All language subtitles for Secrets.of.the.Underground.S01E05.Great.Lakes.Bermuda.Triangle.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

DEEP INSIDE A CRAGGY CAVE
IN TEXAS HILL COUNTRY,

COUNTLESS ICE AGE FOSSILS LIE
ENCASED IN ROCK.

THIS WHOLE SIDE IS
JUST COVERED IN BONES.

ARE THESE ANCIENT
REMAINS EVIDENCE

OF AN UNKNOWN MASS EXTINCTION?

NEW, 3D SCANS
OF THE SUBTERRANEAN CAVERN

COULD UNCOVER A SURPRISING
PREHISTORIC KILLER.

AND BENEATH THE SEEMINGLY
PLACID WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN,

COULD A RECENTLY DISCOVERED
SHIPWRECK UNRAVEL

THE MYSTERY BEHIND A SERIES
OF BAFFLING DISAPPEARANCES?

IT'S MUCH BIGGER THAN I THOUGHT
WE'D SEE FROM THE SONAR.

I'LL DIVE DEEP BENEATH
THE SURFACE

TO UNTANGLE FACT FROM FICTION.

HIDDEN JUST BELOW
THE EARTH'S SURFACE,

THERE ARE COUNTLESS
UNSOLVED MYSTERIES.

AND, TODAY, WE FINALLY HAVE
THE TOOLS TO UNLOCK THEM.

LOOK AT THAT!
WHOA.

I THINK THIS IS IT.

I'M ROB NELSON,

A SCIENTIST USING
STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY

TO PEEL THE LID OFF
OUR PLANET'S HIDDEN DEPTHS.

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH RIGHT HERE.
HOLY MOLY!

THESE ARE THE SECRETS
OF THE UNDERGROUND.

Captions by VITAC--
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

ON THE NORTHERN EDGE
OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS,

SURROUNDED BY TIDY SUBDIVISIONS,
SITS A SMALL,

SUBTERRANEAN CAVERN,

ACCESSIBLE ONLY THROUGH
A NARROW OPENING.

THE FRIESENHAHN CAVE HARBORS

AN ANCIENT MYSTERY
OF EPIC PROPORTIONS.

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF BONES
HAVE BEEN FOUND HERE

FROM OVER 30 DIFFERENT
SPECIES OF ANIMALS.

IT HAS ONE OF THE GREATEST
CONCENTRATIONS OF FOSSILS

FROM THE PLEISTOCENE ERA
IN NORTH AMERICA.

THE SHEER CONCENTRATIONS
OF SPECIMENS IS STUNNING.

IT DEFINITELY RAISES
A GIANT QUESTION.

HOW COULD SO MANY
ANCIENT CREATURES END UP

IN ONE SMALL CAVE

THAT'S ONLY REACHABLE BY
A SINGLE 30-FOOT SHAFT?

COULD THESE REMAINS
BE EVIDENCE OF A PREVIOUS

UNDOCUMENTED MASS EXTINCTION?

OR COULD THOUSANDS OF ANIMALS

BEEN WASHED INTO THE CAVERN

BY A FLOOD OF
BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS?

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED
IN FRIESENHAHN CAVE?

I'M HEADING THERE TO TRY
TO GET TO THE BOTTOM

OF THIS PREHISTORIC MYSTERY.

I GREW UP AS A KID IN DALLAS
IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE CITY.

I USED TO WALK AROUND
IN FORESTS JUST LIKE THIS,

AND THE IDEA OF FINDING A CAVE
IN ONE OF THE FORESTS

THAT I GREW UP
IN IS JUST AWESOME.

IN FACT, THE CAVE WAS DISCOVERED
BY LOCAL RESIDENTS

IN THE EARLY 1900s.

INSIDE, ARCHAEOLOGISTS EXCAVATED

THE REMAINS OF A BEAST
FROM THE ICE AGE--

THE COLUMBIAN MAMMOTH.

THIS MASSIVE MAMMAL

COULD REACH 14 FEET
AT THE SHOULDERS.

WHEN IT ROAMED, THIS AREA
WOULD HAVE BEEN GRASSLAND,

LIKE OKLAHOMA OR PARTS
OF COLORADO TODAY.

GRAZING ANIMALS INCLUDING
GIANT MEGAFAUNA DOMINATED

THE ANCIENT LANDSCAPE OF TEXAS.

OH!

THIS IS A MASSIVE HOLE.

WHOA.

OBVIOUSLY, THEY HAVE
IT GATED OFF RIGHT NOW

SO NOBODY FALLS
IN OR GOES IN.

TODAY, THE SITE IS CONTROLLED
BY CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY,

BUT THEY'VE GIVEN ME
SPECIAL ACCESS

TO GO DOWN AND EXPLORE.

RIGHT UP ABOVE US,
30 FEET, IS A FLAT FOREST,

AND THEN YOU COME DOWN HERE,
AND YOU'RE IN A DIFFERENT WORLD.

I QUICKLY SEE JUST WHAT MAKES
THIS CAVE SO REMARKABLE.

THIS WHOLE SIDE
IS JUST COVERED IN BONES.

THAT'S A FOSSIL RIGHT THERE.

IT'S EITHER SOME SORT OF BONE
OR A MAMMOTH TUSK.

CLEAR AS DAY.
OH, MY GOSH.

THIS COULD VERY WELL
BE THE TEETH OF SOME

SORT OF LARGE
MASTODON OR MAMMOTH.

MANY OF THE BONES FOUND

IN THIS CAVE HAVE BEEN
FROM ANIMALS OF THE ICE AGE.

THE CONCENTRATION
OF THOSE BONES IS SO EXTREME.

RIGHT HERE.

I KEEP FINDING NEW ONES.

LIKE, THEY'RE LITERALLY STACKED
ON TOP OF EACH OTHER--

ONE BONE AFTER THE NEXT.

IT'S HARD TO ESCAPE THE FEELING

THAT SOMETHING REALLY
BIG HAPPENED HERE.

ARE WE LOOKING AT ESSENTIALLY
A MASS EXTINCTION EVENT?

SCIENTISTS HAVE IDENTIFIED
FIVE PREVIOUS MASS

EXTINCTIONS OVER THE PAST
500 MILLION YEARS.

THE FIRST WAS
450 MILLION YEARS AGO,

WHEN 85% OF MARINE
SPECIES DISAPPEARED.

IT MAY HAVE BEEN TRIGGERED
BY A BURST

OF GAMMA RAYS GENERATED
BY A NEARBY SUPERNOVA.

THE LAST AND PROBABLY
MOST FAMOUS

WAS ABOUT 65 MILLION YEARS AGO

WHEN SCIENTISTS BELIEVE
A MASSIVE

ASTEROID HIT THE PLANET,

TRIGGERING A SERIES OF EVENTS

THAT LED TO THE DEATH
OF THE DINOSAURS.

COULD THIS UNASSUMING
HOLE IN THE GROUND

IN CENTRAL TEXAS
BE EVIDENCE OF ANOTHER,

AS YET UNIDENTIFIED APOCALYPSE?

WHAT WE WOULD HAVE
TO DO IN THIS CAVE

IS SCOUR THE WALLS,

LOOK FOR EVIDENCE OF SOMETHING

THAT MAY HAVE CAUSED
THAT EXTINCTION EVENT.

I KNOW THAT VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

HAVE PLAYED A PART
IN PREVIOUS EXTINCTIONS,

AND THEY OFTEN LEAVE
BEHIND GEOLOGIC EVIDENCE.

MANY VOLCANIC ROCKS HAVE
EASILY IDENTIFIABLE STRUCTURES

LIKE GLASSY, LIKE OBSIDIAN,

OR GRAINY AND ROUGH LIKE BASALT.

