The Curse of Oak Island (2014–…): Season 6, Episode 1 - Rick's Big Bang Theory - full transcript

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

a special two-hour premiere.

MARTY: This is gonna be
the biggest year ever.

There's no more guesswork.

MARTY: We have discovered
new technology.

Here it comes.

JEREMY: Right near the circle,
there's a possible shaft.

We know there's a tunnel here.

Let's get to work.

CRAIG: They're gonna take
a sample of the lead cross.

This has some story to tell us.



-(high-pitched whining)
-Look!

It's another bobby-dazzler.

We did it again.

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 died

trying to solve the mystery.

And, according to legend,



one more will have to die

before the treasure
can be found.

♪ ♪

It is the beginning
of another new year

on Oak Island...

MARTY:
Okay. Big brother, here we go.

-This year the dream comes true.
-Oh, yeah.

NARRATOR: ...and for brothers
Rick and Marty Lagina,

it is also shaping up
to be the most productive

and successful season yet
in their quest

to solve
a 223-year-old mystery.

How you feeling about this year?

Boy, we certainly have a box
full of puzzle pieces.

-Yeah.
-And it's about time
we stepped up to the plate

and start putting
the puzzle pieces together.

-Yep.
-Okay, so, where's your belief

that something happened on Oak
Island, scale of one to ten?

I'd say I am 70% convinced
that something

-very, very out of the ordinary
-Out of the ordinary.

occurred on Oak Island.

That's a long way
from where you were.

Long way from where
I started, yes.

-Long way.
-Well, here's where
I'm at, Rick, I mean,

this thing has been way harder
than I thought.

-I know.
-But it's exciting,

-the things we laid out
on that table last year.
-I know.

-And that drives me
and that motivates me.
-I agree.

We're looking at a display
of the year's finds.

NARRATOR: Last year saw
the Laginas and their partners

make some of their most
astonishing discoveries

to date, including
two 17th-century coins,

a brooch containing
a hand-carved,

semiprecious gemstone,

and a mysterious lead cross,
which appears eerily similar

to one carved in the wall of a
Templar prison in Domme, France

and may date as far back
as the 14th century.

I think the lead cross is
the single most important item

found on Oak Island that
we are absolutely sure of.

I think there's a lot more
to be learned about that cross.

MARTY:
Rick, I tell you.

Every year is, "This is the
year, this is the year."

Well, you know what,
it's made me feisty.

And I say we throw
every damn resource we have

-at it this year.
-Yep. Yep.

So, I'm feeling like this year
is, it's go big or go home.

-(laughs)
-Here we go!

Once more into the breach!

I have come a long ways
towards being convinced

that something extraordinary
happened on this island.

We're finding some things

that are really,
really hard to explain,

so I'd like to see us
do something

ten times as big
as we did last year.

I'm just gratified
to hear him say that.

(chuckles) So, I'm good.

MARTY:
Here we are.

Oh, wow, that's very nice.

NARRATOR: Because of the
increasing number of visitors

to the island
during the summer months,

Rick, Marty and their
Oak Island partners

have built a second,
even more private, war room

on another area of the island.

Nice.

-You like that?
-Yeah.

-There they are.
-(overlapping chatter)

The fellowship of the dig. Yes!

Good to see you guys,
good to see you guys.

NARRATOR: But even though
the building is new,

the inside remains
comfortably familiar.

Charles. David.

-Marty!
-How goes treasure hunting,
buddy?

-(laughs) Good.
-Hey, Craig, Jack.

There's no question that
this is a treasure hunt,

but it's not just
looking for treasure.

-There's the man.
-Hi, Marty.

Daniel. Good to see you, bud.

-You're looking younger
every year.
-(laughter)

RICK: It's also for the shared
experience that we have,

the Oak Island family.

-This is the year?
-MARTY: Oh, stop it.

(laughter)

RICK:
I know that we're all committed

to pushing the envelope
this year

in a variety of ways

and, you know, hopefully,
it'll-it'll bear fruit.

Yes.

Well, look,
the mission here today

is to talk about what
we're going to do

and try and get organized.

I think we all have our ideas
of what we do this year,

but I'd like to turn it over
to Rick here

to talk about where we go.

Rick, why don't you lay out
what that means.

Well, I'll lay out my ideas,

but I think I speak
for all of us to this extent:

it's still the big three, right?

-Yeah.
-Yep.

And it's the Money Pit...

-Yep.
-Yep.

-Yeah.
-RICK: ...the swamp...

-Yeah.
-...and then the third
big thing, of course,

Smith's Cove is still a target.

-Absolutely. Right.
-Yeah.

The cross was found
in, uh, in Smith's Cove.

-Yeah.
-RICK: You know, what artifacts
remain there?

What is the U-shaped structure
that Dan found long ago?

DOUG: And you never
got a chance to expose

the whole structure, did you?

I exposed enough of it to say,
to tell what it was

and how it was constructed.

NARRATOR: In 1970, Oak Island
resident and treasure hunter

Dan Blankenship built a massive
cofferdam around Smith's Cove.

He was hoping to locate
and possibly shut off

a network of booby-trapped
flood tunnels

that are believed to have
been constructed centuries ago

and which were designed
to undermine searcher efforts

to dig in the infamous
Money Pit.

But what Dan found instead
was astonishing:

a massive, U-shaped,
wooden structure

buried some six feet
below the surface

and which featured
a number of notched posts

on which were carved
a series of Roman numerals.

Unfortunately, Dan was forced
to abandon his investigation

when a violent storm
destroyed the dam.

But I would like to get a...

You want to see it?

I want to see it;
I want to stand on it;

I want to expose
the entire structure,

and once and for all,
figure out,

does it have any relevance
to the original work?

CRAIG: You know,
to really do a good job,

I think we're going
to have to go

with a major type of cofferdam.

And so, we've been talking with
a couple different companies,

with different ideas.

Yeah, well, the cofferdam
is a pretty exciting idea.

You're looking forward to that?

Oh, yeah, it has
a lot of potential.

How big are we talking?

-Big.
-Big.

Even bigger
than Dan's cofferdam?

Yes, that's what we are
potentially looking at.

NARRATOR: In an effort
to fully excavate Smith's Cove,

the Oak Island team
is planning to build

what will be
the largest cofferdam

ever constructed on the island.

This massive
water- and weatherproof dam

will allow the team
to not only uncover

any historically
important artifacts

and the U-shaped structure,

but also the possible remains
of the flood tunnels,

flood tunnels that
could lead them directly

to the fabled
Oak Island Money Pit,

a centuries-old treasure vault
rumored to contain everything

from vast hordes
of pirate gold

to the lost folios
of William Shakespeare

and priceless
religious artifacts

taken from the Holy Land
by the Knights Templar

hundreds of years ago.

Uh, what else?

What else are we talking about?

RICK: So many questions
still remain to be answered

-in the Money Pit.
-Yeah.

-Yeah.
-JACK: Yeah.

RICK:
Because of the finds last year

of the parchment,
the bookbinding leather,

the interest in H-8, what
happened to the earthen plug?

MARTY:
Solid wood coming up?

NARRATOR: Last year,
when the Oak Island team

attempted to excavate
the borehole known as H-8

located in the Money Pit
area...

I'm hoping we're on the corner
of the Chappell Shaft.

NARRATOR: ...they found
what they believed

to be the legendary
Chappell Vault,

a seven-foot-tall
wooden structure

first discovered by William
Chappell and Frederick Blair

in 1897 and which was believed
to contain ancient documents

and objects made of solid gold.

Something was
in front of the can

and we were pushing it
for a while.

NARRATOR: But when the team
attempted to reach the vault

with a 60-inch wide
drilling caisson,

instead of penetrating it,
they believe

it simply was pushed
further down

to a depth of some 170 feet

and into what seemed
to be a mud-filled void.

-It's still in there, then.
-Exactly.

NARRATOR: But it was
while examining the spoils

taken from this same hole

that the team made another
astonishing discovery...

JACK:
What is this?

NARRATOR: ...human bones,
later identified

as belonging
to two separate individuals:

one from Europe and another
from the Middle East

and both scientifically dated

to be approximately
400 years old.

Well, it just underscores,

-we can't, we can't quit
on H-8, not yet.
-Yeah.

-MARTY: I don't think
we're done there.
-No.

RICK: There is some information
that can be gleaned

and one of the ways,
I'm hopeful, at least,

is that the application
of the seismic

is really going to be a defining
moment for that area.

