13x04 - The Smoking g*n

[bunniefuu]

[narrator] Tonight, on
The Curse of Oak Island...

HOLD IT! WHOA! WHOA! WHOA!

[Gary] Another feature
in the swamp.

What in the world is happening?

[Marty] This feature could help
us unwrap the whole mystery.

[Rick] Something this small
has fallen to

the bottom
of the solution channel.

- Here it is right there.
- It could be a chunk of a coin.

It's got some sort
of design on it.

If it's a silver coin,
that's treasure.

- [Rick] It's what
we're looking for. -Yeah.

Be prepared to be gobstruck.

- [laughter]
- This is gonna be special.

- This is quite pure?
- Yes, absolutely.

♪ ♪

[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 died

trying to solve the mystery.

And according to legend,
one more will have to die

before the treasure
can be found.

♪ ♪

As the sun rises
above Oak Island...

[Brayden] How deep is this one?

- 240 again?
- [Adam] Yep.

[Charles] Well, guys,
I know we're pretty excited

about starting this next hole.

This is F-5.5.

I think we're on
a really important site

- right now.
- Right.

[narrator] ...brothers Rick
and Marty Lagina and their team

are drilling deeper than ever
in the Money Pit area,

in search of the answers
to a 230-year-old mystery.

[Scott] Because of the collapse
last year, we were never able to

really see what was,
what was down there.

- Yeah.
- I think that

the grid that we have laid out
here right now to explore

deep down
in the solution channel,

we're gonna find it
if it's there.

That's right.

[narrator] Today,
the team has broken ground

on a borehole known as F-5.5.

It is on target to reach
a massive cavity underground

known as the "solution channel."

They believe it's possible
the legendary Money Pit treasure

fell here after two centuries
of failed digging operations.

We're only about
seven feet away from F-4,

and F-4 had the highest levels

of gold and silver
in the, in the water.

Yeah, makes this a really
interesting hole because

we're so close to the precious
metal finds in the water.

I mean, that's one of
the confirming factors

we have in front of us
to show that there is, uh,

a buried, uh, treasure
here someplace.

[Charles] Yeah.

That brings to mind
the Portuguese coin.

[narrator] The team
recently learned

that a 14th century silver coin

was reportedly found in
the original Money Pit in 1849.

And markings on the coin
bear a direct connection

to a Portuguese sect
of the Knights Templar.

This has given them fresh hope

that the solution channel
could now hold the treasure,

and may explain the high traces
of precious metals

they've previously detected in
this area through water testing.

[Marty] The fact that
the solution channel could be

the culprit
in this whole long saga,

and the fact that the gold
and silver in the water

still indicate
the treasure still exists,

you put those
two things together,

along with this Portuguese coin,

it speaks very loudly
that there was something

very valuable buried deep in
the Money Pit a long time ago.

[Scott] We're gonna explore
this area thoroughly

with the sonic drill rig
and hopefully

bring up what we could not
with the TB-1 caisson.

Anything that's fallen

to that deeper level,
we're gonna be able to find it

- and put it right on the money.
- [Charles] Yeah.

For sure. Yep.

[narrator] While the core
drilling operation proceeds

in the Money Pit area...

[Rick] Come this way
and dig that.

- [Billy] Yeah.
- Let's find something old.

[Billy] Yep.

[narrator] ...over at
the western region of the swamp,

Rick, Gary Drayton
and Billy Gerhardt

search for new clues
and evidence of valuables.

HOLD IT! WHOA! WHOA! WHOA!

Don't move it.

It's a stake.

Great condition.
The swamp really preserves wood.

It should preserve iron, gold
and silver, if we can find it.

[Rick] If we can find it.

[Rick] Yeah.
There's another one.

- It was right there.
- [Rick] Yep.

Does that look like
an oldie, Rick?

It is tough to tell.

- It's eight sides, isn't it?
- Yep.

Why are all these stakes
in here?

I have no idea.

The number of stakes
in a 50-by-50-foot area,

it's almost overwhelming.

- There's another one.
- [Gary] Geez. They're coming up.

What in the world is happening?

I would have expected them
to be linear.

These are very erratic.

- We got something going on here.
- Oh, yeah. [laughs]

Yeah, there shouldn't be
this many in such a tight space.

