09x03 - Stone Roadblock

[bunniefuu]

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

- All right.
- If there really is gold found

on these pieces of metal,

this is very, very significant.

Wow, this is really interesting.

- So, we have ancient, Spanish gold.
- That's huge.

So, when you project this path,
it heads to the Money Pit.

- GARY: Look at that chunk.
- Wow.

The department of Community,

Culture and Heritage asked that

- we stop down.
- Immediately.

It is very discouraging to me.

The more we cooperate,
the more of our island we lose.

Fine, let's throw in the towel.

NARRATOR: There is an
island in the North Atlantic

where people
have been looking for

an incredible treasure
for more than 200 years.

So far, they have found
a stone slab

with strange symbols
carved into it...

man-made workings
that date to medieval times,

and a lead cross
whose origin may be connected

to the Knights Templar.

To date, six men have d*ed

trying to solve the mystery.

And according to legend,
one more will have to die

before the treasure
can be found.

♪ ♪

- CHARLES: Hey, guys.
- Hey, Craig! - Hey!

- Hi, Rick.
- Hey.

NARRATOR: As another
exciting day dawns on Oak Island...

Rumor is, you guys tested that,
uh, the metal we found in D-2.

- Is this true?
- And we're about to tell you.

Brothers Rick and Marty Lagina,

their partner Craig Tester,
and members of their team

are conducting a strategic
drilling operation

in the Money Pit area

that they hope will help them
solve a 226-year-old mystery.

We used the XRF on two samples.

The XRF came up with gold.

- Gold?
- Not just gold.

The percentage is
extremely high.

- 700 parts per million.
- Oh, wow.

- There's something in there.
- Oh, there's something in there.

That might be it.

NARRATOR: One week
ago, after discovering wood

from a depth of 88 feet
in Borehole D-2,

which was then carbon-dated
to as early as 1488,

the team unearthed
a mysterious piece of metal.

CHARLES: Yeah. It's a big
chunk of metal right there.

I'm just gonna throw it on
and see what we get.

NARRATOR: when geoscientist
Dr. Ian Spooner performed

elemental analysis on it using
an X-ray fluorescence device,

Rick and members of
the team were astonished

by what they had found.

A-U! There it is, A-U!

- We got gold again.
- Wow.

It's a piece of metal that
may have been either in close

contact with gold, or it could
be even more interesting,

i.e. that the metals
themselves contain gold.

To me, if it's
part of the metal,

that's far more interesting.

That means that
it's a valuable item.

NARRATOR: Based in an
area known as the C-1 cluster,

where recent water tests
in existing boreholes

have revealed high levels
of silver and gold, the team has

designed a strategic
drilling grid in the hopes of

pinpointing the fabled
Money Pit treasure vault.

Now, the next target on
that grid is Borehole B-4,

which sits just 14 feet
from D-2.

MARTY: The C-1 cluster
just sounds like the right spot.

Gold on the steel.
That's very encouraging.

If it's accurate,
that the gold is on the metal,

and that there are
just no natural sources,

then I'd say we're
closing in on the treasure.

Terry, do you have the grid?

'Cause I'd like to get
brought up to speed here.

We are here on B-4,

but this hole in particular
is at

the northern perimeter, or edge
of the C-1 cluster of tunnels.

- Yeah.
- If we find evidence of tunnels, there we go.

Now we have
something more to chase.

NARRATOR:
It is also in this area

that the team has

previously drilled
into a believed tunnel

at a depth
of approximately 90 feet.

If the team is unsuccessful
finding treasure in B-4,

then they hope to hit a tunnel
that will lead them to it.

We have to concentrate
on the areas

where we do know
there is possible tunnels,

and kind of zero in on that.

Yeah, look.
I'm not gonna disagree.

This information is
too exciting.

It's certainly worth chasing.

- Yeah.
- It's kinda like Christmas morning, right?

It's not always
about Christmas morning,

it's what leads
up to Christmas morning.

We're not there yet,
but we certainly know there's

packages under the tree.

(laughter)

Anyway, keep us abreast.

See you, guys.
Thanks for the news.

- You got to hope that we might be very close to something.
- All right.

NARRATOR: As the drilling operation
in Borehole B-4 gets underway,

- later that morning...
- CRAIG, Dan, I think you'll enjoy this.

MARTY: Ooh, actually, we got
a lot riding on this little session.

