Tonight on The Curse of Oak Island...
The metal-detecting calvary has arrived.
I've learned everything from him.
- Oh. - What is this beauty?
This looks like it's got a design on it.
How old could it be?
- Old. - Yeah.
It's the center of our next borehole.
It hasn't really been all that explored.
Could be anything there.
-Whoa, whoa, whoa. -We've got a lot of wood.
- This looks like the vault. - Really?
This could be the one.
There is an island in the North Atlantic
where people have been looking for
an incredible treasure for more than 200 years.
So far, they have found a stone slab
with strange symbols carved into it,
man-made workings that date to medieval times,
and a lead cross whose origin may be connected
to the Knights Templar.
To date, six men have died
trying to solve the mystery.
And according to legend, one more will have to die
before the treasure can be found.
Okay, guys, so...
borehole D.5-7.4 is done.
And if we all recall, we had important
data points that we needed to cover.
A new day has begun on Oak Island
for brothers Rick and Marty Lagina and their team,
but before they head back into the field
in search of a fabled treasure
and the answers to a 230-year-old mystery,
Rick has called a meeting in the research center
to review a recent and potentially critical discovery
in the Money Pit area.
So, Steve, exactly what happened to the hole?
At 98, 99 feet,
we got quite a large section of wood.
And Terry thought that felt like,
uh, that was a collapsed tunnel.
We believe there's some source
of metal that's coming from the south.
One week ago, geoscientist Dr. Ian Spooner
and his colleagues presented the team
with new groundwater testing data
indicating that the large source of precious metals
they have been trying to pinpoint
for more than three years
was no longer being detected in the area
of the so-called Baby Blob,
but instead,
was appearing more than 40 feet to the southwest,
where a number of previous treasure hunters have searched
but failed to locate
the original 13-foot-diameter Money Pit.
To follow up on the new test results,
the team drilled a new exploratory borehole
known as D.5-7.4.
Oh, wow.
-We got more wood. -And at a depth
of some 100 feet, they were astonished
to encounter compelling evidence
of a mysterious nine-foot-high tunnel.
We could be in the vicinity of the Money Pit.
We need to go back to the 3D model
and see if something of some size
- can be in that area. - Mm-hmm.
We have to look at all the data to try
and help us understand the Money Pit
and where the caissons are going to go.
So, here's the 3D model.
So, this is what it looks like in here.
Now, Rick is eager to review the team's records,
as well as those of previous treasure hunters,
to identify unexplored areas where they can look
for more evidence of the tunnel
and the precious metals that have been detected
more than 100 feet underground.
If successful, they will install
one or more large-diameter steel caissons
in order to recover them.
Can you put a 13-foot circle in that area?
Sure.
Hasn't... it hasn't really been all that explored.
There is nothing there.
- No information. - Right.
There could be anything there.
When we look at the depth here, of about 120 feet,
there's quite a bit of space where a potential vault
or treasure chamber could lay.
There's a lot of unexplored area here.
There's a lot of room underground.
Are we gonna put another hole down
in that zone to collect more data?
- Yep. - So, what's the grid location of this?
I suggest it's E.75-5.6?
That's the center of our next, uh, sonic borehole.
I think it's incredibly promising.
It's certainly a very good candidate
for "X marks the spot," for a caisson.
- Yeah. -So, I say
we put the rig on that spot.
- Let's get going. - All right.
Time grows short.
Later that morning...
We got to feed 60 feet in the hole and then drop her.
Oh, yeah.
...as the new core-drilling operation
gets underway in the Money Pit area...
There it is, in all its glory, Katya.
-Oh, my gosh. - Oak Island.
-So this is where the magic happens. - It is.
...metal detection expert Gary Drayton
arrives on the island with his protégé
and daughter Katya Drayton.
Okay, Katya, time to write another chapter
- in the Oak Island treasure book. - Let's do it.
