- 18 minutes ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Trust.
00:00There's something there.
00:01We'll find it.
00:03We found something already.
00:05The presence of arsenic could push the date back to the 1600s.
00:09Wow.
00:10It got loose halfway through that run.
00:12Can we be in a void?
00:13Yeah.
00:13That's tantalizing.
00:14We could be heading through a treasure zone right now.
00:17Absolutely.
00:18I'm going to propose we put a caisson right there.
00:21Let the caissons roll in.
00:22Proceed.
00:22Let's go.
00:26There is an island in the North Atlantic
00:28where people have been looking for an incredible treasure
00:32for more than 200 years.
00:35So far, they have found a stone slab
00:39with strange symbols carved into it.
00:42Man-made workings that date to medieval times
00:45and a lead cross whose origin may be connected to the Knights Templar.
00:51To date, six men have died trying to solve the mystery.
00:55And, according to legend,
00:59one more will have to die
01:01before the treasure can be found.
01:04Okay, here we go.
01:17Let's hope it's a good one.
01:19A new day of energized optimism
01:22has dawned on Oak Island
01:24for brothers Rick and Marty Lagina
01:26and their team.
01:27So, Charles, based on the success of the previous hole,
01:30you know, we've got a whole lot of more work
01:32to do in this area.
01:33Yeah.
01:34After more than a decade
01:35of searching for the answers
01:37to a 230-year-old mystery,
01:40they may finally be on the verge
01:42of a breakthrough discovery
01:43in the fabled Money Pit area.
01:47Intersected wood at about 153 feet below grade.
01:50That's incredible.
01:51It didn't put itself there.
01:52No.
01:53It didn't get there on its own.
01:54Oh, Charles, we got wood.
01:57Just last week,
01:59while drilling a borehole
02:00known as H.5-10.5
02:03in search of the original Money Pit...
02:05I'm seeing some serious chunks
02:07and slivers of wood.
02:08Yeah.
02:08...the team was stunned
02:09when they obtained evidence
02:11of a wooden structure
02:12some 150 feet deep,
02:15near the same depth
02:16where, back in 1897,
02:19treasure hunters Frederick Blair
02:21and William Chappell reportedly drilled
02:24into a 7-foot-high wooden chest
02:26and recovered shavings of gold.
02:29To bolster the team's spirits even more,
02:32their latest discovery
02:34was made in the same area
02:35where recent groundwater tests
02:38have identified a large source
02:39of precious metals
02:40more than 100 feet below the surface.
02:45Hey, guys.
02:46Hey, Alex.
02:47How are you doing?
02:47It's going great.
02:48Where are we?
02:49This could be a really,
02:50really important hole.
02:53Now, they are drilling
02:55borehole H.25-10.75,
02:59less than 3 feet to the northeast,
03:02where they hope to once again
03:03encounter this structure
03:04and hopefully confirm
03:06that it is the legendary
03:08Chapel Vault.
03:10If successful,
03:11they will install
03:12a large diameter steel caisson
03:13in order to retrieve it.
03:16My thoughts as we approach
03:18the target depth
03:19where this so elusive
03:20Chapel Vault
03:21may have been encountered.
03:22We got gold
03:23and silver in the water,
03:25so here we go.
03:27Everything's adding up.
03:28But this could be it.
03:29God, I hope so.
03:31I mean,
03:32the idea that we caught
03:34the edge of something,
03:34that's tantalizing.
03:35There's some shreds of wood
03:38and out-of-place material.
03:40Well, what's the rest
03:40of this potential
03:42treasure chamber look like?
03:43No, this is good.
03:44So I'm looking forward
03:45to get to the bottom of this.
03:47Absolutely.
03:48As the core drilling operation
03:49continues in the Money Pit area
03:51on Lot 4,
03:54located on the western side
03:55of the island.
03:57Back to these spoils.
03:59All righty.
03:59You know what, mate?
04:01There's only one way
04:01to find out
04:02what is in the spoils,
04:03and that's to get
04:04the old magic wand
04:05struck up.
04:06Peter Vernetti
04:07and metal detection expert
04:08Gary Drayden
04:09are continuing to search
04:11through a large pile
04:12of spoils
04:13that were recently removed
04:15from a mysterious
04:16rounded stone foundation
04:18located nearby
04:19on Lot 5.
04:21A foundation near the shoreline
04:23where the team
04:24has uncovered
04:25a number of potentially
04:26critical clues.
04:27These include valuable
04:3017th century
04:31Phoenician trade beads,
04:33a mortar-like material
04:34that matches soils
04:35that have been recovered
04:37from over 100 feet deep
04:38in the Money Pit area,
04:40and iron tools
04:42that have been
04:43scientifically linked
04:44to the birthplace
04:45of Sir William Phipps,
04:47the 17th century
04:48English politician
04:49and naval officer
04:51who some believe
04:52buried a massive hoard
04:54of Spanish silver
04:55on Oak Island
04:56back in 1687.
04:59Keep back on the line.
05:01I was going this direction.
05:02Yep.
05:03Lot 5 could be
05:04an absolute integral part
05:06of telling the story
05:08in Oak Island.
05:08That's a great signal.
05:10Sounds good.
05:11And it is just there.
05:12We have a lot
05:13of artifacts
05:14that support that,
05:16and that is why
05:18we continue to look.
05:21Let me try a pin pull in it.
05:23Okay.
05:23Sounds great.
05:27It's here.
05:37It's this.
05:39Ooh, what we got here?
05:41Yeah, it's copper, yeah.
05:43That's what it looks like, mate,
05:44a piece of copper.
