09x16 - Gold Diggers

[bunniefuu]

NARRATOR: Tonight, on
The Curse Of Oak Island...

MARTY: What a good
day to find treasure.

Oh. Look at that.

- ALEX: Is that concrete?
- JACK: Yeah.

We could be close
to the actual vault.

- Whoa!
- VANESSA: The hammer grab's grabbing on something

- that's too heavy to pull back out.
- Wow.

There's got to be something
in that clay right there.

- [detector beeping] - GARY:
Oh, that's a screamer, mate.

Come on, baby. Come to papa.

Wow.

Let's see what the machine says.

Okay.

- MARTY: That's gold.
- KELLY: Absolutely.

It's just amazing.

♪ ♪

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.

- GARY: Morning, Rick.
- RICK: Hey, Gary.

Today's the day, mate.

To get to the bottom of this.

This could be the Money Pit.

- Yeah.
- We'll just wait and see.

NARRATOR: A new morning
has dawned on Oak Island.

There's nowhere else I'd
rather be, mate. Really isn't.

NARRATOR: And with it
comes great hope and anticipation

for brothers Rick
and Marty Lagina

and their team

as they believe that
they may have finally

pinpointed the location
of the original Money Pit

and the hiding place
of a vast treasure

that men and women
have sought for 227 years.

- Morning.
- Morning. Good morning, Vanessa.

So, we have advanced
the can. We're at 104.

Can's advancing fine, still.

- What dig depth do you have now?
- VANESSA: 92 feet.

- CRAIG: Okay. - Okay? Thank you.
- LAIRD: Okay, excellent.

Thank you.

NARRATOR: Working
with representatives

from Irving Equipment Limited

and ROC Equipment,

the Oak Island
team is excavating

a ten-foot-wide
steel-cased shaft

known as TF-1.

It was at this location
earlier this year that,

at a depth of
approximately 90 feet,

they discovered evidence
of a wooden tunnel

dating back to as early
as the 15th century

as well as trace evidence
of both silver and gold.

RICK: I think we all
are very hopeful that

we'll find something
that, for once and for all,

tell us exactly what's
happened underground.

So, if Doug is right,

all of this broken stuff...
We know it's a shaft.

Yeah. Do we know
what shaft it was?

Well, it was
Roosevelt's shaft, 1909.

But they thought they
were on the Money Pit, right?

- Yeah.
- But, look, the-the little bits and pieces

kind of add up, you
know? The 1909 shaft,

- the boot, the date of the boot.
- Yeah.

So, "it fits," but we've
got a lot of things that fit.

Yeah, that's true.

Well, I thought that boot
was like an old cavalier boot.

But, hey, if it's a
ex-president's boot,

- that'd be just as good.
- Yep.

Look at this! [laughs]

NARRATOR: Just
one day ago, the team

made a curious discovery
offering more evidence

that they could be digging
in the original Money Pit:

a worker's boot dating
to the early 20th century.

DOUG: So, up here
it says Kaufman.

They were making
these type of boots

in 1908 to 1909.

This might be the pit
that FDR was digging in.

Well, that'd be pretty cool.

NARRATOR: In 1909,

the Old Gold Salvage
and Wrecking Company,

led by Captain Henry Bowdoin,

excavated what was believed
to be the original Treasure Pit

some 100 feet deep before
their efforts were vanquished

by cave-ins and flooding.

It was an effort that was
financed by a young attorney

and Freemason by the name
of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

RICK: The boot suggests

we are into the Franklin
Roosevelt workings.

They associated their
workings with the possible find

of the original Money Pit shaft.

CRAIG: It's still
bringing up wood.

RICK: If that is so, that's
exceedingly interesting,

because it means
if we're not on it,

we're certainly close.

I got some information
I'll show you.

I was printing this out
this morning based on

what we were talking
about yesterday.

This is a letter from
Duncan Harris to FDR.

I highlight some
interesting things here.

It says, "We cleared out
the pit to a depth of 107 feet,

"taking out large quantities
of boulders and timber.

"At this depth we
found a heavy platform

"across the bottom of
the cribbing, from which

we were unable to take up."

So, they hit a platform
they never took up.

Where are we right now?



Yeah, yeah. We're close.

To me, this is encouraging,
because they were also

seeing signs of a deep collapse.

We would have to have if

it was the original Money Pit.

We're seeing the jumble of wood,

so, I-I... you know, I find
that really encouraging.