-Yes.
-Yes.

NARRATOR: Commonly used
in the energy industry,

seismic scanning is a process
by which a number

of strategically-placed
dynamite charges

are detonated in order
to produce powerful shockwaves.

These shockwaves, in turn,
generate a highly accurate map

of what voids or obstacles
may lie in an area

as much as six miles
below the surface.

RICK: And if this really does
work, it will be the first time

in the two and a quarter
centuries of search

that we can actually look
underground with definition.

If we can look underground
in the Money Pit,

it's a game changer.

A company has
contacted me about that,

-so I'm researching it more.
-Okay, good.

-Th-That's really interesting.
-MARTY: Mm-hmm.

RICK: There's one subject
that kind of got lost

in this discussion
and that is

the rhodolite garnet
that you found last year.

Yeah.

Everyone believes
it was significant.

-Yeah.
-Mm-hmm.

GARY:
Look at this, Rick.

NARRATOR: Last year, while
metal detecting on Lot 8

on the western portion
of the island...

We just found a jewel.

NARRATOR: ...Rick and Gary
discovered a brooch

containing a rhodolite garnet,
a semiprecious stone

that may date back earlier
than the 16th century.

GARY:
That is a bobby-dazzler.

MARTY: Gary's discovery
of the gemstone

was not in any particularly
important spot;

it was just on one of the lots.

So, it's not a great leap
of logic for us

to say we-we would like him

to, effectively,
do the entire island.

Who knows what he might find?

And, to that end,
I think we should clear

lots one through eight
and lots 21 and 22,

which you've never
been able to access.

Yeah, it's just
so thick in there.

You can't swing
a metal detector.

Yeah, we'll get some
heavy equipment in there

and we'll clear those lots.

-You can swing
that metal detector.
-Okay.

RICK: And then, who knows
how many brooches

and/or other things you'll find.

I'm telling you now, guys,
we're gonna need a bigger table.

(laughter)

-You ain't seen nothing.
-You ain't seen nothing yet.

MARTY:
So, gentlemen,

coming into this room,
seeing this assembly

of brilliant minds,

I am nothing but rejuvenated.

We can do this! Can we not?

-Yup.
-Are you ready to get after it?

-Absolutely.
-OTHERS: Yup.

-Okay.
-Let's get out of here.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: It is a day
of great anticipation

for Rick, Marty,
and their partners.

Today, they will begin

the process of mapping
the Money Pit area

by means of seismic testing.

MARTY: Well, Craig,
are you excited about this?

It's a long time coming, right?

Yeah. Excited and nervous.

-Are you?
-CRAIG: Sure.

Mainly that the searchers
did so much damage near surface

that we just can't
get good data.

But it's exciting, I mean, if it
does work, we get to see...

-See what's in the ground.
-See what's in the ground,

which your dad's been dreaming
about forever, huh, David?

Yup.

NARRATOR:
Marty, Rick, their partner

Craig Tester
and Dave Blankenship

have arranged to meet
with representatives

from Eagle Canada,

a geophysical
exploration company.

They will conduct a test

in order to determine
if the application

of seismic scanning technology

will allow them to see
what lies hidden

beneath the surface
of Oak Island.

So, that's where
we're gonna park?

-Yeah.
-Yup.

So, Alex, this is
a novel application, right,

-'cause it's so shallow?
-Yep.

Have you done
some of this before?

-Yeah. Two weeks ago.
-Oh, okay.

And we did the exact same 2-D
line that we're gonna do here,

and, um, we were having good
image at about ten feet down.

-No kidding?
-Yeah.

NARRATOR:
Because of sonic interference

from environmental noises
generated at ground level,

seismic testing was only
considered reliable

in the mapping
of very deep formations,

often miles below
the Earth's surface,

but thanks
to recent advancements,

seismic testing
of more shallow areas--

like the Money Pit--

have yielded impressive
and highly accurate results.

Well, what we want to do
is start off

with the-the test line.

Right up in through here,
that's the test line.

We know there's a tunnel
you're gonna cross here.

The Halifax tunnel.

So that's gonna be
the test, right?

-To see whether... Yeah.
-Absolutely.

NARRATOR:
Because a full-scale survey

of the Money Pit area
will be very expensive,

the Oak Island team has decided
to conduct a sample test

over an area where they know
an underground anomaly exists,

the searcher shaft known
as the Halifax tunnel.

Dug in 1867

by a team of treasure hunters
working under the name

The Halifax Company,

the Halifax tunnel
was a 110-foot shaft

located approximately 200 feet
south of the Money Pit.

The location was chosen in
hopes it would allow the team

to dig down
to the Money Pit level

and then over to it
in order to avoid the maze

of booby-trapped flood tunnels
that protect the treasure site.

It didn't work.

As they neared
the target depth,

the shaft suddenly began
filling up with seawater,

forcing the Halifax Company

to abandon
their search efforts.

Because the location of the
shaft has been well documented,

having it show up in the test

will encourage the team

to invest an estimated
$1 million

to map the entire
Money Pit area.

Dan Henskee knows
where the Halifax shaft was

and Dan Blankenship knows
roughly the orientation,

so this is literally a test,

and I hope they pass
with flying colors.

Based on our testing,

I think we should be able
to see that, so...

Good. That's fantastic.

-Yup.
-RICK: Just remember,

we do know where it is,
so don't just pick a spot.

(laughter)

All right, I don't know as we
have anything else left to do.

-Awesome.
-Let's go find some treasure.

-For luck.
-Yes, thanks.

Guys, let's get to work.

NARRATOR: In preparation
for the seismic test,

the team from Eagle Canada
will now drill

a number of
two-foot-deep holes,

spaced three feet apart,

over the designated
search area.

Each hole will then be filled

with a small blasting cap

containing 20 grams of dynamite
that, when detonated,

will set off a sound wave
through the ground.

They will also strategically
place devices

known as geophones, which,
similar to sonar technology,

will measure the sound waves

as they bounce off
layers of rock

or underground structures.

The goal of the seismic,
simply put,

is to image whatever
we can image underground.

In the case
of the Money Pit area,

it would be to find a vault
or some other structure

that we've hitherto missed.

If we can do that,
I think we're well on our way

to defining a hard target
in the Money Pit,

but whatever information
they can provide us

is surely going to be helpful.

EAGLE WORKER:
Heads up, guys.

NARRATOR: Later that same day,
as the team from Eagle Canada

continues to prepare
the Money Pit area

for the test line operation,

and while workers begin
clearing away trees and brush

on the unexplored western areas
of the island...

MARTY: Okay, guys, here we go,
brand new year, huh?

I'm curious to see
how the island survived.

NARRATOR: ...Marty Lagina
and members of the team

head to Smith's Cove.

CHARLES: We had a series
of storms over the winter,

so I would imagine that

that beach had took
a pretty bad hit,

which means it's good
for Gary and Laird

because it should
turn up some things.

Yeah, beach erosion.

Yeah.

There's got to be
some more good stuff, there.

NARRATOR:
They are eager to know

if months of harsh
winter storms...

Let's go.

NARRATOR: ...might have brought
to the surface

any more important clues
or valuable objects

like the mysterious lead cross

which was discovered here
last year.

GARY: We'll go straight to where
we recovered the cross.

All right, you ready
to make history, guys?

-Yes.
-(metal detector beeping)

Yeah, so what we'll do,
we'll start here

and we'll go towards
the water's edge

and, uh, just keep
going out there.

Rolling up my sleeves
and everything, Gary.

That's good, that means you're
gonna be doing some digging.

-Okay.
-What's that Gary?

Eh, it's too low,
I think that's iron,

but because it's a deep target,
I think we should dig it up,

just to make sure.

So this is the center
where the target is.

MARTY:
Okay, try.

Let me see if it's closer.

-All right, let's see.
-(metal detector beeping)

It's an iron spike.

Oh, yes.

-We have a few of these.
-Yeah.

-Yeah.
-You think it's modern?

Yeah, that's definitely modern.

What do you say, Laird?

Yeah, it looks--
it's got a square shank,

cut-head nail, so...
It's 19th-century,

-but later, the latter part.
-Well, yeah.

Yeah.

Although this is only just
a little insignificant find,

it isn't, because we pounded
this area last year,

and we're finding, already,
which is a good sign.

-Yeah. Keep going.
-Yeah.

-(beeping)
-We're digging this.

-Okay.
-Okay.

Of course.