[Gary] And they're-they're
big, big stakes.

Maybe there's a construction
that yet awaits us somewhere

that is very well-defined,
very accurate but we are

- currently unaware of it.
- Yeah.

[narrator] In recent years,
the team has found

similar wooden stakes
in other areas of the swamp.

Some lined portions
of a cobblestone path

that led to
an empty vault-like structure.

So, could the numerous wooden
stakes they're finding here

lead them toward
another discovery?

I think here is sand.

With rocks sort of under it.

Yeah.

Billy's observation
of a sand layer indicates

that this is an intentional
man-made structure.

It was developed
for some purpose.

It's going somewhere.

We need to find out
where and why.

[Billy] On the edge, it looks
very similar to the stone road.

It looks very similar.

Uh, either the stone road
or the paved area.

- Yeah.
- Kind of up-y down-y.

- Yeah.
- More like the paved area.

They're stacked.

- They're level.
- Yep.

[narrator] A rock feature here
similar to the stone road

or massive paved area that were
previously found in the swamp?

It seems like it goes back
along there, yeah.

See, there's rock, rock, rock.

[narrator] Is it possible
the team has uncovered

another man-made feature?

Another interesting area
in the swamp.

If this is a built rock
something, that's a lot of work.

This construction is eerily
similar to the paved area.

You can't dismiss it.

Was it done
by the same party or group?

It's still a puzzle.

Maybe we can get ahold
of Dr. Spooner and have him

- come out and take a look.
- Yeah.

[Marty] The plan for the swamp,

really succinctly,
is to keep digging,

find something
that points to, you know,

Rick's who, what, when,
where, why and how,

or a clue that helps us
unwrap the whole mystery.

And this feature
could help us do that.

Well, again, dig the sand,
be as least destructive

as possible to this,
whatever this is,

wash this as best we can,

- see what it tells us.
- Yeah.

Yeah, we need to get
all of these stakes tested.

Well, you know,
it's pure Oak Island:

more questions
than answers, but...

Typical.

Okay. We'll keep looking.

[narrator] Later
that afternoon...

[Rick] You know, we find
ourselves back at the lab again.

We have an interesting item
in front of us,

and I-I really hope to learn
more things today.

[narrator] ...Rick, Gary
and Charles join Laird and Emma

in the Oak Island Laboratory
to hear a scientific report

on a lead artifact that was
discovered while searching

near the border of Lot 5
one week ago.

Charles, I believe you were
with Gary when this was found.

[Charles] Yeah, I was with Gary.

We were kind of opposite where
the rectangular feature is.

I dug it, and he pulled it out.

And, uh, I think the way

you described it
was decorative lead.

Yeah.
It's decorated, as in the end.

Those beveled edges, it kind of
reminds me of an arm of a cross.

We found decorative pieces
of lead before.

We found a really cool
scalloped disc on Lot 5.

And let's not forget
the magnificent medieval cross

from Smith's Cove.

I've got high hopes
that this is gonna match

one of those older pieces
of lead.

[narrator] This lead artifact
was found just a few yards

from the stone foundation
on Lot 5 where the team

previously discovered
a lead barter token

that was scientifically matched
to the 14th century lead cross,

and both of which
may be connected

to the Knights Templar.

So, Emma, what more can you tell
us about this piece of lead?

Uh, well, first off, I did do

a bunch of map scans
on the surface.

There are
no intentional designs.

There's striations that
I think that's more from usage

rather than, like,
a decorative, uh, intent.

Yeah.

[narrator] Prior
to their meeting,

Emma scanned the lead artifact

using an X-Ray fluorescence
spectrometer, or XRF,

a device that uses
nondestructive radiation

that can identify
an object's composition,

as well as potentially
help determine its age.

Compositionally,
it's a really clean lead.

There is a consistent amount
of tin in it.

But there's nothing in here
that indicates modernity, as in,

there's nothing that indicates
it's more recent lead alloys.

So, it has a good potential
to be 1700s and older.

[Gary] Brilliant!

[Emma] So, it has
potential to be

- 1700s and older.
- Told you, mate.

Told you this was
gonna be an old piece.

- You said that when we were
out there. Yeah. -Yeah.

