The Curse of Oak Island (2014–…): Season 6, Episode 20 - Short Days and Tall Knights - full transcript
Time is running out when the Laginas and the team are blindsided by a shocking development that threatens to halt all operations at the Money Pit.
Tonight on The Curse
of Oak Island
Look over there, Marty.
-Is that a wall?
-RICK: Yep.
Yeah, there it is right there.
I think it’s a shaft.
-(beeping)
-I see it!
Yeah, that’s 1700s
all over it, mate.
JAMES:
The Knights Baronet
are connected
to the Knights Templar
and might be responsible
for a treasure buried
on Oak Island.
GARY:
All right, here we go.
-What do you got?
-I don’t know yet,
but it looks shiny!
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.
♪ ♪
CRAIG:
It looks like
it’s gonna be a windy day.
RICK:
Yes. Yes.
MARTY: It’s not gonna be
a good time for anybody.
CRAIG:
We’ll see.
(horn honks)
MARTY:
Well, let’s go tell them
-the news, Craiger.
-Yep.
NARRATOR:
It is a tense
and critical moment
-on Oak Island...
-Hey, guys.
-RICK: Hey.
-MARTY: Gentlemen.
...as brothers
Rick and Marty Lagina,
along with their partner
Craig Tester...
-CRAIG: It’s cold out there.
-...have called
an important meeting
in the war room
to discuss
a troubling new development.
MARTY:
Well...
the operators’ union
is going on strike.
There’s nobody out at...
-up at Money Pit.
-Well, w-wait. What do you mean?
MARTY:
It means we’re going silent
up there,
is what it means, Jack--
nobody to run the crane.
We got the word this morning
that they were on strike.
NARRATOR:
Earlier today, Marty,
Rick and Craig were informed
that the unionized
Nova Scotia crane operators
announced a strike in an effort
to secure higher wages
for its members.
Is it just the crane operators,
or everybody?
It’s always solidarity.
So everybody’s gone.
JACK:
What does that mean
for us, though?
We can’t dig.
Zero dark thirty.
MARTY:
You know,
we’re up against it here.
-Yeah.
-So...
it’s a blow.
It’s a big blow.
RICK:
Because time and weather
is closing in.
NARRATOR:
With only a few weeks left
before the onset of winter,
Rick, Marty and the team
must decide
how to make the best use
of the time they have left,
especially if the strike lasts
what could be
as long as three full weeks.
With this window of time,
we should put it to good use
in Smith’s Cove.
-I mean, it’s important.
-JACK: Yes.
Yes, of course.
I’ve been managing my time
at the wash table to make sure
that we could fit in room
for a fifth can and its spoils.
But if we aren’t gonna do
the fifth can,
I would like to go through
some of the Smith’s Cove stuff.
Jack, that’s music to my ears.
GARY:
So we’re lucky--
we can jump over
to Smith’s Cove and...
-do some more excavating
in that area.
-Yeah. Yeah,
we can see what we come up with.
As far as our work,
it shouldn’t interfere at all.
Yes.
There’s a bunch
of opportunity there
that’s certainly intriguing,
especially in light
of this... minor setback.
MARTY:
All right, so, there is
a lot of work to be done
while we wait
for a decision on the strike.
There’s Smith’s Cove,
-to continue excavation.
-Absolutely.
There’s a bunch
of cuttings to wash.
-Jack, get suited up.
-Yep.
Treasure hunting,
and life in general,
one door closes,
another good one opens.
They said that to Churchill
when he didn’t get elected.
They said,
and he said,
"Well, it is very truly
well disguised."
(laughter)
I think at this point,
we have a lot of data.
It’s like Mom putting
a puzzle together--
you can’t see the picture
till the puzzle’s together.
And I think
the puzzle’s not done yet.
The situation
has given us lemons,
and we’re gonna try
and make lemonade out of it.
I think there are
some answers here
and very much look forward to...
to doing that work.
I was prepared for seawater.
I was prepared for hurricane.
I was prepared for collapse.
I was prepared
for equipment breakdown.
I was prepared for all manners
in which the curse could get us,
but I was not thinking
about a strike.
So it’s interesting how...
how the island just...
just throws you something.
But you know what?
We are gonna...
sempre avanti.
We’re gonna move forward.
We’re gonna just deal
with the facts,
and we’re gonna see
what we can do.
So, let’s get back after it.
RICK:
I hope we find the one thing.
NARRATOR:
Following their meeting
in the war room,
Rick and Marty,
along with Charles Barkhouse
and metal detection expert
Gary Drayton,
head to Smith’s Cove.
Here, heavy equipment operator
Billy Gerhardt,
continues to expose
a mysterious wood structure
which was discovered
while searching for the
so-called "convergence point,"
the place where the five
stone flood box drains meet
and which, if found,
could lead directly
to the Money Pit
treasure vault.
-Look. Look over there, Marty.
-GARY: Yeah.
RICK:
Look at how it’s
peeling that away. See that?
Just sticking out. You can just
see the end of it, right there.
-Yeah, there’s a round...
-Like a 2x4.
There’s a round-- see that
round thing over there, Rick.
-GARY: That’s like a log.
-Whoa!
GARY:
Yeah, there’s timbers
all over there.
MARTY:
Yeah, I would dig back
behind there.
If they were trying to stop
something, it’s that way.
NARRATOR:
When this structure
was first unearthed
two days ago,
the team was uncertain
whether it was constructed
within the past 200 years by
one of the many search teams,
or one
of the original depositors,
sometime before 1795.
The water is coming
right here, for sure.
-See it pouring right there.
-Yeah.
NARRATOR:
Equally intriguing
is the question
of its intended purpose,
as the steady flow of water
running directly through it
seems to suggest that it
may have some connection
to the flood tunnel system.
GARY:
When’s the last time
this saw the light of day?
MARTY:
Yeah.
GARY:
It’s amazing how many structures
-are still down there.
-MARTY: Yeah.
-GARY: Is this a known one?
-No.
MARTY:
Another of many structures
in Smith’s Cove that
we didn’t know were there.
There are probably upwards,
or getting close to,
a dozen at this point.
Some of which were known
and many of which were unknown,
at least to us.
People didn’t keep
very good records.
Could be a shaft.
-CHARLES: Could be.
-Well, couldn’t it be Restall?
He did some shafts down here.
Oh, yeah. We know
he did dig a number of pits
along the shore trying
to find the converging point.
MARTY:
It’d be nice
if Restall had found
the flood tunnel and tried
to block it right there.
Exactly.
NARRATOR:
In 1959,
motorcycle daredevil-
turned-treasure hunter
Robert Restall,
along with his wife Mildred,
moved to Oak Island
with their two young sons,
Bobby Jr. and Ricky.
For six years,
the family endured
primitive living conditions and
harsh North Atlantic weather,
all while conducting major
search operations in the swamp
at the Money Pit
and at Smith’s Cove.
I feel that
the treasure is here
and that we can get it,
and we’re going to stay here
until we do.
NARRATOR:
In 1965,
Robert Restall claimed
he was close to finding the key
to shutting off the water
that thwarted
searcher efforts to locate
the original Money Pit and,
for this reason,
was within weeks of solving
the Oak Island mystery.
Unfortunately,
later that summer,
Robert Restall,
his son Bobby Jr.
and two coworkers
died in a tragic accident
in one of the many
exploratory shafts
they had dug near Smith’s Cove.
Could the shaft that
Billy Gerhardt has uncovered
be the one
that Robert Restall believed
might be instrumental in
solving the Oak Island mystery?
RICK:
I find the Restall work
to be exceedingly interesting.
They didn’t just
arbitrarily pick locations.
-They chose them for a reason.
-I’m hoping that...
that it really is
a structure to stop
the water that they thought was
flooding the Money Pit.
Ends right there.
Then it goes back that way.
I think it’s a shaft.
But, I mean, we’ll see
when we get down deeper.
Yeah, there it is right there.
-You got a wall, Rick?
-Yep.
Right there.
You are right, Marty.
It’s a shaft. Wow.
-I see it!
-This is military.
Yeah, that’s 1700s
all over it, mate.
It could literally be
a half a billion dollars
in treasure buried
on Oak Island.
CHARLES:
That’s really
pouring out now. Look.
NARRATOR:
At Smith’s Cove,
brothers Rick and Marty Lagina,
along with Charles Barkhouse,
metal detection expert
Gary Drayton
and heavy equipment operator
Billy Gerhardt are continuing
to expose an old wooden shaft
at the edge of the beach.
It is a shaft the team believes
may have been dug
by legendary searcher
Robert Restall
more than 50 years ago
and which
could lead them directly
to the original Money Pit
treasure shaft.
RICK:
Right there.
Is there another wall
going back there, Rick?
Yep. The wall
goes back like that.
It’s right here...
but it’s way...
-Yeah, I see that.
-...way back there.
It’s not very square.
No.
No, not at all.
Definitely ends right there.
They feel they were close
to something.
Perhaps they put the shaft
through the flood tunnel.
-Could be.
-And that’s why we’re
getting all the water in.
