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00:00People trying to get to California and stake their claim and get rich.
00:03And to get there, people are willing to risk everything.
00:09This is a route that had never been tamed before.
00:12That's right. Nobody had done this.
00:13Enter shipping tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt.
00:18Close to the top of the rapids, she's just overcome by the force.
00:25Why is this such an important ship to find?
00:27It captures the American spirit of adventure.
00:30So we're going to retrace the route.
00:32Except for the sinking part?
00:34Well, hopefully.
00:36Looks like we're coming into rapids.
00:38Hang on, it's going to get bumpy.
00:40Punch it. Here we go. Good, good, good.
00:43There it is.
00:44Oh, my word.
00:45That's a boiler.
00:46Whoa, crocodile.
00:47Oh, look at that, crocodile.
00:51This is the whole of a ship.
00:53I'm off it, Rick. I'm off it.
00:58This is tough going.
01:00Whoa.
01:01Check it out.
01:01Oh, my God.
01:03Oh, my God.
01:04The year is 1848.
01:19Gold is discovered in California,
01:21and suddenly tens of thousands are desperate
01:24to seek their fortunes in the West.
01:26There's just one problem.
01:28Traveling over land coast to coast
01:29is a long and dangerous journey,
01:32and there's no easy shortcut on the water.
01:34The Panama Canal doesn't yet exist.
01:38But self-made shipping tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt
01:41has a radical new business idea,
01:44a steamship that would take passengers
01:46from New York to San Francisco,
01:48but not by cutting through Panama,
01:50rather by going through the nearer nation of Nicaragua.
01:55If successful,
01:56the route would reshape global trade
01:58and alter the history of the Americas.
02:01For the crucial maiden voyage,
02:03Vanderbilt handpicks the steamship Oris,
02:06one of the quickest and most agile vessels of its kind,
02:09with two cutting-edge lever beam engines.
02:13But midway through the voyage,
02:14the 158-foot ship encounters deadly rapids,
02:20is battered by whitewater,
02:21and smashes onto the rocks.
02:24Attempts to free the ship prove futile,
02:26and the Oris is abandoned,
02:29where she's consumed by the river and the jungle,
02:32eventually disappearing from memory.
02:35Now, though, a team of explorers
02:37is using newly uncovered accounts
02:39to hunt for the remains of this history-making ship.
02:43And I'm joining them
02:44on a remote river expedition
02:46through treacherous crocodile-filled waters
02:48and dense, snake-infested jungles.
02:51So please keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs
02:54inside the boat at all times.
02:57We're full steam ahead
02:58in search of one of the most important
03:00and largely forgotten wrecks in history.
03:03The past is all around us.
03:11Oh, my God!
03:12It goes on forever!
03:14A world of mystery.
03:17Come on!
03:18Look at that!
03:20Danger.
03:21Hang on!
03:23And adventure.
03:25It's just straight down!
03:26I got to get a new job.
03:31I travel to the far corners of the earth
03:34to uncover where legends end.
03:36We got it!
03:38Yes!
03:39And history begins.
03:41Woo-hoo!
03:42Here we go!
03:42I'm Josh Gates,
03:44and this is Expedition Unknown.
03:46This is the largest country in Central America
04:03and, amazingly, one I have never set foot in.
04:06That makes this country number 115 for me.
04:09But who's counting?
04:11I am.
04:11Managua is a vibrant city
04:16of over a million proud and resilient people
04:19in a country that caught America's eye
04:21long before anyone had heard
04:22of the Iran-Contra affair.
04:24Look it up.
04:26The U.S. has long had an interest in Nicaragua,
04:29our borders only about 1,000 miles away.
04:32And it's this proximity that lies
04:34at the heart of our story.
04:35Because before Panama had a canal,
04:38Nicaragua was eyed as a possible path
04:40between the seas.
04:41Why?
04:43Lakes.
04:45The biggest is Lake Nicaragua.
04:48100 miles long and 44 miles wide,
04:51it covers nearly 15% of the country.
04:54Lake Nicaragua connects with the Atlantic
04:56via the San Juan River.
04:58Seizing on this unique geography,
05:00transportation mogul Cornelius Vanderbilt
05:02hopes to develop an aquatic superhighway.
05:06The Vanderbilt fortune,
05:07which eventually produced Vanderbilt University,
05:10the largest home in America,
05:11and Anderson Cooper,
05:13started with Cornelius,
05:14one of the most successful
05:15and ruthless industrialists of his era.
05:19In 1848,
05:20he outfits the steamship Oris
05:22for the inaugural voyage,
05:24a trip from which she would never return.
05:26All of Nicaragua's biggest cities
05:30are built near these lakes
05:32here on the western side of the country.
05:34But I'm going to the opposite coast,
05:35to the east,
05:36where there's almost no infrastructure.
05:38So before I leave the capital,
05:40I need to pick up some supplies.
05:41Also, I'm starving.
05:42Welcome to Mercado Carlos Roberto Huembes.
05:49Here, you can find just about anything
05:50you might possibly want to wear,
05:53shoot,
05:54or play.
05:56Along with some dishes
05:57that you may or may not want to eat,
06:00such as the local delicacy
06:01Pinot de Iguana.
06:03It's a maize-based stew
06:04made with a female iguana
06:06and her eggs.
06:09I mean,
06:10it's not the worst iguana dish
06:13I've ever had.
06:16In preparation
06:17for a remote river journey,
06:19I also score a hammock,
06:21a good machete,
06:22and I find you can never
06:24have too many hats.
06:25Well, it looks like it's time
06:27for a little adventure.
06:32To join the team
06:33retracing the Oris'
06:34ill-fated journey,
06:35I've got to get
06:36to the starting line
06:37on Nicaragua's eastern coast.
06:40But,
06:40with no regular air service
06:41heading that way,
06:42I charter a plane
06:43from Managua
06:44across,
06:45well,
06:45the entire country,
06:47187 miles of it.
06:49I would describe
06:50the arrivals lounge
06:51as uncrowded.
06:56Okay, well,
06:57welcome
06:57to the Caribbean side
06:59of Nicaragua.
07:02This is the
07:03untamed Mosquito Coast.
07:05a place both beautiful
07:07and notoriously wild.
07:09Today,
07:10it looks like nobody's here.
07:12However,
07:12I'm far from alone.