Because of the numerous investigations
that the team is currently conducting across Oak Island...
And the concrete, finding the...
- Ah. There you are. - Hi, Rick. -Hey.
- It's so nice to finally meet you. - Nice to meet you.
...Gary has obtained the permission
of Rick, Marty and their partner Craig Tester
to have Katya visit for the next several weeks
and help search for critical clues.
- How proud of-- you are, of your daughter right now? -Oh.
This face says it all. I mean, having Katya here,
sharing the dream, it's magical.
What have you learned
from your father?
I've learned everything from him.
I've been metal-detecting and dragging
- a scoop since I was seven. - Really? Wow.
So, I have a question for you.
- Mm-hmm? - Do you think there's something here?
Precious metals, right? Top-pocket finds?
People wouldn't be coming here years after years after years
if there wasn't something here.
- Mm-hmm. - There's obviously treasure here.
-A true believer. -Your daughter is exuding
the kind of confidence that I wish
my nephews would exude.
But anyway, we were just talking about,
you know, the work that we would like you to-to begin,
and that is Smith's Cove.
I hope you've filled your daughter in
with the difficulty of that work.
Oh, yeah. The metal-detecting cavalry has arrived.
We're ready to rock and roll...
- Absolutely. - ...and find some treasure.
So, currently in Smith's Cove,
we're looking for the flood tunnel
and the Vertical Shaft.
Awesome. The flood tunnels.
The flood tunnels.
Let's find 'em.
Okay. Well, I'm good with digging deeper
- and see how it feels. -Yeah.
For the past three weeks,
the team has been excavating large trenches at Smith's Cove
in search of the legendary flood tunnel
that is believed to feed seawater
into the original Money Pit.
They have also been searching
for a feature known as the Vertical Shaft,
a one-and-a-half-foot diameter,
32-feet-deep stone-lined structure
that treasure hunter Robert Restall
discovered in 1961 and believed
was a shut-off valve for the flood tunnel.
This is the first bucket
- that has a bunch of same-size cobbles? -Yeah.
After unearthing cobblestones
that may be related to the booby trap...
- Is it concrete? - Yeah.
...and pieces of concrete potentially connected
to the Restall family's failed attempt
to plug up the Vertical Shaft...
...they are determined to locate
and cut off the flood trap
and then follow it back to the original
Money Pit treasure vault.
There's a lot of history here, and we hope you will be a part
of uncovering that history, so welcome aboard.
- Thank you so much. - I really appreciate both of you.
Let's take care of business, Katya.
Following their meeting in the research center...
-Hi, everybody. -Billy, we finally got
a decent metal detector joining us.
This is Katya.
- Nice to meet you. -Hi, Katya.
We're excited to have you.
...Katya Drayton joins Craig Tester,
Jack Begley and Billy Gerhardt
to continue the excavation at Smith's Cove.
And you're fine if I go on the far side?
- Yep. - O-Observe from there and you two will
metal-detect and dig on this side.
- Okay? - Let's find some history.
-Yeah. -Yeah. - Sounds great.
Once the original searchers discovered
there was a possibility of a connection
between the Money Pit and Smith's Cove,
they conducted all kinds of interruptive processes
in Smith's Cove.
If we find the associated flood tunnel,
it should point us directly to "X marks the spot."
Let's start up here
- and we'll move our way over. - All right.
The flood tunnel is something that I have been suspect about.
And then, last year, lo and behold,
we hit something that,
you know, just floods out the Garden Shaft
at enormous rates, and it is seawater.
So, it comes right back to the front
that maybe this thing does exist,
but I sure would like to see it.
If we find a flood tunnel,
packed with rocks, whose only purpose
is to transmit fluids,
there's no alternative explanation.
- All right, let's go. - All right. Let's dive in.
My specialty is definitely beach hunting.
Thankfully, I have someone
who has trained me thoroughly in the past,
but moving from beach to land and field
or spoil-hunting
is definitely a big jump for, I think, anyone.
