07x21 - A Leaf of Faith

[bunniefuu]

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

So you're gonna put "X"
on the ground now, are you?

JEREMY: There is this major
anomaly, right in the core

‐of the Money Pit.
‐That's incredible.

MARTY:
There it goes!

‐VANESSA: You're digging
on Oak Island.
‐Wow.

GARY:
Ooh, that's fantastic!

This is an old digging tool!

TERRY:
Wow!

‐MARTY: Look at all the wood.
‐TERRY: Oh!

‐GARY: Well,
that is spectacular!
‐MARTY: That looks carved

‐in there, doesn't it?
‐Roman numerals.

‐TERRY: Absolutely.
‐GARY: This is like nothing

‐we've seen before.
‐MARTY: That's old.

This could be original wood.

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,

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.

♪ ♪

DANNY:
All right, here it comes.

Bring it up a little!

Looks good.

We're gonna fill this one
all the way up.

NARRATOR: With only
a few precious weeks remaining

before the onset of another
harsh North Atlantic winter,

brothers Rick and Marty Lagina

are determined to locate
the original Money Pit,

and the fabled treasure vault
reported to be hidden there,

before being forced to suspend
all operations on Oak Island

for the rest of the year.

DANNY:
That's good.

NARRATOR: After a morning
spent filling in

the massive 8‐A borehole...

MARTY:
Welcome, Jeremy.

NARRATOR:
...Rick, Marty,

their partner Craig Tester,
and members of their team

have arranged to meet

with geophysicist Jeremy Church
of Eagle Canada.

Jeremy has prepared a report

on the seismic scanning data
that was conducted

earlier this year across
the eastern end of the island.

Um, I, for one,
love this portion of this quest.

You know,
I love getting the data back,

and I think
everybody else is keen

to see what you've got.

It's a pleasure being here,
guys. Thank you.

So you're gonna put "X"
on the ground now, are you?

I'm gonna try my best.

Cool.

NARRATOR:
Using 18,000 dynamite charges,

which were set off across
Oak Island's eastern half,

a virtual underground map
was created

down to depths
of as much as 300 feet,

indicating possible objects,

voids or structures
buried below.

Using this new data, as well
as previous seismic surveys

conducted in the swamp
and Money Pit areas last year,

the team from Eagle Canada
has generated a master map

of any notable anomalies

for the team to consider
investigating further.

Okay, well,
I guess we'll dive in.

We're ready.

Um, here's an overview.

So, this is just showing us
what's been sh*t to date,

plus the new stuff.

So, there's 80,000 sample points

on the east drumlin 3D,

so that's a lot of data.

Let's get
into the exciting stuff.

‐MARTY: Yeah!
‐Uh, this is

the Money Pit data set.

So, each one of these, these are
all little... disturbances,

probably searcher tunnels.

But within there, there is
a subtle little anomaly.

So, now we're down 160 feet
below surface.

We're right in the core
of the Money Pit.

So, this is
what I call the "teardrop."

It's sitting
right on top of the Money Pit.

What's the size?

13 feet by 13 feet.

NARRATOR:
An anomaly?

Matching the 13‐foot diameter
of the original Money Pit,

as reported by Daniel McGinnis
and his two friends

when they discovered it
in 1795?

Could the team
have finally pinpointed

the original treasure shaft?

MARTY:
And where is it?

Is there not a well through it?

I'll turn it so you can see.

And I've got them
at the proper depths.

So, the teardrop sits
just below the Chappell shoe.

So H8 catches
the south end of it.

‐Just missed it.
‐STEVE G.: Just.

Oh!

This much, Marty.
(chuckling)

NARRATOR:
Two years ago, Rick, Marty,
Craig and the team

sunk a 60‐inch‐wide shaft known
as H8 in the Money Pit area

and were stunned when,
at a depth of 170 feet,

they hit an obstruction that
they believed may have been

the legendary Chappell Vault.

It feels like I'm on a whole
bunch of wood at once now.

Unfortunately, as they
attempted to dig deeper,

the object they hit
was pushed further down

and somewhere off to the side

into a possible void
or chamber.

Could this seismic anomaly,
located right next to H8,

be where the Chappell Vault
is now located?

For me, this is
incredible information.

I mean, there's nothing says

we couldn't drop a can
in that area.

‐Mm‐hmm.
‐The three of us

always thought
that surely technology

will break this acorn wide open.

And now maybe,
just maybe, it will cr*ck.

Yeah.

I am highly encouraged
by the anomaly

that Jeremy pointed out near H8,

because it's deep enough
that we could have missed it.

I mean, I was... I was
rapidly getting to the point

where I thought there's
some great treasure there,

we couldn't possibly
have missed it‐‐

unless it's way deep.

