NARRATOR:
Tonight on The Curse
of Oak Island...
We have a dozen survey plans.
RICK:
We now have an ability
to overlay the surveys.
STEVE G.:
Shaft Six is right here.
Put your finger on the map,
big brother.
We focused in
on the most likely spot
in the Money Pit to find
some actual treasure.
I think it’s there.
I really do.
-Ooh! It’s a coin.
-No way.
This could be depositor.
VANESSA: Those are
some really big timbers.
-Yeah, there we go.
-MARTY: They’re oak,
which would be the only oak
we’ve ever seen underground.
PAUL:
We must be near the Money Pit.
That changes everything.
NARRATOR:
There is an island
in the North Atlantic
where people have been looking
for an incredible treasure
for more than 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.
NARRATOR: At the start
of another day on Oak Island...
-Hello.
-GARY: Hey, Rick.
...Rick Lagina meets
with Jack Begley,
metal detection expert
Gary Drayton,
and archaeologist Laird Niven
at Smith’s Cove.
We can excavate this material.
NARRATOR: They are eager
to continue their investigation
of one of the most
intriguing structures
uncovered on the island so far.
The remains of what could be
a centuries-old slipway.
A ramp
that would have been used
to load goods
both to and from the island
from a large sailing ship.
We have to stay focused
down here,
so... I think,
obviously, there’s a couple
things we need to do.
Uh, address proper removal
of this piece that remains.
-Okay.
-Right?
-You’re okay with that?
-Sure.
NARRATOR: Since discovering
the slipway five weeks ago...
GARY:
That’s a beauty.
...the Oak Island team has made
a number of additional
and equally intriguing
discoveries in the area,
including iron cribbing spikes
and a mysterious metal hinge,
estimated to date back
more than years
before the discovery
of the Oak Island Money Pit
in .
Wow.
NARRATOR:
It is now the team’s plan
to document, dismantle,
and then carefully remove
the slipway
in an effort to find
even more artifacts
or important clues
that might help them
determine the identities
of the people who built it
and, hopefully, what they might
have brought to the island
centuries ago.
We have
an enormous amount of work
that we’ve uncovered
in Smith’s Cove.
The slipway,
U-shaped structure,
vertical wall,
L-shaped structure.
But I don’t think we have
all the answers yet
at Smith’s Cove,
I really don’t.
We could be a few feet away
from a real answer.
Or a much more substantial
answer in Smith’s Cove,
so the game’s still afoot.
Billy, you’re gonna get
as much material
as quickly as possible
up to the wash plant.
Jack, you and Gary are gonna
-find something good today.
-Go find some good stuff.
And then, um, looking outward,
we’ll, uh, take the CAT
and bulldoze this flat.
We’ll have Mike West come in,
run the EM .
If we find deeper targets,
that’d be fantastic.
You know, your cannons and...
-and ships’ anchors.
-JACK: Right.
And Jack and I
will hopefully have
some good news for you today.
-Exactly.
-Yeah.
-Okay?
-JACK: Okay.
-All right.
-(overlapping chatter)
NARRATOR:
As archaeologist Laird Niven
begins dismantling the slipway
at Smith’s Cove,
Rick, Gary and Jack
join Rick’s brother Marty
and other members of the team
in the w*r room, where
they have arranged a meeting
with professional surveyor
Steve Guptill.
RICK:
Steve is back.
Has all the data inputted.
We need to really come up with
a proper location for where
Shaft Six is,
where Tunnel Six is,
and where we might locate
the can.
So, to that end,
I would turn it over
to Steve.
Sure.
So, here is just...
a quick overview...
of everything
that has been drilled up there.
DAVE (laughs):
That looks like spaghetti.
(laughter)
STEVE:
So... I took that data
and I combined it
on some survey plans.
We have about a dozen plans
that we’ve used.
NARRATOR:
Three weeks ago,
while excavating the shaft
known as Borehole H ...
It’s caving.
...the ground
beneath the massive
ton rotating oscillator
began to give way.
Oh, baby.
CHARLES:
Be careful.
(all shouting)
NARRATOR:
The event forced the team
to find another way to reach
the original Money Pit
treasure shaft
by means
of an old searcher tunnel
known as Shaft Six.
But since Shaft Six
was first dug in ,
its exact location
has remained elusive.