But I learned a lot of things with my dad.
- Let's see what it is. - Right in the middle there?
Let's see if I moved it.
-Okay, so, it's out. - That's something.
You're on it, whatever it is.
Oh. Is it that whole thing?
I think it is.
What is this beauty?
I think that's a big chunk of iron.
-Yeah. - The fun thing is, is we can take that
back to the lab and then Emma can see through it.
- Good find. - Let's go.
Billy.
It looks like there's a, a beam
right at the end of your pull.
Right when you start coming up, right at that spot,
it looks like you clipped part of it.
- Right in the side. Okay. - Yeah.
A wooden beam?
Could it be more evidence
of work done by the Restall family
in their failed efforts
to locate the flood tunnel in the 1960s?
Or could it be connected
to those who created the flood trap
centuries ago in order to protect
whatever lies buried in the Money Pit?
I think we might be into something there, Craig.
Because the last board I pulled out is, you know,
was on its edge.
And you can see going up the wall
on this side, three in a row there now.
-But some have been vertical? - Yeah.
- Three have been vertical, yeah. - Okay.
It looks to me, it could be
the outline of a shaft in through here.
Yep.
It's amazing.
It looks to me, it could be
the outline of a shaft in through here.
- Yep. -It's a lot darker material
- and there's some wood in it. -Yeah.
While excavating
a massive trench at Smith's Cove,
members of the Oak Island team have just uncovered
the possible remains of a mysterious wooden shaft.
What are you seeing, Craig?
See, in this area, how dark it is
and there is some wood in with it?
-Oh, yeah. -On the sides here,
you can see how it's a more tannish brown color.
-Evidence of a shaft. - Potentially. Yeah.
How deep are we gonna go with this?
20 feet for sure, I would think.
All right. Well, keep your eyes peeled.
We start bringing up some wood and this is where
the flood tunnel should be running through.
So, was it Restall work or was it original people work?
So, hopefully, we can get down and see
if the flood tunnel is there.
Jack, that board on top,
it just looks like it's got a funny end.
Yeah. It's notched.
Let me pull this out.
Good eye, Billy.
What's this for? One of the sides?
Maybe.
What are you seeing from your side?
The last board I pulled out is
on its edge and you can see it going up the wall on this side.
Yeah. I can see a couple over here sticking out.
We got three pieces,
but they're a little bit different.
I don't know what that tells you.
Yeah. You can see a couple of beams.
So, is it Restalls?
- Is it original people? - Yeah.
Getting down awful deep here, though.
These three boards,
they're all three different sizes,
which to me,
tends to mean it's older.
Maybe it's related to the flood tunnel.
Maybe it leads to treasure.
So we need to keep digging down here.
I'd definitely keep these boards as they're coming up,
we might be able to send it in
for dendrochronology and get an age on it.
I think we just need to keep going deeper.
Only one way to find out.
Okay. Let's continue.
As the excavation proceeds at Smith's Cove...
-Time for one more run? -Okay.
...and while the core-drilling operation continues
in the Money Pit area,
nearly half a mile away on Lot 5, located
on the western side of the island...
Hey, guys. How's it going?
Hey, Peter.
...Peter Fornetti joins
archaeologist Laird Niven
and other members of the team
as they methodically investigate
a mysterious stone foundation near the shoreline.
So, you're working down in this area?
It's kind of an "annex" to the main, uh, foundation.
And last year it was covered
in big stones all lining it.
And so we've removed some of those,
and so I'm working to the north
to try to define the north wall.
This area is really interesting to me,
just because of the potential match to the Money Pit.
Yeah. Absolutely.
Since Lot 5 was first acquired
by the Laginas and Craig Tester
in 2022, the team has made a number of discoveries
in this feature that suggest
it may have been occupied by different groups
spanning hundreds of years.