Probably we're on
what they're describing.

I would... that, I
would say, yes.

Yeah.

NARRATOR: Because the Money Pit

suffered a catastrophic
collapse in 1861,

could the massive
amounts of broken timbers

mean that the team is on course

to make a historic discovery?

I mean, this is good
information to have, for sure.

Yeah.

RICK: At this point, I think

- you just got to keep digging.
- CRAIG: Yeah.

NARRATOR: As the excavation
of the TF-1 shaft continues,

near the southeast corner of
the triangle-shaped swamp...

MARTY: All right. Once
more into the swamp.

NARRATOR: David Fornetti
has joined his Uncle Marty

and his cousin Alex

to continue searching for
evidence of a stone path

between the brackish
bog and the Money Pit.

We ran a grid
over the stone road.

So, from there we went to
the uplands, did another pass,

and still, seems to
show the stone road.

Okay.

First scan, coming up.

NARRATOR: One
week ago, Alex and David

conducted a
ground-penetrating radar scan

heading eastward
from the stone road

discovered last
year in the swamp.

DAVID F: I think the stone road
might be under us, right here.

Oh, that's interesting.

NARRATOR: However,
because the team

is currently restricted from
excavating a two-acre area

near the southeast
corner of the swamp

due to a government mandate...

DAVID F: Let's go for it.

It is Alex and David's hope

that they, along
with Marty's help,

can trace the buried
road outside that zone.

If they are successful,
they can apply for a permit

to uncover it,
determine where it leads,

and hopefully discover
what might be hidden there.

MARTY: We have a decent idea
of the general direction of the road.

We know massive things
occurred at the Money Pit,

and a road would've
been required. And

what would be interesting
would be to find a datable item

along that road, and
we've only unearthed,

you know, it looks like
maybe a few percent of it.

- You think here?
- Yeah, that's good.

And then see the nice
path you got right here?

- DAVID F: Yeah.
- MARTY: Right around that tree

- and all the way through there.
- ALEX: Okay.

NARRATOR: The OKM
Gepard GPR 3D scanner

emits radio waves into the earth

which can detect objects,
structures, or voids

up to 130 feet
below the surface.

I think you can stop.
Go ahead and stop.

ALEX: Okay.

Yeah, see what it says.

Well... it's kind of
surprising, actually.

We have an anomaly.
Right in the middle.

Hey, that's pretty cool.
And it's... that's roughly

- three feet, isn't it?
- ALEX: Three feet deep, yeah.

- Yeah.
- MARTY: That's pretty exciting.

MARTY: This road... if
it's only three feet deep...

I'm eager to dig it.

You know, we might be
able to find some artifact

that helps us figure out
who in the heck was here.

That's what I really
like about this, is there's

- nothing on either side of it.
- MARTY: Yeah, agreed.

ALEX: And it's the right
scale and size and depth

- to be the road.
- MARTY: Pretty cool.

ALEX: I actually kind of

- can't believe it.
- No, either... me either.

Well, let's keep going.

- ALEX: All right.
- DAVID F: Okay, yeah.

NARRATOR: Later
that afternoon...

GARY: Sure would be nice to
get our hands on some treasure.

There are some perks, mate,
to being wet and covered in mud.

We get to see
the treasure first.

Although the weather has turned,

the team remains
hopeful that the excavation

of the TF-1 shaft in
the Money Pit area...

Which has now reached
a depth of 107 feet...

Could yield a major
discovery at any moment.

Okay, Michel?

- All right, Billy?
- Yep.

We're good.

You ready for some
treasure, mate?

DAVID F: We're just getting
to the target depth, so...

- Yep.
- Definitely not counting it out yet.

No, definitely not, mate.

- Hardly any wood in there, either.
- No.

What the heck is that?

AGARY: can see,
IWhat the heck is that? s.

NARRATOR: In the Money Pit area,

while searching
the spoils unearthed

from nearly 110 feet
deep in the TF-1 shaft,

Gary Drayton has just found
a potentially important clue.

I think that's one of those
wooden dowel or wooden peg.

- DAVID F: Could be. It's shaped that way.
- Yeah.

This was probably used

for some type of construction
in the original Money Pit,

because there wouldn't have
been any iron fasteners in it.

They would've used
wooden pegs like this.

- That's a good eye.
- Yeah.

NARRATOR: A wooden peg or dowel?

Could it be related to the
fragments of a wooden structure

found in this location
earlier this year

that may date back to 1488?