NARRATOR: Craig Tester, along
with Marty Lagina and treasure hunter

Dan Henskee, have traveled
some 50 miles northeast

to Saint Mary's University
in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

- Should be an interesting day, Craiger.
- Sure should.

So, Dan,
at this stage in your life,

- 82 years old...
- Yeah.

Do you believe there's
treasure to be found

on Oak Island?

Uh, how can I phrase it?
Relatively speaking...

- Yeah.
- I suppose you could say

I'm more sure there's
treasure on Oak Island

than I am that
the sun will rise tomorrow.

- Wow! Holy smokes!
- Wow.

NARRATOR: They have arranged to
meet with chemist Dr. Christa Brosseau

to conduct a more
detailed scientific analysis

of the metal object
retrieved from Borehole D-2

in order to verify
that it contains gold.

Hey, Dr. Brosseau.

- Hey. How's it going?
- Good.

- Hello, Christa.
- Hey.

How have things been
on the island?

- Good.
- Good. It's been busy.

NARRATOR: Because of the
ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,

in order to enter
the university's premises,

Marty, Craig and Dan
are required to

wear protective face masks.

We got a couple samples
we want to show you here.

- Awesome.
- Some sort of metal that came up from deep underground.

- Almost 90 feet down.
- Interesting.

- We have an XRF on location now...
- Yeah. That's great.

And ran it on that,
and there was some,

some indication of gold
on these.

- Awesome.
- We are really excited about that, right?

I mean, this is from deep in the
Money Pit, and it's sort of

a not very exciting
piece of metal until we

did that, so we're eager...

- We'll definitely find out today.
- Yeah, okay, good!

That's what I wanted to hear.

All right.
Let's go do some hunting.

- Okay.
- Beautiful.

I am extremely curious...

Extraordinarily curious
about this piece of metal

found in D-2.

Hey, Xiang.

- Hello. How are you?
- Good.

MARTY:
Really, you start

to have a hard time discarding

that there was treasure here...
At least once was treasure here.

If there really is gold found
on these pieces of metal

around 90-some feet,

searchers wouldn't
have been carrying around gold.

Which means this is very,
very significant.

I'm going to get
the sample prepared.

MARTY: To a very real
extent, what happens here today

influences the rest of
what we do this year, too.

That's, that's why we're
kinda on pins and needles here.

NARRATOR: To examine
the metal from Borehole D-2,

Doctors Brosseau
and Xiang Yang will be

using an SEM, or
scanning electron microscope.

Unlike traditional
optical devices,

which rely on light
to analyze objects,

the SEM employs a focused
beam of electrons,

which can magnify
critical features

as much as 200,000 times
their actual size.

This method can
also determine an item's

precise chemical composition.

So, now that everything's green,

so we should be
almost ready to go.

XIANG: All right,
so this is the piece.

- CHRISTA: And we'll check the iron first.
- Yep.

Looks like you got
a nice fresh surface here.

I do not see any manganese.

That's great.
That's great for openers.

No manganese, so
the iron looks great.

Pre-1840, right?

- Yeah. Exactly.
- Are you seeing anything, Xiang? - Yeah.

I'm trying to look
for any shiny piece.

MARTY: Yes. Is that what
you're looking for there?

- No, it's pyrite.
- Fool's gold.

You don't want that.

- Oh, boy. Here we go.
- (laughter)

Looks like I found something
really bright.

- Oh, there we go.
- Oh, there we go.

- Really bright.
- Yeah, it's very bright.

Come on!

Yep.
That's a nice bright spot.

Let's see what
the bright spot is.

- Come on. One time.
- Mm-hmm.

- XIANG: Okay.
- CHRISTA: All right. So we see...

Wow, this is really interesting.

- Gold? - We see gold.
- Really?!

- Yep. - Come on.
- Yes.

- That's fantastic news.
- There's gold? That piece?

- That little blob there is gold...
- Yes.

- Fabulous!
- Yeah.

Dan, there you go!

That came out of the Money Pit.

NARRATOR: At Saint Mary's
University in Halifax, Nova Scotia,

chemists Dr. Christa
Brosseau and Dr. Xiang Yang

have just confirmed
that the metal object unearthed

from Borehole D-2
in the Money Pit area

could be connected to
the Oak Island treasure.

- What ratios do you see, Christa?
- We're seeing gold.

We're seeing copper.

Uh, we see some silver,
which is not unexpected.

So, yeah.
That's exciting.

That is extremely exciting.

XIANG:
So you have 65% of gold.

