All language subtitles for The.Curse.of.Oak.Island.S08E21.WEB.h264-BAE_[AR] (SUBRIP)-CLEAN

Narrator: Tonight on
the curse of oak island...

Gary: I love the smell
of treasure in the morning.

Ooh, look at that!
I would say this looks military.

Doug:
This particular artifact
was found in the swamp

and I've never
seen anything like that.

Marty:
Wow. What the hell is that?

We're hoping you might have
an idea of what it is.

Oh, this is really, really old.
Middle 1400s.

-Steve g.: Oh, wow.
-Scott: What have you got?

It looks like
a piece of finished wood.

Gary:
It looks like railing.

It looks like ship's railing.

We found the ship in the swamp!

Billy:
Yeah.

Narrator:
There is an island
in the north atlantic

where people have been looking
for an incredible treasure

for more than 200 years.

So far, they have found
a stone slab

with strange symbols
carved into it,

mysterious fragments
of human bone,

and a lead cross
whose origin may stretch back

to the days
of the knights templar.

To date, six men have died
trying to solve the mystery.

And, according to legend,

one more will have to die

before the treasure
can be found.

♪ ♪

-steve g.: So, rick, I just
talked to the drillers.
-Rick: Okay.

And I have them pinned
dead center

in the barringer survey--
the vlf survey.

Yup.

The one they were very convinced
was a nonferrous target.

Yeah.

Narrator:
It's the beginning of another

hopeful day on oak island for
brothers rick and marty lagina.

With just a little more
than a month before the harsh

north atlantic winter
will force them and their team

to halt all major search
operations for the year,

they are determined to
make every effort that

could lead to a major discovery

in the 226-year-old
treasure mystery.

To put an x on the ground
is pretty impressive work.

-Mm-hmm.
-And if this is
a nonferrous target,

I mean, it's singularly
attractive, right?

-Mm-hmm.
-It will be very interesting.

There's the end of it.

So not really any wood that
we were hoping to run into.

91 feet and nothing to report.

Narrator: After reaching
a frustrating setback

with their
core drilling operation

in the money pit area
one week ago...

Do we have any other options?

We have the barringer anomalies.

-Can we go after one of those?
-I would.

Narrator: ...Rick, marty
and their partner craig tester

have decided to pursue
what could be

a number of other
treasure deposits

located near smith's cove,
that were first identified

more than 30 years ago
on the barringer survey.

Commissioned in 1988
by dan blankenship

and his partner david tobias,

the barringer survey
was a military-grade

vlf-- or low frequency
radio wave scan--

that denoted possible tunnels
some 100 feet deep

in and around smith's cove

and the eastern perimeter
of the money pit area,

as well as four distinct
nonferrous deposits,

meaning they could be composed
of either silver or gold.

Although dan and david
did not have the resources

to pursue these targets when
the data was first obtained,

after doug crowell
recently found these records

in dan's archived files,

rick, marty
and craig believe it is

worth trying to finish what
their late partner started.

Marty: The barringer survey
has indications

of nonferrous material at depth.

If it's nonferrous material
at depth,

it's probably treasure,
if it's really there.

It could be everything.

You know, one percent chance
of finding this thing

for drilling one hole or two,

I say: Drill.

This is a treasure hunt.

-Morning, guys.
-Hey, rick.
-Morning.

Terry:
Hey, steve. How you doing?

-Good.
-Good.

Steve g.:
I brought an updated plan
for everybody.

It's just an overview, it's not

like our drill program
in the money pit, terry.

-Right.
-But it lets you see
what's going on here.

So these are the four
nonferrous targets.

We're currently sitting
at this one.

80 to 120 is our target depth.

Terry:
And I've referred to this one
as "nonferrous metal-1."

-right.
-We're right now--
this is only at 68.

But it's in very tight,
clay-rich material.

So let's cross our fingers
for gold and silver.

-Charles: There you go.
-Yeah.

-Okay. Let's find it.
-Terry: Yup.

Narrator:
As rick lagina oversees

the drilling operation
at smith's cove,

near the northeastern border
of the triangle-shaped swamp...

Miriam:
We still have a lot of shoveling

-to do before we find this road.
-Alex: Right.

(chuckles): Right.

Narrator:
...Marty lagina's son alex

joins archeologists
miriam amirault

and dr. Aaron taylor
to continue the team's

efforts to uncover more
of the mysterious stone pathway

that extends out
of the brackish bog

and into the uplands,
possibly toward the money pit.