If so, could that mean
the team is also close

to finding the source
of the silver and gold

detected in the area as well?

The older constructs that
we've encountered have been

put together with dowels.
And this is certainly a dowel.

So, it implies possible

original depositional work,
because in the modern era,

dowels were not
used as fasteners.

All right, Billy. Two thumbs up.

[detector beeping]

Definitely a signal here.

Just there, mate.

At least we got a signal.

- Huh.
- Wow.

Some big, old fastener.

I can't really tell
what shape it is.

I know it's heavy, but it could

just be the concretion on it.

I don't know if it's modern
or old, round or anything.

I know it's iron.

- Well, we should get out of here.
- Yep.

IAN: What you got, Gary?

Just found an
interesting fastener

in that last bucket
that came out,

and I can't tell if
it's old or modern.

I've never seen
anything like this

come out of the Money Pit.

Any ideas, Laird?

LAIRD: That's weird.

- IAN: Yeah.
- GARY: That's exactly what I thought: that's weird.

- What is it?
- Well, it looks like a round nail there,

but then you look at the...

- It's been hand-forged.
- RICK: Heavy, though.

Yeah. Yeah.

Like hand-wrought
or hand... hand-made?

- Yeah.
- IAN: Wow.

NARRATOR: An iron fastener

that was hand-forged?

Because that could mean it
might pre-date the discovery

of the Money Pit in 1795,

could this artifact be
related to a structure

that was built
during an operation

to deposit valuables
deep underground?

The FDR expedition...
Let's say they were

right next to the
original Money Pit.

We do know that,
from the records,

that they only got to 107 feet.

We know the Money Pit
collapsed deeper than that.

So, anywhere between


where we might encounter
the vault is also prospective.

- RICK: Oh, it's... Look how much wider here than there.
- IAN: Yep. Exactly.

Well, I'll leave this little
puzzle with you guys.

- I got to get back to the spoils.
- LAIRD: Okay.

Find us some more, Gary.

GARY: Oh, will do.

NARRATOR: Later that same day,

as members of the
team continue monitoring

the excavation
of the TF-1 shaft...

- RICK: Hey, guys.
- STEVE G.: Oh.

- Hey, Rick.
- SCOTT: Hey, Rick.

Well, let's see
what you got here.

NARRATOR: Near
Smith's Cove, Rick Lagina

arrives at the wash plant

after being alerted by
members of the team

of potentially important
discoveries they have made while

cleaning and sorting
the spoils from the dig.

STEVE G.: Let's see what we got.

- RICK: That's modern.
- STEVE G.: There's a spike.

- RICK: Yeah, modern.
- SCOTT: Modern spike.

STEVE G.: Here's something
that looks a little older.

This looks promising.
It has some weight to it.

Yeah, it does.

I mean, that's
Gary's criteria, right?

- Old metal i-is quite hefty.
- SCOTT: Yeah.

RICK: This certainly is.

- It looks like it's been hand-wrought.
- SCOTT: Mm-hmm.

You know... I don't
know what to make of it,

but it's a prime candidate
for a CT scanner, so...

Yeah.

Basically, a CT scanner
is like an X-ray machine.

It will look through
the conglomerate

and the encrustation of the
objects and you will be able

to see it as though it
were just recently forged,

and my thought always
was to acquire a CT scanner,

because this science can
be applied to our needs.

That may turn into something

quite unique and
quite interesting.

But we have a mountain
of material to go through,

so I think we just

keep pushing
forward, keep watching.

- SCOTT: All right, good.
- STEVE G.: Thanks, Rick.

- SCOTT: Thanks, Rick.
- RICK: Thank you.

NARRATOR: The following morning,

as the excavation
of the TF-1 shaft

continues in the Money Pit area,

Marty and Alex Lagina,

along with David Fornetti,
arrive at the research center.

- ALEX: Hey, Steve. - MARTY: Steve.
- Hey, guys. How you doing?

Good. Did you figure it out?

I think so. It was
pretty quick and easy.

- So I threw it up on the screen.
- Oh, yeah.

NARRATOR: They are meeting
with surveyor Steve Guptill,

who has finished
analyzing the GPR data

regarding a possible
buried stone pathway

between the swamp
and the Money Pit.

So, as you can see,
I plotted your points.

They exist here, here and here.

- Oh. - Oh, okay.
- Okay.

So, not perfectly straight.

But, just for reference,
this is the stone road.