Sixty-five?

Yeah. And about 26-ish copper.

- What the hell is that?
- Right.

So adding a lot of copper
into a gold alloy

created a rose color.

- Yeah.
- We know it as rose gold now.

What about the silver, Christa?

Would rose gold
have silver in it?

Yes. Many rose golds
have all of these elements,

including the zinc.

NARRATOR: Although the copper-gold
alloy mixture known as rose gold

became a popular method
for jewelry making

in the early 19th century,
especially in Russia,

the practice for mixing
copper and gold

dates back to the Middle Ages.

In many ancient Greco-Roman
texts, for instance,

gold is often described
as the color red.

I am encouraged that
the metal is very old.

It's still in an area
of the Money Pit

that there shouldn't have
been anybody down there.

Pre-1840, we don't know
of anybody

- that was tunneling up there, right?
- No.

Nope, that's why I'm
encouraged by the results.

If this is an ancient tunnel,
then where does it lead?

And so, why would
this metal be down there?

There may be some connections
you can draw.

Well, thank you both.

- You're welcome.
- You're welcome.

Okay. I think it's time

for us to get back there, guys.

You haven't seen
the last of us, Christa.

CHRISTA:
Excellent.

NARRATOR:
Later that afternoon...

CHARLES:
What's the good word, Adam?

Forty-nine.

And while
the core-drilling operation

continues in the Money
Pit area...

If you want to try to
track through there, and

Gary can have a go
at metal-detecting.

Rick Lagina, along with
members of the team search for

more clues near the stone road,
or possible ship's wharf,

in the southeastern corner
of the triangle-shaped swamp.

It is kind of amazing how the

stone road seems
to extend, let's say,

out into a stone dock,
perhaps, into the water.

NARRATOR:
Two weeks ago,

Terry Deveau, who
serves as the president

of the New England Antiquities
Research Association,

made an astonishing
assessment of the feature.

This is a type of road
that was built in Europe

- in the 1500s.
- Wow.

NARRATOR: Last week,
following Terry's presentation,

the team found not
only pieces of

wooden cargo barrels
in this area,

but also what could be
part of a large sailing galleon.

RICK:
We are engaged in a process

in the southeast corner
of the swamp.

So, the way this is gonna
happen is,

Billy's gonna come
in with the excavator.

Basically, we're unzippering
the land.

We're gonna peel it back,
open it up.

Gary will come in
and metal-detect.

Hopefully find some items.

(device beeping)

Yeah, that's nice.

Hey, Gary.

- Hi, Miriam.
- What you got?

We've got some big shards
of pottery here.

And they're all in this area,

- so I didn't want to disturb them too much.
- Perfect.

There's a piece there.

Ooh, and an old bit
of black glass.

It's super bubbly.

So when you find the bubbles,
it means it's older

because the process of
making it was not as refined.

Could archaeologist
Miriam Amirault be correct?

Is this piece of black glass,
found near the stone road,

part of an ancient container?

And if so, will it be
an important clue

to help verify
when the road was constructed?

- Ooh!
- Yep.

GARY:
We've hit the mother lode here!

This will be fun
piecing it together.

Yeah, 1700s written all over it.

You'd have to find
the neck and the rim.

MIRIAM:
Oh, my goodness.

We have not found
this many pieces of,

like, one single artifact
in all of the swamp.

So this is really cool.

- Gorgeous, isn't it?
- That's nice.

This could easily be
an English wine bottle.

We want the finish, the top,

to be definitive about it.

- I mean, it might be here.
- Yep.

- Oh, my gosh.
- What do you have? - Nice!

Is this exactly
what we were looking for?

Yep.

It's a nice finish.

And that's...

1770s, 1780s, I'd say.

Wow. That is so cool.

NARRATOR: An English wine
bottle, dating back as much as

three decades before
the discovery of the Money Pit?

Since the team has found
a number of 18th century British

artifacts across
the island in the past,

could this bottle
have been connected

to a prior searcher
operation on Oak Island?

Or was it left by someone
who made a deposit?

- So I guess this is a good area.
- Yep, top-pocket find.

The more interesting
observation:

look at all these cobbles.

That's stacked rock.
It's about two feet,

maybe two and a half
or three feet tall.

It's very consistent.

That's-that's the aha
right there.

- That's something.
- Yeah.

It's hard to say that that is
not a human intervention.

That's built.

It looks like it's...
The edge of the swamp

was planned, to me,
when I look at this.