05:47You can see,
05:49for some reason or other,
05:50it got broke.
05:51Snapped, yeah.
05:52Oh, look at that.
05:55See those rivets
05:56on the back?
05:58Yeah, this is,
06:00I believe,
06:01some kind of belt plate.
06:03Hmm.
06:04Now, it could have been
06:05off a bag,
06:07a satchel.
06:08It could have been
06:09on a soldier,
06:10a sailor's uniform.
06:12Mm-hmm.
06:12Back in the day,
06:14a lot of military forces,
06:16they used to wear
06:18a lot of decorations
06:19on the uniform,
06:21and especially
06:22on the bags
06:23that they used to carry.
06:24Okay.
06:26A possible decorative
06:27military plate?
06:29If so,
06:30could it be connected
06:31to the iron tools
06:33that the team has found
06:34in the nearby foundation
06:35on Lot 5,
06:37and potentially
06:38offered the team
06:39more evidence
06:40of who created
06:41the feature
06:42and perhaps
06:43very valuables
06:44in the money pit?
06:47There's a really
06:48good chance
06:49that there could be
06:50some military insignia
06:51or regimental numbers
06:52on this.
06:54Okay, mate,
06:55we'll put it in the bag
06:55and we'll find
06:56those answers out
06:57back at the lab.
06:58I know that we've found
06:59other military buttons
07:01and things
07:02in and around
07:03the feature itself,
07:05so if that ties in
07:06and we're able
07:06to get a regiment number,
07:08it might tell us
07:09who was there.
07:10Yeah.
07:11Okay, mate,
07:11that's in the bag,
07:12and I'm looking forward
07:13to seeing
07:14what Emma tells us
07:15about this.
07:17Perfect.
07:17All right,
07:18let's keep grinding
07:19and finding.
07:20Yeah.
07:20As Gary and Peter
07:22continue searching
07:23the spoils
07:24from the round feature
07:25on Lot 5...
07:26I would love to dig
07:28inside of it.
07:29Dig even deeper?
07:30Mm-hmm.
07:31Since I've seen this,
07:32the only thing
07:33I've wanted to do
07:34is go inside.
07:35Okay.
07:36In the northern region
07:37of the triangle-shaped swamp,
07:39Craig Tester,
07:40Billy Gerhardt,
07:41and Gary Drayton's daughter,
07:43Katya,
07:44are searching deeper
07:45into one of the most
07:46extraordinary structures
07:47that the team
07:48has ever uncovered
07:49on Oak Island.
07:51A brick-and-slate,
07:53vault-like container
07:53that was hidden
07:54beneath the brackish water
07:56and muck.
07:58Okay,
07:59here's something.
08:00Last week,
08:01shortly after uncovering
08:02the feature,
08:03Rick Lagina
08:04and members of the team
08:05discovered three iron artifacts
08:07inside of it,
08:08a hook,
08:09one of which
08:10may have been used
08:11to lower and raise
08:12heavy objects.
08:13Okay.
08:15This has made
08:16the team believe
08:16that the structure
08:17may have been created
08:19to keep something
08:20of great value hidden.
08:22Now,
08:22they are draining
08:23the remaining water
08:24from it
08:24in order to look
08:26for more clues
08:26that could solve
08:27the Oak Island mystery.
08:30This square-shaped box,
08:32we'll call it,
08:33built out of slate
08:34and brick,
08:35I believe it was built
08:36for hiding something,
08:37and hopefully,
08:38we'll find something
08:39more definitive,
08:40maybe even the one thing.
08:42Hello.
08:43Hey, guys.
08:44Looks really good.
08:53Yeah,
08:54it's cleaned up nicely.
08:55There are two things
08:56apparent here,
08:58to me.
08:59One is,
09:00this is a,
09:01someplace that you would
09:02put something
09:03possibly valuable
09:04because it's hidden,
09:06and the other thing
09:07is that we have
09:07a very mysterious individual
09:09possibly associated
09:10with this,
09:11given the fact
09:12that Anthony Graves
09:14house
09:14was very proximal
09:16to this,
09:17right?
09:18Yeah.
09:19If you are watching
09:20over something
09:21that you think
09:21is valuable,
09:22you're going to make certain
09:23that nobody comes snooping.
09:25Well,
09:25Anthony's house is there,
09:26this is here.
09:30In 1857,
09:32a farmer named
09:33Anthony Graves
09:34purchased most of Oak Island
09:36and built his home
09:37near Jodhry's Cove,
09:39just north of the swamp.
09:41While little is known
09:42about Graves,
09:44curiously,
09:45after living on the island
09:46for several years,
09:47he reportedly
09:48began buying goods
09:50on the mainland
09:50using Spanish silver coins.
09:53Could Rick's notion
09:55be correct
09:55that this vault-like structure
09:57may be connected
09:59to Anthony Graves
10:00and his mysterious
10:01good fortune?
10:03If so,
10:04might he have created it
10:05in order to hide
10:06a cache of treasure?
10:08Or,
10:09could this be
10:09where he found it?
10:11so I could get in there.
10:17There's definitely
10:17something super shallow
10:19in here.
10:21Do you want to get in there?
10:23Oh, I'll get in there.
10:25It's a fun part.
10:28There's something there,
10:29we'll find it.
10:30There we go.
10:38Non-ferrous hits.
10:39Non-ferrous is good.
10:42I think we found
10:43something already.
10:44What is it, Laird?
10:51It's lead.
10:52Lead?
10:53Definitely lead.
10:53It's heavy.