Miriam: So it would
be great if we found

another artifact
with a good date.

-Mm-hmm.
-Which could prove to us,

"okay, the road is
actually continuing uphill."

have we looked at,
like, contour?

To kind of figure out the most
likely path of the road?

Or are we just kind of
chasing it?

No, at this point,
we're just chasing it because

this is the first time
we've had an actual curve,

-a turn, um...
-Mm-hmm.

...That we think is-is the road.

Got it. Okay.

-We'll keep looking.
-Yes, exactly.

Narrator:
Over the past several weeks,

the oak island team
has made a number

of compelling discoveries
that indicate

this man-made stone pathway
was possibly used

to move heavy cargo off
of a ship and onto oak island.

These discoveries include
the massive stone road,

believed to have once been
part of a ships' wharf;

large iron ringbolts,

potentially used as
part of a pulley system;

and pieces
of wooden keg barrels,

that may date back
as far as the 15th century.

Now, with winter
fast approaching,

the team is determined
to find out just where

the pathway leads
and what they may

find at the end of it.

I'm curious
what's going on here,

if there's any more in this.

Yeah. I kind of think it's...

It just seems to keep moving
kind of under the berm.

Well, it's hard to say
because down there,

-we're not finding any stones.
-Right.

Miriam:
I just want to make sure
it's actually definitive

-before I say
"this is the road."
-mm-hmm.

-Hey, aaron?
-Sorry?

Do you mind taking a look?

Yeah, yeah. What do you got?

There's not much down here.
I mean, in terms of rocks.

Over here,
we're finding these stones

from the path
are higher on that end

and much lower on this end.

So, what we're wondering is,

are we looking at it maybe
curving around and heading back

-up the hill that way?
-That's a good question.

It looks like we
probably have a corner.

-Wow. That's good.
-Yeah.

Narrator:
Has the team really uncovered
a corner in the stone pathway?

If so, could it bring them
another step closer

in determining just
where it leads,

and how it might offer answers

to the 226-year-old
oak island mystery?

To me, it-it really seems
like we probably need

to have somebody
take this entire berm out.

-Aaron: Yeah, we need
to be right on this.
-Mm-hmm.

-I'd say we do it.
-Alex: Right.

I think the singular
most important item

to yet discover is:
Where does the road lead?

Does it lead back
to the money pit?

Is it possible that
it goes somewhere

we're currently unaware of?

So, to have this turn
to the upland,

that's great.

-Hey, guys.
-Hey.

-Hey!
-Alex: What's up?

Narrator:
Arriving to search for artifacts

or valuable clues, that could
help identify more sections

of the stone pathway,

are metal detection
expert gary drayton

and rick and marty's nephew
david fornetti.

-Any finds?
-Nothing today.

Narrator:
Also joining the effort

is heavy equipment operator
billy gerhardt.

-(excavator beeping)
-there's the big trowel!

-Good day.
-All right, mate.

-Hey, gary.
-So, yeah.

We want to try and see
if we can find the elbow.

So maybe two bucket-widths back.
Just to be sure.

Okay.

(excavator beeping)

marty:
As cool as that road is
in the swamp,

it leads to more questions
than answers.

So, is it an indirect indicator
of potential treasure? Yes.

But it's just exactly that:
Indirect.

And so, against all odds,
I'm one of the biggest

proponents of digging up
the rest of it at this point.

And there's a lot undug yet.

Billy!

You're right
on top of it, there.

So we don't want
to go any deeper.

♪ ♪

(detector beeping)

(beeping rapidly)

yeah, I've got
a hit here, david.

(detector whines)

just there.

I'll stop billy
when he starts getting close.

-(detector beeps)
-oh, you got it out.

♪ ♪

it's this. Oh, my gosh!

Wow, this is fantastic!

It's a little cuff button,
that's what that is.

Narrator:
In the uplands,

northeast of
the triangle-shaped swamp,

metal detection expert
gary drayton

and david fornetti have
just made a potentially

telling discovery along
the stone pathway.

Gary:
And you can see,
it's a single loop.

That's the back where
it would have fastened

onto a sleeve
of a shirt or a jacket.

I would say this looks military.

More than likely a little
military cuff button.

That's a sweet find.

And if I was dating it, I'd
put it at 1750 to 1850, mate.

Narrator: A possible
military-style button?