And, this is a-a clear, two-way,

repeatable signal.

So I think the best thing to do
with the spoils

is put them up high.

Ooh, that looks like it,
Charles.

-What's that right there?
-Looks like Charles got it out.

-Look, right there.
-Here, guys.

-Wow.
-GARY: This is good!

-MARTY: Is that a piece of lead?
-Yeah, a piece of cut lead.

Huh.

They used to put lead
on the side of ships.

-They used to waterproof
with lead.
-Yeah.

Lead was kind of
a ubiquitous thing.

It was almost like duct tape.

That's it, it's just basically

-a lead patch, isn't it?
-Yeah.

GARY: From a Spanish
treasure hunter's perspective,

this is interesting
because this type of stuff

was used below the water line
on Spanish galleons.

NARRATOR:
Lead from a Spanish galleon

found on the shore
of Smith's Cove?

Could it have come from one
of the many Spanish galleons,

or even pirate ships,

that are known to have
visited Oak Island

in the 17th and 18th centuries?

That's a thin little cut,
isn't it?

-MARTY: Yeah.
-It's a delicate little...

GARY: Think it was done
with shears, by the look of it?

-It has.
-GARY: So this could be
quite old.

MARTY: You know,
we're all talking marine origin,

which is, of course, is likely,

we're standing at the edge
of the ocean,

but we know we have a mysterious
structure under here,

the notorious
U-shaped structure,

-maybe it had some role in that.
-It's possible.

You mean like waterproofing
on the outside kind of thing?

...'cause we don't know
what that thing was yet.

We don't know what it did,
what it was for, who did it.

I'm keenly interested

in the very significant
U-shaped structure

that has never been
analyzed properly

-o even revealed properly.
-Mm-hmm.

The hope is that we can
expose enough of that,

or all of that, where we can
actually get a proper sample.

And, uh, hopefully,
at the end of the day,

we'll have some answers.

First day,
first significant find,

I believe.

I do, too. It's a clue,
and it also shows

that you know
what you're doing, again.

Another question mark, Marty.

Yeah, great, Charles,
that wasn't supposed to happen.

-(laughter)
-Well, unfortunately,

-we're filling in.
-Yeah.

So we're gonna have to keep
to the higher ground.

I think, uh, guys,
we should keep going.

Yeah.

NARRATOR:
After a successful day

spent metal detecting
at Smith's Cove,

Marty and Rick,
along with other team members,

gather at the Mug
and Anchor Pub

in the nearby tow
of Mahone Bay

to review their latest finds
and plan critical next steps.

RICK:
What do you make of it, Dan?

Well, first thing
is to suggest--

is to estimate the diameter,

so this looks like
it was part of something

-pretty large.
-Yes, it does, yeah.

Where was this...
was found, exactly?

Mm, kind of right around
where the cross was found.

Very near that.

Maybe the same people that
lost the cross lost this, too.

I mean, anything's possible.

But anyway, it's a nice way

to start off the season
with something, you know.

Exactly.

I think we all acknowledge that
Gary's find of the cross--

I like to call it Drayton's
Cross-- was probably...

He likes that, too.

It was probably the most
exciting find.

You know, I mean,
we need answers from that.

So, at the University
of New Brunswick,

they run this test;
it's called laser ablation.

It's nondestructive.

And then we get what's called

lead isotope values
off of that test.

And from that, the hope is
that they can determine--

Give us, at least,
geographic origin.

Wow.

NARRATOR:
Much like a human fingerprint,

metals, such as lead,

have unique chemical variants
known as "isotopes"

that are specific to geographic
regions on Earth.

By using a process known as
laser ablation testing,

a high-powered laser will cut
microscopic samples

from the surface
of the lead cross.

This will then be analyzed
to determine

the lead's specific
isotope value,

and possibly its geographic
place of origin.

It is Rick Lagina's hope that
if the test is successful,

he and the team will be one
giant step closer

to finding out not only
where the cross came from,

but how old it is.

And perhaps more importantly,

who may have brought it
to Oak Island.

RICK: We have to get it tested.
There's no question about it.

Mr. Blankenship has always
cautioned us,

don't let your imagination
run away from you.

Stick to the facts.
You know,

be very objective in your
analysis of anything you find.

So, at the end of the day,
somebody needs to go

to UNB to get this test done.

Peter. I-I designate you
to take it there.

-I can do that.
-Okay.

I will bring a couple
other peop...

a couple of guys with us.

Perfect. And I'm sure
we're all aware

of the unaccessible lots.

Lots one, two, three, four,
six, seven and eight

-are practically impassible.
-Mm-hmm.

We've got a company
to come down with a...

what they call a mulcher.

Gary can finally get into
these areas,

which have been inaccessible
all these years.

So... let's hope the lead is
an auspicious start

to a great new season.

We got a ton of stuff to do,

but for right now,
to the new season.

New season. Absolutely.

-Cheers, guys.
-Salud.

EAGLE WORKER (over radio):
Roger.

NARRATOR:
The next day,

as the team from Eagle Canada
finishes preparing

the Money Pit area for today's
seismic test line operation...

RICK:
Let's do this.

NARRATOR: ...Rick Lagina, along
with metal detection expert

Gary Drayton
and archeologist Laird Niven,

head to Lot 2, on the western
side of the island.

Look, they did
a remarkable job of clearing,

but I think we should...

Keep expanding the search area.

RICK:
You lead the way, you're--

You're the guy with
the lucky metal detector.

NARRATOR: They are searching
areas of the island

that have remained
virtually unexplored,

in hopes of finding important
artifacts or treasure.

This looks like
a good spot, guys.

(metal detector chimes)

And we know we are
the first people to search this.

Probably ever.

RICK: Well, all I can say
is good luck.

-GARY: Let's do the big boulder.
-LAIRD: Yeah.

Should we pull the moss
off this?

Are we okay to do that?

Yep.

Wow, this has been on here
a long time.

Up at the top.

(metal detector chimes)

GARY:
Oh, was that a signal?

-(chiming)
-And that's non-ferrous.

LAIRD:
Oh, really?

(sustained tone)

It's quite deep as well.

Reading ten inches.
Just there, mate.

(metal detector chiming)

Still reading deeper.

Give it a shot.

Oh, I've got it.

(beeping)

Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

Oh, baby.

GARY:
Look at the patina on that.

RICK:
Oh, my goodness.

-Now, that's a coin!
-You tell me what it is.

That's a coin.

-Oh, man.
-Wow, what is that?

GARY:
That's King George III.

I know what this is.

That's a cartwheel two pence.
A tuppenny.

This looks like
it's from 1797.

NARRATOR: In 1797, a shortage of
small denomination coins

throughout the British Empire
led to the limited production

of some 720,000 copper coins
known as "two-pennies."

Minted with the likeness
of King George III,

the unusual size of the coins,
combined with a wide outer rim,

earned them the nickname,
"cartwheels."

That is freaking crazy.

What do you make
of the lettering?

It should say "Britannia" on it
on one side.

RICK:
Yeah.

GARY: I mean, we got those
King George coppers.

King Charles,
up near the Money Pit.

We've got British presence
on the island.

NARRATOR: Because it is dated
two years after

the Money Pit's discovery
in 1795,

the presence of a cartwheel
penny on Oak Island

offers possible evidence
of someone who may have

come to the island
searching for treasure.

But if so, what is it they were
hoping to find on Lot 2,

so far from the infamous
treasure site?

It always buoys our spirits
to find a unique item

that may or may not have

a significant impact

on the constantly evolving
story of Oak Island.

It's always nice to have
a small win.

And that's a small win.

Okay, I hate to badger you,
but...

-what else might be in there?
-Yeah. Okay.

Let's have a look,
see if there's anything else.

NARRATOR:
As Rick, Gary and Laird

continue their search
for artifacts on Lot 2,

back at the Money Pit,

Craig Tester and members
of the Oak Island team

eagerly await the start
of the seismic test line.

We've hooked up,
and then there's a line

that goes 30 meters to the pack
that's charging up right now.

When they charge, you'll hear
the tone come over the radio.

Okay.

NARRATOR:
The team from Eagle Canada

will now detonate
some 150 small charges.

This will generate a series
of seismic pulses

deep within the underground
test area.

Here we go.

Ooh, that went up.

JACK: I thought this year
was gonna be

one of our biggest
search years ever...

EAGLE WORKER:
Heads up.

JACK: ...but I didn't understand
until I got here

how big we were going,

starting off with this seismic.