- So, it is a curious piece.
- Yeah.

[narrator] In the Oak Island
Laboratory, Emma has just shared

a scientific report
that suggests the lead artifact

found one week ago
may predate the discovery

of the Money Pit
by more than a century.

That notch at the top
is strange.

- Yeah, it is.
- [Laird] Yeah. It looks like

- an attempt at angular holes...
- [Emma] Yeah.

That didn't go
all the way through.

- Yeah.
- [Emma] It wasn't recycled,

so it's a fresh source of lead.

It has high potential
not being locally sourced.

So, these are all
great candidates to send off

for laser ablation analysis.

Brilliant! 'Cause I've got
high hopes for this.

[narrator] Laser ablation is
a testing method that removes

microscopic samples
from the surface

of lead artifacts
using a high-powered laser.

These samples are then analyzed

to identify the exact isotope
values contained in the lead,

which can help determine
the time period

and geographic region
where such artifacts originated.

It gives you the ore source,
so it's a good thing.

- Yeah.
- And it will tell us if there's

- a relationship to the cross.
- [Gary] Yeah.

[narrator] Using
laser ablation testing,

the team was able to determine

that the lead cross
and the lead barter token

both dated to the 14th century

and were from an area of
Southern France that served as

a stronghold
for the Knights Templar.

We're always looking
for friends of the cross,

and it maybe helps you guys

say what's going on
in the rectangular feature.

'Cause it really was...
it was dead opposite there

- just across the tracks.
- Right.

Given what you've said
that this is quite pure,

- perfect candidate for
laser ablation. -Mm-hmm.

So, do you want to carry
the ball on that?

- Yes, absolutely.
- And the three of us will go

- try to find more.
- Yeah. -Absolutely.

But one more thing.
Be prepared to be gobstruck.

- [laughter]
- This is gonna be special.

[Rick] Thank you, Laird.
Thank you, Emma.

[Laird] See you later.

[narrator] The
following morning,

as borehole F-5.5
continues to make

its descent towards
the solution channel...

[Rick] So, this is the feature,

but one thing
you need to recognize is

that all of this cobble

- came from here as well.
- Yes.

[narrator] ...Rick and
other members of the team

are eager to have
geoscientist Dr. Ian Spooner

examine the mysterious stone
feature that they uncovered

in the western region
of the swamp.

[Billy] Well, you can see
in front of you

rocks stacked on rocks
and the smaller ones packed in

around the big ones
to make it smooth.

The other thing
that we did find were stakes.

[Ian] Okay.

Interesting because
if these stakes

rot off the top like that,

then that tends to suggest
further back in time.

What gets me excited
is these rocks here

are exactly like we see
in the cobble path, stone road.

What this reminds me of, too,

along the side of the cobble
path, we had piles of stone,

sometimes with
a cut stake underneath,

suggesting that somebody put
a stake there to tell workers

where to put the cobbles
to build that feature.

Yeah.

[Ian] So why were people here?
What were they doing?

This might have been
a pathway right through here.

Right.

[Rick] You always take

what you have learned
in your past experiences

on the island and try to apply
them to the current effort.

Last year, the cobble path
led us to the most curious thing

we found in the north end of
the bog, the so-called vault.

Might there be another
construction like that here?

That's the hope.

Just keep digging.

- Right.
- I would certainly,

if you have the time,
see if this is isolated.

It would be really interesting
to see if we came across

another feature
that might be similar.

But it's interesting.

Well, our permits
are under review.

- Right.
- This is on

the extremity
of the permitted area.

- Okay.
- And once

that approval process
is completed,

we'll keep digging, so I think

- we'll find more answers.
- [Ian] Yep.

The only way you can do it,
I think, is to go

somewhere else, if we get
a permit, and see if you find

- the same kind of cobble.
- Yeah.

[narrator] To meet Nova Scotia's

environmental regulations,
the Oak Island team must apply

for separate permits to dig
in different areas of the swamp.

The area they are in now
is on the border

of where they are
currently allowed to search.

Oh, your brother's
gonna love this, isn't he?

- [laughing]
- Another feature in the swamp.

[Rick] Thank you, Ian.

- Appreciate it.
- [Ian] Yep. Yep.

