Narrator: Tonight on
the curse of oak island...
Marty:
Let's quit jawboning and dig.
There it is.
- Looks like a nice big x.
- Marty: Wow.
What the heck? Oh!
- No way.
- Another a*!
This is no coincidence.
This reminds me of a camp.
Corjan:
There's a four-kilometer
menorah in France.
They built a giant royal arch
from the temple mount
to oak island.
- That's impressive.
- Yeah.
Well, there's something
dug here.
Tom: It is 100% man-made.
Narrator: There is an
island in the north atlantic
where people have been looking
for an incredible treasure
for more than 200 years.
So far they have found
a stone slab
with strange symbols
carved into it...
Mysterious fragments
of human bone...
And a lead cross whose origin
may stretch back to the days
of the knights templar.
To date, six men have d*ed
trying to solve the mystery.
And according to legend,
one more will have to die,
before the treasure
can be found.
As the start of a new day
dawns on oak island...
- Well, that's what I'm saying.
- Morning.
- Hey, guys.
- Guys.
Narrator: ...Brothers
rick and marty lagina
and archeologist laird niven
arrive on lot 15
where fellow archeologists,
aaron taylor, david macinnes,
and liz michels, as well
as oak island
historian doug crowell
are continuing
their investigation
of an old stone structure
believed to be a pine tar kiln
that is possibly connected
to the construction
of the original money pit.
One that was also noted
on a 40-year-old survey map
created by the late oak island
treasure hunter fred nolan
as a possible tunnel entrance.
- Did you find anything down there where you are standing?
- Yes.
- I found till, I'm standing on till. Glacial till.
- That's the end of it.
- We've hit the bottom.
- That's the end of it.
We're at the bottom of it.
And you still think
it's a pine tar kiln?
It's always been
a pine tarn kiln.
- Okay.
- David: At least some type
of industrial activity here
or preindustrial activity
where there was
extensive burning
over a prolonged period of time.
The charcoal is unmistakable.
I got a piece of that charcoal
and we're gonna date it.
- That would be exciting.
- I mean, if this was the 1500s,
-that's important.
-Yeah, it is.
-It is.
Mm-hmm.
- Dave has been calling it
the pit of despair.
- Yeah.
I think it's the pit of promise.
- The pit of promise.
- (laughter)
narrator: Although rick,
marty and the team
are eager to perform
deep earth scans
and possibly conduct a much
larger excavation of the site,
they must first wait
for the proper permits,
which they can only obtain
once the archaeologists
complete their investigation.
I would say
the chances of it being
not archeologically significant
have now been eliminated.
It is archeologically
significant.
- You see that?
- Laird: Yeah.
David:
This is till, right there.
Rick: On fred's map,
it's denoted as
"possible tunnel entrance."
even though
we're at glacial till,
there's certainly
still a possibility
that, deeper,
there may be a tunnel.
But we need to move resources,
assets and people
away from this feature.
There are a lot of other
activities
that we need to engage with.
Marty:
All right, our work here's done.
- Yours isn't.
- David: No, it isn't.
Marty: Okay, carry on.
- Yep.
- Yep, thank you.
- Liz: All right.
- David: See you guys.
- Narrator: Later that morning..
- Marty: Hey, guys.
- Hey, guys.
- Hey.
- Hello.
- Hey, guys. Good to be here.
Narrator:
...Rick, marty and alex lagina
have gathered in the w*r room
for a meeting via
video conference
with rick and marty's partner,
craig tester,
as well as david irving,
of irving equipment limited,
to discuss future plans
for a possible large-scale
digging operation
in the money pit.
So, david, we have some
information for you and, uh,
first we want to thank you
for doing all the work you did,
showing us alternatives
to how to do the big dig.
You know, the honeycomb
sort of approach.
Sounds cool.
Narrator: Four weeks ago,
david and his colleagues
created an augmented-reality
computer model
for a major excavation
across the money pit area
known as the honeycomb method.
By digging a large number
of eight-foot-wide
steel caissons
down to the bedrock
in a uniform pattern,
each shaft could be excavated
and then backfilled if necessay
before maneuvering the equipmet
to each new drill site.
This method could enable
the laginas and their partners
to cover a large area
without the enormous expense
and dangers of drilling
a massive 100-foot-wide hole.
Marty:
We just want to let you know
the bad news is we really
believe we've run out of time
to do either a big can
this year,
because of the covid delays.
