1 00:00:01,867 --> 00:00:03,567 [Josh] The Gold Rush. 2 00:00:04,667 --> 00:00:04,934 [Peter] That sparked a mass migration from all over, 3 00:00:05,900 --> 00:00:06,100 people trying to get to California 4 00:00:07,266 --> 00:00:08,100 and stake their claim and get rich. 5 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:10,200 [Josh] And to get there, people are willing to risk everything. 6 00:00:10,867 --> 00:00:12,367 [adventurous music playing] 7 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:16,567 This is a route that had never been tamed before. 8 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:18,066 That's right. Nobody had done this. 9 00:00:19,033 --> 00:00:21,467 Enter shipping tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt. 10 00:00:21,700 --> 00:00:23,500 ♪♪ 11 00:00:24,333 --> 00:00:25,300 [Peter] Close to the top of the rapids, 12 00:00:26,100 --> 00:00:27,367 she's just overcome by the force. 13 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:30,367 ♪♪ 14 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:32,300 [Josh] Why is this such an important ship to find? 15 00:00:33,367 --> 00:00:35,266 [Peter] It captures the American spirit of adventure. 16 00:00:36,033 --> 00:00:37,300 So we're gonna retrace the route. 17 00:00:38,333 --> 00:00:39,700 -Except for the sinking part? -Well, hopefully. 18 00:00:40,233 --> 00:00:41,767 [music intensifies] 19 00:00:42,567 --> 00:00:43,266 Looks like we're coming into rapids. 20 00:00:44,100 --> 00:00:44,900 [Peter] Hang on! It's goin' get bumpy! 21 00:00:45,500 --> 00:00:46,200 Punch it! Here we go! 22 00:00:46,700 --> 00:00:47,367 Good, good, good! 23 00:00:47,867 --> 00:00:48,867 Ha! There it is! 24 00:00:49,567 --> 00:00:51,300 Oh, my word! That's a boiler! 25 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:52,667 Whoa! Crocodile! 26 00:00:53,333 --> 00:00:54,166 Oh, look at that crocodile! 27 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:00,066 ♪♪ 28 00:01:03,767 --> 00:01:05,667 -This is tough going. -[Peter] Whoa! 29 00:01:06,300 --> 00:01:08,166 -Check it out! -Oh my god 30 00:01:12,667 --> 00:01:14,767 [dramatic music playing] 31 00:01:22,100 --> 00:01:24,000 The year is 1848. 32 00:01:24,767 --> 00:01:26,066 Gold is discovered in California, 33 00:01:27,033 --> 00:01:28,900 and suddenly tens of thousands are desperate 34 00:01:29,700 --> 00:01:31,266 to seek their fortunes in the West. 35 00:01:31,900 --> 00:01:32,667 There's just one problem. 36 00:01:33,533 --> 00:01:34,600 Traveling over land coast to coast is 37 00:01:35,667 --> 00:01:37,667 a long and dangerous journey, and there's no easy 38 00:01:38,233 --> 00:01:39,066 shortcut on the water. 39 00:01:39,834 --> 00:01:41,400 The Panama canal doesn't yet exist. 40 00:01:43,166 --> 00:01:46,100 But self-made shipping tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt 41 00:01:47,333 --> 00:01:50,266 has a radical new business idea, a steamship that would take 42 00:01:51,166 --> 00:01:52,800 passengers from New York to San Francisco, 43 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:55,100 but not by cutting through Panama, 44 00:01:56,233 --> 00:01:58,567 rather by going through the nearer nation of Nicaragua. 45 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:03,367 If successful, the route would reshape global trade 46 00:02:04,233 --> 00:02:06,367 and alter the history of the Americas. 47 00:02:07,433 --> 00:02:09,300 For the crucial maiden voyage, Vanderbilt handpicks 48 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:12,100 the steamship Orus, one of the quickest 49 00:02:12,900 --> 00:02:14,467 and most agile vessels of its kind, 50 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:17,800 with two cutting edge lever beam engines. 51 00:02:18,500 --> 00:02:19,400 But midway through the voyage, 52 00:02:20,567 --> 00:02:24,567 the 158 foot ship encounters deadly rapids, 53 00:02:25,700 --> 00:02:28,166 is battered by whitewater, and smashes onto the rocks. 54 00:02:29,066 --> 00:02:31,767 Attempts to free the ship prove futile, 55 00:02:32,767 --> 00:02:34,867 and the Orus is abandoned, where she's consumed 56 00:02:35,533 --> 00:02:36,800 by the river and the jungle, 57 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:39,200 eventually disappearing from memory. 58 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:43,266 Now though, a team of explorers is using newly 59 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:45,900 uncovered accounts to hunt for the remains 60 00:02:46,567 --> 00:02:48,166 of this history-making ship. 61 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:51,200 And I'm joining them on a remote river expedition 62 00:02:52,166 --> 00:02:53,867 through treacherous crocodile filled waters 63 00:02:54,633 --> 00:02:56,467 and dense snake infested jungles. 64 00:02:57,467 --> 00:02:59,300 So please keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs 65 00:03:00,066 --> 00:03:01,567 inside the boat at all times. 66 00:03:02,633 --> 00:03:04,200 We're full steam ahead in search of one of the most 67 00:03:05,233 --> 00:03:08,667 important and largely forgotten wrecks in history. 68 00:03:09,233 --> 00:03:10,800 [theme music playing] 69 00:03:13,867 --> 00:03:16,066 [Josh] The past is all around us. 70 00:03:16,834 --> 00:03:19,200 Oh, my god! It goes on forever! 71 00:03:19,767 --> 00:03:20,867 A world of mystery... 72 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:24,767 Come on! Look at that! 73 00:03:25,133 --> 00:03:25,867 Danger... 74 00:03:26,166 --> 00:03:26,967 Hang on! 75 00:03:28,900 --> 00:03:31,667 ...and adventure. It's just straight down! 76 00:03:33,467 --> 00:03:34,667 I gotta get a new job. 77 00:03:36,367 --> 00:03:40,000 I travel to the far corners of the earth to uncover 78 00:03:40,500 --> 00:03:41,667 where legends end. 79 00:03:42,133 --> 00:03:44,367 We got it! Yes! 80 00:03:44,900 --> 00:03:45,600 And history begins. 