#video #The Curse of Oak Island - Season 13 - Episode 21: A Sacred Symbol
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00:04tonight on the curse of oak island here we go the strategy is to figure out where that treasure went
00:11way deep a special two-hour premiere oh looks like we broke through the ledge into the solution
00:17channel oh yeah that's it for sure if we're gonna hit this is the one that should pay
00:21it could be a gold or a silver coin in the original money pit found this item on the
00:26drill bit in 1849 and I believe this is your one thing Rick this may be what lies below that's
00:33a
00:33game-changer Fiona just found this no way early stuff we're changing Nova Scotian history really
00:38hit something hard so I'm gonna pull it up please do could we hit a vault we're hoping to find
00:43a coin
00:44something what is that that's a chunk of metal very thick no we may be onto something see how shiny
00:48that
00:48is oh my god I can confirm that it is silver likely from 1367 to 1383 does that look like
00:55a Templar
00:55cross yeah yeah it's real there is an island in the North Atlantic where people have been looking
01:06for an incredible treasure for more than 200 years so far they have found a stone slab with strange
01:15symbols carved into it man-made workings that date to medieval times and a lead cross whose origin may be
01:23connected to the Knights Templar to date six men have died trying to solve the mystery and according to
01:33legend one more will have to die before the treasure can be found
01:52so here we are again on our way to oak island how y'all feeling well it's exciting because I'm
02:00basically satisfied that something happened on oak island that's outside of recorded history yep we're
02:06finding more things that say that the legend is true absolutely for brothers Rick and Marty Lagina their
02:13partner Craig tester and the members of their team a new chapter in the world's longest running treasure
02:20hunt is about to begin on oak island for me I just want it solved and I do believe there'll
02:29be success this year yeah
02:32beginning in 1795 when three young men first discovered an ingeniously designed shaft that reached more than 90 feet deep
02:41known as the money pit
02:44generation generations of treasure hunters have tried and failed to uncover a legendary fortune
02:52and now after spending more than a decade finding clues that suggest a vast treasure is indeed hiding deep below
03:01ground
03:01Rick Marty Craig and their team are determined to write the definitive chapter of the oak island mystery and away
03:10we go
03:13we begin the new year with this mission statement let's solve it let's find the answers
03:20we're here our hopes are as high as they've ever been then I'm really and truthfully pretty excited about it
03:28we walk in the museum everyone is smiling there's a certain energy in the room there's a sense of commitment
03:42hey partner and I draw inspiration from them welcome everybody back to the quest right
03:50yeah so let's start with this if you try and make sense out of everything other people have done and
03:57what we've done the last 12 years
03:58what makes sense is that the treasure has gone even deeper than the money pit and it's now in the
04:05solution channel
04:06that's right in 1804 a large stone bearing strange carved symbols was discovered in the center
04:14of an oak platform exactly 90 feet deep in the money pit upon its removal the shaft flooded with seawater
04:23that was fed from a reported cobblestone tunnel that originated 500 feet away at Smith's Cove
04:31over the next two centuries numerous companies of treasure hunters dug more than a dozen adjacent shafts and tunnels
04:39all in the hoax of bypassing the believed booby trap and recovering whatever had been so skillfully buried at the
04:47bottom of the money pit
04:50each one fell victim to flooding and cave-ins this resulted in the ground across the money pit area
04:57becoming unstable and prone to collapse one year ago Rick Marty Craig and the team believed that their efforts to
05:08solve the mystery would finally pay off
05:11after groundwater testing pinpointed a large source of precious metals more than 100 feet underground
05:19they began digging a series of seven-foot diameter steel shafts
05:24what is that but while recovering numerous artifacts including digging tools that predated 1795
05:32we found this concrete and also obtaining possible evidence of a treasure vault nearly 160 feet deep
05:41stop
05:43it's caving it's caving all the way back
05:46the earth beneath two of the shafts known as TB1 and TOT1 suddenly collapsed
05:55this has led the team to suspect that the treasure has now fallen to more than 200 feet deep
06:01and now lies in a natural feature in the bedrock known as a solution channel
06:07a geological term for a large cavity that forms over time due to limestone dissolving in groundwater
06:15I am just really really enthusiastic that it resides deeper and with that Scott you've been doing a ton of
06:22work on that
06:22why don't you tell us the thoughts on that
06:24so as you know we want to look in the solution channel to try to find the treasure
06:28yeah
06:29so Steve and I sat with Rick and we've came up with a drill program this year
06:33so Steve you want to bring up the map there and we'll talk about the holes that we want to
06:36do
06:36okay
06:38so now we're looking at a map of the solution channel
06:41the green is the solution channel
06:44yes
06:45so my understanding of the solution channel is between anywhere between 150 and 220 feet is a moving mud river
06:51with different different depths
06:53yes
06:54so it's not a mud river it's a gold river down there
07:00now the total area in the solution channel is less than 5% that we've actually explored
07:05so Scott and I and Rick sat and discussed this
07:08and this is what that map looks like
07:11so we're going to start the boreholes this year in around TOT1
07:15okay
07:16well if these are the holes Rick you want to drill the green things
07:19yep
07:19what I want to do is systematic drilling
07:22we're going to drive the casing down around 210 feet
07:27because we want to explore the solution channel at depth
07:31so if we found something with the drilling program
07:35we would then turn over to this gleeful planning of a recovery effort
07:40absolutely
07:40that would be fabulous
07:42okay so that wraps up the first part of this discussion about the money pit
07:45now I think that is the focus of treasure
07:49but Fiona and Laird would say wait a minute there's a lot more to this story
07:54as far as what actually happened on this island
07:57so Laird I'll kick it over to you and why don't you pick up and summarize all that
08:02yeah we're really excited about getting back to lot 5 given all of the artifacts we found