But then we got the question:
is this stuff

from this new stone feature
or the stone road?

What's it doing this deep,
down here?

- It's deep, isn't it?
- Yeah, it is.

That's a good question.

NARRATOR:
Another stone structure

at the southeastern
edge of the swamp?

Could it be connected
to the nearby stone wharf,

or is it a completely
different man-made formation?

If so, who built it?
And what was its purpose?

I'm not really sure
what direction

it's going at this point.

- This is so weird.
- It's fantastic.

I think we need to
try to find the boundary.

There may be a path

that leads south and east
from the stone road.

- Hey, Miriam.
- Hi.

RICK: And so, I think we need
to have Steve Guptill come out,

accurately pin the stones, take
the data, establish boundaries.

Really, I just want
to just survey the update of

- what you guys have uncovered.
- Sure.

NARRATOR: As with the
numerous other man-made features

that the team has discovered
across the island,

professional surveyor
Steve Guptill is recording

the known measurements
and elevation of this feature

so that archaeologists
Miriam Amirault and Laird Niven

can attempt to determine
not only what it may be

but also the purpose
of its construction.

That right there,
I can tell, does tie.

Elevation-wise
and alignment-wise,

- it works with the cobble path.
- Yeah.

Potentially, if it is man-made

and part of some type of path,

it could be an outlet
that heads...

Well, I mean, that's east,

and that's actually towards
the Money Pit.

So, if this is man-made,

this potentially could be
very important.

- Let me survey, and I'm going to put it on a plan when I'm done.
- Okay. Sure.

RICK: It's possible that
this could be part of the path

from the swamp to the Money Pit.

- Right here?
- Yep.

RICK: I mean, it is
an interesting feature.

- Okay?
- And then kind of like right where I am.

RICK: To me, it speaks
to the original paved area.

It does look like that.
It's very well defined.

I'm gonna put this on a plan.

And I'll bring it back so you
can at least take a look at it

- and compare it.
- Yeah.

Yeah, I would project
the stone path line

to see how it interacts
with this.

- Okay.
- And then, just for grins,

- pretend that's a boundary, pretend this is a boundary.
- Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

- Project this line. See where it goes.
- Sure. Yeah.

Just see where it goes.

All right, so I'll see you guys
in a bit.

- Thanks, Steve.
- Thank you.

RICK: It will be interesting
to see what's here.

- Hey, gentlemen.
- Hey, Marty.

I have some
really cool information.

- I really, really do.
- Good news?

I think it's fantastic news.

NARRATOR:
After returning from his trip

to Saint Mary's University

and conducting some
follow-up research on

the partially gold object
retrieved from Borehole D-2,

Marty Lagina has asked
to meet with Rick

and members of the team outside

at the Interpretive Centre.

I met with Dr. Christa Brosseau.

I took a sample from D-2.

- You know, the piece of metal.
- Oh, yeah.

We put it under the electron
microscope and...

By the way, it was
also non-manganese iron.

So it's old iron,
which is also good.

They said, well, let's look
for some bright spots,

- like maybe inclusions.
- Mm-hmm.

Bingo, it's gold.

This is real data.
This is the stuff I like.

And then Dr. Brosseau says,

"Well, if you zoom in
here further

"and do the composition
of the gold,

65% gold, 26% copper,
and five percent silver."

And she says,
"I think that's rose gold."

But if you look up rose gold,

75% gold, 22 and a half
percent copper,

and two and a half
percent silver.

I'm thinking, those
are wildly different numbers.

Yeah.

There's something
called tumbaga gold.

- You ever heard of that, Rick?
- No.

Well, the Aztec,
the Maya and the Inca,

they made their
religious artifacts

out of something called tumbaga,

which was all kinds
of different alloys

of gold, copper and silver.

- That's huge.
- Yeah.

NARRATOR: The partially gold
object recovered from D-2?

Possibly a piece of
Meso-American tumbaga?

Tumbaga was a favored
precious metal alloy mixture

used for creating
jewelry and sacred artifacts

by the indigenous people
of Central and South America

dating back
to as early as 300 AD.

One of the most widely held
theories about the legendary

Oak Island treasure is that
it could be comprised of gold,

silver and jewels that had been
plundered from the New World

between the 16th
and 18th centuries

by Spanish conquistadors.

The Laginas and their
late partner, Dan Blankenship,

have found numerous
Spanish artifacts

across the island
that support this theory,

including ship spikes,

a pair of 17th century scissors,

and even an eight-cob
maravedi coin

dated to 1652.

