh, Leighton?
- We're fighting with it.

Yeah. Thank you.

Oftentimes,
when we're drilling down,

looking to get to the base
of the solution channel,

you have to drill through
a ledge.

But here's the thing:
there could be any amount

of treasure or artifacts
laying underneath that ledge.

And we're gonna find it.

Here we go. Let's open 'er up
and see what we got.

So, we just have, uh,
ground-up gypsum.

And this is the plug on top,
full of a lot of sand.

- [Charles] Yeah.
- You don't usually see that.

Charles, I think
you might as well do

- your due diligence there.
- Let's do it.

I'm gonna run
the pinpointer over it.

I know this is the ledge, but
I'm gonna do it anyway, right?

-Sure. -Never know
what could've got pushed down.

Nothing so far.

- [pinpointer beeping]
- I'm getting a hit right there.

Here, Terry, can you lift
that up just to make sure?

- Right here.
- [rapid beeping]

No, there's something there.

[Terry] Oh, wow.

-[Charles] No, there's
something there. -[Terry] Whoa.

[Charles] Right in here.

-Why don't we take this one
right over to there. -Okay.

- Let's take it over.
- Yeah.

[narrator] In the
Money Pit area,

after reaching
the solution channel

at a depth of 166 feet

in Borehole J.5-7.5...

-[pinpointer beeping] -[Charles]
Yeah, it's right in here.

- Right in there.
- Sure.

[narrator] ...the
Oak Island team

is detecting evidence of metal
in a fresh drilling core.

[Scott] Th-This is exciting,

and it definitely
has to go back to the lab.

- Yeah. -[Charles] Yeah.
- [Marty] Any sample

that comes up
from the sonic drilling

that has indications
of metals in it,

we're gonna send it out
for more complex analysis,

in the hopes
that they will reveal

a very clear clue

- as to where the treasure is.
- Hey, guys.

-I'm gonna run this back
to the lab. -[Terry] Excellent.

-[Steve] All right. See you,
Scott. -Keep us in the loop.

- Thanks, guys.
- [Marty] And if we get

positive results
from samples we took,

I want to put down a caisson

deep into the solution channel,

and after all these years,
we recover it.

[Terry] All right,
let's, uh, see

what they got for us, guys.

Now we're down
into the solution channel,

- so let's keep on going.
- All right, guys.

I've got to run.
Uh, I will be back, though.

-Okay. -Great stuff.
See you later, Steve.

- Thanks, man.
- Yeah. See you, Steve.

[Terry] Okay,
won't be long now, Charles.

J.5-7.5 is about
to reveal its secrets.

- [Rick] Hey, guys.
- Hey, Rick.

- What did you find?
- [Terry] We're at 183.

But, uh,
we found interesting results

up around 158 to 160.

- Right, Charles?
- [Charles] Yeah. Yeah.

We had it on the table here,
and I ran the pinpointer.

- I was getting a chirp.
- Oh.

So, little flakes of metal
or something in it.

[Rick] Interesting elevation.
Well, we'll know

with this core
whether something heavy

-could have fallen down
through it. -Yeah.

[Rick] You cannot
dismiss the fact

that this is very hopeful.

[Terry] Here we go.

There's something metallic
in the core.

It could, uh,
reflect precious metals.

[Charles] What's the bottom?

Uh, 183 to 207.

- Okay.
- [Rick] The sonic drill program

has been slow
and arduous at times.

But maybe we are on the cusp
of finding the treasure.

- This is relatively loose.
- [Charles] Yeah.

It's a good sign, though.

[Terry] Things could
move around down there.

For right now, I think
maybe just the pinpointer.

- Yep.
- Yep. Okay.

[pinpointer beeping]

Terry, can you lift that up?
Rick?

[beeping]

- [Terry] Wow.
- Something there.

- Very near the bottom.
- Yeah.

I think we should
take this whole thing over.

Wh-Why don't we try to do that.

[narrator] Because previous
underground water tests

have already revealed evidence
of silver and gold in this area,

could the repeated
positive signs of metal

from 160 to nearly 210 feet

suggest that the team
may be narrowing in

- on a vast cache of treasure?
- [pinpointer beeping]

[Charles] Right there.

[Rick] Everywhere.

- Look, it's all through it.
- This is very, very important.

May be more than important,
Terry. It may be the thing.

-This warrants taking
the whole core. -Oh, yeah.

Yeah, no question, Rick.

Now we have metal-detecting hits

at the bottom
of the solution channel.

Does it represent
actual treasure?

I don't know. That's why
it needs to go to the lab.

[Marty] For weeks,
Dr. Spooner has done an analysis

of the actual sediments
we found, um,

at the base
of the solution channel,

including this area.

Dr. Spooner is going to present
those results very soon.

So, we're keen to know
what that is.

Is it exciting? Yeah. I mean,
this is what we're looking for.

And I'm hoping that
this will lead to some answers.

[Terry] This has the potential,
for sure.

So, let's bag it up.

[Charles] Yeah.
Sounds like a plan.

[narrator] Two days later...

[Rick] So, ladies, gentlemen,

we have, uh, Dr. Spooner,

Emma and Jillian here.

They have results
looking for precious metals

from the sonic drill program
this year.