Jeremy, fantastic presentation.
Much appreciated.

It gives us lots of things
to look at, really,

but one in particular‐‐
the one you've delineated.

And speaking of that,

let's get after it!

Thank you.

NARRATOR:
Later that day...

DANNY: Put it over the center.
We'll set her down.

Come up a little bit.

We need to turn it.

Pull it. Pull it, Scott.

...as the teams
from Irving Equipment Limited

and ROC Equipment work
to reposition

the 60‐ton oscillator
over the new dig site

at the Money Pit...

Yeah, that's perfect.

...Rick and members
of the Oak Island team

head to the swamp,

where they've arranged to have
botanist Dr. Rodger Evans

give his analysis
of a recent discovery

near the area dubbed
the "Eye of the Swamp."

RICK:
This is our big question mark.

RODGER:
This is the stump.

Holy snaps.

That's crazy.

NARRATOR:
Five weeks ago,

while excavating a mysterious
circle of large boulders...

That's a big stump.

...Rick, Marty and the team
were stunned

to uncover a large stump
embedded in the muck and mud.

Because trees
cannot generally grow

in bodies of water,
the team is curious to know

if their discovery offers
additional evidence

that the swamp was man‐made.

RICK:
The trees indicate

that at one point
it was dry land, so...

why are the stumps, um,
spread across the width

and breadth of the swamp?

So with Dr. Rodger Evans,

we may get some answers.

RODGER:
What I'd like to do

is take some of this with me.

‐Mm‐hmm.
‐So, what I can do is,

I'll take that back to the lab
and clean it up, and I'll

have a look at this tissue
and see...

‐under the microscope.
‐Okay.

I bet you'd like
to pull that off

and see what's underneath that,
wouldn't you?

RODGER:
The way that came off...

you shouldn't be able
to pull a tree apart like that.

It almost looks like...
cork oak?

Is that cork oak?

‐I have no idea.
‐It's really light.

Yeah. The outer bark of a tree

is called the cork,
the corky layer.

It just so happens that
cork oaks have a cork layer

that you can harvest
without damaging the tree,

and that's
where corks come from.

If it was covered in... in cork,

cork oaks only grow in Portugal.

NARRATOR:
A possible cork oak?

Native to Portugal,

cork oak is known
for its buoyancy

and is commonly used
for bottling wines.

Because it is
a natural fire retardant,

it is also used
in construction.

But if this stump is actually
from a Portuguese tree,

how did it come to be
on Oak Island?

It is well known
that Portuguese explorers,

as well as Portuguese pirates,
frequently visited

what is now known
as Nova Scotia

from the early 16th
to the late 18th centuries.

However,
some researchers believe

that members from a Portuguese
sect of the Knights Templar,

known as the Knights of Christ,

may have visited the region
even earlier.

We are always looking
for cultural influences,

and to me,
that would be a big thing.

You have a nonindigenous species
brought here by some culture

or group of people,

‐possibly to mark the island.
‐SCOTT: Yeah,

I'm‐I'm with you‐‐ that's
what I've always thought it was,

like with the canopy oaks and...
it was... it was a marker.

It was a way to identify this
as the place you wanted to be.

‐That's a big clue.
‐Yeah.

NARRATOR: Although
red oak trees are common

on Oak Island
and throughout Nova Scotia,

numerous treasure hunters
and local landowners

have long identified a species
they call the "canopy oaks."

According to one theory,
they were planted centuries ago

by the original
treasure depositors

to serve as a marker or beacon.

Unfortunately,
over the past century,

these particular trees
have completely d*ed off.

Let me do some investigating
on cork oaks.

That'd be really interesting,

if that's what
it turns out to be.

Well, if you can shed
any light on this,

we would truly appreciate it.

‐Thank you.
‐RODGER: All right.

Yeah, this is pretty neat.

NARRATOR:
As a new day
of investigation begins

on Oak Island,

brothers Rick and Marty Lagina

are welcoming back
two special guests

‐to the island...
‐Okay.

Well, here we are.

If I take the box for you,

‐would that be a little easier?
‐Thank you. Great. Thank you.

...Lee Lamb and her brother,
Richard Restall, whose family

led by their father,
Robert Restall Sr.,

forged an unforgettable chapter

in the 225‐year
Oak Island mystery.

‐MARTY: There they are!
‐Well...

‐Lee. How are you?
‐LEE: Hello.

‐(laughs) I will get a hug.
‐Oh! Rick!

RICK:
When I think of Lee Lamb
and Ricky Restall,

it's hard not to be
emotionally connected.

My hope continues to be that as

this mystery evolves
under our stewardship,

the Restalls continue
helping us with moving

the search agenda forward.

So, welcome!
Welcome back to Oak Island.

Thank you. It's good to be back.