07:14Vanderbilt's crew
07:15wasn't the first
07:16to try to tame this place.
07:17And just inside the tree line
07:19are other travelers
07:20who met their fate here.
07:22These overgrown graves
07:26are etched with clues
07:27hinting at a tumultuous past.
07:30There are Spaniards buried here,
07:32but also tombstones
07:33to American sailors,
07:35Englishmen,
07:36Scotsmen,
07:37even Freemasons.
07:38In 1522,
07:42conquistadors claimed Nicaragua
07:44for Spain,
07:45but the Spanish
07:46were unable
07:46to maintain their hold
07:48on the isolated
07:48Caribbean coast,
07:50which became a haven
07:51for pirates
07:52and the British settlers,
07:53who established
07:54a momentarily thriving
07:56outpost
07:56known as Greytown.
07:58But today,
07:59only forgotten tombstones
08:01remain.
08:01Not too far away,
08:04though,
08:05is life.
08:06The successor to Greytown,
08:07the remote village
08:08of San Juan de Nicaragua,
08:10perched on the humid edge
08:12of civilization
08:12with no roads
08:14in or out.
08:16I head to the dock
08:17to meet expedition leader
08:19and fellow
08:19Explorers Club member
08:21Peter Tattersfield.
08:23Hey, Peter.
08:24Hey, Josh.
08:25Good to see you, man.
08:26Great to see you.
08:26Yeah.
08:27Let me introduce you
08:27to my business partner,
08:28Miguel Fernandez.
08:29Miguel, pleasure.
08:30Great to meet you, Josh.
08:32Peter is a technical diver
08:33who's been working
08:34in marine archaeology
08:35for more than 30 years,
08:37where he not only hunts
08:38for historic wrecks,
08:40but finds them.
08:41And I know that a few years ago,
08:42you were part of a major discovery
08:43of another lost ship.
08:45Yes, the SS Independence.
08:47I received a grant
08:49from the Explorers Club,
08:50and working in collaboration
08:51with INA,
08:52the Institute of National Anthropology
08:54and History,
08:54we were able to locate
08:55the remains of the SS Independence
08:57off the coast of Baja
08:58in Mexico.
09:00Incredible.
09:00Awesome.
09:01Okay, let's talk
09:01about this mission.
09:02I have to say,
09:04like a lot of people,
09:05I had never heard
09:06of the Oris.
09:06This idea of bringing ships
09:08through Nicaragua,
09:09I knew nothing about this.
09:10So where does
09:11this whole story start?
09:13It all starts in 1848
09:14in Sutter Mill, California
09:16with the discovery of gold.
09:18That sparked a mass migration
09:20from all over,
09:22people trying to get
09:22to California
09:23and stake their claim
09:24and get rich.
09:25But the road to gold rush riches
09:28ain't easy.
09:30Aspiring 49ers have three
09:31nightmarish itineraries
09:33to choose from.
09:34Take your pick.
09:37Option one,
09:38travel across the country
09:393,000 miles
09:40in a bumpy wagon train
09:41for four to six months
09:42with the exciting possibilities
09:44of contracting cholera
09:45or smallpox,
09:47native skirmishes,
09:48or freezing to death
09:49in the mountains.
09:50Not for you?
09:52Okay, well option two
09:54is by sea.
09:55A nice little 17,000 mile jaunt
09:57around the tip of South America,
09:59assuming your ship
09:59doesn't wreck
10:00and you survive
10:01being on a floating petri dish
10:02for six to eight months.
10:04Or three,
10:06a boat to Panama
10:07and then a generally horrible
10:0955 mile trek
10:10through unforgiving jungle
10:12before taking another boat
10:14up the west coast.
10:15Sure, it's the fastest option,
10:17but it does come
10:18with the super fun bonus
10:19of exposure
10:19to deadly tropical diseases
10:21like yellow fever
10:22and typhoid.
10:23There's got to be
10:24a better way.
10:27Enter self-made
10:28shipping tycoon
10:29Cornelius Vanderbilt.
10:32Though he is perhaps
10:33most remembered
10:34for building
10:35an overland railroad empire,
10:37he comes from
10:38more aquatic roots.
10:40Born into a working-class family
10:41on New York's Staten Island,
10:43Vanderbilt amasses his fortune
10:45through ferry
10:46and steamboat operations,
10:48earning the nickname
10:49the Commodore.
10:50He then ushers in
10:51the golden age
10:52of steamboat travel
10:53and becomes
10:54an obscenely rich man
10:56by staying one step ahead
10:57of his competitors.
10:59Now,
11:00Cornelius Vanderbilt
11:01hears that the Panama route
11:03is charging $600 per person
11:06to move people across
11:07up to California.
11:08And so he figures
11:09that by using
11:10the Nicaragua route,
11:11he can shorten the trip
11:13by 700 miles,
11:14he can charge half
11:16and still make
11:17a bundle of money.
11:18And this whole trip
11:20through Nicaragua
11:21will take people how long?
11:22About 30 days.
11:24I mean,
11:24compared to eight months
11:25and having to walk
11:26over the Rockies,
11:27like, that sounds like
11:28a great deal.
11:29It's a no-brainer.
11:30Right.
11:32Vanderbilt plans
11:33a five-leg journey
11:34to complete
11:35his Nicaragua route.
11:36First,
11:37passengers will travel
11:38from New York
11:38here to Greytown
11:40on large,
11:40ocean-going steamships.
11:42Then,
11:43a river steamship
11:44will complete
11:44the daring
11:45120-mile run
11:47up the fast
11:48and shallow
11:48San Juan River.
11:50Then,
11:50a third ship
11:51to cross Lake Nicaragua,
11:53followed by a
11:5412-mile stagecoach ride
11:55to the Pacific
11:56where a final
11:57ocean steamer
11:58takes them
11:58to San Francisco.
12:01So,
12:02Vanderbilt gets
12:02a contract
12:03with the Nicaraguan
12:04government
12:04to transport people
12:05across the country.
12:07There's just
12:07one hiccup.
12:08Okay,
12:09what's that?
12:09There's no steamship
12:10that has ever
12:11navigated
12:12the 120 miles
12:13of the San Juan River
12:14up to Lake Nicaragua.
12:16Okay,
12:17that is a minor hiccup.
12:19To conquer
12:20the untamed waters
12:21of the San Juan River,
12:23Vanderbilt needs
12:24a special ship.
