The Curse of Oak Island (2014–…): Season 6, Episode 9 - As Above, So Below - full transcript

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

GARY:
We're heading to Apple Island.

-JACK: Do you see what I see?
-TONY: Oh, my God.

-We're dead on.
-GARY: The star map theory

-could be correct.
-BRENNAN: Hold the phone, boys!

-The plot thickens.
-MARTY: The Money Pit collapsed

in 1861 and we're in
the debris field.

ROB H.: This stone was used
as something in the past,

and it has caused certain areas
to wear off completely.

Those are letters inscribed
into the stone.

Without a doubt,
this is the stone.



-TERRY: Whoa!
-LAIRD: This definitely

isn't on any map.

This is an undiscovered
structure.

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 an exciting new day

on Oak Island,

as brothers
Rick and Marty Lagina,

along with members
of the Oak Island team...

All right, turn the pump off.

...continue their massive
excavation of Smith's Cove.

LAIRD:
We got something here, Charles.

-Huh?
-We got something here.

CHARLES:
What? Is that another upright?

-LAIRD: Yeah.
-JACK: Is it numbered
on this log?

CHARLES:
Well, it should be.

If that's the case,

then there should be
a number in here somewhere.

Try in there, Laird.

NARRATOR: As part
of their effort to locate

and turn off
an ancient flood tunnel system

believed to channel seawater
deep into the Money Pit,

the team has constructed
a 525-foot-long steel cofferdam

completely surrounding
the cove, allowing for the area

to be fully drained
and then excavated

to a depth of ten feet.

That should be the corner of the
U-shaped structure, right there.

Yeah, of some sort.

NARRATOR:
Last week,

while digging on the northwest
side of the cofferdam,

Rick, Marty
and members of the team

uncovered a large wooden beam

with the Roman numeral VII
carved into it...

RICK: Here's a notch there,
and a line and a line.

JACK:
Oh, wow!

NARRATOR: ...a wooden beam
they believe is a part

of the so-called
U-shaped structure

first discovered by Oak Island
treasure hunter

Dan Blankenship in 1971.

Now it is the team's hope

that by fully exposing
the structure,

and deciphering its purpose,

it may provide
a critical breakthrough

in solving
a 223-year-old mystery.

CHARLES: Yeah, I got
a Roman numeral right here!

-Nice, Charles!
-TERRY: What do you got?

X-I. I got eleven right here.

So there should be one
right in here.

Yep.

-X-I-I right here. Twelve.
-LAIRD: Excellent.

RICK: Oh, it's a great find.
Absolutely.

CHARLES:
Hey, Craig.

I got XII here. XI.

So if this is eleven,
that's twelve

and Laird should be
on number ten.

All right.

MARTY: It's extremely gratifying
that as this U-shaped structure

is gradually uncovered,
the things that we know about

are showing up. We're finding
the Roman numerals.

We're finding the spaced,
hand-cut uprights

depicted in the old pictures.

So everything's coming in
just right.

On Oak Island,
when you can confirm old data,

it's a great day.

TERRY:
But it seems to be packed,

with till, clay-rich till.

And it didn't,
it didn't just happen

down around all of these
natural beach sands.

It was put here. So, again,
part of the structure.

This is really vibrant
blue clay.

Yeah, this reminds me
of what you see

up towards the Money Pit.

-Mm-hmm.
-Anywhere above 50 feet,
you can get

a very, very blue
to purplish clay-rich till.

So maybe they dug it out
from the Money Pit

-and put it down here.
-Yes.

NARRATOR:
Blue clay

from the Money Pit, found
inside the U-shaped structure?

In 1804, as members
of the Onslow Company

excavated the original
Money Pit,

they uncovered platforms
made of oak logs,

spaced every ten feet.

At a depth of 40 feet,
they were intrigued to discover

a packed layer of blue clay
covering the next oak platform.

Could the presence
of blue clay be evidence

that the U-shaped structure
was built by the same people

involved in the Money Pit's
construction centuries ago?

And if so, could it also
provide an important clue

in determining the purpose
of this mysterious structure?

What looks very clear
is that the outside, for sure,

of the structure,
what we can examine,

that clay was packed against it
intentionally.

Looks for all the world
like intentional waterproofing,

-to me.
-I would concur.

RICK:
That is a big log.

-It continues to go that way.
-TERRY: Yep.

So what Billy needs to do is put
it right here and dig that back.

TERRY:
Yeah.

And then we'll get
a good understanding

of how far that goes.

RICK:
Amazing. Quite a structure.