I like it.
We have good energy so far.

JACK: And after last year,
the finds that we had

just from the spoils...

...it gave us enough indication

that there is something
down there worth finding.

And if we have a really good
target off the seismic,

it's not a guessing game
anymore.

NARRATOR:
One day after conducting

the test-line seismic scan
at the Money Pit site...

We'd like to, first of all,
welcome you to the war room.

NARRATOR: ...Rick Lagina,
along with Craig Tester,

Charles Barkhouse
and Jack Begley,

meet with the team
from Eagle Canada.

They are eager to find out
if the operation was

successful enough to warrant
further testing,

in hopes of finding out
what may have been buried

deep beneath the surface of Oak
Island more than 200 years ago.

-Hey, Jeremy.
-Hello.

NARRATOR: Joining them
via videoconference

is geophysicist Jeremy Church,

who will interpret
the test line results.

RICK: We're looking forward
to your presentation.

You've got some results that
we very much look forward to,

to coming to
an understanding about.

Yep.

We were super excited,
stressed a little bit.

We wanted to make it work.

I don't think a seismic
like that have been shot

in the world, like,
that tight of a parameter.

I think we're seeing a page
of history here.

You're talking about
ground-breaking science.

-Yeah.
-Great.

So I'll let Jeremy talk
about the results.

Jack's going to bring the data
on the screen here.

NARRATOR: Using the data from
yesterday's readings,

the Eagle team has generated
a virtual cross-section

of the ground beneath
the test area.

It has allowed them
to differentiate

not only the layers of rock
and earth,

but also whatever
underground structures

are buried within them.

JEREMY: I wish I could be there
to see your faces,

because it's quite
an impressive image

that has been created here.

I have an area circled
in a little yellow circle.

I'm going to refer to that
as a possible shaft.

You'll see that there is
a nice blue reflector

that's broken at that point,

where I believe that shaft
or opening is.

This typically indicates that
you have a massive change

in the material that's there,

and it's a depth between about

90 feet and 120 feet or so.

That's the Halifax tunnel.

-So it would seem.
-Yeah.

NARRATOR:
For Rick, Marty and the team,

the success of the seismic test
offers a historic breakthrough.

Here's some really good news.

NARRATOR: For the first time
in the 223-year history

of the Oak Island
treasure hunt,

they will be able to
effectively create

an accurate map
of what structures

or voids exist
deep within the Money Pit.

The opportunity that's being
presented to us by Eagle

is being able to look
underground for the first time

in two and a quarter centuries
of search; that's remarkable.

Because, as you look back,

the people that have come
before us,

they had no idea of the
complexities underground,

and still they labored.

They would have done anything
to look underground,

to find the answers which they
so long fought for,

bled for
and, in some cases, died for.

That's a story
in and of itself,

and it would be invaluable
as any treasure.

This is ground-breaking.

You're gonna do something

that's never been done
on this island.

The people that have
come and gone

invested their lives,
their passions,

their interests in this mystery.

Yeah.

You're now gonna give them

the best Christmas gift
they've ever opened.

You're changing lives here,
and that's pretty remarkable.

Again, we, I get choked up
when I say thank you.

-You should be proud
of yourselves.
-Yeah.

Yeah.

I very much look forward
to the continued "hunt"

for the information
in the Money Pit.

Yeah, it was nice to hit
the mark on this one.

You hit the mark.
You hit the bull's-eye.

(soft laughter)

-No question about it.
-CHARLES: Yeah.

NARRATOR:
The next day,

the team from Eagle Canada
returns to Oak Island

ready to begin preparations
for the large-scale

seismic scanning survey across
the entire Money Pit area.

Over the next few days,
they will detonate

some 1,300 charges,
which along with some

1,500 geophone receivers,

will allow them to create
a virtual three-dimensional map

of the ground
beneath Oak Island.

Where are you starting?

Uh, right at the edge of the
Money Pit on the west side.

Yeah, we're gonna chew
that Money Pit up pretty good.

-(laughter)
-In a good way.

In-in a good way.

Right now,
it's all about the data.

JARED:
Yeah, exactly.

NARRATOR: Unlike the
two-dimensional test line,

the dynamite charges
and geophone receivers

have been strategically
positioned in a grid pattern

around past dig sites,

including the C-1
and H-8 shafts.

The goal of the seismic
in the Money Pit area

would be to find a vault

that we may have missed,

to find something that
we haven't even explored yet.

I am realistically optimistic

about the results
of the seismic.

I've seen a lot of seismic over
the last, probably, 40 years.

And they should be able
to delineate anomalies.

This is just one step forward
in that search for the truth.

It would be awesome if we could
get that, uh, the 3-D data

processed right away
to actually see some of it

while we're still out here...

-Mm-hmm.
-...but not likely.

Do you guys want to go up there
and take a look?

Yeah, I-I'd like to go up there.

-Right, Dave?
-Yeah-- yep.

Let's give it a look.

NARRATOR:
As each seismic line is charged

and armed for blasting,
it will be wirelessly detonated

from the inside
of the command center,

located nearby
on the South Shore Road.

Although only 20 grams
of dynamite is being detonated

in each charge,

the team must remain
at least 150 feet clear

of the blast area.

-Hi, guys.
-Charles.

Alex. Boys. How's it going?

Very good.
The guys are doing really well.

RICK:
This is small-scale in terms of

what you normally do, right?

But this is incredibly
labor-intensive.

I mean, I'm-I'm impressed.

Look, all of this work
you've done,

-hats off to you guys.
-CHARLES: Yeah.

RICK:
You really did a heck of a job.

Hopefully, you're gonna
do something

that's never been done
on Oak Island before,

and that's pretty remarkable.

Yeah.

JEFF (over radio):
Ready to go?

Roger.

Here it comes.

We're watching
the detonations go off,

it somewhat reminds you
of the Fourth of July.

Fireworks are going off.

I think we have
high expectations,

all of us, about this year,

the scope of the project,
because it's about

trying to put
the puzzle together.

T-There's only one goal,
there only has been one goal,

and that is to solve
the Oak Island mystery.

There's no more guesswork.

You guys are actually gonna
give us a playbook.

And that's pretty cool.

NARRATOR: As the team
from Eagle Canada continues

their extensive seismic
scanning operation

of the Money Pit area...

CRAIG:
We'll see what they can do.

NARRATOR: ...Craig Tester,
Dave Blankenship

and Peter Fornetti are
traveling more than 300 miles

northwest of Oak Island to the
University of New Brunswick

in the city of Fredericton.

They have come here
to supervise a test

of the lead cross

that was found last year
at Smith's Cove.

Holy schmoly, all right.

-RICK: It's a cross.
-That's a cross.

NARRATOR: If successful,
the test could shed new light

on its mysterious origin.

Well, guys,
this should be interesting, uh,

it sounds like this laser
ablation might tell us

what area of the world

this lead came from,
and that would be huge.

-Ah, that'd be cool.
-PETER: I'm pretty excited

-to see what the results are.
-Yeah, me, too.

I believe this is our stop.

NARRATOR: The Department
of Earth Sciences

at the University
of New Brunswick

is one of the leading
geochemical testing facilities

in North America for the study
of historical artifacts.

Chris?

Hey.

NARRATOR:
The team has arranged to meet

with Dr. Chris McFarlane,

a professor of geochemistry

who specializes in the study

of ancient geologic depositions
and minerals.

Well, we've got something
for you to look at.

Just wondering
if you can tell us a bit

about the-the testing procedures
and whatnot.

Yeah, so, we're gonna do,
uh, laser ablation.

We want to get
a really high precision

and accurate
lead isotope number.

And from that lead,
you can determine

where the lead came from?

As long as we get enough lead
to analyze ratios.

Okay.

NARRATOR:
Using a series of pulses

from a high-powered laser,

Dr. McFarlane will cut
a sample--

barely the size
of a human hair--

from the surface of the cross

and vaporize it
into an ionized gas.

This gas is then superheated
and funneled into a device

known as a mass spectrometer,

which will determine
the lead's isotope signature.

Well, I have it with me.

Here's the box.

So if we can get it going,
get it into the machine.

-Okay.
-Let's go see it.
-Appreciate it.

CRAIG:
The laser ablation,

it's kind of like
fingerprinting it,

and once you have a fingerprint,

then you can try to find out

where did
that fingerprint come from?

NARRATOR:
Assisting Dr. McFarlane

is lab technician
Brandon Boucher.