08:07and we're starting to see that story on lot 5 expand within itself
08:12yep
08:13the soils from the round feature and feature 2 the rectangle the feature
08:19that matched the soils from the area of the money pit at depth
08:24and to me that's huge
08:26absolutely
08:28after acquiring lot 5 from the estate of Robert Young in 2022
08:34the Oak Island team discovered a rounded stone foundation near the shoreline
08:40and another rectangular feature several yards to the south
08:44both had been deliberately buried and have produced astonishing clues
08:49that suggest they were related to the money pit
08:53and were used by multiple groups as base camps between the 14th and the 18th centuries
08:59these finds include a mortar like substance matching soil samples unearthed from more than 100 feet deep in the money
09:08pit area
09:10a lead barter token which just like the 14th century lead cross that was recovered at Smith's Cove in 2017
09:19may be connected to the medieval order of the Knights Templar
09:24several Venetian trade beads as well as two garment buttons that have been matched to the kinds worn by members
09:31of the Knights of Malta
09:33a group who descended from the Templar order
09:36and who are known to have inhabited parts of Nova Scotia as early as the 1630s
09:43we haven't been able to find another feature in Nova Scotia that matches what's happening on lot 5
09:50yeah
09:51so this year we're hoping to expand our excavations around the round feature
09:57that will give us even more insights into the who, what, where and why on lot 5
10:03right
10:05look everybody knows that I think the research is an important facet of our work
10:12so we have been actively engaged in following the clues we have come to learn of to date
10:18that includes possible Templar connections
10:20certainly the Knights of Malta connection
10:23yep
10:25ever since the Laginas and Craig Tester
10:28began their quest to solve the Oak Island mystery in 2006
10:33they have been investigating the incredible theory that the order of the Knights Templar
10:38and related groups began transporting priceless religious treasures from Europe to Oak Island
10:46as much as 800 years ago
10:49oh wow
10:50and during the past several years
10:52they have visited numerous former Templar strongholds
10:56in countries such as France
10:58Scotland
10:59England
11:00Portugal
11:02Italy
11:03and Malta
11:05where they have seen amazing evidence that it could be true
11:09there's something there that you might recognize
11:12four dot cross
11:13evidence such as symbols meant to represent religious artifacts
11:18that have also been found over the years on Oak Island
11:23it's just absolutely incredible
11:26tunnels that match the reported design of those found deep underground in the money pit area
11:32the stone path looks exactly like this
11:35and even a stone road in Portugal that is nearly identical to one they themselves unearthed in the Oak Island
11:41swamp back in 2020
11:46so
11:47the research continues to evolve and I think there's a real chance that it will be highly enlightening
11:53I love it
11:55I'm very enthused because I think there is potentially an answer this year as to why we haven't found this
12:03treasure at least in the money pit
12:04I want to get to the bottom of that so we got a lot to do and we got the
12:08team to do it
12:09yep
12:09yep so I'm eager to get started
12:12Jack's eager to get started
12:13he's got some stuff at home he's finishing up on
12:16and I see a lot of eager faces
12:17yeah
12:19for me it's always about you guys
12:22about the people
12:23we can throw science at this
12:24we can throw technology at this
12:27but look at each other and realize that within each of us
12:29that's where the real importance lies
12:32let's figure out who, what, when, where, why and how
12:35let's really commit ourselves to doing that
12:37all said
12:38yep
12:39I do know one thing
12:41the answers aren't in this room
12:43well let's get going
12:44you're here
12:45let's do it
12:46let's make it so
12:51hola
12:53I see we're drilling
12:55following the team's meeting in the interpretive center
12:59Rick Lagina and Craig Tester join other members of the team in the money pit area
13:05as their first core drilling operation of the summer has begun in borehole J6
13:11a borehole located just five feet south of the seven-foot diameter TOT1 shaft
13:18which was dug one year ago
13:20it was at that location
13:23where the team recovered a pickaxe
13:25more than 160 feet deep
13:28that was dated to as early as the 16th century
13:31and it was also
13:33where a massive cave-in occurred
13:35at nearly 180 feet
13:37that caused tons of earth
13:39and possible valuables
13:41to fall into the solution channel
13:43more than 200 feet underground
13:47we're down only about 8 feet
13:49just the very first run
13:50it's the beginning
13:51but I mean I think this is a really good bet
13:53that we're gonna find some treasure in this solution channel
13:56all you gotta do is find one thing
13:57one thing
13:59the strategy this year for the money pit
14:02is to figure out where that treasure went way deep
14:06where did it fall into the so-called solution channel
14:10and what is also different from the other years is we are absolutely going deep with every one of them
14:15200 feet maybe even more
14:17if everything works out we got a good chance of finding something here
14:20we're about to find artifacts and be searching at a level well below where any seeker has gone
14:27all the more reason to keep a really close eye on these course
14:30because the slightest thing might be the most important thing
14:35time's gonna tell us a bit a little deeper
14:37as the core drilling operation continues in the money pit area
14:41later that afternoon
14:45hey
14:46how are you?
14:48alright
14:49Rick Lagina, his nephew Peter Fernetti
14:53and metal detection expert Katya Drayton
14:56arrive on Lot 5
14:58where archaeologist Laird Niven and Alex Lagina
15:02are investigating the mysterious rounded feature near the shoreline
15:08we thought we'd come over and see if we can help
15:11yeah
15:12the artifacts we found there are all concentrated on the west side
15:16between the rectangular feature and the round feature
15:20so I'd be really interested in having you go carefully over the east side
15:25I'm excited to see what we can find here
15:27thank you Laird
15:28you're welcome
15:28appreciate it
15:30there's always the hope that you will find some piece of the puzzle
15:33that will tell you the whole story of what happened
15:36as to when this occupation occurred
15:38who was here and what were they doing
15:45I would say that's one
15:49I would say right in there
16:07let's try it with the pin pointer now that we're deeper
16:12come out, come out
16:16well there it is
16:17I found it
16:23I'm sure that's the last of it
16:24yeah
16:29heavy
16:31what do you think?