-JACK: Yeah.
-There's no question about that,

but what was it, or is it?

GARY:
Yep.

The whole purpose of this
program, if you will,

has been to expose
the U-shaped structure.

There's something just
significantly strange about it.

And so to once and for all
put that to bed:

"What is this structure?"

"Who built it,
for what purpose, when?"

Those are the questions
we hope to answer.

Do you want me to get in there
and have a metal detect?

Coming down.

TERRY: Okay, we'll get
to the end here in a second.

The very end of it.

GARY:
Coming around, Rick.

I'm not getting any metal.

-CHARLES: Nothing?
-No.

Not even in the loose
sandy areas.

I'm not getting
any metal whatsoever.

RICK:
Another thing that's curious is,

why no nails if it was somewhat

-of a modern construct?
-Yeah.
-Yeah.

Why no nails?

-GARY: Yeah.
-Right?

RICK: We don't see any evidence
of spikes in these timbers.

Obviously, they were notched

and timbered
and doweled in place.

So that holds great promise
for the possibility

that this is very old.

Okay, here's the end right here.

Is this the end?

That's the end.

Wait, so have we uncovered all
of the U-shaped structure now?

As we know it,

but we don't have
an explanation for it.

MARTY: Well, here's the
question: who first identified

the so-called finger drains?

That would be the Truro Company.

NARRATOR:
In 1850,

while searching for the source
of the ocean water

flooding the Money Pit,

treasure hunters
from the Truro Company

discovered five man-made
box drains at Smith's Cove.

Made using two rows of rock
spaced eight inches apart,

and with flat stones
on the top,

they appeared to converge
into a single tunnel

heading directly towards
the fabled treasure shaft.

Would they have been
within the boundary

-of this U-shaped structure?
-Yes.

Yes. Okay, well, then,
that makes sense

that searchers were trying
to dam it up.

But why no record of it?

How do we know
that this is searchers?

I mean, it could be
original people.

This is probably the base
of something, like a cofferdam.

And then if they put it
in place, it would have

allowed them to build
the flood tunnel system.

-Yes, correct.
-JACK:
'Cause the original people

would have had
some sort of a cofferdam,

you know, to block off the water
while they built the booby trap.

-Would have had to.
-No question about that, Jack.

NARRATOR:
Could the U-shaped structure

be the remains
of an ancient cofferdam?

One used during
the construction

of an elaborate flood tunnel
system at Smith's Cove?

And, if so, could it mean the
team is close to discovering

the entrance to the legendary
stone box drains?

If this is a cofferdam,
then it's containing something.

Okay, so this--
this material has to be removed.

-Between the arms?
-Yeah.

-I like the sound of that.
-Okay, well, let's get after it.

Start digging.

MARTY:
Let's get some results.

This could be the 90 Foot Stone.

RYAN: Definitely intentional
carving of a letter.

JACK:
Do you see what I see?

-TONY: Oh, my God.
-JACK: We're dead on.

GARY: The star map theory
could be correct.

NARRATOR:
One day after exposing

the entire U-shaped structure
at Smith's Cove...

-Hey, Laird. Good morning.
-LAIRD: Hey, Marty.

...Marty Lagina meets with
archeologist Laird Niven

to continue their investigation

of the unusual
wooden formation.

MARTY: So, look, I know
you're anxious to get data

-on this, right?
Get it all recorded?
-Yes, absolutely.

-Yeah, so, let's measure
this thing up.
-Okay.

We'll start with the south end,
I guess.

-That end over there? Okay.
-Yeah.

NARRATOR: Before the team
begins excavating

inside the U-shaped structure,

Marty and Laird will record
its exact size and position

in the hopes
that this information

could offer an important clue

as to who built it
and what it was used for.

I don't know what you want
archaeologically,

but I kind of want
almost projected to projected

the inside to inside dimension,

'cause that's what they were
trying to enclose.

LAIRD:
Yeah, absolutely.

MARTY: Whenever you do
an experiment like this,

something may happen,

some data may come out of it

that you weren't
even anticipating,

so it's-it's worth doing.

LAIRD:
Now we'll do this east arm.

MARTY: All the way to the end
of the other one?

-LAIRD: Yeah.
-Okay.

LAIRD: That's good.
Just down a little lower.

(vehicle breaks whining)

Perfect.

What is it?

65.5.

Well, I'm sure there's
some meaning in that.

Yeah.

MARTY: You never seen
anything like this before?

LAIRD:
No. No, it's pretty massive.

It's a massive undertaking--
even if it's searchers,

-it's a massive undertaking.
-Oh, uh, yeah.