- Wow.
- However, in 2015,

descendants of Daniel McGinnis,

one of the three young men

who discovered the Money Pit
in 1795,

presented the team
with a gold cross.

A gold cross that McGinnis
reportedly discovered

30 feet deep in
the original treasure shaft.

- We all want answers.
- Okay.

And we're hoping that you can
weigh in on this

- and enlighten us.
- Well, let's see.

NARRATOR: The following year,
the team had the cross examined

by antiquities expert
Dr. Lori Verderame,

and were stunned
by her assessment.

What you have here
is a Christian cross.

In many ways,
it's very Spanish colonial.

The piece dates
between 1550 and 1700.

NARRATOR: Is it possible
that Rick, Marty and the team

have now also recovered
another piece

of Spanish treasure on
Oak Island in Borehole D-2?

And if so, could that mean
that they have finally

located the original Money Pit?

So, we have an odd gold
that happens to fit a narrative

of ancient Spanish gold.

Well, imagine if it was
the same composition.

- Yeah, we'd start to get pretty excited, yeah.
- Yeah.

Corroborative evidence is always
the best measure of whether

or not something is "real,"
quote, unquote.

Great news.
Great science.

But I think one thing
has come of this.

I think, if we were to ask
each other

where are you going to put

at least one of the caissons,
we have a location.

- Yep.
- Yeah.

I think you pretty much have
to put a caisson down there.

We just made our caisson
meeting a little shorter.

- (laughter)
- Well, okay.

- That's great.
- Yep.

Gold in the Money Pit!

NARRATOR:
The following morning...

in the southeast corner
of the Oak Island swamp...

Liz?

- Yeah.
- Give me a hand.

Archaeologists Laird Niven,
Miriam Amirault,

and Liz Michels continue
investigating the mysterious

stone feature that was
discovered just one day ago.

- What you got?
- I have a piece of pottery,

but I think it's really
delicate.

So can you make me

a little aluminum foil pouch?

Sure.

I'm just trying to get under it.

- It's pretty deep.
- That's all right, though.

That means it's probably still
in its original context, right?

Exactly. Yeah.

This is where we
find out it's a rock.

You can see it's
definitely pottery, right?

- Yeah.
- But it's really...

- Really degraded.
- Really delicate.

- You can see the grit, though.
- Mm-hmm.

Um, and it may have some sort
of decoration on the inside.

You can see it there, but...

I think that has
to go back to the lab.

- Yep.
- Cause it's definitely Mi'kmaq.

This one's the most delicate
I've ever seen.

NARRATOR: Mi'kmaq pottery
discovered along the new stone feature?

As inhabitants of the lands
known today as Nova Scotia,

archaeological evidence suggests

that the indigenous
Mi'kmaq people

have been settled in this
region for at least 4,000 years.

Although much of their history
is uncertain,

it is widely documented
that the Mi'kmaq began trading

with European explorers as early
as the late 15th century.

You can see the striations
here, the lines.

We used to call this era
the ceramic period, right?

For the Mi'kmaq. But now
it's called the woodland period.

So this could be 500 years old.

It could be 2,500 years old.

It really depends on what's
revealed on the other side.

I've been expecting, ever
since I've been on Oak Island,

that we would find some
evidence of the Mi'kmaq here.

This evidence
that we're finding right now,

although it's really,
really early days,

and very little area
has been opened,

we need to communicate that
because of

the terms of the permit.

And consider the whole edge
of the swamp,

the eastern edge of the swamp,

as having high potential

for containing more artifacts.

I'm gonna take the ceramic
back to the archaeology trailer

- and let Rick know.
- Okay. All right.

Can you hold the fort?

- Absolutely.
- All right.

See you in a bit.

- Hey, guys.
- Hey!

- Hey, guys.
- Hey!

What's up today?

So, Laird is here with me,
and he has an update

- regarding the work in the southeast corner of the swamp.
- Okay.

NARRATOR: In the w*r room,
archaeologist Laird Niven

has called a meeting
with the Laginas

and their partner Craig Tester

to discuss the possible
indigenous pottery

that was discovered near
the mysterious stone feature

in the southeast corner
of the swamp.

One of the things that
is significantly different

this year than last is

the new regulations that
have come down from

Communities, Culture
and Heritage.

Laird made a significant find
of pottery

in the southeast corner
of the swamp.