For this reason,
Steve Guptill has been hired
to combine literally dozens
of searcher records and data
into one master map,
one that Rick Lagina hopes
will allow the team
to locate Shaft Six
and hopefully the Money Pit,
once and for all.
So, here’s an example.
RV Harris, ...
has estimated that Shaft Six
is right there.
MARTY:
Okay.
So, let’s now turn on
Fred Nolan.
So here’s Fred Nolan.
Where does he think
Shaft Six is in that plan?
So, I believe it would be
Can you see that?
I believe that’s where
he thinks Shaft Six is.
So I’m gonna go through
a couple more.
You’re gonna see a general
consensus of all these plans
that Shaft Six is very much
in that location.
The red dots are
our efforts, right?
The red dots are ours, yes.
Okay, so...
of the overall grid,
Shaft Six lands right here.
The green’s the tunnel.
Shaft Six is green.
So it cuts IJ . , K . ...
IJ . is where it is because
we cut that horizontal,
vertical wood.
Yeah, what I found really
interesting about this is
that earlier in the year
when we used the Geotech grid
and we got the idea
that Shaft Six was here.
So we drilled
and what do we find?
Tunnel.
Yeah, a tunnel.
We’ve identified a tunnel
running where
we thought
there should be a tunnel.
IJ . and K . ,
that came in
almost perfectly.
How about that?
But, Rick, if you’re right,
you expect to find a piece
or pieces of treasure
in this shaft?
Yeah.
Yes, you’re quite
convinced of that?
Yes.
NARRATOR:
Because both the Money Pit
and Shaft Six collapsed
in ,
the Oak Island team
is targeting
not only Shaft Six,
but also what they believe
could be a debris field.
One that should be full
of valuable artifacts
and perhaps treasure.
I think we’re closer than ever
to possibly finding
the one thing.
Slowly but surely,
we’re unraveling the Money Pit.
MARTY:
I think...
Rick should have the honor
of putting his finger
on the map,
which’ll become the place
that we’re gonna
put down a caisson,
so put your finger
on the map, big brother.
I would, I would rather
we all put our fingers on.
Put your finger
on the map, come on.
Where’s the spot?
Right there.
Right there.
MARTY: Pin that. Perfect.
Yes.
MARTY:
Okay. Let’s do it.
Excellent work, you guys.
Excellent work.
NARRATOR:
Later that afternoon,
Jack Begley
and metal detection expert
Gary Drayton
return to Smith’s Cove,
where archaeologist Laird Niven
is continuing
to carefully remove sections
of the potentially
ancient slipway.
I see you’ve taken
some logs off.
LAIRD:
I did.
Thought you guys
should come down
and take a look.
Yep.
JACK: Mmhmm.
GARY: Are you going to go
all the way down to the end?
Well, I’ve taken some logs here.
I’ll continue to take them
down below...
So, can I metal detect in here?
LAIRD: Yeah, sure.
Now you’ve taken the logs off?
LAIRD: Yeah.
That will make it easier.
All right.
Sounds good to me.
GARY:
I’ve been talking to Laird.
We’re both in agreement
that this is probably
the oldest structure
in Smith’s Cove.
The further we follow
this slipway up,
the more chances we’ve got
at finding old artifacts
trapped underneath the slipway.
That’s where
the old stuff’s gonna be.
All right, well,
let’s move these guys that way.
(detector beeps, whines)
I hear that.
Yep.
Ready when you are, Jack.
(detector beeping rapidly)
Here, do it with the...
With the trowel?
GARY: The trowel?
JACK:
All right.
(detector whining)
Sounds like that may be
in the wood, too.
Yeah, it could possibly
be in the wood.
That looks like iron residue.
JACK:
Yes, it does.
Pinpoint it and then we can
dig around it.
Okay, let me see
if I can pinpoint it.
(beeping)
(beeping stops)
GARY: No, that’s not it.
JACK:
What?
No, it’s still in there.
It’s deeper.
I will get my shovel, then.
(detector beeping, whining)
(sustained whine)
GARY:
Should be in the center there.
The fact that it’s deep
is a good sign.
(detector beeps)
JACK: You think it’s out?
(beeping)
GARY: Yeah, it’s out.
(beeping)
It’s probably not something
that big, then.