They must've had to have...

I mean, 'cause we, we would've
been below sea level here

at... even at low tide,

-300 years ago.
-Yeah.

But how do you start
at two feet underwater?

-I don't know. I don't know.
-I mean, these things
would float.

-(chuckles)
-I don't know.

So we have no evidence

-of anchoring at all.
-Right.

So they would rely
on the weight above.

-Yeah.
-Somehow.

Maybe that is it, because
if these were pegged already...

No, and the pegs
go right through.

They go right--
come out the other side.

MARTY:
Wow.

-So, yeah, that's a massive peg.
-Yeah.

MARTY: We've got the U-shaped
structure exposed.

Laird wasn't sure what it was.

He'd never seen anything
like that before.

It could be archeologically
significant.

All right, what else
do you need? Is that it?

I think that's it.
We should go start the pump.

-Get to work.
-Let's go, let's go.

NARRATOR: While Marty and Laird
begin preparations

to dig inside
the U-shaped structure,

Rick Lagina, Craig Tester and
members of the Oak Island team

gather in the war room.

Well, gentlemen,
today we welcome

Rob and Ryan to the war room.

NARRATOR: Joining them
are Rob Hyslop

and Ryan Levangie
of Azimuth Consulting, LTD

who have come
to present their findings on

what could be the team's most
important discovery to date.

You know, every time we sit
around this table,

we're always talking about
interesting subjects.

But we have in front of us one
of the most mysterious objects

relating to Oak Island.

This could be the 90 Foot Stone.

Yeah.

I think we've got
something over here.

NARRATOR:
Two weeks ago...

while exploring the basement

underneath a former
bookbindery...

Jack Begley, Charles Barkhouse
and researcher Doug Crowell

found a large slab
matching the description

of one of Oak Island's
most legendary artifacts...

the so-called 90 Foot Stone.

DOUG:
There's something carved there.

NARRATOR: First discovered by
members of the Onslow Company

in 1804 while excavating
the original Money Pit

to a depth of 90 feet...

the unusual olive-gray stone
was reported

to have been carved with
a number of hieroglyphic shapes

and markings which,
when later translated,

were believed to read,

"40 feet below, two million
pounds are buried."

There's, uh,
several markings on it.

But we feel there might
be things that are obscured.

NARRATOR:
Last week...

in an effort to reveal
any man-made carvings

believed to have been damaged
on the artifact's surface,

the team invited Rob and Ryan

to the Oak Island
Research Center

where they conducted
a three-dimensional laser scan

of the suspected 90 Foot Stone.

RICK: Rob and Ryan, they've done
the scan of the stone.

And, uh, they'll tell us
whether or not

there are carvings on here.

So, to that end, Rob,
enlighten us.

ROB:
Certainly.

So, from our initial analysis,

the stone was used
as something in the past.

and it has caused certain areas
to wear off completely.

So, traditionally,
we look at a 3D model

from a perspective view.

We're just gonna focus
on the top view right now,

that's where the most
interesting descriptions are.

So, looking at
this overview here,

We've got this "LN."

And this has definitely
been carved out.

Damn.

ROB: Now, if we r-rotate it
180 degrees...

now you can see...

...we've got a well-defined "A."

Those are definitely letters
inscribed into the stone.

DOUG: That's interesting
because we didn't see any,

-any sign on the "A."
-Mm-hmm.

It is very faint;
so whether or not

that's an "A" from looking
at it upside down,

or an N the other way around...

definitely intentional
carving of a letter.

Now, keep in mind,
Captain Bowdoin,

who was an eyewitness
to the stone,

one of the last eyewitnesses,
he just said two initials.

Mm-hmm.

NARRATOR:
According to reports...

the 90 Foot Stone was taken

to the city of Halifax in 1865

where it was put on display
in the window

of the Creighton
and Marshall's bookstore

in an attempt to raise capital

for the Oak Island
treasure hunt.

Upon hearing of the stone's
whereabouts in 1909,

treasure hunter
Captain Henry L. Bowdoin

visited the store
in the hopes

that by seeing the stone
for himself,

he might be able to find clues

missed by previous searchers.

However, he was disappointed to
find that the stone had spent

years being used as a surface
for cutting

and beating leather
bookbinding.

And all that remained of the
stone's legendary inscription

were what Bowdoin described
to be two carved initials.

Could the letters the laser
scanning has just revealed

be proof that this is the same
stone Captain Bowdoin saw

over a century ago?