So Laird is going
to bring us up to speed

in terms of what it may mean
for future investigation.

So, Laird, I'm going to toss it
to you and you can fill them in.

Well, we're finding
Mi'kmaq artifacts,

First Nations artifacts,
in the southeast corner.

Like what items?
What are you finding?

Pottery.

Some Mi'kmaq pottery.

- Oh, really?
- Yeah.

But we did have a visit

from Community,
Culture and Heritage.

- I think it was a very productive visit.
- A positive one.

And they were thrilled
with the find.

And to me it showed
that we're doing our job.

Because it was so careful,

we were able to basically
not disturb anything.

So they were thrilled with that.

But one thing they need to do is
get a hold of Acadia First Nation

and see if they're interested

in coming to the island
for a site visit.

CRAIG:
I think that's a great idea.

Let's do it. I don't have
a problem with that.

But Laird has brought up
a concern,

- and I think it needs to be addressed.
- Okay.

LAIRD: Because of
the Mi'kmaq artifacts,

Community, Culture and Heritage

may require us

- to stop work in that area.
- Okay.

NARRATOR:
Although finding artifacts

that may date back
more than 20 centuries

on Oak Island is exciting,

their potential connection to
the Mi'kmaq people could result

in the provincial Department of
Community, Culture and Heritage

and the Acadia
First Nation Mi'kmaq Council

declaring the eastern portion
of the swamp off-limits

for further search activity.

We're trying to find a way
to work within the constraints

- of CCH...
- Mm-hmm.

To find a way to move forward
on all fronts.

We've been doing
everything right.

I'm hopeful that all sides
will enter into a very fruitful

and honest discussion
about how we can mitigate.

MARTY:
Yeah, I agree.

Are we going to cooperate?

Hell yes. Are we going
to do it right? Yes.

Are we going to follow
the rules? Yes.

Because we have found
First Nation artifacts

here on Oak Island,
we have a duty to notify

both CCH and First Nation.

Am I worried about what they
might say or do or require?

Yeah, I'm concerned,
because, look,

it's yet another level
of supervision.

But does that dissuade me
from doing it?

No, it's the right thing to do.

They have certain rights
under Nova Scotia law.

We're gonna abide by that.

RICK:
The overarching realization

has to be that,
without the mystery,

nothing else goes on.

Without you trying to solve
the mystery,

nothing else goes on.

RICK:
CCH is well-intentioned,

but they have said...
And I hope we hold them to it...

That they will work with us.

Well, you know, look,
appreciate the update.

I guess Laird will do his thing
over there in the southeast

until he's satisfied

and CCH is satisfied, and
we'll... we'll go dig elsewhere.

- Oh, yeah.
- I agree. We have to take advantage

of what we can do
in the near term.

Okay, well, carry on.

- All right.
- Okey doke. Hopefully we'll have

another update for you
that's a bit more positive.

(Rick chuckles)

Okay, Rick. Thanks.

- RICK: See you, guys.
- MARTY: Yeah. Bye-bye.

NARRATOR:
Later that afternoon...

while the core-drilling
operation continues

in the Money Pit area...

STEVE G.: Rick asked me to survey
the patch that we're standing on.

I do have that image now.

When you projected
the two things that I asked you

- to project, was there any aha moments?
- Yeah. Yeah, actually.

We'll talk about that.

NARRATOR:
Rick Lagina and Laird Niven

head back to the southeast
corner of the swamp

with other members of the team.

I don't have an opinion.
I have facts.

NARRATOR: They have
gathered to receive a report

from surveyor Steve Guptill

regarding the stone feature
discovered one day ago

and the direction
it may be heading.

Here is an overview of the area.

And here is a projection
of the current path

we're standing on.

So this is the cobble path
from last year.

It hits the cobble
that we found this year,

which is what we're standing on.

The elevation is very close.

Now, that is
one foot, eight inches.

Where it joins here,
this is it here.

This is a larger overview.

Rick asked me
to project the line

on the north and south side.

I projected this cobble path
across the lots.

And so, when you project this
path, it heads to the Money Pit.

- This path?
- This path here.

Look right here.

There's the Money Pit grid.

- Yep.
- C-1 is right there.

It projects just north
of C-1 a couple feet.

That's interesting.

IAN:
It makes some sense,

because we're going
into the upland here.

- Yeah.
- This is it.

This is what
we've been looking for.

Right.

NARRATOR: Has the team now
unearthed a previously hidden section

of the stone pathway?