You two are sort of like a
walking history of the place,

really, in a very real sense.

‐Yeah. Yeah.
‐I'm gonna assume, Lee,

that just returning here

is always got to be
somewhat bittersweet, right?

‐Mm‐hmm.
‐I know, or I'm pretty sure,

you're interested still
in the search, right?

‐Oh, of course, very much so.
‐Yeah.

Lee, Ricky, I speak
for everyone here, you know,

you're such a part
of the history, the mystery,

that is Oak Island and, uh,
you are part of it.

An integral part of it.

NARRATOR:
In 1959,

former motorcycle daredevils
Robert Restall Sr.

and his wife Mildred
moved with their two sons

Bobby Jr. and Richard
to Oak Island.

For six years,
they braved desolate

and often harsh living
conditions on the island

while conducting extensive
investigations in the swamp,

at Smith's Cove
and the Money Pit.

I feel that the treasure
is here, and that we can get it.

And we're going to stay here
until we do.

NARRATOR:
After six exhaustive years,

in the summer of 1965,

Robert believed he was on the
verge of solving the mystery,

and that the sacrifices
made by his family

were about to pay off.

But on August 17th,
while investigating

a 27‐foot deep shaft
at Smith's Cove

that he and his son Bobby Jr.
had constructed in an attempt

to locate and block off
the main flood tunnel,

Robert, Bobby Jr.
and two other men

lost their lives due
to mysterious poison gasses

that emitted out of the bottom.

Although the tragedy
forever altered the lives

of Lee, Richard and their
late mother Mildred...

LEE:
These are Bobby's journals.

NARRATOR:
...in recent years,

they have visited the island,

in the hopes of helping
Rick, Marty and the team

achieve their father's
shared dream.

The Restall family is part
of our family now,

and‐and that was really the
impetus for reaching out to you,

because what do
families do, right?

‐They get together.
‐Yeah.
‐Mm‐hmm.

MARTY:
So anyway, we would like
to talk to you a little bit

‐about what's going on. Um...
‐LEE: Mm‐hmm.

MARTY:
And the reason these items
are in front of you is because

all of these things

speak to something
happening prior to 1795.

LEE:
Look at these.

‐Now, I love me
bobby‐dazzlers...
‐(laughter)

...because not only
are they spectacular,

but these are personal items.

‐Mm‐hmm.
‐To me,

the find of the century...

(laughter)

My favorite find is this.

‐This is jewelry.
‐LEE: Uh‐huh.

GARY:
It's a lead cross.

And this would've been worn
by someone

a very long time ago
and lost on Oak Island.

‐Mm‐hmm.
‐RICKY: Yeah. So, it's‐it's, uh,

kind of a plain design, though.
That would mean it's older.

Um, yeah,
that's what makes it special,

‐that nice, crude design.
‐RICKY: Mm‐hmm.

And we actually got
the lead tested,

and the source of the lead
came from France.

Ah.

GARY:
And that mine closed in 1300,

which is a heck
of a long time ago.

Oh. Okay.

The dates are incredible.

They‐they really are.
I mean, this is...

All of these finds.

We're taking the story
of Oak Island

way, way back into centuries

we could only have
dreamed about before.

‐LEE: Mm‐hmm.
‐GARY: And now
I'll pass it over to Rick,

'cause he's got
some interesting wood news.

Well, I called Lee and...

and asked about the canopy oak.

And, uh, she has kindly brought
a leaf and an acorn

representative
of the old umbrella oaks,

canopy oaks.

Well, they were digging
on the beach

when they first arrived.

MARTY:
Mm‐hmm.

And they dug a small hole.

At the end of the evening,
they went home,

‐had supper, went to bed.
‐Mm‐hmm.

Next day, they come up,
and the hole

‐is filled with water.
‐Okay.

And floating in the water
is an oak leaf and an acorn.

‐Wow.
‐LEE: I don't know
that my father

thought that this was a...

a leaf from the canopy trees.

‐MARTY: Mm‐hmm.
‐LEE: It was part

of the filtration system,

and it was coming
from underneath,

where they used eelgrass.

‐Okay.
‐Coconut fiber.

Coconut fiber. Thank you.

And sometimes branches.

MARTY:
Mm‐hmm.

NARRATOR:
In 1850,

while excavating beneath
the beach at Smith's Cove,

members of the Truro Company

reported finding
a dense layer of coconut fiber

covering
the five stone box drains.

Because the nearest
indigenous coconut trees

are more than 1,500 miles away
from Oak Island,

the workers speculated

that the material was used
to act as a filter

to keep debris out
of the flooding system.

This is where the leaf is.

And you don't mind we open it?

No, I don't mind
that you open it.

Is anything around it
or just the leaf?

Just the leaf, looks like.