12:25He believes
12:26he's found one
12:27in the Auris.
12:29Designed in 1842
12:30by master engineer
12:31James P. Allaire.
12:34158 feet long
12:36and weighing in
12:37at 247 tons,
12:39Allaire brags
12:40that the Auris
12:40could stop,
12:41start,
12:42forward and back,
12:43quicker and more
12:44certainly than
12:45any boat in New York.
12:47This was due in part
12:48to her cutting-edge
12:49twin-engine configuration
12:50and massive
12:51coal-fired boiler.
12:52So she sounds like
12:55an incredibly able
12:56ship to take on
12:57this river.
12:57She had a shallow draft,
12:58she was very maneuverable,
13:00really kind of ideal
13:00for the San Juan.
13:01And what happens?
13:02On her first attempt
13:03up the river,
13:04she gets about
13:05two-thirds of the way up
13:06and disaster strikes.
13:10While attempting
13:11to run one set
13:12of swift
13:13and shallow rapids,
13:14the Auris
13:15grounds out
13:16on jagged rocks,
13:17becoming hopelessly trapped.
13:19The crew desperately
13:22tries to free her,
13:24but in the end,
13:25they're forced
13:25to abandon ship.
13:27In time,
13:28the wreck fades
13:29from memory
13:29and is swept away
13:30by the rushing water.
13:34Why is this
13:35such an important
13:36ship to find?
13:37The Auris,
13:37it's going to take us
13:38back to that era
13:39of 1850,
13:41the Gold Rush era.
13:42It captures
13:43the American spirit
13:44of adventure.
13:45And you think
13:46you can find it?
13:47I know we're
13:47going to find her.
13:48I love the confidence.
13:49All right,
13:49so what's our plan?
13:51So we're going
13:51to retrace
13:52the Auris' route.
13:54Except for the sinking part?
13:56Well, hopefully.
13:57Right.
13:57Is this us?
13:59This is us.
13:59We're ready to roll.
14:00Let's go.
14:01Okay.
14:03We load the boat
14:04with supplies
14:05and proudly hoist
14:06Explorers Club
14:07flag number 124,
14:09which has been
14:09on expeditions
14:10to the rough seas
14:11of the Cape of Good Hope
14:13and traveled
14:14by dog sled
14:15across Alaska's
14:16Bering Strait.
14:17Now it's tackling
14:18the mysteries
14:19of the San Juan River
14:20and the wild jungles
14:22on either side.
14:23To guide us
14:24through the dangerous
14:25and doomed route
14:26of the Auris,
14:27we're joined
14:27by seasoned
14:28Captain Julio Morillo
14:29and pilot
14:31Giovanni Butos.
14:33All right,
14:34here we go.
14:35Into the unknown.
14:37Next stop?
14:38The Auris.
14:40Let's do it.
14:40Here we go, guys.
14:41Let's do it.
14:42Let's do it.
14:42Let's do it.
14:43Let's do it.
14:44Let's do it.
14:46We leave behind
14:47the village
14:48and our last view
14:49of the tropical waters
14:51of the Caribbean
14:51as we steam up
14:53the mouth of the river
14:54into a watery labyrinth.
14:56The San Juan
14:57discharges
14:57a staggering
14:5840 million cubic gallons
15:00of water a day.
15:02All that H2O
15:03flows east
15:04through narrow channels
15:05jammed with rocks.
15:07This is a world
15:08of unpredictable currents
15:10and shifting shoals
15:11hidden just below
15:12the surface
15:13that could shred
15:14our hull
15:15like Swiss cheese.
15:17This river
15:18has such diversity,
15:20Josh.
15:21We got crocodiles
15:22and caimans,
15:24freshwater bull sharks
15:25up by the lake.
15:26Freshwater bull sharks,
15:27okay?
15:28And on land,
15:29don't think on land
15:30it's much safer.
15:31You got to deal
15:32with jaguars
15:33and all kinds of snakes.
15:36This guy hits a rock
15:38and we lose that prop,
15:39then what do we do?
15:40Grab your life preserver.
15:42We're swimming
15:43to great town.
15:44I mean,
15:44that's not even a joke.
15:45There's no roads.
15:47Nobody's coming for you.
15:48No one's coming for us.
15:57Whoa!
15:58Crocodile!
15:58Whoa!
15:58Look at that!
15:59Crocodile!
16:00Slow down, slow down,
16:00slow down!
16:01Look at that thing!
16:10Crocodile!
16:10Look at that thing!
16:12That wasn't a little caiman,
16:13that was a proper crocodile.
16:15Wow!
16:17These waters are teeming
16:18with American crocodiles,
16:20which can reach
16:21up to 14 feet in length.
16:23I'm happy to be
16:24inside our boat
16:25with explorers
16:26Peter Tattersfield
16:27and Miguel Fernandez
16:28on an expedition
16:30up Nicaragua's
16:31wild San Juan River
16:32in search of
16:33Cornelius Vanderbilt's
16:35lost steamship,
16:36the Oris.
16:37Okay, so let's talk
16:41about this.
16:41So we just left
16:42Grey Town
16:43on the Caribbean side,
16:44so that's here.
16:45Yep.
16:46And how far
16:47did the Oris
16:48have to travel
16:49on this journey?
16:50Well, the length
16:50of this river
16:51is 120 miles.
16:53And how far
16:53did the Oris get?
16:54We figured she made it
16:55about two-thirds
16:56of the way up,
16:57up into an area
16:58with some known rapids,
16:59a lot of hazards.
17:00It gets to those rapids
17:02and then she makes
17:03an attempt.
17:04She gives it a shot
17:05and she starts heading up.
17:08Close to the top
17:09of the rapids,
17:10she's just overcome
17:11by the force.
17:12Right.
17:13And she's pushed back
17:14and she ends up wrecking
17:16onto the rocks themselves.
17:18So what do they do?
17:19Well, they try all they can
17:20to get her released.
17:22They use ropes to pull,
17:23they use levers.
17:25You're pushing,
17:26they got men in the water
17:27and nothing seems to work.
17:29Eventually,
17:29they abandon her.
17:31She's beyond repair.
17:35So what,
17:36this ship just gets left
17:37wrecked in the middle
17:38of the river?
17:39Yeah, we have
17:39traveler's accounts
17:40that see her throughout
17:41the years sitting
17:42in the middle of the river.