(beeps)
(rapid beeping)
GARY:
Yeah, it’s this.
(beeping)
It’s in this clump.
JACK: It’s iron pyrite.
GARY: Yeah, it’s iron.
(beeps)
I have no idea what it is,
it’s I wish it was heavier.
LAIRD:
Yeah.
Well, we’ll keep it
and record it.
Yep.
JACK: Mmhmm.
And clean that off,
see what it is.
Yep.
Well, it’s metal,
and it’s deep.
It is.
And I’m sure there’s gonna be
some better stuff even deeper.
I’ll go grab a bag.
You were right. As we started to
remove some of these timbers,
there’s a lot more items
that are gonna be found.
Laird, is this outside one
ready to take then, or...
The outside one is, yeah.
(engine starts)
NARRATOR:
Now that the first section
of the slipway
has been cleared away,
heavy equipment operator
Billy Gerhardt will remove
the larger timbers running
along the side of the structure
so that the team can begin
digging underneath it.
Imagine the last people
who put that log in place.
JACK:
I know. Right?
NARRATOR:
The tons of earth excavated
in this process
will then be transported
to the nearby wash plant,
where the materials
will be cleaned
and automatically sorted
according to size.
The resulting piles will then
be thoroughly searched by hand,
as well as with
a metal detector.
(detector whining)
GARY: Sounds good.
JACK:
What do you think that is?
GARY:
There’s a lot of little
shards of iron in there,
by the sound of it.
(beeping)
Something small.
All right, now I’m excited.
(laughs)
GARY:
Where are you?
What the hell is this?
It is a coin.
No way.
Look at that.
That’s a silver coin.
Wow, this is cool.
nt
at Smith’s Cove
as Jack Begley and metal
detection expert Gary Drayton
have just found what he
believes to be a silver coin.
This could be depositor,
a depositor coin.
Mmhmm.
What I like about this,
it’s encrusted
and where it came from.
These spoils came from
the side of the slipway.
Yeah, for sure.
GARY:
It looks like the size
of a Spanish one real.
Ooh.
NARRATOR:
A Spanish silver real?
First minted in the mid s
by order of King Pedro I
of Spain,
the silver real was
a predominant piece of currency
among traders and explorers
in the Americas
from the th
to the th centuries.
These coins were also common
among Spanish
and Portuguese pirates,
who were known
to frequent the islands
off the coast of Nova Scotia,
dating back as early
as the s.
Could this Spanish silver coin
be evidence that could help
in dating the recently
unearthed slipway,
and the identities of those
who might have built it?
Rick.
You both look pretty
pleased with yourselves.
Yeah. We got off
to a flying start.
It’s silver.
I don’t know how old it is,
but it could be old.
It could be an early real.
A one real.
I think it’s older
than more recent
because I’m either seeing
some sort of Roman numerals
or Latin on there.
It’s got a milled edge,
doesn’t it?
GARY: Yeah, it’s milled.
It can’t be any older
than .
No, because it’s got
a milled edge.
That means it was made
by machine.
But, hey, I’d take a nice
s or ’ s one real.
Yeah. Silver and gold
is fantastic, right?
It’s, you know, "treasure."
But, an early date,
presearcher,
I’d be just as happy.
I’d settle for copper
over silver, but...
I know, you and I
want to see him dance.
(laughter)
Yeah, you need me bringing stuff
out of my top pocket.
See you later, mate.
See ya.
JARDINE:
Okay, to the center of the pins.
I’m good.
I’m good.
NARRATOR:
It is the start of
another day on Oak Island.
Okay, hold it right there.
What do you got?
I got feet.
I’m feet to the center
of the pin.
JARDINE:
Okay, good.
NARRATOR:
And in spite of the harsh
fall weather,
Rick Lagina and members
of the team
are more determined than ever
to locate the original
Money Pit.
We’ll confirm
the data’s correct,
and then we’re off to the races.
NARRATOR:
The site, dubbed "S ," has
been named after Shaft Six,
the th century
searcher tunnel, which,
if they can reach it,
should lead directly to
the original treasure vault.
This is what we’re
looking at, folks.
If we’re right about this
being the Money Pit,
we’d expect a tunnel to come in
from this direction,
this direction and this way.
Historically, right?
Right.
So that’s good news.