These include iron tools
and a cut English silver coin
dating back to the late 1600s,
a button with a starburst design,
as well as a lead barter token,
which may date back to as early as the 14th century,
and a mortar-like material
that matches soil samples recovered
from more than 100 feet deep in the Money Pit area.
Now, Rick, Marty and Craig are hoping to find
definitive evidence that will help identify
who created the structure and what else it may contain
that will help solve the 230-year-old mystery.
Oh, wow. Look at this.
What have you got?
- We have a pipe stem. -Oh!
Oh, wow.
Yeah. Wonder if there's anything on it.
- Yeah. -Laird!
- Yo! -We've got a TD
- pipe stem. -That's cool.
It's the part where
the stem meets the bowl and on the heel we've got
TD initials.
Yeah. So the TD stands for Thomas Dormer,
who was a, an English pipe maker in the mid-1700s.
Yeah.
Given the artifacts
that are coming out of this feature on Lot 5,
and that some predate the Money Pit discovery,
and now given that we've managed
to match soils on both of the features
to soils from the Money Pit...
All right. Here you go.
...it's really difficult to deny that this is
a large operation.
And hopefully we'll find an artifact
that can tell us who they were.
Well, that's great. And just the start.
Just the start.
While the excavation
of the stone feature on Lot 5 continues...
...later that afternoon...
...several yards to the west on Lot 4...
All right, mate.
I'm ready for these spoils
here to get a Jack attack and find some good stuff.
- Let's get after it. - Okay, mate.
...Gary Drayton and Jack Begley
prepare to once again
search for clues in more than ten tons of spoils
that were recently removed
from the nearby stone foundation on Lot 5.
Work your magic, Gary.
Oh.
So we've got something just there.
Is it on that top layer?
Move this plug.
And that is ringing loud and clear.
- Here it is! - Oh, is that a coin?
- Yeah! - Oh... No, it's a button.
Wait.
Dang. I thought that was a coin. Look.
-Oh, yeah. -See the curve in it?
And that's the base of the loop.
Wow. That's been through the ringer,
- that has, innit? Look. - Yeah.
But it's a great start, mate.
Another little button.
We have found a heck of a lot of buttons in these spoils.
Bingo! We've just found another nice,
old button in the Lot 5 spoils.
I'm excited about this
because I can see it's irregular
and I know it was a banging signal in the area
where we have found a lot of other artifacts.
Yeah. When we first saw that, I mean, my toes were tingling.
I thought it was gonna be a coin.
Okay, mate.
We'll put it in the bag and keep moving.
Movin' and a-groovin'.
- Let's go, Gary. -All right. Nice and slow.
Ooh! Right into it.
Nonferrous.
That is not iron.
Here we go.
Come on.
Another coin or button would be great.
Yeah.
Here we go. It's in...
It's getting smaller.
Let's see what we got.
Oh, a lead ball.
- Whoa. - It's a another lead shot.
Love it, mate. A little bit of armament.
And I'm sure when it gets back to the lab,
they'll run scans on it
and test it
- and see what caliber it is. -Mm-hmm.
Okay, mate. I'll put it in the bag.
I always like finding old ammo.
Yeah, I feel pretty good at the moment.
But let's try and top it.
Lot 5 had a specific use
and we haven't figured out exactly what that use is yet.
But every little piece of the puzzle helps us
figure out more and more.
Hopefully, we're able to find
some older artifacts that directly tie with
who was here.
- That sounds... - That doesn't sound too bad.
Here. Let's have this out, mate.
Just there.
It's still a strong signal.
Ooh!
Whoa.
We might have found a piece of silver, mate.
No way!
We found silver!
- Ooh! - Oh, wow!
- It is. - Look at it.
While searching through spoils
that were removed from the mysterious stone foundation
located on Lot 5 of Oak Island...
Look at that patina, mate. Look at that shine.
...Gary Drayton and Jack Begley
have just discovered what may be a piece of buried treasure.
