The Curse of Oak Island: Drilling Down (2016–…): Season 4, Episode 5 - The Secret Weapons - full transcript

Come on! Bring something up!

MATTY:
In the past ten years,

Rick and Marty Lagina,

along with their partners Craig
Tester and Dan Blankenship,

have made
some incredible discoveries.

What the heck
is going on down there?

Discoveries that could soon
lead to solving

the 223-year Oak Island mystery.

From possible man-made workings
deep below ground...

TERRY:
Wow, look at that.

And this is a lot of wood here.



MARTY:
Maybe it is the old Money Pit.

MATTY:
...to ancient coins...

I found a coin!

-Come on!
-It's a gold coin.

MATTY:
...antique jewelry,

17th-century human bones

and even a lead cross
that is over six centuries old

and may be connected
to the Knights Templar.

But Rick, Marty, Craig and Dan
would be the first to tell you

they didn't make all these
discoveries all on their own.

Tonight, we're going to be
drilling down on a group

of guys who have become
Oak Island's secret weapons.

Men like Gary Drayton,

Charles Barkhouse,



Doug Crowell,

Paul Troutman,

Dan Henskee

and Tony Sampson.

Or, as Rick and Marty
like to call them,

The Fellowship of the Dig.

MATTY:
For more than two centuries,

generations of treasure hunters
have been trying to solve

the Oak Island mystery
by searching deep underground,

and usually on the eastern side
of the island,

near the infamous Money Pit.

But brothers Rick and Marty
Lagina had a hunch.

There might be other places
on the island

where clues to solving the Oak
Island mystery could be found,

and other methods they could use
to find those clues.

That's when they called in
the man I like to refer to

as the metal-detecting ninja,
Gary Drayton.

-Gary, how are you, brother?
-I'm fantastic, thanks.

-Always good to see you, man.
And you.

So you have been metal detecting
on this island for years now.

How would you describe it?

-Matty, it's been a gold mine.
Mm-hmm.

Look! It's another
bobby-dazzler.

MATTY:
And that's no overstatement.

(beeping)
(chuckles): That sounds good.

Ooh, look at this.

Please be something good.

Oh yeah.
-Oh! Look at that. That's nice.

-JACK: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
GAR: That is cool.

MATTY: Since Gary brought
his metal-detecting skills

to the western side
of the island,

the Oak Island treasure hunt
really kicked into high gear.

It also got a lot more fun.

In addition to finding
numerous historical artifacts,

Gary has located potentially
ancient weapons,

17th-century coins
and even golden jewelry.

RICK: As Marty will verify,
the fact that Gary Drayton,

his skill set,

is beyond... well, beyond what?

Beyond...
-He's an expert.

-He's an expert.
-He's at the peak of his craft.

Yeah. And so to have him
go in there,

if there's something
to be found, he'll find it.

He'll find it.

You know what occurs to me,

is this road used to be,
before you,

just a road everybody took
to get to targets

on the eastern side
of the island.

Now, post-you, this has become
like, discovery alley.

And that's the thing.
Everybody was concentrating

on the eastern side
of the island.

Right.

And overlooking
the western side.

So day one,
you were thinking that.

That's a good window
into how you think.

How did this all start for you,
metal detecting?

It started for me as a kid.

I was raised in rural

Lincolnshire, England,
on farms.

So, you got 2,000 years
of history in England,

and working on the farms,
out in the fields as a kid,

I'd be going round,
always looking down,

and I'd be picking up coins
and artifacts,

pieces of pottery and glass.

I was just fascinated.

I'd take it all home,
research the stuff,

and then I got into history.

And I used to search
riverbanks,

and that's where I got

my sight-reading skills.

Because anyone
can swing a metal detector.

Right.
But when you spend

years and years

pounding the riverbanks,

you get to know what conditions
need to be present

in order to find stuff.

I used to find tons of coins

without even using
a metal detector.

In fact, I used to think
metal detecting was cheating,

until one day, when I found
my first-ever gold coin.

It was a 1790 gold guinea,

and when I held that piece
of gold in my hand

that I'd just picked up
off a riverbank,

I'm like,
got to get myself a detector.

And that's how I got
into detecting.

MATTY BLAKE:
From silver coins and artifacts

to precious jewelry,

locating incredible treasure

is not only what Gary Drayton
does on Oak Island,

it's also what he does
when he's metal detecting

on the beaches near his home
in southern Florida

and all over the world.

You've found items
all over the world,

but I also understand you found
things at your home in Florida.

What are some
of your bigger finds?

Most of my best finds are
connected to the Treasure Coast.

I've found Spanish
treasure coins,

religious artifacts, emeralds.

But my best find
is the precious,

the Spanish treasure ring.

MATTY:
Gary's most valuable

discovery to date

is a gold and emerald-studded
ring connected

to the ancient Incas, and worth
an estimated $500,000.

Big treasure ring,
22 and a half carat Inca gold

with nine flawless emeralds.