So let's have a look.

So that is the cross.

Yeah, very nice.

CRAIG: How about the, uh.,
the corrosive material on it?

I mean, does that help
date it or not?

I think for us,
we are gonna avoid it.

We don't want any impurities
that are possibly

going to shift
the ratios at all.

CRAIG:
I mean, what if this was

sitting in the air, for hundreds
and hundreds of years?

Would it get
that same corrosion?

You don't get deposition
on an object that hasn't

been buried for, you know,
quite a while.

-Oh, that's great news.
-Yeah, keep going with this.

-You're doing good.
-This is not something
that was, you know, buried...

it wasn't buried a week ago or a
year ago or even ten years ago.

-Yeah.
-So should we proceed
with mounting this up now?

-As far as I'm concerned.
-Okay.

Because this is
an irregular shape,

we have to use a, uh,
sample holder.

This is called
our universal holder.

All this stuff over here,
these are all standards.

All right? So when we do
isotopic analysis,

we always have to reference
the measurement to a standard.

NARRATOR: To ensure that the
data collected is accurate,

Dr. McFarlane will also test
known samples of lead ore,

also called "standards."

This will give the mass
spectrometer a baseline

to reference when analyzing
the lead sample

taken from the cross.

CHRIS: So the next step is to
actually put it in the machine.

CRAIG:
Okay.

Not far away. Over here.

(machine chiming)

Now you guys should
come and see this.

-CRAIG: Okay.
-PETER: All right.

This is the coolest part
of the whole day.

So this is where
all the action happens,

so we have to get this guy
inside the cell.

So now this guy
is gonna go in here.

And, as I push it in,
you'll actually see... bonk.

-Oh, yeah.
-So the magnets grabbed it.

So what we need to do is
actually go down to the cross,

and we need to find an area

that has some nice
clean, exposed lead.

And here we can also zoom in.

So what we're gonna do is define

about 20 sample locations
within that area.

And then we'll go
and define the standards

to populate around them.

Okay, so that's our sequence.

So let's start the laser.

That's the laser pulsing.

Each pulse is liberating
material from the surface.

And it's actually--
it's high enough energy

that it's making light.

So as the material's liberated

from the surface
with each pulse,

the next pulse of the laser
is traveling through that

and is actually ionizing it
into its own plasma.

CRAIG:
Everybody that we've talked to

thinks it's very old, so to me,

it brings up a bunch
of questions that we don't

have answers for right now,
but I'm eager

to see what kind of results
they'll come up with.

Okay, so this is good.
So, ready to go.

This is collecting now,

and we come over here
and we start the sequence.

And now we wait.

Okay.

NARRATOR:
As Dr. McFarlane continues

to conduct
the laser ablation testing

on the lead cross,

Jack Begley and metal detection
expert Gary Drayton

are continuing their search
for important clues

and possible treasure on Lot 2.

The same area
where the team uncovered

an 18th-century British coin
just two days ago.

JACK: Well, looks like we have
our work cut out for us.

GARY:
Yeah.

This is a little higher up
in elevation,

so there shouldn't be any trash
that's washed in here.

Whatever's here should be good.

JACK:
Since Lots 1 through 4

really haven't been searched
at all by anyone in the past,

there's a really good chance
that we could find evidence

of people who were here
looking for something

or, possibly,
depositing something.

It's a little bit quiet, Jack.

I'm just gonna keep zigzagging.

I'm hoping we can
pick something up

in these little valleys.

Let's search over
by this boulder, Gary.

GARY: Oh, I would imagine
there's gonna be a depression

at the side of it.

And that's interesting,
you know,

these are interesting features,
these boulders and depressions.

All of these boulders
have got some kind

of depression next to them.

Perhaps there is more underneath
the boulder to discover.

JACK: All right, mate,
I will have a little search

around here, see if there's
anything close to it.

-Yeah, yeah,
I'll-I'll get out of your...
-(beeping)

Wait, really?

-You found something right away?
-Yeah.

(Jack coughs)

GARY: Well, that's a really
nice, sharp signal.

-JACK: What is it? Iron?
-GARY: Yeah, it's reading iron.

Yeah, it's iron.

-(detector beeps loudly)
-Screaming iron.

I don't think it's very deep.
Let me see if I can pinpoint it.

Yeah, go for it.

This could be another

lucky find.

-There it is.
-(machine beeping)

See, that's exactly why
all this moss

needs to be taken off
these boulders.

Yup.

-Wow!
-What?

Would you look at this! Iron!

Oh, and there's a drilled hole!

There's a freaking hole!

What has someone
been doing here?

Definitely, that is man-made.

Wow!

That is crazy.

The heck has someone
been doing here?

NARRATOR:
While exploring Lot 2

on the western side
of Oak Island,

Jack Begley and metal detection
expert Gary Drayton

have just unearthed
an unusual object:

an iron spike embedded
in a large stone

and with several holes
drilled into it.

Why would someone

drill into this rock

and put metal in there?

Definitely, that is man-made.

Do you think that there were
two, right next to each other?

Well, we don't know
how many is in here.

I mean, look, Jack, you can see
where this has been pounded in.

I mean, this?

It wouldn't surprise me
if this is a ringbolt

you put a chain around or a rope
and you pull things.

It's here for moving
some other stuff.

And what do you haul up?
Treasure.

(chuckles)

NARRATOR:
Shortly after their discovery

of the Money Pit in 1795,

Daniel McGinnis
and his friend John Smith

discovered a large
iron ringbolt

embedded in a boulder
on the beach at Smith's Cove.

They believed that this rock

was part of
an ancient pulley system

where heavy cargo was moved
on or off sailing ships

by means of a heavy chain

threaded through the eye
of a ringbolt.

Could this stone found on Lot 2

have once been used
for such a purpose?

And, if so, what exactly
was being transported and why?

GARY: And look, if you look
on here, there's, like, a tab

that comes around,

and-and it's obvious that these
two holes are connected.

I think that we need to,
at this point, just call Rick,

get him out here.

This is important enough
for him to see.

Yeah, 'cause I've got
a sneaky suspicion

that piece of iron
is under there.

And who knows what else
is under there.

Exactly! All right,
I'll get him on the phone.

(line ringing)

This is a really big find.

If this is original stuff,

then this is exactly
what we've been looking for,

more indications of original
people and their activities.

-(phone ringing)
-RICK (on phone): Hello?

-Hey, Rick.
-Hey, Jack. What's up?

So Gary and I found something

that we think
is really important

and you need to come see.

RICK:
Whereabouts are you?

On the middle of Lot 2,

about halfway between
the road and the water.

RICK: We're pretty close.
I happen to be here with Doug.

-We'll be right there.
-All right, sounds great.

RICK:
When Jack and Gary called,

of course our ears go up,
our heads come up.

What is it? If it's enough
to make them think they've...

Well, they tagged it,
"significant find."

Obviously, we're gonna go look.

GARY:
Hey, guys.

This cleared area here,

we've been running across
big boulders,

and this big boulder, here,

gave up a nice surprise.

-Really?
-GARY: Yup.

We lifted the moss up,
and that's what we saw.

JACK: You can see this boulder,
with a drill hole in it,

and a piece of iron.

GARY:
It looks like an old eyebolt.

Why would this
be in this boulder?

And this isn't just
an isolated boulder,

if you look down here,
you can see them in a line.

There's a lot of big boulders.

RICK:
It's certainly unique.

I mean, we've never found
anything else like this.

Are there any other targets?

We might be able
to get another signal

once that moss is removed,

and I get can get my search coil
further down.

This is something I think Laird
would call cultural.

Yup, it's an interesting find,
there's no doubt about it.

You were right to stop

because Laird needs
to render an opinion.

NARRATOR: As part of their
treasure trove license,

the Oak Island team
must first consult

with an approved archeologist
before digging any site

that is believed
to be culturally

or historically significant.

-JACK: Another hole?
-Yeah.

NARRATOR:
For this reason,

further exploration
of the stone

and the area surrounding it
will have to wait

until team archaeologist
Laird Niven can evaluate it.

Well, kudos to both of you.
I mean, it's a great find.

It's obviously something that
we can't explain, as of yet.

We'll get Laird out here
and move on from there.

And it's a new discovery
on Oak Island.

RICK:
Absolutely.

Any day you make
a new discovery,

-it's pretty special.
-RICK: Yeah. No, yeah.

Absolutely. Good job, guys.

