07x04 - The Lucky Thirteen

[bunniefuu]

Tonight, on
The Curse Of Oak Island...

The goal is to delineate

an area where a possible
flood tunnel might be.

Got something here, guys.

This is the entrance.

-Let's dig it up, you know?

Look at that.

That is really, really unusual.

See the braiding around it?

To me, it has sort of
a maritime look to it.

-Right there.
-Oh, wow.

These are pieces,
probably of beams.

It's probably a tunnel
that we're in.

There is an island
in the North Atlantic

where people have been looking
for an incredible treasure

for more than 200 years.

So far, they have found
a stone slab

with strange symbols
carved into it,

mysterious fragments
of human bone,

and a lead cross
whose origin may stretch back

to the days
of the Knights Templar.

To date, six men have d*ed
trying to solve the mystery.

And, according to legend,

one more will have to die

before the treasure
can be found.

For brothers
Rick and Marty Lagina

and their Oak Island team,

their efforts to locate
and shut off

a legendary booby-trapped
flood tunnel,

one that has prevented digging
in the fabled Money Pit

for more than two centuries,
may finally be paying off.

We went a little bit
north and east,

about ten feet back from
the last hole that we were in.

We all talked about it,
so this seems to be

-the best path forward.
-Yeah.

It's basically
the same line right here;

it's just further back,
what we did yesterday.

-It's one of the pieces, isn't it?
-Yes, it is.

-As Rick says, one of the
pieces of the puzzle. -Absolutely.

And I think we'll have
a good chance of finding the...

the channel in this location.

Yeah. I hope we hit something
in this hole.

Could be in this next string
that he's pulling up here.

This could be the day.

Whoa, baby.

One day ago, while drilling

an exploratory borehole
near an area known

as the Cave-In Pit...

That's a piece
of dynamite right there.

...the team discovered
evidence of dynamite,

at a depth of some 95 feet.

This validated earlier research
about a blasting operation

conducted by members of
the Oak Island Treasure Company

in 1897.

They were hoping
that by exploding dynamite

in a series of holes
that ran in a straight line

west of Smith's Cove,
they could seal off

the ocean water that fueled
the flood tunnels.

Although the plan didn't work,
one of the expl*sives

did cause seawater to boil up
and out of the Money Pit,

leading to speculation that
they may have been very close

to hitting their target.

It's coming,
like, right now.

Got something here, guys.

Nice.

Good grab.

Are you ready
for this one, boys?

Excellent.

-What do you got there?
-What do you got?

-Want to break this apart
and see what it is. -Okay.

Oh, yeah. We got
some good chunks in here.

Look at that.

These are pieces,
probably of beams.

Top, and perhaps a bottom chunk
over about two and a half feet.

That was trying
to hold something up

and hold something out.
This is very exciting.

It's probably a tunnel
that, uh, that we're in.

A tunnel?

Could it be that the team has
finally located their target?

And, you know, look at this.

This looks like, uh,
kind of a shear angle.

Like somebody cut that off.

Might have been shaved down
or chopped or cut.

Kind of a hand-hewn edge to it.

The fact that the wooden beams
appear to be hand-cut

could be very significant

in helping the team
date the construction,

as cutting wood with power saws
didn't become widespread

until the early 20th century.

Okay. Wow.
We have seen nothing like this.

And what's the depth?

We are at 51 feet.

We should get Rick down here
to go see this.

So, let me give him
a call real quick.

Absolutely.

He'd want to see this.

Hey, Rick, it's Paul.

We actually found something
interesting down here.

You might want to come down
and take a look at this.

Okay. We'll see you
when you get here.

-Great stuff.
-All right. Thanks.

When Paul called about
they had made a find

as part of the sonic drill
program down in Smith's Cove,

that's important.

It might be the flood tunnel.

Is there high hope? Absolutely.

-Hi, Rick. How you doing?
-Hey, Rick.

I'm not sure.
You tell me how I feel.

Well, we are down
to 58 and a half feet,

and at 51 feet, we've pierced

two sections, two what I would
say is probably two timbers.

You can see where the-the drill

chewed right through
a fairly substantial beam.

And, similarly, directly below,

it pierced its friend
down a little deeper,

about three or four feet down.

So it seems like it's solid wood
all the way down.

There's no historical account
of anything

-being hidden here
at that depth. -Right.

And you can see the primary
bedding structures

in this stuff above;
it hasn't been disturbed.

So, it's people did not
come from above,

and below here as well, again,
primary bedding structure.