This should intersect,
either this way, or going
this way, which is good.
It’s a significant area
of interest, and I hope that
that can right there
will provide us
with answers, finally.
The tunnel’s our target,
then let’s
set right up on top of it.
I love everybody’s enthusiasm.
I love the fact that
we all concur.
Let’s get after it
and get it done.
Okay.
NARRATOR:
Using a massive ton crane,
the team from Irving Equipment
Limited will now move
a ton "bridge" into position
over the S dig site.
Move it down just
a little bit, and that’s it.
Watch your toes.
NARRATOR:
Once in place, it will serve as
a stabilizing platform
for the rotating oscillator,
which will drive a inchwide
steel caisson down
to its target depth
of approximately
feet deep underground.
We’re about to begin on
probably the most important
excavation on Oak Island
this year.
RICK:
To me, the archival record
of the Shaft Six, the tunnel,
the idea of coming across,
coming up underneath
the Money Pit, the collapse,
the men run for their lives
all of that, to me, reads real.
We think we’ve focused in on
the most likely spot
in the Money Pit to find
some actual treasure.
JOHN LEE:
I’m good over here.
DANNY: We’re in.
JOHN LEE: We’re good.
Right about here is where
you need the champagne bottle.
(laughing)
RICK:
I think it’s there. I really do.
NARRATOR:
As the excavation of S
begins at the Money Pit site,
later that afternoon, Rick
Lagina heads to Smith’s Cove,
where he has arranged to meet
with geophysicist Mike West.
Hey, Mike.
Hey, Rick.
Good to see you again.
There’s Smith’s Cove,
all prepped and ready for you.
NARRATOR:
Now that the slipway and other
structures have been removed,
Rick is eager to conduct a deep
scan of the excavated area
using powerful
metal detection equipment.
Yeah, I mean, once I get going,
if I get something, I’ll mark it
out with the flags,
and then have something
to come back to.
You go down there,
you’ll see the cove has changed
since you were last there.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Significantly changed, so...
Good to know.
Get your gear up and running.
I’m gonna just take
a quick little peek.
Oh, yeah, come on down.
Probably throw on
my rubber boots.
It’s hard to believe,
as we look at it,
how much material
we actually removed and washed.
Yeah. Yeah.
Things have changed, yeah.
You’re Wow.
You’re down there.
Yeah.
Given all of this work,
concentrated in this one area...
you know, what we’re standing on
right now, the crane pad,
we’re probably standing on
the most interesting part
of the hunt in Smith’s Cove
right here.
NARRATOR:
Two weeks ago, Rick, Marty
and the team...
Here comes the water.
NARRATOR:
...conducted a dye test
to look for evidence
of a direct link
between the Money Pit site
and Smith’s Cove.
After pumping thousands
of gallons of water
that was dyed red
down the C shaft,
metal detection expert
Gary Drayton
discovered traces of it...
Oh, my God.
NARRATOR:
...right in front of the
wooden crane pad used
to construct
the Smith’s Cove cofferdam.
If we’re looking for red, guys,
I’d say that’s
reddybrown there.
JACK:
Oh, what?!
NARRATOR:
Although the team has not yet
obtained the necessary permits
to allow them to begin
excavating beneath the pad,
Rick is hoping today’s survey
will help identify
potential dig sites
for their upcoming operation.
You have the entirety of
Smith’s Cove at your disposal.
So, if you want to get
geared up...
Yeah, I’ll get geared up.
NARRATOR:
Using a device known
as an "EM ,"
Mike will now scan the area
for any important clues,
or possible structures
that may lie buried
as much as
feet deep underground.
(device chiming)
WEST:
I’ve got a pretty high reading.
It’s something.
Search continues.
(chiming continues)
It’s right there.
Really?
Very, very large.
Oh, there you go.
All right!
That’s as big as they get
for targets.
I was hoping to see a sea
of pink flags.
NARRATOR:
After searching for metal
anomalies at Smith’s Cove,
Mike West reviews his
preliminary findings
with Rick Lagina.
You only need one.
Only need one.
We got five.
Any of them stand out?
That one over here,
towards the bank,
is, like, millivolt.
Really?
Which is a hu
it’s a huge target, yeah.
RICK:
And it’s next to the crane pad.
Yeah.