Proof that the Oak Island team
has, in fact, found

the 90 Foot Stone?

And, if so, could further
scientific testing help reveal

what else may have once been
carved on its surface?

RICK: So this is what you see,
and nothing more?

No, we don't see any linear
features that would

indicate characters,
other than those initials.

We've reached the limit of what
lidar is capable of.

We'll have to look
at other methods

to bring out more detail.

It has to have an inscription
on it to be the original stone.

So we're going to do some more
testing to see if it once did.

RICK: There's still some more
work to be done

as far as analysis
is concerned,

so there's still some hope,

and we need to follow that path.

-To me, I think this is the
stone that Bowdoin saw.
-Yep.

Without a doubt,
this is the stone.

So, it's been a very interesting
morning, thanks to Rob and Ryan.

-Our pleasure.
-Thanks for having us.

The door isn't closed
on the 90 Foot Stone.

Absolutely.

So the hunt continues.

-PAUL: Yes, it does.
-CRAIG: Absolutely.

GARY:
Oh, look at that one there.

-TONY: That's a better hit.
-GARY: That's good.

JACK:
Oh, my God.

BRENNAN:
Hold the phone, boys!

Hold the phone.
The plot thickens.

RTY: Maybe take this
all the way back to the end.

NARRATOR:
As Marty Lagina

and members of the team
continue

to dig within the U-shaped
structure at Smith's Cove...

...Rick Lagina, Dave
Blankenship, Charles Barkhouse

and Doug Crowell head
to the Money Pit site.

If this is a tunnel,

and we confirm it
with today's drilling,

the first thing I want to do
is run a tape.

Where's the Money Pit?

NARRATOR: They are eager
to continue progress

of their core drilling
operation in search of

a centuries-old
searcher tunnel,

which they believe will
lead them directly

to the original Oak Island
treasure shaft.

We do have some data
to work with,

and we can confirm a tunnel.

We know that Shaft Six has to
be at the end of that tunnel.

-Then we might be
onto something.
-Yeah.

NARRATOR: In 1861, a group of
treasure hunters attempted

to reach the bottom of
the original Money Pit

by digging an adjacent shaft,
later known as Shaft Six,

some 18 feet west.

At a depth of 118 feet,

they began to tunnel
underneath the pit,

in the hopes of circumventing
the fabled booby traps,

allowing them to retrieve
the treasure from below.

Unfortunately, just inches away

from breaching
the chamber floor,

the tunnel began flooding
with seawater,

forcing a halt
to their efforts.

Shortly afterward, a series
of thunderous crashes

were heard underground,

indicating that the wooden
beams of Shaft Six,

along with the cribbing
inside the Money Pit,

had collapsed,
scattering tons of lumber,

and possibly treasure,
across a deep,

underwater debris field.

Uh-oh, that's wood.

That's the edge of your timber.

NARRATOR:
Four weeks ago,

while drilling
at a depth of 109 feet,

the Oak Island team discovered
evidence of wood timbers,

which they believed to be part
of the Shaft Six tunnel,

whose location has been lost
for over 100 years.

If it is Shaft Six,
it's been long sought.

NARRATOR: Since then, the team
has drilled two more

exploratory boreholes
targeting the shaft,

in the hopes of pinpointing
the tunnel's

exact position underground.

TERRY:
There's a piece of wood.

We must have clipped the edge,
just the edge of a tunnel.

Six. That's it. Six.

RICK:
There's Brennan.

Mike and Adam are on the rig.

-RICK: Let's see
how far they are.
-DOUG: Yes.

NARRATOR: Working with the team
from Choice Drilling,

it is Rick Lagina's hope
that their fourth hole, K-5.5,

will also intersect
the long-lost searcher tunnel,

allowing them to accurately map
the direction

of the original Money Pit

and possibly find

a massive debris field
of treasure.

-Good morning, guys.
-RICK: Good morning.
How are you?

-Good.
-Hey, Brennan.

Okay, so where are we?

We are at 68 right now.

Just came out of the ground.

NARRATOR: Using a process
known as sonic drilling,

which employs
a high-frequency sound

to pulverize through earth
and other obstacles,

a specialized coring barrel
will extract samples

in intervals of up to ten feet.

These core samples will then be
carefully sifted by hand

for not only evidence
of the tunnel,

but also any artifacts
or possible treasure

they might contain.

DOUG: As long as we get into
in situ material before 104.

We're a ways away.

NARRATOR:
While drilling continues

at the Money Pit site,

Jack Begley and metal detection
expert Gary Drayton

are meeting with local diver
and boat captain Tony Sampson

at the marina just across
the bay from Oak Island.

