09x21 - A Lot of Secrets

[bunniefuu]

NARRATOR: Tonight on
The Curse of Oak Island...

SCOTT:
There's a big layer of rocks

right across this whole area.

Just like the paved area.

This looks clearly man-made.

We have got an hit.

I'm hoping it's
a big jewelry box down here.

Look at that.

It could be one of the stones

from a Masonic High Priest
breastplate,

who had buried the Ark of
the Covenant on Oak Island

centuries ago.

GARY: Holy schmoly! Heads up!

The vault... we're about


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...

man-made workings
that date to medieval times,

and a lead cross whose
origin may be connected

to 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.

♪

- PETER: There's some wood.
- GARY: Yep.

- CHARLES: There's no mistaking that one.
- GARY: No.

NARRATOR: A morning
of renewed excitement

has begun on Oak Island,

as brothers Rick
and Marty Lagina,

along with their team,

press forward in their quest

to solve a 227-year-old mystery.

How deep are we, Ian?

Somewhere between 72
and 74 with the excavation.

You know, we got
some wood up higher,

but it was just
chewed-up pieces.

But now this is 70
feet and onwards.

Much bigger.

RICK: Really? Wow.

NARRATOR: Working
with representatives

from Irving Equipment
Limited and ROC Equipment,

the team is currently excavating
a ten-foot-diameter shaft

in the Money Pit area
known as D.M.T.-2.

It is a shaft that may
not only be on course

to intercept the
original treasure shaft

but also a seven-foot-high,
concrete-encased box

known as the Chappell Vault,

which was first reported
by treasure hunters

at a depth of 153
feet back in 1897.

It was just adjacent to this
location where prominent

Oak Island treasure hunter
and Freemason Gilbert Hedden

dug his own


hoping to reach the vault.

But unfortunately he had to
abandon the effort at a depth of

just 124 feet when he ran out
of funds to complete the project.

So, it feels as though we're
grazing the Hedden Shaft,

- and now we're kind of coming back into it.
- Yeah.

- Charles, is this-this consistent?
- What's up?

Yeah. Yeah.

I firmly believe that that shaft
is collapsed on the east side.

But we will cut into
the shield and the shoe

- once we get to depth, so...
- Right.

And that's quarter-inch steel

that it's gonna have
to go through, so...

I already made
mention of that to Danny.

- And he said, "No problem." So...
- Okay.

NARRATOR: When Gilbert
Hedden constructed his massive



he installed a heavy
metal plate at the bottom,

along with a six-foot-high
brace... or shield...

In order to secure the
structure into the ground.

If the Oak Island
team does encounter

the Hedden Shaft's
shield, it will offer hope

that they are on course to
recover the legendary vault

that Gilbert Hedden
was unable to reach.

How much water's in there?

A lot. It's kind of interesting,
'cause Danny said

that he hasn't seen
it move that fast

in any of the other
cans we've put in.

So, part of me wonders if
we're getting down to a...

a depth, or close to a depth,

where there's a lot of
hydraulic conductivity,

be it shafts or be it tunnels.

Those things are moving around.

Maybe that's why the
water came so quickly up.

And that can is near where
we got the high trace gold.

Right.

NARRATOR: Two other
factors that make Rick,

Marty and their
partner Craig Tester

especially optimistic that
Gilbert Hedden was on track

to making a major discovery

are that just two years ago

they themselves unearthed
a concrete-like substance

potentially related
to the Chappell Vault

in this very same area.

And just this year,
they also obtained

elevated traces of
both silver and gold

while conducting water tests
in previously drilled boreholes.

RICK: It's possible
that at 150 feet,

it's where the
vault would reside.

But there is one
other data point

that is certainly of
interest, and that is that

there was high
gold and silver levels

in the water sample within
the confines of D.M.T.-2.

So, is it saying
that this might be

the area where the
Money Pit actually is?

The data points are supportive
of something being done there.

GARY: We got more
wood coming up.

- Morning, Rick.
- Hey, Andrew.

How we doing this morning?

- Good. How are you?
- Good, good.

- What's the word?
- We're getting there.

We're really pushing
forward here. Um...

Danny's pressures don't
seem to be spiking right now,

which is a good indication

for us that we're
into wood right now.

RICK: Right. Well,

we're spot-on location-wise.
Hopefully around 150 feet,

- give or take, there might be something.
- Yep.