10:54While investigating
10:55the mysterious
10:56vault-like feature
10:57in the northern region
10:59of the Oak Island swamp,
11:00Katya Drayton
11:01has just made
11:02a possibly
11:03important discovery.
11:06It's almost like
11:07the end of a lead weight.
11:10Like a long
11:11counterweight.
11:12It's got a hole
11:13right there.
11:13Yeah.
11:14It's a strange thing
11:16to be in what
11:17I certainly think
11:18is a place
11:19where treasure
11:19was kept.
11:21Right?
11:21A lead counterweight
11:23found inside
11:25of a potential
11:25vault in the swamp?
11:28In 2020,
11:30the team discovered
11:31a lead tradeweight
11:32just 50 yards
11:33from this area,
11:34which was designed
11:36for measuring
11:37amounts of coins.
11:39You're fake.
11:39Is it possible
11:40that the team
11:41has found
11:42another type
11:42of lead weight
11:43that may have been
11:44used for a similar
11:45purpose?
11:47If so,
11:48could it be connected
11:49to the Spanish coins
11:50that Anthony Graves
11:51was rumored
11:52to have found
11:53on Oak Island?
11:54Yeah,
11:55that big signal
11:55is gone.
11:56I think we got it.
11:58Is there any reason
11:59to think
12:00something might be
12:01deeper or not?
12:02my professional opinion
12:04is that
12:05that bottom
12:05is not the actual bottom.
12:08So I still
12:09would love to dig it.
12:11What do you think
12:12of that, Lord?
12:13Yeah,
12:14that's fine with me.
12:15Craig,
12:16what do you think?
12:17I am fine
12:18with doing it.
12:20It's not going
12:20to be easy.
12:24What a find.
12:25While Rick Lagina
12:26and members
12:27of the team
12:27look deeper
12:28into the possible
12:29vault in the swamp,
12:30over a quarter mile
12:32to the west
12:33on Lot 5.
12:35Well,
12:35share with me timbers.
12:37What on earth
12:38do you got going now,
12:39Fiona?
12:39Well,
12:40this is actually
12:40looking pretty interesting
12:41with the soils here.
12:43Marty Lagina
12:44joins archaeologist
12:46Fiona Steele
12:46and Todd Langseth
12:48at the Rounded Stone
12:49Foundation
12:50near the shoreline.
12:52Even an amateur
12:53such as myself
12:54can see that
12:54that's ash,
12:55isn't it?
12:56Yeah.
12:56This has got
12:57charcoal in it.
12:59We actually just
12:59found a clinker
13:00in it
13:00and a clinker
13:01is evidence
13:02of very high heat.
13:03Right.
13:05There was a fire here.
13:07There are folklores
13:08of people seeing lights,
13:10you know,
13:10from Chester.
13:11Yeah.
13:11Could that have been
13:12the fire that was
13:12happening here?
13:13Could be.
13:16In 1795,
13:18when a young man
13:19named Daniel McGuinness
13:20discovered the money pit
13:22with his two friends,
13:23Anthony Vaughn
13:24and John Smith,
13:26it was reported
13:27that what lured them
13:28to the island
13:29were local legends
13:30about mysterious
13:32nighttime fires
13:33that had been seen
13:34from the mainland
13:35more than a century earlier.
13:38Is it possible
13:39that the team
13:40has found evidence
13:41of those reported fires
13:42in the rounded feature
13:44on Lot 5?
13:46And if so,
13:47could it be another clue
13:48that whoever constructed
13:50this feature
13:50may have also created
13:52the money pit?
13:53Well, I'll tell you what,
13:56Fiona,
13:56I wouldn't mind
13:56helping out a little bit
13:57if you've got something
13:58you need to work on.
13:59Actually, I do.
14:01This does need to be cleaned out
14:02because we've been trying
14:03to define the wall
14:04a little bit more.
14:05This side of the wall
14:05or that side of the wall?
14:06Well, it's probably easier
14:07if you access it
14:08from this side.
14:10What, you try to dig out
14:10the soil between the rocks?
14:11Yeah.
14:12We've got buckets over there
14:13if you want to do that.
14:14I'm on it.
14:16This feature could be
14:17an absolutely crucial,
14:18essential part
14:19to the whole Oak Island mystery.
14:23We need to keep digging.
14:25We only have so much time,
14:26but that's where
14:26we'll get the real answers.
14:30Hey, Fiona?
14:31Yeah.
14:32I think there might be
14:33a big charcoal sample
14:34right here.
14:36See that?
14:38Oh, that is a good chunk.
14:39I think that is a good chunk.
14:40Mm-hmm.
14:41That's evidence
14:42of a really high heat source.
14:44This actually could give us
14:45really good information
14:46and some proper dates with this,
14:48even as to the construct
14:50of the building.
14:51Yeah.
14:52You know,
14:52that would be a great way
14:53to hide this
14:54when you're done, right?
14:55If you never wanted
14:56anybody to see it,
14:57you burn it down.
14:58There appears to be
14:59quite a widespread area
15:00outside of the structure
15:02or the foundation
15:03of the structure
15:04of charcoal,
15:06burnt stuff.
15:07And that could be very old
15:09and it could be instructive
15:10and it could be
15:10why it might be there.
15:12It needs to go back
15:13to the lab
15:13and get Emma
15:14to have a look at it.
15:16You know,
15:16you probably could get
15:17a bit more.
15:18Okay,
15:18I'm a charcoal-digging fiend.
15:21Let me at it.
15:24While Marty
15:24and the archaeology team
15:26continue the investigation
15:28of the round feature
15:29on Lot 5...
15:30Look what we got.
15:33Whoa,
15:33we got wood.