BUT, AS I RUN MY HANDS
ALONG THE WALLS OF THE CAVE,

I'M NOT FINDING THESE.

THE PROBLEM IS,
LOOKING AT THIS CAVE,

IT SEEMS TO BE ALL COMPOSED
OF THE SAME MATERIAL--

LIMESTONE.

YOU CAN SEE, CALCIUM CARBONATE

IS DRIPPING OFF
THE ROOF OF THIS CAVE.

THIS IS VERY TYPICAL
OF A LIMESTONE CAVE.

IT CERTAINLY SEEMS
THAT THESE SPECIES

WERE NOT THE VICTIMS
OF A CATACLYSMIC ERUPTION.

SO THEN, WHAT KILLED
ALL THESE ANCIENT ANIMALS?

IT'S DARK DOWN HERE,

AND MY VISIBILITY
IS EXTREMELY LIMITED.

I SUSPECT THERE
ARE MORE CLUES HERE

THAT CAN'T BE DETECTED
BY THE NAKED EYE.

I THINK THE BEST WAY TO FIGURE
OUT WHAT'S GOING ON HERE

IS JUST TO RUN A 3D SCAN.

I'M HOPING THAT BY STEPPING BACK

AND LOOKING AT THIS 3D IMAGE,

WE CAN START TO UNDERSTAND
THIS AREA MORE.

I'VE CALLED IN SUBTERRANEAN
SCANNING SPECIALISTS RICK WALKER

AND TRES SMITH.

WELL, I'M EXCITED TO SEE
WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO FIND,

SHALL WE START IT?LET'S GO.

TO CREATE A DETAILED,
3D MODEL OF THE CAVE,

RICK AND TRES
HAVE BROUGHT IN ONE

OF THE MOST POWERFUL
LiDAR SCANNERS ON THE MARKET.

"LiDAR" STANDS FOR LIGHT
DETECTION AND RANGING.

BY EMITTING AN ARRAY
OF UP TO 1 MILLION

LASER PULSES PER SECOND,

THIS DEVICE CAN CAPTURE
ALL THE CREVICES

THAT LIGHT DOESN'T PENETRATE.

ALL RIGHT, LET'S DO IT.

THE LiDAR LASERS
CAN DAMAGE OUR CAMERAS,

SO WE CAN'T FILM THE PROCESS,

BUT I'M EXCITED TO SEE THE 3D
MODEL IT'S GOING TO CREATE.

SO, I JUST GOT
THE LiDAR IMAGES.

LET'S SEE WHAT THEY SHOW.

OH, WOW, THAT'S SO COOL.

SO, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE CAVE
FROM THE OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW.

WHAT I HAVE TO DO,
I HAVE TO GET INSIDE OF IT.

THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED DETAIL.

AND TO BE ABLE
TO SEE IT IN COLORS--

THE COLORS INDICATING
THE HARDNESS--

THAT ALLOWS US TO SEE THINGS
SO MUCH DIFFERENTLY.

THE RED INDICATES SOFTER
MATERIALS LIKE SEDIMENT.

THE BLUE, HARDER MATERIALS
LIKE LIMESTONE.

THE FLOOR OF THIS CAVE

IS CLEARLY MUCH SOFTER
THAN THE CEILING.

THAT MAKES SENSE.
THE FLOOR OF THE CAVE

WAS ESSENTIALLY SEDIMENT
WASHED IN WITH RAINWATER,

BUILT UP OVER TIME.

THE CEILING OF THE CAVE,
IT MAKES SENSE THAT IT'S HARDER

BECAUSE LIMESTONE IS
PRETTY HARD A MATERIAL.

LOOK AT THIS
RIGHT IN HERE.

THAT IS SOFTER SEDIMENT,

APPARENTLY ON THE WALL
OF THE CAVE.

I DID NOT EXPECT THAT.

SO, THIS SEEMS
TO INDICATE THAT WATER

HAS BEEN COMING INTO THIS CAVE
POTENTIALLY IN FLOOD-LIKE FORM,

LEAVING ALL THIS DEBRIS
QUITE HIGH UP THOSE WALLS.

COULD THIS BE EVIDENCE

OF A FLOOD
OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS?

AND IF SO, HOW DID
THESE MASSIVE,

PREHISTORIC BEASTS FIT
DOWN THIS SINGLE,

SMALL ENTRANCE SHAFT?

AND LATER, I'LL DIVE
DEEP INTO LAKE MICHIGAN

ON THE HUNT FOR A LOST VESSEL
THAT DISAPPEARED WITHOUT

A TRACE MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO.

WE FOUND THE SHIP!

COULD THIS REALLY
BE THE SCHOONER

THAT LAUNCHED THE LEGEND
OF AMERICA'S

VERY OWN BERMUDA TRIANGLE?

I'M AT FRIESENHAHN CAVE
IN CENTRAL TEXAS,

HOME TO OVER 10,000
PREHISTORIC FOSSILS.

ASIDE FROM THE LA BREA TAR PITS
IN LOS ANGELES,

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST
PLEISTOCENE FOSSIL-RICH SITES

IN NORTH AMERICA,

AND I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
HOW ALL OF THESE BONES GOT HERE.

I'VE JUST RUN A LiDAR SCAN
AND CREATED A 3D IMAGE

WHICH SHOWS SOME SEDIMENT
DEPOSITED HIGH UP

ON THE WALLS OF THE CAVE.

SO POTENTIALLY, THIS IS WHY

ALL THESE MAMMOTH BONES
ARE IN HERE.

THEY JUST GOT WASHED HERE
WITH A GIANT FLOOD.

BUT COULD A FLOOD REALLY TRIGGER
AN EXTINCTION OF THIS MAGNITUDE?

WHILE SCIENTISTS HAVE IDENTIFIED

FIVE MAJOR EXTINCTIONS
IN OUR PLANET'S PAST,

THE ONE SOME PEOPLE MIGHT THINK
OF ISN'T AMONG THEM.

NOAH'S FLOOD.

CHAPTERS 6 THROUGH 9
OF THE BOOK OF GENESIS RECORD

THE STORY
OF A DELUGE

THAT ENGULFED
THE ENTIRE WORLD,

DESTROYING VIRTUALLY
ALL LIFE ON THE PLANET,

EXCEPT THE SPECIES
ABOARD NOAH'S ARK.

COULD WHAT WE'RE SEEING
IN FRIESENHAHN CAVE BE EVIDENCE

OF A MASSIVE FLOOD,

LIKE THE ONE DESCRIBED
IN THE BOOK OF GENESIS?

IT'S DEFINITELY
A COMPELLING THOUGHT

THAT ALL OF THIS IS EVIDENCE
OF THE SAME FLOOD OF NOAH'S ARK.

BUT THE PRESENCE
OF MAMMOTH BONES

HERE MAKES THE TIMELINE
A BIT DUBIOUS.

MAMMOTH STOPPED LIVING ON EARTH
AROUND 10,000 YEARS AGO.

BIBLICAL SCHOLARS BELIEVED

NOAH LIVED APPROXIMATELY 4,000
TO 5,000 YEARS AGO,

AND SCIENTISTS
HAVE FOUND EVIDENCE

OF A CATASTROPHIC FLOOD 2,000

TO 3,000 YEARS
BEFORE THAT,

BUT STILL LONG AFTER
MAMMOTHS WENT EXTINCT.

BUT COULD WE BE SEEING
EVIDENCE OF AN EARLIER DELUGE?

AND IF WE ARE,
HOW DID MAMMOTHS FIT DOWN

THE CAVE'S SMALL ENTRANCE SHAFT.

FIRST THING'S FIRST,
WE CAN SEE EVIDENCE

OF POSSIBLE FLOODING
ON THE LiDAR SCAN.