RICK:
I think it’s, uh,
part of the Restalls’ work,
to come to an understanding
of... of, you know,
what had been done
in Smith’s Cove.
I mean, there’s still a lot
of questions to be answered
by a simple process
of excavating.
Yeah, but it’s
the most interesting
of the new structures.
Of the unknown structures,
to me,
it’s the most interesting.
-It’s a rather small shaft.
-CHARLES: It is.
RICK:
Unless it was small
because they thought
-they were dead-on something.
-CHARLES: Right on it, yeah.
Well, the interesting thing is,
we’re still seeing water
coming out,
and that’s where water
was coming out
at the end of the crane pad.
And it did... it tested
a little bit of dye here, right?
NARRATOR:
Five weeks ago...
Okay, hit the button.
Start it up.
-Okay.
-...the Oak Island team
conducted
a test at the Money Pit site,
which involved pumping
thousands of gallons
of ocean water,
mixed with nontoxic red dye,
into borehole C-1.
MARTY (over radio):
The dye has been cast.
NARRATOR:
They were hoping to locate
the fabled flood tunnel
believed to be connected
to the treasure shaft.
If we’re looking for red, guys,
I’d say that’s red.
NARRATOR:
Within hours
of beginning the dye test,
Gary Drayton alerted Rick,
Marty and the team
to what appeared
to be red-colored water
flowing out of Smith’s Cove
near where
they are currently digging
water,
which then tested positive
for traces of the red dye.
-11.98.
-Whew.
That’s a good positive
indication.
Well, here-here’s the thing.
Steve Guptill’s gonna be here
tomorrow,
so he has
that red dye position GPS’d.
-Okay.
-He can GPS this, overlay it,
or-or at least compare and see
-how close we are to that.
-Yeah.
And then, given the fact
that the Restalls were certainly
interested in this area,
the red dye association,
and now, hopefully,
we cut a trench,
and we can finally,
once and for all, find
a box drain or a remnant of.
-Uh, that’d be spectacular.
-CHARLES: I’d say.
-See you later, Billy.
-See you guys.
RICK:
Okeydoke.
-(thunder rumbles)
-NARRATOR:
Later that same day...
...Jack Begley and metal
detection expert Gary Drayton
head to the island’s
western shore,
to an area known as Lot 1.
Now, where’d you want to go
around here, Gary?
Well, if there’s a big boulder,
and there’s coins over there,
there’s got to be coins
next to these big boulders.
Let’s check it out.
-After you.
-You got a shovel?
NARRATOR:
Before the harsh winter comes,
Jack and Gary are hoping
to find more artifacts
similar to the gold brooch
and decorative lead object
found earlier this year
on the western side
of the island.
To me, coming from a shipwreck,
treasure-hunting background,
these large rocks
are great anchor points.
Boats would come up, and
they’d moor up to these rocks.
Oh!
They would lose stuff,
coming to shore.
It should be on the beach here.
And then,
it gets caught on the rocks?
Yup.
Uh, the rocks help trap stuff.
(beeping)
That sounds good.
That’s a small iron target.
I think
we’ll pass on that one, mate.
Hang on a minute.
-Is that pottery?
-Yeah.
-That’s old pottery, as well.
-Oh!
-GARY: Look at that. That’s...
-That’s the same type of blue
that we’re finding
in the Money Pit.
Exactly!
And we’re finding it here!
We’re back in the 1700s, mate,
with this blue-glazed pottery.
NARRATOR:
Pottery? From the 1700s?
And similar to the pieces
that the team has also found
deep underground
in the Money Pit.
-Really good eye, Gary.
-You know what we should do?
What?
I think we should move some
of this stuff out of here.
-Yeah.
-Do you want to pull it forward
and-and winch this up
and get this out of here, mate?
Sure, I’ll try to get it
as close as I can.
JACK:
We’re finding pottery,
and this piece was made
a long time ago.
This pottery could actually be
treasure, because
pottery this nice was
of high value back in the day.
It proves to me
we’re on the right path.
-Here we go, Gary!
-All right, mate.
Standing clear!
(whirring)
All right, that’ll do it!
Nice one, Jack!
-(beeping)
-Yup, I’m getting a signal!
On my way, Gary!
GARY:
It’s nonferrous,
two-way, repeatable.
-(detector whining)
-Just there, mate.
GARY:
That is sweet.
All right, get in here.
-(beeping)
-JACK: Oh, it’s out already.
-Yeah, it’s...
All right, let’s see
what this metal is.
I thought I was on it.
(beeping)
(beeping continues)
(beeping)
-I see it!
-Hey!
Is that a coin?
JACK:
Is it?
-GARY: Aah! It’s a button.
-Button. Button.
What type of button
do you think it is?
That is typical
1700s cuff button.
-Right on the wrist?
-That would have been
on a shirt cuff. Yeah.
Do you think a modern
civilian would wear that,
-or is it more military?
-Yeah.
This is more military.
Do you see that color, mate?
It looks like
there could be writing there.
Yeah. I was seeing gold gilding
on there.
(Jack gasps)
Yeah, that’s 1700s
all over it, mate.
This is gold gilding,
by the look of this.
Oh, yeah!
That looks just like the button
-we found in the Money Pit.
-Yeah.
It says plated. It’s a button.
NARRATOR:
Two years ago, while searching
through the spoils excavated
from the borehole known
as GAL-1...
CHARLES:
That’s got some marks
on the side of it.
NARRATOR:
...Rick, Marty, Charles
and Gary were astonished
to discover a gold-plated
18th century
British military button.
Could these two artifacts,
found on opposite ends
of the island, be connected?
If so, might they have been
left behind
by someone searching
for something of great value?
Or by someone depositing
something for safekeeping?
Ah, I don’t want to rub it
too much in case I mess it up...
And probably,
this side was all gilded,
back in the day, as well.
So, this would have been
like a fancy officer’s button,
because only they would’ve had
the nice, gold buttons.
-That’s nice.
-It means that we’re gonna have
to search a lot more
-on the western side.
-Yup.
I’m thinking we come back
when we’ve got more tide
to play with,
because the tide’s
coming in, look.
-Sounds good.
-All right, mate, let’s go.
NARRATOR:
As a new day begins
on Oak Island...
The Knights Baronet
had certainly enough time
-Welcome to Oak Island.
-Thank you.
NARRATOR:
...Rick Lagina and members
of the team welcome
an important visitor
to the war room.
Guys, I just want to introduce
James McQuiston to you.
perhaps, the Oak Island mystery.
-Right here, sir.
-Right here? All right.
NARRATOR:
As an author and researcher,
James McQuiston specializes
in stories that connect
descendants of the legendary
Knights Templar
to their possible history
in North America.
Although he does not have
a particular theory as to
where the Oak Island treasure
might be buried,
his research has convinced him
that not only
did members of the Knights
Templar come to Oak Island
as far back
as the 14th century,
but that they
and their descendants
continued to come
and deposit treasure here
during the course
of the next 400 years.
RICK:
James McQuiston is a fellow
of the Society of Antiquaries
of Scotland.
Well versed in Scottish lore,
the history
of the Scottish clans.
His theory revolves
around that central core issue.
To that extent, James,
I’m gonna turn it over to you.
I’ll be honest, upfront,
what I’ve learned of it,
I find it incredibly interesting
and intriguing,
and I think
we all very much look forward
to what you have to tell us.
Well, thanks for having me,
and, um,
I’m gonna tell you a story
today, but you won’t
find it written anywhere else,
because I found it
piece by piece, just like you
folks are finding things
piece by piece on this island.
So, I want to start out
with the story
of the Knights Baronet
of Nova Scotia.
And how they came about
was actually because
King James I of England,
who also happened
to be King James VI of Scotland,
wanted to oust the French
Catholics living at Port Royal.
So, he went to his good friend
Sir William Alexander,
who was on the Privy Council,
and he held various positions
in government, and he said,
"Can you get some of our fellow
Scotsman to go over there?"
And he said, "Well,
you’ve got a New England,
"you got a New France,
and you got a New Spain.
If you give me a New Scotland,
I’ll do it."
So, a new knighthood
was developed.
It’s called
the Knights Baronet.
The idea was, they would sell
these knighthoods to, uh,
particularly clan chieftains,
and they wrote the charter
in Latin,
so "New Scotland" came out
as "Nova Scotia."
NARRATOR:
Formed in 1625,
the Knights Baronet of Nova
Scotia was a hereditary title
that was conferred upon
a nobleman and his descendants
in exchange for a fee.
The objective was twofold.
The first was to persuade
Scottish clan chiefs
to leave their homes,
make the treacherous
voyage west
across the Atlantic Ocean,
and then colonize this portion
of the New World.
The second was
to raise money for the crown,
as each knighthood was sold
for 3,000 marks,
equivalent to 50,000
American dollars today.
JAMES:
Sir William Alexander wanted
to sell about 100 of these
to create 100 towns
around Nova Scotia.
That was the ultimate plan.
And if you look at the overall
list of the Knights Baronet,
25% of them had
some kind of connection
back to the Knights Templar.