Dating back
half a century before

the discovery of the money pit?

Although rick, marty
and the team have

found evidence of both british
and french military activity

on oak island
that predates 1795,

could this military button
help identify just who

was behind the pathway's
construction?

It's got a lot of detail
on that. A lot of design.

So, when that's cleaned up,

we'll definitely be able
to date this.

It's a nice little find,
crackin' little button.

If we can get a regiment,
we can get a date,

we can get a nationality.

You can gleam
a lot of information

off one single button.

This could be
a very valuable find.

Narrator: Having been alerted
to the discovery

of a possible bend
in the stone pathway,

rick lagina,

along with oak island
historian doug crowell,

arrive to help
with the investigation.

It looks a lot different.

-Oh, yeah.
-Yeah.

-So, this way?
-So just-- yeah.

We just want to--
I think this is the elbow.

So we just want to make sure.

-Rick: This, right here?
-Aaron: Yeah, yeah.

Is gary metal detecting that?

Doug:
Over there, in the pile,
as it's dumped. Yes.

Aaron:
I wonder if we should get him
in here right now.

Might as well. Better to
do it here than up on a hill.

Aaron:
Yeah.

-Rick: Hey, gary!
-Pardon?

Rick:
Want to come down here
and do this?

Yup, I'll come down.

Anything interesting down here?

Not yet--
you're about to find it.

Gary:
All right.

-(detector beeping)
-gary: Oh...

This is going to be fun.

Yeah.

We're definitely
getting signals.

(detector beeping)

there's definitely
something here.

It's definitely iron,
by the sound of it.

Miriam:
Yup. Right there.

This is a decent chunk.

Gary:
Wow! You got it out?

Yeah, what the heck...

This kind of reminds me
of an old fire grate.

That's what that reminds me of.

I bet this is part
of a fire grate.

Narrator:
A possible fire grate?

Look how big
that charcoal feature is.

Narrator:
Just one week ago,
the oak island team

uncovered the remains
of what appears to be

an ancient fire pit
next to the stone pathway.

Aaron:
You've got this big stone,
and then above it a big stone.

-Mm-hmm.
-And in that area,
you've got the fire.

Narrator: A fire pit that,
much like the pine tar kiln

discovered earlier
this year on lot 15,

was likely used for a major
construction operation.

Because the archaeological team
suspects that the pine tar kiln

was used to construct
the original money pit,

they are just as curious
to identify what the fire pit

near the swamp
was used to create.

Could the discovery
of a possible fire grate

bring them closer
to finding out?

Makes sense
if you think about it.

-Could be some kind of grate
that they used on the fire.
-Yeah.

And they go back a long way.

They go back all the way
to roman days.

This is a great find.
This-this is getting exciting.

All right.

Let's see if we got
anything else.

Narrator:
The following morning,

marty lagina
and archeologist laird niven

join doug crowell
in the research center.

Marty:
Hey, doug.

Hey, gentlemen.
Thanks for dropping by.

Yeah. What you got for us?

I've got a couple of artifacts
from dan's archives.

Yeah.

There's several artifacts
he-he's kept.

Narrator: After the discovery
of the barringer survey

in the files of dan blankenship,

doug has been combing through
the rest of his archives to look

for any more clues that might
aid the team's current efforts

to solve the 226-year-old
treasure mystery.

-This was all in dan's basement?
-Yeah.

What caught my interest
immediately:

This actually says "found in
the swamp by dan blankenship

in the 1970s."

-dan seems to have
kept everything.
-Good.

Doug:
But what was in there is this.

This apparently was found
in the swamp in the 1970s.

Marty:
What do you think it is?

I'm thinking it's forged.

-Marty: That looks like a latch.
-Mm-hmm.

Narrator:
A possible hand-forged latch?

Found nearly 50 years ago
in the swamp?

Since the team has made
curiously similar finds

this year near the stone road,

such as the gold-colored knob,
which artifact conservator

sandy campbell believes might
have come from a jewel chest,

as well as a potentially
ancient lock,

could this object be connected
to those discoveries?

And perhaps offer
more evidence related

to the treasure mystery?

Marty:
I don't know what that is,
doug, but it's cool.

You know who comes to mind
immediately: Carmen legge.

-Yeah, I can touch base with him
and see what he thinks about it.
-Marty: That'd be great, doug.

Doug:
Will do.

Narrator:
Later that afternoon,

as the drilling operation
continues at smith's cove...

