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00:00Tonight, on the Curse of Oak Island...
00:03What is it? These are bricks.
00:05It's looking pretty structured, like, to me.
00:07What a perfect place to hide something.
00:09Yeah.
00:10Ooh! That has got a good chance to be gold.
00:14You see the CT scan.
00:16Oh, my gosh.
00:18Imagine my surprise when I saw that.
00:20As I was going down, there's definitely nothing solid there.
00:23Like, totally open. Yeah.
00:25That sounds like a void.
00:26It could be the treasure chamber.
00:30There is an island in the North Atlantic
00:34where people have been looking for an incredible treasure
00:37for more than 200 years.
00:40So far, they have found a stone slab
00:44with strange symbols carved into it.
00:46Man-made workings that date to medieval times.
00:50And a lead cross whose origin may be connected
00:54to the Knights Templar.
00:56To date, six men have died trying to solve the mystery.
01:01And, according to legend,
01:03one more will have to die
01:06before the treasure can be found.
01:09Ready to rock?
01:22Here we go.
01:23Cool. Thank you.
01:24Hey, Rick.
01:25Hey, Steve.
01:26Where are we?
01:28Where are we?
01:29We're down to about 35 feet in D.25, 8.25.
01:34It's a place where we don't have any information on,
01:37so let's gather that information in right now.
01:39A new day of hope and excitement has begun on Oak Island
01:44for brothers Rick and Marty Lagina and their team.
01:47That is undisturbed material.
01:49That's within the range of normal.
01:51As they explore the fabled money pit area
01:54in search of the answers
01:56to a 230-year-old treasure mystery.
01:59If we're really near the money pit,
02:01what should we expect to see as we go down?
02:04We're really close to areas where Dr. Spooner
02:06and Dr. Michael have tested for precious metals in the water.
02:09But we don't have a lot of information in this area,
02:11so I don't know what we're going to see.
02:12Well, we're hoping for a structure at around 150.
02:17After high traces of gold and silver were detected
02:20through recent groundwater testing in this area
02:23over the past three weeks...
02:25Whoa, whoa.
02:26We got a lot of wood.
02:27The Oak Island team has drilled
02:29through a mysterious nine-foot-high tunnel
02:32some 109 feet deep on multiple occasions.
02:36We're seeing wood, a middle section,
02:39then wood again, and concrete.
02:41After that.
02:42This looks like the vault.
02:44Interesting.
02:45However, at a depth of some 150 feet,
02:49they also recovered compelling evidence
02:51of the legendary Chapel Vault,
02:54a seven-foot-high wooden chest encased in concrete
02:59that was first reported by treasure hunters
03:01Frederick Blair and William Chapel back in 1897.
03:06You know, every time a drill bar goes down,
03:10you know, you're hoping for the one thing.
03:12Right.
03:13Yeah.
03:14Now, the team is drilling borehole D.25, 8.25,
03:19just a few feet to the northeast.
03:22If the location of a possible treasure vault can be verified,
03:26they will install a massive steel caisson in order to retrieve it.
03:31Let's hope we continue to gather information all the way down.
03:34Or something more than information.
03:36Exactly.
03:37Treasure.
03:38Treasure, treasure, treasure.
03:39What I'm hoping for is a breakthrough.
03:42I'm hoping for what Rick always calls the ah-ha moment,
03:46and finally bring this treasure onto the surface.
03:49I always say, you know, cross your fingers.
03:52Well, now maybe you might want to cross your toes, too.
03:55Yep.
03:57Let's see what happens.
03:58Let's see what happens.
03:59While the core drilling operation proceeds
04:02in the Money Pit area,
04:05later that morning on Lot 5,
04:09located on the western side of the island.
04:12This test pit area has been a conundrum to us.
04:15We really felt that there was something
04:17that we were going to discover at this level,
04:20and we haven't yet.
04:21Rick Lagina and metal detection expert Gary Drayton
04:25join archaeologist Fiona Steele
04:27and other members of the team
04:29to assist with the investigation
04:31of a mysterious stone foundation.
04:34We haven't totally given up on this,
04:35so we would really like to see
04:37if you wouldn't mind doing a check, too.
04:40All right.
04:41In fact, Gary, you can wander everywhere just in case.
04:44Yeah.
04:45Yeah.
04:46Over the past two years,
04:48this stone structure has yielded numerous clues
04:51that suggest it may be directly connected
04:54to the Oak Island mystery.
04:58In the wall.
04:59Yeah, in the wall.
05:00You've got some iron there.
05:01OK.