But if you look
at just the first few dozen,
they were all connected
to the Knights Templar.
It was either
they received land grants
of Knight Templar land,
they had a Knights Templar
within their clan,
or they fought along
Knights Templar in battles.
They may have had Templar wealth
in their families,
because when they were,
uh, dissolved,
where’s all that stuff gonna go?
It-It’s a continuous legacy
from the Templars
to the Baronets,
and there’s no doubt about it.
So, from 1625,
when the Baronets were founded,
to 1628,
they worked to get enough men
to sign up to get the manpower
and the supplies
and the money that they needed
to come to Nova Scotia.
Once they got here,
one of the places
I think they went was New Ross.
NARRATOR:
Two years ago,
Rick Lagina, Doug Crowell
and Charles Barkhouse
traveled
to the town of New Ross,
located some 20 miles north
of Oak Island.
They had been invited
to investigate a property
that many believe
contains evidence
of an ancient Templar castle
that was built sometime
in the 14th century.
On the face of this stone,
you can see a very faint outline
of a cross.
It’s no ordinary cross, but the
cross of the Knights Templar.
JAMES:
So, the Knights Baronet
are connected
to the Knights Templar,
and that connection goes
right through Nova Scotia.
And it might be responsible for
a treasure buried on Oak Island.
And there’s no known location
for where this treasure
ended up.
And I asked the
Society of Antiquaries,
of which I am a member,
and they, uh, had no answer
so they sent me to the
National Museums of Scotland
and they had no answer
of what happened to it.
Well, I found the treasure
listed in five ancient books
and I have an account
of it here.
It could literally be
a half a billion dollars.
-Now we’re talking.
-(laughter)
The Knights Baronet
by the original depositors, re
for a treasure buried
on Oak Island.
NARRATOR:
In the war room,
author and Oak Island theorist
James McQuiston
has just presented Rick Lagina
and members of the team
with an incredible theory.
According to his research,
in the early part
of the 17th century,
Scottish descendants
of the Knights Templar,
along with their associates,
obtained titles of nobility
from the British government,
which issued them
as an incentive
to come to Nova Scotia
and extend the reach
of the British Empire.
Over the next several decades,
they built cities,
and established themselves
in everything
from local governments
to banking and overseas trade.
But what the plan also did
was further establish
a Templar stronghold
in North America,
one that began as far back
as the 14th century,
and which used Oak Island
as a repository
for millions in gold, jewels,
and precious artifacts
brought over from Europe.
So, uh, the bottom line
is that it’s more than apparent
that the-the Scottish
clan leaders,
who became the Knights Baronet
of Nova Scotia,
had a lot of links back
to the Knights Templar.
And they stayed on Oak Island?
If, in fact,
they came into Mahone Bay
and parked at Oak Island,
certainly enough time
to build the Money Pit.
Time enough to put away things
that they did not want
to take back to Scotland.
Exactly.
NARRATOR:
Although the notion
that surviving members
of the Knights Templar
made their way to North America
as early as the 14th century
has been long debated
by mainstream historians,
many Oak Island theorists
and researchers
have become convinced
that numerous stone carvings
and recently discovered
artifacts
like the lead cross found
at Smith’s Cove
have added further evidence
to support this theory.
And again, just to revisit it
for a minute.
This book that I found this in,
this is the actual book
right here.
The cover of the book and that’s
the title sheet of it.
It’s the History
of the Lodge of Edinburgh,
Mary’s Chapel, they call it,
Number One.
This is the account
of the treasure.
You have items on here like, uh,
36 dozen gold buttons,
uh, "rich jewel set
of diamonds,"
another, "gold bracelets
at 600 pounds the pair."
GARY:
We found stuff off that list,
what you’ve just read off.
The gold-plated button.
We found jewelry,
and previously,
there’s been gold chain links
found on the island.
The other item
of great interest on this,
is that
the very last item listed,
it says,
in till or there in."
Back then, title deeds were kept
in canvas waxed bags,
to protect the India ink.
So, uh, as you know, in 1897,
a little piece
of parchment was pulled up
from, uh, the Money Pit
at about 150 feet down.
Here it is, and guess what?
No smearing of the India ink.
So what that would tell me
is that this was kept in
something that was waterproof
until that drill bit hit it and
brought it up to the surface.
NARRATOR:
While drilling in the Money Pit
area in 1897,
treasure hunters
William Chappell
and Frederick Blair reported
hitting an object
they believed to be a
seven-foot-tall wooden vault
at a depth of 153 feet.
When examining the drill bit,
shortly thereafter,
they were astonished
to discover traces of gold
along with a tiny piece
of parchment
bearing the letters V-I.
Just one year ago, after a
50-inch-wide steel caisson
made contact with what
the Oak Island team believes
could be the Chappell Vault
in the borehole known as H-8,
Jack Begley and Dan Henskee
made a similar discovery
while searching the spoils
excavated from the shaft.
It kind of looks like it could
be some old parchment.
NARRATOR:
Could this parchment,
along with fragments
of leather bookbinding
and antique paper
also recovered from H-8,
be proof that James McQuiston’s
theory is true?
That important books
and manuscripts were also
a part of the Oak Island
treasure.
And that the treasure wasn’t
brought here all at once,
but gradually, and over the
course of several centuries.
So, uh,
I’m going out on a limb here,
but I believe that at least some
of this massive treasure
was brought to the New World,
possibly by
the Alexander family,
and, uh, was buried here
on Oak Island.
And, so I-I kind of feel,
myself,
that this presents
one of the best, uh, answers
to what happened on Oak Island
and at New Ross.
RICK:
You know, theorists
have come and gone here.
What separates the real theories
as it applies to real search,
generally, those theories
have to connect the dots.
James has come, he connects
one fact with another fact.
Now, some of them are an
interpretation of known facts,
but-but the dots
are pretty close together,
and I, and I am thoroughly
impressed.
I know one thing that you
reinforced to me, surely,
is that the richness
of Oak Island
really centers around the story.
The who, what, when, where,
why and how,
and you have answered several
of those.
You have a very strong theory
with a-a treasure
that seems to match some
of the discoveries here.
And backing it up with facts
and research.
-It’s-it’s amazing.
-Yeah.
I find it incredibly interesting
and intriguing,
and I congratulate you on
the extent of your research.
Well, I hope to someday come
back with even some more stuff.
We will not allow you
to stay away.
-I guarantee you that.
-Mm-hmm.
Again, thank you very much.
I think we all express that.
-CRAIG: Absolutely.
-JAMES: Thank you, guys.
NARRATOR:
The next day,
Marty Lagina and metal
detection expert Gary Drayton
arrive at Lot 16, located near
the Money Pit dig site.
Yeah, what we’re doing,
we’re going to where
-they found... Yeah, the well.
-MARTY: That well is.
NARRATOR:
After their meeting with
theorist James McQuiston,
they are eager to follow up
on possible new connections
linking the Knights of Baronet
to Oak Island,
by investigating a recently
discovered stone well
located near the Money Pit.
After close examination,
it was found
to bear several design
and construction similarities
to one the team investigated
two years ago
near the ruins of an alleged
Templar castle located
in the nearby town of New Ross.
RICK:
That look like flagstone floor?
NARRATOR:
There, inside the well,
they observed a triangle,
or pyramid, carved into one
of the stones.
TONY:
It’s got some little pattern
in the middle.
NARRATOR:
It is this same shape
which has frequently
appeared on Oak Island,
not only in various carvings,
such as those found
on the legendary 90 Foot Stone,
but also the shape
of the mysterious swamp,
which many believe
to be man-made.
I think this well
is really, really old.
This looks like a modern cap,
but when you look inside there,
see all the formation?
MARTY:
Now I see, yeah.
Yeah, I had never noticed
-that the top looks different...
-Yeah, well...
...than the underneath,
that’s very true.
-Nobody seems to know
anything about it.
-I agree.
The curiosity about that thing
is who built it and when?
It would be good to take
that cap off that well.
You know what, Gary,
I like your idea so much
about removing the cap
of that well.
I am going
to call Mr. Laird Niven
and see whether
we’re allowed to.
NARRATOR:
In accordance with their
treasure trove license,
Marty and Gary must first
seek permission
from archeologist Laird Niven
before they can excavate
any site
that could be deemed
historically
or culturally significant.
Laird!
LAIRD (over phone):
Hey, Marty, how are you?
MARTY:
Hey, Gary and I are out here
just off the edge
of the Money Pit,
and there’s a well here
which has
-a modern top on it, you know?
-LAIRD: Yeah.
Is it okay to pull the top off?
-Or do you need to...
-That’s fine with me.
-MARTY: Okay.
-I have no problem with that.
MARTY:
All right, Laird. See ya.
-Bye-bye.
-Bye.
-We can.
-GARY: Yeah, that’s good news.
MARTY:
I mean, it would have been--
If it is old with a modern cap,
it could’ve been here
when the Money Pit was here.
-Yeah.
-Hmm.
Yeah, this is a big undertaking,
the Money Pit.