‐Still sticking together.
‐Whoa.

Looks like a twin.

GARY:
Wow.

Have you brought some acorns,

‐as well? Oh, great.
‐Yes. Yes, we... (chuckles)

MARTY:
They're little, aren't they?
They're tiny.

Well, these are markedly
different if they're mature.

RICK:
Mm‐hmm.

MARTY:
Well, the botanist
needs to see this.

‐GARY: Exactly.
‐MARTY: To put this all
in perspective,

the reason
we think this is important

is that, let's say, this leaf
and these oak... these acorns,

say that it...

You know, this is an oak
that normally is found

in Southern France.

‐Right.
‐MARTY: Well, then,

then we have some meaning.
I mean,

‐this might tell a story.
‐RICK: Mm‐hmm.

NARRATOR:
Could this oak leaf and acorn,

which Robert Restall Sr.
reportedly found

in the flooding system

at Smith's Cove,
offer an important clue

as to the exact species
of oak tree

that some have speculated
to be of a foreign origin?

‐MARTY:
I'm keenly interested in that.
‐RICK: Mm‐hmm.

(laughs): I think
we need to put that leaf back

in that envelope
carefully as we can and then get

Dr. Rodger Evans to look at it.

Thank you for bringing this.

Absolutely.

MARTY:
And again, kudos to your parents
for saving it.

This is excellent.
Excellent stuff.

You know, we're gonna get this
analyzed, and we'll certainly

report back to you what we find.

‐Wonderful. Okay.
‐All right.

NARRATOR:
Following their meeting
in the w*r room,

Rick takes Richard Restall
to Lot 13

to see something
he has not seen

for more than half a century:

the remains
of a small wooden cabin

that he and his brother,
Bobby Restall Jr.

shared for six years
while living on Oak Island.

Today, it sits on property
belonging to Tom Nolan,

where it was moved to
some years ago

by his late father, Fred Nolan.

‐RICK: Hey, guys.
‐Hey, guys.

‐Wow.
‐There she is.

RICKY:
Wow. That is rough shape.

All right.

Well...

Sure doesn't look
the way it used to.

So, that...

would be a shelf.

There were batteries below.
There was a radio, which...

Bobby always turned the dials
on the radio.

RICK:
Sure. Sure.

I might have bad music taste
or something.

And, uh, when I walked in,
that was my bunk,

‐because his bunk
had the window.
‐I see.

He was the watchman for the boat

‐and the equipment
that was stored on the beach.
‐I see.

RICKY:
So, the radio would play,
and I would read my stuff.

Uh, Bobby would be
writing letters

or finishing his journal.

And that was the sum and total
of our existence.

That was it.
It was pretty Spartan.

Living in the shack
with my brother was...

it seemed rather strict
sometimes.

You know,
lights out when he said.

Music when he said.

And so on. So...

When my brother
was responsible for me,

he was very serious about it.

So, he was protective.

I'll give him that. Um...

I wonder
if he would have turned into

as headstrong a person
as my father

or my mother.

And it seemed
sort of inevitable,

but guess we'll never know.

So, Ricky,
it was really Scott and Doug

who came up with the idea
of refurbishing the cabin.

‐It's a little side project
we don't mind taking on.
‐Yeah.

I see. Right. Well,
keep it as sparse as you can,

because, uh, there was
nothing fancy about that shack.

It was a toolshed
when they built it, I think,

and it became a residence
when the whole family

moved to the island.

And finding this place
still sort of together

is, uh, something
of a‐a miracle, maybe.

60 years. That's a long time.

RICK:
As I was listening to Ricky,

it was like
he was reliving the past.

It hearkens back

to a much more innocent time
on the island.

Uh, they were connecting
their activities as a family.

Uh, we now call ourselves
an Oak Island family,

so there's a connection there.

I thought it was

a healing moment,
but only Ricky can tell you

what has transpired
within his mind

as he recalled these things.

All I can say is, Ricky,

it's been a privilege
and an honor, and I...

At the point
at which we refurbish this

and put it in position,
to complete the story,

uh, we would ask you
to please come back.

‐Oh, for sure.
‐You're never a stranger here.

‐Remember that.
‐I'll test out the bunks.

Okeydoke. Thank you.

‐Thanks, Ricky. Appreciate it.
‐Thank you.

Thank you.

NARRATOR:
It is the beginning

of a bitterly cold day
on Oak Island,

one that serves
as a harsh reminder

that another
North Atlantic winter

is just a few short weeks away.

And while preparations

for the next major
digging operation continue

in the Money Pit area,

at the Oak Island
Research Center,

brothers Rick and Marty Lagina,

along with their partner,

Craig Tester,
are joined once again

by Richard Restall
and Lee Lamb.