05:02These discoveries include 17th century trade beads,
05:06a mortar-like material that matches soil samples
05:09from more than 100 feet deep in the Money Pit area,
05:13and iron tools that have been scientifically linked
05:17to Sir William Phipps,
05:19the 17th century English politician,
05:22who some believe conspired with a high-ranking Freemason
05:26named Andrew Belcher to bury a vast cache
05:29of Spanish silver and gold on Oak Island back in 1687.
05:34We're coming over, Moya, to do a scan of your pit.
05:38OK.
05:39Now, since the feature has been deemed a special place
05:43by the government of Nova Scotia,
05:45Gary is allowed to detect potential metal targets.
05:49However, the archeological team must then slowly
05:52and methodically work to uncover them.
05:55The Lot 5 feature, though it has expanded two
06:00to three times its original appearance,
06:02it's still not completely exposed.
06:05And to do it properly, you have to have a lot of patience.
06:09And that's fine.
06:11That's the process.
06:14Yeah.
06:15I'm getting iron.
06:16I'll get out of the way.
06:20Bigger piece of iron there.
06:22Iron.
06:26There's iron all over in this one.
06:29Iron.
06:31Oh, blimey.
06:32You guys are going to be busy.
06:36That's different.
06:39Non-ferrous!
06:42Yeah, that is non-ferrous.
06:45Oh.
06:46OK, we'll remember that.
06:48There's a good chance that's a coin.
06:51A non-ferrous target?
06:53Indicating that something potentially composed
06:55of precious metals is buried in the feature?
06:59If so, could it mean that this structure
07:02was used to hide something of great value?
07:05I'm telling you now,
07:07there's only three metals that really make that sound.
07:10It's going to be copper, lead, or gold.
07:13You've got some great things waiting for you there.
07:15Mm-hmm.
07:16Mm-hmm.
07:17Well, we'll keep excavating,
07:18and maybe when we get further into it
07:19and have this pit almost complete,
07:21we can call you back for that again.
07:22We'll find it.
07:23We'll call you.
07:24You have to come down and do your gold fence.
07:26OK.
07:27I will do that.
07:28Can't wait to see what you dig up.
07:30Yep.
07:31Let's hope for the gold.
07:32While the search for answers and valuables
07:35continues on Lot 5,
07:38several hundred yards to the east
07:40in the northern region of the triangle-shaped swamp.
07:43Hey, Craig.
07:44So how are we doing?
07:45Well, over in the corner there,
07:47we found this huge pile of logs.
07:50OK.
07:51And there's some stones underneath it.
07:52Yeah.
07:53It's definitely path-like.
07:54OK.
07:56Gary Drayton joins Craig Tester,
07:58Alex Lagina, and Billy Gerhardt
08:01as they investigate a recently unearthed cobblestone feature.
08:05Kind of leading towards the eye of the swamp.
08:07OK.
08:08So that's another reason we thought it might be something.
08:10Mm-hmm.
08:11Because we feel that the eye might also be something.
08:13Yeah.
08:14We already have dates from that.
08:15I mean, there are several theories
08:16that fall into that interval.
08:17That's early enough to fit Phipps,
08:19but we need to prove it.
08:22That's solid.
08:23Yeah, that's a good one.
08:24In 2019, the Oak Island team
08:27began investigating a mysterious circular feature
08:30near the apex of the swamp
08:32that resembled a well-known symbol of Freemasonry
08:36known as the all-seeing eye.
08:39Wow.
08:40That is massive.
08:41That's a big boulder.
08:43Incredibly, after draining and excavating the area,
08:47the team discovered that the so-called eye of the swamp
08:50was a man-made feature.
08:53I'm very confident we're looking at 1680 to 1700.
08:57Really interesting.
08:58And when geoscientist Dr. Spooner
09:01carbon-dated organic materials within it,
09:04he determined it was created in approximately 1680,
09:09the same time period that Sir William Phipps
09:12and his Masonic partner, Captain Andrew Belcher,
09:15are believed to have hidden Spanish silver on Oak Island.
09:20The plan now is to just keep going here,
09:22and then we'll dig.
09:23Then work our way over?
09:24Closer in here as well as we go.
09:26Okay.
09:27Okay.
09:28Now, the team hopes to uncover
09:30more of the possible cobblestone pathway
09:33to determine if it may actually lead
09:35to the eye of the swamp
09:37or perhaps other man-made structures.
09:40I have to be honest about the whole swamp.
09:43I never thought we'd find anything.
09:45Just keep going, right?
09:46Continue on.
09:47And yet, every time we dig there, we find something.
