1 00:00:02,878 --> 00:00:04,211 Narrator: Tonight on the curse of oak island... 2 00:00:04,296 --> 00:00:05,796 This is typical of something to do with 3 00:00:05,881 --> 00:00:07,756 -ships or parts of ships. -David f.: Wow. 4 00:00:07,842 --> 00:00:10,342 Alex: There's a couple of wharfs on samuel ball's property. 5 00:00:10,386 --> 00:00:11,510 Yes, alex. Right here is the second one. 6 00:00:15,891 --> 00:00:17,641 We were 75 to 100 feet from shore. 7 00:00:17,727 --> 00:00:19,852 -Yeah. -So, that's a huge wharf. 8 00:00:19,937 --> 00:00:22,855 -Yeah. -Rick: Why do you need such a massive wharf? 9 00:00:22,898 --> 00:00:25,899 -Alex: Take a look at this. We found a coin. -Gary: Look at that! 10 00:00:25,985 --> 00:00:28,485 -Alex: I think that's gold. -It's stunning. 11 00:00:30,698 --> 00:00:34,283 Narrator: There is an island in the north atlantic 12 00:00:34,368 --> 00:00:37,786 where people have been looking for an incredible treasure 13 00:00:37,872 --> 00:00:41,081 for more than 200 years. 14 00:00:41,167 --> 00:00:44,084 So far, they have found a stone slab 15 00:00:44,170 --> 00:00:46,837 with strange symbols carved into it, 16 00:00:46,922 --> 00:00:49,631 mysterious fragments of human bone, 17 00:00:49,717 --> 00:00:53,427 and a lead cross whose origin may stretch back 18 00:00:53,512 --> 00:00:55,971 to the days of the knights templar. 19 00:00:56,057 --> 00:01:00,559 To date, six men have died trying to solve the mystery. 20 00:01:01,604 --> 00:01:03,687 And, according to legend, 21 00:01:03,773 --> 00:01:06,732 one more will have to die 22 00:01:06,817 --> 00:01:10,486 before the treasure can be found. 23 00:01:14,116 --> 00:01:16,158 ♪ ♪ 24 00:01:21,749 --> 00:01:23,749 -aaron: Hey, rick. -Rick: Hey. 25 00:01:23,834 --> 00:01:26,585 -I see you started. -Aaron: Yeah. We're getting through it. 26 00:01:26,670 --> 00:01:29,004 -Rick: Okay. -Aaron: We're finding stuff right away, so... 27 00:01:29,090 --> 00:01:31,090 -Rick: Oh, really? -If you want to 28 00:01:31,133 --> 00:01:33,342 -get in there and keep pulling that back... -Right here? 29 00:01:33,427 --> 00:01:35,135 -Right there? -Aaron: Yeah, that little island there. 30 00:01:35,221 --> 00:01:38,097 -Rick: Yep. Yep. -And we'll dump the buckets right on top of here. 31 00:01:38,182 --> 00:01:40,224 -Fair enough. -All right. 32 00:01:40,309 --> 00:01:42,559 Narrator: As a new day begins on oak island, 33 00:01:42,645 --> 00:01:46,396 brothers rick and marty lagina, along with their team, 34 00:01:46,482 --> 00:01:49,233 remain focused on their historic investigation 35 00:01:49,318 --> 00:01:52,277 in and around the triangle-shaped swamp, 36 00:01:52,363 --> 00:01:55,072 looking for more critical clues that could help solve 37 00:01:55,157 --> 00:01:58,242 a 226-year-old treasure mystery. 38 00:01:58,327 --> 00:02:00,577 Aaron: So, moving upslope... 39 00:02:00,663 --> 00:02:03,789 I think our best hope is to follow the artifacts 40 00:02:03,874 --> 00:02:05,290 and stuff like coal, 41 00:02:05,334 --> 00:02:07,000 which we've found along the road, 42 00:02:07,086 --> 00:02:09,795 -is a really good artifact to find. -Sure. 43 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:12,381 You know, ceramics, they help us date the road. 44 00:02:12,466 --> 00:02:15,384 But anything that might be associated with a cart, 45 00:02:15,469 --> 00:02:18,887 with oxen, and coal, I think are the big ones. 46 00:02:18,973 --> 00:02:20,305 Okay. 47 00:02:20,391 --> 00:02:22,599 Narrator: Over the course 48 00:02:22,685 --> 00:02:24,601 of their discovery work this year, 49 00:02:24,687 --> 00:02:26,812 which was delayed by two months 50 00:02:26,856 --> 00:02:28,438 because of the covid-19 pandemic, 51 00:02:28,482 --> 00:02:31,775 the team has found not only compelling evidence 52 00:02:31,861 --> 00:02:34,570 that the swamp was once an open harbor or throughway 53 00:02:34,655 --> 00:02:36,572 between two islands 54 00:02:36,657 --> 00:02:40,200 but also numerous discoveries suggesting a deliberately 55 00:02:40,286 --> 00:02:43,912 hidden operation to bring heavy cargo of some kind here. 56 00:02:44,874 --> 00:02:48,250 These finds include a massive stone ship's wharf, 57 00:02:48,335 --> 00:02:51,461 pieces of 15th-century cargo barrels... 58 00:02:52,339 --> 00:02:55,841 ...And also a cobblestone pathway, 59 00:02:55,926 --> 00:02:58,802 one that runs northward along the eastern border 60 00:02:58,888 --> 00:03:01,138 of the swamp, which branches off somewhere 61 00:03:01,223 --> 00:03:03,307 into the uplands of the island. 62 00:03:03,392 --> 00:03:06,059 Now, with winter fast approaching, 63 00:03:06,145 --> 00:03:09,813 rick, marty and the team are tirelessly continuing 64 00:03:09,899 --> 00:03:12,149 to track the pathway to its end, 65 00:03:12,234 --> 00:03:15,777 possibly to the location of the original money pit. 66 00:03:20,075 --> 00:03:21,992 That looks like... 67 00:03:23,078 --> 00:03:26,496 Pottery. I think so. 68 00:03:26,582 --> 00:03:28,832 Looking at it, it looked like it had lines on it. 69 00:03:28,918 --> 00:03:31,001 Aaron: That's, uh, annular ware. 70 00:03:31,086 --> 00:03:32,961 And the annular ware we know 71 00:03:33,047 --> 00:03:34,463 comes in early 1750s. 72 00:03:34,548 --> 00:03:36,632 So, we're still pre-searcher. 73 00:03:36,717 --> 00:03:37,966 Pre-searcher? Absolutely. 74 00:03:38,052 --> 00:03:40,552 Marty: The pottery adds to the mountains of data 75 00:03:40,596 --> 00:03:43,764 that this road is very old and can't be younger 76 00:03:43,849 --> 00:03:47,517 than probably the turn of the 1700s to 1800s. 77 00:03:47,603 --> 00:03:49,353 Can't be any younger than that. 78 00:03:49,438 --> 00:03:51,021 There's a piece right there. 79 00:03:51,065 --> 00:03:53,190 If you want to see it in situ. 80 00:03:53,275 --> 00:03:55,067 Aaron: Oh, yeah. 81 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:06,995 Just going to give it a good wash. 82 00:04:07,081 --> 00:04:10,666 -Hang on. Here's another one. -Aaron: Oh. 83 00:04:14,630 --> 00:04:17,422 -Similar level, too. -Rick: Yep. 84 00:04:19,468 --> 00:04:20,759 Same thing. 85 00:04:23,514 --> 00:04:25,305 Aaron: This is a stoneware, too. 86 00:04:25,391 --> 00:04:27,766 You can see, even before cleaning it, 87 00:04:27,810 --> 00:04:30,519 it's been badly burned. 88 00:04:31,397 --> 00:04:33,981 Narrator: Badly burned pottery? 89 00:04:34,066 --> 00:04:36,900 Gary: Oh, what the heck is that? 90 00:04:36,986 --> 00:04:40,070 Narrator: Just one week ago, metal detection expert 91 00:04:40,155 --> 00:04:42,781 gary drayton, along with rick and marty's nephew, 92 00:04:42,866 --> 00:04:46,910 david fornetti, discovered a badly burned iron rod. 93 00:04:46,996 --> 00:04:49,955 An iron rod that dr. Aaron taylor believes 94 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:52,624 may have been part of a large sailing vessel. 95 00:04:53,961 --> 00:04:58,422 Could this burned pottery be connected to that discovery? 96 00:04:58,507 --> 00:05:00,966 And, if so, is it another clue 97 00:05:01,010 --> 00:05:03,510 that the team is getting closer to discovering whatever caused 98 00:05:03,595 --> 00:05:06,596 the need for a carefully hidden pathway? 99 00:05:06,682 --> 00:05:09,308 Or, for that matter, an artificial swamp? 100 00:05:09,351 --> 00:05:11,518 Aaron: They're both stoneware. 101 00:05:11,603 --> 00:05:15,105 And if it's in the same area as the annular wares, 102 00:05:15,190 --> 00:05:18,483 then this can go back into 17... Mid-1700s as well. 103 00:05:18,527 --> 00:05:21,570 So, that's a nice find. 104 00:05:21,655 --> 00:05:24,865 -Same pattern. Same... -Aaron: Yeah. Look at that. 105 00:05:24,950 --> 00:05:28,243 -Fits like a glove. -Fits like a glove. 