That's a bobby-dazzler, all right.
This is what we're here for, mate.
It's a treasure hunt. Silver, mate.
Oh, yeah.
This is definitely a clue to whatever is going on on Lot 5.
This looks like
a-an hammered piece of silver.
While the team has speculated
that the stone foundation on Lot 5
may have been used as a campsite
during the construction of the Money Pit,
if Gary is correct that this artifact
is indeed made of silver,
could he and Jack have just found evidence
that the feature may have also been used to hide valuables?
The archeologists are just right over there.
Why don't I send Helen a text
and see if she wants to take a look at this?
Yeah. Perfect, mate,
because the archeologists are gonna be excited about this.
This little piece in me hand makes me very happy,
because I'm pretty certain
this is a cut piece of silver.
And if Helen, the archeologist, confirms it,
to me, that smacks of some kind of treasure business
- going on on Lot 5. -Hey, Jack.
- Hey, Helen. - You summoned me? - Hi, Helen.
We got something you'd like to see.
-Check this out. - Oh, my heavens,
- it's tiny. - What's your thoughts on this?
Yeah. Look at it.
Ooh, look at that.
It looks like silver to me.
- Yeah. That was our hope. - We knew it.
And it's got quite the shine to it.
It looks like that edge has been cut, right?
- It's very thin. -Yeah.
I think this could be a version of a very old coin.
A possible silver coin?
If archaeologist Helen Sheldon is correct,
then just how old might it be?
And could it help identify
just who originally created the feature on Lot 5?
We can take it back and Emma can scan it
- and make sure it is silver, but it definitely looks it. -Yeah.
- Yeah. It's got that look about it. -Yeah.
It does have that look about it, yeah. So, yeah.
- Good job. Go and find... -Yeah. Thanks.
- ...some more for us. - Yeah. We will.
- Thanks, Helen. - Yep. Thanks, Helen.
And this is going in the top pocket.
- Great digging, mate. - Oh, yeah.
Great find.
The following morning...
-We have a core, gentlemen. -Here we go.
109.
Thank you. 109. Appreciate it.
...in the Money Pit area,
geologist Terry Matheson
and Oak Island historian Charles Barkhouse
monitor the core-drilling operation
in borehole E.75-5.6,
a borehole located just 11 feet southwest
of where the team encountered
a mysterious nine-foot-high tunnel
one week ago, and in the same area
where high trace evidence of gold has been detected
more than 100 feet underground.
Well, let's have a look, shall we?
Got a scalpel.
Let's give her a cut here, see what's up.
Okay. That is looking in situ.
This looks very much in situ.
I got some wood pieces down here, Terry.
-At 109. - Interesting.
If this here is in-situ down to 109...
- Yeah. - ...then anything we find below,
possibly, is a structure,
whether it's a tunnel or part of a shaft that we go into.
Yeah. I concur with that analysis.
More wood at a depth of 109 feet?
And below a section of earth
that appears to be in situ, or undisturbed?
Could that mean that the team has, in fact,
hit the mysterious tunnel again?
If so, might they be one step closer
to also locating the source of the precious metals
that have been detected in the area?
We need targets for the caissons,
and I believe the sonic drilling might lead us
to a place where the digging of these big holes
with the caissons will be fruitful.
It's to 115.
115? Okay, thank you.
Oh, yeah.
There's the blackened wood.
Given that we hit the top of something at 109,
this whole section here could be the inside of a tunnel.
This whole section here could be
- the inside of a tunnel. - We had success in D.5-7.4
and we seem to be having very similar success here.
- Okay. -It is a potentially critical moment
in the Money Pit area for Craig Tester
and other members of the Oak Island team.
Do we know of any tunnels in and around this area?
No.
At a depth of nearly 110 feet
in borehole E.75-5.6,
they have just recovered new evidence
of an unknown tunnel,
and in the same area where a large source
of precious metals has been detected
through groundwater testing.