16:33heavy?
16:35it's got some weight to it
16:36yeah, it's not light
16:38some sort of fastener
16:39not modern
16:40no
16:41it's interesting to be that far away
16:43right?
16:44cause they're looking for clues as to what else might be here
16:48Lot 5 is
16:50certainly interesting
16:52this fastener
16:53is it possible that it's evidence of a structure or structures?
16:59sure
17:00the story of Lot 5 continues to expand
17:03I don't know that we're even close to having an answer yet
17:07a possible iron fastener?
17:10because the team has made similar discoveries in both of the nearby foundations
17:16could Rick's notion that this may be evidence of another potential structure be correct?
17:22so that's a bag and tag for sure and that's a CT scan object
17:27Emma will tell us what that is, no question about it
17:30sounds great, should be easy
17:32good digging
17:33thank you
17:35we can go see if there's anything else in there
17:37as the investigation on Lot 5 continues
17:41here we go
17:43down into the solution shim
17:44and while the core drilling operation proceeds deeper in the Money Pit area
17:50over on the eastern end of the island at Smith's Cove
17:54let's go find something guys
17:56Billy!
17:57Billy's here
17:58Marty Lagina, Craig Tester and metal detection expert Gary Drayton
18:03joined Billy Gerhardt to further investigate the massive collection of spoils
18:09from last year's excavations in the Money Pit area
18:13hey Billy this whole pile came out of the caissons
18:17what we know is though it came from deep in the Money Pit area
18:20yeah
18:21and we found that old iron, I mean that old iron went back to the 1600s
18:25yeah
18:26what is that?
18:27it looks like it's part of a tool
18:30after finding the potentially 16th century pickaxe
18:34during the excavation of TOT1 at the end of last year's search
18:38that could be a really old tool mate
18:40the team began scouring through the Money Pit spoils
18:44that were deposited here at Smith's Cove
18:47and incredibly, they found an iron chisel
18:50that was dated to the same approximate era
18:54whenever there's a lot of iron, there's a possibility of iron masking
18:58there could be a gold or a silver coin waiting for us mate
19:00alright, well let's get going
19:03yeah
19:04now, the team is continuing to search the remaining spoils
19:08in the hopes of recovering more artifacts or evidence of treasure
19:14this might be something
19:23I can see it, just can't pull it out
19:25let me try and get her without
19:27yeah, you can see it sticking out the hole
19:29where is it?
19:30right there?
19:31yep
19:32oh yeah
19:37got him
19:39there it is
19:40what you got mate?
19:42what is it?
19:43what's that?
19:45woohoo!
19:46well that's interesting
19:51what you got Marty?
19:53a pin
19:55I don't know if it's old or not
19:56hey Craigor, that looks old
19:58yeah
19:59at Smith's Cove, while searching spoils excavated
20:03from more than 180 feet deep in the Money Pit area last year
20:08Marty Lagina and other members of the team
20:11have just uncovered another potentially important clue
20:16yeah, that's right iron I think
20:18yeah
20:20it's old
20:20I don't know
20:22I wonder if it's a possible cribbing spike
20:24no, I think it is
20:25like when you're building cribbing, like cribbing for a shaft or something
20:29yeah
20:30a possible cribbing spike?
20:33potentially used to connect large beams of wood together?
20:38because no previous searchers were known to have built shafts that deep underground
20:43could the team have found more evidence of the original Money Pit?
20:48if so, what else is still waiting to be discovered in these spoils?
20:53so this should be good
20:55yeah, I'll probably need this digging out
20:57it might be on edge
20:59we're all on edge
21:01right?
21:03where is it?
21:04right there
21:05see that area there
21:11try pinpointing
21:13oh, it's there
21:14that was a little bit off
21:15oh, there we go
21:16that's more like it
21:18hmm
21:19that is a tool
21:20of some kind
21:22look at that
21:23yeah
21:23wow
21:25that is unusual
21:29that's got the look of being old as well
21:32yeah, it is
21:33yeah, it is
21:33no question
21:33it's not new
21:35definitely had some heft to it
21:37I thought it was like a chisel when I first picked it up
21:39it could be
21:40yeah, chiseled in the tunnels
21:41and
21:42yeah
21:44I'm not surprised at all at what came out of that spoils pile
21:46that could be very significant
21:48once again, possible proof that somebody other than searchers were way deep in the Money Pit
21:53but still we have to keep going through the spoils carefully because anything here could be something that could be
22:00very significant
22:01and we picked up where we left off last year
22:04we were finding great old tools, artifacts in these spoils
22:09and we have just pulled up another one
22:10which could potentially go back to 1600s or older
22:14yeah
22:15okay, I'll bag it
22:17nice one Billy, another good artifact
22:19good
22:21finally
22:21a decent foot
22:22not bad
22:24not bad
22:25not bad at all
22:25good digging guys
22:28yeah
22:29I mean
22:30the gold's still in there, right?