BUT IF AN EPIC
FLOOD HIT THIS AREA,

WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIND
EVIDENCE OF IT ELSEWHERE,

NOT JUST IN FRIESENHAHN CAVE.

SO, I'VE ARRANGED TO MEET
LOCAL CAVERS AARON SWINK

AND AUBRI JENSON
WITH TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY.

HOW YOU GUYS DOING?GOOD.

THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE ME
INTO ANOTHER NEARBY CAVE,

ONE OF MANY THAT LITTER
THE LANDSCAPE HERE.

WITH THEIR HELP,
I'M HOPING TO FIND

EVIDENCE OF AN ANCIENT FLOODING,

CONSISTENT WITH WHAT
I DISCOVERED IN FRIESENHAHN.

OH, SWEET!YEAH, HERE IT IS.

SO, WE'RE GONNA BE CAREFUL
AS WE'RE GOING IN

BECAUSE A COUPLE THINGS
WE WANT TO WATCH OUT--

THE BIGGEST DANGERS
ARE LOOSE ROCKS.

AND THE OTHER THING
IS RATTLESNAKES.

RATTLESNAKES.

OKAY, COMING DOWN!

OH.
BOY.

I WAS NOT EXPECTING THERE

TO BE SO MANY AWESOME
CAVE FORMATIONS IN HERE.

YEAH.THE LIMESTONE WALLS

ARE STRIKINGLY SIMILAR

TO THOSE OF FRIESENHAHN CAVE.

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL THESE
CAVES HAVE IN COMMON.

THAT IS AWESOME.
HERE'S A BONE HERE, TOO.

THERE'S A JAWBONE.

THIS CAVE ALSO HOUSES
DOZENS OF ANCIENT FOSSILS.

HOW OLD DO YOU THINK
THESE BONES ARE?

THEY COULD BE ANYWHERE
FROM, YOU KNOW,

ON THE ORDER OF DECADES
TO THE LAST ICE AGE.

YOU FIND ICE AGE FOSSILS
IN THIS ONE, TOO.

THAT'S RIGHT.
WE HAVE FOUND MAMMOTH TEETH,

SOME LARGE BONES
OF VARIOUS ICE AGE ANIMALS.

SINCE THIS CAVE IS HARBORING
FOSSILS FROM THE ICE AGE,

AS WELL, THAT TELLS ME
THE SAME PROCESSES

COULD HAVE DEPOSITED
THE BONES IN BOTH CAVES.

AND SURE ENOUGH, AARON QUICKLY
POINTS OUT EVIDENCE OF FLOODING.

THERE'S SOME PRETTY
GOOD CLUES HERE.

ONE IS, SOME OF THIS
DEBRIS ON THE FLOOR HERE.

OH, MY GOSH, LOOK AT THAT.

NOT ONLY HISTORIC FLOODING.

THIS CAVE STILL GETS SWAMPED.

AARON EXPLAINS THAT IT'S REALLY
JUST A PIT STOP FOR WATER

FLOWING MUCH
DEEPER UNDERGROUND.

IT'S GOING INTO
AN AQUIFER CALLED

THE EDWARDS TRINITY AQUIFER.

THE EDWARDS TRINITY AQUIFER

IS A MAJOR UNDERGROUND
WATER SOURCE.

THIS SUBTERRANEAN LAYER
OF WATER-SOAKED

SEDIMENT STRETCHES
FROM SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA

TO WESTERN TEXAS.

IT SUPPLIES OVER
2 MILLION PEOPLE

WITH DRINKING WATER

AND IS THE WATER SUPPLY
FOR AGRICULTURE IN THE REGION.

BUT COULD IT ALSO BE
THE REASON WHY SO MANY BONES

HAVE ENDED UP IN THIS CAVE?

SO, WHEN THE WATER COMES IN
HERE, IT'S GOING DOWN THERE.

IT'S GOING DOWN HERE.

AARON AND AUBRI EXPLAINED THAT
DURING PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN,

WATER WILL RUSH INTO THE CAVE

AND WIND ITS WAY TO THE AQUIFER.

DEPOSITING
DEBRIS ALONG THE WAY.

THIS OPENS UP
A WHOLE NEW POSSIBILITY.

WHAT IF THE FOSSILS
IN FRIESENHAHN

CAVE WEREN'T SWEPT IN BY
ONE MASSIVE DELUGE,

BUT BY A SERIES
OF SMALLER FLOODS

THAT DRAINED OUT
DEEPER UNDERGROUND?

THIS IS REALLY FASCINATING.

I THINK MY NEXT STEP IS TO HEAD
BACK TO FRIESENHAHN CAVE,

TRY TO FIGURE OUT IF IT'S PART
OF A LARGER CAVE SYSTEM.

THE NEXT MORNING,
I MEET UP WITH GEOLOGIST

KEITH MUHLSTEIN
BACK AT FRIESENHAHN CAVE.

HE'S GOING TO HELP ME FIGURE OUT

IF THE CAVE CONNECTS
TO A GROUNDWATER SOURCE BELOW.

THE FIRST STEP
IS TO FIND THE LOCATION

OF THE WATER TABLE
BENEATH THE CAVE FLOOR,

AND THEN SEE IF WE CAN FIND
ANY DIRECT CONNECTIONS

BETWEEN IT AND THE CAVE.

TO DO THAT, WE'LL NEED
A TECHNIQUE CAPABLE

OF PENETRATING HUNDREDS

OF FEET BELOW
THE SURFACE--

MUCH FURTHER INTO THE GROUND

THAN THE LiDAR
SCAN I RAN EARLIER.

I THINK AN ELECTRICAL
RESISTIVITY TOMOGRAPHY SURVEY

IS THE WAY TO GO.

ERT, AS IT'S CALLED,

IS AN ADVANCED SUBSURFACE

IMAGING TECHNIQUE THAT WORKS

BY INJECTING ELECTRICAL CURRENT
INTO THE GROUND

BETWEEN TWO ELECTRODES
AT A TIME.

ADDITIONAL ELECTRODES
THEN MEASURE THE RESISTANCE

OF WHATEVER MATERIAL LIES BELOW.

WE'RE GONNA RUN OUT
THE CABLE FIRST,

AND THEN POUND IN THE STAKES
KIND OF ALONG IT, RIGHT?

MM-HMM.

SO, ANY OPEN VOIDS
BENEATH THE CAVE FLOOD

SHOULD BE EASY
FOR US TO LOCATE.

TOGETHER, KEITH AND I GET
TO WORK SETTING UP THE ERT GEAR,

LAYING OUT FOUR GRIDS
SURROUNDING THE CAVE'S ENTRANCE.

WE HAVE THIS CABLE RIGHT HERE,

WHICH WE'VE LAID
OUT DOWN THE LINE,

AND THIS IS GONNA SEND
A VOLT OF ELECTRICITY

THROUGH THE WIRE,

THROUGH THIS METAL SPIKE,
INTO THE GROUND.

WE CAN USE THE DATA
WE'RE COLLECTING TO CREATE

A 3D MAP OF THE SUBSURFACE,

WHICH WILL REVEAL
ANY CONNECTIONS TO THE AQUIFER.

THE DATA'S COMING IN NOW.

ON THE RIGHT, YOU HAVE YOUR GRID

WITH THE RESISTIVITY
COMING UP IN 3Ds.

IMMEDIATELY, I'M STRUCK BY
THE YELLOWISH-RED SECTION,

WHICH REPRESENTS
A WHOLE SUBTERRANEAN WORLD

RIGHT BENEATH US.

MY GOSH, THAT IS AMAZING.

SO THE CAVE THAT
WE WERE IN IS GREEN.

THAT'S RIGHT.