MARTY: I wish we
had definitive data,

but we're going to learn
things as we dig deeper.

We c-certainly aren't
gonna stop till we get

to about 150 to
search for this vault.

From here on, we need
to be constantly vigilant

- about what's coming up out of the can.
- Yeah.

Talking about what's come up,
we got another load in the bins.

Okay, off you go.

GARY: See what
we got in this one.

NARRATOR: While
Rick Lagina continues

to supervise the
excavation of D.M.T.-2...

later that morning...

STEVE G.: All right,
guys. It's just right up here.

NARRATOR: metal
detection expert Gary Drayton,

along with Jack Begley
and surveyor Steve Guptill,

arrive on Lot 8.

Located on the western
side of the island,

Lot 8 has continued to
produce compelling clues

that may be critical
in helping to solve

the Oak Island mystery.

All right. So, this
is the anomaly.

- Okay.
- As you can see, it's an indentation.

There does seem to be some
sort of a depression in the ground.

Yeah! So, I'm gonna
say this is probably one

of the most interesting
anomalies we've had this year.

And it's just strictly
based on the data.

There is a VLF hit right
here, so that just means

there's something going
on under the surface.

NARRATOR: Three months ago,

in an effort to vet a reported


that the late author and
researcher Zena Halpern believed

to have been created by
members of the Knights Templar,

the team conducted a
magnetometry survey

that identified a
large metallic anomaly

buried more than
ten feet underground.

Since then, they have unearthed
several near-surface artifacts,

including a ship-making tool

that could date back
to as early as 1500 AD.

And just one week ago,

Rick Lagina, Oak Island
historian Paul Troutman,

and members of the team
identified more evidence

of several possible
buried objects

using ground penetrating radar.

So, we have a first
anomaly at five feet,

second anomaly at 19, 20.

STEVE G.: So, the mag
hit starts in this corner.

NARRATOR: Now the
team is looking for more clues

that predate the discovery
of the Money Pit in 1795

in order to obtain a government
permit that would allow them

to conduct a
large-scale excavation

of the mysterious anomalies.

GARY: I'm sure we'll
find some stuff here.

I'm hoping it's a big
jewelry box down here.

STEVE G.: Well, it's
gonna be something.

- JACK: Yeah.
- I mean, this whole area is a hot spot.

- Yeah.
- All right, guys. I got to run, though. Let me know.

- I hear you, mate. Cheers.
- Thanks.

All right, let's
start gridding it out.

MARTY: Lot 8
clearly is anomalous.

Because of all the
finds and because

of several things, like
LIDAR and Zena's map,

and there's a mag
anomaly there, too.

There's a lot of iron
in this area, for sure.

MARTY: All kinds of
things that don't make sense

'cause nobody ever lived there.

It makes you wonder
what happened on Lot 8.

[beeping]

- We have got an hit.
- Oh.

Right in the area that
Steve last marked.

Right there, mate.

RICK: We're trying to
understand the whole island.

We're trying to understand

everything as it
relates to the story,

the mystery that is Oak Island.

It's gonna be tough digging.

JACK: Yeah.

RICK: We know the
Money Pit is of interest.

And now we have some new
research and some new theories

that leads us to these
other X-marks-the-spots.

[grunts]

- [beeping]
- It's out.

GARY: Yeah, and it's
quite a strong signal,

by the sound of it.

You're on it.

Ooh.

Wow!

GARY: Wow! Look at that.

Let me see what this
is. Let me put this away.

Yeah.

It's heavy, heavy, heavy.

NARRATOR: While
investigating an area on Lot 8

where a number of large
objects may be buried deep,

more than ten
feet underground...

Big chunky piece of iron.

JACK: That's fantastic.

Metal detection
expert Gary Drayton

and Jack Begley
have just unearthed

a potentially important
clue near the surface.

You see how it's
mushroomed there?

JACK: Oh, but it's
been b*at on a bunch.

GARY: Oh, without
a doubt, mate. Look.

That looks like
it's the head of it.

And the best way of
describing this, it's an iron rod.

- It could be a chisel. Yeah, exactly.
- Top of a chisel. Yeah.

When you hold it in
your hand like this,

you-you get the
feeling that, yeah,

it could have been
a chisel, mate.