NARRATOR: While Rick
and members of the team

wait for Laird's arrival,

some 300 miles northwest
of Oak Island,

in the city of Fredericton...

So this is looking good.

NARRATOR:
...Craig Tester,

Peter Fornetti,

and Dave Blankenship

are at
the University of New Brunswick

where Dr. Chris McFarlane
is about to begin

a chemical analysis
of the samples taken

from the lead cross found
at Smith's Cove last year.

CHRIS:
So right now just monitoring

the signal that's coming
from that standard,

and we're now measuring it
on the mass spectrometer.

Okay, and so now
this is the cross.

It's certainly noisier
because it's pure lead.

That is a bit different.

The black line here is silver.

So this does have
some silver in it.

NARRATOR:
Silver?

Is it possible that the cross
found at Smith's Cove

contains trace amounts
of this precious metal?

As early as the Bronze Age,

silver was most commonly
found mixed

with deposits of lead
or copper ore,

which were actively mined
across the ancient world.

The reason for this is simple:

both lead and silver
are obtained

from the same mineral source,
a mineral ore known as galena.

Prior to modern advancements

in refining practices
during the 19th century,

most metal alloys
would contain trace amounts

of other metals from which
they were extracted.

Could finding traces
of silver be proof

that the lead cross
dates from before the 1800s

or even earlier?

CHRIS:
I think artisanal lead,

which has not been smelted
using modern techniques,

still has a lot of stuff
left in it.

-Okay.
-CHRIS: Okay.

So, that was
the machine finishing.

Everything's done,

and so, the next step
is data reduction.

-Okay.
-We shut down the torch.

So there's our two ratios
of interest.

There's the galena
and there's the cross.

We can now compare that

to some of the
North American deposits.

Okay.

I'll just put it into
my spreadsheet over here.

There you go.

So the cross is not,

obviously, related to...

...North America.

(chuckles)

-That's very good.
-Yeah.

-Okay. Yeah.
-Yeah!

(laughter)

CRAIG: So, there's nothing
in North America

that compares to that?

Yeah, North American-wise.

NARRATOR:
Not from North America?

Could it be that not only
the lead, but the cross itself

came to Oak Island
from somewhere as far away

as Europe or the Middle East?

And could this news offer
further validation

that the cross is, in fact,
centuries old

and of Templar origin?

-That's great news, then.
-PETER: Yeah.

-We want it to come from Europe.
-Yeah.

So, hopefully,
that's where it-it's pointing.

From my perspective,
it's looking good.

I think that's great.
Appreciate it.

Yup.

-CHRIS: Good luck.
-CRAIG: Thank you.

NARRATOR: Shortly after
receiving the results

of the laser ablation test

conducted on the mysterious
lead cross,

Craig Tester
has called together

his partners
for a conference call

in the Oak Island war room.

-Hey, Craig.
-Hey, Craig.

-Hey, guys.
-MARTY: Make it good, Craig.

CRAIG:
Okay.

So we had the laser ablation
done on the lead cross,

and, so, what they did,
they-they ran a test

to try to determine what mine

this lead might have come from.

The test results
are very interesting.

Tell us.

Really, they just spit out
a tremendous amount of data

concerning the isotopes.

And the-the
very good news is, um,

you know, they have
a very extensive, uh, database

for North America

and it doesn't match up with
anything from North America.

-Wow!
-So, the lead cross

is not from North America.

Well, that's gigantic.
That's actually a relief.

-That's huge.
-Wow.

I mean, look,
I was always intrigued,

from the moment that cross
came out of the ground,

it-it-it looked eerily identical

to the carving in Domme
that we all saw.

Well, Peter, Alex saw.

JERRY:
Over here is some of the most

well-known carvings at Domme.
This way.

NARRATOR: While visiting
a 14th-century prison

in Domme, France last year,

Rick Lagina, along with nephews

Alex Lagina and Peter Fornetti

were shown a number of carvings

known to have been made by
members of the Knights Templar

during their years
of captivity.

RICK: They obviously wanted
to keep that symbolism alive.

NARRATOR: Incredibly, one of
the carvings was eerily similar

to the lead cross
found at Smith's Cove.

Now, with this...

this evidence, if you will,

that UNB is telling us

it's not North American lead,

it certainly doesn't eliminate
the possibility

that this is, indeed,
a Templar connection.

MARTY:
We haven't eliminated it.

This would've killed it,
is another way to say it.

This would've killed it,
if it was North American.

-But it didn't.
-MARTY: But it didn't.

The initial data is great.

Now we take the next step,
you know,

further define when and where
that cross was made.

Give us a really complete
understanding

of what this artifact
can tell us.

Wow, so this thing has some
story to tell us yet, then.

If it was not made or mined
in North America,

where the heck did it
come from? Huh.

RICK: Did they give you
any insight, Craig?

About where we go next?

Um, now, they suggested we,
you know, we look to Europe.

Um, there's a lot
of different places

that might have experts
in different areas.

So I think we need
to just start searching around.

Well, I know, for me,
it-it just ramps up our interest

in doing the Smith's Cove work.

I-- Gary always talks about,
surely, it has friends.

Okay, so, let's see
where the data leads us.

-Let's proceed.
-Okay.

-See you, Craig.
-See you, Craig.

CRAIG:
See you guys soon.

NARRATOR: After receiving
the incredible news

that the lead found
in the cross

came from somewhere
other than North America,

Rick Lagina and archaeologist
Laird Niven join Gary Drayton

to inspect the mysterious
drilled stone on Lot 2.

GARY:
It's right here, guys.

Okay.

I mean, this has been altered,
but it's almost like it's been,

it's almost like
it's impacted like this.

GARY: Yeah, 'cause if you look
here, there's a mark here,

-where they started the...
-Yeah. Started a hole.

No, well, that is strange.

It's just unusual to see
that pin in there.

That's a unique feature
we've never seen anywhere else.

-LAIRD: Nope.
-Uh...

So I guess what
you would like to do

is peel back the moss,
and see if we can't

see more evidence that compels
us to go down the road

of "Hey, this might
be significant."

I'm eager to see
what's under that moss.

Well, let's photograph it first.

Okay.

Ah...

Oh, look at that.

LAIRD:
Big root, there.

Did we bring the snips?

RICK: We did, uh, yes,
they're right behind.

Oh, yeah, there's more.

Yeah, look at that face.

LAIRD:
Oh, there you go.

RICK: There's one there,
there's one there,

there's one there.

We pull the moss back,
and there's a bunch of, uh,

other drill holes and, uh,

you know,
why were they doing that?

Why this specific rock?

But there's definitely...

Here, here, here, here, here.

GARY: And they're all
the same diameter, as well.

Perhaps dating the spikes,

they'll be able to tell us
when this work went on.

RICK:
Yeah.

That is the one key,

the one interesting thing
is how old is the metal?

And the hope would be that if
we can give it to Dr. Brousseau

and she can give us
a date range on it--

if it pre-dates the discovery
of the Money Pit,

then-then it's very interesting.

Look at that.

Do you see any significance
to this?

-See it?
-This?

-Yeah.
-Yeah.

RICK:
Right here.

Is there a way we can
clean that up a little bit?

LAIRD: Yeah, we can try
pouring some water on it,

see what that does.

RICK:
Yeah, try it.

(exhaling sharply)

LAIRD:
Um...

It looks like a triangle to me.

I mean, it could be,
it could be chiseled.

I know, uh, you know, Masons
all had their specific mark.

NARRATOR:
A carved triangle?

Possibly made by Freemasons?

For more than two centuries,
the secretive fraternity

of builders known
as the Freemasons

have left an undeniable mark
on the Oak Island mystery.

Not only have prominent
treasure hunters,

including Daniel McGinnis,
M.R. Chappell

and Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
all been members,

but well-known Masonic symbols
such as triangles

and even the sacred letter G,

representing the great
or divine architect,

have been found carved
on stones all over the island.

I can't think of a single
example anywhere on the island

where you see this type
of rock deformation,

so we should
look into it further.

This may turn out to be
something connected

to the island and the mystery.

I'm curious to see if that
really is a-a carving,

-or even an attempt
at a carving.
-Yeah.

Then that makes
this significant.

Pushes one to: "Well,
what was the purpose of that?"

They chose this
for some reason, yeah.

That's the question
we're left with right now.

RICK: Maybe they did this work
to leave a message.

So, it's interesting.

Yes.

NARRATOR: As a new day begins
on Oak Island...