Hey, Tony.

TONY:
Hey, how you doing, guys?

-Good.
-Hello, mate.
-Good to see you.

And you, mate. How you doing?

TONY: Good, buddy.
Good to see you, brother.

Where are we off to, guys?

JACK:
Well, we have a theorist

that came in just recently
and he has a theory

that the stars actually map out
on Oak Island.

But one of his points lands
directly on Apple Island.

Okay.

TRAVIS:
What we have

are all of the stars
aligning onto the island.

NARRATOR:
Two weeks ago, astrophysicist

and aerospace engineer
Dr. Travis Taylor

presented the team
with an incredible theory.

A theory which shed new light
on connections

between the Oak Island mystery
and the ancient fraternity

of builders known
as the Freemasons.

TRAVIS: One of the first things
that jumped out at me

was Hiram Abiff's
Freemason drawing template.

There are actually meanings
on this map

that are based on astronomy.

NARRATOR: After studying
the so-called drawing template

of Hiram Abiff, who,
according to the teachings

of Freemasonry,
was the chief architect

of King Solomon's Temple,

Travis observed secret symbols
and images

representing a hidden star map.

One that he believes
actually connects

the constellation Taurus
to points across Oak Island,

as well as to the neighboring
Frog and Apple Islands.

TRAVIS: If we follow the right
procedure, we might be led

to the point on Oak Island
where the actual treasure is.

NARRATOR:
Using the star map as a guide,

Travis led the team
to various points on the island

where they identified a number
of possible stone markers.

Is that not a giant stone,
right there?

JACK:
It's amazing that we've run

into big boulders at each point.

NARRATOR:
Now, after securing permission

to visit Apple Island,

located just a half mile east
of Oak Island,

Jack and Gary are eager
to search the two-acre area

for any important markers
or clues

connected
to Travis Taylor's star map.

JACK: I'm kind of giddy
with anticipation.

I have a good feeling
about today.

-We're gonna find something.
-GARY: Oh yeah.

JACK:
And I hope you find something

with your detector, too,
so that we can get permission

to come back and dig it.

It's gonna be interesting to see
what kind of targets I get.

I just think that this is, like,
a stepping stone to the island.

That's what it looks like to me.

Okay, that looks good, guys.

-I'll drop anchor here.
-All right.

JACK: What I really like
about Travis's theory

is that he has hard targets
for us to explore.

And whenever we can take
a theory into the field,

that's really good for us.

After you, brother.

JACK: Where do you think
we should start?

Well, that last time I came up,
Gary, the northern side here

-was the easiest way.
-Yeah.

NARRATOR:
Although Gary, Tony and Jack

are hopeful to make
an important discovery,

they are not the first members
of the Oak Island team

to explore on Apple Island.

In 1994, Dan Blankenship

formed the Mahone Bay
Exploration Company

and secured permits
to search Apple Island,

along with several others,
for any clues

that might help him solve
the Oak Island mystery.

Unfortunately,
Dan's investigations

of the islands
were inconclusive.

However, he was not armed with
the metal detection equipment

that the Oak Island team
has today.

JACK: All right,
let me look at the map.

All right. So I have GPS
pulled up on my phone,

in comparison to where Travis
marked it on his map.

It should be that way.

GARY: Yep, let's see
if we can prove Travis right.

-Yeah. Do you see what I see?
-Oh, my God.

-Look at that.
-You're looking for boulders,

that's a big boulder.

Whoa! Interesting.

Laird, take a quick look?

This is as good as it can get.

-Yeah.
-(chuckles)

-GARY: Ooh.
-JACK: Oh. No way!

That's a big boulder.

NARRATOR: While exploring
on Apple Island,

located just a half mile
off the coast of Oak Island,

Jack Begley, Gary Drayton
and Tony Sampson

have just made a potentially
significant discovery.

GARY:
This is fantastic.

Oh, look at these.
We've got more.

-TONY: Oh, geez.
-GARY: I think these two

-are even bigger than this one.
-No, I know.
Look at that one there.

So there's three in this area.

-JACK: Yep.
-Right in the place
where Travis pointed out.

NARRATOR: Boulders?
In nearly the exact spot

indicated
on Travis Taylor's star map?

Could these boulders contain
any important markings or clues

that could help the team solve
the Oak Island mystery?

GARY:
That is impressive.

JACK:
Yeah.

-This was probably eroded,
this area.
-Yup.

GARY: And these would have
been sitting higher.

It would have been a group
of big boulders.