One that leads directly
from the stone wharf

to the C-1 cluster
in the Money Pit area?

The same area where they
have not only found evidence

of silver and gold
deep below ground,

but also where they
are currently drilling

in search
of the legendary treasure vault?

If so, what other valuable clues
might they discover here?

RICK: I don't know that
any of us were expecting

what we'll call
the "stone path."

But let's expand the search area

and try to find out, you know,
additional information.

IAN: I think something really
important's being found here.

They were going this way.

- And why go this way if you're a fisherman or a farmer?
- RICK: Right.

- Okay. Well, let's try to understand this feature.
- Absolutely.

NARRATOR: As another
day begins on Oak Island,

and while the excavation of
the possible stone path feature

in the southeast corner
of the swamp continues...

CRAIG:
Okay, we got our sample coming.

NARRATOR:
in the Money Pit area,

Craig Tester

and geologist Terry Matheson...

continue to oversee
the core-drilling operation

in the C-1 cluster
at Borehole B-4...

Eighty-nine?

A borehole that they hope

will eventually encounter
more evidence

of the legendary Chappell Vault

at a depth
of approximately 150 feet.

- 89.
- 89. Thank you.

83 to 89.

Here in front of us.
What do we got?

STEVE G.:
Anything going on down there?

- Yeah.
- Yeah?

CRAIG: Yeah. A little bit
of wood at the very bottom.

(chuckles):
Look at that. Wow.

NARRATOR:
Wood? Found at a depth

of nearly 90 feet
in Borehole B-4?

-TERRY: Okay, We got disturbed
material, -Right on the edge there.

- Yeah.
- We're close to our tunnel horizon.

We hit it 88 to 92.

So we're
right in the sweet spot here.

Looks like we got something
very interesting.

NARRATOR: Although they were
hoping to reach a structure much deeper,

it was at a depth
of some 90 feet where,

one week ago, the team
obtained not only wood,

but also the gold object
from Borehole D-2.

Is it possible that they've just
encountered the same structure?

And, if so,

could it also be connected
to the evidence

of a massive source
of gold and silver

recently detected
through water sample testing?

We have somebody shaping wood
to make a tunnel or a shaft.

The next drill intersection
will tell the tale, hopefully.

The core drill is
coming out of the ground now.

- CHARLES: Here we go.
- Here we go.

RICK: Every time the drill goes
down now versus other years,

the hope is to slice open

the plastic, and voilà,
there's gold, there's silver.

Part of a chest.
Part of something.

A definite.
Maybe even the one,

my long sought after,
elusive one thing.

There is something down there.

Core intersection,

- we'll see what it tells us.
- 93.

- 93?
- Thank you.

All right.

- Oh! I can see goodness.
- Yep.

- You see something?
- I can see

definitely something of interest
right about there.

- Okay, whoa, look at that, gentlemen.
- There we go.

That looks like we went right
through the floor of a tunnel.

That is definitely sawn wood,

and it looks like
a relatively irregular handsaw.

Craig, what do you think?

Yeah, I'm with you.

This part, the blades are coming
at a little different angle.

Yeah. That says
somebody's heaving and pulling.

Yep.

STEVE G.:
So, based on what we see,

would you call this a shaft
or a tunnel?

That could well be
the floor planks

of a tunnel, definitely.

TERRY: We've got a
very, very interesting area

in and around C-1.

STEVE G.: It almost
seems like we can't miss.

NARRATOR:
Later that afternoon,

after being alerted
by Laird Niven

of an update from the Department

of Community,
Culture and Heritage...

- Hey, Rick.
- Hey, Rick.

Rick Lagina has called
an emergency meeting

with his brother Marty,
their partner Craig Tester,

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

RICK:
We have everybody here

that could come out of the field
in the w*r room right now.

And you know what the discussion
is related to:

the archaeological work

and the fallout, if you will,
from notifying

the Acadia First Nations.

And I wanted everyone
to understand

the current situation.

So, Laird, if you want
to bring everyone up to speed.

Well, basically,
Acadia First Nation

got hold of Community,
Culture and Heritage.

MARTY:
Okay.

And before you go
any further, Laird,

it's the pottery
that's causing the concern?

Presumably so, yeah.

The pottery we found

mean that they were there
for some period of time.

How long they were there,
we don't know.

They have requested maps
and all the information

and all the data
as regards the finds,

the locations, the depths,
the elevations.