And certainly the big dig,
however it evolves,
is gonna have to be postponed
into next year.
Irving: Yeah. No, I mean, I...
I think we were-we were coming
to that realization ourselves.
A lot of this is outside of
everyone's control,
with the restrictions
and constraints of this virus
that's going around, but, uh,
I guess that's
the silver lining.
It gives us more time
to sharpen our pencil
and refine our approach so we
can do a better job for you.
- Yeah.
- Craig: Well, david, hopefully
our drilling program
this year will really
narrow down, uh, where
we want to put in cans
or the big dig. And, uh,
hopefully over
the wintertime you guys can
design a good program for us.
Yeah.
It's almost impossible right now
to do a big dig, but
this year we have
a very involved and intricate
drill program in the money pit
with choice drilling.
The purpose of this
drilling program this year
is not just about
putting the holes down,
it's about interpreting the daa
for a big dig.
Let us go back
to our team here, craig,
our design team. We're gonna
kick around a few ideas
and then get back to you.
We'll try and do so here
as soon as possible.
You know, before, uh, the end
of the summer, I think
we should have some-some good
information back to you.
Sounds great.
Rick: Well, david,
we just want to say thank you.
Uh, the answers here
I think will be amazing.
That's great. Listen, guys,
we're available 24/7.
And, uh, we look forward
to the next steps here
talking to you guys,
so just, in the meantime,
stay safe, stay in touch.
- Sounds good.
- Sounds good.
- Thank you.
- Until the next time.
Irving: Take care. Bye.
Alex: Bye-bye.
Narrator:
Meanwhile, over on lot 32...
This is gonna be a really,
really good area.
I just know it.
Narrator: ...Metal detection
expert gary drayton
and rick and marty's nephew
peter fornetti
have arrived at
a never-before explored area
near the western edge
of the swamp
that the team has recently
cleared of large trees.
Gary: I'm gonna keep a
nice tight search pattern.
Peter: Okay.
- (scanner beeping)
- oh. Sounds good.
(loud whine)
that's a screamer, mate.
Nice screaming loud signal.
Please be something good.
(scanner beeping)
wow.
Ha. Cool old a*.
It's a thick one.
- Yeah, this is an oldie as well.
- Large.
By the look of it.
- Well, it's still got the wood in it.
- Oh, wow.
Gary:
Looks like it was hand-forged.
And this has been in here
a long time.
Look at how deep that was, mate.
That was great digging.
- This is in really great shape.
- Mm-hmm.
It's not really a heavy-duty a*.
A heavy-duty a* is with
the double bit axes.
-And you see that
flat head there?
-Yeah,
- that didn't break off.
- So it was for pounding as well.
And this is very similar
- to what we was finding on the eastern side of the swamp.
- Mm-hmm.
Up on lot 15.
That's a a*. It's a broken a*.
Oh, it is!
Narrator: Two weeks ago.
While searching lot 15,
just west of the mysterious
stone structure,
gary and jack begley
discovered a rigging a*,
commonly used on ships
dating as far back
as the 17th century.
Could this a* have been left
by the same people
who left behind the one found
on lot 15?
And if so, could they also
be connected to an operation
to bury treasure
in the money pit?
(scanner beeping)
it just can't be.
- How deep?
- Just there.
Three or four inches.
Just there, mate.
(scanner beeping rapidly)
oh!
- It's another a*!
- Wow.
(chuckles): Another a*, mate.
I was hoping,
but I was thinking,
"no. Two in the same area?"
the same kind of shape
as the other one,
with a flat head.
And it's got wood in there.
Oh, wow, look at the condition
of it.
Whatever this was used for
in here,
we've got two axes
being broken here,
unless someone just dumped 'em.
But these would have been
a valuable commodity
- back in the day.
- Oh, absolutely.
Oh, man, we got to
continue, mate.
These axes probably date from
the same time frame
as the artifacts
we pulled off lot 15.
And it wouldn't surprise me
if they come from
the same country or region.
I think both of these lots
are connected.
(scanner beeping)
yeah, there is a signal.
Just here, mate.
- Nice, strong one.
- (loud whining)
- peter: Yep.
- Gary: Yep, just there.
All right. Let me get
that pinpoint in there.
(beeping rapidly)
what the heck is going on here?
Gary:
What the heck is going on here?
Blimey, look at that.
- (laughs)
- peter: No way.
- Another a*!
- This is starting to be,
- like, unbelievable.
- Yeah.