The best treasure ring
ever found in America.

Now is that a top pocket?

-Ooh!
What did you do with that?

I mean, when you find that, when
you have something like that,

that's so valuable, I mean,
that must be a long ride home.

Yeah, I wouldn't describe it
as a top pocket find.

That is
a safety deposit box find.

Mm. No doubt, no doubt.

Talk about how Rick and Marty
brought you onto the island,

and what were your first
impressions of them?

Gary: Morning.
MARTY: Hey.

Gary: Yup. Serious indeed.
-MARTY: I'm Marty.

-GARY: Hi, Gary. Gary Drayton.
-MARTY: That's Rick.

-Big brother, Rick.
-Hi, Rick.

GARY: Meeting Rick and Marty
for the first time--

all the guys-- the one thing
that stood out was the passion.

These guys are passionate
treasure hunters.

And that's the thing,
that sometimes they don't look

at themselves
as treasure hunters.

They're treasure hunters,
bona fide treasure hunters.

How would you describe
what you expected

to happen on this island to what
has really, actually happened?

I expected to find
Spanish treasure.

That's the main lure
of coming here.

-I think that's why...
Okay.

...Rick and Marty called me,

because they know I've found
Spanish treasure.

I think they thought
that the treasure

was probably Spanish loot,
and they wanted me.

They know I can find
that type of stuff.

I know Rick always tells me,
you know, show me the one thing.

That one thing
was that medieval cross.

And I knew, when I put
all that in my hand,

I'm holding a medieval cross
in my hand, and on Oak Island.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa!

RICK:
What? I don't see anything.

I see something.

Holy...

Holy schmoly, all right.

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

MATTY BLAKE:
Because the lead cross

that Rick and Gary found
last year at Smith's Cove

has been scientifically
verified to be made from lead

that came from a region
in Southern France

and was mined
at least 600 years ago,

it is widely believed that
the cross is likely medieval,

and possibly the oldest
man-made object

found on Oak Island to date.

Period-wise, you think
it's pre-15th century, then?

Um, I think
it's pre-15th century, yes.

MARTY: Wow.
-You nailed it, Gary.

(laughter)
Yup.

Fantastic.

This could be Templar-connected.

I know where that stands
on Oak Island rankings of finds,

but where does it stand
in your personal finds,

including
that super valuable piece

you found back home in Florida?

I'd have to say that is
my greatest find.

That could potentially change
North American history.

So we've talked a lot about
the past, your past finds,

but what might the future hold?

I mean, what are you thinking
moving forward?

Anything new,
any new thoughts, techniques?

Every year, there's beach
erosion and the beaches open up.

And I've been working
with Tony Sampson

on taking that
to a whole new level.

Really?

A water-based strategy
that we're hoping

will lead us to the next
big find on land.

Wait a second,
so you're talking about going--

using this water-based strategy,
whatever it is,

to help direct you
to where to search on land?

Yeah, we're taking it up
a notch.

And if you're up for it,
later on,

Tony and I will show you
what we're talking about.

Well Gary, thank you so much
for the time.

There is no doubt
you are one of Rick and Marty's

most valuable secret weapons.

Well, I appreciate that, Matty.

I mean, going from
a metal-detecting ninja

to a secret weapon,
that's pretty cool, mate.

-Thanks! (laughs)
-You deserve it, brother.

You deserve it. Thank you.

Now, four years ago Rick
and Marty Lagina

made me an official Acorn.

What's an Acorn?

That would be an Oak Island nut.

And I guess the title fits,
because let's face it,

why would I agree to keep coming
back to the smelly, murky,

mysterious,
triangle-shaped swamp

unless I were a real Acorn?

Speaking of which,
here's another Acorn,

my good friend Tony Sampson.
Hi, Tony.

-Good to see you, Matty.
-Always good to see you,

brother.

Uh, you have become such
an integral part of this team.

Let's go back and just talk
about how it happened.

How did you even meet
Rick and Marty?

I met Rick and Marty
purely by accident.

Um, they had organized
some dive gear to come out

for Alex and Marty to dive
on the Smith's Cove side,

and they had some problems with
it, so they got hold of me.

I fixed it up, and then Marty
decided from there on in,

um, let's use him.

So I've been here since day one.

Wow. Happy accident?

A very happy accident, Matty.

MATTY: Tony Sampson began
his career in 1982

as a Marine Engineer
in the Royal New Zealand Navy.

He later went on to work
as a police detective

for ten years
in his native country.

Since then,
Tony has immersed himself

in his passion for diving
and treasure hunting.

In fact, he has made dives
all over the world

and made numerous incredible
finds of his own.

Tony is a great instructor
and a great dive master.

He's a tough guy
and an accomplished diver.

He-he knows all the answers

and he-he just exudes
confidence, that guy.

You know, you have confidence
in him right away.

Had you heard of Oak Island
before you came here?

I had, actually.
I was, uh, living in Vancouver

and I read a book on Oak Island
and I had no idea that one day

I would end up here, and...