Certainly an aberration.

The fact that
there's virgin ground above

and virgin ground below,
we know this is a tunnel.

Now, of course,
that begs the question:

Is it original work
or is it searcher work?

Finding evidence

of a wooden tunnel
inland from Smith's Cove

and more than 50 feet deep

is a potentially huge
breakthrough for the team.

It means it may very well be

the flood tunnel
they've been looking for,

and, if verified,
should lead them directly

to the Money Pit
treasure vault.

It's the first big clue

-in Smith's Cove of the year.
-I dare say, yes.

It's great.

Well, it's a step forward.

Following the team's
exciting discovery

at Smith's Cove...

-Hey, guys.
-Marty. -Hey, Marty.

...Rick and Marty Lagina

call a meeting in the w*r room.

So, we've got some artifacts
we think you're gonna be

-interested in.
-Fantastic.

Pieces of things.

All right, well, I'll-I'll wait
for the explanation.

Okay. So, we started the
drill program for Smith's Cove.

We drilled down
until, about 51 feet,

we started seeing this wood.

Wow.

It's kind of curious
that we've discovered wood.

This is the furthest down
we've seen it on Smith's Cove.

-Yeah.
- The wood

is very similar to the wood
that was on the slipway.

-It's very similar to it.
-Same techniques, same wood.

-Right? Isn't that...
-Yeah.

Among the numerous
man-made features

that the team uncovered
at Smith's Cove last year,

like the mysterious
U-shaped structure

and a portion of
one of the stone box drains,

one of the most incredible
was an ancient shipping wharf,

or slipway,

which was scientifically proven
to have been constructed

more than two decades before
the discovery of the Money Pit

in 1795.

The wood found in the borehole
near Smith's Cove

looks like the wood that was
utilized to make the slipway.

If they were the same age,
then... then it's not searcher,

and that would be
highly significant.

One thing I did notice,

I think this is in a line with
all these structures we found.

-Can you spot these on a map?
-Sure.

Here we go. Over here.

So, OITC-6 is the drill hole.

The importance of this
is it runs through Wall 2,

Billy's wall,
and the U-shaped structure.

When you keep following that
line, where does it go through?

This way, Steve.

-This way as in the Money Pit?
-Yes.

-Shift that picture that way.
-Here we go.

So, if I push it
right through Interesting.

So, it ends up in the Money Pit.

Wow.

A line?

One that leads directly
from the U-shaped structure

and the stone box drain
through a possible tunnel,

and all the way up
to the Money Pit area?

Finding the flood tunnel,
if it really exists,

would be huge to me.

It would absolutely
reenergize me.

If it absolutely, positively,

with 100% certainty
is the flood tunnel,

it might be the one thing.

-Then you'd have to say,
"Wow, it's all true." -It could be the one thing. Yep.

If we want to,
we did take a sample,

so we can get a C-14 testing.
If we want to.

Well, I don't know why
we wouldn't, just in case.

I don't think we should give
over on this too quickly.

I think we need to test this.

I think C-14's great, Rick,

and I think if we can
get a bigger piece,

we could try
and run rings on it.

I think we should be able to get
something off it, at least.

Maybe a determination of a year.

All right, well, I think we've
come as far as we can here.

Let's get back at it.

The search continues.

As a new day begins
on Oak Island,

Alex Lagina and Peter Fornetti
arrive at Smith's Cove,

where island historian
Charles Barkhouse and geologist

-Terry Matheson...
Let's see where they're at.

...along with the team
from Choice Drilling,

are hoping to find
further evidence

of a possible wooden tunnel

located some 50 feet deep
underground.

Well, this is a little different
setup than yesterday.

Yeah. We're in the same
alignment, so we're hopeful

of hitting that tunnel again.

-Mm-hmm.
-Target depth would be about

somewhere between 50 and 60.

There's a tunnel
that might be in

those sample bags right there.

Looking for, like,
something in around 52, 50.

Here's 54.

It'd probably be
this line, then, right?

- 58.
-Yeah.

Yeah. We'll take a look.

Do-si-do.

Oh, yeah. Let's see.

All right.
What do we have here, Charles?

-We're down to...
-54.

54, was it?

So, this could be
it here, gentlemen.

Somewhere in here.

We're hopeful of seeing
that tunnel.

We're looking
for wood, gentlemen.

Looking for tunnel wood.

And the answer is...

No...

Negatory.

Oh. Okay. Doesn't look good.

And that looks like just
good old-fashioned maroon till,

doesn't it?