Narrator: On lot 32...
Just west
of the oak island swamp...
Metal detection expert
gary drayton and peter fornetti
have just made another
potentially important discover.
Gary: All right, I know
we're not on high ground,
but this reminds of a camp.
Why so many tools are
in one area at the same time.
I mean,
doesn't make sense to me.
Narrator: Is it possible that,
just like on lot 15,
the oak island team
could have found another site
where human activity took place
prior to the discovery
of the money pit in 1795?
You said "camp."
should we call laird?
Yeah, I think we
should stand down, mate.
That's what laird
would want us to do.
I mean, th-this
is no coincidence.
Think he's not too far away.
(line rings)
laird: Hello?
- Hey, laird.
- Hey, gary. How are you?
What this says to me
as the metal-detecting guy
is there was some kind of camp
on the west side of the swamp
and a trail on lot 15.
Peter: Hey, laird.
- Hey, guys.
- Hi, mate.
What do we have?
Show him, pete.
We pulled up three
really old axes
within feet of each other.
Like, a 20-feet area.
- And they're all broken.
- Mm-hmm.
Gary: Got little bits
of shaft still in them.
Laird: They certainly aren't modern,
are they?
- Peter: No.
- Gary: No. I...
I knew you would
say the same, mate.
These look old,
and they feel old as well.
You seen anything like this?
I've seen some. We don't get
- a lot of axes.
- Peter: Mm-hmm.
Gary: And-and I don't
think they're for logging,
because they're single-bit axes,
and they're not big enough
- to be chopping trees down.
- Laird: Just... They're just...
These are just forest axes.
They're just...
- Yeah.
- Maybe limbing, or something like that, right?
Really neat.
And for them all to be
in one area, mate,
do you think it possibly
could be, like,
- a camp in this area?
- It's difficult to imagine now.
What other explanation is there?
Gary: Yeah, I know.
A prime location.
And now it's clear, mate.
This-this is gonna bring
some good rewards to us.
- Oh, yeah. That's great.
- Mm-hmm.
Gary: I'm sure we'll find
some more around there.
All right. Good luck.
- Thank you.
- All right, mate. Thanks for coming over.
Cheers.
All right, mate, let's just
- pick up this line around the outside.
- Awesome.
Expand the search area.
Gary: Everybody's gonna be
impressed with these.
- These are nice.
- Peter: Absolutely.
Narrator: As gary and peter
continue their investigation
on lot 32...
Corjan: Hi, guys.
- Hello, chris, corjan.
- Others: Hey, guys.
- Good to see you again.
- Good to see you.
Narrator: ...Rick and marty
lagina, along with jack begley,
surveyor steve guptill
and oak island historian
doug crowell,
have gathered in the w*r room
for a new presentation
from oak island theorists
corjan mol
and chris morford.
We are going to come up
with a number
of interesting points
that we believe
deserve investigation.
- Okay.
- We very much look forward to what you have to present today.
Narrator: Last year,
their extensive research of three paintings
by the 17th century french
artist nicolas poussin,
including his most famous work,
the shepherds of arcadia,
revealed what they believed
to be a secret treasure map.
A map that when placed
over the boulder formation
known as nolan's cross
led the team to discover
a mysterious circle of boulders
at a location that has come
to be known
as the "eye of the swamp."
- wow.
- Gary: Wow.
That is massive.
That-that's a big boulder.
Corjan: This is where
we left off last year.
Where we anchored a pentagram
to nolan's cross
to position nicolas poussin's
shepherds of arcadia.
So this was our
starting position.
We really wanted to understand
what this eye was doing there.
What's the deal with the cross
and the pentagram?
Chris: Well, we knew we had
to start looking at these paths
and what they may be
pointing to.
We were working under
the assumption that these paths
had to be pointing to something.
And when we took to google earh
to see where
that might be pointing,
we were quite astonished.
If you'll follow along
on the path here,
these paths will lead you
right to versailles.
Marty: Come on,
right down the axis of the cross?
Corjan: Yes.
- That's impressive.
- Yeah.
Corjan: Versailles is the
world's largest royal domain.
It spans 2,000 acres.
It was built in the 17th centuy
by louis xiv, king of France.
Narrator: Based on their research,
it is corjan and chris's belief
that the palace of versailles
may have been where priceless
treasures obtained by
the knights templar
in the holy land
during the crusades
were kept hidden
for a period of time
before being moved
to a more secret location.