81 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:47,467 Whoo-hoo! Here we go! 82 00:03:48,533 --> 00:03:52,367 I'm Josh Gates, and this is "Expedition Unknown." 83 00:03:53,767 --> 00:03:55,867 [tropical music playing] 84 00:04:05,367 --> 00:04:08,066 This is the largest country in Central America 85 00:04:08,967 --> 00:04:11,000 and amazingly one I have never set foot in. 86 00:04:11,900 --> 00:04:14,367 That makes this country number 115 for me. 87 00:04:14,900 --> 00:04:15,700 But who's counting? 88 00:04:16,133 --> 00:04:16,867 [whispers] I am. 89 00:04:19,667 --> 00:04:22,467 Managua is a vibrant city of over a million 90 00:04:23,533 --> 00:04:25,300 proud and resilient people in a country that caught 91 00:04:26,233 --> 00:04:27,567 America's eye long before anyone had heard 92 00:04:28,433 --> 00:04:30,066 of the Iran-Contra affair. Look it up. 93 00:04:31,100 --> 00:04:34,200 The U.S. has long had an interest in Nicaragua. 94 00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:36,767 Our border is only about a thousand miles away, 95 00:04:37,533 --> 00:04:38,767 and it's this proximity that lies 96 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:40,500 at the heart of our story. 97 00:04:41,300 --> 00:04:42,500 Because before Panama had a canal, 98 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:46,400 Nicaragua was eyed as a possible path between the seas. 99 00:04:46,667 --> 00:04:47,767 Why? 100 00:04:48,066 --> 00:04:48,867 Lakes. 101 00:04:50,500 --> 00:04:52,567 The biggest is Lake Nicaragua. 102 00:04:53,333 --> 00:04:55,900 100 miles long and 44 miles wide, 103 00:04:56,734 --> 00:04:59,000 it covers nearly 15% of the country. 104 00:04:59,900 --> 00:05:01,266 Lake Nicaragua connects with the Atlantic 105 00:05:01,834 --> 00:05:03,200 via the San Juan River. 106 00:05:04,333 --> 00:05:06,467 Seizing on this unique geography, transportation mogul 107 00:05:07,300 --> 00:05:08,700 Cornelius Vanderbilt hopes to develop 108 00:05:09,266 --> 00:05:10,867 an aquatic superhighway. 109 00:05:11,900 --> 00:05:13,266 The Vanderbilt fortune, which eventually produced 110 00:05:14,333 --> 00:05:16,400 Vanderbilt University, the largest home in America, 111 00:05:17,367 --> 00:05:19,367 and Anderson Cooper, started with Cornelius, 112 00:05:20,500 --> 00:05:22,367 one of the most successful and ruthless industrialists 113 00:05:22,767 --> 00:05:24,000 of his era. 114 00:05:24,834 --> 00:05:27,166 In 1848, he outfits the steamship Orus 115 00:05:28,133 --> 00:05:30,100 for the inaugural voyage, a trip from which 116 00:05:30,667 --> 00:05:31,567 she would never return. 117 00:05:33,166 --> 00:05:35,667 All of Nicaragua's biggest cities are built 118 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:37,900 near these lakes here on the western side 119 00:05:38,333 --> 00:05:38,900 of the country. 120 00:05:39,734 --> 00:05:40,467 But I'm going to the opposite coast, 121 00:05:41,567 --> 00:05:43,400 to the east, where there's almost no infrastructure. 122 00:05:44,433 --> 00:05:45,266 So before I leave the capital, I need to pick up 123 00:05:45,700 --> 00:05:46,567 some supplies. 124 00:05:47,100 --> 00:05:47,667 Also, I'm starving. 125 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:50,400 [Nicaraguan guitar music playing] 126 00:05:51,467 --> 00:05:53,900 [Josh] Welcome to Mercado Carlos Roberto Huembes. 127 00:05:54,767 --> 00:05:55,567 Here you can find just about anything 128 00:05:56,333 --> 00:05:57,367 you might possibly want to wear, 129 00:05:58,266 --> 00:06:00,467 shoot, or play. 130 00:06:01,667 --> 00:06:03,967 Along with some dishes that you may or may not 131 00:06:04,867 --> 00:06:06,467 want to eat, such as the local delicacy, 132 00:06:06,900 --> 00:06:07,867 Pinol de Iguana. 133 00:06:08,900 --> 00:06:11,300 It's a maize-based stew made with a female iguana 134 00:06:11,734 --> 00:06:12,467 and her eggs. 135 00:06:14,767 --> 00:06:16,500 I mean, 136 00:06:17,467 --> 00:06:18,667 it's not the worst iguana dish I've ever had. 137 00:06:21,500 --> 00:06:24,000 In preparation for a remote river journey, 138 00:06:24,900 --> 00:06:27,266 I also score a hammock, a good machete, 139 00:06:28,233 --> 00:06:30,567 and I find you can never have too many hats. 140 00:06:31,700 --> 00:06:33,667 Well, it looks like it's time for a little adventure. 141 00:06:37,266 --> 00:06:40,667 To join the team retracing the Orus's ill-fated journey, 142 00:06:41,500 --> 00:06:42,367 I've got to get to the starting line 143 00:06:43,066 --> 00:06:44,867 on Nicaragua's eastern coast. 144 00:06:45,900 --> 00:06:47,467 But with no regular air service heading that way, 145 00:06:48,467 --> 00:06:50,266 I charter a plane from Managua across... well, 146 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:51,567 the entire country, 147 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:53,667 187 miles of it. 148 00:06:54,967 --> 00:06:57,967 I would describe the arrivals lounge as uncrowded. 149 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:04,100 OK, well, welcome to the Caribbean side 150 00:07:04,533 --> 00:07:05,166 of Nicaragua. 151 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:07,767 ♪♪ 152 00:07:08,700 --> 00:07:10,667 [Josh] This is the untamed Mosquito Coast, 153 00:07:11,633 --> 00:07:14,266 a place both beautiful and notoriously wild. 154 00:07:15,066 --> 00:07:16,767 Today, it looks like nobody's here. 155 00:07:17,433 --> 00:07:19,000 However, I'm far from alone. 156 00:07:19,934 --> 00:07:21,100 Vanderbilt's crew wasn't the first to try 157 00:07:21,633 --> 00:07:22,467 to tame this place. 