I don't see any evidence
of a tunnel.

No.
- That's...

That's the slough.
...slough.

I don't see any wood.

- No wood.
And no tunnel.

You got a unending supply
of mud and clay.

The lack of any wood
is disappointing,

but not altogether surprising,
as the team is still uncertain

as to the actual angle
at which the flood tunnel

would have been directed
between Smith's Cove

and the Oak Island Money Pit.

Okay, guys. We may get it
in the next six feet.

We still may have a chance
to get it.

-Let's go get some more.
- To the next one.

Later that day,
as the drilling operation

continues at Smith's Cove...

So, Tom, Craig and I
just wanted to talk to you.

...Rick Lagina and Craig Tester
meet in the w*r room

with fellow Oak Island
landowner Tom Nolan.

You know, the drilling
in the swamp is done,

and the end result of
that drilling program

is that we feel like
we have to dig in the swamp.

So there's some hard targets?

-Yep.
-Okay.

After finding
compelling evidence

of man-made workings
in the triangle-shaped swamp,

including a 200-foot-long
ship-shaped anomaly,

a possible stone wharf,

and a circular rock
and metal formation

at the swamp's
northernmost point,

the Laginas
and their partners are eager

to secure the necessary permits

that will allow them
to drain and excavate

a large portion of the area.

Okay. I brought
a good luck charm, right here.

-Yeah, good luck.
I hope so.

Although Tom has been
cooperating with Rick, Marty,

and Craig's efforts
since Fred's death in 2016...

Quite a sight.

-I wish Dad could see this.
Yep.

...this year,
he has joined them

as a full-time team member,
in the hopes of realizing

his father's dream of solving
the Oak Island mystery.

You've always said
if there's anything

to the Oak Island mystery,
at least some of the answers

are in that swamp.

I think it played a big part
in what happened on this island.

We found enough evidence
in there to know

somebody worked in that swamp
for some reason.

Various things
we pulled out of that bog

lead you to believe
something happened in there.

But, you know, what?

We just have never
been able to figure out.

But, you know, whatever's
in there is well hidden.

It's a perfect hiding spot,
and it gets worse every year

because, as the swamp grows up,
it gets harder and harder

to get in there
and see what's going on.

But you've said recently
that you think

there's about three feet,

maybe even as much as six feet
of organic plant material

over the top of that.

The way the overgrowth
has grown, and, uh, you know,

the vegetation of
that swamp over 30-some years,

it's really grown up,
so what you're walking on today

isn't what we were
walking on back then.

You almost got to
take that layer off

if you want to really get back

-to what we were
working off of there. -Yeah.

I think that's your best chance

at finding something like that
in there.

You've-you've got to take a bit
of that cover material off.

We have no idea
what we're going to encounter.

Craig has a thought
about how to proceed.

Well, the two main systems
we're looking at would be

the bladder system, like-like
we used out in the ocean...

-Yep.
-...to-to form a barrier

to keep the water
that's-that's still in there

from draining into where
we're doing an excavation.

-Yeah. -Um, and then there's
another method

where, um, they basically

put a fabric down,
and then, as they're digging,

they put the material
on the fabric

to give it a weight
and to keep it centered,

so you can continue excavating
in a given area.

You're almost damming the,
damming the site.

-Yeah, you're making your dam
as you go along. -Yeah.

But, uh, any ideas that
you have from your experience,

we'd love to hear and try
to incorporate anything we can

in-in making
a final decision here, so...

Well, anything you can
get in there that's gonna

require the least amount of work
to try to get in there

to accomplish
what you want to do,

to me, is the best idea.

I don't know that you know
of the full and complete extent

of what we want to do this year,
but I think

the hope would be
that you can really,

uh, give us a hand here.

Any resources we can bring
to the table here,

I will gladly give you guys
a hand with.

Okay. -Okay. I-I couldn't ask
for anything more than that.

-Nope. Appreciate it.
-Let's get to the bottom of it.

-Let's get to the bottom of it.
-Sounds great.

Following his meeting
with Tom Nolan,

Rick Lagina joins
his brother Marty

and surveyor Steve Guptill
at the swamp.

They have arranged to meet
with cofferdam manufacturer

Jack Nichols,
in their continuing effort

to determine which method
is the most viable

for digging through
several feet of mud and muck.

Hey, Jack.
Hello, Jack. -Hello.

-Good to see you again.
-Good to be back here.

With over 30 years'
experience in construction,

Jack Nichols
is an industry leader

for innovative water solutions.