‐Hey.
‐This is Dr. Rodger Evans

‐from Acadia University.
‐Hi, everybody.

NARRATOR: They have arranged
for botanist Dr. Rodger Evans

to examine
the oak leaf and acorn

that Lee shared
with the team one day ago.

So, we know we provided you

with a bit of a mystery
the other day.

‐We have a bit more
of a mystery.
‐(chuckles)

And the Restalls
were kind enough

to bring samples from long ago:

‐an oak leaf and some acorns,
which we would like
‐Okay.

‐your opinion on.
‐So, Dr. Evans, if you want
to come right over here,

you can‐‐ got a microscope
set up for you, too,

‐in case you want to use it.
‐Okay, great.

MARTY:
This leaf was actually...

pulled from what Lee and
Ricky's father believed was part

‐of the flood system
on Oak Island 60 years ago.
‐Okay. Wow.

‐Yeah, and they've kept it
preserved like that.
‐And it's still‐‐

‐That's great.
‐So, what we're after is,

do you think it's indigenous?
Do you think there's

anything special about it?

Can you tell
where it might have come from?

‐Sure.
‐And then, also...

There we go.

‐RODGER: Oh. Whoa.
‐That's one of the acorns,

believe it or not, that's been
kept all these years, too.

RODGER:
It's tiny.

‐MARTY: Isn't it?
‐When we compared them

to the oaks that were around us,

this looks different.

There you go. Acorns.

MARTY:
So, what about these acorns?

The rest are intact, right?

Did this leaf come from the‐‐
from the tree

‐that these fruits came from?
‐I'm sure it did.

Was it on the same branch,
you think?

It was described to me
as‐as the nuts‐‐

if that's what you call 'em‐‐
came in a cluster,

‐in the normal, um...
‐Oh, so they were on a branch

‐when they came?
‐Yeah.

Yeah. In the intervening years,

‐the stuff has rattled around.
‐Has‐‐ Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, for sure.

Okay, so let's have a look
at this acorn.

I can tell you right now

that these fruits
probably are not viable.

‐MARTY: Yeah.
‐(chuckles) As you can see,

they're empty.

‐Uh‐huh.
‐So, that black material

‐may have been
the original seed.
‐Uh‐huh. Uh‐huh.

RODGER:
And the other thing that I find
really interesting

is that yellow material
that you can see...

‐Mm‐hmm.
‐Um,

what's happened over time
is that that seed coat

that was there
has just dried up.

It's fairly obvious to me

‐that these acorns
are very different
‐LEE: Mm‐hmm.

than the typical

‐red oak acorns.
‐Mm.
‐Mm‐hmm.

I guess there is a possibility
that somebody brought a species

of oak here and grew it,

‐and that's where these fruits
would come from.
‐Mm‐hmm.

NARRATOR:
A mysterious species
of oak tree

brought to Oak Island?

Could it be from one
of the so‐called canopy oaks

that many Oak Island
treasure hunters believed

had been planted
by the original depositors

to act as a secret beacon
marking the location

of a vast treasure cache?

It's very apparent
from his initial analysis

that this oak
indeed is different.

MARTY:
It's a clue.

It's a pretty amazing clue,

because, you know,
the obvious question is,

how'd it get here?
Who brought it?

Is there any chance that acorns

would survive drifting
across the Atlantic

‐and...
‐I would say that these

‐probably aren't that resistant
to salt water.
‐Right.

So, once the cap separates
and water enters the...

It would probably‐‐
it'd probably destroy it

if it was salt water,
I would think.

For our search here,

for what we're trying
to figure out here,

I‐I draw two conclusions.

One, whatever the Restalls found
60 years ago‐‐

uh, markedly different.

Have to be a different species

‐than the native oaks. Okay.
‐Correct. Yeah.

MARTY:
Which means this is significant.

We need to find out,
if we can,

what is yet another
non‐native species

doing in a flood s‐system

‐or a box drain or whatever?
‐Sure.

I mean, in their own way,

to me,
based on today's analysis,

these are as interesting
as the coconut fiber,

‐because it‐it's out of place.
‐LEE: Mm‐hmm.
‐RODGER: Yeah.

‐It doesn't belong there.
‐Yeah. It doesn't belong here.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Can we do
any sort of genetic testing

on those?
Are they too old?

‐I think they're too old. Um...
‐Aw. (chuckles)

RODGER:
Older material that isn't fresh,

the amount of DNA information
that you can get out of it

becomes limited.

All right, then.
Great session.

‐Thank you very much.
We really...
‐Yeah, my pleasure. Thank you.

‐MARTY: Much appreciated.
‐RODGER: Yeah, thanks.

NARRATOR:
Following their meeting
in the research center...

MARTY:
Well, here we go.

...Rick and Marty,

along with Lee and Richard,

make their way
to the Money Pit dig site.

