The Curse of Oak Island (2014–…): Season 7, Episode 7 - Things That Go Bump-Out - full transcript
The team unearths a new wooden structure under the sea bed at Smith's cove and a fresh lead may bring Rick closer to the 90-foot stone.
Here we go.
Floodgate's about to open.
Here it goes.
I think it's time
to get our feet wet.
‐Let's do it.
‐There's a structure down there.
It's ten feet underwater.
We found Nine.
I think this disturbed area
in this photo might be
Shaft Two.
Steve can triangulate
and see where it intersects.
X marks the spot.
‐Look at all the wood.
‐Oh, look at the wood.
‐Looks like we're in
‐the middle of a shaft.
Ooh, look at that!
I don't know why this is here.
‐I don't know what
this would be.
This may be
bigger than we thought.
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.
Wow.
That is one big machine.
Yeah, that's impressive.
Definitely some iron
‐in Smith's Cove now.
Yeah.
Look at that thing.
It's time to start.
We're about
to explore new ground.
‐How you doing, guys?
‐Mike, how you doing?
‐Quite well.
‐That is some vision
coming down from that hill.
Yeah.
For brothers Rick
and Marty Lagina
and their partners,
today marks the beginning
of yet another
and more extensive
investigation at Smith's Cove.
What are we looking at?
Where are you gonna start?
So, we'll‐we'll pull that
one sheet; we'll lay it down.
We're gonna lay 'em
right in across here.
The team from
Irving Equipment Limited
has returned to the area
in order to build
a massive extension,
or bump‐out,
to the 525‐foot‐long
steel cofferdam
they had constructed last year.
How far out is
the bump‐out going?
Based on the arch in that 100
feet that we're gonna remove,
it's 50 feet from there out
to the surface
of the next wall out.
‐So, are you excited?
‐Oh, yeah, I'm excited, 'cause
when we did the excavation
last year,
we didn't really find that much
‐when it comes to artifacts.
‐Yes.
‐And if it's not here,
it's got to be over there.
‐Yeah.
‐And we're gonna find it.
‐
Although the Laginas
and their partners
made a number of historic finds
here last year,
including a boat wharf,
or slipway,
that was proven to have been
built more than two decades
prior to the Money Pit's
discovery in 1795,
the team was shocked to learn
that additional structures
and important clues might still
lie further out into the ocean.
One of the big agenda items
this year is
to finish up in Smith's Cove.
We found some exciting things
there last year,
but we never got
to the end of the slipway
where there could be
all kinds of artifacts.
And that's what
this is all about,
looking for friends
of the cross,
and an explanation possibly
of some of the structures,
their purpose,
their age, who did it.
There's a lot of mystery
down there,
and we need to explore it.
Okay, Mike, turn it over to you,
‐and let's get it started.
‐Thanks, guys.
Before construction
of the bump‐out can begin,
the Irving team must first
remove 22 interlocking
steel sheets
from the cofferdam wall
using a powerful
vibratory hammer,
which is attached
to a massive 440‐ton crane.
Once completed,
Rick, Marty
and the team will be able
to search a 6,000‐square‐foot
area where,
so far as they know,
no previous searchers
have ever been able to reach.
Here we go.
Floodgate's about to open.
Here it goes.
Wow.
I think it's time
to get our feet wet.
Let's do it.
While construction
on the cofferdam continues,
Rick Lagina heads to
the Oak Island Research Center
for a meeting with
island historian Doug Crowell
and surveyor Steve Guptill.
Hey, Rick.
‐Hey.
Steve and I were just
talking about an idea we had.
You know Steve's calculated this
on the 3‐D model
for what we found
for Shaft Nine.
With finding Nine
and proving it was Nine,
we brought back a landmark
from the past
at a time when they knew
where the Money Pit was.
‐And we know we found Nine.
‐We know it's Nine.
That's that certainty you want
to start talking with, right?
Mm‐Hmm.
Hey, Billy!
There's wood there!
One week ago,
Rick, Marty, Craig
and members of the team
unearthed a massive
wooden structure
which matched
the historical descriptions
of a searcher shaft built
in 1863 known as "Shaft Nine."
According to archival records,
it was constructed some 100
feet southwest of the Money Pit
in an attempt
to bypass the flood tunnels
which are believed
to protect the fabled
Oak Island treasure vault.
Because the location
of the original Money Pit
was still known at the time
Shaft Nine was built,
the team hopes to use it
as a key landmark
that should help them pinpoint
the Money Pit's exact location.
So, Steve's calculated
‐Shaft Number Nine right there.
Mm‐hmm.
Which is supposed to be 100 feet
away from the Money Pit,
according to
the historical documentation.
So, 100 feet out from here
roughly puts an arc
through like that.
So, I've been going through
my head trying to think
of other landmarks
we might be able to bring back.
‐Mm‐hmm.
‐It got me going through
these old photos,
and I found this one
from 1931
during the Chappell exploration.
Mm‐hmm.
And this area here
really caught my interest.
This looks disturbed here to me.
In fact, back here
where Nine is‐‐ that also
‐looks disturbed, doesn't it?
‐That also looks... Yeah. Yup.
We know where Nine is.
We found Nine there.
We know 100 feet away from that
should be the Money Pit.
I think this disturbed area
in this photo
might be indicating that
we should find a shaft in there,
which I think would be
Shaft Two.
If there's any shaft that
its relationship to the
Money Pit was known, it's Two.
There's no question about that.
In 1805,
one year after the Money Pit
flooded with seawater
when Daniel McGinnis and his
partners hit what they believed
to be a boobytrap
at a depth of 90 feet,
members of the Onslow Company
attempted
to work around the problem
by digging an adjacent shaft
some 14 feet to the southeast.
Known as "Shaft Two,"
it reached a depth of 110 feet
without encountering water.
McGinnis then dug
a horizontal tunnel
in hopes of reaching
the treasure vault from below.
But within two feet
of its target,
the tunnel caved in
and flooded.
Shortly afterwards, the Onslow
Company went bankrupt,
thus ending
the recorded treasure hunt
of the three‐man team who first
discovered the Money Pit.
Certainly, Shaft Two is‐is key
to understanding
the original location
of the Money Pit, because
the original Money Pit
was denoted "Number One,"
and Shaft Two was the
second shaft ever dug, trying to
uncover the treasure.
If Shaft Number Two is
where we think it is,
then we've got another landmark,
because we know
that Two should be
14 feet away from the Money Pit,
and we have two measurements.
With Shaft Number Nine
right there,
Steve can triangulate 14 feet
out and 100 feet out and see
‐where it intersects.
‐Right.
If we can find Two,
we have an X marks the spot.
Yeah.
So, are you suggesting
a drilling program?
I‐I think if we throw
a little bit of sonic at it
and see if there is indeed
a shaft there.
Well, look, it's a...
it's a great plan.
‐There's no choice
but to pursue it.
‐Yeah.
So, guys, there's still
a lot of work to do.
Get that X on that map.
Let's find Two.
More importantly,
let's find the Money Pit.
Later that afternoon...
‐Hey, gentlemen.
Hey, guys.
...Steve Guptill
and Craig Tester
join other members
of the Oak Island team
at the Money Pit site to begin
a new core drilling operation
in search of Shaft Two.
We've picked out a location.
‐So, we'll get them going.
‐Okay.
They're waiting on you
over there.
‐They're waiting.
‐Get them spotted.
Using aerial photographs
taken of the Money Pit area
in 1931,
as well as the GPS coordinates
of the recently‐discovered
Shaft Nine,
Craig and Steve have calculated
the location
where they hope
to intercept Shaft Two.
‐Right there.
Okay.
‐Good enough.
‐That's good enough.
‐There you go.
‐Right on.
Looking for wood.
Looking for gold.
Looking for gold.
Let's find her.
Come on.
Okay.
‐Tight?
‐Oh, yeah.
Looks pretty good.
Yup.
Using a sonic drill rig,
which utilizes a high‐frequency
sound to advance through earth,
rock and other objects,
a specialized coring barrel
will take core samples
in ten‐foot intervals,
down as deep as 300 feet.
That'll be nice if it's
disturbed right off the bat.
‐Yeah.
‐That way, we know
‐we're inside an old shaft.
‐Yup.
We might have a darn
good chance of zeroing in
on where the old Money Pit was.
Yup.
Definitely.