158 00:07:23,533 --> 00:07:25,667 And just inside the tree line are other travelers 159 00:07:26,233 --> 00:07:27,000 who met their fate here. 160 00:07:29,266 --> 00:07:32,400 These overgrown graves are etched with clues 161 00:07:33,100 --> 00:07:35,000 hinting at a tumultuous past. 162 00:07:36,100 --> 00:07:38,266 There are Spaniards buried here, but also tombstones 163 00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:42,100 to American sailors, Englishmen, Scotsmen, 164 00:07:42,533 --> 00:07:43,500 even Freemasons. 165 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:50,000 In 1522, Conquistadors claimed Nicaragua for Spain, 166 00:07:51,066 --> 00:07:52,667 but the Spanish were unable to maintain their hold 167 00:07:53,734 --> 00:07:56,000 on the isolated Caribbean coast, which became a haven 168 00:07:56,867 --> 00:07:58,367 for pirates and the British settlers, 169 00:07:59,333 --> 00:08:01,500 who established a momentarily thriving outpost 170 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:03,367 known as Greytown. 171 00:08:04,333 --> 00:08:06,467 But today, only forgotten tombstones remain. 172 00:08:08,500 --> 00:08:11,000 Not too far away, though, is life. 173 00:08:11,967 --> 00:08:13,567 The successor to Greytown, the remote village 174 00:08:14,667 --> 00:08:16,767 of San Juan de Nicaragua, perched on the humid edge 175 00:08:17,667 --> 00:08:19,767 of civilization with no roads in or out. 176 00:08:21,567 --> 00:08:23,967 I head to the dock to meet expedition leader 177 00:08:25,100 --> 00:08:27,066 and fellow Explorers Club member, Peter Tattersfield. 178 00:08:28,300 --> 00:08:30,166 -Hey, Peter. -Hey, Josh. 179 00:08:31,066 --> 00:08:31,500 -Good to see you, man. -Great to see ya! 180 00:08:32,467 --> 00:08:33,367 Let me introduce you to my business partner, 181 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:35,000 Miguel Fernandez. -Miguel, pleasure. 182 00:08:35,567 --> 00:08:36,867 Great to meet you, Josh. 183 00:08:37,834 --> 00:08:39,266 Peter is a technical diver who's been working 184 00:08:40,233 --> 00:08:42,266 in marine archeology for more than 30 years, 185 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:44,867 where he not only hunts for historic wrecks, 186 00:08:45,300 --> 00:08:46,000 but finds them. 187 00:08:46,734 --> 00:08:47,166 And I know that a few years ago, 188 00:08:48,300 --> 00:08:50,467 you were part of a major discovery of another lost ship. 189 00:08:51,100 --> 00:08:52,867 Yes, the SS Independence. 190 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:55,100 I received a grant from the Explorers Club, 191 00:08:55,967 --> 00:08:57,166 and working in collaboration with INAH, 192 00:08:58,266 --> 00:08:59,567 the Institute of National Anthropology and History, 193 00:09:00,433 --> 00:09:01,100 we were able to locate the remains 194 00:09:02,233 --> 00:09:04,667 of the SS Independence off the coast of Baja in Mexico. 195 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:05,800 Incredible. Awesome. 196 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:07,667 OK, let's talk about this mission. 197 00:09:08,500 --> 00:09:09,767 I have to say, like a lot of people, 198 00:09:10,467 --> 00:09:11,600 I had never heard of the Orus. 199 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:14,200 This idea of bringing ships through Nicaragua, 200 00:09:14,834 --> 00:09:15,367 I knew nothing about this. 201 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:17,867 So where does this whole story start? 202 00:09:18,967 --> 00:09:21,500 It all starts in 1848 in Sutter's Mill, California, 203 00:09:22,166 --> 00:09:23,500 with the discovery of gold. 204 00:09:24,467 --> 00:09:26,667 That sparked a mass migration from all over, 205 00:09:27,467 --> 00:09:28,166 people trying to get to California 206 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:30,266 and stake their claim and get rich. 207 00:09:31,767 --> 00:09:34,767 [Josh] But the road to Gold Rush riches ain't easy. 208 00:09:35,834 --> 00:09:37,867 Aspiring 49ers have three nightmarish itineraries 209 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:39,567 to choose from. Take your pick. 210 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:41,767 ♪♪ 211 00:09:42,734 --> 00:09:43,867 [Josh] Option one, travel across the country 212 00:09:44,667 --> 00:09:46,266 3,000 miles in a bumpy wagon train 213 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:49,166 for four to six months, with the exciting possibilities 214 00:09:49,967 --> 00:09:51,500 of contracting cholera or smallpox, 215 00:09:52,367 --> 00:09:53,767 native skirmishes, or freezing to death 216 00:09:54,266 --> 00:09:55,600 in the mountains. 217 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:57,200 Not for you? 218 00:09:57,934 --> 00:09:59,667 OK, well, option two is by sea, 219 00:10:00,934 --> 00:10:03,700 a nice little 17,000 mile jaunt around the tip of South America, 220 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:06,367 assuming your ship doesn't wreck and you survive being 221 00:10:07,367 --> 00:10:09,400 on a floating petri dish for six to eight months. 222 00:10:09,767 --> 00:10:11,000 Or three, 223 00:10:11,967 --> 00:10:14,266 a boat to Panama and then a generally horrible 224 00:10:15,133 --> 00:10:17,266 55-mile trek through unforgiving jungle 225 00:10:18,233 --> 00:10:20,400 before taking another boat up the west coast. 226 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:22,600 Sure, it's the fastest option, but it does come 227 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:24,367 with the super-fun bonus of exposure 228 00:10:25,567 --> 00:10:27,967 to deadly tropical diseases like yellow fever and typhoid. 