Through
Doug's exhaustive research

and we're utilizing
your father's work,

we now have a can
positioned over the‐‐

an area that we believe
holds a lot of promise.

‐Mm.
‐If there's

a treasure left up there,

we have the equipment to get it.

Well, it would be
a nice ending...

‐Wouldn't it?
‐...to an exciting adventure.

Yeah. True.

NARRATOR:
As fate would have it,

the team
is about to begin digging

at the very same location

where Robert Restall Sr.
believed

the original Money Pit
would be found.

Hello, ladies and gentlemen.

We have with us here
the Restalls,

‐Lee Lamb and Ricky Restall,
who have a...
‐Hi.

...long, storied
and interesting history here.

So, anyway,
this is the thing.

Rick, tell‐tell her
how it works.

Well, those big rams
are gonna take

that large can,
grab onto it with a set of jaws

and literally rotate it down
into the ground.

Mm. Right. Okay.

RICK: Generally, in the past,
we've named these cans.

And so I think it's very apropos
to name this can RF‐1,

the Restall Family 1.

Oh, for goodness' sake.

‐That's nice.
‐And I‐‐ and I hope

that, at the bottom of that can,

is what we have all sought
for 225 years.

LEE:
I'm very honored

that we were invited
to be here at this time,

'cause it is important to me.

This is the first time I've seen
the big equipment working

and seen the up‐to‐date stuff
that you're doing.

RICK:
I do remember, you and I,

we were looking
at Bobby's journals

and we turned to August 17
and I made you

a promise then
that we would be able,

at some point,
to fill that last page in.

Now it's about all of us,

including you and Ricky,
filling that last page in,

and I hope
this is the start of it.

Mm‐hmm. Well, thank you.

I hope it works out,
because it's about time.

MARTY:
All right, without further ado,

Vanessa?

Shall we?

RICK:
The Restalls, unlike any

of the other searchers,

this was a‐a family adventure,
really,

and‐and, certainly,
it culminated

in a tragedy.
So, when they come back,

are kind enough to come back
and‐and revisit and‐‐

Uh, it's‐it's a connection
to the past.

That, in and of itself,
is a small piece of treasure,

and they value it, as do we.

(whirring, clanking)

MARTY:
There it goes!

‐RICKY: Wow.
‐VANESSA: There you go.

‐You're oscillating.
‐Okay. Great.

You're‐you're digging here
on Oak Island.

Wow.

Impressive.

‐(chuckling)
‐MARTY: Pretty cool.

And now we move forward.

RICK:
Sempre avanti.

LEE:
Gorgeous.

RICK:
All that remains is to find it.

NARRATOR:
With the start of another day
on Oak Island...

VANESSA:
How are you doing this morning?

‐CRAIG: Good. Yourself?
‐Good.

...Craig Tester
joins Vanessa Lucido

and other members of the team

at the Money Pit site
to check on the progress

of the RF‐1 shaft.

It is here that recent
seismic scanning identified

a 13‐foot‐wide void

matching the diameter
of the original Money Pit

at a depth of some 160 feet.

CRAIG:
How deep is the hammer grab?

About 86 now.

Good. Well, it's moving along.

VANESSA:
Yeah. It's moving along nicely.

Still getting full buckets
with the grab,

and the oscillator's advancing
at the rate I'd expect it to.

Still pulling out lots of wood.

CRAIG:
Okay. The ones

that are square, six by six,
that's Chappell.

‐So that part's gonna be
coming up the entire way.
‐Okay.

‐Awesome.
‐So, you know,
from 100 to 120 feet

‐will probably be a key area.
‐Okay.

We'll let you know
if we have anything unusual

‐or...
‐Okay.

Because we seem to have honed in
on what we want,

now it's time
to be very careful

looking at these cuttings,
so we don't miss

what might be there
for us to find.

And we've basically
got this down

to a pretty smooth‐running
machine.

The hammer grab dumps the
spoils in the jersey barrier.

Gary metal detects it.

And then it's washed
on the wash table.

And it's all occurring,
you know, like, um...

like a machine.

Hey, Jack.

How's it going, Steve?

NARRATOR: Because all previous
searchers have never been able

to excavate the original
Money Pit much below

the 90‐foot level due to
the booby‐trapped flood tunnel,

the Oak Island team will begin

thoroughly sifting
and searching

through all spoils unearthed
below 100 feet

for any important clues,
artifacts

or, hopefully, treasure.

JACK:
We just need
to pick out anything

that seems out of the ordinary.

Or man‐made.

Anything that's odd.

STEVE G.:
There's something.

Look at this.

I think
we've got some old pottery.

JACK:
Oh, yeah.

‐That's...
‐That's a huge chunk of it.