This could be it right here.
Fingers crossed.
As the drilling operation
continues in
the Money Pit area,
Rick Lagina and his nephew
Peter Fornetti,
along with team members Doug
Crowell and Billy Gerhardt,
travel some 52 miles
northeast of Oak Island
to the Helen Creighton
Heritage Museum
in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
They are eager to follow up
on a promising new lead
Rick just received
concerning the so‐called
90‐foot stone.
Man, I hope
this turns into something.
Oh, me, too.
‐Yeah.
Whether or not
the stone is there,
it's still a wonderful lead.
‐Mm‐hmm.
‐I was at Dan's funeral,
and, uh, this fella came up.
His name is Kevin Rideout.
And he said,
"I just have a little bit
of information for you."
He said a number of years ago‐‐
30 or 40 years ago,
quite a while‐‐
he said, "I was...
happened to be at the...
"Helen Creighton Museum, and...
"a stone was pointed out to me
that was in the yard.
I was told that stone
was the 'carved stone,'"
quote‐unquote,
"from Oak Island."
In 1804,
just as Daniel McGinnis
and members
of the Onslow Company
reached a depth of 90 feet
in the Money Pit,
they discovered
a strange olive‐colored stone
containing hieroglyph‐like
symbols carved into it
and embedded
in a layer of oak logs.
When they removed it, an
apparent booby trap was sprung,
which caused ocean water
to flood into the Money Pit
and thwart all subsequent
efforts to keep digging.
Although the carvings
on the stone
were later translated to read,
"Forty feet below,
two million pounds are buried,"
there are many who believe
the carvings formed
a coded message, which,
when properly translated,
would reveal how to shut off
the booby traps.
Unfortunately, the stone,
which was never photographed
or properly copied,
has been missing
for more than a century.
According to legend,
it was last seen
in the window
of a Halifax bookstore,
the same place
where Doug Crowell located
a similar stone
just one year ago.
Oh, look at that, guys.
But although the stone
Doug retrieved
matched the 90‐foot stone's
general description
and dimensions, it had
no hieroglyphic markings on it.
As far as the stone
Doug found last year,
I just don't think
it's the stone.
I think it was perhaps
a representation of what once
was in their possession,
and I believe that it currently
is still in their possession,
i.e. at the
Creighton House Museum.
Probably the best lead
we've ever had.
If the stone is there,
that has to be impactful.
Yeah, it would be
refinding history.
‐Yeah.
All I know is one thing.
I'm excited to go.
Hopefully it's there.
As Rick and the team
make their way
to the Helen Creighton
Heritage Museum,
Jack Begley and metal detection
expert Gary Drayton
arrive on Lot 6,
located on the western side
of Oak Island.
All right,
we've made it to Lot 6.
I've been interested
in this spot
for a number of years, Gary.
Yeah. And this area's
been overlooked.
Mm‐hmm.
Because of the numerous
discoveries made
on this side of the island,
including a gold‐plated brooch
and ancient tunneling tools
known as swages,
that were estimated to be
as much as 600 years old,
Gary is eager to search
the nearby beach areas
for any valuable clues
to help identify
who may have visited the island
prior to the discovery
of the Money Pit in 1795.
It's really exciting
that we're finally
getting the chance
to look here.
Lot 6 has been an area
that we've suspected
a lot of human activity
in the past.
Who knows what we could turn up.
I think that this area
is involved
in the treasure hunt somehow.
And it'd be really nice to find
some sort of artifact
that's eroded off the bank here.
‐Relatively unexplored beach,
too, I'd say.
‐Yeah.
It should be a good day.
Well, let's get started.
Let's hammer this beach, Gary.
Yeah. What I'm gonna do,
I'm gonna stick higher up,
and I'm gonna do my usual
zigzag along the beach.
Hopefully the beach bank
is open for business.
First target up, mate.
I think you got it out, mate.
Ugh. Modern nail.
‐Yeah, definitely modern.
‐Yep.
Here we go.
‐Sounds dig‐able to me.
‐Yeah.
Just here.
There we go.
Two of 'em.
Yeah, look at these.
Two old pins.
Yeah, I think they‐‐
there are two here.
They look old.
Look how corroded they are.
Square, too. Yeah.
‐And it's square, yeah.
They've got the nice weight
to them.
They're a couple of old pins.
This nail would be at home
in any 1700s shipwreck.
The heck are these doing here?
‐Over on this side
of the island.
‐Yeah.
Square‐shaped pins
dating back to the 1700s?
And possibly from a ship?
Could Jack and Gary have found
evidence of ships
visiting the island before
the discovery of the Money Pit?
But if so, what were they doing
on the western side
of the island, opposite from
the fabled treasure shaft?
What this tells me,
whenever you see old iron pins,
there's gonna be some
old artifacts.
I like the sound of that, Gary.
Yeah, this is cool.
I think we're onto something.
Good digging.
Let's find some more.
I'm gonna go a little bit
further down.
I'm gonna take one more sweep
down there.
Something good?
That's a big old target.
That's a screamer, mate.
Not very deep, either.
An inch.
Well, take a big wide bite of it
because there's something
in between those
two rocks there.
Ooh! Look at that.
Here, wait a minute, mate.
You see the side of it?
‐Yeah.
‐That's big, isn't it?
Look at that.
What the heck is that?
g old pin.
Oh, yeah.
While investigating
near the shore on Lot 6,
Jack Begley and metal detection
expert Gary Drayton
have just made
an intriguing find.
Look at the grain.
‐Now, that is an old pin.
‐That is old.
This looks like it was used
for pinning wood together.
Really?
‐Yes.
I call them cribbing spikes.
I'd say it's 1700s, easy.
I like the sound of that, Gary.
Is it heavy?
Yeah, it's heavy.
It's got some weight.
That's a hefty bit
of iron, mate.
This is the type
that would have been
in a substantial structure.
Yeah. Like a wharf.
An 18th century cribbing spike?
Possibly used in the
construction of a boat wharf
or slipway?
Could Gary and Jack
have found evidence
of another landing site
on the western side
of the island,
where a ship may have
offloaded cargo
prior to the discovery
of the Money Pit in 1795?
But if so, who built it?
And what were they unloading?
What a great spot
we've discovered.
There could have been some sort
of activity around these lots.
It might not be gold, but Rick's
gonna love this information.
Yeah. A lot of it in one place.
That's what you want.
‐Mm‐hmm.
‐Just so much iron.
Why would so much iron
be in this one area?
You know this stuff
hasn't washed up.
It's got to be a wharf.
‐Yeah.
‐It has to be. It has to be.
We're in the right place.
This is a place
where boats came into,
and there was activity
in the area.
Whether this is a place
where ships were repaired,
or a place where
treasure was unloaded,
We've got the finds
to back those theories up now.
I mean, these are big pins.
We found an old wharf, mate.
‐Yep.
‐It's not every day
you make a new discovery
on Oak Island.
No. And this is a really
big discovery, too.
Yeah. Looks like I'm gonna have
to bring a bigger pouch as well.
Yeah, right?
It's pretty exciting.
As Jack and Gary
continue their search
for more important clues,
some 52 miles away
from Oak Island,
in the city of Dartmouth...
Okay, fingers crossed,
toes crossed.
...Rick Lagina, Peter Fornetti,
Doug Crowell and Billy Gerhardt
arrive at the Helen Creighton
Heritage Museum...
‐Kevin.
‐Good day.
...where they've
arranged to meet with
Kevin Rideout and
museum curator Terry Eyland.
So, Kevin, first of all,
I want to say thank you
for coming out.
We've been searching
for evidence.
Any local lore, any history,
any knowledge
of where the stone might be.
And so, when you came up
that day, I went,
"Could it be that obvious?
You know?
Could it be that apparent?"
I mean, I very much look forward
to what you have to tell us.
Well, about 40‐plus years ago,
I came here on a tour,
and it was pointed out to me
that this stone was down there
from Oak Island.
The lady just mentioned
it was brung here
in safekeeping.
‐I found it interesting.
‐You actually saw a stone
‐somewhat exposed.
‐Yeah, it was...
it was a protrusion
through the ground,
and she pointed out to me
through the window here.
And this curator of the building
would not point this out
if it wasn't truthful.
But it had always
been on my mind,
why wasn't it excavated
and let the public see it?
See what's on the stone,
what's on the writings.