You would need fresh water,
you’d need to have
a freshwater well close
to the Money Pit.
This might be original.
All right.
Well, let’s go do that.
(beeping)
MARTY:
With a little bit of luck,
this may lead us to perhaps
figure out what happened here,
at least in one point
in history.
GARY:
I’ll guide him down.
A little bit this way.
That’s better.
You got it!
NARRATOR:
Now that the cap on the well
has been removed,
Gary will now scan the inside
of it using a metal detector
in search of any important
clues or possible artifacts.
(detector beeping)
Hmm. Metal.
Hey.
That was a job well done, Marty.
-It really was.
-Thank you. Thank you.
And I’ve had
a little explore around.
I didn’t get any metal
until I put
the search coil inside the well.
-Oh, and then you got some?
-Yeah.
(detector beeps)
MARTY:
Oh, my goodness.
-That’s a good sound,
too, isn’t it?
-Yeah, it is.
That’s a good solid hit.
How are we gonna dig it out
of there, though?
Yeah, that’s the thing. It’s a
pity we can’t drain the water.
Does this--
does this look old to you?
-Um, yeah, it does.
-I’m sure we can
put a pump in there
and get rid of that.
NARRATOR:
Although Marty and Gary
are encouraged
by the promising hits
Gary has obtained
with his metal detector,
they will need to allow
for a pump to drain the well
over the course
of the next 24 hours
before they can further
their investigation
of whatever
might be buried there.
Well, this is cool.
I mean, I love...
I love unearthing
a new possibility.
-Yep.
-I mean, what if this--
yeah, what if this was done
by the original depositors?
Later on, somebody came
-and put a cap on it.
-Yeah.
And you find something in there.
-All right,
mate, but this is great.
-No, I...
-You had a great...
we got some signals
to come back to.
Okay. Let’s go, Gary.
NARRATOR:
As a new day dawns
on Oak Island...
GARY:
It’s a... Oh, it is a...
MARTY:
Now it’s pumping.
NARRATOR:
...Marty Lagina
and metal detection expert
Gary Drayton...
...are continuing
their investigation
of an old stone well on Lot 16
located near
the Money Pit area,
a structure they hope
might provide new clues
to help them solve
the 223-year-old mystery.
-Now we’re draining.
-Here you go, bud.
Thanks.
All right, I think I’m ready
to get back in there.
All right.
NARRATOR:
Having successfully drained
the water
from the bottom of the well,
Marty and Gary are eager to dig
for the metal targets
that Gary detected one day ago
in the hopes
one or more of them
might be important clues
or, hopefully,
pieces of treasure.
Ah, what a sweet
little place this is.
It would be nice to find
another stone
with an inscription on it.
Unusual shape.
MARTY:
All right, we’ll put this one
off to the side.
GARY:
I’m trying to feel for things.
You want to try
your metal detector on it?
Yeah.
-(detector beeping)
-I’ll put it in "well" mode.
-Yeah.
-(Gary laughs)
All right, let’s see.
(beeping continues)
It’s iron. Whatever it is,
-it’s iron.
-That’s too bad.
But I’m getting
multiple signals now on this.
Ferrous and nonferrous,
so there could be
different metals in here.
NARRATOR:
A nonferrous signal?
Indicating the presence
of a precious metal,
such as silver or even gold?
I’m-I’m gonna try and pinpoint.
It’s easier.
All right, here we go.
Please don’t be a nail.
No, it is a piece... Ooh!
It’s a piece of decorated lead,
by the look of it.
Really?
Put it in your hands.
There’s two pieces coming up.
-Got them?
-Yep.
Oh! It’s a...
-(laughs) What do you got?
-I don’t know yet,
but it looks shiny!
Oh!
It’s a... Oh!
It’s a...
I got a coin!
-Do you?
-Yeah, it’s a coin!
Don’t tell me
you’re gonna do your gold dance
down in the well.
It’s a one dollar.
Canadian dollar.
-Can you believe it?
-You bugger.
Oh, my God.
Bugger all.
I thought that was a gold coin.
I’m thinking to myself,
How am I gonna dance in here?
-You would do it.
-I would do it, yeah.
I’m gonna see
if there’s any more of that,
but that looks like it’s a piece
of decorated lead.
You can see there was some kind
of design on it.
NARRATOR:
A piece of decorated lead?
Could it be related
to the other lead artifacts
the team has found
on Lot 21 on the western end
of Oak Island
and at Smith’s Cove,
both of which may be connected
to the Knights Templar?
MARTY:
Well, I’ll get that cleaned up
-in a little bit.
-GARY: Yeah.
I am getting soaked.
MARTY:
Hey, Rick. Morning, bud.
Gary just found
this piece of lead.
RICK:
Interesting.
GARY:
Ah!
Detecting anything, Gary?
GARY:
Definitely.
There’s more metal down here.
But I just can’t work
’cause the water pouring on me,
-and it’s...
-I wonder how
we’re gonna stop that, though.
GARY:
It’s filling up fast.
All right, mate, I’m coming out.
NARRATOR:
Although the well
was previously pumped dry,
due to the fact that it is fed
by a natural spring,
it has already begun to refill
with groundwater.
Because of this,
Rick, Marty and Gary
have decided to stop
their investigation for now
in order to devise
a new strategy
that will allow them to conduct
a more thorough search.
I mean,
this is a unique opportunity,
a well next to the Money Pit
and being the first person
to get whatever’s down
in that well out.
-That’s pretty cool.
-Pretty cool.
But save it
for another day, right?
Yeah, for sure.
But I’m confident
there’s got to be something
down there.
All right, Gary.
A job well done.
NARRATOR:
Following the investigation
of the old stone well
on Lot 16,
Rick and Marty Lagina meet
with archaeologist Laird Niven
at Smith’s Cove.
They are eager to apply
a scientific dating method
known as dendrochronology
to find out the age of
the various wooden structures
recently unearthed at the site.
MARTY:
What do you want to do, Rick?
You have cut it here,
and this is damaging.
-You’ll lose growth rings here.
-MARTY: He’s right.
LAIRD:
Yeah.
NARRATOR:
Dendrochronology,
or tree-ring dating,
analyzes the size and pattern
of a tree’s growth rings,
which develop over the course
of a tree’s lifetime.
By using
this extraordinary method,
not only
will the Oak Island team
be able to find out
the age of the tree
that was used
to produce the wood,
it can also determine
the approximate year
the wood was cut
for construction purposes.
The hope is that we can come
to an understanding
of how these structures
might interrelate.
The two walls,
the L-shaped structure,
the U-shaped structure,
the slipway--
dendrochronology may be a way
to come
to a better understanding
of the when of their construct.
MARTY:
Wondering if Billy
could track down
to lift this.
He can reach right out here,
pick it up.
-Okay.
-MARTY: I’ll go get him.
NARRATOR:
This year,
during their extensive
excavation at Smith’s Cove,
the Oak Island team
has unearthed
an astonishing number
of archaeological finds.
In addition to the mysterious
"U" and L-shaped structures
discovered earlier
by Dan Blankenship
in the 1970s,
they have also revealed
wooden and concrete walls,
as well as the remains
of a slipway or boat ramp
possibly constructed
to offload cargo
from a ship
onto Oak Island centuries ago.
MARTY:
Bring her up slow, Billy.
NARRATOR:
If the Laginas
and their partners...
Oh!
...can determine
that the structures
found at Smith’s Cove
were constructed
before the discovery
of the Money Pit
in 1795,
they may be on the verge
of identifying once and for all
not only when
the Money Pit was built,
but also who built it and why.
-That is amazingly preserved.
-Yeah.
RICK:
Well, hopefully
this dendrochronology
-will yield some results.
-LAIRD: Yeah.
MARTY:
All right.
Well, let’s keep going.
There’s still plenty of work
to be done at Smith’s Cove,
clearly.
RICK:
We’re hopeful
to put closure on this effort,
but we are still quite confused
by the amount of structures.
What was the reason
for their emplacement?
Let’s see if this one’s
flat underneath, too.
You think it is, right?
RICK:
There’s a lot of questions
to be answered yet.
NARRATOR
A week that began
with a frustrating setback
at the Money Pit site
has become one
of new directions
and renewed excitement.
For, as the Laginas and their
partners have long understood,
on Oak Island, a breakdown
can lead to a breakthrough;
disappointment can lead
to discovery;
and even a tragedy can lead
to a possible triumph
one that could result
in the solving
of a 223-year-old mystery.
Next time
on The Curse of Oak Island...
That star lays right on
the southeast corner
-of that swamp.
-RICK: The back door.
This leads to the Money Pit.
Here it comes. Steady up.
I think the swamp has answers,
and I want them.
-It’s a coin!
Maybe there are answers
in the swamp.
-Oh, oh! Whoa, whoa!
it looks like a pile
of boulders.
-ALEX: See the water?
-TERRY: Substantial amount
of water flowing out of it.
-Maybe the flood tunnel?
-COLIN: The wood
in the slipway matches
with the 550-year-old tree.