22:32oh yeah
22:32it is
22:33that's the hope
22:39the following day
22:41while the drilling operation continues in the Money Pit area
22:47there are moments around this table that have been really quite impactful in terms of our understanding of this mystery
22:53and today is one of those days
22:55in the war room
22:57Doug Kroll has arranged for the Laginas and members of the team
23:01to meet with a man he has been corresponding with for several months
23:05named Steve Solomon
23:08I'm really excited to say we have a really special guest with us today
23:11Steve Solomon
23:13Steve is prepared to present what Doug believes could be a major breakthrough in the 230 year old treasure mystery
23:22well Steve's got something to reveal to us today about the gentleman by the name of James Pit Blado
23:27and a really prominent Oak Island family, the Archibald family
23:31well Steve is a member of that Archibald family
23:35interesting
23:36Charles you and I have talked about this so called Pit Blado incident forever
23:41right
23:41so tell everyone
23:44what the Pit Blado incident is about
23:47well James Pit Blado was a foreman with the Truro Company
23:50and they were here from about 1849 to 1851
23:54and there was an incident that happened in the original Money Pit
24:00in the summer of 1849
24:04members of the Truro Company
24:05conducted the first major excavation of the Money Pit
24:09since it had flooded after the removal of the 90 foot stone back in 1804
24:15after constructing a platform nearly 30 feet deep in the shaft
24:19which was still flooded below
24:21well
24:22company foreman James Pit Blado
24:24oversaw a drilling operation
24:26to find out what might be buried below the 90 foot level
24:32incredibly
24:33at 98 feet
24:35a hard wooden surface was penetrated
24:37before the Archibald
24:39passed through what was described as nearly 2 feet of loose metal pieces
24:43another hard wooden surface
24:46and then another 2 feet of loose metal
24:49the workers excitedly suspected
24:52the 2 stacked treasure chests
24:54were buried some 100 feet deep
24:57in the Money Pit
24:59upon extracting the auger bit
25:01James Pit Blado
25:02was seen removing a reported shiny object from its tip
25:07but when confronted
25:08he would not reveal what it was to anyone on the island
25:13so Pit Blado approached a gentleman
25:16by the name of Charles Archibald
25:18and they attempted to buy the eastern end of the island
25:22so whatever was found on that auger
25:25enticed him to leave his job
25:28and attempt to purchase the eastern end of the island
25:31so it had to be something really significant
25:33Wow
25:35Charles Dixon Archibald
25:37was a businessman from Londonderry, Nova Scotia
25:40who served as the manager of a mining company named Acadian Ironworks
25:46Curiously, members of his family
25:48had helped to finance an earlier search for treasure on Oak Island
25:52in 1804
25:54After meeting with James Pit Blado
25:56the 2 approached landowner John Smith
25:59one of the 3 young men
26:00who originally discovered the Money Pit in 1795
26:05and offered him a considerable sum
26:08to acquire the eastern end of Oak Island
26:10the proposal was refused
26:13and no one has ever confirmed what was found by James Pit Blado
26:20After that incident
26:21they went to the town of Lunenburg and put in an application
26:24and this is an excerpt out of that application
26:26to dig on Oak Island
26:29having been represented to me that certain persons
26:32have discovered the situation of certain hidden treasure
26:34beneath the surface of the earth on Oak Island
26:37and then it goes on with the legal stuff for the town person to sign it
26:40and it's on this particular day Charles Archibald
26:43this was from 1849
26:46Interesting
26:47So I want to talk a little bit more about the family
26:49but first I would like to show you what contributed to this application
26:54and I believe this is your one thing Rick
26:56I know you've been looking for this for years
26:58Wow
26:58I am on the edge of my seat
27:03I'll hold it up so Marty can see it
27:06Boo!
27:11Boo!
27:12This is a coin
27:13This is a silver Portuguese coin
27:16That's what came out of the hole?
27:18Yes
27:19This was a coin that was passed on from the Archibald family
27:22My mother-in-law was given this by great nana
27:24Edith Archibald
27:26and it was given to me from my own research
27:29I believe it's from about 1367
27:33I mean that's incredible, right?
27:36Like in every sense of the word
27:37Yes
27:38In the war room, Steve Solomon
27:41a man with historic family ties to the Oak Island treasure hunt
27:45has just presented Rick, Marty and the team
27:48with a potentially 14th century silver Portuguese coin
27:52a coin that he believes
27:54was retrieved from some 100 feet deep in the money pit
27:58back in 1849
28:01How big is that?
28:02What's the diameter say?
28:05A little bigger than a quarter
28:06I mean I was just wondering how such a thing would be carried up by the auger
28:09but that easily could be
28:10Yeah
28:12Over the winter, Marty, we researched what a pod auger looked like
28:17and its dimensions are more than enough to allow a coin to settle into the mouth of the bed
28:22The coin is spectacular
28:25It's quite beautiful, artfully made, hand struck
28:30Well that certainly raises an eyebrow, doesn't it?
28:33It's a very smallish coin
28:34It's the kind of thing that would get stuck in a drill bed
28:39We want to confirm what type of coin it is, of course
28:42but the condition of that coin is quite remarkable for something that's been around since the late 1300s
28:49Yeah
28:50Thinking about the treasure being deposited way back
28:52it's also, if it was in circulation, it would be all worn off, right?
28:55It just looks to be, it's in really good shape
28:58Yeah
28:59The fact that it is in such good condition
29:01might represent that it came up out of, say, one of the sealed cases
29:05where it's been sealed for many years and has not been subject to any of the water, dirt, elements
29:11I mean, what caught my imagination was that this coin was Portuguese, right?
29:16And what theories have we been looking at that might involve the Portuguese?