This has got a swages

hand point chisel feel about it.

I think this is a very,
very old piece of history

we're holding in
our hands, mate.

- That's incredible.
- Yeah.

Carmen dated the
hand point chisel

and the swages back
to the Middle Ages.

- Oh, really?
- It was way back

to the 1400s, mate.

Well, then what the heck
is going on in this area?

GARY: I don't know, mate.

NARRATOR: Over
the past three years...

- That looks old to me. That looks hand-forged.
- Sure.

Huh.

The team has not only recovered

a similar metal artifact
near Smith's Cove

on the eastern end of the island

but also two iron
tools known as swages

here on the western
side of the island...

which blacksmithing
expert Carmen Legge believed

to be of great significance.

For tunneling?

Wow. [chuckles]

Feel how heavy that is, mate.

NARRATOR: Could this iron object

that Gary and Jack have
just found also be that old?

And if so, could it possibly be
connected to the large anomalies

that have been detected
much deeper below ground?

- JACK: It's a cool find.
- Yeah.

JACK: We're finding more things

like swages and rock
chisels and other objects

that lead to work being done

on the western
side of the island,

previous to the
discovery of the Money Pit.

So how are these tools related?

And why were people doing
work on the western side?

Marked.

I'll put the flag in.

But you know what, mate,

I think we should get this back

to the archaeology trailer now

so the guys can
start working on this.

- Right away, yeah.
- We'll come back.

What a fantastic day.

♪

NARRATOR: The
following morning...

CHARLES: Now, there's
some good chunks.

As the excavation of the
D.M.T.-2 Shaft continues

in the Money Pit area...

- RICK: Morning, gentlemen.
- ALEX: Hey, everybody.

- Hi, guys.
- Hey, guys.

NARRATOR: Rick
Lagina and Craig Tester

have gathered members
of the team in the w*r room

for a videoconference
with Scott Clarke,

a 32nd degree Freemason

and Oak Island researcher
from Toronto, Canada.

So, gentlemen, we
all know Scott Clarke.

Morning, guys.

NARRATOR: Earlier this year,

Scott presented the
team with his theory

that the 17th century English
nobleman Sir William Phips

may have conspired with
an American Freemason

named Andrew Belcher to
hide a massive cache of silver

in the Money Pit
sometime around 1687.

We very much look
forward to your presentation.

NARRATOR: However, in light of
the team's recent finds made on Lot 8,

Rick has invited Scott to
present new research connected

to another discovery that was
made there three years ago,

the red garnet brooch,

which gemologist Charles
Lewton-Brain believes

could date back more
than four centuries.

I'll pull it out

so that everyone
can take a look at it.

At the time, I think we all

declared it to be the
first piece of treasure

that had been
found on Oak Island.

Mm-hmm.

RICK: It still is
quite stunning.

I believe that the
information you've...

come up with probably will
reveal a lot more about it.

Uh, yeah, hopefully. I mean,

I-I know you keep referring
it... to it as, uh... a brooch.

I have a different
possible interpretation.

So, I've always
believed that the key

to the Oak Island mystery
lies within the equally enigmatic

and cryptic brotherhood
of Freemasonry.

So, as I had thought
more about this garnet,

it occurred to me that it
was actually the perfect color,

size and general shape
as one of the stones

from a Masonic Royal
Arch High Priest breastplate.

In Freemasonry, the 13th
degree of the Scottish Rite

is called the Royal
Arch of Enoch

or Royal Arch of Solomon.

The High Priest is
essentially the head

of the Masonic
Royal Arch chapter

and wears these
Royal Arch breastplates

in a specific Masonic ritual

meant to mimic the
breastplate of judgment

worn by the
biblical high priests.

So, the making of
the original breastplate

is described in the Book
of Exodus in the Bible.

On it were 12 precious
and semiprecious stones

arranged in four rows of three,

representing the


According to the King
James translation of the Bible,

one of these 12
stones was stated

as being a carbuncle,
or deep red gemstone.

Nowadays, a carbuncle
is most often associated

with a red garnet like the
one found on Oak Island.

So, I superimposed the
Oak Island garnet and setting

over one of the
breastplate stones.

I think you can see
here it's very similar

to the ones on the other plate.

ALEX: That matches pretty well.

Pretty well.