09:49Maybe one of these days,
09:50it'll all fit together perfectly
09:52and answer the Oak Island riddle.
09:57Seems like a lot of rocks
09:59toward the surface right through here.
10:01Let's find out.
10:02This is definitely higher up
10:03than what you've been digging over there.
10:08So far, I'd say they're sitting on other rocks.
10:12Seems to be quite a few more rocks,
10:14at least right in through here.
10:17Yeah, those are placed in there by someone.
10:21Another potentially man-made feature?
10:24If so, could it contain clues
10:27that will help identify
10:28who made the cobblestone pathway
10:30and perhaps the eye of the swamp?
10:33Yeah, there's a piece of cut slate there, too.
10:35See it?
10:36Oh, yeah.
10:37Oh, that's a bigger piece.
10:39Than a full.
10:40Mm-hmm.
10:41How big is that piece of slate?
10:43It's at least six inches deep in there.
10:55What is it?
10:56That's a brick.
10:57Oh, look at that.
10:59Let's get layered out here.
11:03That's a brick.
11:04Several in a row.
11:06In the northern end of the Oak Island swamp,
11:09Craig Tester and other members of the team
11:12have just uncovered yet another man-made feature.
11:16They do look fairly crudely made.
11:18They do.
11:19Not like modern bricks, no.
11:20No.
11:21Mm-mm.
11:22Yeah, actually, you can see where it was molded,
11:23and it slumped a bit right there.
11:25Oh, yeah.
11:26And at least three or four lined up in a row?
11:29Yeah, there's no way a bulldozer
11:31would push those back in like that.
11:32No, nice flat line.
11:34No.
11:35And we're not very far from the eye of the swamp.
11:37Yeah.
11:39A brick structure buried beneath muck and mud
11:42at just 50 yards from the so-called eye of the swamp?
11:46Is it possible that the team has found
11:49a related feature?
11:51If so, could it prove to be the secret
11:53that the eye was created to signify?
11:57Yeah, let's put it back,
11:58and let's get Laird out here to take a quick look.
12:01I don't know what it means, but maybe Laird will.
12:04Yeah, okay.
12:05I'll give him a call.
12:07I haven't found bricks in the swamp before.
12:10It was definitely put there by man, but why?
12:14Hey, guys.
12:15Hey, Laird.
12:16I put something in the swamp.
12:18It didn't make any sense.
12:20There's something really interesting happening.
12:23Here we go.
12:25Now that, the middle brick right there,
12:27Alex pulled that one up.
12:29Okay.
12:30And then once we saw there was multiple bricks,
12:31he put it back in place, but...
12:33You could tell right away they're not modern.
12:35Right.
12:36And you could see it's almost like they're still
12:38as they were placed, even though that's broken.
12:40These are handmade, probably locally fired.
12:43Mm-hmm.
12:44I'm wondering if this is all part of...
12:47I mean, Anthony Graves' house was here.
12:50I wonder if it's part of that.
12:53He was known to have bought items from local merchants
12:56with ancient coins.
12:58Spanish coins, wasn't it?
12:59Spanish, yeah.
13:01In 1857, a man by the name of Anthony Graves purchased
13:07a majority of Oak Island from the family
13:09of the late John Smith, one of the three young men
13:13who originally discovered the Money Pit in 1795.
13:18However, rather than living on Lot 18 as John Smith did
13:22and where the Money Pit is located, Graves established
13:26his homestead just north of the swamp at Jodhry's Cove.
13:30And curiously, after living on Oak Island for some time,
13:35he reportedly began paying for goods on the mainland
13:39with Spanish silver coins.
13:42Is it possible that the team has found a structure
13:45that is somehow connected to Anthony Graves,
13:48and perhaps the Spanish treasure that he is rumored
13:52to have possessed while living on Oak Island?
13:55I mean, the Spanish silver coin legend is good enough,
13:58isn't it?
13:59Yeah.
14:00You had me at silver.
14:01There's got to be some more artifacts here.
14:03So we got to go ahead to keep going here, though?
14:04Yeah.
14:05Oh, yeah.
14:06Cool.
14:07We're going to keep exposing this
14:08and see if there's a path leading to it,
14:10if there's more structure around it.
14:11If it does have something to do with Anthony Graves,
14:14it could be pretty significant.
14:16Maybe it's related to the treasure mystery.
14:18So we need to confirm what the heck this thing is.
14:21All right.
14:22I'll take this back.
14:23Thanks, Larry.
14:24Okay.
14:25Well, thank you.
14:26We'll keep going.
14:27If anything changes, we'll call you back.