17:43One of them,
17:44Samuel Clemens.
17:45Mark Twain.
17:46Mark Twain.
17:47Twain describes
17:49the remnants of a wreck
17:50at the foot
17:51of some rapids
17:52that is overtaken
17:54by vines
17:55and vegetation.
17:56Wow.
17:57So she just becomes
17:58another hazard
17:58on the San Juan.
17:59Yeah.
18:01Over decades,
18:02witnesses describe
18:03the overgrown wreck
18:05transforming into
18:06a kind of artificial island.
18:08And travelers' accounts
18:09of this wreckage
18:10just cease?
18:11They start to fade away
18:12and the route gets used
18:15less and less
18:15and then the Panama Canal
18:16comes along.
18:17Right.
18:18And the Orris
18:18is all but forgotten.
18:19Pretty much.
18:20Pretty much.
18:22Had she completed
18:23her voyage in 1850
18:25and Vanderbilt's travel route
18:27become a success,
18:28the world might have
18:29a Nicaragua canal
18:30and the Orris
18:31would be remembered
18:32as a pioneering vessel.
18:34Instead,
18:35today,
18:35not even a single photograph
18:37of the ship survives.
18:39Now, we do know
18:41that she's a wooden hoe,
18:42right?
18:42Yep.
18:42And what are the pieces
18:44that are most likely
18:45to survive?
18:46I would say the machinery,
18:47the boiler for sure,
18:49and if they're parts
18:50of the engine.
18:51And those boilers
18:51are big, right?
18:52Those boilers are big
18:53and they would have been
18:54bolted to an iron slab
18:56to very large timbers,
18:58which could definitely
18:58have survived as well.
19:00If we're lucky,
19:01we might find
19:02some of those elements.
19:04The boiler was the beating
19:06heart of the Orris.
19:07A coal-burning furnace
19:09generated steam,
19:10which drove two lever-beam engines,
19:13pushing paddle wheels
19:14mounted on either side
19:15of the vessel.
19:16While much of the wood
19:17has likely rotted away,
19:19the heavy metal components
19:20of the power plant
19:21may have survived.
19:24The question is,
19:25is she still visible?
19:26That's right.
19:27She might be submerged.
19:28Right.
19:28She might be under
19:29the waterline at this point.
19:30Absolutely, at this point.
19:30Okay.
19:31Wow.
19:32On paper,
19:32this sounds easy.
19:33How hard could it be
19:34to find a giant steamship
19:35in the middle of a river?
19:36It's got to be simple, right?
19:37But once you come out here,
19:39you realize
19:39it's not so simple.
19:40No.
19:42And the Orris
19:43is far from alone.
19:45In the decades
19:45after the ill-fated trip,
19:47dozens of other steamers
19:49were lost on the San Juan.
19:51Identifying the remains
19:52of the Orris
19:53may be a challenge.
19:54That is,
19:55if we can even reach her.
19:57Josh,
19:58this is our first set
19:59of real rapids.
20:03Wow,
20:03and they are deceptive
20:04because they don't look
20:06that bad,
20:06just these little white caps.
20:07Yeah.
20:08But we're barely moving.
20:09Yeah.
20:11You can feel the pull.
20:12Totally.
20:13You can definitely feel the pull.
20:14It's moving a lot of water.
20:16Yeah.
20:18We run the first set
20:20of rapids,
20:21but the churning waters
20:22are not the only danger
20:23lurking just beneath us.
20:26Julio,
20:26how deep is it here?
20:28Three feet.
20:29Three feet?
20:30Three feet.
20:30Imagine the Orris
20:33coming through here
20:34with only three feet of draft.
20:36Yeah.
20:37Oh.
20:38And there it is,
20:39right there.
20:40You can feel the motor
20:41hitting the sandbank.
20:43Oh, oh, oh, oh.
20:44Shallow.
20:46Shallow.
20:47Stop, stop, stop.
20:48We cut the engine.
20:49The last thing we want to do
20:51is damage the propeller
20:52and strand ourselves
20:53far from civilization.
20:55And we're grounded out.
20:57Okay, we got to push off of it.
20:59Yeah?
21:00We make like amateur gondoliers
21:02and use a pole
21:03to work our way free
21:04from the sandbar.
21:11We're coming off it?
21:12Yeah.
21:13Yeah.
21:15Yep, that's deeper.
21:18All right, we're off the sandbar.
21:19Can you punch it?
21:25Punch it.
21:27Make the leg.
21:28Make the leg.
21:28Here we go.
21:29Good, good, good.
21:30Okay, we're off it.
21:32Woo!
21:34We escape the shallows
21:36and thankfully avoid
21:37any damage to the boat.
21:42Mile after mile,
21:44hour after hour,
21:45we wind through
21:46the endless jungle,
21:48deeper into the heart of darkness
21:49that swallowed the Orris
21:51and into more churning rapids.
21:55So what's the strategy?
21:58To the right?
21:59To the right.
22:00Yeah?
22:00To the right?
22:01We both have the right.
22:03Okay, here we go.
22:10Okay, we're coming through.
22:12Still water ahead.
22:14After navigating the rapids,
22:16Julio says
22:17he has something to show us.
22:20The water level
22:21is too high right now,
22:22but when the river is low,
22:24he has seen rusty metal debris
22:26breaking the surface.
22:28We are far up the river,
22:30so could this be
22:31all that's left of the Orris?
22:34Julio, how far underwater
22:35do you think?
22:36It could be a few feet,
22:39maybe three or four feet.
22:41Oh, there's a little bit
22:42of swirling there.
22:43You see that?
22:43We have the and l'agua.
22:45Look at that.
22:45Right there, right there.
22:46You see that?
22:46Yep.
22:47The swirl?
22:47Yep.
22:48Can you reach the bottom there
22:51or no?
22:51No.
22:52There's something there.
22:53It's not close to the surface.
22:56So this is normally
22:57where we would pull out the sonar.
22:59We're using a slightly
23:00more manual technique today.
23:02There's something here.
23:04Oh.
23:05Something there.
23:05Touch it.
23:08I hate that.
23:09Yep, there's something right here.
23:11We got something.
23:12It's a structure.
23:14Yep, that's it.
23:15Right there.
23:16This is it.
23:17Bam.
23:18Look at that.
23:19Look at that.