[narrator] While the team
prepares new permit applications

for their work in the swamp...

[Gary] There's so much activity
on Lot 5, Rick.

Rick and Gary are searching for

clues near the middle of Lot 5.

[Rick] We're still east
of the Roman coins, aren't we?

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

There's no place like Rome.

[Rick laughs]

[narrator] After finding
a mysterious lead piece nearby,

they are eager to search
an area of Lot 5 where the team

previously found evidence
suggesting that Europeans

could have visited Oak Island
as far back as the 13th century.

This includes
six ancient Roman coins

that coin expert
Sandy Campbell believes

could be between


According to Sandy
and other experts,

coins like these
were still being circulated

as everyday currency in Europe
up into the 1400s.

Roman coins on an island
in the North Atlantic?

It's such a puzzle.

But to think that someone
was here in the 12, 13, 1400s

with Roman coins
is not a stretch at all.

Perhaps they were dropped
by people from the Old World,

people who were in charge
of safeguarding a treasure

or treasures or something
that was extremely valuable.

[metal detector beeping]

A little squeaker here, Rick.

Just there, please.

- [metal detector beeping]
- Ooh!

I like the sound of that!

[sighs]
Oh, come on.

- [Rick] Got to be in there.
- [pinpointer beeping]

Now let us see what we've got.

Oh. What have we got here?

Another piece of lead.

You know, it's really heavy,

and I actually think this is
really, really interesting.

Fact that it's
an elongated piece of lead.

That makes that
more interesting, then.

Something like this,
you never know,

it could be a match to a...

an older piece of lead
we've recovered,

like that medieval lead cross.

We're gonna have to bag this
and put a flag in it

'cause we don't know

what Emma's gonna reveal
when she scans this.

[narrator] Another
curiously-shaped lead artifact?

Could Gary be correct
that this might be a clue

connected to the lead cross,

and perhaps
even to the Roman coins

found in this area of Lot 5?

All right, mate,
I'm gonna put this in the bag

- and we'll put the flag in.
- Okey doke.

It's going in the bag.

[Rick] I think the work
on Lot 5 has been

exciting, interesting
and dramatic,

and there have been
an extensive amount of finds

that show this place,
this story, this mystery

goes further back in time
than we have even thought.

- [metal detector beeping]
- Oh. Not too bad-sounding.

Not too shabby at all.

[Rick] Fingers crossed.

Check it, see if we got it out.

[metal detector beeping]

That's not it, is it?

It is.

What we got here, mate?

[Gary] Look at that. Ha, ha, oh!

- Nice.
- What is it?

It's a handle
to a pair of old scissors.

Huh.

[narrator] While metal
detecting near the middle

of Lot 5 on Oak Island...

[Gary] See that? It's one set.

[narrator] ...Gary and Rick
have uncovered

another potentially
important clue.

[Rick] Look at
the fracture there.

[Gary] Yeah, you're right, Rick.

It looks like it's broken off
so there'll be another piece.

- I'll recheck the hole.
- Yep.

In fact, I can see it, mate.
Look at this.

That's the other side.

Look at that.
Yeah, they go together.

No, wait a minute. Oh.

I wonder if
they're not scissors.

- These are the same.
- [Rick] What do you think it is?

[Gary] We need a second opinion.
Laird's down the lot.

Hey, Laird!
Check this out, please!

- Pretty cool, isn't it?
- It is.

- [Gary] Yeah, it really is.
- What do we have?

- Hey, mate.
- How are you?

We've just dug up
a very curious artifact.

When this first piece came up,
I was thinking scissors.

- Yeah. Yeah. For sure.
- Old shears.

And then when
the second piece came up,

- I was thinking, "Look at this."
- Mm-hmm.

I think this is
something completely different.

Oh, yeah. Look at that.

- Yep.
- Which is even cooler.

- [Laird] Yeah.
- [Gary] There would've been two.

- Either side of the cheeks.
- [Laird] Yeah.

That is really neat.

[narrator] Part of
a possible horse bridle

found on Lot 5?

While several lots on the island
were inhabited by

settlers and farmers
before 1795,

known records suggest
the lot wasn't used

either as farmland
or as a grazing area for horses.