Three years ago, his patented
inflatable dam system

played a key role
in the Oak Island team's

excavation of Smith's Cove.

-Hey, guys. How's it going?
-It's really cool.

This looks like it'll work.

What you guys got in mind?

Well, we're
we got a job for you,

or a potential job,

and the easiest way, I think,
to view the job

is for us to walk back
through here.

It is slippery.
Be careful.

-Okay, let's go see.
-Yep.

Looks like you've been busy
back here.

We are applying every technology

-known to man,
and a couple that aren't.

Jack Nichols

he is our go-to guy
to try and figure out

how we could excavate
in the swamp.

Not only to dig the swamp,
but dig it in-in such a way

that it keeps
the organic material

from invading the dig site.

There we are.
There it is, Jack.

The bladder system
could be a way

of creating a temporary barrier
to hold back

all of that fetid junk
with a dam.

What's your plan here, Rick?

So the plan is...

Steve has a, has it
mapped out, essentially.

So I tried to encompass
everything that we have out here

that we know of.

It's hard to see here,
but the brown would be

your dam, okay?

-We go that way...
-By the fallen tree.

...and then we twist around.

We'd run the-the line,
basically,

where the water meets the grass.

- Parallel to the shrubs.
That's right,

right along the shrubs,
and then we'd come in

basically to that big tree
over there.

We'd come in right around
the property line.

So, that encompasses everything
that we'd want to investigate

out here or dig up.

So, we got about
an acre square footage

and almost exactly 500 feet
of frontage.

This is really
brand-new to say

we'll dam it off and we'll
put this portable dam in.

All sounds good.

You then try to implement it
in, uh, in that environment;

I don't know
whether or not it's feasible.

This is roughly
what you did in Smith's Cove.

I think we got a good sh*t.
I don't think it's gonna be

-very deep out there, is it?
-No.

Here's the issues
that might trouble you.

There's a lot of muck,
and in that muck in places,

'cause we've all been in it,

is a bunch of
"intertwangled" twigs.

You know, that may be
two feet of that.

Most of that stuff,
we do a lot of swamps,

and we just roll
right over the top of that.

Is this the right application?
That's all I want to ask.

Oh, yeah. We go
through swamps every week.

-All the time?
-All the time.

-Mm-hmm.
- We do want to take in consideration

having it set back far enough
from your work area

to contain any groundwater
that's coming through,

so that it don't come
on your work area.

You know, we were worried
that you'd come up here and say,

"You know what, guys, this
isn't the right application,"

and we'd have to go back
to square one,

but I hear just the opposite.
Think you can do it?

I think we've got
a real good chance

of drying off pretty good.

Okay. Well, I love that.

-I think it's real doable.
-I like the I like to hear that.

"Real doable."

- Yeah, I think
we'd be okay. -Okay.

If this is what you guys
want to pursue.

I think using
the inflatable dam

has a really good chance
of working that's feasible.

What we need to do next,
though, is look at

all the specific methodologies,
and then we're gonna decide.

-Exactly.
-Yeah.

-Okay.
-I think that'll do it.

I think that'll do it.
I love it!

Let's head out, then, guys.
Our work here is done.

Just here's good, mate.

Meanwhile, Charles Barkhouse

and metal detection expert
Gary Drayton

continue their search
for artifacts at Lot 21,

on the western side
of the island.

It was on this same lot,
earlier this year,

that the team found
the two iron swages,

which were estimated to be
as much as 600 years old.

Today's the day, mate.

Rainy days like this
is always my favorite days...

-Yeah? -...'cause the metal
in the ground's more conductive.

-Oh.
-And this place now, Lot 21,

has always been good to us.

We've just got to find
some more hot spots.

Lead on.

You find them, I'll dig them!

-Good deep reading.

There we go.

Two-way repeatable signal
here, mate.

-Right there?
-Yep.

That sounded like
a really good target, mate.

You say that every time.

-Yeah. I'm always optimistic.

-Let's see if I can pinpoint it.

You're right on it, Gary.

-It's a coin!

I knew it was!

Look at this.

Another coin.
But how old is it?

Uh, this is probably
an half penny.

By the size of it, though,
and the condition,

-I'd put it in the 1800s.
- Yeah.

Yeah, that's a young Victoria.

-Okay, so that's...
-So, yeah.

- 1840s, probably?
- Yeah.

We know it's an old coin,

-old, copper coin.
-Yeah.

Which is another good sign.

-We're finding coins, mate.
-Yeah.