You can see you're almost
trembling with excitement,
as are we.
I mean, I'm interested
in what Terry knows.
I'd like to go out back
and speak about it all,
‐or get on the site and...
‐Yeah, yeah, yeah.
‐Hopefully, uh...
‐It's a lot better to see
where we think it is.
That would be fantastic.
Kevin, after you.
I have long spoken
of finding the one thing,
and this certainly pushes
that boundary for me.
It would be wonderful
to find the 90‐foot stone
and to put it
in front of everyone
and say, "Here it is.
"Here is one of the most
sought‐after artifacts
in the history of Oak Island."
This is the backyard.
That's where we think it is.
What do you remember, Kevin?
Uh, I was in that window there.
We looked out from that window,
and it was pointed out to me
this side of the rhododendron.
There was a grubbings there,
‐and there was a stone.
‐In the grassy area,
‐or in that small garden?
‐Well, it wasn't grassy.
None of that was there.
That rhododendron bush
is a good 40 years old.
So, supposedly,
when the stone
was brought here...
We have
absolutely no record of it
because it would've happened
before it was a museum house.
Built by a prominent
Dartmouth judge in 1867,
the Evergreen House
was later sold
to Dr. Helen Creighton,
a distant relative
of Oak Island treasure hunter
Augustus Oliver Creighton,
in 1919.
Curiously,
it was in this same year
that the bookstore in Halifax
where the 90‐foot stone
was last seen
went out of business.
Well, what relation
was the Creighton family
to the bookstore?
Well, Augustus Oliver Creighton
was one of the partners
in the book bindery,
and Helen Creighton's generation
‐comes down from just above.
‐Oh, okay.
So they would...
they would've been cousins.
If this is a family estate,
it's pretty logical
that you might've brought it,
you know, back here, too.
This whole ridge was, uh,
was Creighton property.
It could be
under that rhododendron.
Let's go look.
Yeah. Let's head down there.
Yeah. So, let's head down.
You know, as we
walk down the back hill
towards the spot,
I'm actually excited about
the prospect of finding it.
The idea that the 90‐foot stone
that was once
at the A. O. Creighton bookstore
and now it resides
at the Creighton
family residence...
I find that to be consistent.
It would stay within the family.
So,
if it is under here,
then, you know, you can
actually go in and around.
Mm‐hmm.
‐Um...
‐I'll go in.
‐
Oh, that's thick.
No, I don't feel anything...
‐obvious poking up.
No.
It's a really likely possibility
that it could
‐still be there.
‐Yeah.
I‐I think we need to pursue
an archaeological dig. I mean,
‐it can't be that deep.
‐Sure.
Unfortunately, we didn't find
the stone itself,
but it could still be hiding.
It's in the proper location,
according to Kevin.
So, there's a lot of work
to be done.
So, gentlemen,
‐I think there's a path
to move forward.
Mm‐hmm.
Uh, get a permit.
I mean, you're willing
to come back.
We're willing to come back.
We can make this look
a lot nicer
‐postinvestigation.
Right.
There's more positive
about this experience
‐than negative, that's for sure.
‐Mm‐hmm.
And if there's a way
to move forward, we just...
‐we go for it.
‐I think it's great.
Because further exploration
of the site
will involve digging
on the museum grounds,
Rick and the team
will have to first obtain
a government permit.
It will still take
a few more weeks
before he'll know
if the tip he received
at Dan Blankenship's funeral
was a good one.
We leave with some regret,
but none of us
are gonna walk away from this
without doing everything we can
to‐to explore the site.
The idea is to go back
and do an excavation.
Kevin, I just want
to say thank you.
I mean, we didn't find it today,
but I think
amongst the five of us,
certainly,
we believe it's still here.
‐Yeah.
‐Uh, so, gentlemen,
I say we get this ball rolling.
So, let's go.
Let's head off.
As a new day begins
on Oak Island...
Dr. Jardine.
Good morning, gentlemen.
...brothers Rick
and Marty Lagina,
along with their partner
Craig Tester
and Dave Blankenship
meet with representatives
from Irving Equipment Limited
at Smith's Cove
to check on the progress
of the bump out extension
being added
to the massive steel cofferdam.
Well, where are we at, Mike,
currently?
We got all the frames in,
all in location.
That is the bump out
right there, right?
‐Yes.
And we've got both corners
turned and we're ready to start.
‐Okay.
‐But this morning
I was down there,
and there's a structure
down there.
It's got horizontals and then
there's vertical wood standing.
You mean, it's not part of the,
uh, ramp? There was something...
‐Looks very different.
‐Wow.
Outside of the old...
of the first cofferdam?
‐Yes.
‐Wow.
A wooden structure?
Found during the construction
of the cofferdam
bump out extension?
Could it be related
to the 18th century slipway
the team unearthed here
one year ago?
Or might it possibly be
even older?
I want to walk out there
and see if I can...
Uh, can you see
‐any sight of it?
‐We'll go around that way there.
‐It's better access.
‐Go around that way?
Okay. All right.
Rick is always talking
about how people
become invested in this,
and, uh, Mike Jardine
is certainly no exception.
I mean, he's out there
to do a job,
and a complex job
with heavy‐duty equipment,
but he's also doing
a little exploring on his own,
you know, and he thinks
he found a structure out there.
‐See those two logs there, Mike?
Yes.
Is that the end of the slipway
or is that...
Well, that seemed to be
where the end of it would be.
‐Mm‐hmm.
‐Uh, but just
on the inside of that,
there's this square structure
that, you know, looks like
it's built like a shaft.
The interesting thing
is its location.
It's ten feet underwater
at high tide.
As far out as it is,
I can't imagine
how this was constructed.
It's a little too early to say
definitively what it is,
but anything pre‐searcher
is of keen interest.
We'll get it dried up
and we'll investigate it.
So, we have two options, really.
We can dig this
if we follow something back,
and then you're okay, as long
as we notify your engineers.
We might be able to dig
very close with some tiebacks.
Yep.
I think it'll be interesting
what you're gonna,
what you're gonna find
right there because
there's definitely,
there was a reason why they did
what they did there
and hopefully
we can find the reason.
Well, hopefully
there's some answers out there.
While the team
from Irving Equipment Limited
continues building
the cofferdam extension,
Craig Tester joins Alex Lagina,
Steve Guptill,
Charles Barkhouse and geologist
Terry Matheson
at the Money Pit site,
where the drilling operation
to locate Shaft Two
is well underway.
How you doing, Colton?
‐Good. You?
‐What do you got?
‐15.
‐Good. Thanks a lot, man.
No worries.
Looks like we've got something
interesting there.
That'd be disturbed.
Yeah. I'm no geologist,
but that looks disturbed to me.
Yeah. Maybe we're close
to something.
Finding what appears
to be disturbed soil
means that human activity
has taken place
at some time in the past.
Could it also be evidence that
the team is close to finding
the location of Shaft Two?
We do know, relatively speaking,
the positions of the various
shafts vis‐à‐vis the Money Pit.
We need these
interlocking pieces.
Nine goes to Two,
Two goes to X marks the spot.
We use that as stepping stones
to get to where we really want
to go, and that is,
"Where is
the original Money Pit?"
Okay.
‐Oh, wood.
Hello!
Cool.
Definitely got wood.
Just pieces of it,
but this is definitely wood.
Good. This bodes well for us
being in the middle of a shaft.
This could really be
a big breakthrough for us,
and we might be close
to finding Shaft Two.
We clipped the wood
a little bit.
We know that shaft
is there somewhere.
We don't know where, exactly.
So, it just seems to be, you
know, getting better and better.
Oh, look at the wood. d.
Wow.
That's nothing
but a shaft.
‐Yeah. Absolutely.
While drilling at a depth
of some 33 feet
in the Money Pit area...
All about stacked lumber here.
...Craig Tester,
Alex Lagina and members
of the Oak Island team
have located a wooden structure
that they hope to be the one
known as Shaft Two.
It was this searcher shaft
that was dug
by treasure hunter
Daniel McGinnis
and his partners in 1805
in the hope of avoiding
the booby‐trapped flood tunnels
that thwarted their efforts
to keep digging straight down
in the original
Money Pit shaft.
Wow, did we ever catch the edge
of some beautifully stacked
timbers there.
‐Yeah.
We are in a shaft.
There's no question about that.