So, given the fact that the team
has found artifacts in this area

that could date back
to medieval times and earlier,

just how old
is this horse bridle?

And might it help identify

who built the structures
near the shoreline?

I mean, look at it. I mean,
you can see it's crudely made.

That-That's got to be raw iron,

- uh, and an oldie.
- [Laird] Mm-hmm.

Yeah, I can't imagine
that being on an ox.

Yeah. I'd like to do
more research on it.

Um, would you mind
if I took it to the lab?

Of course not, mate.
I'll put it in a bag.

All right. Excellent.

All right, mate. Giddyap.

[narrator] As Rick and Gary
continue their search

on Lot 5...

[machinery buzzing]

[Terry] Here we go.

[narrator] ...over in
the Money Pit area...

[Charles] Get ready
to slice and dice, Terry.

[narrator] ...Charles, Terry
and other members of the team

monitor the core drilling
operation of borehole F-5.5,

which has reached
the solution channel.

- [Charles] Here we go, guys.
- [back-up alarm beeping]

[Terry] Here it comes.

- 206, Terry.
- 206, thank you.

- 206.
- In bedrock at 204, yes?

- 204, yeah.
- Thank you.

[back-up alarm beeping]

[mutters]

Let's carve it up. Here we go.

[grunts]

That's a more promising
looseness.

Very, very watery.

[grunts]

Into which treasure
could have been dropped.

So, bedrock at 204, guys.

And above that,
it looks like we've got

some relatively loose material,
which is a good indication...

proof of our general
premise or idea

that potential material could
fall in a solution channel.

I'm gonna run
the pinpointer over this.

[pinpointer beeping]

Yeah.

[pinpointer beeping]

Right in there.

- [pinpointer beeping]
- There's something in there.

Wow. It's like
there's something in this.

Drop it.

- There it is.
- There it is right there.

- Little bit of...
- Right there.

- What do we got?
- What do we got?

- Iron something or...
- Yeah.

- Wow.
- Clean it off, Terry.

That's a fleck of metal.

That-that could...
well, that could be...

I-I don't want
to say coin, but...

- [Steve] It looks like a...
- That could be

a chunk of a coin.

- It looks like a half coin.
- Oh, wow. -Really?

Yeah. It looks just like a coin.

- [Steve] That's wild.
- [Terry] That's absolutely wild.

It's got some sort of design
on it, too, it looks like.

[Terry] You say there's
a pattern on it, Peter?

[Peter] There is.

- I got to make a phone call.
- [Terry] Absolutely.

[Peter] All right,
I'm gonna call my Uncle Rick.

[Terry] Wow.
That's very promising.

[Charles] Yep.

- [Scott] Hey, guys. -Hello.
- How you doing? -Hey.

- It was just as we pushed
into bedrock, Rick. -Yeah.

[Terry] We hit bedrock at 204.

At about 204.5,
we came up with that artifact.

[narrator] After hearing
that something

of potential interest
was extracted

from the solution channel...

[Charles] 204.5 feet.

[narrator] ...Rick and Scott
arrive in the Money Pit area

to join the investigation.

So, it was sitting
right on the bottom?

[Terry] And pushed in
a bit, yeah.

[Steve] So, we thought
it was a cut or split coin.

[Rick] It's a small piece.
What is it?

The metal detector doesn't lie.

We're looking
for precious metals

at the bottom
of the solution channel.

Feels like a coin.

I feel what Gary calls
"roundness" in my hand.

Could be significant.
It's what we're looking for.

[Scott] It's a hard metal,
for sure.

And very dense.

[Scott] Yep.

No, that-that's
a button off a drill bit.

[groans]

[Scott] You can see,
clearly right size,

- everything.
- Yeah.

Sorry, guys.

You-you think it's a button bit?

Yep, I do.

[narrator] Unfortunately, the
team is disappointed to learn

that the find has
turned out to be a button

that broke off from
the end of a drill bit

during a previous
drilling operation.

We're directly below
caisson, uh, TB-1,

so that could've came off
last year's sonic drill program.

So it could be
a break-off from last year,

and again it could prove
our principle that...

- Could be.
- Dense material falls

to the bedrock
solution channel interface.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

[Rick] You go from
a high to a low.