This is the pine tar kiln.

Based on the data
we've collected so far,

I do believe it is a road
coming off of the stone road,

or at least a path.

You can see here that
they're not perfectly linear,

but that's okay. I mean, we
live in Nova Scotia, nothing's flat.

- Paths don't have to be straight.
- No, they don't.

- Right.
- So, I think it's just

taking the path
of least resistance,

and I suspect it's probably
heading to the pine tar kiln.

Yes.

NARRATOR: One year
ago, after noticing a feature

labeled as a possible tunnel
entrance on a map of Lot 15

that was created
more than 30 years ago

by the late Oak Island
landowner Fred Nolan,

the team began investigating

what archaeologist
David Maclnnes believed

was ultimately a 16th century

British m*llitary pine tar kiln.

A pine tar kiln that
archeologist Laird Niven

suspected may have been used

to construct the
original Money Pit.

Although the team
has yet to find evidence

of why Fred believed
there might have been

a tunnel entrance
at the feature,

could finding out where
the buried pathway ends

provide an answer?

MARTY: It's actually
quite amazing. I mean,

we have evidence that

the English were
active on this island

long before the Money Pit.

But I don't know
why they were here.

This is not a
significant historic place,

based on conventional history.

I mean, the only thing
left to do is to investigate

north of where we've
been, and we see if

- we can find a path that lines up.
- Right.

And then if we
do establish this,

- I want to dig it.
- Yeah. - Right.

MARTY: I think we
need to get Gary up there.

ALEX: I agree.

MARTY: What a good
day to find treasure.

- Hey, Vanessa.
- Hi, Vanessa.

- Hello.
- Well, where are we?

- We are at 137 with the can.
- Done deal.

NARRATOR: Following his
meeting in the research center,

Marty Lagina has
joined his brother Rick

and other members of
the team at the Money Pit

to oversee the continued
excavation of the TF-1 caisson.

VANESSA: So, we're gonna get
ready to stack another can here soon.

Is there any area
that we're looking for?

I mean, we're watching
pressures the whole time.

The vault should be
somewhere in the 150-ish range.

Okay.

NARRATOR: Although the team

recovered metal
fragments at this location

earlier this year that contained

significant traces of gold

at a depth of just 90 feet,

in 1897, treasure
hunters Frederick Blair

and William Chappell
drilled into what they reported

to be a seven-foot-high box

at a depth of 153 feet.

It was during this operation

that the stunned treasure
hunters recovered evidence

that the vault was
encased in concrete

and contained both gold

and potentially
historic documents.

VANESSA: All right,
well, we'll keep going.

And if bedrock doesn't stop us,

- we're going to 160.
- Correct.

- All right, we'll do it.
- Make it so. Thank you.

NARRATOR: While the excavation
continues in the TF-1 shaft...

Let's see what we can find.

At the wash table
near Borehole 10-X,

Jack Begley, Alex Lagina

and surveyor Eric Valois

are conducting a final
examination of spoils

that have already been run

through the
industrial-sized wash plant.

JACK: Every year, things
that make it past our eyes

just from the hammer grab

and even on the wash plant, even

the small little bits...
Whether it's parchment

or bookbinding... They
show up on the wash table.

We're moving at such a fast pace

that even Gary
could miss something,

but the wash
table will catch it.

Is that concrete?

JACK: Yeah, it is.

I'm gonna just
bag it real quick.

Sweet find.

Whoa.

Look-look at that, look at that.

That might be more
of that concrete stuff.

ALEX: Yeah, that looks
like concrete to me.

It's got that little
lip right there.

This is great. Put it with
the rest of the concrete.

Might mean that we're
getting into something.

We could be close
to the actual vault.

Yep.

JACK: This concrete
should be set aside,

it should be tested.

Keep your eyes peeled, guys.

In the original stories of
drilling into The Money Pit,

when they hit the vault
that was deep down,

they'd go through concrete.

It might be an indication

that we're close to

wherever the vault collapsed to.

Hey, guys, tell me you
found something good.

- JACK: Well...
- I want to hear it.

ALEX: We found a
couple interesting things.

MARTY: Okay, so what do you got?

ALEX: So, here's
the first piece.

We think that's concrete.

MARTY: It looks like it's formed

- right there, doesn't it?
- ALEX: Yeah.

- Well, that's worth testing. Agreed.
- ALEX: Right.

One more. There you go.

Hmm. That is quite
interesting, guys.