These treasures include
the ark of the covenant
and the golden menorah
that once stood
in the temple of solomon,
on what is today
the temple mount in jerusalem.
We started to look at
the whole domain from the air.
Chris: So you're seeing an
aerial sh*t of versailles here.
We noticed there was
a very distinct plan.
The entire domain appeared
to be laid out
like a giant menorah.
Including the tripod
at the very bottom.
- Really?
- And we wondered where we would land
if we would travel
in the other direction.
We could not believe
when we saw this.
Chris: It lands not close to,
but directly on top
of the old site
of the temple of solomon.
Marty: Holy smokes.
Narrator: A perfect line?
Starting at the site of the
original temple of solomon
in jerusalem?
Leading straight through
the palace of versailles,
and finally landing
on oak island?
Marty (chuckles): There it is.
I recognize that.
Narrator: Is it possible
that corjan mol
and chris morford
have uncovered critical clues
as to not just the origins
of the oak island mystery,
but also what could be
buried there?
We believe they built
a giant royal arch
from the temple mount
that was pointing
to nolan's cross on oak island.
Well, you damn sure got us here.
(laughter)
but I still want to know
one thing.
What's the "why" of this?
We think the knights templar
indeed
dug up solomon's treasure.
Really?
Which consisted of
possibly the ark,
and more than one menorahs.
One of those
was potentially shipped
to north america
for safekeeping.
Perhaps buried
- in the oak island swamp.
- (marty chuckles)
well, I hope you're right,
that's for dang sure.
Chris and corjan have done
a lot of work.
It's remarkable, the effort
they have put into this.
It's certainly humbling to thik
that this tiny little island
in the north atlantic
might house something
as historic and as, literally,
earth-shattering
as perhaps a menorah
from the temple of solomon.
Are you gonna tell us
where to dig?
Yes.
- Okay. Good.
- (laughter)
we got the idea that
you could take the distance
from arcadia stone right
to the center of the cross.
And you can create
a circle from that,
go out the same distance again
to the headstone.
You can create
another circle there.
And then the overall circle
that encompasses
the entire cross.
And you have three
concentric circles there.
And if you take half of that,
you can form a menorah.
And when you overlay a pentagrm
within the second circle there,
and you can see that the bottom
points of the pentagram
are pointing to two locations
left and right of the spine,
marked by the green dots there.
Okay, so you want us to look
where the... where the menorah
that you've inscribed
on this picture
hits the pentagram.
You consider those to be
interesting spots, correct?
- Corjan: Yes.
- Chris: Absolutely. Yes, sir.
We felt that these were
important places
to take a look at.
Uh, can you guys send me
what's on the screen,
and I can calculate it based on
today's presentation?
- Absolutely.
- Perfect.
But what are chris and corjan
expecting to find
- at either one of these points on the menorah?
- That is a good question.
You know, is there supposed to
be an obvious stone?
It would at least have to be
a man-made feature,
which could serve as a, uh,
as a placement marker
or something.
Okay, I get it, then.
We can do that.
Marty: Chris and corjan's
work is significant enough
and well done enough
that we are absolutely
going to go check out
their spots.
Any dig on oak island
is worth doing.
And in this case,
it's well worth doing.
Chris, corjan, you know,
we have immense gratitude
for all the work you've put in.
- Yeah.
- Really, really appreciate it.
- Thank you so much, rick.
- Thank you.
- Marty: Great.
- Rick: You take care. Stay safe.
- Steve g.: See you, guys.
- Doug: Bye, gentlemen.
- Marty: Billy. Steve.
- Billy: Morning.
- Hey, guys.
- Hey, steve. Hey, bill.
- Got it all. Pinned?
- I've got the location scouted out with billy.
- Marty: Don't tell us.
- I'm not gonna say anything
other than we've cleared a path
for us to walk.
All right, let's go.
What are we waiting for?
Narrator: After their
meeting in the w*r room
with oak island theorists
corjan mol and chris morford...
Steve g.: Watch your step.
There's holes everywhere.
Marty: Okay,
somebody call chris and corjan
and tell them to put an "x"
in an easier spot.
Narrator:
...Rick and marty lagina,
along with doug crowell,
arrive at lot 11
on the western edge of the swap
to investigate the first
of two locations
marked as potentially importan.
All right, guys,
based on the geometry
that chris and corjan sent me,
the spot is right in here.
Right here.
This is based on the geometry
and the coordinates.