Here's the core.
Patient on the table. Thank you.
- There we are. - It's, uh, 123.
123.
- We got some wood down here. - Yeah.
There's wood for sure. There's wood all through it.
Mike!
This is not in situ.
This could be the bottom of our tunnel right there.
So, we potentially have a tunnel from 110 to 117.
- Yeah. -If Terry Matheson
and driller Mike Tedford are correct,
then the team has now encountered
a previously undocumented tunnel
for the second time in the last week.
The critical question that remains is:
could it be connected to the original Money Pit
and the fabled treasure that people
have been trying to unearth for more than two centuries?
- Just keep on drilling. - All righty.
- Appreciate it, Mike. - No problem.
This is a very, you know, interesting area to me.
We do have
some deeper wood in the general area.
Um, so, you know, I'm eager to-to drill it
and see if this can be a-a place to put down a caisson.
I-I think we're in agreement that we're just gonna carry on
- 'cause there's fresh information below. - Okay.
I'm with you, yeah. Let's do that.
As the core-drilling operation continues
in the Money Pit area...
-Hey, Rick. How's it going? -Hey, Scott.
-Hey. -Hey.
Did you guys have any luck finding the shaft?
No, we didn't see anything
that would've indicated a vertical shaft
like the Restalls found.
...Rick Lagina and Scott Barlow
arrive at Smith's Cove after being alerted
that, despite the promising evidence
of a possible shaft that was found
just one day ago,
unfortunately, no further signs of man-made workings
or the legendary flood tunnel have been uncovered.
We didn't even see the ground disturbed,
you know, where-where they indicated it was.
What about that backfill location?
There was some wood up top, but not very deep.
You were at your maximum depth, though,
weren't you, in the majority of the dig?
We were in the 40s, I would say, easily.
We're at the limit of the excavator's reach.
Unfortunately, it might be a little bit deeper.
There's still the possibility of something being here.
And we have to go back and create a new plan.
Certainly, there is a limit to the ability
to do an excavation, and we have reached that limit.
We're not done here yet.
I think there's a possibility
that we may endeavor to do this again.
Maybe by a different means or methods.
There are some answers still in Smith's Cove.
Y-You know what?
Every situation, there is some positive takeaway.
We did find the cement.
That was in the '60s, when the Restalls were here.
That's a huge plus.
Based on this work here,
and the find of the concrete, we have some belief
that the projected line is accurate,
and we can project those lines in the Money Pit.
At least in my perspective,
I do, actually, think some of the puzzle
is coming together.
-Yeah. -Yeah.
I think here,
- we're done for now. - Yeah.
We can always come back to here.
- Yep. -So, let's just
switch gears and get out there and get after it.
-Yeah. -Let's do it.
The following morning...
Interesting finds we've been pulling out
of the spoils on Lot 4.
It's like, every time we go there now,
we're finding small artifacts.
...Rick and other members of the team
meet with archaeometallurgist Emma Culligan in the lab
regarding the silver artifact
and the lead ball that were found one day ago
in the spoils from the stone foundation on Lot 5.
Have you had a chance to scan them, Emma?
So, yeah, so, I've done an XRF, um, a few points.
Prior to today's meeting, Emma scanned the artifacts
in an XRF, or X-ray fluorescence device,
which employs nondestructive radiation
in order to determine an object's chemical composition.
So, the hammered silver is modern, unfortunately.
The main indicator is the high aluminum content,
which makes it... just undeniably modern.
That's surprising.
Emma has suggested that,
because of the high aluminum content,
it has to be more modern.
You know, that's not information that we want.
But it's still treasure.
It still has that lure, that fascination
that-that leaves the glint in your eye.
There's no question about it, but...
but we're looking for something more than that.
But the lead ball has proved to be more interesting.
This is the first time I've seen it cleaned up.
I assumed it was just a lead pistol ball.