- I want to see if there's
any more in this area. -Okay, yeah.

I wonder if we can
get around here, mate.

-Good one?
-Yeah.

Yeah, I'm getting two-way
repeatable, mate.

-Just made a divot here.
- Okay.

And I think the best place
to dump it is here.

-Okay. -At least I know
it's clean here.

Didn't take any prisoners
with that one, mate, did you?

-Still in there.
- Yup.

Let me try and pinpoint it
for you.

I'm gonna dig this out just
in case it's something good.

Okay.

It's a coin or a button,
I'm hoping.

- You're right
on it, anyway. -Yeah.

Look at that.

That is really, really unusual.

Look at that. That's sweet.

While searching
for metal artifacts

on Lot 21, Charles Barkhouse

and Gary Drayton have just made

what could be
a significant find.

That is spectacular, mate.

Look, see the braiding
around it? The rope?

And with this leaf on the top?
That's gorgeous.

That is an old piece
of jewelry, mate.

-Yeah.
-I think that is like a...

s-some kind of brooch.

Yeah.

-That is fantastic.
-That-that is nice.

-What a find. That is a k*ller find.
-That-that is gorgeous.

A decorative brooch?

Could Gary and Charles
have found

an actual piece
of Oak Island treasure,

similar to the gold-plated
brooch Gary found

on this same lot last year,

and which was estimated
to be some 700 years old?

I mean, look at the work
that went into that.

Rick would want to see this.

-Want me to give him a call?
-Yeah, please.

Unbelievable, mate.

That is fancy.

That would've been high-end
jewelry back in the day.

Hey, Rick. Yeah,
I'm just down here with Gary.

We're just, uh,
down on the shore

just west of
the McGinnis Foundation.

Just wondering
if you could come down

and take a look at something
we found.

I think you're gonna be
quite surprised.

It's pretty sweet.

-It's bobby-dazzler time.

Okay. Okay, see you soon. Yup.

Wow. What a sweet find, mate.

That is gorgeous.

You know, when he makes
a significant find,

Gary's been spot-on,
all the time.

Whenever you get a call, right,

you know you'd better
hustle down there

because you're gonna see
something pretty impressive.

Wait till you guys see this.

He hasn't been dancing, has he?

No, not dancing,
but, uh, it's a bobby-dazzler,

-that's for sure.
-My toes are still tingling.

-I definitely see the smiles.
-This is fantastic.

You ready for this?
Stick your hand out, mate.

Look at that.

Wow.

I think that's a brooch.

-You see the two raised areas
the pin would've gone across? -Yeah.

-There's some heft to it, too.
-Yes, exactly.

And you imagine
back in the day how much

something like that
would've cost.

That'd been a real good
status symbol.

I've never seen
anything like this.

It's quite a unique piece.

The leaf, its shape,
how it's formed.

I would be very interested
in what it might represent.

I think it needs to be

completely and thoroughly
checked out.

It's not degraded, really, so
you should be able to find out

some information about that.

But what will it tell us?
That's the question.

What will it tell us?

I believe this is
really, really old.

What is "really, really old"?

I think that's
hundreds of years old.

I wouldn't be surprised
if this is

anywhere in between
1500 and 1700.

Wow.

You don't think it could be
a m*llitary cap badge

-of some type?
- It could be.

Possible.

But if it is, it's an old one.

Remember we found
that French cap badge

along the ridge there,
and you know what?

You know who famous
was in this area?

The Duc d'Anville
with the French fleet.

-Yes. 1746.
-Yup.

-That's right. -That would be within your
estimate of-of the dating.

The Duc d'Anville?

I found eight pages of a ship
what looks like a ship's log.

Two years ago,
Doug Crowell presented Rick,

Marty, and the team
with a handwritten transcript

of an 18th century ship's log.

It had been authored
by a crew member

of a 1746 French naval
expedition to Nova Scotia

led by Jean-Baptiste Louis
Fr?d?ric de la Rochefoucald,

also known as
the Duc d'Anville,

an admiral from a noble family
with ties to the medieval order

of the Knights Templar.

Incredibly, this log
detailed the construction

of a massive treasure shaft
on an uninhabited island

in Mahone Bay, strikingly
similar in description

to the Oak Island Money Pit.

"It has been agreed that a
deep pit be dug, the pit to have

a secret entrance by a tunnel
from the shore."

I mean, a great quantity

of treasure, and they-they
appear to be in this bay.

What troubles me is how perfect
this is.