-(laughs) ...here I am.
Incredible.

And you know, this swamp
is so stinky, so murky,

so dangerous, in a way,
but you mentioned

your military
and police experience.

You're probably
one of the few people

that has a lot of experience
in conditions like this.

When you're diving in these
sort of conditions, Matty,

it is diving by braille, and so

it's pretty much, uh,
working by feel.

So your eyesight's not helping
you at all under there,

and it's-it's like
one of those Zen moments,

if you close your eyes,

you can actually imagine
what you're feeling.

Wow.

MATTY:
It was four years ago,

that Tony provided
the Oak Island team

with a major clue
in the mysterious

triangle-shaped swamp.

MARTY: All right,
he's onto something there.

What the hell is that?

-TONY: It's a big tree stump.
-MARTY: Well, that's weird.

CRAIG:
What's that doing out

in the middle of nowhere?

MATTY:
It was not just a big stump,

but a big oak tree stump.

What do you make of,
like, the tree stumps

and things like that
that you found in the swamp?

Well, that's kind of weird
in the fact

that oak trees
don't grow in swamps.

And, um, with that, it could've
been on the outskirts

of what may have been, um,

a marshy area
a long, long time ago.

And then there's speculation
that the, uh, swamp

wasn't always a swamp,
that it might've been

a channel between
the two islands.

I mean, could that mean
that Mr. Nolan was correct?

It could do, and I like
that theory myself, Matty.

MATTY: Long time Oak Island
treasure hunter and landowner

Fred Nolan
passionately believed

that the triangle-shaped swamp
was in fact

a man-made body of water,

meaning that Oak Island
was once two islands

that were joined together
by means of a cofferdam system.

After finding parts of a ship
in the swamp,

including scuppers and a mast,
Fred came up with the theory

that the swamp was created
centuries ago

to hide the wreck
of a large treasure galleon.

But could this
incredible theory be true?

But that wasn't the only
mysterious wooden thing

that you found in the swamp.

Talk about that
incredible find with Jack.

We were actually out there
looking for nonferrous hits

that we had had earlier on
in the season,

and, um, we found a spike
on the other side.

And then when
we were coming back,

we located this... what appeared
to be ship's plank,

and it dated back to the 1600s.

That's incredible.

What is that?
Looks like a piece of wood.

It's a large board.

Are there nails in it?
-MARTY: I don't see nails.

They're knots, aren't they?

They're knots, yeah.

Jack can haul it to shore

and maybe you can
keep looking around.

So, Tony, you are such
a great secret weapon,

because of your
diving knowledge,

but this is an island
and it's surrounded by ocean,

uh, and you've spent
a lot of time in these waters.

What have you found,
or what might you find,

that might help us on land?

Well, all around th-this island,

it's, um, a shallow area,
and once upon a time,

there wouldn't have been
the causeway.

So all these
individual properties

would have had their own wharves
in those days

and the occupants
would've rowed out,

and as you go around the island,

you can actually see
the remnants of these wharfs

-underwater here, so...
-You're kidding?

Yeah. So what would have
happened in those days,

things that would've
fallen off the wharves

or off individuals or boats,

would still be on the bottom
of the ocean today.

So you're still able to find,
potentially, uh,

very old wharves that
would've been entry points

to this island, and if you find
that, what would that tell you?

Well, the interesting thing
there, Matty,

is, uh, Gary and myself
have been talking about using

an ROV technology as well,
and what that would do,

that would show us
where, um, human activity

has been in the past,
show us those old wharf sites.

Yeah, Gary had mentioned
when I talked to him earlier

that you guys had
some sort of, uh,

underwater plan.
I-I'd love to see it if I could.

Not a problem.

All right, brother.
Thank you, man.

-Let's go get dry.
-Yes!

(both laugh)

CMATTY: Well, as you can see, k
the North Atlantic waters

around Oak Island
are harsh this time of year.

But that's no reason
that the search for clues

has to come to an end,
so once again, I'm here

with Tony Sampson, Gary Drayton,
and Ken Deboer.

So, gentlemen, I understand
you have a new strategy

that might help lead us

to the next great discovery
on Oak Island.

Yeah, this is that
water-based strategy

I told you Tony and I
had come up with.

What we're doing, we're looking
for signs of human activity

just offshore, off Oak Island.

We're looking
for old wharves, docks,

areas where cargo
was loaded or unloaded.

I'm hoping treasure,

but if we can find these signs
of human activity

just offshore,

that will give me areas
on shore to investigate.

TONY:
All around here,

um, the whole island,

uh, would've been
possible wharf sites

where guys would've come ashore
in the old days.

And those structures,
evidence of those structures,

would still be on the bottom
of the ocean today,

and anything that fell off
those wharves or off those boats

would also be there.
It was actually bad luck

for sailors to learn to swim
in those days.

Right off the beach here would
be a good point to start

and put Ken's ROV in.

And, Ken, tell me, how are we
going to see underwater?