15:34Yep.
15:35In the Money Pit area,
15:37Alex Lagina,
15:39along with geologist
15:40Terry Matheson
15:41and Oak Island historian
15:43Charles Parkhouse
15:44have just encountered
15:46more evidence
15:46of a man-made structure
15:48some 130 feet deep
15:50in borehole 8.25,
15:5310.75.
15:54We could be heading
15:56through a treasure zone
15:57right now.
15:57As we suspected.
15:59Exactly.
16:00The question now is,
16:02could it be
16:03the legendary chapel vault,
16:05which may contain
16:06not only a vast cache of gold,
16:09but also
16:10the long-sought answers
16:11to the Oak Island mystery?
16:14In the next core,
16:15we should be into
16:15what we saw,
16:16hopefully,
16:17in H.5,
16:1910.5.
16:19We're hot on its heels here.
16:21Next core is going to tell us.
16:23Yeah.
16:24We have a core.
16:26We're approaching target depth,
16:27and I'm pretty excited.
16:29Hopefully,
16:29this borehole
16:30is the one
16:30that brings up treasure
16:31from the original money pit.
16:35There's 139 there.
16:38Oh, wow.
16:42All right.
16:43Get a look at this.
16:47Getting into cobble and gravel here.
16:49All right.
16:51Look at this.
16:53More wood.
16:54Oh, wow.
16:55More of that wood, absolutely.
16:57Yeah.
16:57Let's have a look here.
16:59That's very much in situ.
17:02But this is basically
17:03the broken run
17:04right at the bottom.
17:05It's not very much recovery.
17:07So that is kind of odd, too.
17:09I mean,
17:09I'm very surprised to see that.
17:12I think maybe we should have
17:14Mike talk to us about that.
17:15Yeah.
17:17Mike!
17:18When we lose
17:19a stretch of the core,
17:21that's very interesting to us
17:22because there's a few possibilities.
17:24It's either an open void
17:25or a soft area
17:27that's indicative
17:28of a structure,
17:29a tunnel,
17:29something that was excavated,
17:30which is exactly
17:31what we want.
17:32It could be related
17:32to a treasure deposit.
17:35Hey.
17:36Hey, Mike.
17:37What do you make of this?
17:39The bottom of this
17:40fell out.
17:42That's why you have
17:43a short run here.
17:44Oh, okay.
17:45I see.
17:47It got very loose
17:48probably, you know,
17:49halfway through that run.
17:52Can we be in a void?
17:54Oh, yeah.
17:55Yeah.
17:56Wow.
17:56That's awesome.
18:01Can we be in a void?
18:03Yeah.
18:04It got very loose
18:05halfway through that run.
18:08That's what we want, right?
18:09Yeah.
18:09It is an exciting moment
18:11for the Oak Island team
18:13in the Money Pit area.
18:14Great stuff.
18:15At a depth
18:16of some 140 feet
18:18in borehole H.25-10.75,
18:22they have just drilled
18:23into a possible void
18:25and in the same area
18:27where they may have encountered
18:28the legendary chapel vault
18:30just one week ago.
18:32So can you case
18:34the borehole
18:34to 149
18:35before you pull out?
18:36I could do that, yeah.
18:38We want recovery
18:39rather than pushing through?
18:41Right.
18:42If there's wood in there
18:43at all,
18:43we'll be pretty excited.
18:44Yeah.
18:45All right.
18:46Thanks.
18:48Recovery is critical.
18:49We're in a potential void.
18:52There could be material in here
18:54indicative of a structure.
18:56But also,
18:57there's a chance
18:58that this core
18:59is going to bring up treasure.
19:00So with all that said,
19:02we're not going to know
19:03one way or the other
19:03what's here
19:04until we finish this borehole.
19:07Here it comes.
19:09Hope for material.
19:11Thanks, Leighton.
19:14163.
19:18Go ahead.
19:23Look at this, Terry.
19:26Oh, wow.
19:29That's deep.
19:31Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
19:33What do you got, more?
19:36There's another chunk there.
19:37Is this material loose in situ
19:42or is this loose disturbed?
19:44This looks disturbed right here.
19:47This is really interesting.
19:49We might have nicked it again.
19:51Could Charles Barkhouse be correct
19:53that the coring drill
19:55may have once again
19:56just cut through another edge
19:58of the fabled chapel vault?
19:59This is probably meaningful enough
20:02that I should give
20:02my Uncle Rick a call.
20:04Yeah, tend to agree.
20:06We're so close
20:07to the activity
20:07of previous searchers,
20:08but this is unexplored ground
20:11in an area
20:12that many qualified people
20:14believe to be the location
20:15of the original money pit.
20:17If it's not anything
20:18that we know of that searcher,
20:19then there's a much higher chance
20:20it's original works,
20:21and that will be very exciting.
20:23Hey, Rick.
20:24Hi, Rick.
20:24How you doing?
20:24I've heard a little bit
20:25of excitement up here.
20:26Come on over.
20:27Mike advanced his casing down
20:29and the bottom of that fell out.
20:31If there was an empty space down there,
20:34it's now full of stuff like this.
20:37My gosh, if you hit a void,
20:39it makes this area, again,
20:43just based on this alone,
20:44an area for a possible case zone.
20:47This could be where we find it.
20:50I'd like to go back
20:51to the previous searcher's notes
20:52because they denoted roughly
20:54where they were drilling.
20:56Mm-hmm.
20:57Yeah.
20:57It's all good news.
20:58And we have wood to test.
21:00Yeah, really good.
21:01Kudos to everyone.
21:02Great job.