106 00:05:28,329 --> 00:05:29,411 Aaron: Yeah. Perfect. 107 00:05:29,496 --> 00:05:31,621 -Well, that's nice to find that. -Rick: Yes. 108 00:05:31,707 --> 00:05:33,999 Narrator: Although the clues that the team keep finding 109 00:05:34,084 --> 00:05:36,209 are revealing more evidence 110 00:05:36,295 --> 00:05:38,462 of where the stone pathway is heading, 111 00:05:38,547 --> 00:05:40,964 just how far will they have to keep going 112 00:05:41,050 --> 00:05:44,092 to find whatever might lie buried at the end of it? 113 00:05:44,178 --> 00:05:46,345 It's just one more inch that way. 114 00:05:46,430 --> 00:05:48,764 -It's always one more inch. -Is that what you tell yourself? 115 00:05:48,849 --> 00:05:51,058 -Yeah. -All right. 116 00:05:51,143 --> 00:05:53,560 Let's see if you're right. One more inch. 117 00:05:53,645 --> 00:05:55,520 Narrator: While rick, aaron and miriam 118 00:05:55,606 --> 00:05:58,648 continue investigating the stone pathway... 119 00:05:59,610 --> 00:06:02,652 -Charles: Hey, carmen. -Carmen: Well, lookee here. 120 00:06:02,738 --> 00:06:05,238 Narrator: ...Oak island historian charles barkhouse, 121 00:06:05,324 --> 00:06:08,617 david fornetti and treasure hunter dan henskee 122 00:06:08,702 --> 00:06:12,746 have arrived at northville farms in centreville, nova scotia 123 00:06:12,831 --> 00:06:14,748 to have blacksmithing expert carmen legge 124 00:06:14,833 --> 00:06:19,252 inspect the burned iron rod found one week ago in the swamp. 125 00:06:19,338 --> 00:06:21,171 Well, what do you got today, uh, charles? 126 00:06:21,256 --> 00:06:23,548 Well, I'm hoping you can tell us. 127 00:06:23,592 --> 00:06:25,842 Oh, well, you've got a big bar. 128 00:06:25,928 --> 00:06:27,386 Yeah. We've got a big bar is right. 129 00:06:29,431 --> 00:06:31,264 David f.: It's a really interesting piece. 130 00:06:31,350 --> 00:06:33,058 We have a bunch of different ideas 131 00:06:33,143 --> 00:06:35,727 of what it could be, but obviously, you're the expert, 132 00:06:35,771 --> 00:06:37,813 so we wanted to get your take on it. 133 00:06:37,898 --> 00:06:40,148 Well, let me just, uh, say 134 00:06:40,234 --> 00:06:42,776 what I see, and then you can probably 135 00:06:42,861 --> 00:06:44,152 -help out what it was for. -David f.: Yeah. 136 00:06:44,238 --> 00:06:47,239 -Yeah. -Carmen: It's about an inch in diameter. 137 00:06:47,324 --> 00:06:50,867 Uh, very consistent size all the way down through. 138 00:06:51,745 --> 00:06:54,746 This obviously had a broken piece on to it. 139 00:06:54,832 --> 00:06:58,166 So, it was an eye. So, this would be an eyebolt. 140 00:06:58,252 --> 00:07:01,670 So, carmen, do you have a date or a time frame for this piece? 141 00:07:01,755 --> 00:07:04,423 It could be as far back as the late 1600s. 142 00:07:04,466 --> 00:07:06,049 Wow. 143 00:07:06,093 --> 00:07:09,469 Narrator: A burned eyebolt found in the swamp? 144 00:07:09,555 --> 00:07:13,098 Dating back as far as the 17th century? 145 00:07:13,142 --> 00:07:15,851 -Rick: Wow. -Gary: Oh, wow, indeed. 146 00:07:15,936 --> 00:07:18,478 Narrator: Could it be connected to the large iron ringbolts 147 00:07:18,564 --> 00:07:21,148 the team has also found this year in the swamp, 148 00:07:21,233 --> 00:07:24,276 which date back to the same time period? 149 00:07:24,361 --> 00:07:27,070 And which the team also believes might have been used 150 00:07:27,156 --> 00:07:29,865 to haul cargo from a ship onto oak island? 151 00:07:29,950 --> 00:07:32,242 So, you mentioned that it was an eyebolt. 152 00:07:32,286 --> 00:07:35,120 I know on the island, we look a lot for ringbolts. 153 00:07:35,205 --> 00:07:37,873 Can you help me understand the difference between the two? 154 00:07:37,958 --> 00:07:39,791 The eyebolt would have the end 155 00:07:39,877 --> 00:07:42,252 of this tang would come around and butt onto this, right? 156 00:07:42,296 --> 00:07:44,880 So, there was a solid, uh, piece attached to this. 157 00:07:44,965 --> 00:07:48,675 A ringbolt-- the ring is-is loose, but it's inserted 158 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:50,469 through the bolt. 159 00:07:50,554 --> 00:07:53,263 This is just, like, one piece, whereas a ringbolt is two piece. 160 00:07:53,348 --> 00:07:55,140 -Mm-hmm. -Carmen: Usually two piece. 161 00:07:55,184 --> 00:07:57,476 A ringbolt is usually heavier, too. 162 00:07:57,519 --> 00:08:00,479 This is very typical of something to do 163 00:08:00,522 --> 00:08:04,024 with anchoring ships or parts of ships. 164 00:08:04,109 --> 00:08:08,403 -You know, ships are obviously of interest on oak island, so... -Absolutely. 165 00:08:08,489 --> 00:08:10,572 Well, certainly appreciate you 166 00:08:10,657 --> 00:08:12,866 shedding some light on what went on here. 167 00:08:12,951 --> 00:08:14,743 I know our team back on the island 168 00:08:14,828 --> 00:08:17,162 is going to be thrilled to hear about, uh, 169 00:08:17,247 --> 00:08:19,247 everything that we've learned, so we should probably pack 170 00:08:19,333 --> 00:08:20,790 this up and hit the road. 171 00:08:20,876 --> 00:08:21,875 Carmen: Very good. Yep. 172 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:23,126 -Great stuff. -David f.: Thank you. 173 00:08:23,212 --> 00:08:24,419 Charles: Thanks, carmen. 174 00:08:24,505 --> 00:08:25,795 Carmen: Have a safe trip. 175 00:08:27,382 --> 00:08:30,425 Narrator: Later that afternoon... 176 00:08:30,511 --> 00:08:33,345 As members of the team continue their work in the swamp... 177 00:08:33,430 --> 00:08:35,847 Alex: I brought a trowel in case you need some help. 178 00:08:35,891 --> 00:08:37,891 Oh, excellent. We can always use help. 179 00:08:37,976 --> 00:08:41,019 Narrator: ...Marty lagina's son alex arrives at the foundation 180 00:08:41,104 --> 00:08:44,856 of late 18th-century oak island landowner samuel ball. 181 00:08:44,942 --> 00:08:46,983 Laird: We've got the cellar all cleaned out. 182 00:08:47,069 --> 00:08:49,361 Just some final, you know, getting rid of dirt, 183 00:08:49,404 --> 00:08:51,821 -excavating in there. -Mm-hmm. It looks good. 184 00:08:51,907 --> 00:08:54,616 Narrator: It is here where archeologists 185 00:08:54,701 --> 00:08:56,576 laird niven and liz michels 186 00:08:56,662 --> 00:08:58,703 continue their meticulous investigation 187 00:08:58,747 --> 00:09:01,831 for clues that might help explain how mr. Ball, 188 00:09:01,917 --> 00:09:05,627 a simple cabbage farmer and former american slave, 189 00:09:05,712 --> 00:09:08,588 mysteriously became a very wealthy man 190 00:09:08,674 --> 00:09:10,674 by the early 19th century. 191 00:09:17,683 --> 00:09:20,016 ♪ ♪ 192 00:09:27,067 --> 00:09:29,025 alex: Piece of pottery here. 193 00:09:29,111 --> 00:09:32,153 Laird: Oh, you should find lots. 194 00:09:32,990 --> 00:09:35,323 I see why you needed somebody to sift. 195 00:09:35,409 --> 00:09:36,866 Laird: Yeah. 196 00:09:36,952 --> 00:09:38,702 It's, uh, it slows things... 197 00:09:38,787 --> 00:09:41,246 -I could be here all day. -It slows things down. 198 00:09:41,331 --> 00:09:43,206 That's true. 199 00:09:43,292 --> 00:09:45,083 Marty: I'm impressed with the patience these archaeologists 200 00:09:45,168 --> 00:09:47,752 have to unearth all of that with a trowel. 201 00:09:47,838 --> 00:09:50,589 I'm very interested in what's gone on on the ball foundation. 