KEN: So what we're
going to use today

is a observation class ROV,

equipped with
cameras and lights,

has eight thrusters
for maneuverability

and power through current
and rough water,

just like it is today.

Uh, it's self-contained
power-wise.

It can stay on station for hours

where divers will only last
a very short period of time.

We have compasses--
uh, gyroscopes on board,

so it'll hold station

and hopefully get good view
of the bottom.

And does it have light?
Can it self-illuminate

so It can see down in the dark?
-Yes, yes it's equipped

with five lights that I can
control, dim as-as needed.

It has, uh, a little gripper arm
in case you need to,

need to hang on to something
underneath there.

Matty: to grab anything.
Yes.

MATTY:
Does she have a name?

Um, I call-- well, my wife
calls it Little Buzz.

Little Buzz.

'Cause of the-the sound
that it makes.

It sounds like
a little buzzing sound.

All Right.
-I think it's all ready.

It's been powered up.
We've done our checks.

-We're ready to go.
-Can I help? Let's do it.

-Well, sure.
All Right.

grab one side here.
Matty: Okay. like that?

Just like that. Yes.
Matty: All Right.

-GARY: Okay, got it.
-Tony, can you help them, maybe?

-TONY: I got it, mate.
-KEN: I'll run the comm--

the controls if you
want to go ahead

And drop her into the water.
Perfect.

All right, you tell me when.

-You good, Ken?
-I'm good.

Okay.
This is so cool.

Just drop her?
-In she goes, buddy.

-All right. Wow!
What happened to that?

I don't think I've ever dropped
anything that expensive.

(laughs)

TONY:
Okay. She's in the water, Ken.

Excellent. Thank you.

-Ken, you got lights on?
-I have lights on, Tony.

GARY:
Let's go see

what Buzz is seeing.

Check out that visibility,
that's clear.

MATTY:
It's unbelievable.

So, Ken, you're, uh,
you're controlling

Little Buzzy from up here?

Yes, so I can control
Little-Little Buzz.

I have, uh, control over
the camera and the lights,

the direction in which
it's travelling at the moment.

We're heading west
towards the island.

TONY: What are those
straight lines there, Ken?

KEN: Uh, let's aim
the camera down a bit.

There we go.

-Oh, what's that
straight ahead?

-TONY: What's that, buddy?

KEN:
I don't know.

Let's take a look.

-GARY: Oh, that's amazing.
Matty: Wow.

GARY: That's not
bad visibility, is it?

MATTY:
That's really good.

What are we looking at there,
a flat rock?

Yeah.

It could have been part of
a wharf in the old days, Matty.

MATTY:
Wow.

TONY:
Can we circle

around there, Ken?

Just see if we
can get a 360, buddy.

-Oh, look at that.
Look at that.

Okay.

That is definitely something.
I don't know...

GARY: What does it
look like to you, Tony?

You've seen a lot
of this stuff before.

TONY: Um, that down there,
it-it looks like

a part of, um,
an old cribbing wharf, Gary.

GARY:
Yeah.

'Cause we're--
not only are we looking

for man-made structures,

but we're looking
for natural features

down there that have
been converted.

When you see a depression like
that, Matty, in a straight line,

that usually means man-made.

Now, what is it-- you see
the straight lines on that?

MATTY:
Whoa, yeah.

TONY:
So that's an artifact,

that's an artifact
sitting in the sand there.

MATTY: Wow, it's like
a 90-degree angle,

like the top half of a--
it's a corner.

I know what's got
four corners, mate.

a chest?
Treasure chest.

Yeah, it does.

Wow, you guys are really using
this technology.

I mean, this is a whole new
world of search here,

underwater.

TONY: What's-what's that
over there, buddy?

-KEN: Let's head that way.
TONY: yeah.

Wow, this is looking like
some sort of debris field

-to you guys, huh?
-TONY: Yeah, yeah.

TONY: I would say just
from the stuff that we've seen,

the rocks and the straight
lines and the timber that,

yeah, we're on the remains of
an old wharf down here, Matty.

How confident are you that this
is a spot that you want to mark

and-and search from-from
that point onto the island?

That's definitely
an interesting area, mate.

This is exactly
what we're looking for.

MATTY:
So, next step, you mark it,

and then set
this guy loose, right?

With his metal detector
on shore, on that line.

TONY:
Exactly, yeah.

Well, Ken, Tony, Gary,
thank you so much

for letting me get my hands
on this new technology.

I mean, using this secret
weapon, you guys have really

expanded the search from
the island out into the water,

and I can't wait to see
what else you guys come up with.

Wonderful.
-Fantastic, thank you Matty.

-Thank you, Matty.
-Yeah, thanks for coming, mate.

You got it, brother.

MATTY: Next time I have
an underwater idea,

let's make it
on a better day, okay?

Gary: Or a warmer climate?
Matty (laughing): yeah.

MATTY: It was a story
about the Money Pit

Don't go anywhere.

in the 1965 Reader's Digest
that gripped the imagination

of a young Rick Lagina.