This is definitely not a tunnel.
For one thing,
it's too close to the surface.
‐Mm‐hmm.
‐If you're gonna do a tunnel,
you're gonna do it much deeper
into the ground.
So, we're definitely in a shaft.
There's no question about that.
Well, that's good news.
You go through periods
where you just don't have
any luck on the island.
And so when you start
hitting a shaft
and hitting it right away...
We have more work to do,
but at least we know
where it's at.
And if this is Shaft Two,
we know that we're finally
honing in on where
that Money Pit actually was.
‐Hey, guys.
Hey.
What do you got here?
I heard good news.
‐Yes. Good news is right.
Rick, jump in here.
So we're definitely on the edge
of a sh... on a shaft.
This is the edge of it.
You just caught
the edge of it right now,
as you're running down?
We're definitely
going down a wall.
Yeah. Yeah. Okay.
We just don't know which wall,
at this point.
The question is
do we keep taking this down,
or do we move over
to the center of the shaft
and, and go down from there.
Okay, well, here's the thing.
It's an easy call.
‐Keep drilling.
Yeah.
Okay.
Keep drilling till you run out
of wall. And then...
then a decision has to be made
north, south, east, west.
‐But we should
punch another hole.
‐Okay.
Now that the team
has possibly found
one wall of Shaft Two,
they will drill several more
adjacent holes
in an effort to not only
confirm the discovery,
but also orient them
to the other three walls
of the square structure.
This will tell them exactly
which direction
the original Money Pit
was known to be located,
some 14 feet away.
If this is the shaft,
that's great news.
But we can't prove it yet.
Am I hopeful? Yes.
Do I want it to be there? Yes.
But you have to have more proof.
It's all exciting.
I mean, this is a...
it's a huge win.
Keep drilling.
The following day,
as the drilling operation
near the Money Pit continues...
There you go, Gary.
Getting ready
to de‐water this puppy.
...Marty Lagina
and his son Alex,
along with Gray Drayton
and Charles Barkhouse,
arrive at Smith's Cove
after receiving word
that the team from
Irving Equipment Limited
has finished building
the 6,000‐square foot bump out
of the steel cofferdam.
That's a bump out.
Doesn't that look sweet?
Man, you guys from Irving
don't waste time, do you?
‐
‐I love it.
She's ready to go.
What we're gonna do here now
is we're gonna pull the sheet up
‐while we wait for the tide
to go down.
Yeah.
Oh, you got one open
to let it out,
‐then you're gonna seal it up?
‐We're gonna pull one, yeah.
‐Okay.
‐And let it go. Yeah.
In order to expedite draining
the thousands of gallons
of seawater that
currently flood the area,
the team from
Irving Equipment Limited
will pull one sheet
of the steel piling
up and out of place.
There she goes!
This will reduce the amount
of pumping necessary
to completely dry out the area,
and allow the team
to begin excavating
for new, important clues.
We started on Smith's Cove
to find its secrets.
We always want to know what
might be hidden in that dirt.
Now, we've got a sufficient
bump out, and here we are
with the means
and the opportunity.
And the motive.
So is that a timber right there?
Kind of sticking up?
There is a couple timbers there,
and then the structure
is over to the right of that.
It's starting
to come out there now.
I'd like to go down there
and take a look.
There's no problem, is there?
‐No. No problem at all.
‐Let's do it.
There's this new structure
that's been uncovered.
So, very curious
about what that is,
and specifically,
how old is it?
That's what makes it exciting.
It was right here, Marty.
Wow. Look at that.
You got these... these boards
that are upright.
And these timbers in behind it.
Very interesting.
You ever seen anything
like that before?
Never.
Well, mystery number one
for Smith's Cove.
I'm, uh, pretty excited
about this bump out.
You know,
the opportunity, to, uh,
hopefully hit intact materials.
‐We're going
in virgin territory now.
‐Yeah.
One day after construction
of the cofferdam bump out
was completed,
Rick Lagina, Craig Tester,
and archaeologist Laird Niven
are eager to investigate
the recently discovered
wooden structure
at Smith's Cove.
I mean, there's this, you know,
what Mike Jardine saw
this box‐like structure.
Mm‐hmm.
The entire cove is dry,
so, I hate to say it‐‐
‐everything's looking
as good as it can be.
‐
Yeah.
I think we're all excited
about this structure
in Smith's Cove.
There has been
no historical record,
and there has been
no physical investigative work
in this location, so
opening that door today is...
I think everyone's excited
about the prospect of finding
something possibly
related to the treasure.
Where's the wood structure at?
See that section there?
That little piece?
Oh, yeah.
‐The box is right there.
That's outside
of Dan's cofferdam.
‐Anyway, let's go look at it.
‐All right.
Hey, Billy.
Billy!
How far do you think
it comes back?
Well, I don't know.
Laird, what do you think?
‐ I don't know.
‐Yeah.
I don't know why this is here.
I don't know what this would be.
It's the strangest thing.
Yeah.
So, how do we start here, Laird?
I think the most effective way
is to do the profiling
of the side of it.
‐Right. That worked good
last year, so...
‐Yeah.
‐Yup.
Okay, well,
nothing I like better
than the words
"let's get going," so.
‐Billy, crank that up.
Let's get going.
Yup.
The problem with
this log structure
that we found in Smith's Cove
is simply this
Is it a very simple explanation
or is it much more complex?
Either way, we've a lot of work
to do to try to uncover
what it is
and why it was put there.
‐Hey, guys.
‐Howdy, Craig.
We've got this structure
right here.
‐Okay.
‐Just starting to uncover it
a little bit,
so I want to check for metal.
Okay.
‐We'll see if
there's any metal in here.
‐Okay.
‐
No. That's trash.
That was too close.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Hang on.
What is that?
What is that‐‐ tar paper?
What is that?
Looks like tar paper,
doesn't it?
It's tar papered
all the way down.
Really?
Yep.
Tar paper is a heavy‐duty
waterproofing material,
which was widely used
in construction
in the 19th century.
Does it mean that the structure
at Smith's Cove
was built by treasure hunters;
and not
the original depositors?
Ain't that something?
Look at how
that's packed in there.
Am I seeing things,
or is there, like,
a bunch of cobble?
Quite distinctive, isn't it?
We see piles of rocks
all over the place.
‐They look like
they've been stacked.
‐Yeah.
If you're gonna
build a reservoir
to feed your finger drains,
you'd throw a whole bunch
of rocks in the hole, right?
And they would hold water.
Is this part of
the flood tunnel system?
It's possible.
Stacked rocks?
Found alongside
the mysterious log structure?
And in an area where
no previously documented search
has taken place?
Could the team have
just found evidence
connecting this
log and stone structure
to the legendary booby‐traps
that feed seawater
into the Money Pit?
See that?
That's a substantial amount
of water coming through there.
‐See that water coming out?
‐Yeah.
It's coming out from underneath.
I think this
is the flood tunnel system;
the finger drain
that they recorded.
That everyone talked about.
Yeah, could be, couldn't it?
We have to keep digging
to find out.
‐Exactly.
I think what we do is,
have Billy continue,
see if that feature continues
this way or that way.
If we find that there,
I would tend to agree
with Jack.
If this is part of
the flood tunnel system,
then we have intercepted
the hydraulic connection
to the Money Pit.
That's huge.
If all that existed
to conceal something
of immense value,
then these theories
immediately ratchet up
to more credible.
Theories that something indeed
happened here long ago,
which may or may not
change history as we know it.
Another day, another structure.
We got off to a good start.
Let's see if we can find
anything else.
There you go.
For Rick, Marty,
and their team,
the important clues they need
in order to solve
the 224‐year‐old
Oak Island mystery
are getting closer every day.
But as they continue
their ambitious operations
at Smith's Cove,
in the triangle‐shaped swamp,
and at the fabled money pit,
will they find the answers
they have been looking for?
Or will they only discover
those answers
they have been
allowed to find...
by those who buried something
deep on Oak Island
more than two centuries ago?
Next time on
The Curse of Oak Island...
Oh, wow, look at that.
Oh, it is a timber.
It's a timber.
We don't have any structures
like this on any of our maps.
This could be
some of the early workings.
This painting was an instrument
to record a secret
about Oak Island.
I would dig
where the shepherd points.
Wow.
Lots of wood.
We're on a corner.