Doug:
There's an awful lot of getting
up and down in archeology.

Rick:
Yup, I'm there with you, doug.

Narrator: ...Doug crowell
has rejoined rick lagina,

and archeologists
miriam amirault

and dr. Aaron taylor,

to continue investigating
the stone pathway extending

out of the northeastern
border of the swamp.

About a hundred years ago,
the dig site director

would just sit in a chair
and people would

-just bring him things.
-Doug: Oh.

Sounds like a good
position to have.

-(aaron laughs)
-it's not gonna happen, aaron.

(all laughing)

hey, aaron.

Do you want to
take a look at this?

Aaron:
Nice. I like that.

From the shape,
just the squareness of it,

it looks like
it went into a musket.

I think it might be
a piece of gunflint, rick.

Doug: So you mean
like flintlock weapons.

Aaron:
Yeah. Muskets.

-Yeah.
-Yeah.

When did flintlocks
first come into use?

Aaron:
Well, gunflints, again,

you know they had them
in the american revolution.

And when the europeans
first came,

the french
and the british had them.

-Doug: So early 1600s.
-Early 1600s.

Narrator:
A flintlock from a musket?

Possibly dating back to
the early 17th century?

Could it be more evidence,
like the button located

one day ago by gary drayton,
that might help determine

the identity of just who
built the stone pathway?

Aaron:
That's one definitely
we'll look at in the lab.

Something happened in
this one specific area.

-Yup.
-What do we make of it?

We have something
that's human-made here.

We've got burning,

-we've got artifacts.
-Yeah.

To me, this road was
built before the start

of the treasure hunt, as proven
by the artifacts that are on it.

-True.
-And I think

we're close and we just got to

-get it across the finish line.
-Yeah.

Rick:
Great day, everybody.

Narrator: As another day
dawns on oak island,

and while the investigation
of the stone pathway

continues near the swamp...

Rick: Gonna find treasure
this morning?

-We'll find out.
-(all laugh)

narrator:
...Rick lagina and steve guptill

arrive at smith's cove

to check on the progress
of the core drilling operation

in borehole nf-1,

where the team is investigating
a possible cache

of precious metals buried
some 100 feet deep,

which were identified
on the barringer survey,

conducted almost 30 years ago

by dan blankenship
and his partner david tobias.

Steve g.:
Man, that's some nice till.

Charles:
That's pretty solid stuff.

Terry:
This is embedded clay.

-How deep is this?
-Brennan: 79.

-This is 79?
-Yeah.

Terry:
Okay, yup.

All right, I've seen enough
of this, this is in situ.

Okay, let's get the next one
up on the table.

Our next few cores
are our target depth.

We're into the 88-foot range.

Narrator:
Because the soils being
brought up in the core samples

are densely packed
with hard clay,

this means,
at least at this depth,

that the ground would be ideal
for constructing tunnels,

which have also been identified
on the barringer survey.

-Which way does it go?
-That way. That way.

Okay, that's not
exactly a good sign.

It looks like we're out
of this very dense clay,

into a limestone-rich sediment.

So, we-we're grading
out of our clay

into a more crumbly,
limestone crumble.

You're not gonna tunnel in that.

It's gonna be tricky, yeah.

Rick: I don't know
what to make of it.

There was some cobble
and some loose gravels.

That does not a tunnel make.

We want to find that tunnel
on the first hole.

I mean, it-it's human nature.

It doesn't mean
that all is lost.

It's just the first hole.

I think everyone would agree,

this is too crumbly
to tunnel through.

Yeah, I would call it poor
tunnel terrain, absolutely.

Rick:
It goes from almost
a perfect medium to...

-I mean, you'd have to
crib this, hundred percent.
-Yes.

And I don't even know
if that would be safe.

You'd have to work
your way along.

It would be a struggle
all the way.

-I think we call the hole.
-Yeah.

There's no tunneling
through that.

Calculate the second spot

-and we'll move.
-Okay.

Rick: It's not that
we're not in the right area,

-it's just
the target's not there.
-Yeah.

I know there's a fascination
with the nonferrous target

'cause it's "treasure."

if it were me, I'd try
to confirm the tunnel.

Steve g.:
We're getting close.

-I would move it... Right there.
-Rick: Why not move it to there?

Yeah. Let's do that.

Yeah, I-I'd go there.