202 00:09:50,674 --> 00:09:53,008 They've been digging over there for quite some time, 203 00:09:53,093 --> 00:09:54,718 and I want to see it. 204 00:10:06,273 --> 00:10:08,565 -There you are. -Thank you. 205 00:10:16,033 --> 00:10:18,033 ♪ ♪ 206 00:10:20,329 --> 00:10:22,704 alex: Hey, look at this. 207 00:10:22,789 --> 00:10:29,628 Laird: Wow, that's cool. 208 00:10:29,671 --> 00:10:30,629 Alex: Hey, look at this. 209 00:10:30,714 --> 00:10:31,921 I got a coin. 210 00:10:31,965 --> 00:10:33,298 I think. 211 00:10:33,342 --> 00:10:35,216 Narrator: On lot 25, 212 00:10:35,302 --> 00:10:37,385 alex lagina has just found what could be 213 00:10:37,471 --> 00:10:39,471 a significant discovery in the spoils 214 00:10:39,514 --> 00:10:41,890 excavated from the ball foundation. 215 00:10:41,975 --> 00:10:44,934 -It's got... -Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. 216 00:10:45,020 --> 00:10:47,562 -Alex: A little green. -Laird: Yeah. 217 00:10:47,648 --> 00:10:49,981 Yeah, this looks old. It's got kind of... 218 00:10:50,025 --> 00:10:53,151 Irregular edges, like a flat portion. 219 00:10:53,195 --> 00:10:56,154 It does look like the design is a little off-center. 220 00:10:57,824 --> 00:11:00,158 I-I'll trust it to you. 221 00:11:03,705 --> 00:11:05,455 Laird: Well, it's heavy enough. 222 00:11:05,499 --> 00:11:06,831 Alex: When I first picked it out, 223 00:11:06,917 --> 00:11:09,376 I thought I could see a pattern, 224 00:11:09,461 --> 00:11:11,711 and it seemed off-center to me. 225 00:11:11,797 --> 00:11:14,339 Laird: Oh, I see what you mean. 226 00:11:14,424 --> 00:11:16,341 Part of the reason we're doing all this work 227 00:11:16,385 --> 00:11:19,219 on the ball foundation is to investigate the possibility 228 00:11:19,304 --> 00:11:21,721 that samuel ball had a closer involvement with the money pit 229 00:11:21,807 --> 00:11:23,556 than was previously known. 230 00:11:23,642 --> 00:11:26,643 So, if we can date this coin to the same time period 231 00:11:26,728 --> 00:11:28,645 as these other finds we're making, that's it. 232 00:11:28,689 --> 00:11:29,688 That's our connection. 233 00:11:29,773 --> 00:11:31,648 I see what you mean about the edges. 234 00:11:31,692 --> 00:11:34,693 Yeah. I think, uh, we'll bag it. 235 00:11:34,778 --> 00:11:36,653 Get it to the research center 236 00:11:36,738 --> 00:11:38,446 -and see what we can see. -Alex: Mm-hmm. 237 00:11:38,532 --> 00:11:40,281 I'll just-- I'll find a few more for you. 238 00:11:40,367 --> 00:11:42,367 Okay. Thank you. 239 00:11:44,329 --> 00:11:46,913 Narrator: Later that afternoon, 240 00:11:46,998 --> 00:11:50,041 after a chilly fall rainstorm has halted work 241 00:11:50,127 --> 00:11:52,877 near the swamp and at the ball foundation... 242 00:11:53,755 --> 00:11:55,755 -Laird: Hey, guys. -Rick: Hey. -Alex: Hey. 243 00:11:55,841 --> 00:11:58,216 -Take a look at this. -Wow. 244 00:11:58,260 --> 00:12:00,218 Narrator: ...Alex lagina and laird niven 245 00:12:00,303 --> 00:12:02,429 have gathered in the research center 246 00:12:02,514 --> 00:12:04,347 with rick, david and gary drayton 247 00:12:04,433 --> 00:12:06,808 to share their new discovery. 248 00:12:06,893 --> 00:12:10,103 So, this just came off of the ball property. 249 00:12:10,188 --> 00:12:11,730 Oh. 250 00:12:11,815 --> 00:12:14,190 Alex: Found it sifting through some of the stuff 251 00:12:14,276 --> 00:12:16,818 that-- the most recent test pit that laird's been doing. 252 00:12:16,903 --> 00:12:19,529 -Right by the edge of the house. -Yeah, northwest corner. 253 00:12:20,866 --> 00:12:22,657 Alex: So, if you look, 254 00:12:22,743 --> 00:12:25,410 -you see the anchor on the right. -Gary: Yeah. 255 00:12:25,454 --> 00:12:28,955 So, is the middle an anchor or is it a cross? 256 00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:31,624 If you pull it down to show the edge... 257 00:12:31,710 --> 00:12:34,711 -Gary: It'll be a larger anchor. -Laird: Yeah. 258 00:12:34,796 --> 00:12:36,671 -Well, there you can see it. -Alex: Right there. -Rick: There. Okay. 259 00:12:36,757 --> 00:12:38,256 Laird: Yep. 260 00:12:38,300 --> 00:12:40,425 There's three anchors. There's one on the right, 261 00:12:40,469 --> 00:12:42,260 there's a large one in the middle, and then there's one 262 00:12:42,304 --> 00:12:44,053 -on the left. -Rick: Oh, yeah. -Laird: Oh, yeah. 263 00:12:44,139 --> 00:12:46,765 -Gary: And you can see... -Alex: You can see the other one on the left. 264 00:12:46,808 --> 00:12:50,101 Yeah, it looks like little waves, and I can see 265 00:12:50,187 --> 00:12:52,562 a rope design around the outside of it. 266 00:12:55,358 --> 00:12:56,983 I know what that is. 267 00:12:57,068 --> 00:12:58,485 Rick: What is it? 268 00:12:58,570 --> 00:13:00,779 It's a-a navy jacket button. 269 00:13:00,822 --> 00:13:03,865 If it's got anchors on it and a rope design around it. 270 00:13:03,950 --> 00:13:07,786 Without a doubt, that is a british navy jacket button. 271 00:13:07,829 --> 00:13:09,537 Alex: What time period is this, though? 272 00:13:09,623 --> 00:13:13,458 Laird: 1804 to 1825. Solidly within the ball period. 273 00:13:13,502 --> 00:13:16,920 Narrator: A button from a member of the british navy? 274 00:13:17,005 --> 00:13:21,299 Discovered in the foundation of samuel ball's former home? 275 00:13:21,343 --> 00:13:24,803 Although he was a member of the british military 276 00:13:24,846 --> 00:13:26,930 during the american revolution, 277 00:13:27,015 --> 00:13:30,183 he was not known to have been part of the british navy. 278 00:13:30,268 --> 00:13:33,645 So, then just who did this button belong to? 279 00:13:35,690 --> 00:13:38,399 We've been searching and searching for some 280 00:13:38,485 --> 00:13:40,902 military connection to samuel ball because we know 281 00:13:40,987 --> 00:13:44,322 he served the british during our revolutionary war, 282 00:13:44,366 --> 00:13:46,115 uh, which is how he gained his freedom 283 00:13:46,159 --> 00:13:47,867 and came to nova scotia, so... 284 00:13:47,953 --> 00:13:50,954 -I think you just made that connection. -Yeah. 285 00:13:51,039 --> 00:13:53,289 Alex: It's one of the nicest buttons we've found 286 00:13:53,375 --> 00:13:56,668 -in terms of legibility. -Rick: The front is spectacular. 287 00:13:56,711 --> 00:13:58,878 -Gary: Yeah. -Rick: I mean, those anchors are amazing. 288 00:13:58,964 --> 00:14:01,047 I look forward to-to seeing how much information 289 00:14:01,132 --> 00:14:02,674 -we can get off of this. -Yeah. 290 00:14:02,717 --> 00:14:04,676 -It's a beautiful piece. -Laird: Oh, yeah. 291 00:14:04,719 --> 00:14:07,053 Rick: Whether there's more information or not. 292 00:14:07,138 --> 00:14:09,347 -It's stunning. -Gary: Yeah. 293 00:14:09,391 --> 00:14:11,391 I think that is... 294 00:14:11,476 --> 00:14:13,518 Gold or gilding right there. 295 00:14:13,603 --> 00:14:15,854 -Laird: I think so. That would make sense. -Gary: Yeah. 296 00:14:15,897 --> 00:14:18,189 That would point to officer though, wouldn't it? 297 00:14:18,275 --> 00:14:21,693 Yeah, normally the officers had the... 298 00:14:21,778 --> 00:14:23,987 -The gilded buttons. -Yeah. 299 00:14:24,030 --> 00:14:26,364 Narrator: An officer's button? 300 00:14:26,408 --> 00:14:28,741 If so, why did a high-ranking 301 00:14:28,827 --> 00:14:31,244 british naval officer visit the home 302 00:14:31,329 --> 00:14:33,538 of samuel ball on oak island? 303 00:14:33,582 --> 00:14:37,125 And could it have something to do with the mysterious wealth 304 00:14:37,210 --> 00:14:39,085 ball came to possess? 305 00:14:39,170 --> 00:14:41,296 Marty: It's a royal navy button and, apparently, 306 00:14:41,381 --> 00:14:44,048 it would be somebody on a ship of some import. 