But what would a
Masonic Royal Arch

High Priest breastplate
be doing on Oak Island?

NARRATOR: Ever since the
Money Pit was discovered in 1795,

the secretive fraternity
known as the Freemasons,

which many researchers
claim descended

from the medieval order
of the Knights Templar,

have been closely tied
to the Oak Island mystery.

Several of their members,

such as Franklin
Delano Roosevelt,

have not only led various
treasure hunting companies,

but various Masonic
and Templar symbols

have also been found
across the island,

symbols that include
crosses, triangles

and carvings of the letter "G,"
representing the divine creator.

RICK: I think well and
truly it has been proved

that the Masons had
an interest in Oak Island.

But what does that mean?

Does that mean they
were here watching over it?

Does that mean they were
here searching for something?

Does it mean they were
here protecting something?

So, connections to Royal Arch
Freemasonry in Nova Scotia

go back at least 250 years.

The breastplates
they would have had

may also have been quite old,

having been passed
down within lodges.

One High Priest

was intimately
connected to Oak Island

in the early 20th century

and would also have worn one
of these very rare breastplates

during certain Masonic
Royal Arch rituals.

As it turns out,
Melbourne R. Chappell

was Grand High Priest
from 1954 to 1956.

Chappell was also a
longtime Oak Island landowner

and treasure
trove license holder

and even owned Lot 8,

where the garnet and
setting were found.

Mel first became
involved with Oak Island,

of course, when he
worked with his father

William Chappell in 1931.

NARRATOR: Born and
raised in Sydney, Nova Scotia,

M.R. Chappell was the
primary owner of Oak Island

from 1950 to 1977.

However, his connection

to the treasure
mystery began in 1897,

when he was just a child.

That year, his father William

drilled into the massive
box deep in the Money Pit

that would come to be
known as the Chappell Vault.

Although he was never
able to recover the treasure

that his father believed
he'd encountered,

is it possible that
M.R. Chappell

came to have secret knowledge

through his position
as a Freemason

about what may be
buried on Oak Island?

There's always the possibility
that any earlier Masons

prior to 1795 made use
of certain Masonic rituals

to hide an actual sacred
treasure on the island.

So, Mel Chappell
may have actually had

a Masonic Royal Arch
breastplate on Oak Island

for the purpose of acting
out a Masonic ritual.

The breastplate was used
in a specific Masonic ritual

meant to mimic the retrieval
of the Ark of the Covenant

from a secret vault underground.

CLARKE: These breastplates,
they were used in a specific

Masonic ritual meant to mimic

the retrieval of the
Ark of the Covenant

from a secret vault underground.

Wow.

NARRATOR: In the w*r room,


Freemason Scott Clarke

has presented the
team with his theory

that the semiprecious garnet
found four years ago on Lot 8

may have been connected
to a Masonic ritual

and also to one of
the most sought-after

missing religious
artifacts in history.

CLARKE: But would there have
been any reason for Chappell

to have potentially conducted
Masonic rituals on Oak Island?

The answer is yes.

In the earliest days
of Freemasonry,

these rituals were meant
to be as realistic as possible.

It is held once each year
on the Day of Atonement

in a very secret
place, underground,

with neither door nor
window, with a trapdoor at top.

In fact, the
description of this vault,

with its nine arches,
sounds almost identical

to the early accounts of
the Oak Island Money Pit,

with its alleged layers every
ten feet, down to 90 feet.

It's possible these guys were...

doing the ritual
to hide something.

Or perhaps Chappell
or any earlier Masons

were ritually paying
homage to their predecessors,

the Knights Templar,
who they knew had buried

the Ark of the Covenant
on Oak Island centuries ago.

NARRATOR: From the


the m*llitary order
of monks known

as the Knights Templar
operated in the Holy Land

to protect Christian
pilgrims during the Crusades.

Their base of operation was
established on Temple Mount,

the site of the original
Temple of King Solomon

and the last known location
of the Ark of the Covenant.

In 1307, the order

was disbanded by Pope Clement V

and persecuted by
King Philip IV of France.

Some researchers have speculated

that this was done in order
to confiscate their treasures,

including the lost ark.

However, 18 Templar ships

are believed to have escaped
from La Rochelle, France,

loaded with the order's
priceless valuables.