-It is original.
-It predates the Money Pit.
-Yes. -RICK: It’s conclusive proof.
Subtitled by Diego Moraes
of Oak Island
Look over there, Marty.
-Is that a wall?
-RICK: Yep.
Yeah, there it is right there.
I think it’s a shaft.
-(beeping)
-I see it!
Yeah, that’s 1700s
all over it, mate.
JAMES:
The Knights Baronet
are connected
to the Knights Templar
and might be responsible
for a treasure buried
on Oak Island.
GARY:
All right, here we go.
-What do you got?
-I don’t know yet,
but it looks shiny!
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.
♪ ♪
CRAIG:
It looks like
it’s gonna be a windy day.
RICK:
Yes. Yes.
MARTY: It’s not gonna be
a good time for anybody.
CRAIG:
We’ll see.
(horn honks)
MARTY:
Well, let’s go tell them
-the news, Craiger.
-Yep.
NARRATOR:
It is a tense
and critical moment
-on Oak Island...
-Hey, guys.
-RICK: Hey.
-MARTY: Gentlemen.
...as brothers
Rick and Marty Lagina,
along with their partner
Craig Tester...
-CRAIG: It’s cold out there.
-...have called
an important meeting
in the war room
to discuss
a troubling new development.
MARTY:
Well...
the operators’ union
is going on strike.
There’s nobody out at...
-up at Money Pit.
-Well, w-wait. What do you mean?
MARTY:
It means we’re going silent
up there,
is what it means, Jack--
nobody to run the crane.
We got the word this morning
that they were on strike.
NARRATOR:
Earlier today, Marty,
Rick and Craig were informed
that the unionized
Nova Scotia crane operators
announced a strike in an effort
to secure higher wages
for its members.
Is it just the crane operators,
or everybody?
It’s always solidarity.
So everybody’s gone.
JACK:
What does that mean
for us, though?
We can’t dig.
Zero dark thirty.
MARTY:
You know,
we’re up against it here.
-Yeah.
-So...
it’s a blow.
It’s a big blow.
RICK:
Because time and weather
is closing in.
NARRATOR:
With only a few weeks left
before the onset of winter,
Rick, Marty and the team
must decide
how to make the best use
of the time they have left,
especially if the strike lasts
what could be
as long as three full weeks.
With this window of time,
we should put it to good use
in Smith’s Cove.
-I mean, it’s important.
-JACK: Yes.
Yes, of course.
I’ve been managing my time
at the wash table to make sure
that we could fit in room
for a fifth can and its spoils.
But if we aren’t gonna do
the fifth can,
I would like to go through
some of the Smith’s Cove stuff.
Jack, that’s music to my ears.
GARY:
So we’re lucky--
we can jump over
to Smith’s Cove and...
-do some more excavating
in that area.
-Yeah. Yeah,
we can see what we come up with.
As far as our work,
it shouldn’t interfere at all.
Yes.
There’s a bunch
of opportunity there
that’s certainly intriguing,
especially in light
of this... minor setback.
MARTY:
All right, so, there is
a lot of work to be done
while we wait
for a decision on the strike.
There’s Smith’s Cove,
-to continue excavation.
-Absolutely.
There’s a bunch
of cuttings to wash.
-Jack, get suited up.
-Yep.
Treasure hunting,
and life in general,
one door closes,
another good one opens.
They said that to Churchill
when he didn’t get elected.
They said,
and he said,
"Well, it is very truly
well disguised."
(laughter)
I think at this point,
we have a lot of data.
It’s like Mom putting
a puzzle together--
you can’t see the picture
till the puzzle’s together.
And I think
the puzzle’s not done yet.
The situation
has given us lemons,
and we’re gonna try
and make lemonade out of it.
I think there are
some answers here
and very much look forward to...
to doing that work.
I was prepared for seawater.
I was prepared for hurricane.
I was prepared for collapse.
I was prepared
for equipment breakdown.
I was prepared for all manners
in which the curse could get us,
but I was not thinking
about a strike.
So it’s interesting how...
how the island just...
just throws you something.
But you know what?
We are gonna...
sempre avanti.
We’re gonna move forward.
We’re gonna just deal
with the facts,
and we’re gonna see
what we can do.
So, let’s get back after it.
RICK:
I hope we find the one thing.
NARRATOR:
Following their meeting
in the war room,
Rick and Marty,
along with Charles Barkhouse
and metal detection expert
Gary Drayton,
head to Smith’s Cove.
Here, heavy equipment operator
Billy Gerhardt,
continues to expose
a mysterious wood structure
which was discovered
while searching for the
so-called "convergence point,"
the place where the five
stone flood box drains meet
and which, if found,
could lead directly
to the Money Pit
treasure vault.
-Look. Look over there, Marty.
-GARY: Yeah.
RICK:
Look at how it’s
peeling that away. See that?
Just sticking out. You can just
see the end of it, right there.
-Yeah, there’s a round...
-Like a 2x4.
There’s a round-- see that
round thing over there, Rick.
-GARY: That’s like a log.
-Whoa!
GARY:
Yeah, there’s timbers
all over there.
MARTY:
Yeah, I would dig back
behind there.
If they were trying to stop
something, it’s that way.
NARRATOR:
When this structure
was first unearthed
two days ago,
the team was uncertain
whether it was constructed
within the past 200 years by
one of the many search teams,
or one
of the original depositors,
sometime before 1795.
The water is coming
right here, for sure.
-See it pouring right there.
-Yeah.
NARRATOR:
Equally intriguing
is the question
of its intended purpose,
as the steady flow of water
running directly through it
seems to suggest that it
may have some connection
to the flood tunnel system.
GARY:
When’s the last time
this saw the light of day?
MARTY:
Yeah.
GARY:
It’s amazing how many structures
-are still down there.
-MARTY: Yeah.
-GARY: Is this a known one?
-No.
MARTY:
Another of many structures
in Smith’s Cove that
we didn’t know were there.
There are probably upwards,
or getting close to,
a dozen at this point.
Some of which were known
and many of which were unknown,
at least to us.
People didn’t keep
very good records.
Could be a shaft.
-CHARLES: Could be.
-Well, couldn’t it be Restall?
He did some shafts down here.
Oh, yeah. We know
he did dig a number of pits
along the shore trying
to find the converging point.
MARTY:
It’d be nice
if Restall had found
the flood tunnel and tried
to block it right there.
Exactly.
NARRATOR:
In 1959,
motorcycle daredevil-
turned-treasure hunter
Robert Restall,
along with his wife Mildred,
moved to Oak Island
with their two young sons,
Bobby Jr. and Ricky.
For six years,
the family endured
primitive living conditions and
harsh North Atlantic weather,
all while conducting major
search operations in the swamp
at the Money Pit
and at Smith’s Cove.
I feel that
the treasure is here
and that we can get it,
and we’re going to stay here
until we do.
NARRATOR:
In 1965,
Robert Restall claimed
he was close to finding the key
to shutting off the water
that thwarted
searcher efforts to locate
the original Money Pit and,
for this reason,
was within weeks of solving
the Oak Island mystery.
Unfortunately,
later that summer,
Robert Restall,
his son Bobby Jr.
and two coworkers
died in a tragic accident
in one of the many
exploratory shafts
they had dug near Smith’s Cove.
Could the shaft that
Billy Gerhardt has uncovered
be the one
that Robert Restall believed
might be instrumental in
solving the Oak Island mystery?
RICK:
I find the Restall work
to be exceedingly interesting.
They didn’t just
arbitrarily pick locations.
-They chose them for a reason.
-I’m hoping that...
that it really is
a structure to stop
the water that they thought was
flooding the Money Pit.
Ends right there.
Then it goes back that way.
I think it’s a shaft.
But, I mean, we’ll see
when we get down deeper.
Yeah, there it is right there.
-You got a wall, Rick?
-Yep.
Right there.
You are right, Marty.
It’s a shaft. Wow.
-I see it!
-This is military.
Yeah, that’s 1700s
all over it, mate.
It could literally be
a half a billion dollars
in treasure buried
on Oak Island.
CHARLES:
That’s really
pouring out now. Look.
NARRATOR:
At Smith’s Cove,
brothers Rick and Marty Lagina,
along with Charles Barkhouse,
metal detection expert
Gary Drayton
and heavy equipment operator
Billy Gerhardt are continuing
to expose an old wooden shaft
at the edge of the beach.
It is a shaft the team believes
may have been dug
by legendary searcher
Robert Restall
more than 50 years ago
and which
could lead them directly
to the original Money Pit
treasure shaft.
RICK:
Right there.
Is there another wall
going back there, Rick?
Yep. The wall
goes back like that.
It’s right here...
but it’s way...
-Yeah, I see that.
-...way back there.
It’s not very square.
No.
No, not at all.
Definitely ends right there.
They feel they were close
to something.
Perhaps they put the shaft
through the flood tunnel.
-Could be.
-And that’s why we’re
getting all the water in.
RICK:
I think it’s, uh,
part of the Restalls’ work,
to come to an understanding
of... of, you know,
what had been done
in Smith’s Cove.