Narrator: Although their
first attempt to confirm

that treasure might actually be

buried at smith's cove
has proven unsuccessful,

the team will now move
the sonic drill rig

15 feet to the east and focus
on a larger target identified

on the barringer survey
as a possible tunnel.

If they can at least
find evidence

of man-made workings
deep underground,

it will offer good reason that
this effort is worth pursuing.

Just for the record,
our second hole is going

to be the east point
of the golden anomaly.

Rick: Steve,
if you could put a pin in,

so mike and colton
can get after this.

-Steve g.: Will do.
-Rick: Thank you.

Narrator:
Later that afternoon,

some 50 miles north
in centreville, nova scotia,

oak island historian
doug crowell

and project manager
scott barlow

arrive at northville farms.

-Carmen: Oh, lookie here.
You're back again, are ya?
-Doug: Yup.

Narrator:
They have arranged

for blacksmithing expert
carmen legge

to examine the metal artifact

that doug found in the archives
of rick and marty's

late partner dan blankenship.

This particular artifact
was found 50 years ago.

-50 years ago? Wow.
-Yeah.

So, found in the swamp
around 1970.

Carmen:
Oh, okay.

Doug: Very near where
we're exploring now.

And we're hoping you might
have an idea of what it is.

Carmen:
Wow, this is very unique.

Made of several layers.

That construction
of layered metal,

which is not iron or steel,
is a very, very old technique.

I think it has something to do
with weapons or military use.

Like on top of a cannon
or some type of guns

-or-or that sort of thing.
-Doug: Really?

Narrator:
Part of a cannon?

Found in the oak island swamp?

Could it be connected to the
evidence of a signal cannon,

which the team discovered
just two weeks ago

on lot 15 between
the swamp and the money pit?

Carmen: This had something
to do with explosives.

It was strong
and I think these holes

released pressure of the powder.

And I think that
what you see trapped

in there is burnt gunpowder.

Well, we have found
military-style buttons

-on the island.
-Yeah.

Off of... Off uniforms.

So they would have had,
uh, weapons of some sort.

And if this is off a cannon,
it's a fairly big one.

So, from the craftsmanship
of this,

any idea of the period of time?

Oh, this is really, really old.

They started making weapons
using gunpowder

in the middle 1400s.

-Wow.
-It's very indicative of

that type of construction,
in that time period.

(laughs)

doug:
There's that date again.

Carmen:
That's right, yup.

-Doug: There's that date again.
-Carmen: That's right, yup.

I'm curious as to
where's the rest of it?

Narrator:
At northville farms,

some 50 miles north
of oak island,

blacksmithing expert
carmen legge has just given

his opinion that the artifact
dan blankenship reportedly found

in the swamp back in the 1970s

came from a large cannon,
dating back

as far as the early 1400s.

Carmen:
Did he not find any more?

Doug: It might still be
at the bottom of the swamp.

It could very well be, yeah.

Narrator: If carmen's
assessment is correct,

could this discovery
be connected to other finds

the team has made matching
that same time period?

Such as the pieces
of keg barrel,

also found this year
in the swamp?

Perhaps the tunneling tools,
known as swages,

unearthed on lot 21 last year?

Or even possibly the lead cross,

discovered three years ago
at smith's cove,

which might be connected
to the knights templar?

The richness of the story,
it just keeps expanding.

I always believed that
there were interesting finds

in the swamp.

In terms of connection
to past historical events,

I don't think anyone
can say to themselves,

"oh, there's nothing to that."

thanks, carmen.

You're very welcome, yeah.
Very interesting piece.

-Thanks for bringing it.
-Yeah.

-See ya, carmen.
-Carmen: See ya!

Narrator:
Later that afternoon...

-Doug: Hey, marty.
-Marty: What'd you find out?

Narrator: ...After returning
to oak island, doug crowell

and scott barlow
meet with marty lagina

in the research center.

Might be easier if
I lay it out here, I guess.

All right.

Douog: This is what we took
up to carmen legge.

His impression of what it is,
is surprising.

He thinks it's a part of a--
you tell him, scott.

-He thinks it's part
of a cannon.
-Really?

-Yup.
-How so?

Well, he believes
this was mounted

on the back of the cannon.
You would put your wick in here.

-In there?
-And this would be

exhaust ports here
where the blowback

would come out and down
and knock back at you.

-Really?
-Doug: He thought he even

saw the remains of black powder.

He did give us a period,
didn't he, scott?