- ALEX: There he is.
- JACK: Spoon dog!

- What up?
- [Ian laughs]

Hi, Jack. How are you?

That isn't how I was
going to greet you,

- I know, I know.
- But it'll-it'll do.

This is what these
guys just found.

Because you know the narrative,

the narrative often talks
about concrete, right?

Right, right.

That can't be natural, right?

Yeah, I think that
piece, especially.

There's this
razor-sharp edge here.

I mean, that's not natural.

NARRATOR: Could finding
pieces of concrete in the TF-1 spoils

mean that the team could
finally be close to locating the vault

that Frederick Blair
and William Chappell

reported discovering
more than a century ago?

- I would keep that.
[chuckles] - Yeah, for sure.

- All right, bag it and we'll get it tested.
- IAN: Yep.

- Okay, thank you, Ian.
- IAN: Yep.

- See you.
- See you.

All right. We
will get back to it.

NARRATOR: As
Alex and Jack continue

carefully sifting through
TF-1 spoils at the wash table...

- RICK: We still have a few feet to go.
- Yeah.

NARRATOR: and while Rick Lagina

and members of the team

monitor the
excavation of the shaft

as it edges closer
to the target depth

of some 150 feet...

later that afternoon...

GARY: All right. Let's get
Lot 15 cleared up, mate.

NARRATOR: Gary
Drayton and Peter Fornetti

arrive in the uplands on Lot 15

to search for important
clues where the team believes

a buried stone path
is running between

the swamp and the
mysterious pine tar kiln.

All right, let's see
what this one is.

[detector beeping]

That there, right there, mate.

NARRATOR: Now that
the team has obtained

GPR evidence of the pathway,

it is Marty Lagina's hope
that if Gary and Peter

can recover artifacts
predating the discovery

of the Money Pit in 1795,

a special permit can be obtained

to excavate the
feature and determine

just where it leads.

- [detector beeping] -
PETER: Somewhere in there?

Let me try pinpointing it.

[beeping]

Wow.

Just there. Right on it.

There she blows.
Wow, look at that.

- Is that a spike?
- Yeah, that's a big spike.

You know, I'm not
sure if that's square

or it's a rose head spike.

This'll be interesting
when it's cleaned up.

PETER: I mean,
it kind of looks like

there's even a little lip on it.

And what the heck's
it doing out here?

- That is really hefty as well.
- Mm-hmm.

So, wrought iron, you would say?

Yeah, and this is more
than likely pre-searcher.

That's a cool find. I'll
be interested to see

- what this is when it's cleaned up.
- Yeah.

I'm hoping it's a
rose head spike.

All right, let's
bag it and tag it.

RICK: I hope we can
find more evidence of

a path, a trail.

Then we have to make
sure we have the proper

permits in place.

- Let's go to the next one.
- Yep.

RICK: And at that point,

you know, we have to
investigate it, physically.

We have to, perhaps,
conduct a dig.

[beeping]

Oh, that's a screamer,
mate. Just there.

You got it out, great.

We are very close.

- Yeah, let's see what we got here, mate.
- [beeping]

Ooh, hoo, hoo, hoo!

Look at that!

GARY: Ooh, hoo,
hoo, hoo! Look at that!

Another big, old
chunky piece of iron.

It's heavy, really
heavy for its size,

so you'd have to assume

it's hand-forged iron.

NARRATOR: On Lot 15, between
the swamp and the Money Pit,

Gary Drayton and Peter Fornetti

have just made a
potentially important find

along what is believed to
be a buried stone pathway.

I think this is a nice,

crudely-made hammer head.

It could be a claw hammer.

And if it is, it's a small one.

It's very small.

This would've served a
purpose, but to have this in...

- in this area and on this trail, mate?
- Yeah.

Maybe it was made on
the island for quick repairs

here and there
and it snapped off.

- Be too small for farming.
- Definitely.

- It's an old one.
- Mm-hmm.

GARY: You don't get
them looking like that.

I think a lot of this stuff
that we're pulling up

in this area is pre-searcher.

I think we're in depositor era.

NARRATOR: Dating back
to the early 16th century,

claw hammers were designed

for building wooden structures

and were originally
made of hand-forged iron,

as opposed to modern versions,

which are typically
composed of steel.

Since this iron claw
hammer was found

near the believed 16th
century pine tar kiln,

which Laird Niven suspects
may have been connected

to the construction of
the original Money Pit,

could Gary be correct
that it was possibly

used during an effort

to deposit something
of value on Oak Island?