14:28See you later.
14:30How did you get, Leighton?
14:31109.
14:32109.
14:33109.
14:34Thank you, Leighton.
14:35In the Money Pit area, Alex Lagina joins his uncle Rick
14:38and other members of the team,
14:40where they continue to monitor the progress
14:42of borehole D.25 8.25.
14:44This looks really soft.
14:47This is very loose, and I'm seeing something here
14:49that it can't be seen.
14:50I'm not sure.
14:51I'm not sure.
14:52I'm not sure.
14:53I'm not sure.
14:54I'm not sure.
14:55I'm not sure.
14:56I'm not sure.
14:57I'm not sure.
14:58I'm not sure.
14:59I'm not sure.
15:00I'm not sure.
15:01I'm not sure.
15:02I'm not sure.
15:03I'm not sure.
15:04You see something here that interests, I think, everybody?
15:07Yeah.
15:08I see some here, too.
15:11We've got wood.
15:13Oh, holy.
15:16That's a big old chunk of wood.
15:18Big old chunk of wood.
15:19You said it, my friend.
15:20Yes, sir.
15:21Yeah, that's a shaped piece of lumber there.
15:23Yep.
15:24Definitely.
15:25We got one more.
15:31Oh, yeah.
15:32We got some wood, guys.
15:33Does it look like a tunnel or a shaft, Harry?
15:36I don't know, Steve.
15:38This is a vertical piece, and they sheared it off that way.
15:42So we could have some type of a support.
15:45Another piece here.
15:46Look.
15:47And there seems to be a pretty darn good fit right there.
15:50It could be a tunnel.
15:52Tunnel.
15:53More evidence of a wooden tunnel at a depth of 109 feet?
15:59Could that mean that the team has once again drilled into the previously unknown nine-foot-tall tunnel?
16:05If so, could it be a critical sign that they are getting closer to finding the original money pit?
16:13What you got, Leighton?
16:15119 there for you tonight.
16:17Thanks.
16:18See what we've got next.
16:24This is all in situ, and it's just the way you might expect to encounter it.
16:30I would say we're beneath our tunnel.
16:33We have to hit 150 feet and see what we find there.
16:37So here we are.
16:38We're in a tunnel.
16:39This, again, is hugely significant because it's in the conventional money pit area.
16:45Gentlemen.
16:46Hello.
16:47How you doing, Craig?
16:48Hey, Craig.
16:49Did you see that wood?
16:50Hello.
16:51So the next thing we'll be looking for, I would think, is somewhere around 150 feet where this so elusive chapel vault was encountered.
16:59And we have lots of information that says treasure is still there.
17:04Craig, getting close.
17:07When you put a drill hole down in the money pit, you know, there's every hope that you'll come up with a treasure.
17:13Everyone's very excited around the drill table.
17:16We have these anomalously high values of precious metals, gold and silver, in this area.
17:21So as the dig proceeds, we just have to keep eyes on target.
17:26Because we have to remember the goal this year is to put X's on the ground for the K somewhere to actually find the treasure.
17:35We have another core, gentlemen.
17:37Hey, guys.
17:38158.
17:39158.
17:40158.
17:41158.
17:42150 feet, target depth.
17:43Okay.
17:47So we come in contact with the bedrock right there.
17:57It doesn't look like anything so far.
17:59Yeah.
18:01Sadly, nothing to write home about in particular, I guess.
18:05Nothing.
18:06The treasure vault.
18:07After all the anticipation for a major discovery, this borehole has unfortunately failed to reveal any more signs of the legendary treasure vault.
18:17However, 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?
18:32We need to put a few more holes in this area, hopefully to find this previously unknown tunnel or the chapel vault.
18:40We're going to chase this to the end.
18:43There might be a locatable source for these high values of gold and silver in the water.
18:50The hope is that as we proceed further, there will be something there.
18:55I think we just move south of this location and see what we come up with.
19:00Yep.
19:01The more information, the better.
19:03Yep.
19:04Okay, guys.
19:06We'll keep you in touch.
19:07Sounds good.
19:08So if we find buried treasure, do we get a bonus or what?
19:13As a new core drilling operation gets underway in the Money Pit area.
19:18That's a lot of bricks in a row.
19:21That's looking pretty structured to me.
19:23Yep.
19:24In the northern region of the triangle-shaped swamp.
19:27Ooh.
19:28Craig Tester, archaeologist Laird Niven, and other members of the team continue to investigate a mysterious brick feature
19:37that was recently uncovered beneath the brackish water and mud.