I mean, there’s still a lot
of questions to be answered
by a simple process
of excavating.
Yeah, but it’s
the most interesting
of the new structures.
Of the unknown structures,
to me,
it’s the most interesting.
-It’s a rather small shaft.
-CHARLES: It is.
RICK:
Unless it was small
because they thought
-they were dead-on something.
-CHARLES: Right on it, yeah.
Well, the interesting thing is,
we’re still seeing water
coming out,
and that’s where water
was coming out
at the end of the crane pad.
And it did... it tested
a little bit of dye here, right?
NARRATOR:
Five weeks ago...
Okay, hit the button.
Start it up.
-Okay.
-...the Oak Island team
conducted
a test at the Money Pit site,
which involved pumping
thousands of gallons
of ocean water,
mixed with nontoxic red dye,
into borehole C-1.
MARTY (over radio):
The dye has been cast.
NARRATOR:
They were hoping to locate
the fabled flood tunnel
believed to be connected
to the treasure shaft.
If we’re looking for red, guys,
I’d say that’s red.
NARRATOR:
Within hours
of beginning the dye test,
Gary Drayton alerted Rick,
Marty and the team
to what appeared
to be red-colored water
flowing out of Smith’s Cove
near where
they are currently digging
water,
which then tested positive
for traces of the red dye.
-11.98.
-Whew.
That’s a good positive
indication.
Well, here-here’s the thing.
Steve Guptill’s gonna be here
tomorrow,
so he has
that red dye position GPS’d.
-Okay.
-He can GPS this, overlay it,
or-or at least compare and see
-how close we are to that.
-Yeah.
And then, given the fact
that the Restalls were certainly
interested in this area,
the red dye association,
and now, hopefully,
we cut a trench,
and we can finally,
once and for all, find
a box drain or a remnant of.
-Uh, that’d be spectacular.
-CHARLES: I’d say.
-See you later, Billy.
-See you guys.
RICK:
Okeydoke.
-(thunder rumbles)
-NARRATOR:
Later that same day...
...Jack Begley and metal
detection expert Gary Drayton
head to the island’s
western shore,
to an area known as Lot 1.
Now, where’d you want to go
around here, Gary?
Well, if there’s a big boulder,
and there’s coins over there,
there’s got to be coins
next to these big boulders.
Let’s check it out.
-After you.
-You got a shovel?
NARRATOR:
Before the harsh winter comes,
Jack and Gary are hoping
to find more artifacts
similar to the gold brooch
and decorative lead object
found earlier this year
on the western side
of the island.
To me, coming from a shipwreck,
treasure-hunting background,
these large rocks
are great anchor points.
Boats would come up, and
they’d moor up to these rocks.
Oh!
They would lose stuff,
coming to shore.
It should be on the beach here.
And then,
it gets caught on the rocks?
Yup.
Uh, the rocks help trap stuff.
(beeping)
That sounds good.
That’s a small iron target.
I think
we’ll pass on that one, mate.
Hang on a minute.
-Is that pottery?
-Yeah.
-That’s old pottery, as well.
-Oh!
-GARY: Look at that. That’s...
-That’s the same type of blue
that we’re finding
in the Money Pit.
Exactly!
And we’re finding it here!
We’re back in the 1700s, mate,
with this blue-glazed pottery.
NARRATOR:
Pottery? From the 1700s?
And similar to the pieces
that the team has also found
deep underground
in the Money Pit.
-Really good eye, Gary.
-You know what we should do?
What?
I think we should move some
of this stuff out of here.
-Yeah.
-Do you want to pull it forward
and-and winch this up
and get this out of here, mate?
Sure, I’ll try to get it
as close as I can.
JACK:
We’re finding pottery,
and this piece was made
a long time ago.
This pottery could actually be
treasure, because
pottery this nice was
of high value back in the day.
It proves to me
we’re on the right path.
-Here we go, Gary!
-All right, mate.
Standing clear!
(whirring)
All right, that’ll do it!
Nice one, Jack!
-(beeping)
-Yup, I’m getting a signal!
On my way, Gary!
GARY:
It’s nonferrous,
two-way, repeatable.
-(detector whining)
-Just there, mate.
GARY:
That is sweet.
All right, get in here.
-(beeping)
-JACK: Oh, it’s out already.
-Yeah, it’s...
All right, let’s see
what this metal is.
I thought I was on it.
(beeping)
(beeping continues)
(beeping)
-I see it!
-Hey!
Is that a coin?
JACK:
Is it?
-GARY: Aah! It’s a button.
-Button. Button.
What type of button
do you think it is?
That is typical
1700s cuff button.
-Right on the wrist?
-That would have been
on a shirt cuff. Yeah.
Do you think a modern
civilian would wear that,
-or is it more military?
-Yeah.
This is more military.
Do you see that color, mate?
It looks like
there could be writing there.
Yeah. I was seeing gold gilding
on there.
(Jack gasps)
Yeah, that’s 1700s
all over it, mate.
This is gold gilding,
by the look of this.
Oh, yeah!
That looks just like the button
-we found in the Money Pit.
-Yeah.
It says plated. It’s a button.
NARRATOR:
Two years ago, while searching
through the spoils excavated
from the borehole known
as GAL-1...
CHARLES:
That’s got some marks
on the side of it.
NARRATOR:
...Rick, Marty, Charles
and Gary were astonished
to discover a gold-plated
18th century
British military button.
Could these two artifacts,
found on opposite ends
of the island, be connected?
If so, might they have been
left behind
by someone searching
for something of great value?
Or by someone depositing
something for safekeeping?
Ah, I don’t want to rub it
too much in case I mess it up...
And probably,
this side was all gilded,
back in the day, as well.
So, this would have been
like a fancy officer’s button,
because only they would’ve had
the nice, gold buttons.
-That’s nice.
-It means that we’re gonna have
to search a lot more
-on the western side.
-Yup.
I’m thinking we come back
when we’ve got more tide
to play with,
because the tide’s
coming in, look.
-Sounds good.
-All right, mate, let’s go.
NARRATOR:
As a new day begins
on Oak Island...
The Knights Baronet
had certainly enough time
-Welcome to Oak Island.
-Thank you.
NARRATOR:
...Rick Lagina and members
of the team welcome
an important visitor
to the war room.
Guys, I just want to introduce
James McQuiston to you.
perhaps, the Oak Island mystery.
-Right here, sir.
-Right here? All right.
NARRATOR:
As an author and researcher,
James McQuiston specializes
in stories that connect
descendants of the legendary
Knights Templar
to their possible history
in North America.
Although he does not have
a particular theory as to
where the Oak Island treasure
might be buried,
his research has convinced him
that not only
did members of the Knights
Templar come to Oak Island
as far back
as the 14th century,
but that they
and their descendants
continued to come
and deposit treasure here
during the course
of the next 400 years.
RICK:
James McQuiston is a fellow
of the Society of Antiquaries
of Scotland.
Well versed in Scottish lore,
the history
of the Scottish clans.
His theory revolves
around that central core issue.
To that extent, James,
I’m gonna turn it over to you.
I’ll be honest, upfront,
what I’ve learned of it,
I find it incredibly interesting
and intriguing,
and I think
we all very much look forward
to what you have to tell us.
Well, thanks for having me,
and, um,
I’m gonna tell you a story
today, but you won’t
find it written anywhere else,
because I found it
piece by piece, just like you
folks are finding things
piece by piece on this island.
So, I want to start out
with the story
of the Knights Baronet
of Nova Scotia.
And how they came about
was actually because
King James I of England,
who also happened
to be King James VI of Scotland,
wanted to oust the French
Catholics living at Port Royal.
So, he went to his good friend
Sir William Alexander,
who was on the Privy Council,
and he held various positions
in government, and he said,
"Can you get some of our fellow
Scotsman to go over there?"
And he said, "Well,
you’ve got a New England,
"you got a New France,
and you got a New Spain.
If you give me a New Scotland,
I’ll do it."
So, a new knighthood
was developed.
It’s called
the Knights Baronet.
The idea was, they would sell
these knighthoods to, uh,
particularly clan chieftains,
and they wrote the charter
in Latin,
so "New Scotland" came out
as "Nova Scotia."
NARRATOR:
Formed in 1625,
the Knights Baronet of Nova
Scotia was a hereditary title
that was conferred upon
a nobleman and his descendants
in exchange for a fee.
The objective was twofold.
The first was to persuade
Scottish clan chiefs
to leave their homes,
make the treacherous
voyage west
across the Atlantic Ocean,
and then colonize this portion
of the New World.
The second was
to raise money for the crown,
as each knighthood was sold
for 3,000 marks,
equivalent to 50,000
American dollars today.
JAMES:
Sir William Alexander wanted
to sell about 100 of these
to create 100 towns
around Nova Scotia.
That was the ultimate plan.
And if you look at the overall
list of the Knights Baronet,
25% of them had
some kind of connection
back to the Knights Templar.
But if you look
at just the first few dozen,
they were all connected
to the Knights Templar.