-They could have been
sitting just up above us.
-Yeah.

-TONY: Should we go and check
those other two out?
-GARY: Yeah.

You notice how two of the
boulders are white granite,

-and this one's more of a pink?
-TONY: He's sort of a reddy
color, isn't he?

-GARY: Yeah.
-JACK: Yeah.

This whole side's
been broken off.

So this was probably bigger
at one time.

Yeah, there's a chunk missing.

These are massive.

-I mean, these are big
for Oak Island.
-Yeah.

I do believe it's possible that
Travis Taylor's star map theory

could be correct.

The boulders are here.

Apple Island's bearing fruit.
Forgive the pun.

-Travis's theory seems
to be working out.
-Yeah.

Do you want to have a look
around or just start detecting?

-I'd say go on the interior.
Let's go.
-Agreed.

-TONY: Okay.
-NARRATOR: Having confirmed

the existence of possible
stone markers on Apple Island,

Jack, Gary and Tony have
decided to search the area

for any signs
of human activity.

-Do you want to start here?
-Yeah.

I'm gonna start detecting.

Fingers crossed.

NARRATOR:
Because the two-acre island

is and always
has been uninhabited,

any indications of metal that
Gary obtains with his detector

could mean important clues-- or
treasure-- may be buried there.

Let's see if there's
any metal on this island.

Unfortunately, since the team's
treasure trove license

is limited to Oak Island,
they will have to petition

the Canadian government

before they can dig
any promising targets

that they identify today.

(beeping)

-Ooh, oh, no.
-What's that?

GARY:
Yeah, right under the tree here.

It's iron.

-How deep?
-It's five, six inches.

-JACK: Oh, and it goes
over there as well?
-Yeah. There's more iron here.

Yeah, there's a lot of iron
around here.

This is the type of stuff
you want to be detecting

when you're looking
for signs of activity.

And walking around this island,
it doesn't look like

there's been
any recent human activity.

-No, nothing at all.
-GARY: Ooh.

-JACK: That's a better hit.
-That sounds good.

We're lucky we ain't
got a spade with us,

'cause I'd be digging this.

So that's a good--
so, a lot of iron.

That was a nonferrous target,
meaning it's not iron.

It could be-- potentially,
be a coin or an artifact.

That's good sign, with so many
targets in the one area.

JACK: We need to get permission
to dig here.

GARY:
Yep.

Just like on Oak Island, Apple
Island has got a lot of targets,

and that's kind of tough on me,
because I knew

I couldn't dig them, but
who knows, maybe in the future,

we will be allowed back
and dig those good targets.

TONY: Well, that weather's
picking up, guys.

We better start heading
back to the boat.

GARY:
Okay. Let's go.

NARRATOR: While Gary, Jack and
Tony return to the mainland,

back at the Money Pit...

...Rick Lagina and members
of the team continue

to monitor the progress
of Borehole K-5.5,

a hole they hope will encounter
the 1861 searcher tunnel

known as Shaft Six,
located at a depth

of approximately 118 feet.

98 feet right now, gentlemen.

RICK:
Yeah. 20,

20 feet.

Will tell the tale.

Yeah. Yeah, let's open it up.

NARRATOR: If successful,
it should allow the team

to pinpoint
the original Money Pit,

as well as the location
of an enormous

underground debris field.

A definite change.

-From the four feet
of material here?
-RICK: Mm-hmm.

There's a noticeable difference.

If you found some wood
in this location,

I would say, definitely,
we're in a shaft or a tunnel.

And that is interesting, that
it's happening at the depths

-we were hoping to see a tunnel.
-CHARLES: Yeah.

I mean, other than
having a piece of wood

capping it all off.

CHARLES: We're assuming
that they timbered

the entire roof.
They might not have.

Maybe they just put
the supports sporadically,

you know, they didn't-- it's not
a, it's not a solid roof.

NARRATOR:
Although the core sample

has not turned up
any evidence of wood,

finding what appears to be
a highly disturbed layer

of soil and material
is an indication

of human activity
deep underground.

It suggests that the team
may now be drilling somewhere

in the center
of the Shaft Six tunnel.

If we don't see some hardscape,

some evidence
that you can hold in your hand,

I guess we'll call it.

BRENNAN:
Hold the phone, boys!

DAVE:
That looks like wood there now.

We got wood.

RICK:
If this comes up with all wood,

it's the long sought for,
long elusive Six.

Right.

RICK:
Well, here you go.

BRENNAN:
Well, you got wood.

Where are we here?