I think the interesting thing is

if you look at our flags,
it's right in this nice

- line that's what you would think a trail.
- Yeah.

We got the Money Pit there.

I think we're on the trail
of something good as well.

RICK: Lot 15 is,
again, it's interesting.

These finds may indicate a path.

Well, that's what we're
looking for: a path.

- All right, let's go to the next one.
- Okay.

RICK: We need to come to
a further understanding of it

and its importance.

GARY: Yeah, a
more defined signal.

[detector beeping]

- Yep.
- It should be right there, mate.

See if you got it out.

- [beeping]
- Yep,

you have got it out.

Another.

That is a square
one, by the look of it.

It's got a nice,
square head on it.

PETER: So, what do you
think this was used for?

GARY: They would've been used

for a wide variety of
purposes on Oak Island,

and we got the Money
Pit. Maybe it was

used for construction
purposes as well.

And is this pre-discovery?

Pre-1795?

Something that heavy...

- Um, I'm leaning towards it.
- Mm-hmm.

But, it's-it's tough to
know until it's cleaned up.

Great little find.

- Another good one for the bag.
- Yep.

- Let's follow the trail.
- All right.

NARRATOR: Later
that afternoon...

MARTY: There's gonna
be something in there, Gary.

In that clay right there.

Well, let's see if there is.

NARRATOR: Gary and Peter
have rejoined Rick, Marty, Craig

and members of the team

as the excavation
of the TF-1 shaft

is now approaching
a critical depth

of 150 feet.

Nothing doing yet, mate.

MARTY: Whenever we drill
a well, put down a caisson,

in the back of our minds
is always the so-called vault

that was first
discovered by Chappell.

Truly, a-a anomalous
thing and probably likely,

if it exists, the very
thing that we seek.

Water. This isn't
looking so good.

No, it's not. Not at all.

ANDREW: Does it feel
like it's slipping off, though,

when you're pulling it?

Yes.

So, something
peculiar is going on.

Um, we have dug the shaft
all the way to the bottom,

and the crane operator's going
down and grabbing on something.

It is too heavy
for him to retrieve.

The winches are not
allowing him to come back up.

Maybe he's grabbing on
bedrock. That would be unique.

But we want to switch grabs.

It has a little bit
different jaw opening.

And we're gonna take two
or three passes with that,

see if we can grab
on and if we can

retrieve whatever this may be.

- MARTY: Great idea.
- Got to do it. Got to do it.

- Yeah.
- Yeah. Well, these operators,

they've been around, so
they know when they're...

- something's different.
- RICK: No, that's great.

We're gonna go play
around with the hammer grab.

- Okay.
- Yeah.

RICK: Vanessa said Michel feels

he's on something hard
with the hammer grab.

Is it possible that it
might be the vault?

Anything is possible
on Oak Island.

We're certainly within
the area of investigation

where, conceivably, it could be.

NARRATOR: The team from
ROC will now switch to a smaller

16-ton hammer grab that is
equipped with a wider mouth,

which they hope
will be able to encase

and lift the potentially

massive object lodged

deep within the TF-1 caisson.

Look at that cute
hammer grab up there.

Here we go.

MARTY: STEVE: Let's see if he
We've pulls something up.today.

NARRATOR: In the Money Pit area,

the team from Irving
Equipment Limited

and ROC Equipment

are attempting to
retrieve what they believe

could be a massive
object some 150 feet deep

in the TF-1 shaft.

PETER: That was mostly water.

GARY: Damn, that's a
lot water and sand, isn't it?

No, there, I got nothing.

Well, let's... let's
see what this is.

-It's this sandy pile
here -There was just...

- and that sandy pile there.
- Yeah.

It's these two bits, wasn't it?

All right, Billy, it's
clean. Sorry, mate.

What does this mean?

So, nothing came up.

No.

What do you think it is?

I think it's rock.

Do you think it's natural?

Unfortunately, I do, yes.

VANESSA: You know, us
pulling up all this natural stuff

and not getting any further...
I think we are in the bedrock.

I think this is gonna be as
close to getting down there

- as we're gonna get.
- If it were cement,

something would break off.

- Yes. - ANDREW: Yes.
- RICK: If it were wood,

something would
get scraped away.

- Yes.
- We see nothing of either of those two.

So... I-I'm good.

We're done.