29:20We're, of course, we're looking at the Templars finding sanctuary in Portugal
29:25The Knights of Christ
29:26And involving into the Knights of Christ, yeah
29:28Of course
29:31The Catholic military order, known as the Knights Templar, were formed in the early 12th century
29:37to fight for Christian interests in the Holy Land during the Crusades
29:43They amassed great wealth by establishing an elaborate banking system
29:47but were also rumored to have discovered priceless religious artifacts
29:52including the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant
29:56In 1307, they were disbanded and persecuted by King Philip IV of France
30:02and Pope Clement V on charges of heresy
30:06Many were arrested and executed
30:09but much of their treasures were never found
30:12The order rebranded themselves where they could find refuge in countries such as Portugal
30:18where they were known as the Knights of Christ
30:21In 2021, when Rick Lagina and other members of the team
30:26visited former Templar-related strongholds across Portugal
30:30The circle and the dot in the center of the cross
30:33That's one of our symbols on the HO stone
30:35They were stunned to see numerous stone carvings matching symbols that have been found on Oak Island
30:43Is it possible that after nearly two decades into their quest for answers
30:48The team is finally looking at a genuine piece of the treasure that people have been seeking for 230 years
30:57So I think what happened was Pip Blado found this item on the drill bit
31:02And he goes to Charles Dixon Archibald
31:06Who had the Acadian Mining Company at the time
31:08And he says, listen, there's treasure on that island
31:11And here's the proof
31:14And then we know
31:17By the paperwork that Steve has
31:18That it is Charles Dixon Archibald
31:21That was approached by Pip Blado
31:24Pip Blado went to him and he showed him something so convincing
31:27That he took these steps to try and take over the treasure hunt on the island
31:32Yep
31:33And the only thing that got in their way
31:34Was they were given the right to hunt for treasure on Oak Island
31:38On unoccupied lands
31:39Well, we know the Truro Company maintained their license on the Money Pit
31:43So while they gained right to hunt on the island
31:46They didn't gain right to hunt on the Money Pit
31:47Mm-hmm
31:49This is a really thrilling and exciting thing that's happened on Oak Island
31:53And the story all makes sense, it really does
31:57It's difficult to make up a story like the Pip Blado story itself
32:02This coin is singularly unique in terms of its importance for one simple reason
32:08There is a narrative associated with the coin
32:11We have an artifact
32:12And we have a possible association with that famed incident
32:18The Pip Blado incident
32:20That's quite convincing
32:22To give him obviously more credibility
32:24The way this coin ended up in my possession
32:26Is the direct line from the Archibald family
32:30So when Steve approached us
32:32We wanted to see if the framework was truly there for this coin to have been passed down
32:36From Pip Blado to Steve's branch of the family
32:40That you see in this chart
32:44Charles Dixon maybe was left with that coin
32:46Because he had to go to the government
32:48And secure a treasure trove license and all of that
32:53Charles Dixon Archibald was related to Thomas Archibald
32:57And when Charles Dixon Archibald kind of left the province
33:00Pretty much for good in the 1850s
33:03And then he died in 1868
33:05If he had left that coin behind with the members of the family
33:07That were still here in the province
33:09Then it's very plausible that it came down through Steve's family
33:14And the Pip Blado family, members of that family
33:17Were actually married into the Archibalds over time
33:19They were, yeah
33:21This is quite something
33:24This coin has been with the family for three years
33:27I think it came up in 1849
33:30I do
33:34And it's bent too
33:36Yeah, it is slightly bent
33:38My question is, can the heat that's generated by that auger
33:42Could this have been picked up and by a slight amount of heat potentially have curled?
33:46Having drilled a lot of stuff
33:48Anything powerful enough to drill through oak and a cask
33:52Is powerful enough to bend the coin
33:55Yeah, yeah
33:56It adds credence to the story
33:58Yeah
33:59I think this all makes sense and it has a high likelihood of being the object that was found
34:05If anybody's head isn't reeling like mine as to what theory this fits
34:11Yeah
34:12I mean, come on
34:13Yep
34:14If it's true about the loose metal
34:17There could be a coin in there from 1307
34:20Right after the Knights Templar disband
34:22Or even earlier, the Crusade times, right?
34:25Because there's nothing that precludes them from adding to their treasure cache over time
34:29Correct
34:30We know the work that carbon dates here on the island
34:34We call it a multi-generational attempt
34:36But there might have been a series of operations needed to set this in motion
34:43This could be part of a generational event
34:45Correct
34:46Yeah
34:47Our modern minds think we can traverse half the globe in an afternoon
34:52Back then, if there was a plan initiated to save or protect something
34:58They understood that it was a transatlantic voyage
35:03Months just in the sailing
35:05Months again if not years in the final completion of the task
35:11My biggest problem with it is I wish I had seen it come out of the drill bit
35:14Of course
35:15My favorite thing about it is that everything, if we just assume that all of it is true
35:19Then that really focuses our dig
35:22We believe the area we're investigating this year
35:25Mm-hmm
35:25Could we bring it to the lab and have Emma do some metallurgy, look at it, and render an opinion?
35:32Of course
35:33Is that coin 51% likely or better that that's the coin that Pitlado found?
35:39I, on a jury, would vote yes
35:42I think the data is compelling
35:44Let's go aggressively look for this treasure down deep
35:48Because that's where it must have gone
35:50I agree
35:51Yep
35:52If this coin were 100% known to be what came out of the money pit
35:56It's the strongest thing we've ever found
35:58And I think we're looking at, with a high degree of probability
36:03The coin that was found that day, so many years ago
36:06To me it's proof that something is at the bottom of the money pit
36:13There's nothing like that moment
36:15You see it, you hold it in your hand
36:19You know how close you are to the one thing
36:23It's a real reason to be hopeful
36:26This, even though there's some blanks that have to be filled in
36:31This, very possibly, is what lies at the depth of the money pit
36:36And how many years have we spent talking about what lies below?
36:42This may be what lies below
36:45Yeah
36:46We can't say thank you enough
36:48Big time, yes, very much so
36:51Thank you, appreciate it
36:52Yeah, thank you
36:54Let's move forward
36:57We hit the bedrock plateau in J6
36:59We're down to 178 right now
37:02We're still in bedrock, we haven't popped out into the open solution channel
37:06Let's hope we're gonna pop out short
37:07Yeah
37:08Yeah
37:10After the incredible revelation of the 14th century Portuguese coin
37:15In the money pit area, operations manager Scott Barlow, Charles Barkhouse, geologist Terry Matheson, and surveyor Steve Copptill eagerly monitor
37:26the progress of borehole J6
37:29So we've hit the ledge, we're gonna hopefully get down through the ledge and we're gonna get back down into
37:34the solution channel and look for that treasure
37:36Hopefully we find something down below because as we saw with DOT 1, we found material made by man, deeper,
37:44absolutely
37:44Because the drill has passed through the ground soil and is currently cutting through rock
37:51It is Terry's belief that they're drilling through an outcropping or ledge of bedrock
37:57And that the solution channel will hopefully be encountered several feet deeper below
38:04We came into this year not so much looking to data collect anymore but treasure hunting
38:08Absolutely
38:10Yeah
38:11You know Steve Solomon brought a Portuguese coin to the island, right?