That's really old pottery,
Steve.

Look at how thick it is.

‐The thicker, the older, too.
‐The thicker, the older.

JACK:
And that's the thickest pottery
I've seen at this wash table.

Quite honestly,
if this is really old,

this could be a good indication
that we're inside

‐the original Money Pit.
‐Mm‐hmm.

Or left behind by searchers.

Maybe left behind
by depositors, too.

(chuckles)
We're on the right track!

NARRATOR:
While Jack and Steve
continue to search

for more important clues
at the wash table...

‐Going in.
‐NARRATOR: ...Gary Drayton

and geologist Terry Matheson

are carefully monitoring
the freshly excavated material

retrieved
by the hammer grab tool.

(beeping)

‐(whines)
‐We've got a target here.

TERRY:
What do you got?

GARY:
Ooh! What have we got here?

Check this out.

That's an old pickaxe,
a broken pickaxe.

TERRY:
That is serious.

‐GARY: What a sweet find!
‐Right on.

Oh, wow. I mean, this is really,
really cool, Terry.

That's something, man.

‐This is really old, mate.
‐Yeah.

We're in the 1700s.
This is original stuff.

NARRATOR:
A pickaxe found
some 90 feet deep

in what the team believes could
be the original Money Pit?

Could it have been left there

by searchers looking
for the fabled treasure vault?

Or might it have been left
behind by whoever buried it?

This could've been used by the
guys who made the Money Pit.

TERRY:
This is what we're all hoping.

‐You got your phone, mate?
‐I do.

Yeah, we should call Rick
and Marty.

Marty and Rick
are gonna love this.

That's gonna put a smile
on their face for sure.

GARY:
What a sweet find!

TERRY:
It's really sweet.

‐GARY: Hey, guys.
‐MARTY: What you got there,

‐Gary?
‐Finally making
some good discoveries.

NARRATOR:
After being alerted

to Gary Drayton's discovery

of a possibly ancient pickaxe
in the RF‐1 spoils,

brothers Rick
and Marty Lagina arrive

at the Money Pit drill site.

‐That is cool.
‐Yeah.

Another old pick
in a different place.

The same style pick that
came out the back of the swamp.

Now we got one in the Money Pit.

Ooh. Oh!

‐Wait.
‐Now look at that!

That is a really old pick!

NARRATOR: Eight weeks ago,
while metal detecting

near the northernmost area
of the triangle‐shaped swamp,

Gary and Jack Begley discovered
a similar digging tool.

One which blacksmithing expert
Carmen Legge later determined

to date back to the mid‐1700s.

Could this pickaxe,
found in Borehole RF‐1,

be related
to the 18th century pickaxe

that the team discovered
earlier this year?

And might it also
have had something to do

with the 13‐foot‐wide chamber
identified

by seismic scanning
at a depth of 160 feet?

Do you think that's broken?

Yes, I do.

And maybe the shaft was broken

on purpose,
and it's for tunneling.

‐Yeah. You get a close hit?
‐Yeah.

This looks more substantial
and thicker.

I was really impressed
by the handle. It was huge.

You wouldn't want to grab that
and swing it all day long.

It was quite a handle,
quite a pick.

To swing that for eight,
ten hours a day, you'd be tired

‐at the end of the day.
‐MARTY: It's a cool artifact.

I‐I could tell you without going
to the venerable Carmen Legge,

it was probably built long ago.

It's a well‐made tool.

Well, look, everything
that's coming up here is

interlaced with very old stuff.

I think it looks really good.

Yeah.

RICK:
Well, we need to get going.

GARY: It's time
to get cr*ck‐a‐lacking.

RICK:
It's very possible

that we are within the
Money Pit collapse zone, so,

we need to
separate the material that is

relevant to the search,
because we certainly have

the possibility of locating
the original Money Pit.

GARY:
Wow. That's impressive.

It's a big timber.

Want to get this one?

VANESSA:
That's a big one, huh?

GARY:
That's a timber.

‐One.
‐GARY: Two, three.

TERRY:
Any luck in there?

GARY:
Really old wood.

At the bottom of that scoop
there, inside Billy's bucket,

there's a really,
really big, fantastic timber.

TERRY:
Rick wanted us to take
the big ones and set them aside.

Ooh! What have we got here?

Look at this one.

We start pulling up
some really impressive

timbers.

These were cut by hand.

This should be original work.

Come and check this out.

Look at there.

MARTY:
Look at all the wood.

TERRY:
Yeah.

Look at that piece there.

MARTY:
Oh.

GARY:
That is spectacular.

LAIRD:
That's cool.

GARY:
I mean, that's not

a modern design.

‐That is really old.
‐MARTY: That's old.

‐TERRY: With dowels, no less.
‐LAIRD: Yeah.
‐GARY: Yeah.