307 00:14:44,092 --> 00:14:45,967 An important person. 308 00:14:46,052 --> 00:14:49,470 What's that doing in samuel ball's foundation? 309 00:14:49,556 --> 00:14:53,182 I mean, we're talking about an officer being in his house. 310 00:14:53,226 --> 00:14:55,560 That's kind of a big deal, I think. 311 00:14:55,645 --> 00:14:58,021 Okay. Thank you. Thanks for calling. Good find. 312 00:14:58,064 --> 00:15:00,064 -Alex: We will keep you posted. Thank you. -All right, mate. 313 00:15:00,108 --> 00:15:01,691 All right. See you later, guys. 314 00:15:06,948 --> 00:15:09,198 Narrator: The following morning... 315 00:15:09,242 --> 00:15:11,200 -Gary: Hey, guys. -Aaron: Hey, gary. 316 00:15:11,286 --> 00:15:13,745 Narrator: ...Gary drayton and david fornetti 317 00:15:13,788 --> 00:15:17,707 join rick lagina and archeologists dr. Aaron taylor 318 00:15:17,792 --> 00:15:21,419 and miriam amirault near the northeastern border of the swamp 319 00:15:21,463 --> 00:15:23,922 to continue searching for valuable clues 320 00:15:23,965 --> 00:15:26,507 along the mysterious stone pathway, 321 00:15:26,593 --> 00:15:30,094 and for more evidence of just where it leads. 322 00:15:30,180 --> 00:15:34,432 -Gary: Wow, looks like you've been busy. -Aaron: Yeah. 323 00:15:34,517 --> 00:15:38,353 David and I would like to start back up metal detecting here 324 00:15:38,438 --> 00:15:40,772 because we never ever did finish this track, 325 00:15:40,815 --> 00:15:43,066 and we was moving this way. 326 00:15:43,109 --> 00:15:45,443 So, we're back to zigzag 327 00:15:45,487 --> 00:15:47,403 -along this area. -Perfect. 328 00:15:47,489 --> 00:15:49,489 -Up this hill. -Yeah. 329 00:15:49,574 --> 00:15:51,407 Gary: Okay, mate. We'll see what we can find 330 00:15:51,451 --> 00:15:52,951 because me and david have been 331 00:15:53,036 --> 00:15:55,453 on fire recently, haven't we? 332 00:15:55,538 --> 00:15:58,414 Every time we go out, we find something good. 333 00:15:58,458 --> 00:16:00,458 Let's keep that rolling, mate. 334 00:16:00,502 --> 00:16:02,418 (detector beeping) 335 00:16:08,468 --> 00:16:10,218 (beeping) 336 00:16:10,303 --> 00:16:12,595 I'm definitely getting an iron signal here. 337 00:16:12,681 --> 00:16:14,472 A little chirpy signal. 338 00:16:14,516 --> 00:16:17,767 -Uh, do you want us to dig it? -Yeah, go ahead, david. 339 00:16:17,811 --> 00:16:20,979 -Is that okay if dave and I investigate? -Aaron: Yeah. 340 00:16:21,022 --> 00:16:22,313 (detector whines) 341 00:16:22,357 --> 00:16:24,440 seems to be in that area there. 342 00:16:30,490 --> 00:16:32,824 Aaron: Are you getting some cobbles there, david? 343 00:16:32,867 --> 00:16:35,076 It certainly looks that way. 344 00:16:35,161 --> 00:16:37,704 Aaron: I might just finish that up with a trowel. 345 00:16:37,789 --> 00:16:39,330 -Yup. -Okay. 346 00:16:39,416 --> 00:16:42,458 Let me see if I can narrow the search down for you. 347 00:16:42,544 --> 00:16:44,544 (beeping) 348 00:16:44,629 --> 00:16:49,465 it moved just a little ways off. It's in that section there. 349 00:16:53,096 --> 00:16:56,514 Aaron: If it's under the rock, then that's very helpful because 350 00:16:56,558 --> 00:16:58,891 -it would predate the putting down... -Gary: Yeah. 351 00:16:58,977 --> 00:17:01,853 ...Of these cobbles if they were actually put down. 352 00:17:01,896 --> 00:17:04,355 -All right. Yeah. -Gary: You want me to do it? 353 00:17:07,193 --> 00:17:10,778 (beeping) 354 00:17:10,864 --> 00:17:13,906 gary: There. Spot on there, mate. 355 00:17:13,992 --> 00:17:16,242 So, you stick your trowel in there, mate, 356 00:17:16,327 --> 00:17:18,661 you've got it in situ. 357 00:17:18,705 --> 00:17:21,164 It's iron by the sound of it. 358 00:17:27,255 --> 00:17:28,880 (aaron sputters) 359 00:17:28,923 --> 00:17:31,883 ugh. Seismic blasting caps. 360 00:17:31,926 --> 00:17:35,470 We keep finding those all over. 361 00:17:35,555 --> 00:17:38,014 Narrator: Although finding a blasting cap 362 00:17:38,058 --> 00:17:41,059 from the seismic survey that was run across the swamp 363 00:17:41,144 --> 00:17:44,103 two years ago is a disappointment, 364 00:17:44,189 --> 00:17:46,814 it was that operation that revealed 365 00:17:46,900 --> 00:17:49,859 a 200-foot-long anomaly, eerily resembling 366 00:17:49,944 --> 00:17:53,237 the shape of a large sailing vessel, which remains buried 367 00:17:53,323 --> 00:17:56,115 in the middle of the mucky, brackish bog. 368 00:17:57,160 --> 00:18:00,995 It is the team's hope to conduct a largescale dig next year 369 00:18:01,081 --> 00:18:03,664 with the help of a massive sheet-piling cofferdam 370 00:18:03,750 --> 00:18:07,085 to find out just what that anomaly really is. 371 00:18:08,588 --> 00:18:10,379 Mystery solved. 372 00:18:10,465 --> 00:18:12,924 -Yeah. -I'll keep going. 373 00:18:15,428 --> 00:18:19,597 (beeping) 374 00:18:19,682 --> 00:18:21,933 I'm getting a signal here. 375 00:18:21,976 --> 00:18:23,309 (detector whining) 376 00:18:23,394 --> 00:18:25,353 just there, miriam. 377 00:18:25,438 --> 00:18:27,438 Still in the same area. 378 00:18:27,482 --> 00:18:29,774 (beeping) 379 00:18:29,859 --> 00:18:31,901 ooh, right on it. Just there. 380 00:18:43,456 --> 00:18:45,790 (beeping) 381 00:18:51,339 --> 00:18:53,756 -(beeping) -oh, wow. Look at that! 382 00:18:59,681 --> 00:19:01,973 Gary: Oh, wow. Look at that. Well, that's nice. 383 00:19:02,016 --> 00:19:03,975 Narrator: Just northeast of the oak island swamp, 384 00:19:04,018 --> 00:19:05,893 gary drayton has unearthed 385 00:19:05,979 --> 00:19:07,603 what could be an important discovery. 386 00:19:07,689 --> 00:19:10,815 Gary: It's a little square-headed nail. 387 00:19:10,900 --> 00:19:12,817 Square shank, by the look of it. 388 00:19:12,902 --> 00:19:14,986 That's like a little ox shoe nail. 389 00:19:15,071 --> 00:19:16,779 Aaron: Oh. 390 00:19:16,865 --> 00:19:19,448 I thought you'd find us an ox shoe, 391 00:19:19,534 --> 00:19:23,661 -but, you know, that's just as good. -Gary: Yep. That's a fastener. 392 00:19:23,705 --> 00:19:25,163 -It was used to put the ox shoe on. -Aaron: Yeah. 393 00:19:25,248 --> 00:19:28,291 Which is another, you know, check in the box for: 394 00:19:28,376 --> 00:19:30,168 This is a road or a path. 395 00:19:30,253 --> 00:19:32,628 That's great. 396 00:19:32,672 --> 00:19:34,797 Now, you got to put two and two together. 397 00:19:34,883 --> 00:19:35,965 We've got a stone road. 398 00:19:36,009 --> 00:19:37,884 We've got fasteners. 399 00:19:37,969 --> 00:19:39,510 We're on oak island. 400 00:19:39,596 --> 00:19:41,512 It's pretty clear 401 00:19:41,598 --> 00:19:45,266 that some kind of treasure-hauling operation 402 00:19:45,351 --> 00:19:47,518 was done in this area. 403 00:19:47,604 --> 00:19:49,687 Aaron: You wouldn't think you'd get so excited 404 00:19:49,731 --> 00:19:51,105 about something that small. 405 00:19:51,191 --> 00:19:53,566 So, I'm going to bag that and then let you guys 406 00:19:53,651 --> 00:19:55,443 -get back to detecting. -Okay, mate. 407 00:19:55,528 --> 00:19:58,154 Good digging, miriam. That's a good find. 408 00:20:00,158 --> 00:20:02,700 Narrator: Later that afternoon... 409 00:20:03,703 --> 00:20:06,954 Rick: This is the man of the hour. Stuart wentzell. 