38:15Yeah
38:15I'm excited about that coin
38:17I mean if we find a coin deep in the solution channel predating searchers, that's huge, right?
38:23Yeah, absolutely
38:24If there's something down there, this is where we're gonna find it
38:26Yeah, we gotta cross our fingers
38:32Oh, did we break through?
38:34I don't know
38:40Looks like we broke through the ledge into the solution channel
38:42The rods just started going down pretty quick there
38:44Oh yeah, that's it for sure
38:46That's it
38:48As the drill comes down and encounters a bedrock ledge
38:51It really pushed through there
38:53It fell down deeper
38:54So we know the solution channel has got some hidden cavities in it on her ledges
38:58We're waiting for that next core to come up, hopefully containing some treasure
39:02So the rest of this should be very interesting
39:04We'll see if there's any of that debris field that we're looking for
39:07The falling treasure
39:08Yeah
39:09Hey guys, I've got some other things I gotta go check on
39:11So please keep me informed what's gonna happen
39:13I'm really excited about what may be down here
39:15Of course
39:16I think we're only in the infancy of trying to understand the solution channel
39:21I don't know what's in there
39:23I know what we found to date in it
39:25It is quite compelling
39:27We have to have patience
39:28Because we believe whatever was above
39:32Fell to those depths
39:34Thank you
39:34No problem
39:36178
39:36178
39:37Thank you
39:44So here's the bedrock
39:47So here's the bedrock
39:47From 168 down to 178
39:50And here's the little bit of mud
39:52Where we opened up into the solution channel
39:55Where we popped out
39:56And here's the bedrock
39:58Thank you
40:01Every hole is a little mini treasure hunt
40:03In and of itself
40:04What I would like to do
40:06Is to find something
40:08The one thing
40:09And then immediately turn our resources to a large scale recovery effort
40:14Clear
40:15Anyway
40:16We're gonna go another 20 feet
40:18Now from 178
40:20To probably finish at 198
40:22And we'll see what we got
40:23Then we'll have an artifact of three
40:25Could be the one thing Charles
40:27You never know
40:27Yeah
40:29What we're really looking for is treasure
40:31That could be sitting in a pocket
40:33At the bottom of the solution channel
40:34In around 210 feet
40:36So every sloppy mess we see in those cores
40:39Becomes exciting
40:44Wait
40:49So
40:50Yeah
40:51It's soft
40:52Then I hit something hard
40:54Yeah this is the pay zone
40:55We're really very hopeful
40:56About very good recovery in this zone
40:58Okay
40:58That's good
40:59How deep?
41:00What's your depth?
41:01Kyle?
41:03188
41:03188
41:04188
41:04Excellent
41:11He's hung up right now on something hard
41:13At that 188 level
41:15I mean that's the whole reason we're drilling right here
41:17Absolutely
41:20The next core sample is gonna tell the tale
41:22It will
41:23What I'd really like to see is a coin
41:25Or an artifact that says treasure
41:27That's what we need
41:29Your mind goes to all kinds of possibilities
41:32That as we're drilling down
41:34In the money pit area
41:35Going to the solution channel
41:36Could we hit a vault?
41:38We're hoping to find a jewel
41:39A coin
41:40Something
41:40That changes the ball game here completely
41:44We have a core gentlemen
41:45Hopefully we get something here
41:47Here's hoping
41:50What we got Kyle?
41:51188
41:52188
41:53Thank you
41:55See what we got
41:59As the drill goes down
42:00If it hits something hard
42:02The hope is that we will find the man-made obstruction
42:05The actual vault or treasure
42:07I mean that's always the hope
42:09Every single time
42:10And I hope at some point
42:12It comes to fruition
42:15Gypsum boulder here at about 185
42:19It's pretty tight
42:20Not likely what we might have run into
42:24Gypsum is a naturally occurring rocky mineral
42:27That is often used in the production of plaster and cement
42:30However, due to its relatively soft composition
42:34It is geologist Terry Matheson's opinion
42:37That it would not explain the obstruction
42:40That the drill encountered
42:46Now's the time we can find an artifact or two
42:49Absolutely
42:55Very loose material
42:58We're going to find an artifact that's going to be in something like that
43:01Absolutely
43:01It's a little cakey but anyway
43:04Okay
43:05Thank you fellas
43:07Thanks a lot
43:13Slush right there
43:15So there's some debris that fell off of the wall
43:18This is actually bedding
43:20So that's not what we really want
43:21We did something that was a little harder
43:23It's hard to say what we might have run into
43:26Perhaps the bit pushed it deeper
43:29Because the team is not finding evidence of the obstruction
43:34Is it possible that the drill bit made contact with a hard object
43:38And perhaps pushed it deeper into the sludge
43:41At water filled solution channel
43:43If so, what was it?
43:45And might they encounter it again
43:47At a greater depth?
43:49We're only at 194
43:50So we'll see what happens
43:52We're planning on going at least to 210
43:54Yeah, at least 210
43:55Yeah
43:55Normally when we're drilling
44:00If you hit something
44:01You can still deflect off
44:03But hopefully the drill rod
44:05It was able to keep its verticality
44:07We're trying to go deep to the bottom of the solution channel
44:10And if we can find something
44:12Then it's a whole different ballgame
44:18Hey guys
44:19Charles Terry
44:21Welcome
44:22Anything so far?