Scott:
Earliest was early 1400s.

Marty: Boy, I wouldn't
have guessed that.

How sure was he?

He spoke with conviction.

1400s cannon?

Yeah.

You know, dan might've
discarded something

as irrelevant or-or stuffed it
away in-in a file

because it didn't make sense
to his conception

of what was going on.

But-but now that we have
a lot more data,

uh, it's really valuable.

It's a happy thing that
there's a bunch of data

in dan's basement and I guess

dan's still helping us
in that aspect.

Let's get it into the hands
of an armament expert because,

you know, if that's verified?
It's a big clue.

Great, find the rest of
the cannon and call me back.

-(laughter)
-doug: Will do.

Narrator:
The following morning...

Gary: I love the smell
of treasure in the morning.

Narrator: ...Metal detection
expert gary drayton

and david fornetti

join rick and alex lagina,

along with archeologists
miriam amirault

and dr. Aaron taylor,

to continue unearthing
more of the stone pathway

and also to search for
any clues that might reveal

just who constructed it,
and for what purpose.

Gary: I'll start down
at the bottom here.

(detector beeping)

yeah, that's a little
squeaky piece of iron.

Ooh, look at that!

That's nice.

That is beautiful, isn't it?

Look at that.

Aaron:
Yeah, that is nice.

So, this is
a transfer print ware.

It dates quite early.

And what kind of date
are we looking at on that?

It's definitely, uh,
pre-searcher material.

Probably early 1760s.

-Gary: Oh, wow, that's old.
-Aaron: Yeah.

But what nationality?

Is that native to this area,
or does it come from europe?

Aaron: This comes from europe.
It would have been french.

Narrator:
Ancient french pottery?

Found on the stone pathway?

Because no previous searches

since the discovery
of the money pit in 1795

have ever documented
this feature,

could this discovery
be potential evidence

of who was behind
its construction,

and the oak island mystery?

Aaron: So, just a tiny
little thing like this

can give us so much information.

So, it's really,
actually a really exciting find.

But every piece
of information helps.

-So we need to find more.
-Aaron: We need to find more.

Narrator: As rick
and members of the team

investigate the stone pathway,

over on the eastern end
of the island at smith's cove,

geologist terry matheson

and oak island historian
charles barkhouse

continue to supervise
the drilling operation

looking for evidence
of a tunnel,

and a stockpile
of precious metals

that were identified
as possibly existing

more than 100 feet underground

by a radio wave scan
conducted in 1988

known as the barringer survey.

What was the last
depth there, colton?

-134.
-Charles: 134?

Okay.

Terry:
Hey, charles, where are we?

Charles:
134.

Here we go.

Okay, what have we here?

Let's have a look.

So this, to me, is just
the continuation of a fracture.

Gypsum material falling
back into the fracture

from both sides.

Unfortunately,
I don't see anything other than

mother nature here.
It's not a tunnel.

The lack of artifacts
and the presence of all this

sheared-up geology says
we probably can stop this hole.

Narrator: Because terry has
identified geological evidence

of a fracture
in the bedrock below,

could that explain the anomaly
on the barringer survey

that appeared as though
it could be a tunnel?

If so, what would explain
the readings

for possible precious metals
like silver or gold?

Rick: The fact
that we didn't find it,

you could've missed it

by an inch, you could've
missed it by five feet.

But again, time and weather
conspire against us

and we have a lot
of search agenda,

I.E., drilling remaining to do.

So we gave it two attempts.

We weren't successful.

It doesn't mean it's not there.

Terry:
I believe this hole,

-nfm-2, is done.
-Is done. Okay.

-Terry: I'll give rick a call.
-Charles: Yeah.

-Marty: Hey, guys.
-Craig: How's it going?

-Hey, guys.
-Hey, guys.

Narrator:
In the oak island war room,

marty lagina, craig tester

and jack begley
are meeting with rick lagina

and doug crowell
via video conference

to discuss the results
of the drilling operation

at smith's cove,

and how best to move forward
with harsh fall weather

already here
and winter fast approaching.

So, what happened?

It's not what we
were hoping for.

Doug: We've got no gold
or precious metals to put

on the table at all. You know?

But we took two shots that--
we knew it was a long shot.

And really,

to do full justice to it,
we'd need 16 holes

to cover it completely.

So the silver lining in this

might be that we might
still be able to repeat this

when we get out
of this pandemic.