NARRATOR:
A huge target,
buried beneath
the wooden crane pad?
Could it be evidence
of the flood tunnels
that protect
the Money Pit treasure vault?
Or something else,
perhaps something
of even greater significance?
RICK:
We got a signal,
coming out from underneath
the crane pad,
but what is it?
We want to X out Smith’s Cove,
we want to get the data
that’s in there, so we’re
probably gonna have to excavate
the crane pad
and explore underneath it.
RICK:
We’re coming near end of the day
and you’ve gotten
all of this, right?
Yes.
Let’s call it a day. Good job.
Okay.
NARRATOR
The next day...
MARTY:
Morning, guys.
Shiny gold things!
(chuckles)
Shiny gold things!
NARRATOR: Rick, Marty
and the Oak Island team
arrive at the Money Pit site
to review the day’s drilling
strategy with Vanessa Lucido
from Roc Equipment.
Hey.
NARRATOR:
They are hoping that
by carefully digging
in the vicinity of Shaft Six,
they will find the tunnel
that was constructed
to intersect
the original Money Pit, along
with a possible debris field,
which, according to Rick’s
research, should be filled
with artifacts and evidence
of the Oak Island treasure.
What do we got?
Uh, right now with the can,
we’re at feet,
and excavation inside, feet.
So we got time. That’s good.
Yeah.
DOUG:
Yeah, it’s kind of
interesting now, Marty,
we’re getting
a lot of timbers coming up.
Yeah, why is that exactly?
Well they look
like Chappell Shaft timbers.
They look to be six by six,
so we’re hoping
it’s where it fell into
the Dunfield excavation.
Ah, ah.
We’re hoping we come out of it
because if we can get
into undisturbed soil,
then we know no one’s
investigated that area.
Yeah. That’s...
We want to see a little bit
of undisturbed
before we hit this tunnel.
NARRATOR:
Although Shaft Six
was reportedly dug to a depth
of some feet,
more than a century of digging
by numerous searchers
has caused depth measurements
to be somewhat unreliable.
Because of this,
the team will carefully watch
for changes in the soil
that might indicate they have
found their target tunnel.
I find myself strangely excited
about today anyway, you know?
I just really want it to happen.
The answers are there, so...
just wait and see what comes up.
TERRY:
So we’ve got to be very close
to feet.
Well, might as well take a look.
TERRY:
I think we’re there, Rick.
I think we’re there.
You often find boulders
associated
with this bedded material,
and there it is.
That’s very encouraging.
It looks like we could be
coming out in, in situ.
RICK:
That’s very good, then.
Really.
(chuckles):
We got a smile out of you.
NARRATOR:
The sudden change to
undisturbed or "in situ" soil
is a promising sign.
It suggests that the team
is digging through an area
that could be close
to encountering the tunnel
leading from Shaft Six
to the original
Money Pit treasure vault.
Where’s the, uh,
where’s the shaft at?
The shaft is at
and six inches.
Danny said that, uniquely, the
oscillator did build up torque,
and then it reduced after that.
Which, for drilling,
is backwards,
cause the deeper we go,
the more plug we should have
and it should
keep building, so...
So it might have been
on this tunnel
and then broke through it.
He might have cut through
something or, yeah.
Thatd be fabulous.
NARRATOR:
News that
the inchwide caisson
may have cut through a hard
object at a depth of feet
is an exciting development
for Rick, Marty and the team.
If they have, in fact,
penetrated the roof
of the Shaft Six tunnel,
the spoils that have been
brought to the surface
should contain
important evidence.
For this reason,
it all must be carefully washed
and searched by hand.
DOUG:
Id say were right about
where the top should be.
Whatever were gonna find if
its there where we expect it,
its gonna be inside
the can right now,
at the bottom of that plug.
Yeah.
TERRY:
Look at that.
Thats in situ.
That looks like a wider board
than weve been seeing.
That seems pretty competent
right there.
RICK:
You dont see that with the
Chappell Shaft, do you?
No. Nope.
The Chappell Shaft
is almost all wellmilled.
So thats interesting.
And something like that could be
supporting the top of a tunnel.
RICK:
Theres no question about that.
DOUG:
You can see the upanddown
saw marks on the face of this.
Well, maybe were close.
I dont know.