So, we'll turn it over to
Dr. Spooner, Emma and Jillian.

All right.

[Ian] Okay.

So, what we have done
is we've taken samples

from deep down
in the solution channel

and processed them
for XRF analysis.

Okay.

[narrator] Having collected
soil samples

over the past two months
across the Money Pit area

in boreholes that reached
the solution channel...

- That does it?
- [Charles] Yeah.

[narrator] ...Dr. Spooner,
Emma and Jillian have conducted

X-ray fluorescence testing,
which can identify

specific metallic elements

that are not natural
to the ground soils.

So, everyone
can see the locations?

-Is it possible, Steve,
to bring this up? -[Steve] Sure.

Yeah.

Okay.

[Ian] The samples
that we took were I-9.5,

J.5-8.5,

K-2.5-8.75,

K-9.5,

and then we also did
three samples in V3,

one of the old caissons.

The interesting information
was that

I-9.5, which had hits
with the pinpointer?

-Yes. -Uh, that was written
on the bag.

And K-9.5 had,

on my XRF, silver...

at significant concentrations.

- [Marty] Oh, really?
- [laughter]

[Marty] Fantastic.

[Ian] So, I-9.5

and K-9.5

had silver at
significant concentrations.

[Marty] Fantastic.

[narrator] In the w*r room,

the team has learned
that soil samples collected

in at least two boreholes

near where they're currently
drilling in the solution channel

contain high traces of silver.

This could be an indication
we are actually close

to finding the treasure.

- Amen.
- That's very true, Jack.

[Jack] There should be
some local source.

We're not finding silver
like this everywhere.

- [Emma] Yeah.
- It's down there deeper.

- Yep.
- Yep.

[Jack] And we know
there has been collapses,

and no one's
really been this deep.

- Correct.
- It seems like

we could be closer to finding it
than we've ever been.

-Right. -[Marty] Yeah,
so, you're talking about

pieces of elemental silver,
correct?

It would be elemental silver,
probably attached

to clay particles.

Right, but-but not dissolved?

No. Absolutely, you're right.

- Yeah.
- [Marty] Dr. Spooner

does detect elements of silver,
and it's not dissolved.

It's exciting as heck.
That's just amazing.

I mean,
it strongly implies to me

that the source is not natural.

Isn't K-9.5 the deepest part
of the solution channel, too?

Yeah, 217, I believe,
the end of that hole.

- Yeah.
- Okay.

[Rick] You know
what's interesting about

the silver, though,
is the so-called Pitblado coin.

There was silver in that coin.

-Yeah. -[Steve] And
another piece of data

is we're really close
to H.5-8.5,

where, at about 174 feet,

we found that piece of iron,
possibly a drill rod.

Emma dated that
to the mid 1800s.

And that date's really important
because it dates

to the time of Pitblado.

We're starting to piece
these little bits together.

[Charles] Absolutely.

[narrator] Is it possible
that the traces of silver

may be connected

to the 14th century
Portuguese coin?

If so, might it suggest

that there were many more
in the original Money Pit

which could have fallen
to the bottom

of the solution channel?

[Marty] Here's the deal
from my standpoint.

We came to the table
with a theory this year,

that our great treasure fell

down into this solution channel.

You know,
it-it seems to be working out.

- Borne out. Yeah.
- That's a victory.

And I'll tell you what, Rick.

There's enough here already
to bring in SBC, so, Scott,

let's set up a meeting with SBC.

- Sounds good.
- [Rick] At the end of the day,

this has always been directed
towards finding something

at depth in the Money Pit.

That is the culmination
of the year.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

Yeah, I-I'd ask each of you
to start thinking about that,

where you would like
the caissons to go.

- Yep.
- Because we're going so deep...

deeper than any man
has ever worked

in the Money Pit on Oak Island...

so we're gonna be
pushing the envelope.

Right.

We have plenty
to indicate that we cannot

abandon this hunt
until we get down

into the solution channel.

Plenty. And we're gonna go
much deeper this year.

So, it's time to line up, uh,

SB Canada and ROC

to get back in here to-to, uh,

place some canisters
down in the solution channel.

So, everyone needs
to take a step back,

take a deep breath
and be patient, clearheaded.

It's up to us now
to-to move this thing forward

and try to understand
what happened on this island.

So, let's get outside and do it.

- [Marty] Good stuff.
- All right. See you, guys.

Thanks, guys. Sempre Avanti.

[narrator] After weeks
of patient

and determined searching,

the team may be closer than ever
to realizing a dream

that Rick and Marty have shared

since they were just boys.

But as they plan
their most ambitious dig yet,

to find a legendary vault
in the Money Pit,

are they on the verge

of uncovering other secrets
as well?

Secrets no other
treasure hunter ever knew

that Oak Island was hiding?

Next time on
The Curse of Oak Island...

We found the cobble.

[Peter] It's headed
towards the vault,

and it's turning towards Lot 8.

[Rick] There has to be
a reason for it.

[Ian] We analyzed
underneath the boulder.

It's one of the most interesting

on the island ever.

[Marty] But if there is
a tunnel under there,

-I want to see
what's under that rock. -Yep.

This is weird.

I think you really need
to see under here.

- [Marty] It looks like gold.
- Yeah.