19:41The bigger thing is that these bricks are all sitting on this rock here.
19:46That is so mean.
19:47That's so mean.
19:48Interesting.
19:49You wouldn't waste bricks and slate for a walkway or, you know, that's all reusable pretty good material.
19:55Brick's not a great walkway material.
19:57It looks as if it's been dug out.
19:59Mm-hmm.
20:00And there could be some artifacts in the bottom of it.
20:03Is it feasible to determine the age of the bricks?
20:10They're not factory-made.
20:11Mm-hmm.
20:12They're handmade, laid down.
20:14In terms of their fabric, they come pretty close to Lot 5.
20:19Well, that's super cool.
20:20A structure composed of slate and handmade bricks that resemble those found one year ago in the rounded foundation on Lot 5?
20:30Because the team has also unearthed iron tools in the Lot 5 feature that have been scientifically linked to Sir William Phipps,
20:38who is believed to have buried a cache of Spanish silver and gold on Oak Island back in 1687.
20:46Could this structure in the swamp be another critical clue that could help prove that theory?
20:51If so, just what might the team find when they get to the bottom?
20:56This is a board.
20:57Yep.
20:58There's a couple boards in through here.
20:59There's actually one on.
21:00And right here.
21:01It looks like it broke.
21:02Oh, maybe the same board right here.
21:03Oh, yeah.
21:04Yeah, they went across.
21:07Someone put some work in of us.
21:09A lot.
21:10I can work on it for a bit.
21:11Okay.
21:12Okay.
21:13And we'll go ahead and we'll get back on that cobbled area over there.
21:17Okay.
21:18All right.
21:19Okay.
21:20See you in a bit.
21:21Okay.
21:22Okay.
21:28My first impression is obviously deliberately stacked pieces of slate with some brick outlining
21:36the top.
21:37Very unusual looking, but very well made.
21:40As I explored a little bit more, I could see that the slate was actually forming a square
21:45structure, which I found extremely unusual.
21:48The really perplexing thing about this structure is that I haven't seen anything like it before.
21:54Wow.
21:55Yeah.
21:56Cleaning it off, it's a whole different thing.
21:58Yeah.
21:59Yeah.
22:00Completely.
22:01Why use slate and bricks?
22:03I mean, any kind of structure we're looking at almost always is just built out of stone,
22:08especially in the swamp.
22:10It wasn't your ordinary farmer use.
22:14There was something special about this, this new square structure.
22:19Yeah.
22:20Would it be normal for them just to put the bricks without any mortar or?
22:25I wouldn't have thought unless something was sitting on top.
22:29Yeah.
22:30I don't know if that wood could have been part of a frame that they put it in.
22:34The superstructure.
22:35Yeah.
22:36Yeah.
22:37I think Dr. Spooner here would take a look at it.
22:39Help date this.
22:40Yeah.
22:41We need to keep following it.
22:44While members of the team continue to uncover the brick and slate feature in the swamp,
22:51later that afternoon...
22:53I like to just kind of push it around.
22:56Back on lot five, located on the western side of the island, Craig Tester and Laird Niven
23:04have joined Jack Begley and other members of the team as they continue investigating the rounded
23:09foundation at nearby Test Pit where Gary Drayton identified a non-ferrous target just one day ago.
23:20Oh.
23:21I think I found it.
23:24The metal head?
23:25Yeah.
23:29Oh, yeah.
23:30Oh.
23:31Looking like a button.
23:34Pretty big eye on there.
23:35Yeah, it sure does.
23:36It doesn't have designs on it.
23:38Ah.
23:39Definitely.
23:40It's odd.
23:41It's kind of like a rim.
23:42Yeah.
23:44That is a weird-looking button.
23:46Oh, geez, Laird.
23:47I bet you there's something on the face of that.
23:53You definitely see some sort of design there.
23:58Almost floral?
24:01From first glance, with that green, it's copper alloy.
24:04Mm-hmm.
24:05Have you ever seen a button that looked like that?
24:07Honestly, no.
24:08I haven't.
24:09Wow.
24:11An ornate copper button?
24:14Could it be another important clue that might help determine who created this feature,
24:19as well as the brick structure in the swamp, and perhaps even the money pit?
24:25But the beauty of having the CT and even the XRF, if that's a design, Emma can bring it out.
24:31It's certainly corroded enough to be fairly old.
24:35Well, good find.
24:36That's for sure.
24:37With 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.
24:45Yeah, for sure.
24:46Fingers crossed.
24:47Well, we will get back after it.
24:48All right.
24:50While the investigation proceeds on lot five...