Is it possible that researchers
such as Scott Clarke

and the late Zena Halpern

have been correct
in their belief

that the Templars
hid their treasures,

including the Ark of the
Covenant, on Oak Island?

And if so, could the
proof lie buried on Lot 8?

It's very interesting, Scott.

You've thought outside the box,
and there are ways to follow up.

If the garnet found
specifically on a lot once owned

by Freemasons can be proven
to be from a Masonic breastplate,

there could actually
be other items on Lot 8

which could turn out to
have Masonic significance.

RICK: Is that possible,

as Scott suspects,
that that indicates

a depositional chamber
for religious artifacts?

It's certainly possible.

But you have to take the theory

and put it in the field.

Could this be related
to the Lot 8 anomaly?

Perhaps.

I think a dig is warranted.

I think the suggestion,
from what you found, Scott,

is that there may be a
stronger Masonic connection

than we realized.

Chappell was actively
engaged in the treasure hunt,

spending money
looking for treasure here.

So it makes sense that he knows

there's something
here somewhere.

Yeah.

To me, it goes together.

CRAIG: I think
it's very interesting.

Just realizing how many
people of significant importance

in the Freemasons

were involved with Oak
Island is-is amazing itself.

And then this specific
brooch might be part

of that breastplate
is very interesting.

RICK: Scott, we will
do some follow-up,

and we will
certainly stay in touch

and let you know if we
find out anything at all.

Sounds good.

RICK: All right.

Well, thank you very much.

♪

NARRATOR: The
following morning...

RICK: Just gonna get

- that piece of wood there.
- Yeah.

While Rick Lagina
oversees the excavation

at the Money Pit...

Marty Lagina joins Jack Begley,

Gary Drayton and members
of the team on Lot 8.

Well, it's time to
dig, huh, guys?

- Yep.
- Yep.

NARRATOR: After following up

with the authorities,

they have been
granted permission

to conduct a
five-foot-deep excavation

at the site of the
mysterious anomalies.

The OKM says there is an anomaly
here at five feet and one at 20.

But if I can get you down five,

- that thing might say something.
- GARY: Oh, yeah.

This'll get us another five.

The GPX 5000.

It's pulse induction, mate.

- This is Big Bertha.
- Yeah.

NARRATOR: If they succeed

in finding evidence
of human activity,

they can apply for a permit

that would allow
for a much deeper

- investigation.
- MARTY: All right!

- What do you say we dig?
- GARY: Yeah. -SCOTT: Let's do it.

GARY: Okay,
mate. I'll get settled.

MARTY: What I would
really like to see as I'm digging

is something that
is buried there

of significance. So...

obviously, a chamber of
some sort would be fabulous.

So, you know, to hit metal,

to hit concrete,

to hit wood, even.

To find wood here,

say five feet down, would
be gigantically significant.

It would be hiding something.

And of course, every bucket,

you're always looking
for signs of treasure.

That's a heck of a lot of rocks.

We're in nothing but rock.

Yeah, I noticed all
those rocks coming up.

Looked like someone
had filled this area.

All of this here?

It all looks like it's fill.

It's disturbed.

SCOTT: It's just like

the paved area. There's
just a big layer of rocks

right across this whole area.

NARRATOR: A possible paved area?

In 2019, while conducting

an excavation in the
middle of the swamp...

Looked like deeper paved area.

Like multiple rocks?

Yeah. A stacking of rocks.

Billy Gerhardt uncovered
a massive stone-paved area

stretching across the
middle of the brackish bog...

Holy crow.

I think something's
really important here.

Which geoscientist
Dr. Ian Spooner carbon-dated

to as early as 1200 AD.

Although the team
has yet to determine

that feature's purpose,

could this feature here on Lot 8

have been created to
conceal the large anomalies

that have been
detected deeper below?

And if so, could it be evidence

that Scott Clarke's
incredible theory

about a priceless treasure
connected to the Knights Templar

is true?

- Is it disturbed more this way?
- LAIRD: Yeah.

- So I should go that way?
- Yeah.

[whirring]

[creaking]

That's a pretty big rock.

[creaking]

Come out of there.

[groans]

[shuts off engine]

That boulder is a bit
like an iceberg, isn't it?

- [chuckling]
- Yeah.

There's a lot going
on down there.

Wouldn't you say, almost for
sure, that's been dug before?

- It looks like it's been disturbed there.
- JACK: Oh.