Rick:
So I think the targets

that were seen by barringer
certainly could have

-been seen.
-Doug: I don't think we
can put an x through it yet.

Rick: I don't think the door
is closed on this yet.

I think we need to
do some homework,

but the door remains open
to the possibility

of either duplicating

the survey,

or set up over it and drill it.

We will continue to pursue this,

but it may have to be
put on a back burner.

Okay, but in the meantime,
what do we do with the rig?

Well, I think we come
back up to the money pit.

We want to look
at our current grid,

see where there's some
unexplored space.

Let's do it.
I mean, that's my vote.

Craig:
Yes. We can look at either

duplicating this study

with a very low frequency
in the mag-data.

You know, I think we just
make this a research agenda

for down the road,
and we get back to

drilling at the money pit.

Rick: Get us a few days
to look at the documents

and then go back
to the money pit.

Okay. Well, let's-let's give up

on the barringer survey
for right now.

But, doug, next time we're
discussing drilling results,

will you please not use
the term "silver lining"?

(all laugh)

my heart jumped.

I'll try not to.

(laughs):
Yeah.

Okay. Good deal.

-Rick: All right, see ya.
-Craig: Bye, guys.

Narrator:
Later that afternoon...

Billy, can you do
right-right about there?

-Yup.
-Yup.
-Okay.

Narrator:
...Rick, marty and craig

send steve guptill

and members of the team to the
southern border of the swamp.

After making a number
of significant discoveries

in this area that may date as
far back as the 14th century,

including pieces
of wooden cargo barrels,

iron ringbolts,

and part of a cannon,
originally unearthed

more than five decades ago
by dan blankenship,

they will begin an even deeper
excavation of the area

to see what else
might be buried here.

Billy?

-Yeah?
-You can go deeper.

Okay.

I'll grab my gps.

Narrator: As heavy equipment
operator billy gerhardt

removes the tons of muck
and mud, hoping to unearth

new clues or anything
of value...

There's bottom.

Narrator: ...Surveyor
steve guptill will be

recording the depths
once they reach the bottom,

or hardpan, in order
to build a computer model

of what this area
looked like centuries ago

when the swamp may have
been an open harbor.

Steve g.:
We're gonna dig a long--

like almost a trench--
through the swamp.

A cross section, really.
It will help us to see

if there was a spot
deep enough in the swamp

to get a small boat
or small ship in,

and they'd be able to
dock it at the paved area.

-We're getting deeper here, eh?
-Scott: Yup.

Could you dig it a little
closer to your track?

Yup.

Marty:
Getting down to the hardpan,

where this deep part

of the swamp might've been
some sort of little harbor,

that is extremely important.

To me, the main targets
in the swamp would be

any artifacts that might've
fallen to the bottom

when it was a lot deeper,
and maybe open to the sea.

That's deep.

Scott:
Nine feet there, I'd say.

-Yeah.
-At least, yeah.

That's bottom there?

No.

Doesn't that feel like till?

-No?
-No.

Doug:
How do you explain that?

There's something on the bottom
there, and I'm not joking.

Is that a piece
of cut wood there?

Or is that the corner of a rock?

Is that cut wood or not?

Or just did I split it
with the bucket?

It might be. I'll go get it.

Oh, look, they got something.

Doug:
Oh, look at that.

What have you got?

It looks like
a piece of finished wood.

Narrator:
While excavating

at the southern border
of the oak island swamp,

billy gerhardt, along with
other members of the team,

have just unearthed what may be
an important discovery.

Doug: It's very smooth,
seems really polished.

I mean, I can't see that
happening naturally.

I'm going to toss it in to ya.

It seems like a pretty solid
piece of wood.

That's beautiful, actually.

Doug:
It looks like a handrail.

Or the top of some baluster.

Billy: Yeah, the top
of your ship, right?

Around, uh,
around your rail, right?

Scott:
Yup.

Narrator:
Part of a possible

ship's railing?

Discovered in
the oak island swamp?

Could it be connected
to the nearby stone road,

believed to have once been
part of a ships' wharf?

And also offer further evidence

that the swamp was once
an open harbor?

Doug:
Hey, look at the
rounded corners on that

and everything, that's like
it's been sanded down.

That does look like a rail.

And billy's saying that we're
on something down there

that we're not getting down
to the bottom.

Billy:
We can't get to the sand.

There's wood or something
at the bottom there.

Doug: Some-something is
blocking us there, yeah.