So this wood's somewhere
between 118 and 124.

DAVE: You wanted wood,
now we got wood.

It's a little bit deeper
than what it's supposed to be,

but we got wood.

Five feet, approximately.

NARRATOR:
Five feet of wood?

Found at the same depth
as Shaft Six and deeper?

Could this wood be evidence

of the Money Pit's
collapse in 1861?

And if so...

has the team located
not only Shaft Six,

but also a portion
of the suspected debris field?

Money Pit collapsed in 1861

and a whole bunch of wood
sort of went missing.

So, one plausible theory is
we're seeing that...

collapsed wood
in the collapse zone.

RICK: Are we on the extreme edge
of the Money Pit? I don't know.

But at some point...

you release the hounds, right?

It's time to dig.

RICK: I think it
strongly advocates for

smaller cans
at multiple locations.

This is as good as it'd get.

-Yeah.
-(chuckles)

DOUG: Count this as a win
today, I think.

LAIRD:
It's pretty big.

TERRY: Pretty big
and pretty interesting.

Hold it, now, what's this?

MARTY:
This is a new find.

This is totally undiscovered.

NARRATOR: As a new day begins
on Oak Island,

Rick Lagina
and members of the team

return to Smith's Cove...

where they're carefully
monitoring the spoils

dredged up from inside

the mysterious
U-shaped structure.

This is probably where
something the size

of the cross would come.

-To here.
-Yep.

Or a coin.

NARRATOR:
As each load of excavated earth

and material is loaded
into the massive wash plant,

they are funneled
through a metal grate

also known as "grizzly bars"

which filters out larger rocks
and other debris.

The spoils are then deposited

onto two individual
shaker decks

which separate out
any hidden objects by size,

literally shaking
the soil loose

and washing it away

using a series
of fixed spray nozzles.

The resulting piles
will then be carefully

searched by hand...

as well as scanned
with a metal detector

for any important artifacts
or possible treasure.

Randy!

Is there a way to turn it down?

JACK:
What is it, Gary?

What is it? A lot of spoil piles
I haven't been over yet.

I'm gonna check these out.

Yeah, I'll come help you.

All right, mate, if you can help
me rake these piles,

I'll metal detect them.

And I also want to check where

Dave's been dumping
all the big boulders.

-Because-- Yeah.
-You never know.

We can't start up again
until these piles

are removed from the area.

(detector beeping)

Yeah, I'm getting a hit here.

All I've found so far
is just some modern stuff.

(detector beeps)

That's a potential.
It's a potential.

(detector beeping)

Oh, there's
a couple targets here.

Yeah, that's definitely
a target,

let's see how deep it is.

Only three or four inches.

-Should be able to pinpoint it.
-(pinpointer beeps)

(pinpointer beeping)

Hopefully it's not
another piece of slag.

(pinpointer beeping rapidly)

-Oh, it's probably in your hand.
-(pinpointer beeps rapidly)

-Yep.
-Yeah, that's a good sign.

(beeping)

-It's a coin! Look.
-Yeah!

-GARY: Oh, man, it's not old.
-JACK: That is awesome.

You see the date on that?

-You got younger eyes.
-1963.

1963, but heck of a test.

We knew that if we're gonna
find some coins,

it's gonna be
in this gravel pile.

The wash plant works.
That's awesome, Gary.

Yeah. Yeah, that is a good test.
It really is.

Certainly gets you excited
anytime you see that coin shape.

-JACK: Mm-hmm.
-GARY: Wow.

I'm gonna see if there's
anything older in here.

All right.

NARRATOR: While Jack and Gary
continue to search

through the spoils
at the wash plant...

TERRY: I want to clean
this side out a little bit.

See if we can pick things up.

NARRATOR:
Archeologist Laird Niven,

along with geologist
Terry Matheson

and heavy equipment operator
Billy Gerhardt,

are continuing to excavate
the area inside

the so-called
U-shaped structure.

A structure they believe
could have been built

-centuries ago.
-(scrapes)

Whoa. Interesting.

It looks like a post
sticking straight up.

Yeah, it is.

Laird. Take a quick look.

Billy just clipped a,
what looks like, perhaps a post

-sticking straight up;
it's pretty vertical.
-Okay.

TERRY:
What do you, what do you figure?

LAIRD:
Actually, that's the third piece

-of wood.
-TERRY: It starts to become

kind of an
interesting-looking...

something more than
just a plank or two.

Maybe a structure.

NARRATOR:
Planks of wood?

Buried within
the U-shaped structure?

Could they be
a previously undiscovered

part of this ancient formation?