410 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:09,540 -Hi, stuart. Nice to meet you. -Hey, stuart. -Hi. 411 00:20:09,626 --> 00:20:11,584 Narrator: ...Rick lagina and members of the team 412 00:20:11,669 --> 00:20:15,129 gather in the research center with stuart wentzell, 413 00:20:15,215 --> 00:20:17,215 a local treasure hunter who worked for 414 00:20:17,258 --> 00:20:20,051 rick, marty and craig's late friend and partner 415 00:20:20,094 --> 00:20:23,054 dan blankenship back in the 1970s. 416 00:20:23,097 --> 00:20:25,723 Charles: Stuart, I know you've worked on oak island 417 00:20:25,767 --> 00:20:27,516 -since probably you were a young boy. -Yes. 418 00:20:27,602 --> 00:20:29,602 Charles: Working with dan. You worked a lot with dan. 419 00:20:29,687 --> 00:20:31,229 Lots of memories, lots of times. 420 00:20:31,314 --> 00:20:33,189 -Right. -Stuart: So, dan would have me 421 00:20:33,274 --> 00:20:35,066 and my brother come over on the weekends. 422 00:20:38,655 --> 00:20:39,862 -(all laugh) -right? 423 00:20:42,116 --> 00:20:45,618 I met stuart wentzell, uh, the very first year I was here. 424 00:20:45,703 --> 00:20:50,790 He had told me about these wharfs off the samuel ball lot. 425 00:20:50,875 --> 00:20:52,917 And now, all of a sudden, we find 426 00:20:52,961 --> 00:20:55,920 a british naval button at the ball foundation. 427 00:20:55,964 --> 00:20:58,506 Maybe it's something associated with a wharf. 428 00:20:58,591 --> 00:21:02,760 The point is, we mustn't fail to follow up 429 00:21:02,804 --> 00:21:07,932 on this local knowledge, uh, which we were not privy to. 430 00:21:07,976 --> 00:21:11,102 So, uh, this is all about the possibility 431 00:21:11,145 --> 00:21:14,272 or the potential of a dive or dives, 432 00:21:14,315 --> 00:21:16,565 uh, related to some discoveries 433 00:21:16,651 --> 00:21:19,151 -that you had made mention of in the past. -Yes. 434 00:21:19,237 --> 00:21:21,153 So, what's the most interesting 435 00:21:21,239 --> 00:21:24,407 search agenda-related activity that you were involved with? 436 00:21:43,261 --> 00:21:44,802 Right. 437 00:21:48,599 --> 00:21:49,849 -Is that right? -Stuart: Yes. 438 00:21:49,934 --> 00:21:51,183 Ball had two wharfs. 439 00:21:51,269 --> 00:21:52,727 It's absolutely there. 440 00:21:52,812 --> 00:21:54,270 Yeah. 441 00:21:54,314 --> 00:21:57,273 So, what are the areas 442 00:21:57,358 --> 00:21:59,817 -that you're interested in, in terms of the dive? -Okay. 443 00:21:59,861 --> 00:22:01,319 All right. 444 00:22:08,953 --> 00:22:10,494 Yeah. 445 00:22:13,207 --> 00:22:16,250 Narrator: The use of large rocks, or cribbing stones, 446 00:22:16,336 --> 00:22:18,461 in the construction of shipping wharfs 447 00:22:18,546 --> 00:22:21,213 dates back more than five centuries. 448 00:22:21,299 --> 00:22:24,633 Stacked between layers of wood timbers, they offered support 449 00:22:24,719 --> 00:22:27,845 in the design of docks for large sailing vessels. 450 00:22:29,807 --> 00:22:31,098 Rick: When you dove that, 451 00:22:31,184 --> 00:22:34,352 -yeah. -Did you see remnants of the old wharf? 452 00:22:34,395 --> 00:22:35,853 Wooden parts of it? 453 00:22:36,898 --> 00:22:38,022 Yeah. 454 00:22:53,373 --> 00:22:55,998 -Yeah. -Mm-hmm. All right, so I'm gonna circle it 455 00:22:56,042 --> 00:22:58,417 on this so that we can keep track. 456 00:22:58,503 --> 00:23:01,796 -So, it's somewhere in that area there. -Stuart: Yes, alex. 457 00:23:01,881 --> 00:23:04,548 -Alex: Okay. -Yeah, and here's the other place. 458 00:23:04,634 --> 00:23:06,675 Right here was the second one. 459 00:23:06,719 --> 00:23:08,511 Okay, so, if you want to stick a circle 460 00:23:08,554 --> 00:23:10,888 around that one as well, alex. 461 00:23:10,932 --> 00:23:13,516 Narrator: If there really are two wharfs 462 00:23:13,601 --> 00:23:16,394 bordering the property once owned by samuel ball, 463 00:23:16,479 --> 00:23:19,355 might he have built both of them? 464 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:22,942 Or is it possible that one was constructed much earlier? 465 00:23:23,027 --> 00:23:25,903 If so, then by whom? 466 00:23:25,947 --> 00:23:28,572 And could it offer clues that might help explain 467 00:23:28,616 --> 00:23:31,534 how samuel ball became one of the richest men 468 00:23:31,619 --> 00:23:33,911 in nova scotia? 469 00:23:33,955 --> 00:23:36,872 There is concrete evidence of substantial works 470 00:23:36,916 --> 00:23:39,208 prior to 1795 and a lot of them. 471 00:23:39,252 --> 00:23:41,085 A lot went on on that island. 472 00:23:41,129 --> 00:23:44,505 So, if somebody did build a wooden wharf there, 473 00:23:44,590 --> 00:23:48,008 there was some significant reason why. 474 00:23:48,094 --> 00:23:50,428 I would love to go and have a look at that, stuart. 475 00:23:52,181 --> 00:23:54,432 Well, I'd love to put you in the boat. We'll go out there 476 00:23:54,475 --> 00:23:55,933 and I'll jump over the side. 477 00:23:58,646 --> 00:24:00,271 -Excellent. -Rick: Well, thanks, guys. 478 00:24:00,314 --> 00:24:01,564 That was a great discussion. 479 00:24:01,649 --> 00:24:04,900 -You plan out the dive. Get it set up. -Yeah. 480 00:24:04,986 --> 00:24:06,777 You two gentlemen will be there 481 00:24:06,821 --> 00:24:08,779 to observe and watch and take notes. 482 00:24:08,823 --> 00:24:11,282 Okay. Well, you guys got your work ahead of you. 483 00:24:11,325 --> 00:24:12,950 -Yup. -And I look forward to 484 00:24:12,994 --> 00:24:14,702 -the dive results. -Yes. 485 00:24:14,787 --> 00:24:16,036 -Rick: Let's get after it. -Alex: Sounds good. 486 00:24:16,122 --> 00:24:16,954 Tony: Fantastic. 487 00:24:22,295 --> 00:24:24,920 -Tony: Good morning, guys. -David f.: How you doing? 488 00:24:24,964 --> 00:24:27,465 Narrator: One day after the team's meeting 489 00:24:27,508 --> 00:24:31,093 with former oak island treasure hunter stuart wentzell, 490 00:24:31,179 --> 00:24:34,472 they have invited him to join professional diver tony sampson, 491 00:24:34,515 --> 00:24:37,308 alex lagina and his cousin david fornetti, 492 00:24:37,393 --> 00:24:39,351 at the oak island resort and marina... 493 00:24:39,437 --> 00:24:40,603 Tony: Okay. Let's head out. 494 00:24:40,646 --> 00:24:42,730 Narrator: ...To begin a dive operation 495 00:24:42,815 --> 00:24:44,982 that will focus on the waters just off the shore 496 00:24:45,026 --> 00:24:49,820 of lots 25 and 26 at the western end of oak island. 497 00:24:50,865 --> 00:24:53,449 So, the first location-- you know where 498 00:24:53,534 --> 00:24:55,868 -that freshwater pond is? -Yep. 499 00:24:55,953 --> 00:24:58,746 Hopefully, we're going to see remains of the crib down there. 500 00:24:58,831 --> 00:25:01,624 So, the wooden structure which would have held 501 00:25:01,709 --> 00:25:03,501 the stones in the crib. 502 00:25:03,544 --> 00:25:05,169 -Eight feet you said, stuart? -Yep. 503 00:25:05,213 --> 00:25:06,670 -Eight feet wide. -So, about eight feet wide. 504 00:25:06,756 --> 00:25:09,340 Narrator: Of interest to the team 505 00:25:09,383 --> 00:25:11,509 are the remains of two stone ships' wharfs, 506 00:25:11,552 --> 00:25:15,179 that stuart first investigated in the 1970s 507 00:25:15,264 --> 00:25:17,765 while working for dan blankenship, 508 00:25:17,850 --> 00:25:20,142 that bordered the property once owned 509 00:25:20,228 --> 00:25:23,354 by the mysteriously wealthy 18th-century island resident 510 00:25:23,439 --> 00:25:25,189 samuel ball. 511 00:25:25,233 --> 00:25:27,191 David f.: And, tony, when you're down there, 512 00:25:27,235 --> 00:25:29,193 do you have a metal detector with you? 513 00:25:29,237 --> 00:25:31,362 -Or how are you going to detect this? -Tony: Yeah. 514 00:25:31,405 --> 00:25:34,198 So, we'll have visual, and we'll also run a metal detector, 515 00:25:34,283 --> 00:25:36,075 an underwater metal detector over it. 516 00:25:36,160 --> 00:25:38,786 It may sort of indicate metallic fasteners that 517 00:25:38,871 --> 00:25:40,871 might have been used in a wharf structure. 