That same article compelled
another man

from Buffalo, New York,
to immediately

drop what he was doing,
hit the road,

and join the treasure hunt.

Of course I'm talking about
Dank Henskee.

And Dan is with me
along with Rick Lagina

here at the site
of a lot of your handiwork, Dan.

10-X.
Right.

You spent a lot
of hours out here.

F-First of all, let me ask you.

When you first came
to this island as a young man,

-um, 26 years old.
-Mm. 26, that's right.

DAN H.:
Pretty young.

MATTY: You start working
for Dan Blankenship.

Tell me about that experience.

It had just happened that,
uh, Dan Blankenship

was looking for a watchman.

So we worked out that I would
be a live-in watchman.

and, uh, do my testing,
you know, be right on site.

Where did you live
when you were doing that?

I lived in

the old Restall cabin
while I was here.

MATTY:
In the early 1970s,

Dan Blankenship discovered
what he believed

to be a possible back door

into the bottom
of the Money Pit:

Borehole 10-X.

Positioned 180 feet east
of the original treasure shaft,

Dan put a camera down
the then 27-inch-wide hole

and was amazed by what he
and others thought they saw.

(static)
Things like possible tunnels.

A wooden post.

And what looked like
a treasure chest.

And most shockingly,

potential human remains.

These images made Dan realize
he would need

a much wider hole if he was
going to prove his findings.

And it was in service
of this task

that Dan Henskee
proved himself to be

an invaluable member
of the Oak Island team.

Rick, what do you think about
when you look at 10-X

and standing next to Dan here?

Awe.

Literally, awe.

I mean, we're looking at

the instruments of fabrication

that came out of Dan's mind
and-and Dan Blankenship's mind.

I mean...

all of this hand-fabricated.

'Cause they were always on
a shoe-string budget.

MATTY:
Unable to secure

investment capital

to widen the shaft,

Dan Blankenship and Dan Henskee
used scrap metal,

inventiveness and true grit

to fabricate a digging system.

They widened 10-X to nearly
eight feet in diameter

by means of
the ingenious method of using

hollowed-out railway cars.

Risking life and limb,

they dug by hand
over the course of many years,

getting down
to the 180-foot level

before finally running out
of their own money

to finish the project.

If anything stands
as a living monument

to the dedication and hard work
and commitment and belief

that's on this island,
it's this right here.

You know, Rick,
I want to talk about how

Dan has helped your work
as a secret weapon.

I-I remember, like, season one,

h-he got to work
right away for you.

RICK: Absolutely
-Down at Smith's Cove, right?

You know, and o-one
of the key components

of the, of the original s-story,
if you will,

is there were massive amounts

of coconut fiber
in Smith's Cove.

So we wanted to find that
for ourselves.

Hold it in our hand.

So we went to him and said,

about conut fiber
in Smith's Cove

after all these years?

-He says, "Sure."
the only Things

that I was sure of:
there's a steel pipe

sticking up down there...
Matty: Okay.

...and we, uh, I knew I had
a survey plan that showed that.

And that that gave me two points

and then I was able to use
the law of cosines

to get an approximation
to find the spot.

And That speaks to who Dan is.
-MATTY: Yeah, it does.

Yes, you heard that right.
Cosines.

Six years ago,
Dan used trigonometry

along with data he recorded
back in the 1970s

to help Rick, Marty and the
team search for conut fiber

at Smith's Cove.

This is the spot
that I want to mark.

See, this could
very well be the spot

where I was digging, but, uh...

we also have to beat
the tide coming in,

so we had better get
to working fast from here on in.

Let's get to digging.

Heard you guys
need some help.

yeah.

You guys good at digging rocks?

As good as you can get
at that, I guess.

Oh.
-ALEX: What's that?

DAN H.:
Right there, eh?

Uh, that doesn't look
quite like it. Yeah.

-Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Dan H: is That

the mother lode right there?
That looks like it.

-Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, there it is.

JACK:
No way. No way, I think that is.

MATTY:
Dan's outside-the-box thinking

produced the find
that Rick, Marty

and the team were hoping for.

Make us happy.
Okay.

I got test results in
on coconut fiber

found on the beach.

MATTY:
And when the team later had

the conut fiber samples
carbon dated,

they got incredible new insight

into the potential origins

of the Oak Island mystery.

They're dating it between
1260 and 1400 AD.

-So it's old, old, old stuff.
-DAVE: That's what I figured.

(laughs)

Did they give you, like,
a degree of accuracy?

A 95 percentile.

-95%.
good.

I hope you write That down.
-I'm writing it down.

(laughs) In big letters.

Big letters.
(chuckling)

What do you think about that?
Just a minute.

I'm digesting it.

(laughs)

-That is very, very interesting.
Mm-hmm.

I do have one question that
I've never asked you before.

You know, you had a...

it was a difficult...

life, here on the island,

living in the Restall cabin.
yeah.