The Money Pit's
‐14 feet away.
‐That's stunning.
I mean, that's zeroing in.
The Money Pit
may no longer be lost.
Floodgate's about to open.
Here it goes.
I think it's time
to get our feet wet.
‐Let's do it.
‐There's a structure down there.
It's ten feet underwater.
We found Nine.
I think this disturbed area
in this photo might be
Shaft Two.
Steve can triangulate
and see where it intersects.
X marks the spot.
‐Look at all the wood.
‐Oh, look at the wood.
‐Looks like we're in
‐the middle of a shaft.
Ooh, look at that!
I don't know why this is here.
‐I don't know what
this would be.
This may be
bigger than we thought.
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.
Wow.
That is one big machine.
Yeah, that's impressive.
Definitely some iron
‐in Smith's Cove now.
Yeah.
Look at that thing.
It's time to start.
We're about
to explore new ground.
‐How you doing, guys?
‐Mike, how you doing?
‐Quite well.
‐That is some vision
coming down from that hill.
Yeah.
For brothers Rick
and Marty Lagina
and their partners,
today marks the beginning
of yet another
and more extensive
investigation at Smith's Cove.
What are we looking at?
Where are you gonna start?
So, we'll‐we'll pull that
one sheet; we'll lay it down.
We're gonna lay 'em
right in across here.
The team from
Irving Equipment Limited
has returned to the area
in order to build
a massive extension,
or bump‐out,
to the 525‐foot‐long
steel cofferdam
they had constructed last year.
How far out is
the bump‐out going?
Based on the arch in that 100
feet that we're gonna remove,
it's 50 feet from there out
to the surface
of the next wall out.
‐So, are you excited?
‐Oh, yeah, I'm excited, 'cause
when we did the excavation
last year,
we didn't really find that much
‐when it comes to artifacts.
‐Yes.
‐And if it's not here,
it's got to be over there.
‐Yeah.
‐And we're gonna find it.
‐
Although the Laginas
and their partners
made a number of historic finds
here last year,
including a boat wharf,
or slipway,
that was proven to have been
built more than two decades
prior to the Money Pit's
discovery in 1795,
the team was shocked to learn
that additional structures
and important clues might still
lie further out into the ocean.
One of the big agenda items
this year is
to finish up in Smith's Cove.
We found some exciting things
there last year,
but we never got
to the end of the slipway
where there could be
all kinds of artifacts.
And that's what
this is all about,
looking for friends
of the cross,
and an explanation possibly
of some of the structures,
their purpose,
their age, who did it.
There's a lot of mystery
down there,
and we need to explore it.
Okay, Mike, turn it over to you,
‐and let's get it started.
‐Thanks, guys.
Before construction
of the bump‐out can begin,
the Irving team must first
remove 22 interlocking
steel sheets
from the cofferdam wall
using a powerful
vibratory hammer,
which is attached
to a massive 440‐ton crane.
Once completed,
Rick, Marty
and the team will be able
to search a 6,000‐square‐foot
area where,
so far as they know,
no previous searchers
have ever been able to reach.
Here we go.
Floodgate's about to open.
Here it goes.
Wow.
I think it's time
to get our feet wet.
Let's do it.
While construction
on the cofferdam continues,
Rick Lagina heads to
the Oak Island Research Center
for a meeting with
island historian Doug Crowell
and surveyor Steve Guptill.
Hey, Rick.
‐Hey.
Steve and I were just
talking about an idea we had.
You know Steve's calculated this
on the 3‐D model
for what we found
for Shaft Nine.
With finding Nine
and proving it was Nine,
we brought back a landmark
from the past
at a time when they knew
where the Money Pit was.
‐And we know we found Nine.
‐We know it's Nine.
That's that certainty you want
to start talking with, right?
Mm‐Hmm.
Hey, Billy!
There's wood there!
One week ago,
Rick, Marty, Craig
and members of the team
unearthed a massive
wooden structure
which matched
the historical descriptions
of a searcher shaft built
in 1863 known as "Shaft Nine."
According to archival records,
it was constructed some 100
feet southwest of the Money Pit
in an attempt
to bypass the flood tunnels
which are believed
to protect the fabled
Oak Island treasure vault.
Because the location
of the original Money Pit
was still known at the time
Shaft Nine was built,
the team hopes to use it
as a key landmark
that should help them pinpoint
the Money Pit's exact location.
So, Steve's calculated
‐Shaft Number Nine right there.
Mm‐hmm.
Which is supposed to be 100 feet
away from the Money Pit,
according to
the historical documentation.
So, 100 feet out from here
roughly puts an arc
through like that.
So, I've been going through
my head trying to think
of other landmarks
we might be able to bring back.
‐Mm‐hmm.
‐It got me going through
these old photos,
and I found this one
from 1931
during the Chappell exploration.
Mm‐hmm.
And this area here
really caught my interest.
This looks disturbed here to me.
In fact, back here
where Nine is‐‐ that also
‐looks disturbed, doesn't it?
‐That also looks... Yeah. Yup.
We know where Nine is.
We found Nine there.
We know 100 feet away from that
should be the Money Pit.
I think this disturbed area
in this photo
might be indicating that
we should find a shaft in there,
which I think would be
Shaft Two.
If there's any shaft that
its relationship to the
Money Pit was known, it's Two.
There's no question about that.
In 1805,
one year after the Money Pit
flooded with seawater
when Daniel McGinnis and his
partners hit what they believed
to be a boobytrap
at a depth of 90 feet,
members of the Onslow Company
attempted
to work around the problem
by digging an adjacent shaft
some 14 feet to the southeast.
Known as "Shaft Two,"
it reached a depth of 110 feet
without encountering water.
McGinnis then dug
a horizontal tunnel
in hopes of reaching
the treasure vault from below.
But within two feet
of its target,
the tunnel caved in
and flooded.
Shortly afterwards, the Onslow
Company went bankrupt,
thus ending
the recorded treasure hunt
of the three‐man team who first
discovered the Money Pit.
Certainly, Shaft Two is‐is key
to understanding
the original location
of the Money Pit, because
the original Money Pit
was denoted "Number One,"
and Shaft Two was the
second shaft ever dug, trying to
uncover the treasure.
If Shaft Number Two is
where we think it is,
then we've got another landmark,
because we know
that Two should be
14 feet away from the Money Pit,
and we have two measurements.
With Shaft Number Nine
right there,
Steve can triangulate 14 feet
out and 100 feet out and see
‐where it intersects.
‐Right.
If we can find Two,
we have an X marks the spot.
Yeah.
So, are you suggesting
a drilling program?
I‐I think if we throw
a little bit of sonic at it
and see if there is indeed
a shaft there.
Well, look, it's a...
it's a great plan.
‐There's no choice
but to pursue it.
‐Yeah.
So, guys, there's still
a lot of work to do.
Get that X on that map.
Let's find Two.
More importantly,
let's find the Money Pit.
Later that afternoon...
‐Hey, gentlemen.
Hey, guys.
...Steve Guptill
and Craig Tester
join other members
of the Oak Island team
at the Money Pit site to begin
a new core drilling operation
in search of Shaft Two.
We've picked out a location.
‐So, we'll get them going.
‐Okay.
They're waiting on you
over there.
‐They're waiting.
‐Get them spotted.
Using aerial photographs
taken of the Money Pit area
in 1931,
as well as the GPS coordinates
of the recently‐discovered
Shaft Nine,
Craig and Steve have calculated
the location
where they hope
to intercept Shaft Two.
‐Right there.
Okay.
‐Good enough.
‐That's good enough.
‐There you go.
‐Right on.
Looking for wood.
Looking for gold.
Looking for gold.
Let's find her.
Come on.
Okay.
‐Tight?
‐Oh, yeah.
Looks pretty good.
Yup.
Using a sonic drill rig,
which utilizes a high‐frequency
sound to advance through earth,
rock and other objects,
a specialized coring barrel
will take core samples
in ten‐foot intervals,
down as deep as 300 feet.
That'll be nice if it's
disturbed right off the bat.
‐Yeah.
‐That way, we know
‐we're inside an old shaft.
‐Yup.
We might have a darn
good chance of zeroing in
on where the old Money Pit was.
Yup.
Definitely.
This could be it right here.
Fingers crossed.