LAIRD: But you
see all the organics

below the boulder.

MARTY: Mm-hmm. It suggests

that somebody dug, then
pulled the rock and put it there.

GARY: I just know there's
got to be something deeper.

Could be an hatch.

LAIRD: This might lead
to something much greater.

JACK: The boulder's out of
place, and there seems to be

a disturbance underneath it.

It suggests

that somebody dug,
then pulled the rock

- and put it there.
- Yeah.

NARRATOR: On Lot 8,

located on the western
side of Oak Island,

Marty Lagina and
members of the team

have just uncovered evidence

of human activity where previous
GPR and magnetometry scans

have indicated
large metallic objects

or structures may be
buried up to 20 feet below.

Don't look like we're
the first ones out here,

- for sure.
- LAIRD: Yeah.

The biggest issue is, where
did that boulder come from?

MARTY: If the boulder was
placed by human intervention,

we're talking about
tunnels or vaults or whatever

could be below that.

I think we should dig more

around that rock and just

- go down and see what we got here.
- LAIRD: Sure.

- So, that's the plan.
- Yeah.

[beep]

We have a couple clues

that what happened here
appears to be so extensive.

It could certainly have
been people hiding treasure.

So I think we have to dig deeper

to find what we're looking for.

It's unique enough to pursue it.

Am I below five feet?

Yeah, I'd say
you're at five feet.

[engine shuts off]

Going in.

No. Not hearing anything.

Try on the side of this boulder.

No.

Quiet as a church mouse.

Dang.

- Was worth a try.
- MARTY: Yeah.

All right. So what
does that mean to us

and our little
treasure hunt here?

I'd like to find something.
[chuckles softly]

The surface metal
detecting finds

tell us someone's been
here a long time ago.

Some of those finds
were old, in this area.

And although we haven't
found anything today, I mean,

we can't put an "X"
through this spot.

Yeah. Exactly.

MARTY: We have
an anomaly to report

in the sense that we have black

- organic stuff under the boulder.
- Yeah.

The deeper one, though,
I think we're at the limit,

- so...
- Yep.

NARRATOR: Although
the team has now dug

to the five-foot limit
that is possible today,

the fact that they unearthed
what appears to be

a purposely-placed paved feature

and a massive
artificially-placed boulder

means that they will need

to apply for a more
extensive permit

in order to conduct a
much deeper excavation

of the Lot 8 anomalies.

We'll head back.

We need to report to my
brother and then decide

what else to do here.

JACK: All right, cool.

- Scott, will you fill it in?
- Yeah.

- So let's go.
- [beep]

I have a feeling we haven't
seen the last of this place.

JACK: Yeah, me, too.

♪

NARRATOR: Later
that afternoon...

MARTY: Yeah, this is exciting. I
mean, I-I-I got high hopes for this.

NARRATOR: Rick, Marty
Lagina and their partner Craig Tester

arrive at the Money Pit area

as the excavation of the
D.M.T.-2 Shaft continues.

What's the latest?

We're looking at around


And the can currently
sits at 104 as well.

We're cutting very light, very
low pressures with this one.

Just going down real easy?

Really, really easy.

What's that mean, Craig?

Well, I think we're
getting close to the bottom

of the Hedden Shaft, where

it's probably going
to be the softest.

You know, 120-foot level to 125,

that's going to be the
bottom of the shaft.

Yeah.

RICK: Once we
get down to a depth

right around 123, 124,

we will be below Hedden Shaft.

At that point,

we reach that horizon

where we hope to find something.

Thanks, Andrew.

I'm gonna go down to
the wash plant 'cause

there's not a whole lot
of people down there.

MARTY: All right, we'll
see you in a little bit.

Another one coming.

That is a lot of wood.

CHARLES: That is a lot of wood.

GARY: That's nice.

Ho, ho, ho! Come to papa!

Look at that!

Fantastic!

A double-cut wood chip.

Both sides.

- That's great news.
- What is that?

- Wood chip.
- Axe-cut wood?

- Yep.
- Yep.

NARRATOR: An axe-cut wood chip?

Found at a depth of some


Those big wood chips
are similar to what we saw

on the stone road.

- There's chips from axes everywhere.
- RICK: Wow.