NARRATOR:
The fact that this wood,
which has just been found some
feet deep in the S shaft,
features a socalled
up and down pattern,
and no evidence of being cut
with a more modern
circular saw,
is promising evidence that it
might be hundreds of years old.
But could it also mean
that it is a piece
of the Shaft Six tunnel?
RICK:
This is the whole ball game.
If it is
the crossconnect tunnel
between Shaft Six
and the Money Pit,
I am absolutely certain
theres something in there.
Theres the one thing.
We will find it.
Id say were almost certainly
in the tunnel.
DOUG:
Yeah. Were into something
and I dont think
its Chappell Shaft
construction.
No, I dont think so, either.
Its earlier than that.
Yeah. I would bet
everything on it.
DOUG:
Theres so much damage here.
Yeah, collapsed feature,
all of this.
Whats that?
Oh! Thats leather.
Thats definitely leather.
DOUG:
Thats leather without a doubt.
Look at that.
NARRATOR:
It is an exciting moment
in the Oak Island
Money Pit area
as Rick, Marty and the team
have just found
what appears to be
a large piece of leather
in the spoils of the S shaft.
That is unusual.
What the hell
is that doing down there?
Theres more leather.
If theres leather there,
humans were there.
And you can date leather,
to a degree.
Ill bag this one up.
DOUG:
Yeah, lets bag it.
Yep.
RICK:
If this is indeed more leather,
is this the remnants
of the Money Pit collapse?
Its possible,
its very possible.
We need to get it tested.
We need to apply additional
testing methodologies,
maybe C testing.
Hey, Marty.
Hey, Marty,
I want to show you something.
Got something good?
Got something for you.
Take a look at this.
What do you make of that?
Gary? Charles?
Oh, I know what that is.
Wow, thats a lot of it.
What is it?
You ever seen
anything like that?
It kind of looks
like leather or felt.
MARTY: At what depth?
Well, for this.
So they must be advanced
at right now.
But what do you guys make of it?
You think leather?
I do.
That looks like a big chunk
of what little bits
weve been finding.
Is that leather?
I think I got a bit
of leather here.
NARRATOR:
During the past two years,
the Oak Island team has found
numerous bits of leather,
along with what they believe
to be antique paper
in the H shaft,
located some ten feet away.
These finds corroborate the
theory held by many researchers
that the Oak Island treasure
might not only consist
of gold or priceless artifacts,
but also important
historical documents.
MARTY:
You know, I should quit
manipulating it
cause there could be
marks on it,
you know, once you clean it up.
Yeah.
You got to find a little leather
before you find the gold.
If that aint a saying,
it should be.
(laughs)
VANESSA: Were at .
RICK: Yeah, its in the zone.
We have four and a half feet
of possibilities.
RICK:
I have high hopes,
in terms of finding objects.
And the hope is that,
within this conglomeration
of objects,
that there will be
an aha moment.
There will be something
in there
that weve never seen before,
something that will speak.
Wheres our bottom?
I got some revised numbers.
Okay.
So, our casing is down to ,
eight foot up from that is
the top of the plug, which is...
, is where the grab
is at right now.
RICK:
Were gonna keep going
until bedrock.
If this is within the collapse
of the Money Pit, you know,
you drive it to rock and hope
something fell all the way down.
DOUG:
Whoa!
Look at that one, Terry.
TERRY:
Look at those ones, yeah.
Hey, Doug, take a look at this.
DOUG:
Thats a lot of wood, Terry.
Timber.
TERRY: Look, look, look.
Thats a nice chunk.
Look at the flat surface there.
DOUG:
Thats more like something
wed be looking for.
TERRY: Its handhewn, yeah.
PAUL: Well, its nice
and flat, too.
But thats definitely handaxed.
NARRATOR:
Axecut wood,
found at a depth
of feet in S ?
What does that mean?
Were beyond the tunnel.
NARRATOR:
Could the team have already
reached the bottom
of the Shaft Six tunnel?
Or could this be evidence
of something much older?
CHARLES:
Some more of it coming up.
TERRY:
Look at those ones, yeah.
Thats what I wanted to see.
Were getting up
very, very large chunks of till
and the boards
are embedded within it.
Come, come over here
and just take a look
at where you pulled it out of.
See what I me
Its embedded in the clay,
so it was structurally
supporting something.