Well, there's something here,
immediately.
There-there's something
been dug here.
There's a pretty impressive
mound of rocks here.
I don't know what
to think of it.
It's hard to see with the brush.
- So, have you... Have you walked this?
- Not yet.
I mean, we'd have
to get in there
and clear some of the trees out.
Where is the spot,
the exact spot?
The exact spot is right here.
I think it's something
we should probably investigate.
I'd call that something.
I don't know what to make of it.
- That's definitely dug.
- Marty: Oh, yeah.
Narrator:
A previously dug-out feature?
And at the exact coordinates
that researches corjan mol
and chris morford
provided the team?
But who dug here?
A previous searcher,
or someone else?
Could this site be connected
in some way
to the potentially
ancient a*-heads
found by gary drayton
on nearby lot 32?
Doug: It looks like it
goes back quite a ways.
Rick: Where are we in relation
to any of the other features
here in the swamp?
We're really close
to the paved area,
and we're really close
to the arcadia point.
I'm going to try
and get in here a little bit
and see what it feels like.
Rick: What could this be,
other than something that
chris and corjan are suggesting?
They brought us here, right?
And I don't...
I don't see any other feature
like this anywhere
in close proximity
to this area, right?
So, it's unique.
Doug: I was expecting a boulder,
but they said
to look for something unusual.
- Rick: Huh.
- This is unusual.
- This-this fits that category.
- Marty: Honestly, guys,
it looks for all the world to me
to be the spoils from that hole.
So the question is,
why did they dig here?
Marty:
Why did they dig here? Yes.
That's what we need to find out.
If this is a construct of some
sort, we should find that out.
Rick: I think we've now entered
into the realm
of unknown possibilities.
So let's let the science talk.
Guys, we all know someone
that could probably
test the sediments
in the bottom of that trench
and tell us how old it is.
- Marty: Dr. Spooner.
- Dr. Spooner.
We need to take a slow
and cautious approach to this
because if it is unique,
as chris and corjan suggest,
we want all
the information available.
We will dig it.
But for right now,
steve, you're the man of the
hour, you're the man of action.
- You've got to do what you do.
- Mm-hmm.
Take elevations,
figure out its orientation.
Determine its relevance
to the features
- we already know about in the swamp.
- Mm-hmm.
And then, at some point,
we get to the bottom...
No pun intended...
Of what the structure is.
Now remember, it's not
the fellowship of the trowel.
- (laughter)
- it's the fellowship of the dig.
- Yeah.
- Slow and steady wins the race.
- Wins the race.
- So...
I think we proceed cautiously.
Maybe one time
we can find something
that somebody else
hasn't already dug into.
- Mm-hmm.
- Steve g.: This might be it.
I think these guys might be
on to something.
Marty: We got another
spot. You pinned it?
Well, let's go look at that.
If there's another one
of these over there,
all right, I jump
into the believer camp.
- Well, follow me.
- All right.
Rick: The most striking thing
about the west hill location I,
not only is there a trench,
but there's this huge mound.
And it's... It-it is huge.
I mean, someone took some time.
And if it was done
by hand, then it truly
took a lot of enterprise
to accomplish it, so...
At some point,
these all can't be coincidences.
Narrator: Having traveled to
the eastern edge of the swamp..
Okay, just down over here, guys.
Narrator:
...Rick, marty and the team
arrive at the second location
provided by chris morford
and corjan mol,
sitting on the border
between lots 12 and 13.
- Here?
- Yeah, right here.
Marty:
In that hollow right there?
In this area, yeah, so,
- I'll go stand on it.
- Yeah, that'd be great.
Right there?
Yup, right in this little
clearing. Right here.
Marty: That is a little clearing,
steve. You are...
You are truly an optimist
to call that a clearing.
It's right on the property line,
just north
of the property boundary.
Rick: It's curious,
though. I mean, there is a little
mound-like feature
right through here. Right...
- Here.
- Doug: Yeah.
The problem is, we all know
fred pushed all this,
so if there was
something here...
Marty: Is this all the
dirt that went out there?
- Rick: Yeah, you can see the incline.
- Marty: Oh, that was...
- That was the old lot?
- That-that was cut and pushed.
Marty: The east hill location
of chris and corjan's
spots they wanted us
to check out
obviously has been disturbed.
It looks, from the evidence
on the ground,
that fred bulldozed that area
to build the peninsulas.
Now it's possible
that it could be deeper there.