Okay, well, we'll
put this one to bed

and we're gonna
move on to the next one.

- ANDREW: All right, thanks, Rick.
- VANESSA: All right, thank you.

- RICK: Thank you.
- Yep.

NARRATOR: Earlier this year,

the team drilled the
four-inch-wide borehole

known as D-2,

which yielded evidence
of ancient structures

dating to as early
as the 15th century,

as well as fragments of metal

that contained high
concentrations of gold.

ANDREW: We'll wrap it up,
start it fresh in the morning.

NARRATOR: However,
the ten-foot-wide TF-1 shaft...

Excavated at the same location...

Has now reached bedrock

at a depth of 152 feet

and found no further
evidence of treasure.

RICK: I'm disappointed.
I-I really am. I thought,

"We're gonna find something.
Maybe not the thing,

maybe not the one
thing, but something."

We had the historical narrative,

the finding of
the metals in D-2.

I don't know what to
make of it right now,

but it will demand
some serious discussion:

how to move forward.

But we will move forward.

- Hey, everyone. - Hey.
- Hey.

So, we finished up down
there and it looks like

you guys are about
finished up here as well.

All right, so we didn't

expect to see a lot
today, because we were

in the range where we knew that

we were gonna be in
situ between 110 and 130,

but we did have some
good finds. Here...

NARRATOR: Having just left
the wash plant near Smith's Cove,

surveyor Steve Guptill

and project manager Scott Barlow

arrive to share
discoveries just made

in the TF-1 spoils.

We've hit a lot of metal today.

That actually looks like,
from what I remember,

the pieces of, uh,
metal from D-2.

MARTY: Oh,
yeah. Is this like, uh,

the stuff that had gold on it?

SCOTT: Yeah.

MARTY: Sure is shiny, isn't it?

- Yep.
- MARTY: You know what I'd like it to be, but...

That's XRF candidate, there.

Yeah.

MARTY: Steve has pieces of
metal that came off the wash plant.

So, we're gonna do something
I always find enjoyable, which is

to use the XRF and look at
the composition of some metals.

That's always exciting, and-and
the XRF is such a fun tool.

All right. All this, XRF.

- RICK: Thank you, guys.
- MARTY: All right.

Well, tomorrow's another day.

MARTY: Okay. Joan, Kelly.

- Hey, there.
- We have been finding all kinds of stuff.

NARRATOR: Shortly after the
discovery of mysterious metal

excavated between


deep in the TF-1 shaft,

Marty Lagina arrives
at the archaeology trailer

to have it analyzed by
professional conservator

Kelly Bourassa

and archivist Joan Barker.

MARTY: This piece is
very interesting to me,

'cause, of course, we've
got this big can over D-2.

D-2 is where we found
a piece similar to this

that for sure had gold on it,

- but let's see what the machine says.
- Sure.

- It's got a little bit of shininess to it.
- MARTY: Yeah, see if you can get

- one of those points right on the...
- Absolutely.

NARRATOR: In order to
conduct a preliminary scan

of the object for
precious metals,

Kelly is using an X-ray
fluorescence device.

- Okay.
- All right, now we're ready to roll.

NARRATOR: By emitting
non-destructive radiation, the XRF machine

can identify the
elements that are present

in the object.

- MARTY: There's Au.
- KELLY: Oh.

There's a bit of gold in there.

.035.

I mean, this is the
sort of number of gold

that when Dr. Brosseau ran
it she saw the actual flecks.

Okay, let's try
something different.

I think we should try this one.

It's more or less
a twin of that one.

But let's just see
what our machine says.

KELLY [chuckles]: Okay.

Then let's run it.

MARTY: There it is.

Well, gold is
gonna pop up again.

It's... it's just amazing.

And that is.

MARTY: There seems to be

indications of gold again.

If it's accurate, I'd
say, yeah, we're getting

close to a source for the gold.

And the upshot of all of that is

maybe we're looking
at some of the detritus

from a real treasure trove
a little... a foot or two away.

The XRF result from TF-1

could help us pick the best
location for the next caisson.

It's time gather up the
troops, the fellowship,

and have a meeting
in the w*r room.

All right. I'm gonna take off.

- I'll go report to the team.
- All right.

Thank you very much.

See you later, guys. Ladies.

- KELLY: Take care.
- JOAN: Take care.

MARTY: Well, this is
an important meeting

of the fellowship.

Everybody in here
knows there's, uh,

good news and bad news, I guess.