21:03Let's see what tomorrow brings.
21:09The following morning...
21:11Casey's at 149.
21:13Great.
21:13That's perfect.
21:14Let's see what happens.
21:16...as the team plots
21:17their next move
21:18in the money pit area.
21:21Want to take over?
21:22Sure.
21:23Rick and Craig Tester
21:25lead the effort
21:26to reach the bottom
21:27of the mysterious vault-like structure
21:29in the northern region
21:31of the swamp.
21:38There's some serious rot, though,
21:40right?
21:44Yes.
21:45We've reached the bottom.
21:48I don't see much
21:50falling through that.
21:51No.
21:54I think maybe, Kudja,
21:55you want to come down
21:56and have a scan.
21:58Give her one last try?
21:59You can always try.
22:00Okay.
22:00I can say
22:14that there
22:16are no more signals.
22:19All I know
22:20is the perfect size
22:21for a nice little treasure chest.
22:23Mm-hmm.
22:23But unfortunately,
22:24it appears as though
22:25we came a little bit too late.
22:26Yep.
22:27It's gone.
22:28It's a curious thing.
22:29Oh, yeah.
22:30Let me think about it, right?
22:31Look at what we've found
22:32within, what,
22:35a hundred-foot radius,
22:37the eye,
22:38log platform,
22:39the cobbled path,
22:41and this storage site.
22:43I mean,
22:44what else is
22:45another hundred-foot radius away?
22:48In addition
22:49to the vault-like structure,
22:51the team has also discovered
22:53several other man-made features
22:55in this area,
22:56including a platform of logs,
22:59a cobblestone pathway
23:01that is still yet
23:02to be fully uncovered,
23:03and the so-called
23:05eye of the swamp,
23:06a circular feature
23:07that bears an eerie resemblance
23:09to the Masonic symbol
23:11known as the all-seeing eye
23:13and which geoscientist
23:15Dr. Ian Spooner believes
23:17was created
23:18in the late 17th century.
23:21I would like to track back
23:22to the cobbled path,
23:24see where it's heading,
23:25because my suspicion is
23:27there are two or three
23:28of these around somewhere.
23:29I would agree
23:30if you don't have a bank,
23:31you would spread it
23:32over multiple spots
23:33for fear that
23:34because if somebody
23:36found your cash,
23:37you would be
23:38in big trouble, right?
23:39Yep.
23:40Maybe we find another one
23:4120 feet away.
23:42That is still full.
23:44Yep.
23:45Could Rick Lagina
23:46be correct
23:47that if the team
23:48continues to uncover
23:50more of the cobblestone path,
23:52it could lead them
23:53to other vault-like structures
23:55in the swamp
23:55where hidden valuables
23:57are still waiting
23:58to be uncovered?
24:00It's pretty big
24:01that something this huge
24:02could stay hidden
24:03for so long,
24:04so it begs the question,
24:05what else is here?
24:07Yep.
24:07But in order to find
24:09that out,
24:09we've got to get going.
24:10Right, Bill?
24:11That's right.
24:12Let's call her quits here
24:13and move on
24:13to the stone path.
24:15Yep.
24:18Later that morning.
24:21Hey, Carmen.
24:22Welcome to the lab.
24:23Welcome back.
24:24How you got?
24:25Gary?
24:26How's it, Mike?
24:28In the Oak Island lab,
24:29Craig and other members
24:31of the team
24:31meet with blacksmithing
24:33expert Carmen Legg.
24:34He has come to examine
24:36the mysterious copper plate
24:38that was found
24:39one day ago
24:40in the spoils
24:41from the round feature
24:42on Lot 5.
24:44To me,
24:45this copper one
24:46looks like
24:47it's a belt plate.
24:49What can you tell us
24:50about that?
24:53Well, it is copper.
24:56You can see it has
24:57two little rivets on there.
24:58Yep.
24:59It doesn't look
25:00like a uniform curve,
25:02so it could have got bent
25:02in later years,
25:03but it looks like
25:04a nameplate to me,
25:06a riveted nameplate.
25:08Have you scanned
25:09this one, Emma?
25:10Um, yeah.
25:12Earlier this morning,
25:14Emma Culligan
25:14analyzed the artifact
25:16with the SkyScan
25:171273 CT scanner,
25:20a device that emits
25:21non-destructive
25:22X-ray radiation
25:23in order to reveal
25:24an object's
25:25finer details.
25:26She also scanned it
25:29using the X-ray
25:30fluorescence spectrometer
25:32to identify the elements
25:33in its composition,
25:35which can help determine
25:36when it was created.
25:38So it is a copper alloy.
25:41It's a copper alloy
25:42of copper, zinc,
25:44some iron,
25:46lead, arsenic
25:47is also in there.
25:49The metallurgy
25:50in the case
25:51dates.
25:52That arsenic
25:54does make it
25:55older.
25:57So the presence
25:58of arsenic
25:59as an alloying element
26:00could push the date
26:02back to the 1600s.
26:04Wow.
26:08So the presence
26:09of arsenic
26:10could push the date
26:11back to the 1600s.
26:13I'm not 100%
26:14on that.
26:15However,
26:15it is in the realm
26:17of possibility
26:17because it is a metal
26:18that starts to fade out
26:20throughout the later 1700s.
26:23That's great.
26:25It is a potentially
26:26historic moment
26:27for the Oak Island team.
26:29According to the composition
26:31of the copper plate
26:32that was unearthed
26:33in the rounded feature
26:34on Lot 5,
26:35archaeometallurgist
26:36Emma Culligan
26:37believes that it may
26:38predate the discovery
26:39of the Money Pit
26:40by more than a century.