23:19You literally staked it.
23:21Dude, nice work.
23:23Okay, now what?
23:24Get your wetsuit on.
23:26Really?
23:26Really.
23:28Okay, let's do it.
23:31We gear up to do something
23:33that may be best described
23:34as really stupid.
23:36A zero visibility dive
23:38in a crocodile infested river
23:40with swiftly moving current.
23:42Sure, why not?
23:43To keep us from getting
23:46washed downstream,
23:47our lifeline is a rope
23:49anchored into the submerged structure.
23:52Josh, do you want to do it with me?
23:55Read you loud and clear.
23:58All right, we are making our way
23:59along the lines
24:01toward the pole.
24:02Stand by.
24:05Man, the visibility is next to nothing.
24:07Maybe only a couple of inches.
24:09Josh, stay on the line.
24:12The current is ripping.
24:14Don't worry.
24:14I'm not letting go.
24:20There's something down here, Josh.
24:22Oh my word.
24:23I think it's metal.
24:25What do you see?
24:26Is it a wreck?
24:28It's a large piece of something.
24:31This could be it.
24:32This could be a chimney.
24:35Hold on.
24:35We're going to go further down.
24:36Okay, I am on the bottom,
24:45moving left past the edge
24:47of the chimney shank.
24:48Be careful, Josh.
24:51Hope I feel something.
24:53Hoping it doesn't move.
24:55No mid-solid.
24:57This is a hole.
25:00This is the hole of the ship.
25:02Guys, is it metal or wood?
25:03I'm not feeling any work.
25:07No timber at all.
25:08This is all metal.
25:11Looks steel.
25:13Hold to me, Peter.
25:13What do you think?
25:15Yeah, this is all steel.
25:17I don't think it's the Auris.
25:19Okay.
25:20Let's head on to the surface.
25:25Watch out for that current.
25:26It is strong as hell
25:28when you get about three feet from the top.
25:30Copy that.
25:32Yeah, it's bad.
25:37I'm open, Rich.
25:38I'm open.
25:50I'm open.
25:51I'm open.
25:52I'm open.
25:58Josh, grab my arm.
25:59Here's the line.
26:07Got it.
26:09Okay, I'm all right.
26:10I got it.
26:1310-4.
26:17We follow the safety line
26:18back into the sunlight.
26:25Oh, man, that sucks.
26:28Thank you for getting me back on the line.
26:29I had one hand on it
26:31near the surface
26:31and lost it
26:32and immediately
26:33you just start
26:33heading downriver.
26:35Well, that's why
26:35I cut my fingertips off,
26:37Josh,
26:37because I want to know
26:38where that line is.
26:39Yeah, no,
26:39it's like it slipped away from me
26:41and then suddenly
26:41it's like you're gone.
26:43Look, the visibility down there
26:44is diabolical,
26:45but it's enough
26:46that the takeaway is clear.
26:48That is not the Auris.
26:49Thinking about where we are,
26:51we just passed a set of rapids,
26:53so we're above a set of rapids.
26:55Right.
26:55The Auris needs to be below.
26:56Yeah, right.
26:57The location doesn't quite fit.
26:58That's right.
26:59But whatever that ship is,
27:00it's substantial.
27:02Yeah, it is.
27:03It's a good-sized wreck.
27:04You know,
27:04there was a ship
27:05that sank a few years later,
27:071854,
27:08the Ometepe,
27:09which was one of the big steamers
27:11that went across the lake.
27:12Okay,
27:12so maybe that's the Ometepe?
27:14Yeah,
27:15it struck a rock
27:16and they say it sank
27:17in 24 feet of water.
27:18How deep were you guys?
27:19That's about where we were at.
27:20Has the wreckage
27:22of the Ometepe been charted?
27:25Not that I'm aware of.
27:26We may have just put eyes on
27:28a significant historical shipwreck
27:30that's uncharted.
27:33Amazingly,
27:34this may be
27:35one of Vanderbilt's other ships.
27:37The Ometepe ferried travelers
27:39across Lake Nicaragua
27:40after the wreck of the Auris.
27:43The loss was another major blow
27:45for his transit line
27:46and plans to build a canal.
27:49Fully booked
27:49with 250 passengers
27:51when she hit a rock,
27:53it's fortunate
27:53that everyone
27:54was able to evacuate.
27:56Lost to the depths
27:57for more than 170 years,
28:00we may have just
28:01put her back on the map.
28:04But the Auris still awaits.
28:07Let's go find her.
28:07Let's do it, yeah.
28:08Let's get out of this water
28:09before a crocodile
28:10rips my leg.
28:10Come on.
28:13Back on the water,
28:14the hours tick by
28:16as we scan the banks
28:17for shipwrecks.
28:18We continue to fight
28:22the heavy current,
28:23taxing the outboard
28:24and burning through fuel fast.
28:26Fortunately,
28:27Peter has a plan
28:28to gas up.
28:30Hey, Josh,
28:31we got a little town
28:31coming up here pretty soon
28:32that we're going to pull into.
28:34They got a town out here?
28:36Yeah, a river town.
28:37A river town.
28:38No roads in,
28:39no roads out.
28:41It's called El Castillo.
28:42And there she is,
28:43right there.
28:44Is that a fortress up there?
28:54Yeah.
28:54Fortress built by the Spaniards
28:56back in the 16th century
28:58to ward off pirates.
29:00Pirates?
29:01Pirates.
29:02Of course.
29:04Josh, welcome to El Castillo.
29:07Happy to be here.
29:08Dry land.
29:08While Captain Julio refuels,
29:13we walk through a town
29:14largely cut off
29:16from the outside world.
29:20El Castillo looks like
29:22a lost set
29:22from the Jungle Cruise.
29:24Luckily,
29:25the coffee is strong
29:26and the traffic is light.
29:27In short,
29:30not much has changed
29:31since steamship passengers
29:32dreaming of California gold
29:34walked these streets.
29:36How cute is this town?
29:38You never know
29:39what you're going to find
29:39on the river.
29:41And in the hills above,
29:42a derelict fortress
29:44is a ghostly reminder
29:45of El Castillo's
29:47colonial past.
29:48Look at that view.
30:08Wow.
30:08That is something.
30:10Amazing.
30:13Built in 1673,
30:15it was strategically positioned
30:16to protect the Spanish
30:18colonial capital
30:19in Grenada
30:19from invaders.