NARRATOR: One year
ago, while investigating

the stone road in the swamp,

which may date back
five centuries or more,

the team found a massive
amount of axe-cut wood chips,

which Dr. Spooner
believed had been utilized

for the feature's construction.

IAN: All the wood
chips that we see

are from them throwing
them down on the swamp

so they could put the
rocks on something

when they built the road.

NARRATOR: Is it possible
that the team has just

found evidence of human
activity that could date back

to the same period as the
stone road in the swamp?

Or perhaps even the features
just unearthed on Lot 8?

- We can bag that.
- Yeah.

[machinery grinding]

DANNY: Got to say,
that's a new noise.

[clanking]

Man, that's-that's
turning way too free.

- MARTY: Whoa!
- DANNY: That's troubling.

That's troubling right there.

We got to be cutting something.

NARRATOR: It is a
potentially critical moment

in the Money Pit area

as the D.M.T.-2 caisson appears
to have encountered something

out of the ordinary at a depth
of approximately 105 feet.

DANNY: That woke everybody up.

ANDREW: Yeah.

Well, we got it now.

Yeah, you're cooking now.

MARTY: What we're trying
to do here is come down on

some of the things that
people who came before us did.

They-they talked
about grinding on metal

that they couldn't get through,

or potentially concrete.

And each time that was
associated with something

special like, of course,
the treasure vault.

So I want to know
more about this.

CRAIG: Well, he
got through the zone.

It was about two feet.

What does he think
that obstacle was?

We're not sure. It should
be coming out here any time.

Piece of a big boulder, maybe?

Could be just a
big boulder, yeah.

That's kind of what we
were speculating about.

Just strange characteristics
the way that it was acting.

We'll find out very soon.

MARTY: All right, here we go.

GARY: Look at that!

- Big bucket.
- Wow.

This is fantastic.

- Ready?
- Yep.

Come look at this.

GARY: Wow, it looks old.

Yeah.

Could be a sign
of old construction.

- Maybe we're into the older stuff.
- Okay.

Can you take a
quick look at this?

That looks like a peg.

They wouldn't have used a peg in

Hedden's stuff, would they?

- I doubt it.
- You know,

why don't we do the float test?
Dan Blankenship's float test.

If it sinks, he always
said it was old.

- Sinks like a rock.
- Sinks like a rock? It's old.

If it was a much older shaft,

they would have used pegs

- to secure the timbers.
- Yep, yep.

- Instead of nails, right?
- Yep.

NARRATOR: A wooden peg or dowel,

recovered from
the D.M.T.-2 Shaft?

Because both Gilbert Hedden
and Professor Irwin Hamilton,

who constructed shafts in this
area more than 60 years ago,

used machine-cut lumber,

could this wooden dowel

mean that D.M.T.-2 has now cut
into ancient man-made workings?

If so, might it also be an
indication that the team

is finally zeroing in on the
legendary Chappell Vault?

Big brother. We're
at about 108 feet.

Um, lots of wood.
Looks like Hedden.

All of it looks like Hedden

except for a few odd pieces like

that pin. And it sinks.

All right, do any of the
timbers have dowels in them?

No. I've not seen, not
observed any of that.

We'll probably try
to send it in for C14.

RICK: The wooden peg was
just simply the type of fastener

associated with
an older structure.

So indications are that
this area could be of interest.

One has to entertain it
is indeed associated with

the original work
and, thus, perhaps

in close proximity
to a treasure.

And we have possibly different
pieces of wood coming up.

Yeah. I think we've got

some older pieces of
wood coming up now, mate.

- Oh, wow! Thicker timbers as well by the look of it.
- Right.

RICK: We have to be very
vigilant and, as the wood comes up,

separate what we
deem to be Hedden Shaft

from what we deem to be

original depositional work.

So, all eyes on deck and we have
to make some snap judgments.

That looks older.

Yeah, that does. That's cut.

Axe-cut.

Yeah, definitely axe-cut.

RICK: Is that a dowel
or is that a drill hole?

There, you can feel it.

- It's spongy, kind of.
- MARTY: Wow.

That's about the oldest looking
thing that's come out of there.

CRAIG: Yep.

- RICK: So, where are we?
- 113.



- 124.
- Okay.

That should be the end
of the shaft, shouldn't it?

Yeah, with the can.

Well, it's an interesting
area right here.

It is. Just so many questions.