Yep.
Thats some big timbers.
VANESSA: Wow.
Those are some
really big timbers.
Yeah, there we go.
There. Lets take it
over this way.
Holy crap. Look at that.
Thats oak.
Theres no question about that.
BILLY: Yeah.
PAUL: Yeah.
NARRATOR:
While excavating inside
Borehole S ...
Thats oak.
NARRATOR: ...Rick Lagina and
members of the Oak Island team
have just made
a significant discovery
an oak timber,
found at a depth of feet.
When you scratch the dirt off,
it looks like oak
to me for sure.
RICK:
Theres no question about that.
NARRATOR:
When the original Money Pit
was excavated
more than two centuries ago,
searchers reported
finding nine platforms
every ten feet,
constructed of oak logs.
Could this timber,
found in S ,
be part of the wood cribbing
from the original Money Pit?
The original "Money Pit"
was described as having
found oak timber,
so we believe that some
of this material !sis oak.
Uh, its the first time
that weve ever seen it,
and if these are oak,
itsits very interesting.
You guys look like youre trying
to build a shaft.
Whats going on? Whats that?
Oak. Thats definitely oak.
The Money Pit collapsed in
and a whole bunch of wood
sort of "went missing."
Well, the bottom of the
Money Pit was never explored.
So these massive oak timbers
may be part of the
original construct
and thethe other timbers
were finding
are part of the
recribbing attempts
to get to the treasure chamber.
Rick, what do you think
of these big timbers?
I dont know. What do you think?
I know what I think.
What?
That these remind me,
these big ones, of ship timbers.
Yeah.
These big ones.
Ive been on beaches
after hurricanes in Florida,
and the parts of the wrecks
have washed up
and this is exactly
what they look like.
Ships timbers.
NARRATOR:
Timbers from a ship?
Based on evidence
found around the island,
many Oak Island theorists
have speculated that
the original Money Pit
was constructed by using
repurposed wood and materials
taken from some type
of large sailing vessel.
Is it possible
that a ship that was used
to bring treasure to the island
was then deliberately
broken apart,
not only to construct
a secure hiding place,
but also to destroy evidence
that the ship even existed?
And could this oak timber,
found in the S shaft,
offer tangible evidence that
this incredible theory is true?
MARTY:
Theyre, um,
handhewn, clearly.
You can see the axe
or adze marks, and theyre oak,
which would be the only oak
weve ever seen
underground, I think.
Pretty much.
GARY:
It looks like two different
types of timbers
as well, like theyre reused.
MARTY: Thats no question.
No, Im thinking were
in two different structures.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Thats what it looks like.
So what a shock.
The day ends
and we have another mystery.
(laughing)
Lets call it a night
for right now. Get some rest,
get back at it!
Yeah.
NARRATOR:
As a new day dawns
on Oak Island,
Jack Begley,
Doug Crowell and Paul Troutman
are continuing
to carefully sift
through the spoils
recently excavated
from Borehole S ,
the site where
the team has found
evidence that may have come
from the Money Pit
treasure shaft.
Look at this.
DOUG: Whatd you find?
JACK: Its a piece of a chain.
DOUG: Oh!
PAUL: Oh, wow, look at that.
NARRATOR:
A piece of iron chain?
Found in the S spoils?
This could be a part of the
collapse from the treasure.
PAUL:
Well you know, Jack,
one of the theories, the chain
was used to chain a sl*ve
down there or somebody
that was a part of
a huge workforce
to build the Money Pit.
Yeah.
NARRATOR:
According to legend,
after a vast treasure
was buried
in the Oak Island Money Pit,
some of the slaves
who dug the shaft
were chained to a post
and buried alive
deep underground.
(shouting)
NARRATOR:
This was done so that the
victims vengeful spirits
would forever guard
the treasure vault
and curse anyone who dare try
to remove the contents.
Could this piece of chain,
along with the fragments
of human bone found last year,
be disturbing evidence
that this legend
has a basis in truth?
Hey, Gary.
What you got, guys?
All right, we need
your professional opinion.
DOUG:
What do you think about that?
Chain link.
Yeah...
A link of a chain.
How old would you say
it is, though?
Yeah, its quite meaty.
Its an older one
by the look of it
because you go on the shape.