229 00:10:28,667 --> 00:10:29,900 There's got to be a better way. 230 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:36,100 Enter self-made shipping tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt. 231 00:10:37,667 --> 00:10:39,567 [Josh] Though he is perhaps most remembered 232 00:10:40,467 --> 00:10:42,000 for building an overland railroad empire, 233 00:10:42,767 --> 00:10:44,567 he comes from more aquatic roots. 234 00:10:45,333 --> 00:10:46,367 Born into a working-class family 235 00:10:47,567 --> 00:10:50,200 on New York's Staten Island, Vanderbilt amasses his fortune 236 00:10:51,100 --> 00:10:52,767 through ferry and steamboat operations, 237 00:10:53,633 --> 00:10:55,166 earning the nickname, "The Commodore." 238 00:10:56,233 --> 00:10:58,600 He then ushers in the golden age of steamboat travel 239 00:10:59,533 --> 00:11:01,467 and becomes an obscenely rich man by staying 240 00:11:02,266 --> 00:11:04,400 one step ahead of his competitors. 241 00:11:05,567 --> 00:11:08,567 Now, Cornelius Vanderbilt hears that the Panama route is 242 00:11:09,533 --> 00:11:12,066 charging $600 per person to move people across 243 00:11:12,567 --> 00:11:13,166 up to California. 244 00:11:14,233 --> 00:11:16,100 And so he figures that by using the Nicaragua route, 245 00:11:16,934 --> 00:11:19,767 he can shorten the trip by 700 miles, 246 00:11:20,900 --> 00:11:23,700 he can charge half, and still make a bundle of money. 247 00:11:24,567 --> 00:11:25,567 And this whole trip through Nicaragua 248 00:11:26,500 --> 00:11:28,900 will take people how long? -About 30 days. 249 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:31,000 I mean, compared to eight months and having to walk 250 00:11:32,100 --> 00:11:33,567 over the Rockies, like, that sounds like a great deal. 251 00:11:34,367 --> 00:11:35,367 -It's a no-brainer. -[Josh] Right. 252 00:11:36,033 --> 00:11:37,100 [adventurous music playing] 253 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:39,300 [Josh] Vanderbilt plans a five-leg journey 254 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:41,266 to complete his Nicaragua route. 255 00:11:42,500 --> 00:11:44,800 First, passengers will travel from New York here to Greytown 256 00:11:45,500 --> 00:11:47,367 on large ocean-going steamships. 257 00:11:48,367 --> 00:11:50,200 Then a river steamship will complete the daring 258 00:11:51,266 --> 00:11:54,867 120-mile run up the fast and shallow San Juan River. 259 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:58,000 Then a third ship to cross Lake Nicaragua, 260 00:11:59,133 --> 00:12:01,200 followed by a 12-mile stagecoach ride to the Pacific, 261 00:12:02,367 --> 00:12:04,667 where a final ocean steamer takes them to San Francisco. 262 00:12:06,300 --> 00:12:09,100 So Vanderbilt gets a contract with the Nicaraguan government 263 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:11,767 to transport people across the country, 264 00:12:12,667 --> 00:12:14,200 there's just one hiccup. -OK, what's that? 265 00:12:15,166 --> 00:12:16,567 There's no steamship that has ever navigated 266 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:19,600 the 120 miles of the San Juan River 267 00:12:20,166 --> 00:12:21,266 up to Lake Nicaragua. 268 00:12:21,934 --> 00:12:23,000 OK, that is a minor hiccup. 269 00:12:24,700 --> 00:12:27,967 To conquer the untamed waters of the San Juan River, 270 00:12:28,700 --> 00:12:30,200 Vanderbilt needs a special ship. 271 00:12:31,066 --> 00:12:32,667 He believes he's found one in the Orus. 272 00:12:33,667 --> 00:12:36,667 Designed in 1842 by master engineer 273 00:12:37,166 --> 00:12:38,800 James P. Allaire, 274 00:12:39,734 --> 00:12:43,900 158 feet long and weighing in at 247 tons, 275 00:12:44,900 --> 00:12:47,100 Allaire brags that the Orus could stop, start, 276 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:49,667 forward and back quicker and more certainly 277 00:12:50,300 --> 00:12:51,767 than any boat in New York. 278 00:12:52,667 --> 00:12:53,867 This was due in part to her cutting-edge 279 00:12:55,033 --> 00:12:57,767 twin-engine configuration and massive coal-fired boiler. 280 00:12:59,100 --> 00:13:01,266 So she sounds like an incredibly able ship 281 00:13:02,300 --> 00:13:03,266 to take on this river. -She had a shallow draft, 282 00:13:03,900 --> 00:13:04,667 she was very maneuverable, 283 00:13:05,533 --> 00:13:06,266 really kind of ideal for the San Juan. 284 00:13:07,300 --> 00:13:08,200 -And what happens? -[Peter] On her first attempt 285 00:13:09,333 --> 00:13:11,967 up the river, she gets about two-thirds of the way up, 286 00:13:12,533 --> 00:13:13,467 and disaster strikes. 287 00:13:15,667 --> 00:13:16,867 While attempting to run 288 00:13:17,700 --> 00:13:19,367 one set of swift and shallow rapids, 289 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:22,166 the Orus grounds out on jagged rocks, 290 00:13:22,834 --> 00:13:23,967 becoming hopelessly trapped. 291 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:29,767 The crew desperately tries to free her, but in the end, 292 00:13:30,500 --> 00:13:32,100 they're forced to abandon ship. 293 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:35,667 In time, the wreck fades from memory and is swept away 294 00:13:36,233 --> 00:13:37,000 by the rushing water. 295 00:13:39,667 --> 00:13:41,800 Why is this such an important ship to find? 296 00:13:42,934 --> 00:13:45,967 The Orus, it's gonna take us back to that era of 1850, 297 00:13:46,467 --> 00:13:47,367 the Gold Rush era. 298 00:13:48,300 --> 00:13:50,500 It captures the American spirit of adventure. 299 00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:51,767 And you think you can find it? 300 00:13:52,433 --> 00:13:53,266 I know we're gonna find her. 301 00:13:54,367 --> 00:13:56,000 I love the confidence. All right, so what's our plan? 302 00:13:56,900 --> 00:13:59,000 So we're gonna retrace the Orus's route. 303 00:14:00,100 --> 00:14:02,066 -Except for the sinking part? -Well, hopefully. 