AND THERE'S A GIANT
YELLOW PATCH OVER HERE.

THAT'S RIGHT.

WHICH MEANS THERE'S
A BIGGER CAVE.

IT APPEARS THAT FRIESENHAHN

IS ONLY ONE CHAMBER
OF A SERIES

OF SEEMINGLY CONNECTED CAVERNS,

ALTHOUGH NONE OF OTHERS APPEAR
TO BE ACCESSIBLE.

I MEAN, WE'RE ONLY TOUCHING
THE SURFACE WITH THIS CAVE.

DOES THIS LEAD TO THE EDWARDS
AQUIFER, TOO, YOU THINK?

OH, YEAH, CERTAINLY.
YOU CAN SEE,

THIS IS ACTUALLY
A LINEAR CONDUIT

FROM THE SURFACE
ALL THE WAY ALONG.

IF SO, YOU'VE GOT A DIRECT
CONDUIT RIGHT TO THE AQUIFER.

THIS MEANS THAT FRIESENHAHN
COULD HAVE FUNCTIONED

AS A KIND OF STRAINER OR FILTER,

COLLECTING THE CARCASSES
OF ANCIENT BEASTS RANGING

FROM MAMMOTHS TO GIANT,

SHORT-FACED BEARS
AND PREHISTORIC TURTLES

AS WATER FILTERED
TO THE AQUIFER BELOW.

BUT ONE GLARING ISSUE
IS STILL BUGGING ME.

HOW DID THESE ENORMOUS ANIMALS

GET WASHED DOWN THROUGH
THIS SMALL CAVE OPENING.

BUT THEN I NOTICE
SOMETHING ELSE ON THE 3D MAP.

WHAT IS THAT?

THAT TO THE NORTHWEST LOOKS
LIKE ANOTHER ENTRANCE.

HAS THE ERT DATA UNCOVERED
A HIDDEN ENTRANCE TO THE CAVE?

AND COULD THIS FINALLY
UNLOCK THE MYSTERY OF

HOW THESE PREHISTORIC CREATURES

ENDED UP DEEP UNDERGROUND?

I'M AT FRIESENHAHN CAVE
IN SAN ANTONIO,

TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW
THOUSANDS OF FOSSILS ENDED UP

IN THIS ONE SMALL CAVERN.

I'VE JUST RUN AN ERT SURVEY

AND DISCOVERED
NOT ONLY A MUCH LARGER

CAVE SYSTEM HIDDEN UNDERGROUND,

BUT ALSO SOMETHING
EVEN MORE SURPRISING.

SO THERE COULD HAVE BEEN
ANOTHER ENTRANCE TO THIS CAVE

THAT GOT FILLED IN LATER.

APPEARS TO BE.

LOOKS LIKE THIS IS
MOSTLY CLOSED IN.

IT'S GOT
A HIGH RESISTIVITY TO IT,

BUT YOU CAN SEE,
RIGHT IN THE CENTER,

THERE IS AN OPENING.

IF THAT SECTION REALLY
USED TO BE AN OPENING,

IT COULD HAVE BEEN LARGE ENOUGH
FOR THESE MASSIVE

PREHISTORIC BEASTS
TO GET THROUGH.

SO, IS IT POSSIBLE IT GOT
SWEPT IN THROUGH THERE,

OR EVEN ENTERED
THE CAVE ON THEIR OWN

WHILE THEY WERE STILL ALIVE?

I'LL NEED TO TAKE
A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS AREA.

TO THE NORTHWEST OF THIS HOLE,
ABOUT 15 YARDS.

TWO, THREE.

HOLY CRAP, LOOK AT THIS.

THERE IS A DIVOT IN THE GROUND,
SENSING A LITTLE DEPRESSION.

OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S NO OPENING
RIGHT AT THE MOMENT.

IT IS FILLED IN,
BUT IT IS REALLY SOFT.

ACTUALLY, I FEEL LIKE
IF I WAS TO JUMP UP AND DOWN,

THIS WHOLE THING MIGHT COLLAPSE.

AND I THINK ALL
THAT'S BETWEEN ME

AND POTENTIALLY ANOTHER CAVITY

IS A BUNCH OF ORGANIC MATERIAL.

HAVING ESTABLISHED
WHERE THE ENTRANCE

PROBABLY WAS UP TOP,

I NEED TO HEAD BACK DOWN
INTO THE CAVE

TO SEE IF I CAN FIND
THE OTHER SIDE OF IT.

THERE IS SOMETHING THAT
GOES BACK IN THIS DIRECTION.

I DIDN'T EVEN SEE
THIS UNTIL NOW.

BUT IF YOU LOOK
BACK UP IN THERE,

THERE IS ESSENTIALLY A REALLY,

REALLY TINY CRAWL SPACE
WHICH HEADS UP,

AND IT HEADS TO THE RIGHT
A LITTLE BIT.

IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S HEADING
RIGHT TOWARDS

WHERE THE DEPRESSION
IN THE GROUND

IS UP TOP, LIKE A RAMP.

SO, I HAVE A SNEAKING SUSPICION
THAT THERE WAS PROBABLY

THAT OLD ENTRANCE LEADING
IN THIS DIRECTION,

AND IT HAS SINCE
COLLAPSED OR FILLED IN.

IT SEEMS LIKE THIS CAVITY
IS FILLED WITH RUBBLE

THAT COULD CONCEAL WHAT WAS
ONCE A MUCH LARGER SPACE.

I BET WE FOUND
THE OLD OPENING RIGHT HERE.

THIS CHANGES
THE GAME COMPLETELY.

MAYBE FLOODING WASN'T
THE ONLY FACTOR,

OR EVEN THE MAJOR ONE
BEHIND FRIESENHAHN'S

COLLECTION OF FOSSILS.

ONE, HUMANS COULD
HAVE USED THIS CAVE.

THEY COULD HAVE GOTTEN
THESE BONES HERE.

OR ANIMALS COULD HAVE
SIMPLY WALKED INTO THE CAVE

AND THEN DIED.

I KNOW THAT THE PREHISTORIC
CLOVIS PEOPLE INHABITED AREAS

NOT FAR FROM HERE,

STARTING AT LEAST
12,000 YEARS AGO.

AND EVIDENCE SUGGESTS
THAT THEY MAY

HAVE HUNTED THE GIANT MAMMOTHS

THAT ROAMED THE GRASSLAND,
CUTTING THEM DOWN

WITH THESE DISTINCTIVE
FLUTED SPEARS.

SO, COULD FRIESENHAHN BEEN
A DUMPING GROUND

FOR DISCARDED CARCASSES?

I THINK I NEED TO TAKE A CLOSER
LOOK AT THE BONES THEMSELVES.

IF I CAN FIND EVIDENCE
OF HUMAN BUTCHERING,

LIKE MARKS FROM TOOLS
OR WEAPONS,

THAT THEORY BECOMES
HIGHLY PLAUSIBLE.

SO I'M HEADING TO
THE VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY LAB

AT THE UNIVERSITY
OF TEXAS IN AUSTIN,

WHERE PALEONTOLOGISTS
ERNIE LUNDELIUS

AND KENNY BADER
ARE GIVING ME ACCESS

TO SOME OF THE FOSSILS
ALREADY PULLED FROM THE CAVE.

SO, I'M CURIOUS
ABOUT THE BONES.

IS THERE ANY INDICTION
OF HOW THESE ANIMALS DIED?

YES, THERE ARE SOME MARKS
ON SOME OF THE BONES

THAT MIGHT GIVE YOU SOME IDEA,

MAYBE PERHAPS NOT
HOW THEY EXACTLY DIED,

BUT WHAT HAPPENED
TO THEM SHORTLY AFTER.