44:24No
44:24We hit something solid at 190 feet down
44:28That may have pushed into the solution channel
44:33We have a core
44:35What's going on?
44:36How far did you get?
44:37213
44:38213
44:39Did you hit bedrock?
44:40Yes sir
44:41Wow
44:42Okay, this is the whole enchilada then
44:46Okay
44:49Okay
44:52Okay, let's cut this right about here
44:59It's a little firm
45:02Yeah
45:02Yeah
45:03More than I'd like
45:10Just a little too dense
45:11Yeah, that's nothing
45:15I hope we don't have to drill every inch of that solution channel
45:18I hope we find the one thing here shortly
45:20But you have to cover the solution channel in its entirety
45:25Just got to get after it
45:28It's disappointing but we're going to keep mapping out the bottom of that solution channel
45:31Until we find what we hope we're going to find
45:33Yep, and we'll move on to the next hole
45:36That's right
45:41A new day begins on Oak Island
45:44And while the core drilling operation continues in the Money Pit area
45:51Nearly half a mile to the west on Lot 5
45:54These are the spoil piles from last year of the round feature
45:58So I'm really excited to see what we can find here
46:00Metal detection expert Gary Drayton
46:03And Peter Frenetti join the archaeology team
46:06As they continue to investigate the large stone foundation near the shoreline
46:13They're using sifters but sometimes some stuff can go through that quarter inch screen
46:18Oh, give it one last shot
46:21Today, Gary and Peter have been directed to search through a pile of spoils
46:27That were removed last year from the mysterious round feature
46:31For any clues that could help determine who occupied it and most importantly, why
46:40Yeah, this could be something Pete
46:44This sounds like it's non-ferrous
46:49Well, I know the rules is we have to stand down for the archaeologists to dig these targets
46:55Because we're in this special area
46:57Let me call Fiona
46:58Fiona
47:00We got a target
47:02Oh, great
47:04Yay!
47:05Because the round feature was designated by the Government of Nova Scotia as a special place in 2024
47:14Gary and Peter must obtain permission from one of the team's accredited archaeologists
47:19Before digging up any targets in this area
47:24Yeah, we've got a target here Fiona
47:27You think it's non-ferrous?
47:29Hmm
47:30Yeah, a little piece of non-ferrous there
47:32It's ringing up loud and clear
47:34Yeah
47:35Just there, please
47:36I'm out
47:43You know what? This you can tell this is in between the spoils pile
47:47So this would be something probably more in situ
47:49Well, it's looking like it so far
47:52An in situ target?
47:54Meaning that it is not in the previously removed spoils
47:57But rather in the ground near them?
48:01No
48:02I'll try to pinpoint
48:04See what we got
48:07If so, could Gary have identified a new area outside the rounded feature
48:13That contains potential clues or evidence of treasure?
48:21Oh, look at this
48:22Yeah, I had a feeling it was going to be a little bit of lead
48:25Tiny little bit of squash lead shot
48:28A lead shot?
48:29Or bullet?
48:31Ever since acquiring Lot 5, three years ago
48:34The Oak Island team has unearthed a number of gun-related artifacts
48:39Such as musket balls and a ramrod guide from a rifle
48:44That could all date as far back as the 17th century
48:48More than 100 years before the discovery of the money pit
48:53That probably created somebody's supper one day
48:56Yep
48:57Could the team have just found more evidence
49:00Of people who may have used this site as a camp
49:03While possibly hiding valuables in the money pit?
49:07If so, who were they?
49:10If that had been a gold nugget now, we'd all be dancing
49:13Should we flag this little area as well?
49:16Yeah, I mean that was on the ground, so that's great
49:19Are we allowed to search this?
49:21Yeah, no, absolutely
49:22I think we're just going to try and stay away from any of the perimeter of the feature
49:26Because we're going to still dig there
49:27But I think it really would be good to detect on this side
49:30Because realistically most of the artifacts have all been kind of on the west side of the feature
49:34I find it very strange that we're not finding as many artifacts right here
49:38Let's find some treasure in this area
49:40Go for it, this is perfect, so I'm going to get back over here
49:44Anything we can do to help you guys?
49:46Awesome
49:46Cheers
49:55Got something?
49:56Yeah
49:57It's iron
49:59Let's take this out and see what we've got
50:01Okay
50:02Just there, please
50:10Hopefully it's a chunky old thing
50:12I like me chunky old things
50:15Especially on lot five
50:16Lot five is the lot that keeps on giving
50:19We're finding artifacts that were here well before the discovery of the money pit
50:25So we want to work together with the archaeologists to metal detect
50:29And my number one objective for lot five is to get some answers to help the archaeologists
50:34Tell the story about what's happening in the feature
50:37And how that relates to the money pit
50:46What was making all that noise?
50:50Oh, here it is
50:51Oh, what the heck is that?
50:56That is something, I mean, look at the shape of it
50:59Yeah
51:00Yeah, look, you see it's got these bumps on it
51:03I don't know if these are corrosion
51:05And it's just encrustation on it
51:09Well, not
51:10Yeah
51:11It looks like it has some sort of shape to it
51:14Yeah
51:14Like a design of sorts
51:16My first thought was like door hinge almost
51:19Like the locking mechanism
51:21Yeah
51:21A piece of a possible door hinge?
51:25If so, could it be related to the nearby rounded feature?
51:29This could still tell a story and help solve the mystery
51:33Yeah, we're not too far from the ground feature
51:35Yeah
51:35The people on lot five would have had locks of some kind
51:41They could have had chests and doors that needed locking
51:45And I'm looking forward to seeing what the archaeologists dig up about this find
52:00Got something?
52:02Yeah
52:03Bigger piece of iron
52:05Fiona, when you get a chance, can you come over here?