We're all disappointed because

it's a piece of carbide
off the drill bit.

But then I think,
"Wait a minute here."

It's not really a low.

Something this small
and insignificant has fallen

to the bottom of the solution
channel and the bedrock.

Proof, definitive proof,

that even a possible coin

could fall to these depths

at the bottom
of the solution channel.

It's down there.

We just haven't found it yet.

But we will.

[Rick] You guys,
I am extremely grateful.

But more work to do.

- Yeah. -So, let's get after it.
See you, guys.

- See you later, guys.
- See you. -See you, guys.

[narrator] As a new day
begins on Oak Island,

while ground is broken
on a new borehole

in the Money Pit area...

[Gary] So, I'm hoping
you guys can tell us

what these finds are,
or maybe it's just one find.

[narrator] ...Rick, Peter
and Gary arrive at the lab

to receive
Laird and Emma's report

on the possible horse bridle

that was found
one day ago on Lot 5.

[Laird] When I saw it
in the field

and you put it together,
I could see that being

part of a horse tack.

But in our research,
we couldn't correlate it

to anything like that.

- Oh?
- [Emma] Yeah.

Design-wise, so you have
the two pieces.

Now, these are cross sections
right at that break,

and one is more square.

The other is a little bit
more rectangular,

so that just wouldn't have
come from the same break.

- They were not connected as one.
- Ah.

- Yeah.
- [Emma] So, they did break off

from the same object.

- [Laird] It's just the handles
of scissors. -[Gary] Yeah.

- That's what I thought when
the first piece came up. -Yeah.

[Gary] But it'll be interesting
to see what the metallurgy is.

What does
the actual data tell you?

Yep.

So, the composition.

There is
a slight chlorine content.

The fact that I am getting

some sodium values,
it does indicate

it's been in prolonged contact
with salt water.

- Wow.
- There's minimal impurities,

which means pre-blast furnace.

So, it does indicate
it's 1700s...

Okay.

Potentially late 1600s.

- Yeah.
- Good.

[narrator] Is it possible

that the team has found
another artifact

that could date back
to the 1600s on Lot 5?

If so, could it help identify

just who occupied
the structures there

more than a century before
the discovery of the Money Pit?

What country would this
artifact be associated with?

It's most likely U.K.,

uh, in-in origin.

[Rick] You had, I remember,
a book here of...

- [Laird] Mm-hmm.
- Stylistically,

how shears changed
over the years.

- You still have that?
- I do.

Did you want to take a look?

[Peter] That would be
your closest.

It looks
pretty identical to that.

- [Laird] Yeah.
- Mid 17th century.

- [Gary] Yeah, yeah.
- [Laird] Yeah, yeah.

That explains
the sheer excitement we felt

when we found these.

[laughs]

[Rick] Stylistically,
they represent

the period of the, uh, 1600s.

It certainly then raises
the interest in the item.

Does it prove directly
some connection to the Money Pit

and the original work?

No. But neither does it say
it can't be.

Look, let's be honest.

There's, uh, two lots
on this island that are

incredibly difficult
to understand, right?

- The Money Pit lot...
- Mm-hmm.

- And Lot 5.
- Mm-hmm.

Given the enormity of finds,
Laird, is it becoming clearer

or-or more difficult to
establish what happened on 5?

Every little find like that
brings us closer.

[Rick] Every artifact we find
tells a story.

And, uh, with finds like these,

even though they're
quite puzzling in the moment,

the next find
might help explain it.

Exactly. We haven't finished
in that area yet.

That's true.

- [Gary] Needs metal detecting.
- [laughter]

- And I say we go right now.
- Yeah.

- [Peter] Thank you.
- [Gary] Great research.

[narrator] Later that morning...

[Gary] Come on,
let's have a signal.

[narrator] ...Rick and Gary
return to Lot 5.

We're about due here, Gary.

Yeah, but
that's metal detecting.

You've got to do the legwork,
and then, all of a sudden,

- you find us something good.
- Like yesterday.

Yeah. Exactly.

Some big old boulders
around here.

It's a place where people
could sit and lose artifacts.

- There's potential in the air.
- Oh, yeah.

[Gary] Looks like
I've been here before.

There's a flag in here.