OH, REALLY?WE HAVE THINGS LIKE THIS--

WOW, LOOK AT
THAT SCRATCH MARK.

SCRATCH MARKS.SO, WHAT CAUSED THIS?

DO YOU SEE ANY EVIDENCE

THAT HUMANS WERE MAKING
MARKS ON THE BONES,

OR THAT HUMANS WERE
EATING ANIMALS IN THAT CAVE?

NO, THIS WAS NOT SOMETHING
DAMAGED BY A PERSON.

KENNY EXPLAINS
THAT HUMAN TOOLS

WOULD HAVE LEFT MUCH THINNER
GROOVES ON THE BONES,

AND CERTAINLY FLOODING
WOULDN'T LEAVE

SUCH DISTINCT
MARKINGS, EITHER.

WE DEFINITELY HAVE TWO
VERY PERFECT PARALLEL GROOVES.

RIGHT.THAT ARE V-SHAPED

AND CROSS-SECTIONED.

AND THEY PROBABLY
MATCH QUITE WELL

WITH THE ACTUAL TEETH

FROM SOME KIND OF PREDATOR.

BUT WHAT KIND OF BEAST
COULD BE RESPONSIBLE

FOR THESE BRUTAL GASHES?

COULD IT BE
A BLOODTHIRSTY CULPRIT

WHO COLLECTED ALL THESE FOSSILS?

THAT IS A BIG SKULL.

I'M IN AUSTIN WHERE
PALEONTOLOGISTS ERNIE LUNDELIUS

AND KENNY BADER
HAVE GIVEN ME ACCESS

TO SOME OF THE FOSSILS
PULLED FROM FRIESENHAHN CAVE.

THERE ARE CLEAR MARKINGS
ON ONE OF THE BONES

THAT KENNY SAYS
WERE MADE BY A PREDATOR.

AND KENNY TELLS ME
THAT ANOTHER SET OF BONES FOUND

IN THE CAVE MAY REVEAL
ITS IDENTITY.

THAT IS A BIG SKULL.

THAT IS THE SKULL
OF A HOMOTHERIUM,

AND IT'S A PRETTY
GOOD-SIZED CAT.

HOMOTHERIUM WERE LARGE,

PREHISTORIC SABERTOOTHED CATS

APPROXIMATELY THE SIZE OF
A MODERN AFRICAN LION.

THEY WERE APEX PREDATORS

AND ROAMED VAST AREAS
OF NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA

THROUGH ASIA AND AFRICA
BEFORE GOING EXTINCT.

ERNIE TELLS ME
THAT NOT JUST ONE,

BUT 13 ADULT
HOMOTHERIUM SKELETONS

HAVE BEEN FOUND
IN FRIESENHAHN CAVE.

ALONGSIDE FIVE JUVENILES.

SO, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A DEN.

I THINK SO.

THIS CHANGES
THE STORY COMPLETELY.

YES.

SO, COULD THESE FIERCE
AND FORMIDABLE PREDATORS

BE THE REASON THERE ARE
SO MANY BONES IN THE CAVE?

OR, ARE THEY YET
ANOTHER SET OF VICTIMS

WASHED IN HERE
BY SURGING FLOODWATERS?

ONE KEY DETAIL
ABOUT THE MAMMOTH BONES

MAY FINALLY SOLVE THIS MYSTERY.

INTERESTING THING ABOUT
THOSE MAMMOTH BONES

IS THAT THE VAST
MAJORITY OF THEM

ARE FROM JUVENILES,
BABY MAMMOTHS.

THAT'S AN IMPORTANT CLUE.

AS ERNIE SEES IT,

THAT MAKES IT VERY LIKELY
THAT THE SABERTOOTH CATS

WERE ATTACKING BABY MAMMOTHS,

WHO WERE SMALLER AND MORE
VULNERABLE THAN THE ADULTS,

AND DRAGGING THEM BACK
TO THEIR DEN IN FRIESENHAHN

THROUGH THE LARGER,
LOST ENTRANCE.

BUT MAMMOTH BONES
ARE NOT THE ONLY PREY

REMAINS FOUND INSIDE THE CAVE.

ALSO PRESENT ARE THE BONES
OF OTHER ICE AGE MAMMALS,

REPTILES, AND BIRDS.

IS IT PLAUSIBLE THAT
THIS SABERTOOTH CAT

PULLED IN ALL OF THE PREY?

THAT'S A HUGE DIVERSITY
OF PREY FOR ONE ANIMAL.

PROBABLY OTHERS WERE
CONTRIBUTING,

AS WELL, BECAUSE THERE ARE
OTHER ANIMALS IN THERE.

SO, BASED ON THE EVIDENCE
I'VE SEEN,

FLOODING COULD BE A FACTOR
IN DEPOSITING THE FOSSILS HERE.

IF NOT ONE MASSIVE FLOOD,
THEN AT LEAST SMALLER,

MORE REGULAR EVENTS
AS WATER TRAVELS

DOWN THROUGH THE CAVE
TO THE AQUIFER.

BUT MORE THAN LIKELY,
GIANT HOMOTHERIUM CATS

BROUGHT THE BULK OF THE BONES
INTO THE CAVERN.

TECHNOLOGY HAS HELPED US

UNLOCK THE ANCIENT
MYSTERY OF FRIESENHAHN CAVE.

A REPOSITORY OF ICE
AGE FOSSILS LIKE NO OTHER,

AND A TESTAMENT TO THE WILD
FEROCITY OF PREHISTORIC TIMES.

AND NOW, I'M HEADING
FROM THE BOWELS OF THIS ANCIENT

CAVERN TO THE BOTTOM

OF ONE OF THE GREAT LAKES.

LAKE MICHIGAN--

THE FIFTH LARGEST
LAKE IN THE WORLD.

IT BOASTS SANDY BEACHES
AND SNUG HARBORS.

BUT THESE SEEMINGLY
PLACID WATERS HARBOR

A DARK SECRET.

OVER 1,500 SHIPWRECKS LIE
SCATTERED ACROSS ITS FLOOR.

IN FACT, THIS AREA
IS SO SYNONYMOUS

WITH DISAPPEARANCE AND DISASTER

THAT IT'S COME TO BE KNOWN
AS THE MICHIGAN TRIANGLE.

PERHAPS THE MOST MYSTERIOUS
DISAPPEARANCE

WAS ONE OF THE EARLIEST--

THE THOMAS HUME
WAS STURDY CARGO SHIP

WITH A CREW OF SIX

THAT VANISHED WITHOUT
A TRACE IN MAY OF 1891.

NO WRECK, NO BODIES, NO DEBRIS.

TO THIS DAY, NO ONE KNOWS
FOR SURE WHAT HAPPENED TO IT.

SOME SAY IT WAS STOLEN
BY ITS CREW AND REPAINTED.

OTHERS SAY MYSTICAL FORCES

CAUSED IT TO VANISH
INTO ANOTHER DIMENSION.

BUT NOW, AFTER 125 YEARS,

WE MAY BE CLOSER THAN EVER
TO SOLVING THIS MYSTERY.

RECENTLY, DIVERS CAME ACROSS

WHAT THEY THINK MIGHT BE
THE THOMAS HUME

SOME 20 MILES OFFSHORE

DEEP IN THE COLD LAKE WATERS.

COULD THIS REALLY BE
THE WRECK OF THE INFAMOUS SHIP?

AND IF IT IS, COULD IT HELP
EXPLAIN THE STRANGE PHENOMENA

THAT PERVADE THIS SO-CALLED
MICHIGAN TRIANGLE?

TO SEPARATE FACT
FROM FICTION,

I NEED TO SEE THIS NEWLY
DISCOVERED WRECK FOR MYSELF,

SO I'M HEADING
TO SOUTHWESTERN MICHIGAN

TO MEET WITH EXPERT DIVER

AND GREAT LAKES
HISTORIAN VALERIE VAN HEEST.