Could this ornate brooch,

which Gary believes
might date back to the 1700s,

be proof that
the French m*llitary

and the Duc d'Anville
are connected

to the Oak Island mystery?

It's certainly quite unique.

Never seen anything like it.

My hope is that there'll be
some relevance to determining

what happened on Oak Island.
That's why we're here.

We've got to get it cleaned.
We've got to get it tested.

What are the answers gonna be

and how might it affect
the search?

If this turns out
to be a really old

French uniform decoration
or a fancy brooch,

either way,
it's a spectacular find.

That is indeed
a top pocket find.

We've found a lot of cool
old stuff along this ridge,

and I believe we're gonna find
a lot more cool stuff,

-as well.

Okay, well, I'll make sure
it gets in the proper hands.

And, uh, you guys,
congratulations.

Hopefully you'll find
some more things, you know.

The day is still young.

-Oh, yeah.
-But...

Don't wander too far, mate.

We're having a good day.

Kelly will be pretty
excited to get his hands

-on this and start. Yeah.
-Right.

Alex Lagina and
archaeologist Laird Niven

have traveled some 50 miles

north of Oak Island
to the University of Acadia,

located in the city of
Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

-Hey, Kelly.
-Hi, Alex.

They have arranged
for professional conservator

Kelly Bourassa

to clean and examine
the decorative brooch

found one day ago on Lot 21.

We're hoping that this is
a meaningful find,

and in the process
of cleaning it off,

we're going to get a little bit
more information from it.

We brought you the brooch.

Fantastic.

That will be great
to take a look at this.

-Just gonna put the gloves on.
- Cool.

So, typically, I would use

something that's not
gonna scratch, right?

So a little bit
of wooden skewers.

-There's a lot of nooks
and crannies here. -Mm-hmm.

If this has any cracks
or anything in it,

then we want to be
extremely careful

-in terms of using tools,
and so on, on it. -Mm-hmm.

And as you can see
on my sheet of paper here,

we're already getting
bits and pieces of the dirt

coming off already.

Using a number
of mildly-abrasive tools,

including a glass fiber brush,

Kelly will delicately
scrape away dirt

and corrosion buildup
on the surface of the artifact.

See if that brings off
a little bit more.

Have you seen anything
like this before?

No, no. This is
completely new to me.

Wow.

-It's pretty intricate.
Could be a commissioned piece,

which would be
really interesting.

Oh, sure. Absolutely.

And somebody would've paid
a little extra probably

just to have something like this
made, for instance.

-It really, to me,
has a sort of a maritime... -Mm-hmm.

...look to it, you know,
with coils of rope.

So it's like
a double coil of rope?

It is.

But you can see here
on the leaf itself

there's some
there's a little bit more

of the design
has come out of it. Right?

-Yeah. Mm-hmm.
-You know, with just mechanical cleaning.

Overall, it's in great shape.

Actually, I think it is,
you know, to be honest with you.

Is there any hope
for a maker's mark

-or anything like that?
-Yeah,

there's no maker's mark
that I can see.

Are you any closer
in terms of determining an age?

It's difficult
to give a date on it.

It wouldn't hurt to have

somebody who specializes
in antique jewelry

to have a quick look.

Although the age and origin

of the decorative brooch
remains unknown,

it may still be
an important clue.

Our search on Oak Island
is all about

putting the pieces together,

and it's happened before
where we had a piece

that was relevant
and we didn't know it yet.

Even if it's not
immediately obvious,

could be a pretty
significant find.

We're gonna take it to the guys

and we're gonna see
what they think.

Hopefully it's going to justify
further investigation on Lot 21.

Some real archaeology.
To what end, we'll see.

-Thank you for, uh, thank you doing this.
-Oh, you're welcome.

Yeah. My pleasure.

Well, thanks again, Kelly.

Any time. Yeah.
- We'll see you soon.

Following their trip
to Acadia University...

-Hey, guys.
-Hello, hello.

We're back.

...Alex Lagina
and archaeologist Laird Niven

head to the Mug & Anchor Pub
in the nearby town

of Mahone Bay, where they are
joined by Rick, Marty,

and other members
of the Oak Island team.

Gary, I understand you found
something pretty interesting

on Lot 21.

'Cause these guys took it
to have it cleaned

and identified, or just cleaned?

Cleaned and conserved,
basically.

Okay, well, it's time
to get me out of the dark.

What is "it"
we're talking about?

Okay, because it hasn't been
conserved yet,

-it was recommended that we wear
gloves while we handle it. -Really?