As the drilling operation
continues in
the Money Pit area,
Rick Lagina and his nephew
Peter Fornetti,
along with team members Doug
Crowell and Billy Gerhardt,
travel some 52 miles
northeast of Oak Island
to the Helen Creighton
Heritage Museum
in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
They are eager to follow up
on a promising new lead
Rick just received
concerning the so‐called
90‐foot stone.
Man, I hope
this turns into something.
Oh, me, too.
‐Yeah.
Whether or not
the stone is there,
it's still a wonderful lead.
‐Mm‐hmm.
‐I was at Dan's funeral,
and, uh, this fella came up.
His name is Kevin Rideout.
And he said,
"I just have a little bit
of information for you."
He said a number of years ago‐‐
30 or 40 years ago,
quite a while‐‐
he said, "I was...
happened to be at the...
"Helen Creighton Museum, and...
"a stone was pointed out to me
that was in the yard.
I was told that stone
was the 'carved stone,'"
quote‐unquote,
"from Oak Island."
In 1804,
just as Daniel McGinnis
and members
of the Onslow Company
reached a depth of 90 feet
in the Money Pit,
they discovered
a strange olive‐colored stone
containing hieroglyph‐like
symbols carved into it
and embedded
in a layer of oak logs.
When they removed it, an
apparent booby trap was sprung,
which caused ocean water
to flood into the Money Pit
and thwart all subsequent
efforts to keep digging.
Although the carvings
on the stone
were later translated to read,
"Forty feet below,
two million pounds are buried,"
there are many who believe
the carvings formed
a coded message, which,
when properly translated,
would reveal how to shut off
the booby traps.
Unfortunately, the stone,
which was never photographed
or properly copied,
has been missing
for more than a century.
According to legend,
it was last seen
in the window
of a Halifax bookstore,
the same place
where Doug Crowell located
a similar stone
just one year ago.
Oh, look at that, guys.
But although the stone
Doug retrieved
matched the 90‐foot stone's
general description
and dimensions, it had
no hieroglyphic markings on it.
As far as the stone
Doug found last year,
I just don't think
it's the stone.
I think it was perhaps
a representation of what once
was in their possession,
and I believe that it currently
is still in their possession,
i.e. at the
Creighton House Museum.
Probably the best lead
we've ever had.
If the stone is there,
that has to be impactful.
Yeah, it would be
refinding history.
‐Yeah.
All I know is one thing.
I'm excited to go.
Hopefully it's there.
As Rick and the team
make their way
to the Helen Creighton
Heritage Museum,
Jack Begley and metal detection
expert Gary Drayton
arrive on Lot 6,
located on the western side
of Oak Island.
All right,
we've made it to Lot 6.
I've been interested
in this spot
for a number of years, Gary.
Yeah. And this area's
been overlooked.
Mm‐hmm.
Because of the numerous
discoveries made
on this side of the island,
including a gold‐plated brooch
and ancient tunneling tools
known as swages,
that were estimated to be
as much as 600 years old,
Gary is eager to search
the nearby beach areas
for any valuable clues
to help identify
who may have visited the island
prior to the discovery
of the Money Pit in 1795.
It's really exciting
that we're finally
getting the chance
to look here.
Lot 6 has been an area
that we've suspected
a lot of human activity
in the past.
Who knows what we could turn up.
I think that this area
is involved
in the treasure hunt somehow.
And it'd be really nice to find
some sort of artifact
that's eroded off the bank here.
‐Relatively unexplored beach,
too, I'd say.
‐Yeah.
It should be a good day.
Well, let's get started.
Let's hammer this beach, Gary.
Yeah. What I'm gonna do,
I'm gonna stick higher up,
and I'm gonna do my usual
zigzag along the beach.
Hopefully the beach bank
is open for business.
First target up, mate.
I think you got it out, mate.
Ugh. Modern nail.
‐Yeah, definitely modern.
‐Yep.
Here we go.
‐Sounds dig‐able to me.
‐Yeah.
Just here.
There we go.
Two of 'em.
Yeah, look at these.
Two old pins.
Yeah, I think they‐‐
there are two here.
They look old.
Look how corroded they are.
Square, too. Yeah.
‐And it's square, yeah.
They've got the nice weight
to them.
They're a couple of old pins.
This nail would be at home
in any 1700s shipwreck.
The heck are these doing here?
‐Over on this side
of the island.
‐Yeah.
Square‐shaped pins
dating back to the 1700s?
And possibly from a ship?
Could Jack and Gary have found
evidence of ships
visiting the island before
the discovery of the Money Pit?
But if so, what were they doing
on the western side
of the island, opposite from
the fabled treasure shaft?
What this tells me,
whenever you see old iron pins,
there's gonna be some
old artifacts.
I like the sound of that, Gary.
Yeah, this is cool.
I think we're onto something.
Good digging.
Let's find some more.
I'm gonna go a little bit
further down.
I'm gonna take one more sweep
down there.
Something good?
That's a big old target.
That's a screamer, mate.
Not very deep, either.
An inch.
Well, take a big wide bite of it
because there's something
in between those
two rocks there.
Ooh! Look at that.
Here, wait a minute, mate.
You see the side of it?
‐Yeah.
‐That's big, isn't it?
Look at that.
What the heck is that?
g old pin.
Oh, yeah.
While investigating
near the shore on Lot 6,
Jack Begley and metal detection
expert Gary Drayton
have just made
an intriguing find.
Look at the grain.
‐Now, that is an old pin.
‐That is old.
This looks like it was used
for pinning wood together.
Really?
‐Yes.
I call them cribbing spikes.
I'd say it's 1700s, easy.
I like the sound of that, Gary.
Is it heavy?
Yeah, it's heavy.
It's got some weight.
That's a hefty bit
of iron, mate.
This is the type
that would have been
in a substantial structure.
Yeah. Like a wharf.
An 18th century cribbing spike?
Possibly used in the
construction of a boat wharf
or slipway?
Could Gary and Jack
have found evidence
of another landing site
on the western side
of the island,
where a ship may have
offloaded cargo
prior to the discovery
of the Money Pit in 1795?
But if so, who built it?
And what were they unloading?
What a great spot
we've discovered.
There could have been some sort
of activity around these lots.
It might not be gold, but Rick's
gonna love this information.
Yeah. A lot of it in one place.
That's what you want.
‐Mm‐hmm.
‐Just so much iron.
Why would so much iron
be in this one area?
You know this stuff
hasn't washed up.
It's got to be a wharf.
‐Yeah.
‐It has to be. It has to be.
We're in the right place.
This is a place
where boats came into,
and there was activity
in the area.
Whether this is a place
where ships were repaired,
or a place where
treasure was unloaded,
We've got the finds
to back those theories up now.
I mean, these are big pins.
We found an old wharf, mate.
‐Yep.
‐It's not every day
you make a new discovery
on Oak Island.
No. And this is a really
big discovery, too.
Yeah. Looks like I'm gonna have
to bring a bigger pouch as well.
Yeah, right?
It's pretty exciting.
As Jack and Gary
continue their search
for more important clues,
some 52 miles away
from Oak Island,
in the city of Dartmouth...
Okay, fingers crossed,
toes crossed.
...Rick Lagina, Peter Fornetti,
Doug Crowell and Billy Gerhardt
arrive at the Helen Creighton
Heritage Museum...
‐Kevin.
‐Good day.
...where they've
arranged to meet with
Kevin Rideout and
museum curator Terry Eyland.
So, Kevin, first of all,
I want to say thank you
for coming out.
We've been searching
for evidence.
Any local lore, any history,
any knowledge
of where the stone might be.
And so, when you came up
that day, I went,
"Could it be that obvious?
You know?
Could it be that apparent?"
I mean, I very much look forward
to what you have to tell us.
Well, about 40‐plus years ago,
I came here on a tour,
and it was pointed out to me
that this stone was down there
from Oak Island.
The lady just mentioned
it was brung here
in safekeeping.
‐I found it interesting.
‐You actually saw a stone
‐somewhat exposed.
‐Yeah, it was...
it was a protrusion
through the ground,
and she pointed out to me
through the window here.
And this curator of the building
would not point this out
if it wasn't truthful.
But it had always
been on my mind,
why wasn't it excavated
and let the public see it?
See what's on the stone,
what's on the writings.
You can see you're almost
trembling with excitement,
as are we.
I mean, I'm interested
in what Terry knows.