SHE AND HER CREW ARE GOING TO
TAKE ME OUT ON THE WATER TODAY.

I'VE GOT MY DIVE GEAR.GREAT.

OKAY, GOOD.PROBABLY LOAD THAT UP.

THIS IS GONNA BE A FUN DIVE.

THIS WOULD BE PRETTY BIG, RIGHT,

IF WE CAN DECIDE
THIS IS THE THOMAS HUME,

IF WE CAN DEFINITIVELY SAY
THIS IS THE SHIP.

IF WE CAN DEFINITIVELY PROVE
THIS IS THE THOMAS HUME,

THIS IS GONNA BE HUGE
IN MARITIME CIRCLES.

THE DIVERS WHO FOUND THE WRECK
CAME ACROSS IT BY ACCIDENT

WHILE SEARCHING FOR LOST
WORLD WAR II PLANES.

IT WAS FOUND FAR
FROM THE HUME'S INTENDED COURSE

BETWEEN CHICAGO
AND MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN.

BUT ITS SIZE AND SHAPE
SEEM TO BE A MATCH.

SO, WE SET OFF ACROSS THE LAKE

ON A QUEST TO ANSWER
A WHOLE SERIES OF QUESTIONS.

IS THE WRECK THAT THE DIVERS
FOUND REALLY THE THOMAS HUME?

IF SO, WHY IS IT
SO FAR OFF COURSE,

AND WHAT CAUSED IT TO SINK?

WAS IT MOTHER NATURE,
A MECHANICAL FAILURE,

OR SOMETHING MORE MYSTERIOUS?

FOR YEARS, SOME HAVE ARGUED THAT

THE HUME MUST HAVE FALLEN VICTIM

TO THE SO-CALLED
MICHIGAN TRIANGLE.

ALTHOUGH NOT NEARLY AS PROMINENT
IN POPULAR CULTURE

AS THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE,
PER SQUARE MILE,

THIS AREA MAY BE RESPONSIBLE

FOR EVEN MORE LOST VESSELS.

AMONG THE MANY SHIPS
THAT HAVE GONE DOWN HERE

ARE THE SCHOONER ROUSE SIMMONS,

ALSO KNOWN AS
THE "CHRISTMAS TREE SHIP"

WHICH WAS LOST
IN NOVEMBER OF 1912

WHILE DELIVERING A LOAD
OF HOLIDAY TREES TO CHICAGO.

AND THE CARL D. BRADLEY,

A 639-FOOT FREIGHTER
WHICH WENT DOWN IN 1958.

33 CREW MEMBERS WERE LOST.

BUT IT'S NOT JUST BOATS THAT
HAVE MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED.

RESCUE CRAFT
AND PLANES SEARCH THE WATERS

OF LAKE MICHIGAN
NEAR SOUTH HAVEN, MICHIGAN,

FOR CLUES TO THE WORST AIRLINE
DISASTER IN U.S. HISTORY.

IN 1950,
NORTHWEST ORIENT AIRLINES

FLIGHT 2501 VANISHED

WHILE TRAVELING
FROM NEW YORK CITY TO SEATTLE,

LOSING ALL 58 ON BOARD.

ALTHOUGH SOME LIGHT
DEBRIS WAS FOUND,

THE PLANE'S WRECKAGE
HAS NEVER BEEN LOCATED.

THERE ARE ALL SORTS
OF WILD THEORIES TO EXPLAIN

THE STRANGE DISAPPEARANCES
ON THE LAKE.

SOME HAVE CLAIMED THEY ARE
THE WORK OF ALIENS

OR A TIME PORTAL
THAT SUCKS THE VESSELS

INTO AN ALTERNATE DIMENSION.

AS A SCIENTIST, I'M SKEPTICAL

OF THESE
SUPERNATURAL EXPLANATIONS,

BUT IS THERE SOMETHING STRANGE
GOING ON IN THIS AREA?

BEFORE WE CAN ATTEMPT
TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION,

THOUGH, WE HAVE TO FIND
THE MYSTERY WRECK ITSELF.

WE KNOW THE GENERAL COORDINATES

FROM THE DIVERS
WHO DISCOVERED IT,

BUT WE STILL NEED
TO FIND THE EXACT SPOT

BEFORE WE CAN GET IN THE WATER.

BASICALLY WHAT WE'RE DOING
RIGHT NOW,

WE'RE IN THE GENERAL VICINITY,
WE'RE USING THE SIDE-SCAN SONAR,

WHICH ONLY REALLY WORKS
WHEN YOU'RE SLOWED DOWN.

AND WE'RE JUST GONNA TRY TO SEE
IF WE CAN FIND THE WRECK.

SONAR TECHNOLOGY WORKS
BY EMITTING AN ACOUSTIC SIGNAL

OR PULSE OF SOUND
INTO THE WATER.

IF SOMETHING IS
IN THE WAY OF THAT PULSE,

THE SOUND WILL BOUNCE
OFF THE OBJECT

AND SEND BACK AN ECHO

WHICH WILL REGISTER
ON THE TRANSPONDER.

THE WAY SIDE SCAN WORKS,

YOU CAN'T SEE IF
IT'S RIGHT UNDERNEATH YOU,

BUT YOU'RE SHOOTING
OUT SONAR BEAMS

BASICALLY TO THE SIDES
OF THE BOAT,

AND IT'S GETTING RELIEF
OF WHAT'S ON THE BOTTOM.

IT LOOKS PRETTY FLAT.

SO FAR, THE SONAR'S REVEALING

NOTHING MORE THAN
AN EMPTY LAKE BOTTOM.

BUT THAT IS ABOUT TO CHANGE.

WHAT IS THAT
COMING UP THERE?

LOOK AT THAT.WHOA.

IS THIS THE LONG-LOST
THOMAS HUME?

TO FIND OUT,

I'M GOING DEEP
TO GET A CLOSER LOOK.

I'M OUT ON LAKE MICHIGAN
LOOKING FOR A WRECK

THAT MAY BE
THE INFAMOUS THOMAS HUME--

A LOST SHIP AT THE HEART
OF THE MYTH

OF THE LAKE MICHIGAN TRIANGLE.

AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE JUST
FOUND SOMETHING BIG USING

THE SIDE SCAN SONAR TECHNOLOGY.

LOOK AT THAT.

THAT'S STICKING UP
INTO THE WATER COLUMN THERE.

WHOA.

I THINK THIS IS IT.

WE FOUND THE SHIP ON THE SONAR!

YOU CAN JUST, CLEAR AS DAY,
SEE THE RELIEF OF THIS WRECK.

IT'S CREATING A SHADOW,
AND IT'S BIG.

IT'S MUCH BIGGER THAN I THOUGHT
WE'D SEE FROM THE SONAR.

THE IMAGES ARE SO CLEAR.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE YOU CAN
REACH OUT AND TOUCH THE SHIP,

BUT IT'S NOT AS
CLOSE AS IT LOOKS.

IN FACT, THE WRECK IS 150
FEET BENEATH THE SURFACE.

AS A MARINE BIOLOGIST,
I'VE DONE HUNDREDS OF DIVES,

BUT NONE QUITE LIKE THIS.

THIS IS GONNA BE A DEEP,
DEEP DIVE.

THIS IS THE DEEPEST DIVE
I HAVE EVER DONE.

NO JOKE.

YEAH, THROW IT!

WE BEGIN OUR DESCENT SLOWLY.

BECAUSE VISIBILITY IS LIMITED,

WE FOLLOW A GUIDELINE
HOOKED ONTO THE WRECK ITSELF.

IT KEEPS US FROM DRIFTING
OFF COURSE IN THE CURRENT.