NARRATOR: One day
after discovering evidence

of gold in the spoils
of the TF-1 shaft,

Rick and Marty Lagina,

along with their
partner Craig Tester,

have called a critical meeting

with members of the
team in the w*r room.

The bad news is we didn't
hit exactly what we thought

we'd hit in TF-1,
but the good news is

we hit a lot of other
stuff. And, I think,

added some knowledge
to this whole puzzle.

And I can't think of
anything more important...

Regarding this quest...

Is to decide what we do
next and where we go next.

DOUG: It was really interesting
that TF-I was, at one time,

likely considered
to be the Money Pit.

And if you did have
a great collapse,

the great collapse was supposed
to have happened to the east.

So, while TF-1 didn't
bring up the treasure,

I think we were really close.

So, we were just a
little bit too far west.

RICK: If it were me, I mean,

we have to go
after things that are

more interesting
and evidentiary.

If you believe the


it fits right in.

NARRATOR: In 1861,

searchers attempted to retrieve

two 20-inch-tall
stacked treasure chests

believed to lie buried some


Hoping to avoid the legendary
man-made flood tunnel

originating at Smith's Cove,

they dug an adjacent shaft
nearly 20 feet to the east

and began tunneling
westward with the plan

of recovering the
valuables from below.

However, just two feet
from their destination,

seawater burst into the tunnel,

causing a catastrophic collapse

of the original Money Pit,

filling the now-flooded tunnel

with tons of scattered
lumber and treasure.

So, you would argue
for just going right...

- stepping due east of C-1.
- DOUG: Yeah.

Because if this is
the original Money Pit,

then on the east side we
should see signs of the collapse.

CRAIG: And there's a
lot of wood to the east.

- So...
- SCOTT: Well, if you look at the oldest wood that

we have brought up...
Hand-hewn wood... uh,

that should be the
earliest workings

that we know of in the area.

Well, that's significant.

So, between RF-1 and C-1

is the suspect area in my mind.

CRAIG: That's very
close to CD-4.5 there.

That's the one at


the metal that
had the gold on it.

Which was the
same type of gold in,

- uh, D-2.
- RICK: Certainly.

NARRATOR: Earlier this year,

during their strategic
drilling program

in the area of the C-1 shaft

known as the C-1 cluster,

the team recovered
additional evidence

of possible 15th century
wooden structures

as well as metal fragments

containing high
concentrations of gold.

Although the fabled
seven-foot-tall Chappell Vault

remains elusive...
Somewhere below

a believed depth of 150 feet...

Could the team be zeroing in
on a separate treasure cache

that lies much
closer to the surface...

The reported debris
field of treasure

from the 1861 collapse
of the Money Pit?

We only have two places
where we have verifiable gold.

That one and the
one we just dug, TF-1.

So, why don't we try

one more spot up around C-1,

and then we have
two cans in reserve.

- You want to hit CD-4.5?
- MARTY: Yes.

Right there.

RICK: This is an area
worth continued investigation.

These items with the gold
signature are quite intriguing.

Because of the
historical narrative,

because of the
artifact recovery,

there continues to be
reason to be hopeful.

There is more...
more work to be done.

-Well, if no one has any
other objections, -Okay, then.

I say we're-we're done.

That's where we're
going... Right there.

- Go stake it and make it so.
- All right.

DOUG: I think
we're really close.

NARRATOR: For Rick,
Marty, Craig and their team,

what appeared to be
a devastating setback

has turned into
hope for an imminent

breakthrough discovery.

The Oak Island
mystery has not persisted

for 227 years by mere chance.

It is now clear that
it was the result

of a well-organized and
ingeniously engineered operation

to hide perhaps
the greatest secrets

and treasure in the
history of mankind.

But with every clue
that this team unearths

and with every ambitious
dig that they conduct,

the answers are getting closer

and could soon be
within their reach.

Next time on The
Curse of Oak Island...

- MARTY: So it begins.
- VANESSA: Shaft number two.

MARTY: Come on,
be something good.

- Oh, wow.
- MARTY: That's incredible,

- that that's down there.
- Wow, wow.

It looks like parchment, but
it's got something shiny on it.

JON: You can see those
very, very bright spots?

- Mm-hmm.
- That could actually be some of the writing.

Some of the older inks
were made of iron-based ink.

That is pre-1840s iron
and has been known

- since the 1500s.
- MARTY: Well, how about that?