518 00:25:40,915 --> 00:25:43,499 So, similar to large shipping spikes. 519 00:25:43,584 --> 00:25:46,085 -It would have held the wharf together. -That'd be cool. 520 00:25:46,170 --> 00:25:47,253 That would be very cool. 521 00:25:48,256 --> 00:25:50,047 Tony's going to bring a metal detector, 522 00:25:50,091 --> 00:25:51,757 and he's going to scan the bottom 523 00:25:51,842 --> 00:25:55,302 for wharf pins or anything that might have been dropped 524 00:25:55,388 --> 00:25:56,679 when this thing was in existence. 525 00:25:56,722 --> 00:25:59,223 Those are the things that I'm most excited about 526 00:25:59,267 --> 00:26:02,851 because those can help us date anything we might find. 527 00:26:02,895 --> 00:26:06,522 Well, guys, I think we're just about on target one up here. 528 00:26:07,984 --> 00:26:09,858 Okay. I might get kitted up, 529 00:26:09,902 --> 00:26:11,694 and we'll go and see what we can find, eh? 530 00:26:11,779 --> 00:26:13,696 -Yeah. Great. Great, tony. -Alex: Great. 531 00:26:13,739 --> 00:26:15,531 We've tried to answer the question of who samuel ball was 532 00:26:15,575 --> 00:26:16,907 from the land side. 533 00:26:16,951 --> 00:26:18,576 This is from the ocean side. 534 00:26:18,661 --> 00:26:21,328 So, until today, when we're looking 535 00:26:21,414 --> 00:26:23,831 at the ocean side, we haven't even begun to explore 536 00:26:23,916 --> 00:26:25,749 that side of his life. So, it could be 537 00:26:25,793 --> 00:26:27,876 hiding some pretty interesting artifacts. 538 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:29,587 So, we'll go down there, 539 00:26:29,630 --> 00:26:31,255 and we'll investigate that. 540 00:26:31,340 --> 00:26:33,257 In my perfect little world, it would be great 541 00:26:33,342 --> 00:26:35,426 to find some artifacts dating back 542 00:26:35,511 --> 00:26:37,469 from the 16, 1700s, 543 00:26:37,555 --> 00:26:39,179 but even to find the remains 544 00:26:39,265 --> 00:26:40,973 of these structures would be interesting. 545 00:26:41,976 --> 00:26:45,102 -Alex: All right, tony. Good luck. -Thanks, buddy. 546 00:26:48,482 --> 00:26:49,773 Alex: He's in. 547 00:27:03,873 --> 00:27:06,290 Testing, tony. Do you hear me? Over. 548 00:27:21,682 --> 00:27:24,808 That's great, tony. Keep us posted. Over. 549 00:27:51,045 --> 00:27:53,087 Alex: Copy you, tony. What do you see? 550 00:27:53,172 --> 00:27:54,505 Over. 551 00:28:00,554 --> 00:28:02,179 Alex: Can you confirm? 552 00:28:02,223 --> 00:28:04,139 Does it look like a wharf? Over. 553 00:28:10,231 --> 00:28:11,480 Copy. 554 00:28:19,115 --> 00:28:20,572 Alex: Copy. 555 00:28:20,658 --> 00:28:23,367 Any metal detector hits? Over. 556 00:28:27,456 --> 00:28:29,206 -What'd he say? -Copy you. 557 00:28:29,250 --> 00:28:31,208 -No metal detector hits. -No metal detector hits. 558 00:28:32,837 --> 00:28:34,253 Alex: We've been listening to tony 559 00:28:34,338 --> 00:28:35,963 go back and forth over these comms, 560 00:28:36,048 --> 00:28:37,256 and every time he does, 561 00:28:37,299 --> 00:28:38,632 I ask him if he's got a metal detector hit. 562 00:28:38,718 --> 00:28:39,758 The answer's always no. 563 00:28:39,844 --> 00:28:41,552 It's a little frustrating 564 00:28:41,595 --> 00:28:43,679 to have to sit this one out on the boat. 565 00:28:43,723 --> 00:28:46,181 But I'm hoping tony sees clear evidence of this wharf, 566 00:28:46,225 --> 00:28:47,808 and I'm really hoping that he gets 567 00:28:47,893 --> 00:28:49,393 a metal detector hit while he's out there. 568 00:28:54,400 --> 00:28:56,358 Alex: He should be seeing it right now. 569 00:28:56,444 --> 00:28:58,235 It's just frustrating he can't hear us. 570 00:29:00,448 --> 00:29:02,740 Copy you, tony. What do you see? Over. 571 00:29:07,913 --> 00:29:10,122 Narrator: Is it possible that stuart wentzell 572 00:29:10,207 --> 00:29:13,500 was mistaken about the remains of a wharf in this area? 573 00:29:13,586 --> 00:29:16,086 Or could it be, that because of nearly 574 00:29:16,130 --> 00:29:18,756 five decades of erosion and seasonal storms, 575 00:29:18,841 --> 00:29:21,800 that the evidence of a potential valuable clue 576 00:29:21,886 --> 00:29:23,927 about samuel ball's history 577 00:29:23,971 --> 00:29:26,764 has simply been weathered away? 578 00:29:30,269 --> 00:29:31,894 I hear you, tony. Over. 579 00:29:58,172 --> 00:29:59,171 Alex: Great job, tony. 580 00:29:59,256 --> 00:30:00,714 Keep us posted. Over. 581 00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:02,633 Narrator: In the waters just off lot 26 582 00:30:02,718 --> 00:30:03,592 on the western side of oak island, 583 00:30:03,636 --> 00:30:06,136 tony sampson has just discovered 584 00:30:06,180 --> 00:30:08,972 the possible remains of a stone ship's wharf. 585 00:30:09,016 --> 00:30:10,140 What do you think? 586 00:30:10,226 --> 00:30:12,100 He might have found cribbing? 587 00:30:12,186 --> 00:30:13,977 I mean, how does that make you feel? 588 00:30:20,069 --> 00:30:21,318 I think so. 589 00:30:29,036 --> 00:30:31,328 We hear you, tony. Go ahead. Over. 590 00:30:36,210 --> 00:30:39,002 Did you get any metal detector hits? Over. 591 00:30:42,466 --> 00:30:45,926 Are you moving on to target two or staying there? 592 00:30:46,011 --> 00:30:47,135 Over. 593 00:30:50,724 --> 00:30:54,142 Narrator: Although tony has been able to confirm stuart's claim 594 00:30:54,186 --> 00:30:57,521 of a potentially ancient wharf having been built here, 595 00:30:57,565 --> 00:31:00,399 there doesn't appear to be any metal objects 596 00:31:00,484 --> 00:31:02,150 or valuable clues. 597 00:31:03,070 --> 00:31:05,737 Tony will now search for the team's second target: 598 00:31:05,823 --> 00:31:07,823 Another reported stone wharf. 599 00:31:07,908 --> 00:31:10,659 However, this one is much closer 600 00:31:10,744 --> 00:31:12,536 to where samuel ball built his home, 601 00:31:12,580 --> 00:31:16,039 and thus hopefully will offer valuable clues 602 00:31:16,083 --> 00:31:19,209 that might help explain his mysterious wealth. 603 00:31:23,215 --> 00:31:25,382 Mm-hmm. 604 00:31:29,555 --> 00:31:32,639 David f.: It looks like he's almost 100 feet out there. 605 00:31:32,725 --> 00:31:33,724 From the shore. 606 00:31:36,270 --> 00:31:38,520 He's seen them rock piles. 607 00:31:38,564 --> 00:31:41,690 -You know there's a big rock pile out there? -Yeah, yeah, yeah. 608 00:31:45,487 --> 00:31:47,154 Alex: If he's 100 feet out there, 609 00:31:47,239 --> 00:31:48,906 -and he's seeing signs of a wharf-- -stuart: Yeah. 610 00:31:48,949 --> 00:31:50,282 If that's what he's seeing-- 611 00:31:50,367 --> 00:31:51,533 that's a big wharf. 612 00:31:51,619 --> 00:31:53,035 I mean, that could have accommodated 613 00:31:53,078 --> 00:31:54,536 -a pretty big ship. -Stuart: Yeah. 614 00:31:54,622 --> 00:31:56,622 Narrator: The second wharf? 615 00:31:56,707 --> 00:32:00,751 Possibly extending as much as 100 feet out into mahone bay? 616 00:32:00,836 --> 00:32:04,254 If so, what would samuel ball have needed 617 00:32:04,298 --> 00:32:06,882 such a large docking station for? 618 00:32:06,967 --> 00:32:09,426 Could it be a clue to explain 619 00:32:09,511 --> 00:32:12,137 why the team found a british naval officer's button 620 00:32:12,222 --> 00:32:15,057 in the ball foundation two days ago? 621 00:32:15,100 --> 00:32:17,351 If there was a wharf that big here, 622 00:32:17,436 --> 00:32:19,102 what would be the purpose of that? 623 00:32:26,904 --> 00:32:28,779 Alex: We hear you, tony. 624 00:32:28,822 --> 00:32:31,907 Did you see a big pile of rocks? Over. 625 00:32:43,712 --> 00:32:48,131 So, no hits, but you think you did find the wharf. Over. 626 00:32:56,183 --> 00:32:59,142 Copy you. We'll see you soon. Over. 627 00:32:59,186 --> 00:33:02,771 The most exciting of the targets that we dove was 628 00:33:02,856 --> 00:33:05,148 the large wharf on ball's property. 