30:21A century later,
30:23a young Horatio Nelson
30:24captured the fort
30:25for the British.
30:26And in 1850,
30:28the town became
30:28a major stop
30:29on Vanderbilt's
30:30developing trade route.
30:33After the Oris disaster,
30:35this was the toughest
30:36set of rapids
30:37for the future steamships
30:38navigating the river.
30:39It was so tough, Josh,
30:41that they would
30:42disembark downstream.
30:44They built a rail system
30:46to haul the passengers
30:48and cargo
30:48around this castle
30:50down to this point
30:52at the foot of the castle,
30:53and they'd load
30:54their cargo
30:55and passengers
30:56onto another steamship
30:57that would take them
30:58westward back.
30:59So they totally gave up
31:01on the idea
31:01of even getting a steamship
31:02through this section.
31:03They really did.
31:06With the sun setting,
31:07we set up hammocks
31:08in town
31:09to get some much-needed rest.
31:12All right, boys,
31:13good night.
31:14Good night.
31:14All right.
31:15Good day, fellas.
31:16Great day.
31:17Hey, none of you guys
31:18snore, right?
31:19Uh, no.
31:31Early the next morning,
31:32we're back on the hunt
31:33for the Oris.
31:35With El Castillo
31:36in the rear view,
31:37every trace
31:37of civilization
31:38vanishes.
31:39We're alone on the river,
31:42surrounded by wild rainforest,
31:44with nothing but green
31:45in every direction.
31:50According to contemporary sources,
31:52the wreck was overtaken
31:53by the jungle
31:54and transformed
31:55into a small island
31:57somewhere in this area,
31:58about two-thirds of the way
32:00to Lake Nicaragua.
32:01We're in the right spot.
32:03The Oris should be close,
32:05so we keep our eyes peeled.
32:07It is so overgrown
32:15that it's kind of hard
32:16to imagine seeing anything
32:17unless it is just
32:18right on the water's edge.
32:20The course of this river
32:20has changed a lot
32:21over the last 200 years.
32:24Today, what's in the jungle
32:25200 years ago
32:26might have been
32:27on the edge of the bank.
32:28Totally.
32:31Hey.
32:32Right there.
32:32Right there.
32:34Look at that.
32:34Right in there.
32:35That's metal for sure.
32:36You see that?
32:38Can we come around?
32:41That is metal for sure.
32:42Yeah.
32:42What the hell is that?
32:45Let's see if we can find
32:46some place to come ashore.
32:47Vamos a acercarnos
32:48a la vuelta
32:49a ver si podemos entrar por ahí.
32:53We beach the boat
32:54in a clearing.
32:55We'll have to bushwhack
32:56through the dense vegetation
32:57to investigate
32:58the rusty metal debris.
33:02Okay.
33:10Not going to worry about what?
33:11Snakes?
33:12I think there are only
33:13about five different types
33:14of venomous snakes here
33:15in Nicaragua.
33:17Why did I even ask
33:18this question?
33:19Come on.
33:20We're having fun.
33:21Keep your eyes open.
33:22Good Lord.
33:27The thick jungle slows
33:28our progress to a crawl.
33:30One machete chop at a time,
33:32we clear a path.
33:36Anything?
33:37Nothing yet.
33:39But it's thick up here.
33:41It should be
33:42on our left
33:44by the water, yeah?
33:45Yeah, I think
33:46I see something.
33:48Hang on.
33:52Hey, guys.
33:53Get over here.
33:54You got it?
33:55Show me.
33:55Over here.
33:56Where is it?
33:57Right over here.
33:59Ha-ha!
33:59There it is!
34:00Oh, my word.
34:02That's a boiler.
34:09That is absolutely
34:11a ship's boiler.
34:12Literally in the middle
34:13of the jungle.
34:14I'm with explorers
34:15Peter Tattersfield
34:16and Miguel Fernandez
34:18searching for the
34:19steamship Oris.
34:20So we got something here
34:21like a hatch.
34:22Yeah.
34:22And I think this is
34:23connected.
34:24I think this is actually
34:24the boiler underneath us here.
34:26Right.
34:26So this is the boiler.
34:28Part of the chimney
34:28and there's a smaller chimney
34:30that goes up higher.
34:31Right.
34:31So this is like the
34:32smokestack up here.
34:32Exactly.
34:34Unbelievable.
34:35So the million dollar
34:36question,
34:37are we standing
34:38on top of the Oris?
34:40I don't think so, Josh.
34:41You don't?
34:41I don't think so.
34:43Number one,
34:44we don't have an island.
34:45We have vegetation,
34:47but there's no island impact
34:49with this wreck.
34:50Whatever this ship is,
34:51I think she came
34:52to rest here
34:53and the bulk of her
34:55is two feet beneath us.
34:57There is one other
34:57big issue with this, too.
34:59Yeah.
35:00Rapids.
35:00Exactly.
35:01There's no rapids here
35:02at all.
35:03We're not at the foot
35:04of rapids.
35:04We're not above rapids.
35:05This is calm water
35:06out here.
35:07Yeah.
35:07We also know
35:09that the Oris
35:09was powered
35:10by two steam engines,
35:12but here we don't see
35:13any remains
35:14beyond the boiler
35:15and chimney.
35:16Probably not the Oris.
35:18But a steamship
35:19in the jungle.
35:21That's not something
35:21you see every day.
35:22But on Rio San Juan,
35:23it is.
35:24Right.
35:25This era
35:25during the gold rush
35:26had a tremendous
35:27amount of traffic
35:28up and down this river.
35:30All right,
35:31so we'll document it
35:31as best we can
35:32and then head back
35:33to the river.
35:33Sounds good.
35:34Let's do it.
35:34Let's do it.
35:37Having come across
35:38another lost wreck,
35:40we measure the dimensions
35:41of the boiler
35:42and record GPS coordinates.
35:44Hopefully,
35:45future archival research
35:46will uncover a name
35:48and reveal the story
35:49of this mystery vessel.
35:54Back on the boat,
35:56we continue working
35:57our way upriver
35:58for several more hours.
36:00Hey, guys,
36:02we're coming up
36:02to a really,
36:03really dangerous
36:05part of the river.
36:07All the accounts
36:07that we have
36:08with these rapids,
36:09this is where
36:10we have the greatest
36:11chance of finding
36:12the Oris.