Something down there quite deep.

Narrator:
A large object,

blocking the excavator's
ability to dig below,

where part of a possible ship's
railing was just recovered?

Alex g.:
Good to go whenever
you guys are good to go.

I'm more than ready.
I think the swamp

has answers and I want 'em.

Narrator: Two years ago,
after conducting

a seismic scanning survey
across the entire swamp...

(explosions)

...Rick, marty, craig
and the team were astonished

that a 200-foot-long anomaly,
that eerily resembled the shape

of a massive sailing vessel,
was detected in this same area.

Jeremy:
It's very unusual.

Marty: Let's not just
dork around anymore.

Would it be s-h-I-p? Would that
be what everybody's thinking?

Narrator: Although
subsequent drilling was unable

to reveal any definitive proof
of what the object was,

is it possible that the team
may now be close to finding out?

This is pretty exciting, scott.
Why don't you give rick a call.

Yeah.

-Here's another piece of it.
Look at that!
-Oh, look at that.

Doug: We found another
piece of it, guys.

This is a nicely worked
piece of wood.

This is crafted,
and it looks like a railing.

There's something down there
keeping us from digging deeper.

The bucket is sliding along
something and it's not rocks.

If we can get eyes down there,

I think we're going
to find a lot more.

-Charles: Hey, guys.
-Hey, guys.

-Hey.
-Hey.

Scott: So, this came up
from quite a depth.

I mean, it looks to be quite a-a
uniquely finished piece of wood.

Charles:
You put your hand
around it, rick,

it has that feel, you know.

What do you think?
You're the guy to ask.

This looks like
a finished piece of wood,

this is out of place
down there for sure.

It-it looks like railing.
It looks like ship's railing.

And it looks kind of
square hole there as well,

which is a good sign.

So there would have been
a square fastener there,

making it old,
if it's an old iron fastener.

Marty:
Virtually every time
we dig in the swamp,

we find something.

Um...

We haven't found
the answer we seek yet,

but-but it clearly
played a role

in what happened on oak island.

And not just in a small sense.

Steve g.:
I have that at ten feet
below sea level. That's deep.

Doug: We haven't been able
to get by whatever's

down there obstructing us
to get to the bottom.

We haven't reached bottom yet.

You're scraping on it right now?

Yeah.

-Can you see anything in there?
-No.

You can't get
close enough to the hole.

Why not?

It's all slumping in.

It's really unstable.

Where is it, in relation
to the... To the hole?

The whole length of the hole.

Rick: We have to find out
what that is.

I've always believed
that there were

some answers in the swamp.

It's the keeper of secrets.

You know, even as a young child,

I remember looking
at the little map

on the reader's digest article

and thinking: Why is that,
why is that swamp there?

You always wonder: What's at
the bottom? What's down there?

I still feel the same way
about the swamp.

What's down there?

What's it hiding?

Look, you guys
a-are making a great case

that there's some answers
down there.

So, whatever it takes.
Seriously.

It's a great find
and it presents

all kinds of possibilities.

I wish it were 9:00
instead of the...

Latter part of the evening,

but it's time to call it a day

and come back
with a plan tomorrow.

-Very cool. Very cool.
-Gary: Yup.

Good eyes.

Top-pocket find.

(all laugh)

gary:
Good one, billy.

Narrator:
Despite the frustrating setbacks

that the laginas and their team

must sometimes endure
as they work to unravel

a 226-year-old mystery,

their persistence

and willingness to learn
from those who came before them

may have finally
brought them to the brink

of a major
breakthrough discovery.

Will the swamp lead them
to the ultimate answers,

and reward,
that generations have been

searching for since 1795?

Or, will they discover

that it is only one part
of this incredible story?

Narrator: Next time on
the curse of oak island...

-Steve g.: Look at this!
Something in there.
-Charles: What is that?

-This could be it, man.
-What's in that thing?

-Holy cow!
-Steve g.: Oh, wow.

These artifacts
are pre-searchers.

-Marty: Whoa.
-What was going on here?

That is the question.

Oh, what the heck is that?

Aaron:
Wow, that is very badly burned.

-Part of a ship.
-Alex: Wow.

Steve g.:
He's getting close.

Doug:
Oh, look at that.

-Whoa, whoa!
-Hey, hey!

There's a big timber
running this way.

Rick:
Oh, baby.

Gary:
Oh, that's fantastic!

Captioning provided by
a+e networks