I'd like to go out back
and speak about it all,
‐or get on the site and...
‐Yeah, yeah, yeah.
‐Hopefully, uh...
‐It's a lot better to see
where we think it is.
That would be fantastic.
Kevin, after you.
I have long spoken
of finding the one thing,
and this certainly pushes
that boundary for me.
It would be wonderful
to find the 90‐foot stone
and to put it
in front of everyone
and say, "Here it is.
"Here is one of the most
sought‐after artifacts
in the history of Oak Island."
This is the backyard.
That's where we think it is.
What do you remember, Kevin?
Uh, I was in that window there.
We looked out from that window,
and it was pointed out to me
this side of the rhododendron.
There was a grubbings there,
‐and there was a stone.
‐In the grassy area,
‐or in that small garden?
‐Well, it wasn't grassy.
None of that was there.
That rhododendron bush
is a good 40 years old.
So, supposedly,
when the stone
was brought here...
We have
absolutely no record of it
because it would've happened
before it was a museum house.
Built by a prominent
Dartmouth judge in 1867,
the Evergreen House
was later sold
to Dr. Helen Creighton,
a distant relative
of Oak Island treasure hunter
Augustus Oliver Creighton,
in 1919.
Curiously,
it was in this same year
that the bookstore in Halifax
where the 90‐foot stone
was last seen
went out of business.
Well, what relation
was the Creighton family
to the bookstore?
Well, Augustus Oliver Creighton
was one of the partners
in the book bindery,
and Helen Creighton's generation
‐comes down from just above.
‐Oh, okay.
So they would...
they would've been cousins.
If this is a family estate,
it's pretty logical
that you might've brought it,
you know, back here, too.
This whole ridge was, uh,
was Creighton property.
It could be
under that rhododendron.
Let's go look.
Yeah. Let's head down there.
Yeah. So, let's head down.
You know, as we
walk down the back hill
towards the spot,
I'm actually excited about
the prospect of finding it.
The idea that the 90‐foot stone
that was once
at the A. O. Creighton bookstore
and now it resides
at the Creighton
family residence...
I find that to be consistent.
It would stay within the family.
So,
if it is under here,
then, you know, you can
actually go in and around.
Mm‐hmm.
‐Um...
‐I'll go in.
‐
Oh, that's thick.
No, I don't feel anything...
‐obvious poking up.
No.
It's a really likely possibility
that it could
‐still be there.
‐Yeah.
I‐I think we need to pursue
an archaeological dig. I mean,
‐it can't be that deep.
‐Sure.
Unfortunately, we didn't find
the stone itself,
but it could still be hiding.
It's in the proper location,
according to Kevin.
So, there's a lot of work
to be done.
So, gentlemen,
‐I think there's a path
to move forward.
Mm‐hmm.
Uh, get a permit.
I mean, you're willing
to come back.
We're willing to come back.
We can make this look
a lot nicer
‐postinvestigation.
Right.
There's more positive
about this experience
‐than negative, that's for sure.
‐Mm‐hmm.
And if there's a way
to move forward, we just...
‐we go for it.
‐I think it's great.
Because further exploration
of the site
will involve digging
on the museum grounds,
Rick and the team
will have to first obtain
a government permit.
It will still take
a few more weeks
before he'll know
if the tip he received
at Dan Blankenship's funeral
was a good one.
We leave with some regret,
but none of us
are gonna walk away from this
without doing everything we can
to‐to explore the site.
The idea is to go back
and do an excavation.
Kevin, I just want
to say thank you.
I mean, we didn't find it today,
but I think
amongst the five of us,
certainly,
we believe it's still here.
‐Yeah.
‐Uh, so, gentlemen,
I say we get this ball rolling.
So, let's go.
Let's head off.
As a new day begins
on Oak Island...
Dr. Jardine.
Good morning, gentlemen.
...brothers Rick
and Marty Lagina,
along with their partner
Craig Tester
and Dave Blankenship
meet with representatives
from Irving Equipment Limited
at Smith's Cove
to check on the progress
of the bump out extension
being added
to the massive steel cofferdam.
Well, where are we at, Mike,
currently?
We got all the frames in,
all in location.
That is the bump out
right there, right?
‐Yes.
And we've got both corners
turned and we're ready to start.
‐Okay.
‐But this morning
I was down there,
and there's a structure
down there.
It's got horizontals and then
there's vertical wood standing.
You mean, it's not part of the,
uh, ramp? There was something...
‐Looks very different.
‐Wow.
Outside of the old...
of the first cofferdam?
‐Yes.
‐Wow.
A wooden structure?
Found during the construction
of the cofferdam
bump out extension?
Could it be related
to the 18th century slipway
the team unearthed here
one year ago?
Or might it possibly be
even older?
I want to walk out there
and see if I can...
Uh, can you see
‐any sight of it?
‐We'll go around that way there.
‐It's better access.
‐Go around that way?
Okay. All right.
Rick is always talking
about how people
become invested in this,
and, uh, Mike Jardine
is certainly no exception.
I mean, he's out there
to do a job,
and a complex job
with heavy‐duty equipment,
but he's also doing
a little exploring on his own,
you know, and he thinks
he found a structure out there.
‐See those two logs there, Mike?
Yes.
Is that the end of the slipway
or is that...
Well, that seemed to be
where the end of it would be.
‐Mm‐hmm.
‐Uh, but just
on the inside of that,
there's this square structure
that, you know, looks like
it's built like a shaft.
The interesting thing
is its location.
It's ten feet underwater
at high tide.
As far out as it is,
I can't imagine
how this was constructed.
It's a little too early to say
definitively what it is,
but anything pre‐searcher
is of keen interest.
We'll get it dried up
and we'll investigate it.
So, we have two options, really.
We can dig this
if we follow something back,
and then you're okay, as long
as we notify your engineers.
We might be able to dig
very close with some tiebacks.
Yep.
I think it'll be interesting
what you're gonna,
what you're gonna find
right there because
there's definitely,
there was a reason why they did
what they did there
and hopefully
we can find the reason.
Well, hopefully
there's some answers out there.
While the team
from Irving Equipment Limited
continues building
the cofferdam extension,
Craig Tester joins Alex Lagina,
Steve Guptill,
Charles Barkhouse and geologist
Terry Matheson
at the Money Pit site,
where the drilling operation
to locate Shaft Two
is well underway.
How you doing, Colton?
‐Good. You?
‐What do you got?
‐15.
‐Good. Thanks a lot, man.
No worries.
Looks like we've got something
interesting there.
That'd be disturbed.
Yeah. I'm no geologist,
but that looks disturbed to me.
Yeah. Maybe we're close
to something.
Finding what appears
to be disturbed soil
means that human activity
has taken place
at some time in the past.
Could it also be evidence that
the team is close to finding
the location of Shaft Two?
We do know, relatively speaking,
the positions of the various
shafts vis‐à‐vis the Money Pit.
We need these
interlocking pieces.
Nine goes to Two,
Two goes to X marks the spot.
We use that as stepping stones
to get to where we really want
to go, and that is,
"Where is
the original Money Pit?"
Okay.
‐Oh, wood.
Hello!
Cool.
Definitely got wood.
Just pieces of it,
but this is definitely wood.
Good. This bodes well for us
being in the middle of a shaft.
This could really be
a big breakthrough for us,
and we might be close
to finding Shaft Two.
We clipped the wood
a little bit.
We know that shaft
is there somewhere.
We don't know where, exactly.
So, it just seems to be, you
know, getting better and better.
Oh, look at the wood. d.
Wow.
That's nothing
but a shaft.
‐Yeah. Absolutely.
While drilling at a depth
of some 33 feet
in the Money Pit area...
All about stacked lumber here.
...Craig Tester,
Alex Lagina and members
of the Oak Island team
have located a wooden structure
that they hope to be the one
known as Shaft Two.
It was this searcher shaft
that was dug
by treasure hunter
Daniel McGinnis
and his partners in 1805
in the hope of avoiding
the booby‐trapped flood tunnels
that thwarted their efforts
to keep digging straight down
in the original
Money Pit shaft.
Wow, did we ever catch the edge
of some beautifully stacked
timbers there.
‐Yeah.
We are in a shaft.
There's no question about that.
This is definitely not a tunnel.
For one thing,
it's too close to the surface.
‐Mm‐hmm.