24:54Now is when we should start seeing something.
24:56In the money pit area...
24:58Because our target depth is here all the way to 159.
25:02Alex 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 chapel vault more than 150 feet below ground.
25:23Right now we're treasure hunting and looking for caisson locations.
25:28We're due for a win.
25:29That's true.
25:31So I really like this borehole because it's in an area where we have had a lot of success.
25:36We have multiple water testing boreholes around that suggest there's gold and silver in the water.
25:42And so ideally today we'd love to tap into the treasure vault and bring up some coins.
25:50That bore looks like it's not backfilled.
25:52No it does not.
25:53Potentially.
25:55What do you got Leighton?
25:56Let's have a look.
25:57We got 119.
25:58119.
26:00119.
26:01Let's open up.
26:08We're into a lot of shreds of wood.
26:13Okay, this could be the bottom of some type of a structure.
26:16This could be clipping the very end of some other structure.
26:21Okay, this could be the bottom of some type of a structure.
26:24There's some wood and grainy material in there.
26:25That's good news right there, guys.
26:26Yeah.
26:27That's really good.
26:28Terry, I'm going to pinpoint that.
26:29Absolutely.
26:30Terry, I'm going to pinpoint that.
26:31Absolutely.
26:32In the Money Pit area, while drilling borehole D.75, 6.6, where the team hopes to encounter evidence of the so-called chapel vault some 155 feet underground.
26:43It's clear.
26:44Curiously, they have just recovered part of an unknown structure at a depth of just 120 feet.
26:57We're down 129.
26:58Not too much to write home about here, gentlemen.
26:59Backfill.
27:00I'm going to pinpoint that.
27:01I'm going to pinpoint that.
27:02Absolutely.
27:03In the Money Pit area, while drilling borehole D.75, 6.6, where the team hopes to encounter evidence of the so-called chapel vault some 155 feet underground.
27:08It's clear.
27:09Curiously, they have just recovered part of an unknown structure at a depth of just 120 feet.
27:12Backfill.
27:13I don't see any wood chips or chunks included among this, so that's disappointing.
27:17When we get to about 154, we hope to intersect what we thought was the treasure chamber.
27:22The edge of the treasure chamber.
27:23Yep.
27:24So that's what I'm talking about.
27:26We've got to really hope that the Oak Island gods are on our side here.
27:31Well, we will see.
27:32Time's going to tell.
27:34Our target depth is basically 155 feet.
27:37If our interpretation of the core is correct, then we have drilled into and directly through an unknown structure of some kind.
27:47So 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.
27:56What we care about the most is 155 to 159.
28:00Okay.
28:01Cross your fingers.
28:02Hopefully, we've got some structure here.
28:03There's definitely nothing there.
28:16Hey, Mike.
28:17Hey, Mike.
28:18How you doing?
28:19Good.
28:20Good.
28:21So as I was going down, there's definitely nothing solid there at 157.
28:27It feels like there's nothing there, like totally open.
28:30That's what it felt like.
28:31That sounds like a possible void, doesn't it?
28:34Absolutely.
28:35There was nothing in my core work.
28:38And then we took another measurement, and there was material right at the bottom of my case.
28:43So you lost material into a potential void.
28:47That's the only thing I can come up with.
28:49We passed through a relative void or an open space.
28:52A void at 157 feet, but no signs of the concrete-encased container known as the chapel vault?
29:01Could that mean that the team may have once again missed their intended target, but perhaps penetrated a man-made chamber that contains it?
29:10Okay, you were thinking where? Here?
29:12Here or here?
29:13Mike comes over and tells us he's gotten very little recovery.
29:16I was in a void.
29:18This is where the treasure is most likely to be found.
29:22That's amazing.
29:23You know, adding this evidence to the rest, it's just another reason that we should consider this as a case on location.
29:29I mean, that's the depth we expected to see something.
29:32Now, we didn't see a wooden structure, but we saw an open void.
29:35Absolutely.
29:36Finish this up and bring back the news.
29:39Sounds good.
29:40Thanks, guys.
29:41Nice work.
29:43The following morning.
29:44I can't even imagine how many times we've come into the lab here to talk about an artifact from Lot 5.
29:56And that little button is quite unique.
30:00Rick Lagina, Craig Tester, and other members of the team join Laird Niven and archaeometallurgist Emma Culligan in the Oak Island Lab.
30:09Laird, you certainly have to speak to it.
30:11They 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.
30:22So 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.
30:30Hmm.
30:31All right.
30:32Come on.
30:33Let's see.
30:34So first off, the CT scan.