If you've got to wear gloves,
that means

-it's really special.
-I would think.

Here, I'm gonna hand it to you

-so you can take a look.
- I'm looking forward to this.

So, this is it cleaned off.

Wow.

That is nice.

A brooch. Quite intriguing.

Yeah. Definitely, it ranks up
with the other brooches.

What's the date, you think?

We don't know. Kelly hasn't
seen anything like it.

We didn't see a maker's mark
or anything like that.

-That's good.
-It's probably a one-off.

-It's very nice.
- Yeah, it's...

-frickin' fantastic.
So, it seems to be

-a double coil of rope...
Mm-hmm.

...topped by a leaf.

It's quite elaborate.

You think the ropes
mean naval, or not?

So, two ropes entwined
could imply a couple.

So, the leaf is on a hinge?

Because it's come down
quite a bit from where it was.

It was tipped up before.

-Or was that just bent?
It's not, it's not hinged, but...

-It was bent? -We're not sure why it was up
there. It was, yeah, bent up.

One, two, three,
four, five, six.

There's some debate
about whether

it's a-a brooch or a cloak pin.

...nine, ten, 11, 12.

Guess how many branches
there are.

-13? -Uh, I'm not gonna say.
13.

Mm-hmm.

13 branches?

Watch your step.
This stuff is slippery.

One year ago, while
meeting with treasure hunters

Bruce Lindahl
and Justin Cannady,

Marty Lagina and Doug Crowell
were shown

a mysterious stone carving

on the northeast shore
of the island

depicting a single pine tree.

Even more remarkable
was the fact that this carving

was virtually identical
to a symbol used

by George Washington for his
Revolutionary w*r battle flag,

known as the Pine Tree Flag
or "An Appeal to Heaven."

It was this same battle flag
that Bruce's brother,

author and researcher
Cort Lindahl,

had earlier indicated was often
shown with 13 branches,

a number
of strategic importance

for both Freemasons and members
of the Knights Templar.

George Washington

was a Freemason.

-Yes.
-These French families who came

to settle in Nova Scotia

actually corresponding
with George Washington

prior to the w*r

to try to convince him
that Nova Scotia

should be part
of the American colonies.

And, indeed, Nova Scotia
may have even been planned

to be the 13th colony.

That's interesting.

In addition to making
new connections

between the significance of
the number 13 in Freemasonry

and its symbolic importance

to the number
of American colonies,

Lindahl also shared
compelling new evidence

to suggest that some
of America's Founding Fathers,

through their close association
with their French allies,

the Rochefoucauld family,

may have had knowledge of a
treasure buried on Oak Island.

A portion of which might have
been used to help finance

the American Revolution.

There is some degree
of probability

that Louis Alexandre
Rochefoucauld,

in his friendship
with Benjamin Franklin

and Thomas Jefferson,
told them of Oak Island

or whatever secret was there.

That's remarkable.

Could this antique brooch

featuring 13 branches
be another piece of evidence

that could prove Cort Lindahl's
incredible theory to be true?

I think what it emphasizes to us

is, you know,
we found that brooch,

we found Gary's found
significant numbers

of artifacts around Lot 21...

Yep. Yep.

...and perhaps you want
to consider kind of

taking more, uh,
more steps archaeologically.

Maybe ground-penetrating radar,
something nonintrusive and

that could identify features
for us.

Well, look, I love doing
ground-penetrating radar.

I don't see why not.
I mean, we're intending to try

and use this state-of-the-art
technology everywhere.

We need to really try
to source out

a proper testing methodology
that will allow us some sort

of definition and clarity
in terms of what timeline

-that comes from.
-Yeah.

Lot 21 continues to yield
significant artifacts,

and we have to push the envelope
in terms of trying to come

to an understanding
of what happened here long ago.

Such a cool-looking item,
you know?

If we can
investigate it properly,

archaeologically, we might find
the clues we want in there.

And so, we're gonna take
the time and do it.

Well, good work everyone.

Especially Gary nice find
with your helper Charles.

-Good find.
-Cheers.

Cheers.

As a new day begins
on Oak Island...

Start it.

...and as the team
from Choice Drilling continues

to search for more evidence
of the possible flood tunnel,

believed to be some 50 feet
deep beneath Smith's Cove,

Rick, Marty and members of the
team gather in the w*r room.

All right.

Guys, we got to find
that flood tunnel.

They are about
to hear a highly-anticipated

scientific report
on a wood sample

extracted from
the potential structure

found beneath Smith's Cove.