What the heck is this, Rick?

That circular feature there.

[Rick] Maybe...

[Gary] You can see in there.

Definitely circular stones.

Is it hollow in there?

No, but it's definitely
full of stone.

[Gary] It seems odd, doesn't it?

Circular pattern of rocks.

- Nothing there, huh?
- No. No metal.

But it's interesting as hell,
isn't it?

[Rick] I wonder
what this was for.

I see in front of us a-a rock
that's standing on edge,

and it appears to be
a circle of rock around it.

It does look as though
they were placed with intent.

Maybe we found another feature.

And we may have another
stone structure on Lot 5.

That is worth investigating.

You could peel
the layers of rocks away

and see if this is
a real structure.

I think it's worth
having Laird come down,

- see if there's anything there.
- Yeah.

Definitely worth checking out.

This might be
the find of the day.

[Rick] Yep.

[Laird] What do we have?

I wish I could say
I know what we're looking at,

but I-I do know that-that
Gary and I put eyes on this.

[Scott] Yeah, it's certainly
an interesting feature.

[narrator] Following
the discovery

of a possible
man-made stone feature

near the center of Lot 5,

Rick calls in Laird Niven
to get his assessment.

Gary did metal detecting here.

I just poked my shovel in here,
and I think...

It just seemed weird because

there's not
a lot of dirt, right?

[Laird] Yeah. Yeah.
The rocks are piled up,

and then everything
accumulates on top.

It's the shape
that hits me first, right?

It seems to be circular,
lined with large rocks.

That upright flat rock
in the middle,

it's like you putting it there

to signify something,
which is pretty cool.

So, it's done with purpose.

This was a stone that was
deliberately placed upright,

and my immediate thought
was that

that was done
to mark a location.

This location isn't marking
the boundaries of land.

[Rick] Well, what's interesting
is, on this lot,

there are stone
circular formations, right?

- Yeah. Right. -And now
we have another one here.

[Scott] I mean,
we have the Roman coins.

We don't understand
how they got here.

This may help explain
some of that mystery.

[narrator] Could this
stone formation

have been built by
the same people who constructed

the large, rounded feature
near the shoreline?

If so, could it somehow
be connected

to the Roman coins that have
been found in this area?

[Rick] If this is
a marker or a monument,

this might be
a very significant find.

We have found a multitude
of items that are unexplainable.

The list of it
goes on and on and on.

So, might there be
something quite unique

and interesting about
this... this location?

Yes, certainly.

Well, you know,
I'd certainly clear it off,

bring the team in,
and then consider bisecting it.

I think that's
certainly worth doing.

I'm excited over this.

I mean, this could very well be
our next big feature.

[Rick] We won't know what it is

- until you actually do the work.
- [Laird] Exactly.

- [Rick] So... -Any day
that we can dig something up

on Oak Island is a good day.

- It's a good day.
- Best day ever.

Okey doke.

[narrator] While Laird
prepares to investigate

the new stone feature on Lot 5,

later that afternoon...

[Rick] I'm gonna say something
that my brother would never say:

"Beautiful day in the swamp."

- Yep. It's good to be home.
- You bet.

- You're going here, right?
- [Billy] Yeah.

[narrator] ...Rick, Gary
and Billy return to the swamp.

If you look over here,
that's where we found

the stakes and some cobble

roughly between
those two tall trees.

[Gary] Right.

The hope here is that
they carry through to this area.

[narrator] While
they await a new permit

to continue investigating

the stone feature
in the western region,

they have moved to an area


where they are
currently free to search.

We're roughly
on that line right now.

What we need is
an artifact or artifacts.

- Let's see what we find.
- Yep.

[Rick] We are now digging
in the southwest corner,

in the second permitted area.

The idea was to follow

the cobble area, we'll call it.

One of the most unexplored areas

is the western side
of the swamp.

So, hopefully, there are
answers here within the bog.

This isn't charcoal, is it?

[Gary] Is it charcoal, Rick?

[Rick] I mean, it should do that
if they're charcoal, right?

[Gary] Yeah.

It was right here.

See that little piece?
Grab that.

[Gary] Yeah,
that looks like charcoal.

And I remember
the archeologists found charcoal

on the stone road.