Remember, these points,
according to chris and corjan...
They need to line up,
so whoever put them here,
put them here at the same time.
So, we'll get a lot
of information
from the date of west hill,
and that's when
this would have been built.
So according
to their theory so far is,
these points are a navigational
piece to something else.
Yes. All right, well, okay,
here's what I think then for...
And anybody else can chime in,
of course,
but I think we get
dr. Spooner over there.
Let him do the things he needs
to do before we disturb it.
Then let's dig this thing up,
see what it is.
All right,
I think our work here is done.
Let's go.
Rrator: As a new day begins
on oak island...
You the official
tree cutter, doug?
- I guess I am today.
- (laughter)
narrator: ...Oak island
landowner tom nolan,
the son of the late
treasure hunter fred nolan,
along with steve guptill
and doug crowell
have arrived on lot 11
with geoscientist
dr. Ian spooner
to further investigate the area
now known as "west hill."
this is our first step
to get a real date.
- Let's go collect some data.
- Yup.
Rick: My first thought about
the investigative processes
regarding
the west hill location is
simply this: That dr. Spooner
needs to take the lead.
Dr. Spooner has suggested
that he take a core sample
from the trench.
Are we all antsy
to find out if there's something
really here? Of course we are.
But we need to let dr. Spooner
do his interpretive work.
So, what the hope is...
Do you see all the algae
- and goo on it?
- Mm-hmm.
That's open water organism,
right?
So, if that's been open for 200,
300 years, that should be
- accumulating in the bottom.
- Mm-hmm.
And I should get a core.
If I got a good core, we save
it, and then I'd keep on going,
try to get a better one,
but it's not gonna be pretty.
And if I sink,
I'm gonna need help,
'cause if there's a lot
of that stuff,
I'm not getting out on my own.
Like...
- We'll pull you out.
- You will?
- Good.
- (laughter)
narrator: In order
to properly investigate the age
of the believed man-made trenc,
dr. Spooner will be using
a gravity corer.
This instrument will allow him
to carefully extract material
that has collected over time
in a perfectly isolated
core sample,
which he can then
carefully analyze
for a possible date of origin.
Oh.
- If you can hold on to that...
- Sure can.
- It's got a trigger right there.
- Okay.
Ian: Holy sh**t.
(clears throat)
it's deeper than I thought.
Oh, yeah, and it's soft.
It's very soft.
I just basically
take this thing.
All we do is lower it down.
It's already in the sediment
right now.
- Okay.
- There.
And then I just push it down,
push it down.
It almost looks like that might
be full when he pulls it out,
'cause... He's going down
quite a ways.
- So I'm going to trigger it.
- Okay.
And we'll just see...
This is just an experiment.
We'll see what we come up with.
There.
- Well, that's a good core.
- Yeah. You filled her.
Do you see the sediment
at the bottom?
- Mm-hmm.
- That's good.
The sediment only goes,
if you take a look,
- to here, right there.
- Mm-hmm.
- So, what does that say?
- Well, we generally look at
ten centimeters, 100 years.
It's been around for a while.
I was pretty astounded.
We all were.
If that trench is old,
then it's going to have
accumulated a lot of sediment.
And certainly, we came up
with a lot of sediment,
which gives an indication that
it might be older than we think.
Tom: So, ian,
do you think the samples
we have will give us the
information we're looking for?
Yeah, the great thing
about coring is
it gives us that context.
I think where we go
from here then is,
you've got the core samples
to study.
- Yup.
- And with your permission, tom,
we'll kick in efforts
to drain this.
And I'll clear off all
the lower limbs
of these trees
so we can see the mound better,
- if you've got no objections to that.
- No. No.
I think that's...
That's what we should do next.
Well, I've got to head back
with those cores.
- I got to get out of here.
- All right.
- And are you gonna...?
- I'll carry that.
- Ian: Thank you.
- Yeah.
(laughter)
(chain saw buzzing)
narrator: Later that afternoon,
while they await the results
of dr. Spooner's
coring operation,
tom nolan joins brothers
rick and marty lagina,
and other members of their team
at the second mysterious
location of interest
sitting on the border
between lots 12 and 13.
This is the east hill location...
Everybody knows that...
Chris and corjan's theory.
The thought was,
why don't we do a little dig?
Yup. Well,
we got the spot marked.
- Okay, if you can get in, that would be great.
- Yup.
Bring the machine.