Okay, as you all know,

we were drilling upland
from Smith's Cove,

trying to see if we could
find any indication

-of a flood tunnel.
-Yeah.

It was kind of a surprise,
but we found this piece of wood

that looked like
a collapsed tunnel

-down by the shore
at a depth of about... -54 feet.

-It was a two-foot section.
-54 feet.

We got samples of it.

Craig sent it in for C-14
analysis and has the results.

Definitely. Um...

So, when you're looking at
the data, you're hoping it fits

in the time period
that they were doing something.

You're hoping it's in a more
refined time period...

- Yeah.
-...the data will indicate.

Yeah.

So, the most likely time period,

if you will,
is from 1735 to 1784.

-Yes!

Isn't that what
we're looking for?

-Yeah.
-Perfect.

-I love that. Right?
-Oh, yeah.

Wood? Found 54 feet

beneath the beach
at Smith's Cove?

And carbon-dated to a period
60 years prior to the discovery

-of the Money Pit in 1795?
-Can I see that?

Could this mean that the team
did, in fact,

locate the main flood tunnel?

There's nothing I like better
than getting results

that could be something
pre-Money Pit.

You cannot overstate

how valuable it would be
to actually, concretely,

find the flood tunnel.

But there's only one way
to determine

whether or not it's a tunnel.

You'd have to dig it.

So, for me, this might be

the most exciting thing
we chase this year.

Am I getting too excited
like I always get, or...?

No, no, no.

I-I agree, this should
be followed up.

I'm pretty excited about
anything dating from 1769, 1770.

-Right.
-This is the key.

I would like to say
it's obviously there.

I know the time frame.
I know what I'm looking for.

It just makes sense to me.
This is the entrance.

You got to pierce it.
You got to dig.

-Yeah, yeah. I know, but...

Just get right in there
and let's tear this earth up

-and dig it up, you know?

Jack, would you please get
a little enthusiastic about it?

You know, you right now,
I have done this myself

where you figure something out
and you get all excited about it

and you just can't believe
that it could possibly be wrong.

I'll dig by hand if needed.

But, I mean, let's be realistic.

Exactly.

-Yeah.
-Yeah.

Is it exciting? Yeah.
But, you know,

is it as definitive
as we would like?

We'd like a statement
where it says,

"100% certainty, it's this."

Especially the fact that
that area that we're looking at

is fraught with uncertainty.

-And that's a problem.
-Oh, yeah. Sure.

Can you imagine going down
50 feet? Especially down there?

-Right.
-So, I think we need to take

slow, measured steps,
and one of which is

let's confirm this
with the drilling,

try to determine some sort of
cardinal direction,

try to connect this dot
with another dot.

-Yeah.
-Yeah. I agree with Rick.

Now you have two points
and then you can follow it.

You find it again.

It starts to tell its tale
as you follow it, right?

-Yeah.
-We've got the sonic rig here.

We got it for some time yet.

How about we continue drilling,
so we get a little verification?

That's right.

If this is indeed
the flood tunnel,

we have to stay with this until
we find what was so significant

as to protect it that way.

I think this is probably
the best clue we've ever had

in terms of possibly finding

the original Money Pit
and-and what lies below it.

I mean, it's the best clue
we've ever had

and it holds great promise.

And I'm-I'm very much
convinced of it.

How many people around this
table want Jack to be right?

So, so that's 100%.

Okay, yeah.
For sure, for sure.

There you are. Let's chase it.

-Craig, thank you for getting
the data, as always. -Mm-hmm. Sure thing.

Next time make it
more definitive.

-Okay, will do.

All right.
Let's get after it, guys.

For Rick, Marty and their team,

finding evidence
of a man-made structure

deep below the beach
at Smith's Cove

is a potentially
historic breakthrough.

One that could lead them

straight to
the original Money Pit.

But as they continue
to investigate,

what will they find?

A vault containing
a vast treasure

deposited centuries ago?

Or will they uncover something

that could challenge the known
history of North America

and possibly the world?

Next time on
The Curse of Oak Island...

Okay, where is this thing?

If we can follow that trail,
it'll lead us directly to

-the Money Pit.
-Oh, wow. -There it is.

That's a look back in time,
boys, 159 years.

This next one should be
right where we want to be.

The French moved their treasure
out of Louisbourg

and stuck it on this island.

So, you're actually looking for
some kind of a French treasure.

Here comes our next core.

This could be it, man.

-What's that?
-Oh! What the...?

We got it.