- Yeah.
- We'll figure it out.

- Sounds good, thank you.
- You're welcome.

GARY: Let's find
some good stuff.

Come on, metal, where are you?

I'd like to see some
coins come up here.

- Check that out.
- Wow.

What the heck would that be for?

RICK: What the heck
would that be for?

Rick seems to have
a knack for finding

- stuff nobody else finds.
- I know.

I tell you, big brother,
you have a knack for

finding stuff nobody else finds.

Lift that.

Geez!

That is heavy.

What on earth would
the purpose of that be?

- I don't know. That's weird.
- Yeah.

NARRATOR: In the
Money Pit area, Rick Lagina

has recovered a potentially
ancient piece of wood

from the spoils that
were just unearthed

from a depth of some 120 feet

in the D.M.T.-2 Shaft.

MARTY: Sinks like a rock.

What kind of cuts
on it? Can you tell?

MARTY: It's center-cut.

- CRAIG: Yeah.
- Let's bri...

- God, that thing is heavy. Lift that sucker.
- Oh, wow.

Might be oak, too.

That's pretty cool.

MARTY: The square piece
of wood found in D.M.T.-2

is really interesting.

It's not from the Hedden Shaft.

It seemed to be much older,

there's no doubt about that.

It's different, uh, and
that alone is substantive.

I think there is definitely
hope for this caisson.

I'll go down this side.

[beeping]

Got to go for that.

Yeah. It's somewhere in there.

Come on, Pete. Dig
us something good up.

Here, let me see
if I can pinpoint it.

Here.

- Yeah. It's a big piece of metal.
- Yeah.

I've no idea what it is.

PETER: We got another one
coming out with way more of it.

That's what it is.

Holy schmoly! Heads up.

- Charles.
- Yep.

There's the plate.

Look at all the nails
sticking out of it.

That's a huge plate.

Yep.

Are we that deep that
that could be the shield?

- Yeah, I would say so.
- Has to be.

Well, how about that?

- That's very interesting.
- [laughs]

NARRATOR: Now that the team
appears to have reached and removed

the heavy metallic shield
that Gilbert Hedden installed

at the base of
his shaft in 1937...

That's a piece of history there.

Oh, definitely a
piece of history.

It only offers hope that in the
coming days they may be able

to reach what
Mr. Hedden could not:

the fabled Chappell Vault.

RICK: There is only one
Hedden Shaft on Oak Island.

So, it's part of the
history and the lore.

This means we're at the
deepest part of the shaft.

And then the hope is
that anything underneath

that will be something
that would be highly relevant

to the quest for answers
regarding the mystery.

Hey, Andrew.

We think we're probably

through the Hedden Shaft.

- Are we?
- Yeah.

RICK: Well, it's getting dark.

I think we're
done for the night.

- Call it a day?
- Yeah, I would.

- You agree?
- Yeah.

It's not going anywhere.

Sure. Sounds good. Thanks, guys.

MARTY: We, and a
lot of other searchers,

have looked for
this thing since 1897

when it was first described.

So, each time we get down to

that depth we are eagerly
hoping we find that vault.

And we're hoping
this time it's it.

It's got to be out there
somewhere. Right, Charles?

It's out there. You
just haven't found it yet.

Yeah, well, we're about


I hope so.

- [Marty laughs]
- RICK: We'll find it.

- CRAIG: Yep.
- RICK: Let's go.

NARRATOR: What began
as a search for buried riches



has evolved over
time into a mystery

involving much, much more.

And for Rick, Marty,
Craig and their team,

as they continue to unearth
the hidden history of Oak Island,

just what might they discover
about the history of the world?

Will it involve a vast treasure

of plundered gold,
silver and jewels?

Priceless artifacts
created at the direction

of an all-powerful God?

Or will they find that
some secrets about the past

were never meant to be revealed?

Next time on The
Curse of Oak Island...

Wow! Look at that.

This might be the missing
link to treasure in this area.

Never in a million years
had I expected to find a link

to Portugal and to
the Knights Templar.

- That's astounding.
- Whoa!

- MARTY: That can's going down fast.
- RICK: Wow.

We're right at the vault.

We should be
finding something here

pretty quick. This is it.

Wow, this is a big find.

We've caught a
piece of this vault.

- It's amazing.
- Oh, baby. -[laughter]