629 00:33:05,234 --> 00:33:07,985 Because that is something that we had no record of. 630 00:33:08,028 --> 00:33:11,405 We didn't know it was there. It's so large as to be 631 00:33:11,490 --> 00:33:13,991 impossible to be just a fisherman's wharf. 632 00:33:14,076 --> 00:33:16,743 And we're finding other things in the area like the navy button 633 00:33:16,829 --> 00:33:19,705 that are implying a closer relationship 634 00:33:19,790 --> 00:33:21,832 with seafaring than we thought. 635 00:33:21,917 --> 00:33:23,875 Okay, you were right, stuart. 636 00:33:23,961 --> 00:33:25,794 As you come down, you can see 637 00:33:25,838 --> 00:33:27,462 where the old crib areas were. 638 00:33:27,506 --> 00:33:29,256 I hit the area with the metal detector. 639 00:33:29,341 --> 00:33:32,259 Both the, um, both the wharf-like structures. 640 00:33:32,344 --> 00:33:34,302 And, uh, no metallic signatures down there. 641 00:33:34,346 --> 00:33:37,681 Did you think the second one, target two, was a larger wharf? 642 00:33:37,725 --> 00:33:40,809 I did actually, alex, yeah. It came out further as well. 643 00:33:41,770 --> 00:33:43,937 So, one wharf being smaller than the other 644 00:33:44,023 --> 00:33:45,939 may have been an area where you brought, uh, 645 00:33:46,025 --> 00:33:49,192 a dinghy, or a fishing boat, or a small dory into. 646 00:33:49,236 --> 00:33:52,029 The one being large, that speaks to something 647 00:33:52,072 --> 00:33:55,032 of a commercial nature or, for a wharf of that size, 648 00:33:55,075 --> 00:33:58,201 you'd expect it to be more than one person. 649 00:33:58,245 --> 00:34:01,830 So, either military or maybe excavating 650 00:34:01,874 --> 00:34:03,707 or almost like a quarry work. 651 00:34:03,792 --> 00:34:05,584 Something there's gonna be heavy product 652 00:34:05,669 --> 00:34:07,836 either coming on or off the island. 653 00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:09,588 So, those rocks there were square. 654 00:34:09,673 --> 00:34:12,007 And like you said, stuart, they had been worked as well, 655 00:34:12,092 --> 00:34:13,592 -some of them. -Yes. 656 00:34:13,677 --> 00:34:15,135 So, you're confident then that two wharfs are... 657 00:34:15,220 --> 00:34:17,888 I-I'm confident that these were two wharfs. 658 00:34:17,931 --> 00:34:21,183 Do you think that one might have belonged to captain anderson 659 00:34:21,268 --> 00:34:22,726 -at one stage? -Yes. 660 00:34:22,811 --> 00:34:25,228 Because his property was, um, next door 661 00:34:25,314 --> 00:34:27,773 -to sam ball's, and they became friends. -Right. 662 00:34:27,858 --> 00:34:30,692 Narrator: Originally from baltimore, maryland, 663 00:34:30,736 --> 00:34:33,070 james anderson was a notorious pirate, 664 00:34:33,155 --> 00:34:36,740 privateer and high-ranking freemason 665 00:34:36,784 --> 00:34:39,284 who pledged his loyalty to the united states 666 00:34:39,369 --> 00:34:42,245 during the american revolution. 667 00:34:42,289 --> 00:34:46,083 However, after taking command of a ship known as the betsy 668 00:34:46,168 --> 00:34:49,336 and the valuable cargo it was rumored to be carrying, 669 00:34:49,421 --> 00:34:52,923 he defected to the british and fled to canada, 670 00:34:53,008 --> 00:34:55,342 where he purchased lot 26 on oak island, 671 00:34:55,427 --> 00:34:58,595 living there until he sold the property 672 00:34:58,680 --> 00:35:01,431 to fellow british soldier samuel ball. 673 00:35:01,475 --> 00:35:03,517 Could the remains of this wharf 674 00:35:03,602 --> 00:35:06,186 represent an important clue as to why 675 00:35:06,271 --> 00:35:09,439 samuel ball bought this property from captain anderson? 676 00:35:09,483 --> 00:35:12,692 And could it also be connected to the great wealth 677 00:35:12,778 --> 00:35:16,863 he came to possess while living on oak island himself? 678 00:35:16,949 --> 00:35:18,907 Alex: What about the stones in between? 679 00:35:18,992 --> 00:35:20,784 Did you notice that they were not native 680 00:35:20,828 --> 00:35:22,244 to the landscape down there? 681 00:35:22,287 --> 00:35:23,745 Did they look like maybe they were bedrock 682 00:35:23,831 --> 00:35:25,205 cast off from the island? 683 00:35:25,290 --> 00:35:27,207 Some of them did look like 684 00:35:27,292 --> 00:35:30,210 uh, they had been cut, or they were completely smooth. 685 00:35:30,295 --> 00:35:33,421 So, unlike the normal rocks that you get around here 686 00:35:33,465 --> 00:35:35,799 that you can see on the shoreline, um, 687 00:35:35,843 --> 00:35:38,593 some of them in those cribbed areas you'll actually see 688 00:35:38,679 --> 00:35:39,761 are flat, almost like the bedrock stones 689 00:35:39,847 --> 00:35:41,054 -you've got on the island. -Alex: Got it. 690 00:35:41,140 --> 00:35:43,348 -So they've been worked -tony: Yeah. -Yeah. 691 00:35:43,433 --> 00:35:45,392 Alex: So, I think we should go back to the war room 692 00:35:45,477 --> 00:35:46,768 and let the guys know that we found proof 693 00:35:46,812 --> 00:35:48,061 of what you've been saying, stuart. 694 00:35:48,147 --> 00:35:50,147 -Fantastic. -Yes, yes. 695 00:35:50,190 --> 00:35:52,649 -Stuart: Very good, tony. -Alex: Yeah, great job. 696 00:35:58,198 --> 00:35:59,447 Tony: So, what we did, we went to those areas 697 00:35:59,533 --> 00:36:01,491 off sam ball's property by the freshwater pond. 698 00:36:01,535 --> 00:36:03,702 Narrator: After completing their dive investigation 699 00:36:03,787 --> 00:36:06,079 off the western shore of oak island, 700 00:36:06,165 --> 00:36:08,790 tony sampson, along with alex lagina, 701 00:36:08,876 --> 00:36:12,878 david fornetti, and stuart wentzell deliver their report 702 00:36:12,963 --> 00:36:14,629 to rick, marty and members of the team 703 00:36:14,715 --> 00:36:16,882 in the war room. 704 00:36:16,967 --> 00:36:19,426 Alex: Well, we took some video. 705 00:36:19,511 --> 00:36:21,428 So, I've got that here that we can watch. 706 00:36:21,513 --> 00:36:23,305 Great! 707 00:36:24,892 --> 00:36:27,309 Alex: This is wharf one. 708 00:36:27,352 --> 00:36:29,269 Tony: So, it's a flat, rocky area, 709 00:36:29,354 --> 00:36:31,646 which would have been cribbed in the old days. 710 00:36:31,732 --> 00:36:33,899 So, it would have been a square, uh, crib 711 00:36:33,984 --> 00:36:36,026 that would have held the rocks. 712 00:36:36,069 --> 00:36:39,154 And, so as you, uh, descend from there down into the water, 713 00:36:39,198 --> 00:36:41,615 you can actually see ballast piles 714 00:36:41,700 --> 00:36:44,910 from what would have been the rocks inside the crib, 715 00:36:44,995 --> 00:36:47,329 which has now been destroyed, obviously, with the storms 716 00:36:47,372 --> 00:36:49,206 and the hurricanes over the years. 717 00:36:50,083 --> 00:36:53,043 And a lot of these ballast stones as such 718 00:36:53,128 --> 00:36:55,879 has now grown over with kelp. 719 00:36:55,923 --> 00:36:58,673 -Sure. -Tony: The second wharf-- 720 00:36:58,717 --> 00:36:59,966 that was the longer one. 721 00:37:00,010 --> 00:37:03,011 So, it's the western side of the freshwater pond. 722 00:37:03,096 --> 00:37:04,387 Tony: Yeah, correct. 