Are you getting ready to set off

-another set of charges?
-Yeah.

...and the team
from Eagle Canada continue

their seismic
scanning operation

at the Money Pit site...

MARTY:
Okay, so, just real quick,

-tie it all together.
-Fair enough.

NARRATOR: ...Marty Lagina
and his nephew Peter Fornetti

are about to conduct another
investigation at Smith's Cove.

This is the port.

Joining them
are geophysicist Mike West

and his associate
Andrew Gillis.

-That's it? We're functional?
-MIKE W.: Yeah.

Down the hill.

Yeah, you guys have
done some work here.

Yeah. We're going to do
a pretty massive excavation

-down at Smith's Cove.
-Okay.

We're gonna put in a cofferdam.

-Right, right.
-Just past Dan's old cofferdam.

You can see it already,
coming into view.

We had Gary Drayton do normal
metal detecting there.

And the EM61,
which you're bringing, right?

-Yep.
-Goes much deeper.

Yes, it's basically more of a
high-power metal detection unit.

NARRATOR: Unlike conventional
metal detection devices,

the EM61 device is designed
to sense metal objects

at depths of nearly 20 feet.

Equipped with a GPS mechanism,
it can pinpoint the position

of any metallic target
to within centimeters

of its exact location
below ground.

Let me get you lined out here.

It is the team's hope
that the data collected

can be used to create a map
of potential dig sites

for the major
excavation planned

to happen here this year.

We're gonna be
excavating about where

-that little pond is
right there.
-Yeah.

MARTY: That's where
the U-shaped structure is.

What if you went
from that metal deal...

What if you, kind of, tried
to do this pie piece here first?

-MIKE W.: Yeah.
-See what I'm saying?

To do this whole area, with
this, will take some time.

-That's kind of
what we want you to do.
-Yeah. Yeah.

MARTY: All right, okay. Well,
you got your marching orders.

Uh, Rick has some other stuff
for me to do, Pete.

So I'm gonna skedaddle,
but you know, get what you can

and then when the tide goes out,
get more.

-Okay.
-All right, carry on.

-All right, see you.
-See you.

NARRATOR: While Mike West
and Andrew Gillis begin

their deep scan for metal
artifacts at Smith's Cove,

Rick Lagina, Craig Tester
and Dave Blankenship

travel some 150 miles northwest

to the city of Saint John,
New Brunswick.

I don't know about you guys, but
I'm very interested in seeing

this technology they're going
to apply to provide us

with a proper plan for
the project in Smith's Cove.

CRAIG:
Oh, absolutely. I mean,

I just got to believe we're
gonna find a lot of things.

NARRATOR: They have arranged
a meeting at the headquarters

of Irving Equipment, Limited,
the company that,

for the past three years,
has been chiefly responsible

for all of the major drilling
operations on Oak Island.

Hey, guys.

-David. Good to see you again.
-Welcome.

Good to see you, as well.
How are things?

Good. Good, very good, actually.

-Good? Craig, good.
-Nice to see you.

Dave, how you doing?
So welcome to Irving Equipment.

-RICK: Thank you.
Thank you very much.
-CRAIG: Thank you.

Yeah, we got a couple tricks
up our sleeve

we're looking to showcase
for you guys today,

but hopefully, just have
a good discussion about

Smith's Cove,
what you want to do.

-Okay.
-Perfect.
-Let's go. Follow me.

NARRATOR: This year,
in addition to the Money Pit,

the Laginas and their partners
want to expand

the team's excavation efforts
to include Smith's Cove,

where, last year,
Rick and Gary Drayton

found the mysterious
lead cross.

Because of its location at the
ocean, digging at Smith's Cove

will require the team to first
construct a massive cofferdam.

It will also require
a large investment of money,

as well as numerous permits
and permissions

from the government.

CRAIG: If we can get a proper
cofferdam in place,

I think we can prove up
the flood system

and which direction it goes
and lead us to the Money Pit.

DAVID I.:
Gentlemen, welcome to Lift Lab.

Here we have with us our
engineering folks, as well as

-some of the folks from
our pile driving department.
-Okay.

Let's just summarize a little
bit about what we talked about.

Sure. From previous
discussions, we, uh,

understand the scope as being
that you need a structure

that will hold back the water
to permit excavation

and exploration
around the Smith's Cove area.

So, uh, we also understand that
you would like to possibly dig

down ten feet in the Smith's
Cove area as well.

So, um, we have
our proposal here to, uh,

-to review with you guys.
-Great.

In order to, really, sort of,
immerse yourselves

in the plan that we're
presenting here,

we're gonna talk with this
augmented reality technology.

It's not full virtual reality.

With VR, you're totally blocking
out everything around you,

and you're just looking at
a totally virtual environment.

What we want to do is be able
to take the lift plans

that we've designed and then
superimpose the equipment,

the structure, on a digital
representation of the island.

The benefits of that
are that you get

that immersive experience,
without losing sight of what

we're really trying to talk
about, which is the worksite,

and how what we're planning
on putting on the worksite

fits together.

NARRATOR:
With applications ranging

from the medical
to engineering fields,

augmented reality
is an emerging technology,

whereby computer-generated
sensory data,

such as imagery and sound,

can alter
an individual's perception

of actual, real-life
environments.

Put simply, it creates
a three-dimensional simulation

of the physical world.

-Julien, do you have a headset?
-Yep, right here.

NARRATOR: Using a headset device
known as a HoloLens,

the digital model
can be manipulated

by simple hand movements.

JULIEN: What I'm gonna do now
is load up a hologram.

There's cameras on the front
of these HoloLens goggles.

So you're gonna see
my output here on the screen.

The HoloLens technology uses
hand gestures, so...

You can see it here,
it's kind of small scale,

so we'll make it a little bit
bigger and drag it.

That's amazing.

And I'm gonna to rotate it
around so the cove

is facing you guys, so you can
see the cove in the front.

And I'll grab it here and kind
of rotate it around for you.

So there you can see--

you can't see it in front
of you, but I can see it.

There's a cove right there
on the table for you.

DAVID I.: That's sort of
the starting point.

We can also now look
at the CAD files

that we developed
on top of this.

So, there we are there.
There's your cranes.

Again, showing the range
of the working profile there.

VICTOR: Okay, so, to summarize
all the discussions

on how actually will we
install this cofferdam,

we would start
to construct a road

from the Money Pit area all
the way right down to the beach.

It's a road that's going to be

about, approximately,
500 feet long.

Once we get down
to the beach area,

then we would construct
a crane pad.

What this crane pad
is going to do,

it's going to allow us to crane
back and forth, as required,

to drive the sheets
from the center point

all the way back
to the shoreline.

We also talked
about the old cofferdam

that was constructed
back in 1970.

As you can see, it's kind of
like a darker, shaded area here.

That's, that will show you
exactly the...

kind of like the footprint
of the old, existing structure.

And, as you can see,
we'll be outside of that.

So it allows us soil support
inside of the cofferdam.

You know, we're-we're
retaining back a minimum,

on high tide,
of six feet of water.

So, the forces
are-are significant, for sure.

It definitely gives you
a sense of scale

because we know
how big that crane is.

Look-look at the amount of earth
we have to deal with.

It's intimidating.

Yeah, it is a big structure.

Certainly the biggest project
we've undertaken so far.

Oh, yeah.

RICK: You know,
it was very helpful to see

a bird's-eye view, literally,
of the Smith's Cove work,

of the scope of it,
the scale of it.

Here it is, in real time,
what we're about to undertake,

and as I'm looking at it,
I'm thinking to myself,

you know what?

Time waits for no one.

We have to get this started.

Is there anything else that
we need to talk about here

or do we... do you guys
think that we're good to go?

-What do you think?
-I-I think we're good to go.

Good.

I think, I just want
to affirm to you guys

why this project is so important
to us, on a number of levels.

You know, everyone says
that the puzzle,

the mystery, actually started

upon finding the Money Pit
in 1795.

The truth is, my suspicion is

that the original depositors,
this is where they started

because there was something
they had that was so valuable

that they needed to protect it

and that's why they
had to create this.

The other thing is,
we found this cross,

but we believe
there are other artifacts

in the area where it was found
and in association

with this U-shaped structure.

So we'd like to get
to the bottom of the importance

of Smith's Cove and the work
that was done there.

Now, with your assistance,
your help,

we think we're on the precipice
of unraveling that mystery.

Um, will it find treasure?
Will it find answers?