So my question is,

given the fact that 10-X
is really a testament

to the power of faith
and belief...

Uh-huh?

...did you, over these years,

did you ever lose faith?

You ever say to yourself,

I've never...

got to the point
where there's enough

evidence to lose faith over,

I mean, it's all-- there's
always the open question.

Then I guess that's
why you're still here.

yeah.
-And we're grateful for it.

MATTY:
Perfect man for the job.

It's a real pleasure, Dan.
Thank you, it's an honor.

Thank you.
-Thanks, Rick.

-You're welcome, Matty.
-Appreciate it, guys.

All Right.
-RICK: Thanks, Dan.

Appreciate it.

When we e back,

This, of course, is the
Oak Island Interpretive Centre,

built to showcase the history
of the treasure hunt

and protect some of the team's

most important discoveries
to date.

Right now I'm heading inside
to meet with

three guys
whose collective knowledge

is considered by
Rick, Marty and Craig

to be more valuable than
anything found on Oak Island.

At least so far.

-DOUG: Hey, Matty.
-PAUL: Hey, Matty.

-Hey, Paul.
-Hey, Matty. How are you?

How Are you? Charles.
Matty.

Always good to see you.
Always a pleasure.

good to see you.
-Doug, good to see you again.

Uh, what are you guys
up to here?

We're just cataloging a few
of the recent finds this year.

Yeah, all these pieces are
so cool, but this one

jumps out to me.

You've got an actual piece
of Oak Island treasure.

Oak Island gold.

And that's exciting
and it's fun.

But, as Rick always says,
this has become as much

an information hunt
as it is a treasure hunt.

You know, Charles, you've put
your wealth of knowledge

of this island to use
in so many different ways,

helping the Laginas
with the search,

and even designing the room
in which we're standing,

this Interpretive Centre.
I look around on the walls--

it is more and more
information, more clues

to help us try and solve
this mystery.

Oh, there's no question
about that, but...

but we've all had a...
played a role in this museum.

And we're gonna play
a bigger role, you know,

once we add more to it.

MATTY:
Born and raised

in the Chester Basin,

just minutes from Oak Island,

Charles Barkhouse grew up
studying the history

of the island
and past searcher records

hoping to one day
help make the breakthrough

that will finally reveal
the fabled treasure.

He has not only become
a key member

of Rick and Marty's team,

but he also brings
the mystery alive

for the public
as the lead tour guide

for the Friends
of Oak Island Society.

Now, this is the Money Pit area.

Notice I say "area,"
'cause nobody knows

where the Money Pit is.
No one.

Charles Barkhouse is the per...
perfect person

to introduce anybody
to Oak Island.

And Charles
generally has the answers.

I mean, he's...
the preeminent...

font of knowledge
about Oak Island.

You've used
all this knowledge to...

practical use as well,
because you were given

the chance to pick a spot
in the Money Pit

in season three.
-You know,

I've always felt
that the Money Pit was

farther to the north than
has been traditionally believed.

MATTY: Three years ago,
Rick, Marty and the team

followed Charles's lead

and drilled
the now infamous borehole

in the Money Pit area that
they even named after him: C-1.

What depth are we at, Jordan?

We're probably at 178.

-178?
-So it dropped from about 171

to 178, and still dropping.

It's still dropping?

yeah.
Rick?

He said it dropped
from 171 to 178,

and it's still dropping.

Still dropping?

Huge cavity. That's huge.

MATTY:
That huge cavity was proven

to be more than ten feet high

and approximately
ten feet wide.

But what made Charles's
research prove to be golden

was what the team saw

when they ran a camera
down C-1.

CHARLES:
What is it?

That right there.
-Yeah, exactly.

Looks like It might be...
CHARLES: What is that?

RICK:
Looks, like, shiny like metal.

CHARLES:
Yeah, it looks,

it looks metallic.

MATTY:
A gold-colored, shiny object

was embedded
in the wall of the cavity.

And although it remains
a mystery for now,

Charles Barkhouse
may have gotten the team

closer than ever to finding
the original Money Pit.

Well, Charles,
in terms of research,

I think this guy, too-- Doug...

I mean, your work
has been so incredible.

There's so much hands-on...
(chuckles)

dirty work that we see
on The Curse of Oak Island

during the season.

But there's as much,
if not more, research.

And this season,

you did something incredible.

The 90 Foot Stone.

Discovered in 1804
by the Onslow Company--

which included the original
Money Pit explorers,

Daniel McGinnis,
John Smith and Anthony Vaughan,

the large, flat-sided rock

was described
as a one-foot-by-two-foot

greenish-gray slab
that was embedded

in the ninth oak platform

precisely 90-feet deep
in the pit.

On its face, a number
of strange symbols were carved

that were later translated
to read:

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

John Smith-- who owned the lot
that the Money Pit was on--

placed the stone into
his fireplace as a keepsake.