‐If you're gonna do a tunnel,
you're gonna do it much deeper
into the ground.
So, we're definitely in a shaft.
There's no question about that.
Well, that's good news.
You go through periods
where you just don't have
any luck on the island.
And so when you start
hitting a shaft
and hitting it right away...
We have more work to do,
but at least we know
where it's at.
And if this is Shaft Two,
we know that we're finally
honing in on where
that Money Pit actually was.
‐Hey, guys.
Hey.
What do you got here?
I heard good news.
‐Yes. Good news is right.
Rick, jump in here.
So we're definitely on the edge
of a sh... on a shaft.
This is the edge of it.
You just caught
the edge of it right now,
as you're running down?
We're definitely
going down a wall.
Yeah. Yeah. Okay.
We just don't know which wall,
at this point.
The question is
do we keep taking this down,
or do we move over
to the center of the shaft
and, and go down from there.
Okay, well, here's the thing.
It's an easy call.
‐Keep drilling.
Yeah.
Okay.
Keep drilling till you run out
of wall. And then...
then a decision has to be made
north, south, east, west.
‐But we should
punch another hole.
‐Okay.
Now that the team
has possibly found
one wall of Shaft Two,
they will drill several more
adjacent holes
in an effort to not only
confirm the discovery,
but also orient them
to the other three walls
of the square structure.
This will tell them exactly
which direction
the original Money Pit
was known to be located,
some 14 feet away.
If this is the shaft,
that's great news.
But we can't prove it yet.
Am I hopeful? Yes.
Do I want it to be there? Yes.
But you have to have more proof.
It's all exciting.
I mean, this is a...
it's a huge win.
Keep drilling.
The following day,
as the drilling operation
near the Money Pit continues...
There you go, Gary.
Getting ready
to de‐water this puppy.
...Marty Lagina
and his son Alex,
along with Gray Drayton
and Charles Barkhouse,
arrive at Smith's Cove
after receiving word
that the team from
Irving Equipment Limited
has finished building
the 6,000‐square foot bump out
of the steel cofferdam.
That's a bump out.
Doesn't that look sweet?
Man, you guys from Irving
don't waste time, do you?
‐
‐I love it.
She's ready to go.
What we're gonna do here now
is we're gonna pull the sheet up
‐while we wait for the tide
to go down.
Yeah.
Oh, you got one open
to let it out,
‐then you're gonna seal it up?
‐We're gonna pull one, yeah.
‐Okay.
‐And let it go. Yeah.
In order to expedite draining
the thousands of gallons
of seawater that
currently flood the area,
the team from
Irving Equipment Limited
will pull one sheet
of the steel piling
up and out of place.
There she goes!
This will reduce the amount
of pumping necessary
to completely dry out the area,
and allow the team
to begin excavating
for new, important clues.
We started on Smith's Cove
to find its secrets.
We always want to know what
might be hidden in that dirt.
Now, we've got a sufficient
bump out, and here we are
with the means
and the opportunity.
And the motive.
So is that a timber right there?
Kind of sticking up?
There is a couple timbers there,
and then the structure
is over to the right of that.
It's starting
to come out there now.
I'd like to go down there
and take a look.
There's no problem, is there?
‐No. No problem at all.
‐Let's do it.
There's this new structure
that's been uncovered.
So, very curious
about what that is,
and specifically,
how old is it?
That's what makes it exciting.
It was right here, Marty.
Wow. Look at that.
You got these... these boards
that are upright.
And these timbers in behind it.
Very interesting.
You ever seen anything
like that before?
Never.
Well, mystery number one
for Smith's Cove.
I'm, uh, pretty excited
about this bump out.
You know,
the opportunity, to, uh,
hopefully hit intact materials.
‐We're going
in virgin territory now.
‐Yeah.
One day after construction
of the cofferdam bump out
was completed,
Rick Lagina, Craig Tester,
and archaeologist Laird Niven
are eager to investigate
the recently discovered
wooden structure
at Smith's Cove.
I mean, there's this, you know,
what Mike Jardine saw
this box‐like structure.
Mm‐hmm.
The entire cove is dry,
so, I hate to say it‐‐
‐everything's looking
as good as it can be.
‐
Yeah.
I think we're all excited
about this structure
in Smith's Cove.
There has been
no historical record,
and there has been
no physical investigative work
in this location, so
opening that door today is...
I think everyone's excited
about the prospect of finding
something possibly
related to the treasure.
Where's the wood structure at?
See that section there?
That little piece?
Oh, yeah.
‐The box is right there.
That's outside
of Dan's cofferdam.
‐Anyway, let's go look at it.
‐All right.
Hey, Billy.
Billy!
How far do you think
it comes back?
Well, I don't know.
Laird, what do you think?
‐ I don't know.
‐Yeah.
I don't know why this is here.
I don't know what this would be.
It's the strangest thing.
Yeah.
So, how do we start here, Laird?
I think the most effective way
is to do the profiling
of the side of it.
‐Right. That worked good
last year, so...
‐Yeah.
‐Yup.
Okay, well,
nothing I like better
than the words
"let's get going," so.
‐Billy, crank that up.
Let's get going.
Yup.
The problem with
this log structure
that we found in Smith's Cove
is simply this
Is it a very simple explanation
or is it much more complex?
Either way, we've a lot of work
to do to try to uncover
what it is
and why it was put there.
‐Hey, guys.
‐Howdy, Craig.
We've got this structure
right here.
‐Okay.
‐Just starting to uncover it
a little bit,
so I want to check for metal.
Okay.
‐We'll see if
there's any metal in here.
‐Okay.
‐
No. That's trash.
That was too close.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Hang on.
What is that?
What is that‐‐ tar paper?
What is that?
Looks like tar paper,
doesn't it?
It's tar papered
all the way down.
Really?
Yep.
Tar paper is a heavy‐duty
waterproofing material,
which was widely used
in construction
in the 19th century.
Does it mean that the structure
at Smith's Cove
was built by treasure hunters;
and not
the original depositors?
Ain't that something?
Look at how
that's packed in there.
Am I seeing things,
or is there, like,
a bunch of cobble?
Quite distinctive, isn't it?
We see piles of rocks
all over the place.
‐They look like
they've been stacked.
‐Yeah.
If you're gonna
build a reservoir
to feed your finger drains,
you'd throw a whole bunch
of rocks in the hole, right?
And they would hold water.
Is this part of
the flood tunnel system?
It's possible.
Stacked rocks?
Found alongside
the mysterious log structure?
And in an area where
no previously documented search
has taken place?
Could the team have
just found evidence
connecting this
log and stone structure
to the legendary booby‐traps
that feed seawater
into the Money Pit?
See that?
That's a substantial amount
of water coming through there.
‐See that water coming out?
‐Yeah.
It's coming out from underneath.
I think this
is the flood tunnel system;
the finger drain
that they recorded.
That everyone talked about.
Yeah, could be, couldn't it?
We have to keep digging
to find out.
‐Exactly.
I think what we do is,
have Billy continue,
see if that feature continues
this way or that way.
If we find that there,
I would tend to agree
with Jack.
If this is part of
the flood tunnel system,
then we have intercepted
the hydraulic connection
to the Money Pit.
That's huge.
If all that existed
to conceal something
of immense value,
then these theories
immediately ratchet up
to more credible.
Theories that something indeed
happened here long ago,
which may or may not
change history as we know it.
Another day, another structure.
We got off to a good start.
Let's see if we can find
anything else.
There you go.
For Rick, Marty,
and their team,
the important clues they need
in order to solve
the 224‐year‐old
Oak Island mystery
are getting closer every day.
But as they continue
their ambitious operations
at Smith's Cove,
in the triangle‐shaped swamp,
and at the fabled money pit,
will they find the answers
they have been looking for?
Or will they only discover
those answers
they have been
allowed to find...
by those who buried something
deep on Oak Island
more than two centuries ago?
Next time on
The Curse of Oak Island...
Oh, wow, look at that.
Oh, it is a timber.
It's a timber.
We don't have any structures
like this on any of our maps.
This could be
some of the early workings.
This painting was an instrument
to record a secret
about Oak Island.
I would dig
where the shepherd points.
Wow.
Lots of wood.
We're on a corner.
The Money Pit's
‐14 feet away.
‐That's stunning.
I mean, that's zeroing in.
The Money Pit
may no longer be lost.