It was either
they received land grants
of Knight Templar land,
they had a Knights Templar
within their clan,
or they fought along
Knights Templar in battles.
They may have had Templar wealth
in their families,
because when they were,
uh, dissolved,
where’s all that stuff gonna go?
It-It’s a continuous legacy
from the Templars
to the Baronets,
and there’s no doubt about it.
So, from 1625,
when the Baronets were founded,
to 1628,
they worked to get enough men
to sign up to get the manpower
and the supplies
and the money that they needed
to come to Nova Scotia.
Once they got here,
one of the places
I think they went was New Ross.
NARRATOR:
Two years ago,
Rick Lagina, Doug Crowell
and Charles Barkhouse
traveled
to the town of New Ross,
located some 20 miles north
of Oak Island.
They had been invited
to investigate a property
that many believe
contains evidence
of an ancient Templar castle
that was built sometime
in the 14th century.
On the face of this stone,
you can see a very faint outline
of a cross.
It’s no ordinary cross, but the
cross of the Knights Templar.
JAMES:
So, the Knights Baronet
are connected
to the Knights Templar,
and that connection goes
right through Nova Scotia.
And it might be responsible for
a treasure buried on Oak Island.
And there’s no known location
for where this treasure
ended up.
And I asked the
Society of Antiquaries,
of which I am a member,
and they, uh, had no answer
so they sent me to the
National Museums of Scotland
and they had no answer
of what happened to it.
Well, I found the treasure
listed in five ancient books
and I have an account
of it here.
It could literally be
a half a billion dollars.
-Now we’re talking.
-(laughter)
The Knights Baronet
by the original depositors, re
for a treasure buried
on Oak Island.
NARRATOR:
In the war room,
author and Oak Island theorist
James McQuiston
has just presented Rick Lagina
and members of the team
with an incredible theory.
According to his research,
in the early part
of the 17th century,
Scottish descendants
of the Knights Templar,
along with their associates,
obtained titles of nobility
from the British government,
which issued them
as an incentive
to come to Nova Scotia
and extend the reach
of the British Empire.
Over the next several decades,
they built cities,
and established themselves
in everything
from local governments
to banking and overseas trade.
But what the plan also did
was further establish
a Templar stronghold
in North America,
one that began as far back
as the 14th century,
and which used Oak Island
as a repository
for millions in gold, jewels,
and precious artifacts
brought over from Europe.
So, uh, the bottom line
is that it’s more than apparent
that the-the Scottish
clan leaders,
who became the Knights Baronet
of Nova Scotia,
had a lot of links back
to the Knights Templar.
And they stayed on Oak Island?
If, in fact,
they came into Mahone Bay
and parked at Oak Island,
certainly enough time
to build the Money Pit.
Time enough to put away things
that they did not want
to take back to Scotland.
Exactly.
NARRATOR:
Although the notion
that surviving members
of the Knights Templar
made their way to North America
as early as the 14th century
has been long debated
by mainstream historians,
many Oak Island theorists
and researchers
have become convinced
that numerous stone carvings
and recently discovered
artifacts
like the lead cross found
at Smith’s Cove
have added further evidence
to support this theory.
And again, just to revisit it
for a minute.
This book that I found this in,
this is the actual book
right here.
The cover of the book and that’s
the title sheet of it.
It’s the History
of the Lodge of Edinburgh,
Mary’s Chapel, they call it,
Number One.
This is the account
of the treasure.
You have items on here like, uh,
36 dozen gold buttons,
uh, "rich jewel set
of diamonds,"
another, "gold bracelets
at 600 pounds the pair."
GARY:
We found stuff off that list,
what you’ve just read off.
The gold-plated button.
We found jewelry,
and previously,
there’s been gold chain links
found on the island.
The other item
of great interest on this,
is that
the very last item listed,
it says,
in till or there in."
Back then, title deeds were kept
in canvas waxed bags,
to protect the India ink.
So, uh, as you know, in 1897,
a little piece
of parchment was pulled up
from, uh, the Money Pit
at about 150 feet down.
Here it is, and guess what?
No smearing of the India ink.
So what that would tell me
is that this was kept in
something that was waterproof
until that drill bit hit it and
brought it up to the surface.
NARRATOR:
While drilling in the Money Pit
area in 1897,
treasure hunters
William Chappell
and Frederick Blair reported
hitting an object
they believed to be a
seven-foot-tall wooden vault
at a depth of 153 feet.
When examining the drill bit,
shortly thereafter,
they were astonished
to discover traces of gold
along with a tiny piece
of parchment
bearing the letters V-I.
Just one year ago, after a
50-inch-wide steel caisson
made contact with what
the Oak Island team believes
could be the Chappell Vault
in the borehole known as H-8,
Jack Begley and Dan Henskee
made a similar discovery
while searching the spoils
excavated from the shaft.
It kind of looks like it could
be some old parchment.
NARRATOR:
Could this parchment,
along with fragments
of leather bookbinding
and antique paper
also recovered from H-8,
be proof that James McQuiston’s
theory is true?
That important books
and manuscripts were also
a part of the Oak Island
treasure.
And that the treasure wasn’t
brought here all at once,
but gradually, and over the
course of several centuries.
So, uh,
I’m going out on a limb here,
but I believe that at least some
of this massive treasure
was brought to the New World,
possibly by
the Alexander family,
and, uh, was buried here
on Oak Island.
And, so I-I kind of feel,
myself,
that this presents
one of the best, uh, answers
to what happened on Oak Island
and at New Ross.
RICK:
You know, theorists
have come and gone here.
What separates the real theories
as it applies to real search,
generally, those theories
have to connect the dots.
James has come, he connects
one fact with another fact.
Now, some of them are an
interpretation of known facts,
but-but the dots
are pretty close together,
and I, and I am thoroughly
impressed.
I know one thing that you
reinforced to me, surely,
is that the richness
of Oak Island
really centers around the story.
The who, what, when, where,
why and how,
and you have answered several
of those.
You have a very strong theory
with a-a treasure
that seems to match some
of the discoveries here.
And backing it up with facts
and research.
-It’s-it’s amazing.
-Yeah.
I find it incredibly interesting
and intriguing,
and I congratulate you on
the extent of your research.
Well, I hope to someday come
back with even some more stuff.
We will not allow you
to stay away.
-I guarantee you that.
-Mm-hmm.
Again, thank you very much.
I think we all express that.
-CRAIG: Absolutely.
-JAMES: Thank you, guys.
NARRATOR:
The next day,
Marty Lagina and metal
detection expert Gary Drayton
arrive at Lot 16, located near
the Money Pit dig site.
Yeah, what we’re doing,
we’re going to where
-they found... Yeah, the well.
-MARTY: That well is.
NARRATOR:
After their meeting with
theorist James McQuiston,
they are eager to follow up
on possible new connections
linking the Knights of Baronet
to Oak Island,
by investigating a recently
discovered stone well
located near the Money Pit.
After close examination,
it was found
to bear several design
and construction similarities
to one the team investigated
two years ago
near the ruins of an alleged
Templar castle located
in the nearby town of New Ross.
RICK:
That look like flagstone floor?
NARRATOR:
There, inside the well,
they observed a triangle,
or pyramid, carved into one
of the stones.
TONY:
It’s got some little pattern
in the middle.
NARRATOR:
It is this same shape
which has frequently
appeared on Oak Island,
not only in various carvings,
such as those found
on the legendary 90 Foot Stone,
but also the shape
of the mysterious swamp,
which many believe
to be man-made.
I think this well
is really, really old.
This looks like a modern cap,
but when you look inside there,
see all the formation?
MARTY:
Now I see, yeah.
Yeah, I had never noticed
-that the top looks different...
-Yeah, well...
...than the underneath,
that’s very true.
-Nobody seems to know
anything about it.
-I agree.
The curiosity about that thing
is who built it and when?
It would be good to take
that cap off that well.
You know what, Gary,
I like your idea so much
about removing the cap
of that well.
I am going
to call Mr. Laird Niven
and see whether
we’re allowed to.
NARRATOR:
In accordance with their
treasure trove license,
Marty and Gary must first
seek permission
from archeologist Laird Niven
before they can excavate
any site
that could be deemed
historically
or culturally significant.
Laird!
LAIRD (over phone):
Hey, Marty, how are you?
MARTY:
Hey, Gary and I are out here
just off the edge
of the Money Pit,
and there’s a well here
which has
-a modern top on it, you know?
-LAIRD: Yeah.
Is it okay to pull the top off?
-Or do you need to...
-That’s fine with me.
-MARTY: Okay.
-I have no problem with that.
MARTY:
All right, Laird. See ya.
-Bye-bye.
-Bye.
-We can.
-GARY: Yeah, that’s good news.
MARTY:
I mean, it would have been--
If it is old with a modern cap,
it could’ve been here
when the Money Pit was here.
-Yeah.
-Hmm.
Yeah, this is a big undertaking,
the Money Pit.
You would need fresh water,
you’d need to have
a freshwater well close
to the Money Pit.
This might be original.
All right.