36:13Keep your eyes open,
36:14but brace yourselves
36:15for a bumpy ride.
36:16All right.
36:18Everybody hang on
36:19to something.
36:19Here we go.
36:23Vanderbilt's
36:23lost steamship
36:24may have crashed
36:25on the rocks
36:26in this rapid.
36:27We need to be careful
36:28or we'll meet
36:29the same fate.
36:30Yeah, hang on.
36:32It's gonna get bumpy.
36:34Hold on.
36:37Woo!
36:40Good Lord!
36:43Finding this current
36:44is no joke.
36:46These are some
36:46strong rapids.
36:50I mean,
36:50we are basically
36:51at a standstill here.
36:54Like an aquatic treadmill,
36:56the surging waters
36:57have us running in place.
37:00Come on!
37:03Come on, baby!
37:05It almost feels like
37:07we're going backwards
37:07in this.
37:09You can absolutely see
37:11how a ship
37:12the size of the Oris
37:13could get destroyed
37:14in here.
37:16We clear the first
37:17leg of the rapids
37:18and find an unusual
37:19channel forking off
37:21near the river's edge.
37:22This is not the bank
37:23of the river.
37:24This is an island.
37:25This is an island,
37:26for sure.
37:26This is reminiscent
37:28of what passers-by
37:29like Mark Twain
37:30noted a century ago.
37:32A small island
37:33which built up
37:34around the Oris.
37:35It's certainly
37:36worth investigating.
37:38Can we sneak in here,
37:39you think?
37:40Let's see if we can get
37:41out of the main current here.
37:42beauty.
37:48Amazing.
37:49We're in.
37:51Okay?
37:52We're on the inside
37:53of whatever this island
37:53is now.
37:54Right in the rapids.
37:56And we got an island.
37:57Absolutely.
38:01So let's see
38:02if we can come ashore.
38:04Right here.
38:06Everybody hang on.
38:07As I set foot
38:09on dry land,
38:10we are once again
38:11enveloped
38:12by thick wilderness.
38:16Wow.
38:17Look at this place.
38:18Hey, Peter.
38:18Yeah.
38:19You're going to need that.
38:20Oh, yeah.
38:21So let's see
38:21where this goes.
38:22We got some work
38:23ahead of us, though.
38:23Yeah, this looks overgrown.
38:25Keep an eye out
38:26for anything metal,
38:27any kind of objects.
38:28That's right.
38:28Okay.
38:30We bushwhack our way
38:32toward the far edge
38:33of the island,
38:34searching for traces
38:35of anything man-made.
38:36It is thick up here.
38:46This is tough going.
38:52Inch by inch,
38:53we hack our way
38:54to the opposite shore.
38:59Looks like it opens up.
39:03Whoa!
39:03What do you got?
39:04Check it out!
39:05Oh, my God!
39:07Oh, boy.
39:07Holy s**t!
39:08Look at that!
39:09That is an entire
39:11boiler system.
39:12This is a steamship.
39:14That's from a steamship?
39:15Yes, for sure.
39:17Try to clear this out
39:18so I can get a good look
39:19at the boiler.
39:24Oh, my God.
39:26Look at this.
39:27Look at this.
39:27Look at this.
39:27Look at this.
39:28Oh, my God.
39:29Oh, my God.
39:29Oh, my God.
39:30Oh, my God.
39:30Oh, my God.
39:31But is it the pioneering oris
39:33or just a boiler
39:34from a later lost steamer?
39:37Good?
39:39Look at this beast.
39:41Okay, so let's talk
39:42about this thing.
39:43I mean, this is insane.
39:46If I'm not mistaken,
39:47this is a cylindrical-style boiler
39:49that was first developed
39:51in the 1840s,
39:53which is right the time
39:54when the oris was built.
39:55So this is definitely potential.
39:58This fits the bill.
39:59Absolutely.
40:00And not only that,
40:00we're right by a set of rapids.
40:02Guys, there's even more up there.
40:04Oh, there's more in front of it.
40:04I think there's some machinery.
40:07Oh, there's more.
40:08Yeah, look at this.
40:09Look at this.
40:10There's a lot more here.
40:11This looks like part of an engine.
40:12These are definitely engine parts.
40:13And remember what I told you guys?
40:15The oris had a twin-beam engine.
40:17That's right.
40:18And look at that.
40:19Look at these parallel pieces.
40:20This is almost a smoking gun.
40:23We know from designer James P. Allaire's records
40:26that the oris had two lever-beam engines
40:29driving paddle wheels
40:30mounted on either side of the hull.
40:33You should be able to see furnace openings
40:35on the bottom of the boiler.
40:36Can you see anything?
40:36Oh, there is.
40:37Look at that.
40:38That's the opening to the furnace.
40:40It is.
40:43What's in there?
40:44Can you see in there?
40:45I can.
40:47Check it out.
40:49What's in there?
40:51You got something?
40:52I do.
40:53What the hell is that?
40:54What do you got?
40:54Oh, my.
41:04Welcome to charming downtown Managua,
41:07Nicaragua's cultural center
41:09and the heart of its capital.
41:11It's funny.
41:12I thought it would be bigger.
41:13Weird.
41:17This scale model is an exact replica
41:20of the city's main drag
41:22before a devastating earthquake
41:23flattened it in 1972.
41:26Now, visitors can tower over
41:28Mini Agua
41:29and remember the city that was,
41:31frozen forever in time.
41:33I just raided the Mini Bar.
41:42Because it's a small hotel.
41:45Mini?
41:45Doesn't matter.
41:46You get it.
41:55Check that out.
41:56Is that coal?
41:57Look at that.
41:58Is that coal from the furnace?
42:00It sure is.
42:01We've just found a lump of coal,
42:03yet somehow it feels like Christmas.
42:06That's because our expedition
42:07up the San Juan River in Nicaragua
42:10may have hit pay dirt.
42:12I got another piece.
42:14That's coal.
42:15That is definitely coal,
42:17and that is old coal.
42:18And remember,
42:19the Orish was burning coal.
42:20Right.
42:21So another,
42:22another piece of evidence.
42:24They're stacking up.
42:25They are stacking up.
42:27Everything we're seeing
42:28matches descriptions of the Orish.
42:31We've got an 1840s-era
42:33coal-fired boiler
42:34wrecked near a rapid
42:35and embedded in an island.