304 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:03,867 Right. Is this us? 305 00:14:04,834 --> 00:14:05,400 -[Miguel] This is us. -We're ready to roll. 306 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:06,700 -Let's go! -[Josh] OK. 307 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:11,100 We load the boat with supplies and proudly hoist 308 00:14:12,367 --> 00:14:15,467 Explorers Club flag number 124, which has been on expeditions 309 00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:18,066 to the rough seas of the Cape of Good Hope 310 00:14:19,166 --> 00:14:22,200 and traveled by dog sled across Alaska's Bering Strait. 311 00:14:23,300 --> 00:14:25,300 Now it's tackling the mysteries of the San Juan River 312 00:14:26,133 --> 00:14:28,367 and the wild jungles on either side. 313 00:14:29,166 --> 00:14:29,967 To guide us through the dangerous 314 00:14:30,900 --> 00:14:32,500 and doomed route of the Orus, we're joined 315 00:14:33,300 --> 00:14:35,000 by seasoned captain Julio Murillo 316 00:14:35,633 --> 00:14:36,967 and pilot Geovanny Butos. 317 00:14:38,700 --> 00:14:40,667 All right, here we go! 318 00:14:41,367 --> 00:14:43,266 Into the unknown. Next stop? 319 00:14:43,633 --> 00:14:44,800 The Orus. 320 00:14:45,533 --> 00:14:46,100 Let's do it! Here we go, guys! 321 00:14:46,500 --> 00:14:47,066 Let's do it 322 00:14:47,300 --> 00:14:49,266 ♪♪ 323 00:14:51,500 --> 00:14:54,467 [Josh] We leave behind the village and our last view 324 00:14:55,367 --> 00:14:56,867 of the tropical waters of the Caribbean, 325 00:14:57,700 --> 00:14:59,000 as we steam up the mouth of the river 326 00:14:59,567 --> 00:15:01,000 into a watery labyrinth. 327 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:04,467 The San Juan discharges a staggering 40 million 328 00:15:05,166 --> 00:15:06,900 cubic gallons of water a day. 329 00:15:07,900 --> 00:15:10,266 All that H2O flows East through narrow channels 330 00:15:10,767 --> 00:15:12,200 jammed with rocks. 331 00:15:13,100 --> 00:15:14,867 This is a world of unpredictable currents 332 00:15:15,900 --> 00:15:18,367 and shifting shoals hidden just below the surface 333 00:15:19,333 --> 00:15:21,100 that could shred our hull like Swiss cheese. 334 00:15:22,266 --> 00:15:26,166 This river has such diversity, Josh. 335 00:15:27,266 --> 00:15:30,000 We got crocodiles and caimans, freshwater bull sharks 336 00:15:30,934 --> 00:15:33,200 up by the lake. -Freshwater bull sharks, OK. 337 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:36,100 And on land, don't think on land it's much safer. 338 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:39,900 You gotta deal with jaguars and all kinds of snakes. 339 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:43,767 This guy hits a rock and we lose that prop, 340 00:15:44,300 --> 00:15:45,567 then what do we do? 341 00:15:46,700 --> 00:15:49,000 -Grab your life preserver. -We're swimming to Greytown. 342 00:15:49,700 --> 00:15:50,367 I mean, that's not even a joke. 343 00:15:51,300 --> 00:15:53,000 There's no roads. Nobody's coming for you. 344 00:15:53,700 --> 00:15:54,700 [Peter] No one's coming for you. 345 00:15:55,266 --> 00:15:56,800 [exciting music playing] 346 00:16:01,967 --> 00:16:03,266 Whoa! Crocodile! 347 00:16:03,967 --> 00:16:04,667 Oh, look at that! Crocodile! 348 00:16:05,433 --> 00:16:06,066 Slow down, slow down, slow down! 349 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:07,300 Look at that thing! 350 00:16:12,467 --> 00:16:14,467 [cinematic music playing] 351 00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:17,100 Crocodile! Look at that thing! 352 00:16:18,266 --> 00:16:20,467 That wasn't a little caiman. That was a proper crocodile. 353 00:16:20,734 --> 00:16:22,000 Wow! 354 00:16:23,033 --> 00:16:25,000 These waters are teeming with American crocodiles, 355 00:16:25,867 --> 00:16:28,000 which can reach up to 14 feet in length. 356 00:16:28,967 --> 00:16:31,100 I'm happy to be inside our boat with explorers 357 00:16:31,967 --> 00:16:33,700 Peter Tattersfield and Miguel Fernandez 358 00:16:34,767 --> 00:16:37,667 on an expedition up Nicaragua's wild San Juan River 359 00:16:38,467 --> 00:16:39,767 in search of Cornelius Vanderbilt's 360 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:41,767 lost steamship, the Orus. 361 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:46,567 OK, so let's talk about this. 362 00:16:47,567 --> 00:16:49,200 So we just left Greytown on the Caribbean side, 363 00:16:49,900 --> 00:16:50,600 so that's here. -[Peter] Yep. 364 00:16:51,767 --> 00:16:54,667 And how far did the Orus have to travel on this journey? 365 00:16:55,633 --> 00:16:57,767 Well, the length of this river is 120 miles. 366 00:16:58,467 --> 00:16:59,400 And how far did the Orus get? 367 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:01,967 We figured she made it about two-thirds of the way up, 368 00:17:03,166 --> 00:17:05,467 up into an area with some known rapids, a lot of hazards. 369 00:17:06,567 --> 00:17:08,567 It gets to those rapids, and then she makes an attempt. 370 00:17:09,567 --> 00:17:11,066 She gives it a shot, and she starts heading up. 371 00:17:13,166 --> 00:17:16,100 Close to the top of the rapid, she's just overcome 372 00:17:16,700 --> 00:17:17,567 by the force. -Right. 373 00:17:18,567 --> 00:17:20,767 And she's pushed back, and she ends up wrecking 374 00:17:21,767 --> 00:17:24,100 onto the rocks themselves. -So what do they do? 375 00:17:25,133 --> 00:17:27,000 Well, they try all they can to get her released. 376 00:17:27,867 --> 00:17:29,967 They use ropes to pull. They use levers. 377 00:17:30,867 --> 00:17:32,100 They're pushing, they got men in the water, 378 00:17:32,734 --> 00:17:33,600 and nothing seems to work. 379 00:17:34,667 --> 00:17:37,000 Eventually, they abandon her. She's beyond repair. 