Steve is working on that,
and I have some suspicion

and belief that
they won't respond

until that information is
in hand.

Yeah.

And the archaeologists asked

that we stop down.

Stop work at the area where
we're finding the artifacts.

It's just a blanket prohibition,

because they
haven't been here yet.

I see.

I.e. "you must cease."
And those were...

that was the verbiage:
"you must cease

and desist immediately."

Well...

Honestly, I'm becoming

increasingly more frustrated
with this whole thing.

NARRATOR:
In the w*r room,

Rick Lagina
and archaeologist Laird Niven

have just informed
the Oak Island team that

the provincial Department of
Community, Culture and Heritage

are restricting search activity

in the southeast corner
of the swamp,

after the team unearthed

indigenous Mi'kmaq artifacts
there.

RICK: I think
what we're trying to do

is understand exactly
what the prohibitions are.

- Correct?
- Yeah.

STEVE G.:
Let me show you some areas.

I'll share my screen, Marty.

MARTY: What is the big green and
big red polygon to the right?

- What are those?
- So, this is for drilling.

We have free range
inside of the green.

Any activity inside the green,
we're allowed to pursue.

I see.

And the red?

Anything that falls
outside of the green,

we need special permission
to be inside of the red.

The problem is,

the area we're digging
seems to indicate

where the stone road and the
associated stone path was going.

Appears to be going
to the upland.

Appears to be going to...
towards the Money Pit.

MARTY:
We need to go dig over there.

Guess what. We can't.

Just look at that map
that's in front of us.

"See this green area?
Okay, guys, that can be yours.

The rest is kind of ours."
Look at the map.

(laughs):
It's... I mean, come on.

BILLY:
I'm with you, Marty.

And I know Oak Island is
a special place.

I get that, right?

But everything
that's been done...

And I'm with Marty on this one...
Everything that's been done

to this point,
there's far more oversight here.

I can go across the island

and dig all the holes
that I want to,

and nobody's gonna stop me.

It seems unfair
and it seems ridiculous.

Billy, that's
completely correct.

I'm not objecting to us

following the rules, okay?

Four acres

are now off-limits to us
on the island we own.

If we find more things

that are extremely important
archaeologically,

we may end up with red circles
all over the island.

In effect,
we're running the risk

of losing our property
by performing properly.

Our ability to work function
on our own island

is getting eroded
in leaps and bounds.

It is very discouraging to me.

And the more we cooperate
and the more we dig,

the more of our island we lose.

I... I'm almost to the point
of saying fine,

let's go in that green box
and let's throw in the towel

everywhere else.

Right now I am so discouraged
that I... I think

I would finish the year
in that green box,

and I'd say, You know what,
we're done. We're done."

I don't know, guys.

I don't know.

The stone road, which is...
could be so significant

to what we're trying to do,

is now in the center
of a red circle.

What do you want to do, Rick?

I hate to lay it on you,
but what do you want to do?

There's a way to move forward,
and I think we should.

I think there are areas
that continue to intrigue us.

The drilling program that
is progressing in the Money Pit

- provides real hope and promise.
- You're right.

This roadblock has been thrown
in front of us.

We're gonna go somewhere else,

and we're gonna find
something spectacular.

RICK:
We'll find a way through this.

There's a lot of work to do

that will help us move
the search agenda forward.

Sempre avanti. Just let's
just keep moving forward.

Okay.

RICK: It's just the
way it's going to be.

NARRATOR: A legendary
treasure has lured virtuous,

determined and skilled people
to Oak Island

for more than two centuries now.

For many,
what began with great hope

for the ultimate discovery
ended in disaster,

caused by forces that were
beyond their control.

Now, as Rick, Marty,
Craig and their team

are perhaps closer
than anyone before them

to solving this mystery,

those same forces are
bearing down on them, as well.

Is the curse of Oak Island

once again asserting its power,

ensuring that the answers
to the mystery

remain just out of reach?

Or can they prove that,
at long last,

the island
has finally met its match?

Next time
on The Curse of Oak Island...

- MARTY: Whoa-ho!
- TERRY: Wow!

If it's a shaft,
it's a very large shaft.

- (beeping)
- What the heck is that?

- To me, it looks like a chisel.
- Wow!

What the hell are these doing
on Oak Island?

The composition of the rocks
are quite unusual.

Whoa! A-U.

- That's gold.
- (chuckles)

CHRISTA: The really interesting
part of this particular object

is that there are
several gold flakes on it.

Wow.