Or could the team
have just found

an entirely new structure
at Smith's Cove?

LAIRD:
I think, uh...

it may be wise
just to leave it

and let Rick
take a look at it.

That's probably a good point.

We could dig around it a bit.

Try to-- but-but
no heavy-duty stuff, maybe.

Surgically now, Billy.

Whoa, yeah. Yeah.

This is it, here; we got
something going on here.

BILLY:
Yeah, you can see the top of--

TERRY:
Gently, gently.

We're gonna see
what we can see here.

Looks like...

timbers on edge.

It's not one-inch planks,
like...

No.

Thick enough to be a wall.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: While excavating
near the U-shaped structure

at Smith's Cove...

Here it comes.

NARRATOR:
...archeologist Laird Niven

and members
of the Oak Island team

have just uncovered

an unusual man-made formation.

Odd construction.

-Very odd.
-They're offset.

TERRY: Uh, looks like
it was built for strength.

LAIRD:
Yeah. Pretty big.

TERRY: Pretty big
and pretty interesting.

BILLY:
Heads up, guys.

What do you got?

LAIRD:
We don't know.

We started right down here
and then the next thing is:

hold it, now, what's this?

Wow, that's pretty cool.

You know,
quite a s-significant wall.

NARRATOR:
A wooden wall?

Buried at Smith's Cove?

But if so, who built it?

And for what purpose?

JACK:
How deep do these go? Any idea?

TERRY:
We're not sure yet.

It's possible they're trying
to hold back water

from entering the flood tunnels.

MARTY:
Makes you wonder what

you're gonna find back there
a little ways.

LAIRD: But this definitely
isn't on any map.

No, this is a new find.
This is totally undiscovered.

MARTY:
So we're finding these walls

that nobody else has ever found

which, in a sense,
is a piece of evidence

that perhaps
it could be original,

because somebody doing it
originally would've been

scrupulous about
clearing up evidence.

And we're dig it up
and see what it is.

RICK:
Hey. What are we looking at?

You tell me.

Oh. That's well-built.

MARTY: Oh, yeah.
It's pretty impressive.

A little bit of blue clay

-on this...
-Oh, no there was a lot.

They scraped it away.

RICK:
Oh, here. See this, here?

JACK:
It looks like stacked rocks.

LAIRD:
There were rocks down there.

JACK: Are we starting
to get into the French drain?

NARRATOR:
A French drain?

This is packed
with stones right here

and just next to it was...

you know, virgin soil.

NARRATOR:
Two years ago...

while searching for evidence

of the box drains
at Smith's Cove,

The team discovered

layers of rounded stones,

forming what they believe
to be a French drain:

an ancient irrigation system

used to control
and direct the flow of water.

MARTY: I'm gonna
put you on the spot now.

Man-made?

-I believe so, yeah. Yeah.
-Wow.

NARRATOR:
Could these stones

be another part
of a French drain system

constructed centuries ago
at Smith's Cove?

And if so, could it mean
the team is closer than ever

to finding one of Oak Island's
legendary flood tunnels?

Really, what we should--

We should just go at this
real light, Laird.

-You know? And then just...
-Yes.

...see if this
really is something.

NARRATOR: For Rick, Marty
and their team,

the discovery
of another French drain

at Smith's Cove
could prove to be

their biggest breakthrough
in the 12 years

since they began searching
for treasure on Oak Island.

It offers not only evidence

that an incredible
engineering effort

took place here centuries ago.

It could also be the first step

in locating the entrance
to the fabled

booby-trapped flood tunnels.

And perhaps to whatever

they were built to protect.

But as the Laginas
and their partners

continue to follow
the flood system further

and deeper down
into the Money Pit,

where will it lead them?

To a treasure vault filled
with gold and jewels?

Or will they discover that as
they get to closer to solving

a 223-year-old mystery...

the island
will fight harder than ever

to protect its buried secrets?

Next time on
The Curse of Oak Island...

DOUG: I found a description
on the finger drains

in Smith's Cove-- these drains
were made by placing

-two stones on their edges.
-ALEX: This is
new information for us.

DOUG: Look between those two
rocks. There's an opening there.

-It was a triangular shape.
-RICK: That could be
a box drain.

-TORY: It's just over here,
guys.
-RICK: We've never seen

another stone like this
on the island.

CRAIG:
Almost like Roman numerals.

MARTY:
It's mysterious,

and it was found
near the Money Pit.

TERRY: Whoa! Looks like
we have something,

there, Rick.
That's some kind of a structure.

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