26:42I mean,
26:43if we are saying
26:44that that is
26:44late 1600s,
26:46does it not fit in
26:47with the possibility
26:48that Phipps
26:49was on Lot 5
26:50doing something?
26:52Phipps had discovered
26:53the Concepcion,
26:55which was
26:55a sunken treasure ship.
26:57Yeah.
26:58Seems like you're
26:58finding more artifacts
26:59to lend to that theory.
27:02Yeah,
27:02there is definitely
27:03plausibility for it.
27:04Many people are actually
27:07familiar with
27:07William Phipps' discovery
27:08of the Concepcion
27:09back in 1687.
27:11We know that Phipps
27:12found silver
27:13on the Concepcion,
27:14and I believe
27:15some of the treasure
27:16from the Concepcion
27:17was secreted
27:18to Oak Island.
27:19Thanks to the research
27:20of 32nd degree
27:22Freemason Scott Clark,
27:24the Oak Island team
27:25has found
27:26a prime suspect
27:27for who may have
27:28been behind
27:29the 230-year-old mystery,
27:32Sir William Phipps.
27:33In 1687,
27:36the English politician
27:38and naval captain
27:39made two successful salvages
27:41of the famed
27:42Spanish treasure egg
27:43known as the Concepcion,
27:45which sank off the coast
27:47of the Dominican Republic
27:48in 1641
27:49while carrying
27:51more than 100 tons
27:52of silver,
27:53gold,
27:54and jewels.
27:55However,
27:56after recovering
27:58more than 34 tons
27:59of the valuables
28:00during his first mission,
28:01when he returned
28:03to the wreck
28:04with the help
28:04of a Freemason
28:05named Captain Andrew Belcher,
28:08Phipps delivered
28:09less than five additional
28:10tons of treasure
28:11to the English crown.
28:13I strongly believe
28:14that Belcher
28:14and his comrades
28:15were actually transferring
28:16treasure from the Concepcion
28:17to the Oak Island area.
28:19That is remarkable.
28:20Yeah.
28:22If he was here
28:23in the late 1600s,
28:24that's not out
28:25of the range
28:26of possibility
28:27for construction
28:28of the feature.
28:29The construction style
28:30seems hurried,
28:31and it also seems
28:32like an older style build.
28:35If the team
28:36can prove
28:36that Sir William Phipps
28:38and Andrew Belcher
28:39are connected
28:41to the rounded feature
28:42on Lot 5,
28:44could that also explain
28:45who constructed
28:46the vault
28:47in the swamp
28:48where former landowner
28:49Anthony Graves
28:50may have discovered
28:52a cache
28:52of Spanish silver?
28:54And if so,
28:55might that also reveal
28:57who created
28:58the Eye of the Swamp
28:59as a secret calling card?
29:02You know,
29:03to me,
29:03if this treasure
29:05is associated
29:06with Phipps,
29:07it's an odd story
29:09that's going on
29:09in Lot 5
29:10and in the swamp.
29:12Mm-hmm.
29:12Absolutely.
29:14To have all
29:14these significant clues
29:16or important clues,
29:17it certainly encompasses
29:19the Sir William Phipps
29:20expeditions,
29:21but there's
29:22no smoking gun here.
29:24We don't have that yet,
29:25but finding more vaults
29:28in the swamp
29:29or on Lot 5
29:30could be proof.
29:32There's certainly
29:32more work to be done,
29:33and that in and of itself
29:35is a little bit
29:35of the treasure.
29:36Carmen,
29:37thank you very much.
29:39Thanks, everybody,
29:40and let's get back after it.
29:41Yep.
29:41Let's go.
29:43Thanks.
29:43Thanks, Emma.
29:44Thanks, Carmen.
29:48Later that afternoon...
29:51Hey, guys,
29:52you need help with anything?
29:54Yep.
29:55Peter Fernetti
29:55joins Billy Gerhardt
29:57and Katja Drayton
29:58in the northern region
30:00of the swamp,
30:01approximately 20 feet
30:03from an empty vault-like structure
30:05and to just several yards south
30:07from where 19th century
30:08Oak Island landowner
30:10Anthony Graves
30:11built his homestead.
30:13We have a lot more to do.
30:14Where are you digging from?
30:16Going to do
30:16somewhere you are there.
30:18It is their hope
30:19to find an extension
30:20of the cobblestone pathway,
30:22as well as
30:23more man-made structures
30:24that hopefully
30:25contain hidden valuables.
30:27We may have found
30:29an empty vault,
30:30so hopefully
30:31we can find
30:32more of a pathway,
30:34and then
30:34there might be a vault
30:36either in the area
30:37or nearby
30:38that has treasure in it.
30:45That's a big piece of pottery.
30:49Oh, yeah.
30:53It was beautifully designed.
30:55Yeah.
30:56This is a piece of pottery,
30:59but I think this is
31:01a print
31:02and not hand-painted.
31:05There's a pile over here
31:06if you want to come.
31:14These are...
31:17Got some blue glaze.
31:20This is what
31:21Laird called yellowware.
31:22I mean,
31:23this is near
31:24the area
31:24of Anthony Graves' home.
31:26Anthony Graves
31:26was here
31:27in the 1800s.
31:29As we go deeper,
31:29we might be a find
31:30earlier stuff.
31:32Could Peter be correct
31:33that this pottery
31:34is connected
31:35to 19th century
31:37Oak Island landowner
31:38Anthony Graves?
31:39Yeah.
31:40If so,
31:41might that also be a sign
31:42that other buried structures
31:44containing valuables
31:45are hidden
31:46in this area?