42:38Check, check, and check.
42:40Oh.
42:42I got metal.
42:44Oh!
42:44Look at this!
42:46Look at this!
42:47You got, whoa!
42:48This is an anchor.
42:49That is an anchor.
42:50Definitely.
42:50I mean, that is
42:51for sure an anchor.
42:53The main part of the anchor here,
42:54you can see,
42:55is completely buried.
42:56So the flukes,
42:57all that must be
42:57all the way underneath this mass.
42:59Again, this is more evidence
43:01that this ship,
43:02whatever it is,
43:03when it wrecked here,
43:04it formed a kind of island.
43:05There's got to be
43:06more around here, Josh.
43:07Let's keep on looking.
43:11To fully investigate
43:13the debris field,
43:14we put on wetsuits
43:15and brave the
43:16crocodile-infested waters
43:17to see what's hiding
43:19beneath the surface.
43:20All right,
43:21let's talk about the plan here.
43:22What are we looking for underwater?
43:23So these pieces of machinery
43:24should be bolted
43:26to an iron plate,
43:27and that iron plate
43:28would have been bolted
43:29to a keelson.
43:30That's a really big,
43:32thick piece of timber
43:32that ran the length
43:34of the hull.
43:34That's right.
43:35Auras has to be
43:35wooden hulled,
43:36so that configuration
43:37is indicative of the Auras.
43:39Absolutely.
43:40And in fact,
43:40this is a wood hulled ship,
43:42right?
43:42So there should be timber
43:43all through here.
43:44It's got to be, yeah.
43:44Okay, let's see
43:45if we can see
43:46anything underwater here.
43:47Here we go.
43:47Let's go.
43:49We only have
43:50a few inches
43:51of visibility,
43:52so we use our hands
43:53to grope in the murk.
43:57Peter!
43:58Yeah?
43:59I'm feeling wood
44:00all over the place
44:00down here, aren't you?
44:01I'm feeling wood,
44:02but I'm feeling
44:03an iron or steel plank
44:06right here beneath me.
44:07Where is that?
44:07Right here.
44:08Give me your hand.
44:08Uh-huh.
44:09Feel this.
44:09Whoa.
44:11That is metal.
44:13What do you guys have?
44:14There's like a metal plank
44:15that runs right underneath
44:17this equipment.
44:18Is it flat?
44:18It's flat.
44:19Yes, completely flat.
44:20And can you get any sense
44:21of how thick it is?
44:22I'd say an inch and a half.
44:23Oh, man.
44:24And there's also
44:24what feels like
44:26there might be like
44:27decking here.
44:29Hold on a second.
44:29Wood?
44:30Yes.
44:33Ah, look at this.
44:34That's a piece of timber.
44:35That's a great piece of timber.
44:36Look at that.
44:37For sure.
44:38Look at these parts here.
44:39Right?
44:39This looks like
44:39it might have been
44:40drilled out here.
44:40This is not like
44:41an old branch.
44:41This is a piece of timber.
44:43You can see that's plain.
44:44Yeah, look at this
44:45drill hole right there.
44:46There was a screw
44:47in there at one point.
44:49That's amazing.
44:50Two lever beam engines
44:52affixed to a metal plate
44:54sitting on a wood-hulled ship.
44:56This is a dead match
44:57for the information
44:58we have on the Auris.
45:00All the pieces of the puzzle
45:02are sliding into place.
45:04All right, let's take
45:04stock of things here,
45:05starting with where we're at.
45:07Where we're at
45:08feels right, doesn't it?
45:10It feels like we're
45:11in the right place, Josh.
45:12A, we're in the rapids.
45:14Like literally in the rapids.
45:15Right in the center.
45:17B, an island.
45:18That's right.
45:19We've got a wreck
45:20that has an island
45:21forming around it.
45:22Right.
45:22So, I mean, already,
45:23that is incredibly promising.
45:26We've got a boiler
45:27that was overgrown by the jungle.
45:29And then we've got
45:30the wreck itself.
45:31I mean, we've got
45:32a cylindrical-style boiler
45:33that fits into the era.
45:35Yep.
45:35We know that it had
45:36a double-beam engine.
45:37And we've got
45:38parallel parts here.
45:39Look at this.
45:40That are about the right size.
45:41They're about the right size.
45:42And underneath that,
45:44it's all bolted down to iron.
45:45And we've got wooden timbers
45:48and beams underneath that.
45:50And it appears
45:50to be a wooden hull.
45:52Okay.
45:53So, Josh, Miguel,
45:55we're sitting on the Auris.
45:56This feels right.
45:57It sure does.
45:58Absolutely incredible.
46:00Yeah.
46:00And you know what is so,
46:01you know what is so wild about this?
46:03This isn't some artifact
46:04that had to be dug up.
46:06It had to be re-remembered.
46:08It's like a forgotten piece of history
46:10just trapped in this river.
46:12She's been waiting for us.
46:14She's been waiting for us.
46:15How about that?
46:16Yep.
46:16Awesome, awesome job.
46:18Guys, incredible.
46:20Really exciting.
46:21Look at that.
46:22The Auris.
46:23Dude, unbelievable.
46:26Amazing job.
46:27Should we dry off?
46:28Let's go.
46:29Let's get out of here.
46:32We clean off the vegetation
46:33to photograph and measure
46:35the boiler and engine.
46:38All of the evidence indicates
46:40that this is the Auris,
46:42the first passenger steamer
46:43to take on the mighty San Juan River.
46:46A lost chapter in Nicaragua's history
46:49has been found.
46:50Back in the gold rush heyday,
47:00when tens of thousands of prospectors
47:02were traveling west,
47:04Vanderbilt saw opportunity
47:05and dollar signs.
47:07But his vision claimed the Auris,
47:10the Ometepe,
47:10and dozens of other steamships.
47:14In 1855, a rail line was completed across Panama,
47:18and in 1869,
47:20the Transcontinental Railroad
47:21bridged the United States.
47:23In 1906, the opening of the Panama Canal
47:27was the final nail in the coffin.
47:30But history has a way of repeating itself.
47:34Nicaragua is, once again,
47:36looking for partners
47:37to build a new ocean-to-ocean canal.
47:40But investors beware.
47:42The San Juan River
47:44has a way of carving its own path
47:47and deciding the destinies
47:49of those who try to tame it.
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