52:07Sure
52:08Thank you
52:08Yeah, we're close to the round feature
52:11I like your location over here
52:13We haven't found a lot over at this side of this round feature
52:17Well, I'm hoping this is something interesting
52:19It's an iron it
52:21But
52:24It's substantial
52:25Go for it
52:33Oh, that's going to be tricky
52:40Oh, well done
52:45Wow, that's really deep
52:47I wonder if I should grab my trowel just in case
52:49I was thinking that
52:50Yeah, okay
52:50I'll be right back
52:51Maybe it would be a good idea to trowel it out
52:53Just to be safe
52:53I mean, we're in worm tickler territory now
52:58Okay, I'll pinpoint it for you, Fiona
53:00Okay
53:03Oh, it's a streamer
53:05Right there
53:06It's really deep
53:08Yeah, it is
53:09That's about ten inches
53:12Yeah, I can see it right here
53:14Yeah, I can see it right here
53:14It's
53:14And it is a substantial size
53:17I just don't want to break it, right?
53:20Here's a piece
53:25Like that looks like glass
53:27That's glass
53:28That's the older stuff
53:31Then look at the colour of it
53:32And that's pretty green
53:34That's looking like older glass
53:43You know what?
53:44There's all sorts of things down here
53:45To be honest, I'm seeing some coarse earthenware now too
53:49So the fact that we've got coarse earthenware, you've got glass
53:54And a big piece of iron
53:55I think we need to not dig this up right now
53:59Yeah
54:00I want to take out just a bit of the roots
54:02I think we'll just make it a little bit bigger
54:04This may just be a pile of something that got thrown here
54:07But what if it's something else?
54:10Yeah, what if this is another part of a foundation?
54:13We are not that far away from this feature
54:15Because we found the Starburst button right over here
54:18Which was literally four feet away from us
54:21We found the spiral button right over here
54:23And that's really, really close to this
54:26Oh wow
54:26This could potentially be part of whatever's going on over at this feature
54:31Another potential section of the mysterious round feature on Lot 5
54:37And mere feet from where the team uncovered
54:40Two ornate buttons that may be connected to the 17th century order
54:44Known as the Knights of Malta
54:47A religious order who just like the Portuguese Knights of Christ
54:51Descended from the Knights Templar
54:54We're in total agreement
54:56And Anu knows what else is standing
54:58Well, that's what I'm thinking too
55:00So we'll hold this for now
55:02And if you're okay to keep going with the rest of it
55:04For sure
55:06Due to provincial regulations
55:08Because Fiona believes that Gary and Peter may have found another part of the rounded feature
55:14She and the archeology team must now perform further excavations of this site
55:19To locate the large metal object and whatever else may be buried here
55:25Now we've found this, who knows what else is waiting for us over here
55:29This is really encouraging
55:34It's treasure time
55:35As the investigations continue in the Money Pit area
55:39This is just starting to hit gravel
55:41And on Lot 5
55:44Okay everybody, this is the first of what are going to be hopefully a whole bunch of sessions in the
55:50lab
55:50Yeah
55:51Rick and Marty Lagina
55:53Along with other members of the team
55:55Meet with archeologist Laird Niven
55:57And archeometallurgist Emma Culligan
56:00In the Oak Island Laboratory
56:02While Emma is still conducting scientific analysis of the 14th century silver coin
56:09She has prepared a report on the chisel
56:12That was recently found in the Money Pit spoils
56:15From last year's large scale excavations
56:19What did you find out Emma?
56:21Alright, so the chisel did get a good strip of bare metal from this area right here
56:26So I have the compositions up here
56:29Earlier today, Emma scanned the iron artifact using an x-ray fluorescence or XRF device
56:37A device that emits non-destructive radiation to identify an object's chemical composition
56:43Which can help determine when it may have been created
56:48It lacks any modern alloying element like manganese or any other element that I would normally find
56:55Which indicate older
56:57Brilliant
56:58This is definitively not modern
57:01So we would comfortably put it in the 1700s
57:05Sweet
57:06Yeah, and it could potentially be older
57:09Wow, little bugs dies
57:10Yeah
57:11The chisel is actually very exciting
57:13That's before the story of the first treasure hunt efforts on Oak Island
57:18So it could be part of an original deposit
57:21I think it's interesting
57:23It's a great find
57:25To start off the year like this
57:26You have an old tool found at depth in the Money Pit
57:31This is not the one thing, but we're getting there
57:34All right
57:36I'm satisfied
57:37Well done
57:38Mm-hmm
57:38We'll get you some more
57:39There's gonna be some more finds coming
57:41And I'm hoping it's made of gold and silver
57:44Well, as Rick always says, we gotta go find it
57:47Yep
57:48See you later
57:49Thank you
57:54The following morning
57:58Hey Terry, Charles
57:59Hey Alex
58:00In the Money Pit area
58:02Alex Lagina joins geologist Terry Matheson
58:06And Oak Island historian Charles Barkhouse
58:09As they continue monitoring the drilling operation
58:12In borehole H.5, 8.5
58:17What depth are we at?
58:19What they're gonna bring up in a second here is from 168 to 170
58:22Okay, and anything so far or?
58:24What's coming up right now should be a good clean run
58:26There!
58:27Whoa, here we go
58:28Come here!
58:29Could be something in the barrel there
58:30Something's sticking out
58:31Looks like
58:34What you got Adam?
58:37What is that?
58:38That looks like some steel to me
58:40Yeah, it does
58:42That's a chunk of metal
58:43Yeah?
58:46A large metal object
58:49Extracted from nearly 180 feet deep in the solution channel
58:54You know, finding this piece of metal, I mean, is very exciting
58:57Because we're not sure what it is
58:59Anything below 150 is a really interesting level for us to search
59:05Because we don't know the exact location of the original money pit
59:10I don't know
59:11I don't know what that is
59:13Pretty interesting
59:13Hey Scott, check that out
59:20Very thick
59:21I agree, it's really
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