380 00:17:40,266 --> 00:17:41,500 So what? This ship just gets 381 00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:43,567 left wrecked in the middle of the river? 382 00:17:44,500 --> 00:17:45,667 Yeah, we have travelers accounts that see her 383 00:17:46,834 --> 00:17:48,200 throughout the years sitting in the middle of the river. 384 00:17:48,867 --> 00:17:50,266 One of them, Samuel Clemens. 385 00:17:51,033 --> 00:17:52,467 -Mark Twain. -[Peter] Mark Twain. 386 00:17:53,533 --> 00:17:56,100 Twain describes the remnants of a wreck at the foot 387 00:17:57,233 --> 00:18:01,000 of some rapids that is overtaken by vines and vegetation. 388 00:18:01,633 --> 00:18:02,567 Wow! So she just becomes 389 00:18:03,266 --> 00:18:04,400 another hazard on the San Juan. 390 00:18:04,834 --> 00:18:06,166 [Peter] Yeah. 391 00:18:07,033 --> 00:18:08,500 [Josh] Over decades, witnesses describe 392 00:18:09,467 --> 00:18:11,200 the overgrown wreck transforming into a kind 393 00:18:11,767 --> 00:18:12,900 of artificial island. 394 00:18:13,967 --> 00:18:16,000 And travelers' accounts of this wreckage just cease? 395 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:19,700 They start to fade away, and the route gets used 396 00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:22,000 less and less, and then the Panama Canal comes along. 397 00:18:22,900 --> 00:18:24,367 Right, and the Orus is all but forgotten. 398 00:18:25,066 --> 00:18:25,767 -Pretty much. -Pretty much. 399 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:30,100 [Josh] Had she completed her voyage in 1850 400 00:18:31,133 --> 00:18:32,900 and Vanderbilt's travel route become a success, 401 00:18:33,767 --> 00:18:35,467 the world might have a Nicaragua Canal, 402 00:18:36,600 --> 00:18:38,967 and the Orus would be remembered as a pioneering vessel. 403 00:18:39,900 --> 00:18:42,166 Instead, today, not even a single photograph 404 00:18:42,734 --> 00:18:43,600 of the ship survives. 405 00:18:44,867 --> 00:18:47,266 Now, we do know that she's a wooden hull, right? 406 00:18:48,133 --> 00:18:48,800 -[Miguel] Yep. -And what are the pieces 407 00:18:49,500 --> 00:18:50,800 that are most likely to survive? 408 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:53,567 I would say the machinery, the boiler for sure, 409 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:55,667 and if there are parts of the engine. 410 00:18:56,467 --> 00:18:57,066 And those boilers are big, right? 411 00:18:58,200 --> 00:18:59,367 Those boilers are big, and they would have been bolted 412 00:19:00,100 --> 00:19:01,200 to an iron slab. -[Josh] OK. 413 00:19:02,266 --> 00:19:03,767 To very large timbers, which could definitely have 414 00:19:04,567 --> 00:19:05,967 survived as well. If we're lucky, 415 00:19:06,834 --> 00:19:07,700 we might find some of those elements. 416 00:19:09,467 --> 00:19:12,200 [Josh] The boiler was the beating heart of the Orus. 417 00:19:13,266 --> 00:19:15,767 A coal-burning furnace generated steam which drove 418 00:19:16,867 --> 00:19:19,166 two lever beam engines, pushing paddle wheels mounted 419 00:19:19,867 --> 00:19:21,000 on either side of the vessel. 420 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:23,600 While much of the wood has likely rotted away, 421 00:19:24,567 --> 00:19:26,000 the heavy metal components of the power plant 422 00:19:26,500 --> 00:19:27,300 may have survived. 423 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:31,000 The question is, is she still visible? 424 00:19:32,033 --> 00:19:32,967 -[Miguel] That's right. -She might be submerged. 425 00:19:33,867 --> 00:19:34,266 Right, she might be under the waterline. 426 00:19:35,066 --> 00:19:35,400 [Miguel] Absolutely. At this point. 427 00:19:35,767 --> 00:19:36,667 OK. Wow! 428 00:19:37,333 --> 00:19:38,166 On paper, this sounds easy. 429 00:19:39,166 --> 00:19:40,266 How hard could it be to find a giant steamship 430 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:42,400 in the middle of a river? It's gotta be simple, right? 431 00:19:43,633 --> 00:19:45,266 But once you come out here, you realize it's not so simple. 432 00:19:45,667 --> 00:19:46,467 [Peter] No. 433 00:19:47,333 --> 00:19:49,767 [Josh] And the Orus is far from alone. 434 00:19:50,667 --> 00:19:52,300 In the decades after the ill-fated trip, 435 00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:55,800 dozens of other steamers were lost on the San Juan. 436 00:19:56,934 --> 00:19:59,266 Identifying the remains of the Orus may be a challenge. 437 00:20:00,066 --> 00:20:01,400 That is, if we can even reach her. 438 00:20:02,367 --> 00:20:05,266 Josh, this is our first set of real rapids. 439 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:10,600 Wow, and they are deceptive because they don't look 440 00:20:11,500 --> 00:20:12,400 that bad, just these little white caps. 441 00:20:13,300 --> 00:20:14,367 -[Peter] Yeah. -But we're barely moving. 442 00:20:14,667 --> 00:20:16,166 Yeah. 443 00:20:17,033 --> 00:20:17,700 -You can feel the pull. -[Josh] Totally. 444 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:19,500 [Peter] You can definitely feel the pull. 445 00:20:20,300 --> 00:20:21,266 -It's moving a lot of water. -Yeah. 446 00:20:23,500 --> 00:20:25,600 [Josh] We run the first set of rapids, 447 00:20:26,633 --> 00:20:28,400 but the churning waters are not the only danger 448 00:20:28,967 --> 00:20:30,567 lurking just beneath us. 449 00:20:31,700 --> 00:20:34,266 -Julio, how deep is it here? -More or less three feet. 450 00:20:34,900 --> 00:20:35,467 -Three feet? -Three feet. 451 00:20:35,900 --> 00:20:37,300 Oh, three feet. 452 00:20:38,266 --> 00:20:39,567 Imagine the Orus coming through here with only 453 00:20:40,367 --> 00:20:41,266 three feet of draft. -[Peter] Yeah. 454 00:20:41,533 --> 00:20:42,467 Ooh! 455 00:20:43,467 --> 00:20:45,066 And there it is, right there. 