It looks almost like it's got a design on it from here.
Yeah, that's not just from carrying
it around in your pocket,
- or something like that and chaffing. -Yeah.
This looks like it's been made like that on purpose.
Soldiers were famous for being bored in the trenches
and carving, um, objects and musket balls,
and pieces of lead.
It is unusually, almost pitted I guess you'd call it.
And I have no idea why.
But this has been used for something else
that we haven't figured out yet.
-Hm. -It is pure lead.
Um, and I'm not seeing any intentional alloying elements,
so it's not a modern piece.
Um, all these are naturally inputted.
How old could it be?
It has been used for a very long period of time.
You've always been very consistent
that that feature on Lot 5 is much older
than the current artifact recovery.
Is that still your intuition?
I would say it's older, I think.
And what is that window?
Well before 1700.
And you're saying that this indeed
could fit that metric as well.
Yes.
Wow. That's exciting.
I would say it's older. Well before 1700.
- Yes. - Wow.
- So, it is old. - Love it.
A potentially critical revelation
has just been made in the Oak Island Laboratory,
as archaeometallurgist Emma Culligan
has scientifically proven that a piece of lead shot,
found in the large stone foundation on Lot 5,
could date back to the 1600s, or earlier.
- What the heck was going on on Lot 5? - Don't ask me.
Such a wide variety of finds, as well.
All of them different. All of them unique.
Mm-hmm.
Pre-Money Pit story, for sure.
-Yeah. - Yeah.
And one other artifact that was collected from that area
- that is also old was that scalloped disk. -Oh, yeah.
I believe that scalloped disk is really old.
Yeah. Well, the starburst button,
- it dates before the 18th century. - Yeah.
- So, it's definitely worth further research. - Yeah.
Specifically, into the design.
Could the team's mounting discoveries
that predate the 1800s,
such as the lead shot,
the scalloped lead barter token
and the button bearing a starburst design,
represent critical clues that they're getting closer
to identifying just who created the rounded foundation on Lot 5,
and perhaps the original Money Pit?
We've got some homework to do.
- Yep. -I do think it's important.
So, let's see if we can't figure that out
- amongst all the other mysteries. - Yeah.
To me, it speaks eloquently to why this lab is here
and why you are here.
- Sure, yeah. -All right, mate.
- Let's get stuck back in and find some more. - Let's go do it.
-See you later, guys. -Thank you. See ya.
As Rick and members of the team
conclude their meeting in the lab...
We have a core, gentlemen.
Here it comes. Thank you.
-149. - Thank you. 149. Appreciate it.
It's all in situ to 149.
- Hey, guys. - Craig, how you doing? - Hey.
- Good. Good. - 149 to 161 feet.
- They gave us a little extra, Craig. - That was nice.
...Craig Tester arrives in the Money Pit area
to check on the progress of the drilling operation
in borehole E.75-5.6.
A borehole located in the area
where precious metals have been detected
more than 100 feet below ground.
Here we go.
Okay, we got a little bit of wood here.
- Oh, we got wood! - Huge wood.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. -We got a lot of wood.
Absolutely.
Well, that's a beam, for sure.
Pretty solid.
It looks like we have possibly a plank,
a beam, and a plank-- or, you know, two small beams
sandwiching a very large beam.
This is distinctly and pretty much certainly
some kind of a structure
that is somewhat collapsed at this point.
If you look right there, what is that?
Does that look like concrete to you?
We've got a structure here that has
cobbles and gravel at the top and bottom.
- Oh, yeah. - There it is there.
What is the biggest constituent of cement?
- It's limestone. -Yeah.
Limestone like this could be misinterpreted as cement.
So, we're seeing something that's similar to concrete.
Potentially, yep.
-Wood. - Yeah. - Yeah.
A middle section.
Then wood again.
- And concrete after that. - Yeah.
Charles, to me, this sounds like the Chappell Vault.