IT'S A LONG WAY DOWN.

BUT THE WRECK FINALLY
COMES INTO VIEW.

AND IT'S STUNNING.

BUT I CAN ONLY ADMIRE
IT FOR SO LONG,

BECAUSE WE HAVE WORK TO DO.

FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS--

MEASURING THE SHIP, A TASK DONE
WITH A SIMPLE MEASURING TAPE.

IT'S ABOUT 131 FEET,
THE SAME LENGTH AS THE HUME.

THIS IS ENCOURAGING.

BUT THESE WATERS
WERE LIKELY A BUSY HIGHWAY

IN THE LATE 1800s
WITH PLENTY OF SCHOONERS

THAT SIZE TRANSPORTING GOODS
AND PEOPLE ACROSS THE LAKE,

SO IT'S NOT ENOUGH
TO CLOSE THE CASE.

WE NEED MORE EVIDENCE.

AND WE ALSO NOTICED
THIS SHIP HAS WIRE RIGGING,

SO WE CAN COMPARE THAT DETAIL
TO THE HUME'S RECORDS

ONCE WE GET BACK ON LAND.

NEXT, WE NEED TO CHECK OUT
THE INSIDE OF THE HULL.

IF IT'S HOLDING CARGO,

THEN THIS PROBABLY
CAN'T BE THE HUME

SINCE THE SHIP WAS RETURNING
TO ITS HOME PORT

OF MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN,
AFTER DROPPING A LOAD OF LUMBER

IN CHICAGO.

WE CAREFULLY
SLIP BELOW DECK.

AND IT'S REMARKABLE
HOW EMPTY THE HULL IS.

THIS SHIP CLEARLY WASN'T
HAULING ANYTHING WHEN IT SANK,

WHICH LINES UP WITH WHAT
WE KNOW ABOUT THE HUME.

BACK OUTSIDE THE HULL, WE GET
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE MASTS.

THERE ARE THREE OF THEM,

AND THEY APPEAR TO HAVE SNAPPED
VIOLENTLY AT THE BASE.

IF THE MASTS DID BREAK
BEFORE THE SHIP WENT DOWN,

IT WOULD LIKELY TAKE
A MASSIVE AMOUNT

OF FORCE TO BREAK THEM.

SO WHATEVER CAUSED THE SHIP

TO SINK MUST HAVE BEEN
EXTREMELY POWERFUL.

WHOO!
THAT WAS AWESOME.

Van Heest:
WHAT AN AMAZING WRECK.

ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL
WRECKS I'VE EVER SEEN.

SUPER INTACT.

THE MOST INTACT
SCHOONER SHIPWRECK

THAT I'VE EVER ENCOUNTERED.

ON OUR DIVE, WE GATHERED
CRUCIAL DETAILS ABOUT THE WRECK

THAT WE CAN COMPARE
WITH WHAT THE HISTORY BOOKS

SAY ABOUT THE THOMAS HUME.

SO, ONCE WE'RE BACK
ON LAND,

VALERIE AND I MAKE OUR WAY
TO EAST LANSING,

HOME OF THE MICHIGAN STATE
UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

WHICH HOUSES THE OFFICIAL
RECORDS OF THE LONG-LOST SHIP.

LOOK AT THESE OLD BOOKS.

HMM.

THIS LOOKS TO BE

ALL KINDS OF NEWSPAPER
ARTICLES, PHOTOGRAPHS.

LET'S SEE WHAT
WE'VE GOT HERE.

OH, THIS IS INTERESTING.

THIS IS AN ENROLLMENT DOCUMENT.

THESE WERE
THE OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS,

LIKE A CAR REGISTRATION TODAY.

THIS WAS A SHIP REGISTRATION.

THE SHIP WAS 131 FEET LONG,

IT WAS 26 FEET WIDE.

THOSE ARE THE SAME DIMENSIONS
AS THE MYSTERY WRECK.

BUT LOOK HERE.

IT HAD TWO MASTS.

THAT COULD BE A PROBLEM.

THE WRECK WE SAW
HAD THREE MASTS.

BUT THEN VALERIE COMES ACROSS
AN INTRIGUING NEWSPAPER ARTICLE.

APPARENTLY, THEY'RE
INTERVIEWING A MAN,

CAPTAIN SIMON O'DAY,

WHO USED TO CREW
ON THE THOMAS HUME

WHEN IT WORKED OUT OF WISCONSIN.

LOOK AT WHAT HE SAYS.

IT WAS BUILT WITH TWO MASTS,

BUT IT HAD A THIRD STICK ADDED.

THEY USED TO CALL
MASTS STICKS.

IT TOOK A LOT OF GUYS
AND A LOT OF TIME

TO RAISE THOSE BIG, HEAVY SAILS,

BUT IT TOOK FEWER MEN
LESS TIME TO RAISE SMALL SAILS.

SO MAYBE IT WAS
A COST-SAVING MEASURE.

MAYBE THE HUME REALLY
DID HAVE THREE MASTS.

IF A THIRD MAST WAS ADDED

BEFORE THE SHIP
WENT MISSING,

THEN THE WRECK WE SAW COULD
STILL BE THE THOMAS HUME.

IN ANOTHER FILE,
WE EVEN FIND A PHOTOGRAPH

OF A SIMILARLY SHAPED
THREE-MASTED SCHOONER

TIED UP IN FRONT OF THE COMPANY

THAT OWNED
AND OPERATED THE HUME.

OH, WOW. SO, THIS IS THE HACKLEY
& HUME LOGGING COMPANY.

AND RIGHT THERE IS
A THREE-MASTED SCHOONER.

DO WE KNOW WHAT THE YEAR
IS ON THIS PICTURE?

WELL, THIS ONE, 1891.

THE SAME YEAR
THE HUME WENT MISSING.

SO, DO YOU THINK THAT THAT
IS THE THOMAS HUME?

IT COULD BE.

THEN WE COME ACROSS
ANOTHER DETAIL

THAT MATCHES THE WRECK WE SAW.

IT SAYS HERE

THAT THE THOMAS HUME
HAD WIRE RIGGING.

IT MAY SEEM LIKE A SMALL,
INSIGNIFICANT POINT,

BUT THIS WAS ACTUALLY
A RELATIVELY UNCOMMON FEATURE

ON SHIPS OF THAT ERA.

THE HUME WAS AMONG THE FIRST
VESSELS TO RECEIVE IT.

BUT NOT ALL OF THE EVIDENCE
IS IN OUR FAVOR.

THE THOMAS HUME WAS
SUPPOSEDLY TRAVELING ALONG

THE SO-CALLED MUSKEGON COURSE

WHEN IT WENT MISSING.

BUT THE WRECK WAS FOUND ALONG

A DIFFERENT ROUTE
HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY--

THE ST. JOSEPH'S COURSE.

SO, THAT HAS TO MEAN THE WRECK

WE SAW COULDN'T BE THE HUME--
OR COULD IT?

INTRIGUINGLY, THERE'S ONE
MORE PIECE OF EVIDENCE

IN THE ARCHIVES
THAT COULD BE A GAME CHANGER.

A MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE
FOUND THREE MONTHS

AFTER THE HUME
DISAPPEARED.

OH, WOW.

I'M TRYING TO SOLVE THE PUZZLING
CASE OF THE THOMAS HUME,

A SHIP THAT WENT MISSING
ON LAKE MICHIGAN IN 1891

AND THAT MAY HAVE RECENTLY
BEEN FOUND BY WRECK HUNTERS.

NOW, UNDERWATER
EXPLORER VALERIE VAN HEEST

AND I HAVE COME ACROSS EVIDENCE

OF A CENTURY-OLD MESSAGE
IN A BOTTLE

THAT COULD HELP US
IDENTIFY THE MYSTERY VESSEL.