31:48Let's move on.
31:49Yeah.
31:49We found some clues
31:52that strongly hint
31:53that Anthony Graves
31:55was doing something
31:56in this area
31:57and we hope
31:59to find some clues
32:00that might lead us
32:02to a location
32:03of his supposed silver.
32:05So,
32:05I think we just need
32:07to continue
32:07to follow this
32:08cobble path
32:09through to the end.
32:10There's more work
32:11that needs to be done.
32:12Send it over
32:12to the archaeologist.
32:14Okay.
32:14As soon as we can.
32:15Keep on metal, it's action.
32:16Let's do it.
32:21While I'm on good bottom,
32:23we'll scrape the sod off here
32:24like Rick wanted.
32:25Okay.
32:26While the search
32:27for clues and valuables
32:28continues in the Oak Island swamp.
32:31Gentlemen,
32:32we are approaching
32:34the real treasure hunt.
32:36We set out
32:37at the beginning
32:37of this year
32:38with the idea being
32:39that we're trying
32:40to locate a treasure.
32:41Rick and Marty Lagina,
32:45Craig Tester,
32:46and other members
32:46of the team
32:47gather in the war room
32:48for a critical meeting
32:50regarding their search
32:51for the legendary
32:52Money Pit treasure vault.
32:54It's time to decide
32:55whether we have
32:56enough data
32:57to bring in
32:59the caissons
32:59and try and unearth
33:01this thing
33:01that's been eluding
33:02us and everybody else
33:03for 230 years
33:05or whether we don't.
33:07So, with that,
33:08I'll just turn it over
33:09to whoever wants
33:09to start.
33:10Well, I think
33:11it's worth doing.
33:13There are areas
33:14where the drills
33:14just can't provide you
33:16with the information.
33:17Okay.
33:18Dr. Fred,
33:19same question.
33:20I think so.
33:22You're getting
33:23a larger sample
33:24and we're getting
33:27a better idea
33:28of what's there
33:29geologically.
33:30Okay.
33:31Sounds good.
33:32In order to conduct
33:34the proposed
33:34large-scale excavation
33:36in the Money Pit area,
33:37which would cost
33:38millions of dollars,
33:40a massive machine
33:42known as an oscillator
33:44would be used
33:45to grind steel caissons
33:46with diameters
33:47of seven feet
33:48into the ground,
33:50reaching more than
33:51200 feet
33:52below the surface.
33:54An 18-and-a-half-ton tool
33:56known as a hammer grab
33:57would then be used
33:59to remove tons of earth
34:00and hopefully
34:01the legendary treasure
34:03that people have sought
34:04for 230 years.
34:07We know ideally
34:08we'd like to do
34:09five or six caissons.
34:11And then, of course,
34:12the next question,
34:12the obvious question,
34:13if so, where?
34:16If it's metal underground,
34:17it's got to be
34:18in a shaft or a tunnel.
34:18It's not just sitting
34:19in the dirt.
34:21So what we're interested in,
34:23I think, at this point
34:24is where did that metal
34:26come from?
34:27Is there a connection
34:28to the shafts
34:29that we know,
34:30the chapel,
34:31the heading?
34:32Okay.
34:32Let's talk about
34:33the drill prong, Scott.
34:35Let's talk about
34:35possible targets.
34:36Yeah, we have done
34:37some exploratory drilling
34:38in and around here
34:39and we did have
34:40a few interesting results.
34:42One of the big discoveries
34:43is potentially tunnels,
34:46which is what
34:46you're looking for.
34:47We have some good areas,
34:48so let's zoom in
34:50the area of interest.
34:51Those two red circles
34:52are the soil samples
34:53that Moya and Emma did
34:54very early in the year,
34:56which matched the soils
34:57on lot five.
34:57really close to one
35:00of the most successful
35:01holes in this area
35:01is E.75-5.6.
35:05I believe we have wood
35:06at vault depth
35:07in that 156 feet.
35:10Did we not hit wood?
35:10We went all the way
35:11down to 159 with wood.
35:14So no treasure yet,
35:16but potential vault location.
35:20Oh yeah,
35:21this is a lot of wood.
35:23We could be catching
35:24the edge of a tunnel.
35:25In recent weeks,
35:27while drilling boreholes
35:28in the region
35:29of the Money Pit area,
35:31where Dr. Spooner
35:32and Dr. Michael
35:33believe a large source
35:35of precious metals
35:35are buried deep underground.
35:38We got more wood.
35:38The team has made
35:39a series of promising discoveries.
35:41This could be the bottom
35:42of our tunnel right there.
35:44One is a previously
35:45undocumented tunnel
35:47located some 109 feet deep.
35:51And on several occasions,
35:53including just one day ago,
35:54at a depth
35:55of nearly 150 feet,
35:58they have repeatedly
35:59recovered possible evidence
36:00of the legendary
36:01chapel vault.
36:04All right,
36:04so based on everything
36:05we've done,
36:07so the yellow circle
36:08is where I'm going to propose
36:09we put a case on?
36:10Okay.
36:12Is it possible
36:13that the team
36:14has now identified
36:15one or more locations
36:17where the answers
36:18and reward
36:19that they have sought
36:20for over a decade
36:21will finally be recovered?
36:23It's not just
36:25the soil samples, though.
36:27And I can come back
36:27to the highest anomalous goal
36:29we ever had
36:29that I'm aware of
36:30where this spot sits.
36:32Absolutely.
36:33All right.
36:34So I happen to have
36:36in my hand here
36:37a Canadian $2 coin,
36:41and it is about
36:42the right diameter
36:43for a 7-foot caisson.