But according to reports,

in 1865, the 90 Foot Stone
was taken to a bookbindery

60 miles away in Halifax

where it was put on display
to raise funds

for the Oak Island
treasure hunt.

The last time anyone claimed
to have seen it was in 1919.

This year, after researching
the location

of the old bookbindery,

Doug secured permission
from the team

to search the basement
of the property.

DOUG:
Oh, look at that, guys.

I think we've got something
over here.

What do you think that is?

JACK:
Look at that.

DOUG:
Man, if that isn't close

to two feet,
I don't know what is.

JACK:
Does it have any markings on it?

DOUG:
There's a, there's a couple

of letters, by the looks of it.

(blowing)

Charles, it looks to me
like an L.N.

L.N.

That was a
really rewarding

investigation

because we actually
found a stone.

I believe it is a part
of the Oak Island history.

And, uh, you know, there's still
some work to do to determine

if it is the actual
90 Foot Stone,

but there's that possibility.

So that-that was an exciting
and a rewarding outcome.

Doug Crowell is a--

his fascination with Oak Island
started as a young boy,

growing up in Nova Scotia.

From a research agenda, I mean,
he's like a terrier with a bone.

He dives into a...
a focused search and pretty soon

he's on tangential research
and he's going places

that we had never thought
the-the research, uh, would go.

He's brought a-a talent
to the search that I think

we both have
immense respect for.

All the hours of research,

that moment when you saw
the stone and pulled it out,

worth it?
very worth it.

I mean, that research allowed us
really to reach back in time

and-and bring that stone
into the present.

I think that's
an important point, too.

You know, this research is-is...
exhaustive.

You know, Matty,
we wouldn't be able to, uh,

read all of this information
and learn from all of this

historical information
if it wasn't for the work

Paul is doing
in tracking down individuals

that have been associated
with the island in the past.

And it's, and it's funny, Paul,
because so much research

is done from here
and-and looking on the island.

One of your main missions
is trying to

go outside the island
and bring stuff in.

PAUL:
Yeah. Everybody that was here

on the island,

they went back home and they
took everything that they had

usually with them.

And information
has gone missing.

It's in families,
it's in attics.

It's all over the place.

I mean, it is really another
type of treasure hunt,

looking for information.

And we found a lot of that
over the last couple years,

which not a lot of people
have seen.

And it's just incredible,

the amount of information
that's still out there.

MATTY:
Born and raised in Maine,

researcher Paul Troutman
is the son of James Troutman,

who, in 1965,

briefly worked
for Oak Island treasure hunter

Robert Dunfield.

Paul's father had become
obsessed about the island

after reading the same
Reader's Digest article

that lured
Dan Blankenship here.

He later shared this passion
with his son.

PAUL:
He starts telling me

about meeting these men
like Jim Kaiser on the island,

Robert Dunfield and this

incredible story
of this Money Pit

with flood tunnels
and shafts in it,

and it-it got me hooked,
you know.

And I need to know
more about it.

Unfortunately he died
within the following year.

In a way I'm following
in my dad's footsteps.

MATTY:
Four years ago, Paul Troutman

first came to Oak Island
to share incredible home movies

that his father took during
his time here in 1965.

He's been an important ally

to Rick, Marty and the team
ever since.

This is my father and he's
actually going to be pointing

at something which is
kind of interesting.

Something that they had
uncovered here,

which you'll see here
in a minute.

That little piece of wood,
that your--

if your dad took a picture
of it, the one...

That one.

He did it for a reason.

PAUL:
I know he did. And he stood

in front of the camera
to point where it was.

Yes.

It's been an incredible ride
to get here.

Well, and you've brought a lot
to the table.

Guys, thank you so much, and
everybody appreciates the work

you're doing to tell the story
of Oak Island.

Keep going.
-PAUL: Thank you, Matty.

CHARLES:
Our pleasure.

MATTY:
I've spent time

MATTY:
Up next, I'm about to continue

one-on-one with the extended Oak
Island treasure-hunting team.

I've heard what drew them
to the island

and what keeps them coming back.

Right now
I'm gonna talk to the two men

who brought them all into
the Fellowship of the Dig,

brothers Rick and Marty Lagina.

-Hey, guys.
-Hey, Matty. How are you?

Hey, Matty.
Beautiful day you brought.

It's beautiful,
and, and I'm feeling energized.

And this was
a unique one for me,

spending time one-on-one
with your team.

The question I kept thinking
about was: did you guys

ever envision, from day one,
that it would require

a huge team like this?

No, I didn't picture it
like this.

I knew Rick would be out here

doing most of the fieldwork,
you know,

uh, Craig and I would be back
and forth once in a while,

doing analysis and consulting
with him, and, and then I viewed

the rest of the people
generally as contractors,

you know, people for hire,

and, and that's not
what we've got.

They're almost
more enthused than...

Well, they're not more enthused
than Rick. (chuckles)

Matty: yeah.
-But, I mean,

the enthusiasm they-they bring

and the dedication
really is amazing.

I mean,
this island just grabs people.