OH, WOW.
THIS ARTICLE WAS FROM 1891,

THREE MONTHS AFTERWARDS,

AND THE MESSAGE
IN THE BOTTLE READ,

"WE THE UNDERSIGNED ARE
PASSENGERS ON THE THOMAS HUME.

THE SCHOONER'S HOLD IS
RAPIDLY FILLING WITH WATER

AND HAVE NO HOPE OF ESCAPE.

WE ARE ON THE ST. JOSEPH COURSE.

WE HAVE FRIENDS IN McCOOK,
NEBRASKA, AND ELKHART, INDIANA.

PLEASE NOTIFY THEM OF OUR FATE."

EVERYBODY THOUGHT
IT WAS GOING TO MUSKEGON,

AND HERE, THIS ONE SAYS
IT'S HEADING TO ST. JOSEPH.

BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM.

THIS NOTE WAS WRITTEN
BY PASSENGERS,

AND THE HUME WAS A CARGO SHIP,
NOT A PASSENGER VESSEL.

YOU KNOW, THIS ARTICLE SAYS
IT'S PROBABLY A HOAX.

THAT PEOPLE DID NOT BELIEVE
THAT THIS MESSAGE

IN A BOTTLE WAS REAL.

SO, AT THE TIME IT WAS FOUND,

THE NOTE WAS DISMISSED
AS A CRUEL JOKE.

BUT VALERIE TELLS ME

THAT IT MAY HAVE BEEN
COMMON PRACTICE

AT THE TIME
FOR SHIP CAPTAINS

TO TAKE MONEY UNDER THE TABLE
TO GIVE CIVILIANS PASSAGE.

IF IT'S NOT A HOAX,

AND THE THOMAS HUME REALLY WAS
ON THE ST. JOSEPH'S COURSE

WHERE OUR WRECK NOW LIES,

THEN ALL THE EVIDENCE
LINES UP PERFECTLY.

THE SAME MEASUREMENTS,
THREE MASTS,

WIRE RIGGING,

NO CARGO IN THE HULL.

IN FACT, MAYBE THE REASON

THIS WRECK HAD NEVER BEEN
DISCOVERED BEFORE WAS

BECAUSE EVERYONE WAS LOOKING
IN THE WRONG PLACE.

SO, GIVEN THAT ALL
THE OTHER SIGNS POINT

TO THIS BEING
THE THOMAS HUME,

I THINK WE CAN ONLY COME
TO ONE CONCLUSION.

I THINK WE FOUND
THE THOMAS HUME.

BUT EVEN THOUGH IT LOOKS LIKE WE
MAY HAVE FOUND THE MISSING SHIP,

WE STILL DON'T KNOW
WHAT BROUGHT IT DOWN.

SOME HAVE SPECULATED
THAT A LARGER VESSEL

ACCIDENTALLY RAMMED THE HUME

AND SIMPLY NEVER REPORTED IT.

BUT DURING THE DIVE, WE DIDN'T
SEE ANY SIGN OF HULL DAMAGE

THAT WOULD POINT TO A COLLISION.

ONE DETAIL OF THE WRECK STICKS
OUT TO ME, THOUGH.

THE SHIP'S THREE MASTS
WERE SNAPPED LIKE TOOTHPICKS.

IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN A SERIOUSLY
VIOLENT FORCE TO DO THAT.

SO I WONDER, IS THERE SOMETHING

TO THIS LEGEND
OF THE MICHIGAN TRIANGLE?

IF THE LAKE HARBORING SOME
STRANGE PHENOMENON NOTORIOUS

FOR BRINGING LARGE
VESSELS TO THEIR KNEES?

PERHAPS A FREAK SET
OF CONDITIONS

THAT SCIENCE CAN'T EXPLAIN?

TO HELP ANSWER
THAT QUESTION,

I'M GOING TO MEET UP
WITH A LOCAL EXPERT

WHO I HOPE CAN SHED LIGHT
ON THE NATURAL FORCES

AT PLAY ON LAKE MICHIGAN.

WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE WEATHER
HERE IN THE MICHIGAN AREA?

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY
SHIPWRECKS RIGHT HERE?

WELL, LAKE MICHIGAN
IS A STRANGE BEAST.

WE GET ALL DIFFERENT
KINDS OF WEATHER.

WE GET BLIZZARDS.
WE GET REALLY FAST SQUALLS

THAT COME UPON YOU
WITHOUT MUCH NOTICE.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS,
TORNADOS DURING THE SUMMER.

AS THEY COME ACROSS THE LAKE,

THEY'RE COMING ACROSS SOMETHING
WITHOUT ANY FRICTION,

NOTHING THERE
TO SLOW IT DOWN.

BILL SAYS THE VASTNESS
OF LAKE MICHIGAN

PROVIDES THE PERFECT SETTING

FOR ALREADY STRONG
FRONTS COMING OFF

SURROUNDING LAND TO PICK UP
EVEN MORE SPEED,

AND TO DO SO VERY QUICKLY.

IT'S A PHENOMENON ALSO SEEN

ON LAKE SUPERIOR
JUST TO THE NORTH,

WHERE STRONG STORMS CAN APPEAR
WITHOUT MUCH WARNING.

STORMS LIKE THE ONE
THAT BROUGHT DOWN

THE S.S. EDMUND FITZGERALD
IN 1975.

SHE WAS HIT BY
NEAR-HURRICANE FORCE WINDS

BEFORE SPLITTING IN HALF
AND SINKING WITHIN MINUTES,

KILLING ALL 29
CREW MEMBERS ON BOARD.

AT OVER 700 FEET LONG,

THAT FREIGHTER REMAINS
THE LARGEST SHIP

TO EVER GO DOWN
IN THE GREAT LAKES.

IT'S AMAZING TO THINK
THAT A FREAK THUNDERSTORM

COULD PACK SUCH A SUDDEN,

VIOLENT PUNCH ON
A VESSEL THIS LARGE.

BUT ACCORDING TO BILL,
IT ABSOLUTELY CAN.

I GOT AN EXAMPLE
TO SHOW YOU OVER HERE.

THIS IS A RADAR
SHOWING THE THUNDERSTORM

COMPLEX THAT MOVED
THROUGH IN 1998.

WE CLOCKED WINDS AS HIGH
AS 128 MILES AN HOUR,

ESTIMATED WINDS ON BOTH
SIDES OF LAKE MICHIGAN

TO BE 130 MILES AN HOUR.

THAT'S THE EQUIVALENT
OF AN F-3 TORNADO.

A STORM LIKE THAT CAN
KICK UP WAVES OF 10 TO 20 FEET.

THAT'S COMPARABLE TO THE SWELLS
IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.

NOWADAYS, WE ISSUE WARNINGS,

AND EVERYONE
GETS OFF THE LAKE.

BUT IN THE OLD DAYS,
THERE WERE NO WARNINGS.

NO RADIOS, NO RADAR,

NO COMMUNICATION WITH THE LAND.

AND THAT COULD LEAD
TO FATAL CONSEQUENCES,

AS IT APPEARS TO HAVE DONE
FOR THE THOMAS HUME.

SO, BASED ON ALL THE EVIDENCE
I'VE GATHERED,

I THINK WE CAN SAFELY SAY
THAT THE HUME

WAS LIKELY TOPPLED
IN A SEVERE STORM

BEFORE COMING TO REST
IN ITS WATERY GRAVE.

IT APPEARS THE LEGEND
OF THE LONG-LOST SCHOONER

CAN FINALLY BE PUT TO REST.

AND PERHAPS WITH IT

THE MYSTERY OF THE SO-CALLED
LAKE MICHIGAN TRIANGLE.