Well, let’s go do that.
(beeping)
MARTY:
With a little bit of luck,
this may lead us to perhaps
figure out what happened here,
at least in one point
in history.
GARY:
I’ll guide him down.
A little bit this way.
That’s better.
You got it!
NARRATOR:
Now that the cap on the well
has been removed,
Gary will now scan the inside
of it using a metal detector
in search of any important
clues or possible artifacts.
(detector beeping)
Hmm. Metal.
Hey.
That was a job well done, Marty.
-It really was.
-Thank you. Thank you.
And I’ve had
a little explore around.
I didn’t get any metal
until I put
the search coil inside the well.
-Oh, and then you got some?
-Yeah.
(detector beeps)
MARTY:
Oh, my goodness.
-That’s a good sound,
too, isn’t it?
-Yeah, it is.
That’s a good solid hit.
How are we gonna dig it out
of there, though?
Yeah, that’s the thing. It’s a
pity we can’t drain the water.
Does this--
does this look old to you?
-Um, yeah, it does.
-I’m sure we can
put a pump in there
and get rid of that.
NARRATOR:
Although Marty and Gary
are encouraged
by the promising hits
Gary has obtained
with his metal detector,
they will need to allow
for a pump to drain the well
over the course
of the next 24 hours
before they can further
their investigation
of whatever
might be buried there.
Well, this is cool.
I mean, I love...
I love unearthing
a new possibility.
-Yep.
-I mean, what if this--
yeah, what if this was done
by the original depositors?
Later on, somebody came
-and put a cap on it.
-Yeah.
And you find something in there.
-All right,
mate, but this is great.
-No, I...
-You had a great...
we got some signals
to come back to.
Okay. Let’s go, Gary.
NARRATOR:
As a new day dawns
on Oak Island...
GARY:
It’s a... Oh, it is a...
MARTY:
Now it’s pumping.
NARRATOR:
...Marty Lagina
and metal detection expert
Gary Drayton...
...are continuing
their investigation
of an old stone well on Lot 16
located near
the Money Pit area,
a structure they hope
might provide new clues
to help them solve
the 223-year-old mystery.
-Now we’re draining.
-Here you go, bud.
Thanks.
All right, I think I’m ready
to get back in there.
All right.
NARRATOR:
Having successfully drained
the water
from the bottom of the well,
Marty and Gary are eager to dig
for the metal targets
that Gary detected one day ago
in the hopes
one or more of them
might be important clues
or, hopefully,
pieces of treasure.
Ah, what a sweet
little place this is.
It would be nice to find
another stone
with an inscription on it.
Unusual shape.
MARTY:
All right, we’ll put this one
off to the side.
GARY:
I’m trying to feel for things.
You want to try
your metal detector on it?
Yeah.
-(detector beeping)
-I’ll put it in "well" mode.
-Yeah.
-(Gary laughs)
All right, let’s see.
(beeping continues)
It’s iron. Whatever it is,
-it’s iron.
-That’s too bad.
But I’m getting
multiple signals now on this.
Ferrous and nonferrous,
so there could be
different metals in here.
NARRATOR:
A nonferrous signal?
Indicating the presence
of a precious metal,
such as silver or even gold?
I’m-I’m gonna try and pinpoint.
It’s easier.
All right, here we go.
Please don’t be a nail.
No, it is a piece... Ooh!
It’s a piece of decorated lead,
by the look of it.
Really?
Put it in your hands.
There’s two pieces coming up.
-Got them?
-Yep.
Oh! It’s a...
-(laughs) What do you got?
-I don’t know yet,
but it looks shiny!
Oh!
It’s a... Oh!
It’s a...
I got a coin!
-Do you?
-Yeah, it’s a coin!
Don’t tell me
you’re gonna do your gold dance
down in the well.
It’s a one dollar.
Canadian dollar.
-Can you believe it?
-You bugger.
Oh, my God.
Bugger all.
I thought that was a gold coin.
I’m thinking to myself,
How am I gonna dance in here?
-You would do it.
-I would do it, yeah.
I’m gonna see
if there’s any more of that,
but that looks like it’s a piece
of decorated lead.
You can see there was some kind
of design on it.
NARRATOR:
A piece of decorated lead?
Could it be related
to the other lead artifacts
the team has found
on Lot 21 on the western end
of Oak Island
and at Smith’s Cove,
both of which may be connected
to the Knights Templar?
MARTY:
Well, I’ll get that cleaned up
-in a little bit.
-GARY: Yeah.
I am getting soaked.
MARTY:
Hey, Rick. Morning, bud.
Gary just found
this piece of lead.
RICK:
Interesting.
GARY:
Ah!
Detecting anything, Gary?
GARY:
Definitely.
There’s more metal down here.
But I just can’t work
’cause the water pouring on me,
-and it’s...
-I wonder how
we’re gonna stop that, though.
GARY:
It’s filling up fast.
All right, mate, I’m coming out.
NARRATOR:
Although the well
was previously pumped dry,
due to the fact that it is fed
by a natural spring,
it has already begun to refill
with groundwater.
Because of this,
Rick, Marty and Gary
have decided to stop
their investigation for now
in order to devise
a new strategy
that will allow them to conduct
a more thorough search.
I mean,
this is a unique opportunity,
a well next to the Money Pit
and being the first person
to get whatever’s down
in that well out.
-That’s pretty cool.
-Pretty cool.
But save it
for another day, right?
Yeah, for sure.
But I’m confident
there’s got to be something
down there.
All right, Gary.
A job well done.
NARRATOR:
Following the investigation
of the old stone well
on Lot 16,
Rick and Marty Lagina meet
with archaeologist Laird Niven
at Smith’s Cove.
They are eager to apply
a scientific dating method
known as dendrochronology
to find out the age of
the various wooden structures
recently unearthed at the site.
MARTY:
What do you want to do, Rick?
You have cut it here,
and this is damaging.
-You’ll lose growth rings here.
-MARTY: He’s right.
LAIRD:
Yeah.
NARRATOR:
Dendrochronology,
or tree-ring dating,
analyzes the size and pattern
of a tree’s growth rings,
which develop over the course
of a tree’s lifetime.
By using
this extraordinary method,
not only
will the Oak Island team
be able to find out
the age of the tree
that was used
to produce the wood,
it can also determine
the approximate year
the wood was cut
for construction purposes.
The hope is that we can come
to an understanding
of how these structures
might interrelate.
The two walls,
the L-shaped structure,
the U-shaped structure,
the slipway--
dendrochronology may be a way
to come
to a better understanding
of the when of their construct.
MARTY:
Wondering if Billy
could track down
to lift this.
He can reach right out here,
pick it up.
-Okay.
-MARTY: I’ll go get him.
NARRATOR:
This year,
during their extensive
excavation at Smith’s Cove,
the Oak Island team
has unearthed
an astonishing number
of archaeological finds.
In addition to the mysterious
"U" and L-shaped structures
discovered earlier
by Dan Blankenship
in the 1970s,
they have also revealed
wooden and concrete walls,
as well as the remains
of a slipway or boat ramp
possibly constructed
to offload cargo
from a ship
onto Oak Island centuries ago.
MARTY:
Bring her up slow, Billy.
NARRATOR:
If the Laginas
and their partners...
Oh!
...can determine
that the structures
found at Smith’s Cove
were constructed
before the discovery
of the Money Pit
in 1795,
they may be on the verge
of identifying once and for all
not only when
the Money Pit was built,
but also who built it and why.
-That is amazingly preserved.
-Yeah.
RICK:
Well, hopefully
this dendrochronology
-will yield some results.
-LAIRD: Yeah.
MARTY:
All right.
Well, let’s keep going.
There’s still plenty of work
to be done at Smith’s Cove,
clearly.
RICK:
We’re hopeful
to put closure on this effort,
but we are still quite confused
by the amount of structures.
What was the reason
for their emplacement?
Let’s see if this one’s
flat underneath, too.
You think it is, right?
RICK:
There’s a lot of questions
to be answered yet.
NARRATOR
A week that began
with a frustrating setback
at the Money Pit site
has become one
of new directions
and renewed excitement.
For, as the Laginas and their
partners have long understood,
on Oak Island, a breakdown
can lead to a breakthrough;
disappointment can lead
to discovery;
and even a tragedy can lead
to a possible triumph
one that could result
in the solving
of a 223-year-old mystery.
Next time
on The Curse of Oak Island...
That star lays right on
the southeast corner
-of that swamp.
-RICK: The back door.
This leads to the Money Pit.
Here it comes. Steady up.
I think the swamp has answers,
and I want them.
-It’s a coin!
Maybe there are answers
in the swamp.
-Oh, oh! Whoa, whoa!
it looks like a pile
of boulders.
-ALEX: See the water?
-TERRY: Substantial amount
of water flowing out of it.
-Maybe the flood tunnel?
-COLIN: The wood
in the slipway matches
with the 550-year-old tree.
-It is original.
-It predates the Money Pit.
-Yes. -RICK: It’s conclusive proof.
Subtitled by Diego Moraes