That-that was the one
consistent thing we found.

- Yeah.
- We found that even

- all the way down the path.
- Yeah.

[narrator] The team has
previously discovered charcoal

in the southeast corner
on the stone road,

which may be
Portuguese in origin

and more than 500 years old.

- Do you have a bag?
- Uh, yeah, I've got a bag.

[narrator] Finding
more potential charcoal here

is intriguing and suggests
a possible connection

between the two features.

[Rick] I'm sure Emma can tell us
right away whether it is or not.

[Gary] We'll find out from Emma.

[Rick] If it can be dated
to a much earlier time,

that's interesting
in and of itself.

- I've got it in the bag.
- Okey doke.

[Rick] I think
this sample in particular

should be sent to the lab

to see if it aligns with
the charcoal that was found

on the stone road
and the stone path.

Because then, possibly,
there's a connection.

[back-up alarm beeping]

[metal detector beeping]

We got some iron here
by the sound of it.

Let me pinpoint it, Rick.

[pinpointer beeping]

We got an hit here.

And look how it's right
on the side of that boulder.

I think it's out, Rick.

Oh, that's an humdinger
of a signal.

We better look.

Look at that.

[Gary] Look at that. Yep.

Look at the way
it-it tapers down.

[narrator] In the western
region of the Oak Island swamp,

the Oak Island team
has just made

another potentially
interesting discovery.

- Does it have a notch on top?
- You know what?

- [Rick] It does.
- [Gary] Yeah.

- [Rick] It's something.
- Why would it have a notch?

Unless this is broken off,
there was a hole in it.

- Heavy? -[Gary] Oh, yeah,
it's really heavy.

This is hand-forged
wrought iron.

Yeah, this is
an old piece of iron.

This is something different.
What the heck is this?

[Rick] If it is hollow and yet
you're saying it's heavy,

- that-that's even more
interesting. -[Gary] Yeah.

But that is unusual.

[Rick] One end
appeared to be hollow.

The other end appeared to have
a raised diagonal.

That seems strange.

I just don't know what it is.

It's a unique find.

It's not a piece of rebar,
and it needs to go to the lab.

[Gary] The way it tapers down,
it could be like a petronel.

A really old g*n
from the 15, 1600s.

They were very early weapons.

Just one single shot.

Mm. A CT scan is really
gonna be enlightening.

- Why else would it be hollow?
- Yeah.

[narrator] Petronels date back
to as early as the 14th century.

They were a short,
single-shot firearm

commonly used by European
militaries before the invention

of long-barreled muskets
in the mid 1600s.

Thanks to their compact size,
petronels were often used

by soldiers
who were riding on horseback.

Is it possible that
Gary has found new evidence

of a military presence
on Oak Island

back in the 1600s or earlier?

If so,
just whose military was it?

[Rick] Definitely interesting.

- [Billy] Yeah.
- [Gary] Yeah.

And what's it doing here?

[Gary] That's a special find.

This could be a smoking g*n.

- Literally.
- [chuckles]

You want so badly
to find something

that can be tied intimately
to another area of the island

that has a proper association
with the search for answers

or search for treasure.

We need to do more work
in the area to try to

understand its story
in its totality.

We are gonna go back to that lab

with a really
fantastic artifact.

Uh, it's pretty peculiar,
and to unravel this story,

we better get on the ball.
[chuckles]

- Anyway, tomorrow is
another day. -Yep. -Yep.

- Good job.
- Good digging, Billy.

We still got
a lot of ground to cover.

[narrator] As another exciting
week ends on Oak Island,

new finds offer
Rick, Marty and their team

more validation
that something extraordinary

took place here centuries ago.

And while their search for
the answers is far from over,

they are determined
to reveal the truth.

Next time,
on The Curse of Oak Island...

[Marty] All right, well,
this is the neighborhood, guys.

I mean, this is
treasure central.

[Rick] There's mounting evidence

of something
happening here long ago.

[Gary] Hopefully, there's
some old gold and silver.

- [pinpointer beeps]
- [chuckles]

[Terry] We've got
a stone structure here.

Somebody piled those stones.

[Rick] So, somebody
put this here.

Somebody went to some trouble.

It could be a 1500s hand cannon.

You were right, Gary.