30:35Earlier 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.
30:51So there will be some image distortion, but not a lot.
30:56That was the first thing I saw when I went, oh.
31:00So imagine my surprise when I saw that.
31:03Whoa.
31:04Yeah, that is a dandy button, all right?
31:06So there is a design on it.
31:08There's a lot of copper, especially buttons, do have some lead in it.
31:12So it's a copper alloy.
31:13It does have a little bit of zinc, some lead.
31:16There's a little bit of iron, but that's about it.
31:19So these two rivet-like things...
31:21I've never seen before in a button.
31:26And that's holding that other level of design?
31:28Yeah, so you have two, you have at least two layers of metal.
31:31It's a multi-component button.
31:33Yeah.
31:34It's a two-piece button though.
31:35That's really unique.
31:36At least a two-piece button.
31:37That's quite ornate.
31:38Yeah.
31:39You have the eye, and then the boss is what's holding the eye in place.
31:43It's almost like a dome.
31:44Whoa.
31:45It's really big.
31:46Is there anything specific about the design?
31:49Well, we weren't really happy with the resolution on the CTs,
31:53so Emma did an XRF map scan.
31:55X-ray fluorescence mapping uses highly concentrated X-ray radiation
32:00to assign colors to the individual elements on the surface of artifacts.
32:05The process creates a two-dimensional image that further highlights an object's finer details,
32:12but can also help to determine when it may have been created.
32:17Oh, my gosh.
32:21That is one fancy button.
32:23Mm-hmm.
32:24What is that design?
32:26Can you tell?
32:27Is that a flower?
32:28It's a flower, and there's an intricate flower inside,
32:31so you see these little different petals.
32:33Oh, wow.
32:34It's got an English-y feel to it.
32:35It looks like it could be an English button.
32:37Yeah.
32:38Yeah.
32:39You see the little petals and how they're formed there.
32:45That's a really pretty button.
32:47Yeah, it sure is.
32:48So what are the speculative dates?
32:50Safe bet would be 1700s and then possibly earlier.
32:57I think there's a good chance this button could go into late 1600s by the look of it.
33:04Yeah.
33:08Whoa.
33:09In the Oak Island Laboratory, Rick Lagina and other members of the 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.
33:36It's the multi-component part that has me confused.
33:38Yeah.
33:40I haven't seen that.
33:42What do you think this button would have been?
33:44Where would it have been worn?
33:46It's relatively small, so we say it's not from a coat.
33:49Mm-hmm.
33:50What do you think, Gary?
33:51I think it's too big to be a cuff button.
33:54I think it's a jacket button.
33:56Fancy jacket button as well.
33:58To me, it looks like there's a design on the outer ring.
34:01Yeah.
34:02That's what I was noticing as well.
34:03Yeah.
34:04It's really worn, isn't it?
34:05It's super ornate.
34:06Yeah.
34:07If this button dates to the 1600s, that fits really well with Sir William Phipps.
34:12In 1687, King James II of England ordered Sir William Phipps to conduct two salvage operations of the sunken Spanish treasure galleon known as the Concepcion near the modern-day Dominican Republic.
34:29However, Phipps and his assistant, Captain Andrew Belcher, delivered less than half of the silver and gold treasure that was recorded on the ship's manifest.
34:40No, we know that Phipps found silver on the Concepcion, and I believe some of the treasure from the Concepcion was secreted to Oak Island.
34:49According to the theory of 32nd-degree Freemason Scott Clark, Phipps and Belcher, who was also a high-ranking Freemason, hid much of their actual recovered valuables on Oak Island.
35:02I think there's something about this button that might tell us if it's William Phipps.
35:07Yeah.
35:08Could Jack be correct that this button might prove to be another clue that supports this theory?
35:15Just like the iron tools found in the round feature that have been scientifically linked to William Phipps.
35:22Laird and the team have spoke often of how you believe that the feature might be considerably older than we first thought.
35:30This may be one of those points to support that.
35:33Yeah.
35:35Well, I mean, I'm really excited.
35:37What we have so far sure is amazing, so.
35:40Love the flower design.
35:42Yeah, it's a blooming lovely find.
35:45Just got to button this one up.
35:50So having said that, we need to go find more.
35:53And we'll leave the both of you to try to come to a further understanding of what that represents.
35:58Great.
35:59Great work.
36:02Thanks, Laird.
36:05Later that afternoon.
36:09Hey, Laird.
36:10Hey, Craig.
36:11Hey, Ian.
36:13Geoscientist Dr. Ian Spooner joins Craig Tester and other members of the Oak Island team in the northern region of the swamp.