With old chains,
the older links of chain
are always oval, not round,
and that looks like its oval.
Obviously, its been
through some stress.
It really looks old.
Yeah. It does look old.
It really does, and what I like
about it is the weight.
It would be handforged.
Where it came out,
it was probably used
on a pulley system.
So you think it
couldve been original
for depositing the treasure?
Or something that was
left behind by searchers?
I dont know but it yeah.
We were looking for
a debris field in the tunnel
and that is,
in my mind, is a possible
piece of debris
from the original...
Yeah.
...treasure vault, right?
But, yeah,
definitely we should
have this tested.
NARRATOR:
Could Gary Draytons notion
that the chain might
actually have been used
to deposit something of great
value deep in the Money Pit
be true?
And, if so, what else
might the team find
buried nearby?
Theres got to be more goodies
stashed away in here somewhere.
GARY:
I think thats bone.
NARRATOR:
While searching through
the spoils
from shaft S ,
Oak Island researcher
Doug Crowell may have just made
an important discovery.
You think its bone?
Yeah, I think thats bone.
It looks like bone.
Its kind of porous like it.
Oh, yeah, I think this
is bone for sure.
Thats bone.
NARRATOR:
Bone?
If it can be determined
to be human,
could it be matched to one
of the two individuals
whose remains
were found last year?
Or might it belong
to someone else?
Oh, you can see the capillary
holes on the side.
Yeah, youyou can just see
the way thats cut.
Thats bone, mate. Good eye.
JACK: Cool, cool.
DOUG:
Well, the fact that we found it
from the Shaft Six spoils means
theres possibly other debris
that drifted away from H ,
all the way further north
like we were expecting.
If the Money Pit is H ,
or around there,
then possibly theres more
than just treasure
that was deposited there.
There might be remains.
GARY:
Well done, Doug.
That was good eye.
That changes everything.
I knew thered be
something good in there.
Well?
DOUG: Hey, Rick.
Hows it going?
Good news.
Look what Doug just found.
RICK:
That is a bone.
Theres no question about that.
Yeah.
GARY:
Well, thats pretty exciting,
finding a piece of bone
on the wash table, again.
S , though.
Why S and not H ?
The debris field
into the tunnel.
If it all originates
in the Money Pit,
it could explain
Chappell Shaft, H ,
and into our tunnel.
It could.
But what are all these bones
doing in the Money Pit area?
RICK:
Hey, look, anythings possible.
One step at a time,
get it tested,
and if its human bone,
then we take it from there,
step by step.
Its a good find,
but lets keep going. (chuckles)
And its crazy
cause we are cold,
wet and down and then
something like this
lifts our spirits.
Thats why were doing it.
Well, great, you know,
thatsthats good news.
Bag it, mark it,
and well send it off.
I think theres a lot to be
learned yet. Well certainly
have some DNA analysis done.
Are they human?
Are they not? But look,
if they are human,
and theyre at these depths,
theres a story here,
and we need to unravel it.
Look, I want to just thank you
guys for being out here.
Were all wet, were all cold,
but I think wewe
cant quit now, right?
No.
These last two tables
have been significant, so, look,
maybe the next one
will be the one thing.
Okay, well, lets get after it.
NARRATOR:
For the Laginas
and their partners,
it has been a week
of incredible new discoveries.
From ancient leather,
to oak timbers
that may have been part
of the original Money Pit,
and disturbing evidence
that an Oak Island legend
might actually be true.
(shouting)
NARRATOR:
A series of incredible
puzzle pieces
are starting
to be put into place.
But what picture
are they forming?
One of a vast treasure
buried deep underground?
Or something else?
Something that suggests
the key to unlocking
a centuriesold mystery
isnt one of gold and silver,
but of iron
and bits of human bone.
Next time on
The Curse of Oak Island...
RICK:
These items came from a tunnel
associated with the Money Pit.
MARTY:
We might be closing in.
Human beings were down there.
This is the kind of thing
you were hoping for.
Oh, really?
I would put it
in the early s.
Wow, look at that.
Fits like a glove.
Know what this reminds me of?
What?
The hole in the cross.
TOBIAS SKOWRONEK:
The lead isotope data here
is identical to the cross.
Excellent.
MARTY: Wow.
06x17 - Clue or False?
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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.