36:45So would you place
36:45your first one, please?
36:47Sure.
36:47I'd like to see
36:48where it fits on this.
36:49All right,
36:50so I'm going to take
36:50the best shot
36:51at the treasure
36:52being at depth
36:53anywhere between
36:53100 and 160 feet.
36:56Right there.
36:57So there we are.
36:58I think that's potentially
36:59that's worth the caisson then.
37:00Yep.
37:01All right.
37:02Well, we've heard a lot here.
37:03Here's what I heard
37:04is I think there's
37:05quite a lot of enthusiasm
37:07to bring in the caissons.
37:09Absolutely.
37:10Yep.
37:10I agree that we should do this.
37:12There is real enthusiasm
37:14around the table,
37:15and so heartfelt appreciation
37:17to everybody
37:17for the teamwork
37:18and the ability
37:20to focus on the greater good,
37:22the greater good
37:22being trying to solve
37:23this mystery.
37:25Okay.
37:25Well, then,
37:26do you agree with
37:27bringing in the canisters,
37:28and do you agree with this
37:30as at least a primary location?
37:34You know,
37:35we do tend to look
37:37at things differently.
37:38Mm-hmm.
37:38This caisson's
37:39the right application.
37:40In all honesty,
37:42I would tunnel my way
37:43around the money pit
37:44ad nauseum.
37:45But we're limited by reality.
38:05In the Oak Island war room,
38:07Rick and Marty Lagina,
38:09their partner Craig Tester,
38:10and their team
38:11are debating
38:12how best to explore deep
38:14in the money pit
38:15to finally recover
38:16a vast and fabled treasure.
38:20But at the end of the day,
38:21we've put X's on the ground,
38:23and now it's time
38:24to get this started.
38:25Okay.
38:26We'll do it.
38:27Yep.
38:29It was a good year drilling.
38:30We've collected
38:31a lot of good data,
38:32not only the samples
38:33we've brought up,
38:34but all the water monitoring
38:36we've done.
38:36We're constantly going back
38:38over the historical records
38:40to tie into the new wells.
38:42We've got a lot of information.
38:44Now we need to take
38:45the next step,
38:45big caissons.
38:47This has come
38:49as a result of 230 years
38:51of hard-won,
38:52hard-wrought search.
38:54We have built upon
38:56all the previous searchers.
38:58Onslow, Truro,
39:00Restalls.
39:02This is a puzzle here
39:03in front of us.
39:04It's eloquent.
39:05It's beautiful.
39:06It speaks to 230 years
39:08of raw emotion.
39:10And so my hope is that
39:12as we apply the science
39:13and technology,
39:15we have real respect,
39:17not only for the history
39:18of Oak Island,
39:18but for each and every one
39:20of our participation in this,
39:22because it has cost us
39:23all something.
39:26And yet we persevere.
39:28And that is emblematic
39:30and emphatically states
39:33how important this is to us.
39:35And I am grateful
39:36for each and every one of you
39:37sitting around the table,
39:38because in order
39:39to complete this puzzle,
39:41we'll all have to be
39:43at our best.
39:46Do I want to find
39:47the treasure?
39:48Yes.
39:49But I want the story told.
39:51And if the treasure
39:52helps us do that,
39:53then let's get to it.
39:55Let's get the caissons
39:55down there
39:56and find this thing.
39:57We've talked about
39:59the one thing,
40:01Rick's favorite expression
40:02for 12 years now.
40:04I want to find it.
40:06I want it for Rick.
40:07I want it for me.
40:08I want it for everybody
40:08on this quest.
40:09I want it for the fellowship.
40:11Maybe finally,
40:12after all these years,
40:13we'll solve this mystery.
40:15You know,
40:16from the human heart,
40:17hope springs eternal.
40:19We're a part of something
40:20that will endure forever.
40:22We are a part of something
40:23that hopefully speaks
40:25to something about history
40:26that we currently
40:27don't understand.
40:29So let the caissons roll in.
40:31Let's get after it.
40:32Let's get it done.
40:33All right.
40:33So we're doing
40:34something important.
40:35Absolutely.
40:35It sure feels like it.
40:36Okay.
40:37I love it.
40:38Proceed.
40:39All right.
40:39Let's go.
40:40Let's go.
40:42As boys growing up
40:43in northern Michigan,
40:45Rick and Marty Lagina
40:46were tantalized
40:48by the tales
40:48of all the people
40:50who tried to unearth
40:51a vast treasure
40:52in the Oak Island money pit.
40:53And now,
40:55after more than a decade
40:57of building on the progress
40:58of those brave men
41:00and women,
41:01can the Laginas
41:02and their team
41:03overcome
41:04the mysterious forces
41:05that have guarded
41:07the island's secrets
41:08for more than
41:08two centuries?
41:11They are about
41:12to conduct
41:12the biggest
41:13and most strategic
41:15dig ever
41:16in order
41:18to find out.
41:23Next time
41:24on The Curse of Oak Island.
41:26Come here.
41:27Look at this.
41:28Oh, my gosh.
41:29There's something here.
41:31Could this be
41:31a continuation
41:32of the stone path?
41:33This is the Blair
41:34treasure map.
41:35From what we can gather,
41:37there were three
41:37separate treasure caches.
41:39I say we get after it.
41:40Yeah.
41:41Look at this.
41:42This has got to be
41:43this stone.
41:44There's an X here.
41:45Ringing loud and clear.
41:47Oh, got it.
41:49Wow.
41:49Oh, come see this.
Be the first to comment