Almost interlocking,

‐like a key in a... a lock.
‐MARTY: Yeah.

GARY:
This is like nothing
we've seen before.

This could be original wood.

NARRATOR:
A doweled timber, possibly

from the original Money Pit?

Dating back
to the early 7th century,

a dowel is a kind
of wooden fastener

used to lock large planks
or timbers together.

Frequently used
in shipbuilding,

wooden dowels were considered
more reliable

than iron nails or spikes,

which would rust and break down

after prolonged exposure
to water.

MARTY:
This wood in RF‐1
was weird and unique.

It was hand‐hewn lumber,
it was massive.

It was doweled together at
the end with hand‐cut dowels.

I'm going to be very curious

about the dendrochronology
on that.

If those are older than 1795,

we have to really think about
what might've happened here.

I think that's the one
over there with the hole in it.

Look at that.

‐MARTY: Oh, yeah.
‐See those two marks there?

They look like
they was chiseled out of there.

‐Yeah, they do.
‐I just wondered

if these two marks
are‐are actual

‐Roman numerals.
‐MARTY: Wow.

What do you think, Laird?

Is that a Roman numeral "two"?

LAIRD:
Oh, yeah.

Terry, you got your brush?

I do.

Let's buff it up a little bit.

Yeah, buff that up a little bit.

Looks like
some deliberate motion here.

‐GARY: Yeah.
‐Some deliberate...

swipes, perhaps.

Well, guess where we've seen
Roman numerals before.

The U‐shaped structure.

‐That'd be quite a tie‐in.
‐GARY: Yeah.

Look at there.

Yeah, I got a Roman numeral
right here!

Nice, Charles!

"XI." I've got "11" right here.

NARRATOR:
One year ago, after damming

and draining Smith's Cove
to search

for the fabled stone box drains

and the main flood tunnel
connected to the Money Pit,

Rick, Marty
and the team unearthed

the so‐called
"U‐shaped structure"‐‐

a massive wooden formation
also featuring Roman numerals.

Incredibly, using a kind

of tree‐ring testing method
known as "dendrochronology,"

it was determined to have been
constructed in 1769,

more than
a quarter century prior

to the discovery
of the Money Pit.

Could this wood, found
some 100 feet deep in RF‐1,

be connected
to the U‐shaped structure?

And if so, might it also
be evidence that the team has,

at last, located
the original treasure shaft?

MARTY:
You see the Roman numerals,
Rick?

That looks carved in there,
doesn't it?

RICK:
That's... That... Look at that.

TERRY:
Quite different.

RICK:
Very different.

MARTY: I think
the Roman numerals are cool.

They were dramatic.

I mean, there was...
I was there.

There was no doubt in my mind
those were Roman numerals.

There was artistry put
into this thing.

It wasn't a quick construct.

This was meant to last.

So, my thought would be

that the old shaft is original.

Could be.

TERRY:
We'll have to look for more, um,

Roman numerals in this jumble.

So, it's on one side or another
of the box joint.

We'll have
to take a look for that.

Even 1769's impressive.
This is...

If this is the same date
as the U‐shaped structure.

And of course,
we can have it dendro'd.

‐We can take a sample
and have it dendro'd.
‐Yeah.

We got to find some
of these and dendro it, yeah.

Well, we'll be able to go
through this carefully.

We're in a good spot.

A really exciting day.

NARRATOR:
As another week ends

in the 225‐year history of
the Oak Island treasure hunt,

Rick, Marty, Craig
and their team are convinced

that not only
have they found new clues

that could finally
help identify

those who buried something
of great value

on Oak Island centuries ago.

They may have also found
the location

of where they hid it‐‐
deep underground.

And as what Rick
and Marty Lagina refer to

as "The Fellowship of the Dig"
continues their search,

they may soon uncover something
much more valuable

than a vault full of treasure.

They may also find the facts
behind an incredible story‐‐

one that, were it not for them,
may have been lost to history

forever.

NARRATOR:
Next time on
The Curse of Oak Island...

MARTY:
Whoa, baby!

GARY:
Really big impressive timbers.

‐We're back in the old stuff.
‐TERRY: Whoa. Look at this!

‐We have got more markings.
‐MARTY: How about that?

RICK:
Wait. Stop.

‐What's that?
‐MARTY: There's no doubt
about this.

This is a man‐made tunnel.

‐Ooh, look at that!
‐VANESSA: Oh, wow!

What kind of date are you
putting on this?

‐This could be from the original
Money Pit.
‐Mm‐hmm.

DANNY:
It's getting tighter.

VANESSA: Pressures are rising
a little bit.

‐Oh, whoa!
‐Whoa, whoa, whoa!

‐(thudding)
‐(bleep)