723 00:37:05,349 --> 00:37:08,183 This is when we're getting into the deeper water. 724 00:37:08,227 --> 00:37:10,393 This is where there's big rocks. 725 00:37:12,439 --> 00:37:15,065 Quite often, you'd find these flatter ones 726 00:37:15,108 --> 00:37:17,692 on the bottom of the crib. 727 00:37:17,778 --> 00:37:21,238 -How deep? -Uh, that would have been 19 feet at high tide. 728 00:37:21,281 --> 00:37:24,741 If you go back, say, oh, 300 years, 729 00:37:24,826 --> 00:37:27,869 you would be 12 feet maximum at high tide. 730 00:37:27,955 --> 00:37:29,746 Six feet at low tide. 731 00:37:29,790 --> 00:37:32,082 When we were looking, we saw bubbles coming up, 732 00:37:32,125 --> 00:37:35,418 and we were estimating it to be 75 to 100 feet from shore. 733 00:37:35,504 --> 00:37:37,754 -Mm-hmm. -Alex: At least, but you were 734 00:37:37,798 --> 00:37:39,297 -a long way off shore. -Yeah. 735 00:37:39,383 --> 00:37:41,216 So, that's a huge, huge wharf. 736 00:37:41,301 --> 00:37:43,927 -Yeah. -That's good. 737 00:37:44,012 --> 00:37:46,429 How could he have built that? 738 00:37:46,473 --> 00:37:50,225 I don't know. You know, that's- that's the big question, there. 739 00:37:50,310 --> 00:37:52,060 What do you think of that, stuart? 740 00:37:52,145 --> 00:37:55,230 -You've built wharfs before, by hand. -Stuart: Yeah. Yes. 741 00:38:10,163 --> 00:38:11,621 Wow. 742 00:38:12,666 --> 00:38:14,124 Yeah. 743 00:38:14,167 --> 00:38:15,792 I won't say stunned, 744 00:38:15,836 --> 00:38:18,920 but I did not anticipate finding two wharfs 745 00:38:19,006 --> 00:38:21,423 off the samuel ball lot. 746 00:38:21,508 --> 00:38:24,843 It seems redundant, overkill. Why do you need two wharfs? 747 00:38:24,928 --> 00:38:27,804 A 16-foot-wide wharf 748 00:38:27,848 --> 00:38:30,432 to a gentleman farmer to sell his crops? 749 00:38:30,517 --> 00:38:32,642 It doesn't make sense. 750 00:38:32,728 --> 00:38:36,271 Marty: It speaks to every aspect of what we know about samuel ball. 751 00:38:36,356 --> 00:38:38,940 He's smart, he's capable, 752 00:38:38,984 --> 00:38:41,109 and he may have had... 753 00:38:41,153 --> 00:38:43,695 Some things we're unaware of. 754 00:38:43,780 --> 00:38:46,156 Alex: So, I wouldn't think 755 00:38:46,199 --> 00:38:49,200 you'd build a giant wharf for a one-time transfer. 756 00:38:49,286 --> 00:38:51,745 -No. -Rick: I don't know. What about 757 00:38:51,830 --> 00:38:54,456 the stone road and the stone path? 758 00:38:54,541 --> 00:38:56,249 Alex: I know. I agree. 759 00:38:56,335 --> 00:38:57,792 But I think that that fits, 760 00:38:57,878 --> 00:39:00,879 -because it fits the story of a big excavation -mm-hmm. 761 00:39:00,964 --> 00:39:02,505 Because of the amount of 762 00:39:02,549 --> 00:39:04,215 -back and forth you'd have to do. -Rick: Yep. 763 00:39:04,301 --> 00:39:06,468 Alex: If that was their purpose, 764 00:39:06,511 --> 00:39:10,263 it would have been to support the hiding of the treasure. 765 00:39:10,349 --> 00:39:12,223 Not just the unloading. Not just the transporting. 766 00:39:12,309 --> 00:39:14,726 Now, it wasn't buried in a ten-foot pit. 767 00:39:14,811 --> 00:39:18,480 To me, it supports the idea that they did a lot of work. 768 00:39:18,565 --> 00:39:21,733 One thing I find interesting is that wharf location, 769 00:39:21,818 --> 00:39:23,985 and at the bottom of the ball property there was 770 00:39:24,071 --> 00:39:25,570 a lot of buttons and things found. 771 00:39:25,655 --> 00:39:28,198 To me, that's from more than one person. 772 00:39:28,241 --> 00:39:30,825 You come off the ship, you get on land, people 773 00:39:30,911 --> 00:39:33,620 -would congregate there. -Dan: Yeah. The thing about oak island 774 00:39:33,705 --> 00:39:37,540 is that it would be a good base for seafaring people. 775 00:39:37,584 --> 00:39:40,668 Uh, british certainly had good reason to use it. 776 00:39:40,754 --> 00:39:43,588 Alex: Yeah. And that is where we found that navy button. 777 00:39:43,673 --> 00:39:45,757 And we did not have 778 00:39:45,842 --> 00:39:48,134 any knowledge of him being involved with the navy 779 00:39:48,220 --> 00:39:51,554 other than the 16-foot-wide, hundred-foot-long wharf. 780 00:39:53,100 --> 00:39:54,641 Rick: There's no question 781 00:39:54,726 --> 00:39:57,394 that the find of this wharf-- which, again, 782 00:39:57,437 --> 00:40:00,313 a local resident has provided this information-- 783 00:40:00,399 --> 00:40:04,734 what it does is it's helpful with figuring out 784 00:40:04,778 --> 00:40:07,362 what a search agenda in the future might look like, 785 00:40:07,406 --> 00:40:09,406 because now we have a wharf, 786 00:40:09,449 --> 00:40:12,867 which we now, based on the find of the stone road and pathway, 787 00:40:12,911 --> 00:40:14,869 are telling us that there's 788 00:40:14,955 --> 00:40:16,704 some aspect to the oak island story 789 00:40:16,790 --> 00:40:19,457 that was previously completely unknown. 790 00:40:19,543 --> 00:40:22,669 First, we thought we wouldn't be here at all. 791 00:40:22,754 --> 00:40:26,881 And now we find ourselves with more data, more information 792 00:40:26,925 --> 00:40:31,719 than we probably could have acquired in a non-covid year. 793 00:40:31,763 --> 00:40:34,639 -Which is astounding, right? -Yeah. 794 00:40:34,724 --> 00:40:36,766 But what it says is 795 00:40:36,810 --> 00:40:39,727 there's a lot of homework for each and every one of us, 796 00:40:39,771 --> 00:40:42,105 and there's only one way to do it. We say it all the time. 797 00:40:42,149 --> 00:40:44,607 It's not going to be done here sitting in chairs. 798 00:40:44,651 --> 00:40:45,984 Okay, guys. Good job. 799 00:40:46,069 --> 00:40:48,820 You proved that it's worth further investigation. 800 00:40:48,905 --> 00:40:50,655 -Let's get after it. -Okay. 801 00:40:51,616 --> 00:40:55,076 Narrator: For rick, marty, craig and their team, 802 00:40:55,120 --> 00:40:57,287 the clues continue to mount 803 00:40:57,372 --> 00:40:59,122 that something of profound importance 804 00:40:59,207 --> 00:41:02,750 took place centuries ago on oak island. 805 00:41:02,836 --> 00:41:06,212 And given what they have had to overcome 806 00:41:06,298 --> 00:41:09,466 in a year that has challenged the entire world, 807 00:41:09,509 --> 00:41:14,471 their accomplishments have been nothing short of extraordinary. 808 00:41:15,265 --> 00:41:17,640 But now, with winter coming 809 00:41:17,684 --> 00:41:19,809 and time running out for this year, 810 00:41:19,853 --> 00:41:24,189 can they overcome the odds one more time 811 00:41:24,274 --> 00:41:27,817 and make the ultimate discovery? 812 00:41:30,030 --> 00:41:32,614 Narrator: Next time on the curse of oak island... 813 00:41:32,657 --> 00:41:34,282 Gary: Ooh! Look at that. 814 00:41:34,326 --> 00:41:37,327 Fantastic, mate! This is old. 815 00:41:37,370 --> 00:41:39,329 Laird: Often, the detail is really cryptic. 816 00:41:39,372 --> 00:41:42,165 Rick: The only people who would do that would be templars. 817 00:41:42,250 --> 00:41:45,210 -There's got to be more out there. -Whoa. What's that? 818 00:41:45,295 --> 00:41:47,086 -Whoa. Sweet. -Miriam: Whoa. 819 00:41:47,172 --> 00:41:48,463 Ian: Oh, wow. 820 00:41:48,507 --> 00:41:49,797 We took the samples to analyze 821 00:41:49,883 --> 00:41:51,883 for silver, and we got a spike. 822 00:41:51,968 --> 00:41:53,510 There's every reason to believe 823 00:41:53,595 --> 00:41:55,762 down in those holes there's treasure. 824 00:41:55,847 --> 00:41:57,972 -Marty: Oh, baby! -Jack: Oh, no way! 825 00:41:58,016 --> 00:42:01,017 Captioning provided by a+e networks