The way Chappell and Blair described it.
Yeah. That's very interesting.
Incredibly interesting.
The Chappell Vault?
In 1897, treasure hunters
Frederick Blair and William Chappell
drilled into what they described as a seven-foot-tall wooden box,
encased in concrete, at a depth of 153 feet.
Upon extracting their drill bit,
they were astonished to find traces of gold,
as well as a piece of parchment
with the letters "VI" written on it.
This looks like two to three different types of wood.
- Yeah. -It's definitely stacked beams.
Could the team have intercepted the legendary Chappell Vault?
And the source of the possible treasure
that has been detected deep underground in this area?
We're drilling in an area where Chappell put his shaft down.
Obviously, he was looking for the vault.
Is this going to be a point
where we decide to put in a caisson?
We don't know, but this evidence is-is helping build that case.
Perhaps we're at the periphery of the actual vault itself.
We could be.
I'll text Rick.
He needs to take a look at this.
No question.
-Charles. Terry. -Hey, Rick.
-Hi, Rick. How you doing? - Good news.
Good news? Okay.
In the Money Pit area,
Rick Lagina joins Craig Tester and other members of the team
after being alerted to a potentially historic discovery
more than 150 feet underground
in borehole E.75-5.6.
We hit wood. This is the base of it
is at 159 and it hit the top at 155.
So, the question is, is it potentially the vault?
Interesting.
In going through the vault, they indicated
they went through concrete
and went through the treasure chests,
went right into wood from the vault,
and then out the bottom, and into clay.
Well, this, to me,
looks like different types of wood are here,
and then it goes right into the clay.
And as, uh, Peter found, you know, is that concrete
or could've been interpreted to be concrete years and years ago?
I think this is our best location yet.
- Yeah. This is very interesting. -Wow.
I mean, this is the most excited I've ever been
- at the drill table. - Really?
This data, when you gather it all together,
could possibly represent evidence of the Chappell Vault.
That's huge.
So, we have to look at all of the data
in a very cool, calm and collected way,
because it's easy to jump to conclusions in the Money Pit.
But in the moment, yeah,
it's very interesting and quite exciting.
Charles, what do you make of it?
I-I'm fascinated by this to find that wood at this depth.
- Yeah. -It's certainly
one of the prime candidates
- for a caisson. You know. - Agreed.
Since the beginning of this year,
Rick, Marty and Craig have been hoping
to mark potential targets that would justify
sinking massive steel caissons
with diameters of at least seven feet, or more.
After tirelessly working to pinpoint the source
of precious metals that have been detected
in the Money Pit area,
might they have finally succeeded?
The cool thing is that we're all together at this point.
Right? There's excitement. There's interest.
There's data to be analyzed.
Everyone has a ticket to the game, right?
- Yep. - So, stay in the game
and on to the next hole to hopefully confirm this.
And do a proper recording of the data
that we have in front of us.
Yeah. We got a lot to do here.
-Yeah. - And a lot of samples to grab.
- Yeah. - Let's keep going.
Pretty exciting.
For more than two centuries,
the enigma of the Money Pit
and the ingenious booby trap believed to protect it,
have defied all who dared to search for what lies below.
Many have lost fortunes in the pursuit.
And some have even paid the ultimate price.
But now, as Rick, Marty, Craig and their team
collect more critical clues,
and continue to zero in on the fabled treasure vault,
perhaps the ultimate question that they must answer is:
Can they defy
the curse of Oak Island?
Next time on The Curse of Oak Island...
We're now gonna move to the swamp.
- See this log here? - Yeah.
Somebody built this with purpose.
What in the heck is going on?
I think I found something kind of cool.
No way, Moya!
We came across a really interesting artifact.
It's Venetian.
So, that feature is much older than we thought.
- Yeah. - We got wood.
-Wow. - I think we have found the Money Pit.
- That's amazing. - It's all coming together.
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