You know, maybe write a page
into this ever-evolving story?

I think it will.

Well, let's seal it
on a handshake, then, and...

I'm old school. Handshake.

-Done deal.
-Sounds good.

-Thank you.
-Thanks.

-Let's get it done.
-Thanks, guys.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: Following their trip
to Irving Equipment, Limited...

-Let me give Marty a call.
-Yeah.

NARRATOR: ...Craig Tester,
Dave Blankenship

and Rick Lagina call
Rick's brother Marty

to update him
on their morning meeting.

Hey, Marty, you there?

MARTY (over phone):
Yeah, Craig.

-Hey.
-What's going on?

-We went
to Irving's office today.
-MARTY: Okay.

We discussed Smith's Cove,
putting the pilings in.

MARTY:
Oh, all right.

CRAIG:
Rick and I felt confident

that they could do the job.

So, we said, "Sure, we'll-we'll
do it with you guys."

MARTY:
Yep.

David agreed as well,
right, Dave?

-Yep.
-MARTY: I concur.

I did see the pictures you sent,
and it's exciting

to see that picture,
and see that dyke

holding back the sea
and then being able

to work in there in the dry.

I'm just hoping that could
really happen, you know.

-Yeah, I agree.
-Yep.

MARTY: The excavation
at Smith's Cove is going to be

the biggest thing
that we've done here,

uh, since we've
embarked on this quest.

I have some trepidation
about it.

It's going to be,
it's going to be a lot of work.

This is more about eyes
and boots on the ground,

getting dirty, jumping in,

making real finds,
real discoveries.

So, I'm very much
looking forward to it.

It's... finally, we're getting
our hands dirty again.

It is a treasure hunt,
after all.

MARTY:
Well, well done, guys.

I'm happy with the result
and yes, I'm firmly on board.

Okay.

-MARTY: Release the hounds!
-Yeah.

-(laughter)
-Smith's Cove, here we come.

NARRATOR:
As Rick, Craig and Dave

make their way back
to Oak Island,

Rick's nephew Peter Fornetti,

along with geophysicist
Mike West

and his associate
Andrew Gillis,

continue their search
for artifacts at Smith's Cove.

(beeping)

There's certainly
something right there.

-PETER: Right-right
where you are?
-Yeah.

Do you know any depth
with that or...

No, but it's-it's a pretty
big response, yeah.

PETER:
Oh, yeah?

It's even, like,
the millibel reading, uh,

is even off the scale.

We're up in the, you know,
3000, 3,400 millibels.

-Our baseline's
right around zero
-PETER: Mm-hmm.

and that's, you know,
that's spiking

o-off the charts right there.

And I don't,
I don't see any evidence

of any kind of metal on surface.

So, there's something
really big deep?

MIKE W.: Yeah. This isn't
a subtle response.

NARRATOR:
A large, metal object

buried deep below the surface
at Smith's Cove?

Could it be related to the lead
cross found here last year?

That's one that

-I'd certainly take a look at.
-PETER: Yeah.

MIKE W.: We'll create some maps.
We'll find these targets.

We can come back
at a later date and dig them.

We definitely will. (chuckles)

NARRATOR: Although Mike
is certain that the EM61

has detected the presence
of a significant metal target,

the team will have
to wait until today's scans

can be properly analyzed
before they can determine

the object's exact
GPS location.

Maybe I'll get one more pass.

And then we'll hop
to the other side?

And then we'll jump
to the other side.

Awesome. Perfect.

NARRATOR:
The next day...

-I think we just
go right in here.
-Yeah.

NARRATOR:
...Rick Lagina

and metal detection expert
Gary Drayton...

-Start right here, actually.
-Yep.

...continue
their ongoing search

for important clues,

this time on Lot 21.

Well, this is 21.
We've never been in here before.

You've got the McGinnis
foundation over there.

Uh, let's see what we find.

Right.

-Let's go, lucky digger.
-Let's go.

NARRATOR: Shortly after Daniel
McGinnis and two of his friends

discovered the Money Pit
in 1795,

the young man moved
to Oak Island and built a home.

Here, he lived
for the remainder of his life,

farming, raising a family
and searching for treasure.

Three years ago,
while visiting the island,

three of Daniel McGinnis's
direct descendants

shared an incredible story with
Rick, Marty and the team...

Now, I've been told they found
three treasure chests.

And what is in this box
is one of the things

that came from that chest.

NARRATOR: ...along
with an amazing object...

Oh, my goodness.

NARRATOR:
...that Daniel reportedly found

some 30 feet deep
in the Money Pit.

MARTY:
Wow.

NARRATOR: Although the remains
of Daniel McGinnis's house

were removed
more than a century ago,

the rock foundation remains
as a protected historical site.

Because of this, Rick and Gary
are careful not to disturb

any areas within 100 feet
of the foundation,

in hopes their search
of the surrounding ground

will yield important
information.

(metal detector whoops)

It's only reading
three or four inches.

(beeping)

I'm getting readings
over here, as well.

Ooh, look at that.

-Is that an oldie?
-I don't know.

That looks old.

Let's have a look, see if
I see any screw threads.

Yeah, I can...
these are old screws.

-Mm-hmm.
-So we've got an hinge.

-We need the chest.
-Chest.

And that's how it is
on Oak Island a lot of times.

Once you find
one or two good things,

you find a lot of things
in the same area.

Oh, come on, just one more nice,
little signal around here.

Really, what we need to do
is just circle this area

-a couple times.
-Yeah.

(beeping)

Well, that doesn't
sound too bad.

(steady beeping)

Just there.

You never, ever know

what's gonna come out
of your next hole.

What do I always say?

Just win, baby,
change your whole day.

Here we go.

(beeping)

Still sounding good,
still looking good.

Oh, my gosh.

It's another bobby-dazzler.
Look!

NARRATOR: While metal detecting
on Lot 21...

Bloody hell.

NARRATOR:
...Rick Lagina and Gary Drayton

have just made an astonishing
and potentially historic find.

That's a stone.

RICK:
That's a brooch.

GARY:
That's a bloody brooch.

Look at that. That's a gem.

RICK:
That's red, too.

NARRATOR:
A jeweled brooch

found on the western side
of Oak Island

and nearly a mile
from the Money Pit?

It's heavy.
You know, feel-feel the...

-We did it again.
-(laughs)

RICK: Feel the weight on that
compared to the other one.

-Oh, look at that.
-Isn't that much heavier?

NARRATOR: Could it be related
to the one discovered last year

on Lot 8, which not only
contained a semiprecious jewel,

but which might also date as
far back as the 16th century?

Gary reached in and,
there it is, the brooch.

And, uh, you know, it's a "Holy
schmoly" moment for Gary.

Wow.

RICK:
And it is for me, too.

It was hard not to get excited
because if it predates

searcher activity, it's
absolutely an excellent find.

Look at that.

Is that some sort
of ornament there,

some sort of ornament there?

I mean, a lot of work
went into that.

That's why I'm thinking
this could be special.

I just think the...

how ornate it is, is going
to tell us something.

It's beautiful.

-That is unbelievable.
-I-I think...

-The brooch brothers are back.
-(laughs)

Lucky diggers.

Right, you know what?

-Top-pocket find.
-Top-pocket find.

Just make sure you zip it up.
(chuckles)

NARRATOR:
For Rick, Marty and their team,

the discovery of what may be
an actual piece of treasure

offers a momentous start to
their new year on Oak Island.

But could it also validate
their belief

that, at some time,
perhaps centuries ago,

a group of people came here
for the purpose

of hiding something
of incredible value

like gold and jewels
buried by pirates,

the lost manuscripts
of William Shakespeare,

precious, religious artifacts

taken from
the Temple of King Solomon?

Or could it be something
small and modest,

like a simple lead cross,
which, when analyzed,

could change history

and which was discovered
on an area of the island

that waits to be explored?

Next time on
The Curse of Oak Island...

We got two broaches
and two red gemstones.

-Yes.
-RICK: That's pretty amazing.

This is not your ordinary gem.

-It's super ancient.
-DAVE: Now we're cooking.

These artifacts are
pushing us back

farther in time
than I ever thought.

-Here it comes.
-RICK: For the first time

in two and a quarter centuries,

we can look underground
in the Money Pit.

We can give you guys
some answers.

MARTY:
What are the lighter spots?

I would say it's pure gold.

GARY:
Holy schmoly!

MARTY:
We have found our first gold

on Oak Island.

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