Rick: I am grateful,
this year in particular,
that tom nolan is
a significant partner
in this enterprise because
he knows how much work
his father put
into trying to figure out
what the swamp may mean
in terms
of the oak island mystery.
And tom can provide perspective
as to, you know, why his father
worked in that area.
On a scale of one to ten, is
there gonna be something here?
I would say a six or a seven,
so, yeah, we got a good chance.
Fred was interested
in this spot for some reason,
so, I'm going to sit at a six,
I think, too.
Marty: Nicely done.
Doug: Corjan and chris...
They're two for two
in leading us
to man-made intervention spots.
The arcadia stone. Ian spooner
believes that was manipulated
into place, that boulder,
and the west hill,
that trench and mound.
They've both been manipulated
by man,
so they're-they're two for two.
Yeah, all right.
Let's make it three for three.
Let's quit...
Let's quit jawboning and dig.
Okay, tom.
♪ ♪
(whirring)
narrator: While tom
nolan excavates the site
with the eight-ton backhoe,
metal detection expert
gary drayton
scans the spoils
for any potential clues
or evidence of treasure.
Alex:
This dirt's all the same color.
I'm not seeing
a lot of variation.
(whirring)
(clacking)
that sounds like a big rock.
(scraping)
(whirring)
well, there's
definitely something in chris
and corjan's spot.
There it is.
Right there.
Marty: Wow.
Steve g.: There it is.
That one there has got quite
a flat surface on it.
Steve g.:
Can you set that boulder
- over by marty and I?
- Tom: Yeah.
- Over on the side there? Yeah.
- Please.
Narrator: While excavating
the east hill location
between lots 12 and 13,
rick and marty lagina
and members of their team
have just unearthed
a massive boulder
where oak island theorists
corjan mol and chris morford
suggest significant clues
might be found.
Marty: Great.
One of the things they said
we might find would be a boulder
- with-with a marking.
- With a marking.
If there was anything on it,
I think it'd be right here.
This side.
Look. It looks like
a nice big "x."
- can you see that?
- Marty: Mm-hmm.
- Steve g.: That's interesting.
- Yeah, it is.
- I think that's from tom.
- Mm-hmm.
Steve g.: We need to go deeper.
We need to be at sea level,
to make sure
we're covering all the ground.
Can you get three more feet
out of that?
Yeah. We can get
a little deeper. Yeah.
Marty:
You got some digging to do.
I'll be right back.
I got to make a phone call.
(snapping)
I don't know where this stuff
came from, but...
It's the most easily dug soil
- on the entire island.
- Alex: Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Well, you think this was
all pushed down by fred?
- I think it has that feel.
- Yeah. Looks like it.
- Rick: Yeah, there's no stratigraphy.
- Alex: Yep.
Narrator: After locating
what he believed to be
a number
of man-made stone markers
in this area
more than 40 years ago,
the late fred nolan
moved several layers of earth
using a bulldozer
in an unsuccessful attempt
to uncover evidence
of the oak island treasure.
Is it possible
that fred was close to making
a major discovery?
Steve g.:
If fred pushed this in,
he would've changed
the whole landscape
of the northern part of the
island to get this much fill.
Rick: He certainty believed
he was onto something.
Just once,
it would be nice though
to make a discovery
and know exactly what it is.
Exactly.
No gray area. No interpretation.
- This is what it is.
- Yeah.
Doug: The color's starting
to change down there again
to a grayish... Black.
That's what we want to see.
- Alex: Yeah.
- We want to see some...
S-something
that's not pushed in.
Right.
- (scraping)
- that sounds like a big rock.
- Steve g.: There we go.
- Alex: Well, there's a rock.
(rick muttering)
- that's a big rock there.
- Mm-hmm.
Narrator:
Another, even larger boulder?
Could it have been placed ther,
perhaps to cover something
of great importance and value?
(hissing)
uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh.
- Is that the right hydraulic?
- Rick: Yep.
I was wondering what
I was getting sprayed with.
I think it's the fitting.
It's coming around
and dripping here.
Yeah, it is through there.
It's coming,
it's right in there.
- Tom: I think we're done.
- Yep.
Narrator: Because a hydraulic
hose has completely ruptured
on tom nolan's backhoe,
it can no longer be operated
to finish excavating the site,
at least for now.
Unfortunately,
the team will have to wait
until it is repaired
before they can fully unearth
the massive boulder
to examine it for clues
and also see what,
if anything, lies beneath it.