36:21Holy cow.
36:22After 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.
36:35Yeah, so there's a whole bunch of things going on to me.
36:39It seems to be in actually pretty nice shape.
36:42You know, I wonder what's inside it.
36:44Because you can always get a core inside and, you know, maybe get to the bottom of it, so to speak, when it was abandoned.
36:48Yeah.
36:49That kind of thing.
36:50But there looks to be a fair bit of sediment that you're standing on, and I'm standing on too, that's aggrated over it.
36:56Because this was not visible.
36:59Not at all, no.
37:01And it takes time for that swamp material to build up over it.
37:04And we have to kind of suspend the reality of today that none of this muck would have been there.
37:08It would have been just sort of a little bit of a meadow.
37:10And I'm just looking at those bricks, and Laird probably knows they look handmade.
37:17They're handmade.
37:18Hopefully we can section one, get better looking.
37:22What'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.
37:30Well, you know, we can get Steve to pin the corners, and he'll get the elevation.
37:35We'll see how far it is above sea level or the swamp over the time.
37:38I just wonder how deep it is, because they, of course, would have had to excavate out.
37:43I'm almost certain there'll be something down within this.
37:47Within this?
37:48Yeah.
37:50I'm just going to grab my tools so we can get these samples.
37:52We need to get Rick out here.
37:56Hey, guys.
37:57Hey.
37:58Uncle Rick?
37:59Okay.
38:00So this is obviously new.
38:02Yep.
38:03In the northern region of the Oak Island swamp...
38:06What's going on?
38:07It's hard to tell at this point.
38:09Rick 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.
38:21Rick, why don't I show you this round over here?
38:24Yeah.
38:25I mean, it looks like the bricks were probably on top of the slate.
38:29They are on that far piece.
38:30Here.
38:31Mm-hmm.
38:32You know, the whole thing was covered.
38:34We didn't see it until we took off the top layer.
38:36Which is a strange, strange thing.
38:38Yeah.
38:39Yeah.
38:40So the best thing I can do here for you guys today is just survey the location of this.
38:43Okay.
38:44So the top elevation matches the Cobble Path, if that means anything.
38:47I don't know.
38:48It's completely unknown.
38:49I know nothing of this.
38:50It's...
38:51Yeah.
38:52It's another mystery.
38:53Yeah.
38:54Well, you know, Anthony Graves lived right there.
39:01Yeah.
39:02A hundred, maybe a hundred yards away.
39:04The family tore the house apart looking for what he had.
39:07What a perfect place to hide something, right?
39:10Yeah.
39:11After the death of Anthony Graves in 1888, his family reportedly searched his home just north of the swamp
39:20for a cache of Spanish silver coins that he was rumored to have discovered on Oak Island.
39:26Unfortunately for them, nothing was found.
39:31But could that be because the treasure was located in a secret vault buried in the swamp?
39:38If so, what might the team find as they dig deeper into this feature?
39:43To me, it just looks like a little tiny safety deposit box in the middle of a block.
39:49And the suspicion of where Anthony Graves acquired his wealth would be that he found something on the island.
39:56Your mind goes to Sir William Phipps' salvage of the Concepcion.
40:01There was a tremendous amount of silver recovered from that.
40:04As the story goes, not all of it made its way back to England.
40:08I can only but think that this is a place where he stored valuables.
40:14Maybe multiple vaults could still exist in the swamp.
40:19I think this is certainly a turn of events, you know.
40:25It's cool. It's very cool.
40:26You know, I think we should get on artifact recovery at ASAP.
40:30Okay.
40:31Maybe removing soils from around it, see how deep it goes.
40:34Yeah.
40:35Every time we dig in the swamp, we find something new from a long time ago.
40:41This is fantastic.
40:42This is totally unique, totally different.
40:45We're here now.
40:46Now is the time to investigate.
40:47Mm-hmm.
40:48Okay.
40:49Week 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.
41:12Have they finally unearthed a feature that contains a portion of that treasure?
41:19And if so, could it merely be a sampling of what awaits them much deeper at the bottom of the money pit?
41:30Next time on The Curse of Oak Island.
41:33Look what we've got here.
41:35This could be a piece of the treasure.
41:37Yes.
41:38Oh, Charles, we got wood.
41:40This is incredible.
41:42We could be within feet of our offset chamber.
41:45Doesn't that look like a vault to you?
41:47I would expect a lot of stuff down there.
41:49It's giving off metallic signals.
41:52Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
41:55Here's something.
41:56Wow.
41:57What the heck is going on?
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