I mean, Tony Sampson,
I suppose, would be an example.

He was a contract diver.

All of a sudden,
he lives and breathes this.

you know?
yeah.

-So, Salty Dog Tony.
(Matty laughs)

Salty Dog.
-RICK: Yeah, but it was born

less out of necessity,
I think, than out of passion

and commitment for the...
for the mystery.

I mean, you take Charles,
for instance.

I mean, just immersed in it
since he was a-a young boy.

And talk about what he's brought
to the team

from day one.
-RICK: You know,

he grew up here.
He-he knows the history.

He-He's not singularly focused

on one aspect of this hunt.

He cares about the history.

He cares about the people
that have come before.

He cares about this place
as deeply as anyone,

and I admire
and respect him for it.

I've always thought the
information hunt was important,

and I always thought
at some point

it would be necessary to hire
some researchers, perhaps.

To that end, I'd like to talk
about Doug and Paul.

You know, Paul has
a very emotional connection

to Oak Island.
Has for his entire life.

His father, Jim, was here
during the Triton years,

during the Dunfield years.

So he grew up with his father's
stories about Oak Island,

and-and his father had a
distinct idea of how to proceed.

Unfortunately, Jim was never
able to fulfill his-his dream.

You know, so it was important

to-to bring Paul on board.

He wants to resurrect
the history,

and he feels
by resurrecting the history

of what has gone on
and transpired over the years,

he can bring information

that will directly affect
the search agenda.

And, yeah, you guys fulfilled
that dream of his

to be able to follow
in his father's footsteps.

It's-it's incredible.

And another guy, Doug Crowell.

In his case,
some research became tangible,

rock-solid evidence.
RICK: Mm-hmm.

Doug's great. I-I have
a lot of respect for Doug.

I think he's very logical.

I mean,
I didn't know any of these guys.

Rick really brought 'em
on board, and I...

But I'm happy with them.
We're quite happy with them.

You know, and the fellowship
maybe isn't full yet.

You know, there may be
some other positions yet.

Full-time embedded fan liaison?

(Rick laughs)

Perhaps. (laughs)

Thank you.
RICK: Just a few-few words

about Doug.
I mean, he's implacable.

He just is laser-focused

and he... he's not to be denied.

He cares little
about the treasure.

hmm.

He cares
about uncovering history.

Matty: yeah.

Let's talk about another person

who has given a lot of himself
to this island

for a very long time,
and that's Dan Henskee.

I say it all the time.
He's lived, breathed

and bled this place
for countless years.

yeah.
-He's amazing.

And I'm not talking just about
what he knows.

I'm talking about
there are people

that come into your life
here and there,

and he is one of those people

that can teach you
a life lesson.

And I have nothing
but the utmost respect for Dan.

Lot of sharp minds
on this island.

MARTY: Yes.

Let's talk about a fella who...

I mean, look,
I would never give an MVP

because everybody plays
such an important role,

and it's all important.

But if I were
to have to pick an MVP

the last two seasons,
it might be Gary Drayton.

He's come on this team,
and it's just...

Finds have exploded.

Yeah, well,
I think there was a hole

in our organization
till Gary showed up.

We didn't really have
a metal detector,

and we probably didn't pay
as much attention to the surface

as we perhaps should have
initially.

RICK:
But I-I'll be honest. I think

Gary deserves two MVPs.

I mean, he's...
Raises the morale every day.

If we come in the morning

and someone's missing,
if it's Gary,

everybody's saying,

MARTY: yeah.

You can spend a whole day
metal detecting

and not find anything,
and he says,

"Still a finder tomorrow."
-He'll be... Mm-hmm.

How important to you guys is

the friendship,
the brotherhood with the team?

If we weren't having fun
and being relaxed

around these people,
it wouldn't be good.

And, so, we are,
and that's important.

RICK:
And I think we're both

very comfortable
with everyone that sits

around that war room table.

More than comfortable.
We're friends.

You guys have really
put together a dream team

of treasure hunters
here on Oak Island,

and we can't wait to see

what else you might come up with
in season seven.

-So, thank you, guys.
-Sounds great, Matty.

Thank you.
Appreciate it.

Thank you.

MATTY:
Now, about this new job...

(Marty laughs)

The Oak Island mystery

has captured the imagination
of the world

with its compelling
possibilities

and the team's
incredible finds.

TERRY:
Whoa! Looks like

we have something there, Rick.

That's some kind of a structure.

MATTY:
But what will be the team's

next big discovery?

Another medieval lead cross?

More 14th century jewelry?

Even more human bones?

Or will it be
the fabled treasure itself?

Oh, my gosh. Look!

MARTY:
I'd say that's a coin.

MATTY:
Thanks to Rick, Marty,

Craig,
and their extraordinary team,

the answers could be closer
than ever.

Perhaps even
in the next amazing episode

of The Curse of Oak Island.

Until then,
keep the faith, Acorns.

Subtitled by
Diego Moraes / Ewerton Henrique