Doug: Oak island
throws you a curveball.
Rick: Isn't that typical?
You know the interesting
take on that was
we were at
the point of interest.
We hit a large stone,
the hose breaks.
I think it's just bad luck,
you know, bad timing.
But it's weird. (chuckles)
well, it's unfortunate
but we'll carry on.
Plus, there's
a big rock down there.
- Now we're on top of it.
- Tom: Always the time.
- Always the time.
- Good job, tom.
Well, let's see about getting
this fixed maybe, yeah?
Rick: Oak island, right?
Tom: Typical oak island, yep.
Narrator: As a new day begins
on oak island,
in the research center...
Hey, guys. I'm here with, uh,
dr. Spooner and tom.
Narrator: ...Geoscientist
dr. Ian spooner, tom nolan
and steve guptill have called
a meeting via videoconference
with alex, marty,
rick and peter,
along with jack begley, to hear
ian's scientific analysis
of the core taken from the
west hills location on lot 11.
What-what are the dimensions
of that thing again?
Steve g.:
It's 60 feet long, marty.
15 feet wide
and it's got almost four feet
of elevation... so it's
3,600 cubic feet of volume.
Oh, love it, love it...
So, what... describe this thing.
I mean, what-what is this?
So my perspective on the thing
is that, uh, it's definitive.
That it's a disturbed
and manipulated site.
And I think
we all agreed on that.
It is 100% man-made.
There is no two ways about it,
somebody did some excavation
work there of some kind.
Marty: Wow.
This is all exciting stuff.
Amazing thing to me
is something that size
remained hidden with all
the scrutiny that's been done
- on that island.
- Yeah.
Ian: Yeah, yeah, and so...
My main interest is,
is it old or is it young?
Is it something from,
you know, the last century
like the 1900s or is it
much older than that?
My way of dating it
is looking at sediment
accumulation in the core.
And there's
a good 30 centimeters
of sediment in the core.
And that tells me
that we're looking
at something that is
probably at least
three centuries old.
Wow.
Narrator: The mysterious
feature on lot 11?
At least three centuries old?
Is it possible that this site
is, in fact,
connected to the
other man-made workings
that have been found
in the swamp and on lot 15?
And, if so, could it also have
a connection
to the original money pit?
Rick: Certainly,
someone or some ones went
to a large effort to dig this.
The hope is that
we'll come to an understanding
as to what its purpose was.
Wait till we dig that up.
(laughter)
jack:
Well, this is a huge chance
to find something really,
really, really old.
Yeah.
Ian:
This is a major, major feature.
I mean, what I'm advocating for
is, uh, try to get a mini
excavator, something in there,
put a trench across the feature.
We were also chatting about
possibly draining the trench.
Yeah, see what's
at the bottom of it.
See what's at the bottom.
That's great.
Rick:
My thought about this is...
It's a huge construct.
And I think we've got, you know,
the proper people
to-to look into it.
And it-it's quite a recipe
for perhaps an aha moment.
Well, 2020 is shaping up to be
the year where things
come out of the woodwork.
Rick: I say we're about to be
woken up to the real mystery
of oak island.
Marty: Great. Good report.
Ian: See you guys.
Narrator: For rick,
marty and the oak island team,
the new discoveries made
on either side
of the triangle-shaped swamp
are only adding evidence
to the fact
that the truth
behind the 225-year-old mystery
is more complex
than anyone ever knew.
But as they continue to
investigate the mysterious sits
that now span the entire islan,
just what will they find?
A priceless religious treasure?
A vault filled
with gold and jewels?
Or will they find that those
who buried it
made sure it could only be
found at a great cost?
A cost that they may not
be prepared to pay?
Next time on
the curse of oak island...
- (horn honks)
- charles: Here they come.
- Seems like old times.
- Yep.
- Look at that.
- We're back to the possibility
that the treasure hunt's
been going on a lot
longer than we ever imagined.
We will find something.
I'm positive.
Lot faster than I thought.
The anchors is
actually a bit of a clue.
- Marty: Wow.
- It's almost like there is a master plan to these features.
Steve g.: Take a look at that.
Gary:
Do you see markings on the rock?
Marty: Well, there's
something going on here.
That's the anchor stone.
I can buy that.
08x04 - Alignment
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Follows brothers Marty and Rick as they search for the infamous treasure on Oak Island.
Follows brothers Marty and Rick as they search for the infamous treasure on Oak Island.