456 00:20:46,033 --> 00:20:46,867 You can feel the motor hitting the sandbank. 457 00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:51,767 Ooh, ooh, ooh, shallow! Shallow! 458 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:54,367 Stop, stop, stop! We cut the engine. 459 00:20:55,433 --> 00:20:57,100 The last thing we want to do is damage the propeller 460 00:20:58,033 --> 00:20:59,867 and strand ourselves far from civilization. 461 00:21:01,266 --> 00:21:02,300 And we're grounded out. 462 00:21:03,100 --> 00:21:04,200 OK, we gotta push off of it, yeah? 463 00:21:05,667 --> 00:21:09,166 We make like amateur gondoliers and use a pole to work our way 464 00:21:09,734 --> 00:21:10,400 free from the sandbar. 465 00:21:10,967 --> 00:21:12,567 [dynamic music playing] 466 00:21:16,166 --> 00:21:17,567 -We're coming off it? -[Peter] Yeah. 467 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:18,667 [Julio] Yeah. 468 00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:21,867 [Josh] Yep, that's deeper. 469 00:21:23,166 --> 00:21:24,367 All right, we're off the sandbar. 470 00:21:24,867 --> 00:21:25,367 Can you punch it? 471 00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:27,467 [engine revving] 472 00:21:31,066 --> 00:21:32,000 Punch it. 473 00:21:32,567 --> 00:21:33,467 [speaking in Spanish] 474 00:21:34,300 --> 00:21:35,567 [Josh] Here we go. Good, good, good. 475 00:21:36,100 --> 00:21:36,767 Okay, we're off it. 476 00:21:37,066 --> 00:21:37,867 Whoo! 477 00:21:39,567 --> 00:21:42,100 We escape the shallows and thankfully avoid 478 00:21:42,700 --> 00:21:43,600 any damage to the boat. 479 00:21:46,900 --> 00:21:50,266 Mile after mile, hour after hour, 480 00:21:51,066 --> 00:21:52,667 we wind through the endless jungle, 481 00:21:53,500 --> 00:21:54,400 deeper into the "Heart of Darkness" 482 00:21:55,500 --> 00:21:58,667 that swallowed the Orus, and into more churning rapids. 483 00:22:02,367 --> 00:22:04,400 So what's the strategy? To the right? 484 00:22:05,467 --> 00:22:06,000 -[Julio] To the right. -[Josh] Yeah, a la derecha? 485 00:22:07,100 --> 00:22:08,667 -[Julio] We go to the right. -[Josh] OK, here we go. 486 00:22:15,066 --> 00:22:16,266 Okay, we're coming through. 487 00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:19,367 Still water ahead. 488 00:22:20,367 --> 00:22:22,200 After navigating the rapids, Julio says he has 489 00:22:22,767 --> 00:22:23,567 something to show us. 490 00:22:25,266 --> 00:22:28,266 The water level is too high right now, but when the river 491 00:22:29,500 --> 00:22:32,800 is low, he has seen rusty metal debris breaking the surface. 492 00:22:33,734 --> 00:22:36,266 We are far up the river, so could this be all 493 00:22:36,834 --> 00:22:37,700 that's left of the Orus? 494 00:22:38,834 --> 00:22:41,367 Julio, how far underwater do you think? 495 00:22:41,967 --> 00:22:44,000 It could be a few feets, 496 00:22:44,633 --> 00:22:46,367 maybe three or four feets. 497 00:22:47,266 --> 00:22:47,767 Oh, there's a little bit of swirling there. 498 00:22:48,700 --> 00:22:49,800 -You see that? -[Julio speaking in Spanish] 499 00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:51,000 [Josh] Look at that. Right there, right there! 500 00:22:52,033 --> 00:22:52,233 -You see that? -[Peter] Yep. 501 00:22:53,333 --> 00:22:53,533 -[Josh] The swirl? -[Peter] Yep. 502 00:22:54,867 --> 00:22:56,567 Can you reach the bottom there or no? 503 00:22:57,433 --> 00:22:57,667 -[Julio] No. -There's something there. 504 00:22:58,533 --> 00:22:59,300 It's not close to the surface. 505 00:23:00,867 --> 00:23:03,700 So, this is normally where we would pull out the sonar. 506 00:23:04,767 --> 00:23:07,300 We're using a slightly more manual technique today. 507 00:23:08,033 --> 00:23:08,467 [Miguel] There's something here. 508 00:23:08,734 --> 00:23:09,867 Oh. 509 00:23:10,533 --> 00:23:11,200 -Something there? -Touch. 510 00:23:13,367 --> 00:23:14,467 -[Julio speaking in Spanish] -Yep. 511 00:23:15,500 --> 00:23:17,467 -There's something right here. -We got something. 512 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:19,266 That's a structure. 513 00:23:20,166 --> 00:23:21,800 Yep, that's it, right there! This is it! 514 00:23:22,467 --> 00:23:23,600 [Josh] Bam! Look at that! 515 00:23:24,734 --> 00:23:25,767 -[Peter] Look at that! -[Josh] You literally staked it. 516 00:23:26,467 --> 00:23:29,166 Dude, nice work! OK, now what? 517 00:23:29,900 --> 00:23:31,500 -Get your wetsuit on. -Really? 518 00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:32,667 Really. 519 00:23:33,667 --> 00:23:34,900 OK, let's do it. 520 00:23:36,767 --> 00:23:39,467 We gear up to do something that may be best described 521 00:23:40,367 --> 00:23:42,967 as really stupid, a zero-visibility dive 522 00:23:44,166 --> 00:23:47,266 in a crocodile-infested river with swiftly moving current. 523 00:23:47,734 --> 00:23:48,467 Sure. Why not? 524 00:23:50,066 --> 00:23:52,367 To keep us from getting washed downstream, 525 00:23:53,633 --> 00:23:56,200 our lifeline is a rope anchored into the submerged structure. 526 00:24:00,667 --> 00:24:02,100 Read you loud and clear. 527 00:24:31,367 --> 00:24:32,500 Is it a wreck? 528 00:24:42,367 --> 00:24:44,467 [dramatic music playing] 529 00:25:06,767 --> 00:25:08,667 Guys, is it metal or wood? 530 00:25:44,867 --> 00:25:46,967 [dramatic music intensifies] 531 00:25:53,300 --> 00:25:55,400 [dramatic music playing] 532 00:26:18,100 --> 00:26:19,200 10-4. 533 00:26:21,967 --> 00:26:24,700 [Josh] We follow the safety line back into the sunlight. 534 00:26:30,467 --> 00:26:32,567 Oh! Man, that sucks. 535 00:26:33,467 --> 00:26:34,066 Thank you for getting me back on the line. 536 00:26:35,133 --> 00:26:36,967 I had one hand on it near the surface and lost it, 537 00:26:37,967 --> 00:26:39,467 and immediately you just start heading downriver. 538 00:26:40,467 --> 00:26:42,000 Well, that's why I cut my fingertips off, Josh, 539 00:26:42,934 --> 00:26:43,500 'cause I want to know where that line is. 540 00:26:44,467 --> 00:26:45,467 Yeah, no, it's like it slipped away from me, 541 00:26:46,367 --> 00:26:47,667 and then suddenly it's like you're gone. 542 00:26:48,633 --> 00:26:49,867 Look, the visibility down there is diabolical, 543 00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:52,767 but it's enough that the takeaway is clear. 544 00:26:53,333 --> 00:26:54,066 That is not the Orus. 545 00:26:55,300 --> 00:26:57,700 Thinking about where we are, we just passed a set of rapids, 546 00:26:58,967 --> 00:27:01,266 so we're above a set of rapids, and the Orus needs to be below. 547 00:27:02,233 --> 00:27:02,967 Yeah, right, the location doesn't quite fit. 548 00:27:04,033 --> 00:27:05,400 -That's right. -[Josh] But whatever that ship is, 549 00:27:05,900 --> 00:27:06,667 it's substantial. 550 00:27:07,500 --> 00:27:08,800 Yeah, it is. It's a good-sized wreck. 551 00:27:09,934 --> 00:27:11,567 You know, there was a ship that sank a few years later, 552 00:27:12,667 --> 00:27:15,667 1854, the Ometepe, which was one of the big steamers 553 00:27:16,300 --> 00:27:16,867 that went across the lake. 554 00:27:17,633 --> 00:27:19,166 OK, so maybe that's the Ometepe? 555 00:27:20,433 --> 00:27:22,967 Yeah, it struck a rock and they say it sank in 24 feet of water. 556 00:27:24,166 --> 00:27:26,266 -How deep were you guys? -[Josh] That's about where we were. 557 00:27:27,233 --> 00:27:29,600 Has the wreckage of the Ometepe been charted? 558 00:27:30,233 --> 00:27:30,867 Uh, not that I'm aware of. 559 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:34,467 We may have just put eyes on a significant historical 560 00:27:35,133 --> 00:27:36,066 shipwreck that's uncharted. 561 00:27:38,100 --> 00:27:42,066 Amazingly, this may be one of Vanderbilt's other ships. 562 00:27:43,133 --> 00:27:45,467 The Ometepe ferried traffic across Lake Nicaragua 563 00:27:46,133 --> 00:27:47,600 after the wreck of the Orus. 564 00:27:48,667 --> 00:27:51,000 The loss was another major blow for his transit line 565 00:27:51,667 --> 00:27:53,600 and plans to build a canal. 566 00:27:54,734 --> 00:27:57,467 Fully booked with 250 passengers when she hit a rock, 567 00:27:58,533 --> 00:28:01,166 it's fortunate that everyone was able to evacuate. 568 00:28:02,100 --> 00:28:04,967 Lost to the depths for more than 170 years, 569 00:28:05,834 --> 00:28:07,266 we may have just put her back on the map. 570 00:28:09,266 --> 00:28:12,367 -But the Orus still awaits. -[Peter] Let's go find her. 571 00:28:12,867 --> 00:28:13,567 Let's do it, yeah. 572 00:28:14,700 --> 00:28:15,200 Let's get off this water before a crocodile rips my leg. 573 00:28:15,867 --> 00:28:16,667 -Come on. -[Peter laughs] 574 00:28:18,500 --> 00:28:20,667 [Josh] Back on the water, the hours tick by 575 00:28:21,500 --> 00:28:22,800 as we scan the banks for shipwrecks. 576 00:28:25,667 --> 00:28:27,767 We continue to fight the heavy current, 577 00:28:28,834 --> 00:28:31,300 taxing the outboard and burning through fuel fast. 578 00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:34,867 Fortunately, Peter has a plan to gas up. 579 00:28:36,066 --> 00:28:37,266 Hey, Josh, we got a little town coming up here pretty soon 580 00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:40,567 that we're gonna pull into. -They got a town out here? 581 00:28:41,367 --> 00:28:43,166 -Yeah, a river town. -A river town? 582 00:28:44,233 --> 00:28:47,367 No roads in, no roads out. It's called El Castillo. 583 00:28:48,066 --> 00:28:49,000 And there she is, right there! 584 00:28:49,567 --> 00:28:51,200 [heroic music playing] 585 00:28:57,000 --> 00:28:58,600 Is that a fortress up there? 586 00:28:59,467 --> 00:29:00,867 Yeah, a fortress built by the Spaniards 587 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:05,000 back in the 16th century to ward off pirates. 588 00:29:05,300 --> 00:29:06,000 Pirates? 589 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:07,467 -Pirates. -Of course. 590 00:29:09,166 --> 00:29:11,667 [Peter] Josh, welcome to El Castillo. 591 00:29:12,367 --> 00:29:13,166 Happy to be here. Dry land. 592 00:29:14,567 --> 00:29:16,100 Gracias. 593 00:29:17,166 --> 00:29:19,400 While Captain Julio refuels, we walk through a town 594 00:29:20,266 --> 00:29:22,200 largely cut off from the outside world. 595 00:29:22,767 --> 00:29:25,066 [guitar music playing] 596 00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:28,800 [Josh] El Castillo looks like a lost set from the Jungle Cruise. 597 00:29:29,967 --> 00:29:32,266 Luckily, the coffee is strong and the traffic is light. 598 00:29:33,767 --> 00:29:37,100 In short, not much has changed since steamship passengers 599 00:29:38,166 --> 00:29:41,100 dreaming of California gold walked these streets. 600 00:29:41,667 --> 00:29:43,266 How cute is this town. 601 00:29:44,300 --> 00:29:44,900 You never know what you're gonna find on the river. 602 00:29:46,100 --> 00:29:48,767 And in the hills above, a derelict fortress is 603 00:29:49,834 --> 00:29:52,600 a ghostly reminder of El Castillo's colonial past. 604 00:29:54,467 --> 00:29:56,567 [adventurous music continues] 605 00:30:10,100 --> 00:30:11,367 [Josh] Whew! 606 00:30:12,166 --> 00:30:13,667 -Look at that view! -[Peter] Wow! 607 00:30:14,500 --> 00:30:15,700 -That is something. -[Josh] Amazing. 608 00:30:18,066 --> 00:30:21,467 [Josh] Built in 1673, it was strategically positioned 609 00:30:22,533 --> 00:30:24,367 to protect the Spanish colonial capital in Grenada 610 00:30:24,800 --> 00:30:26,367 from invaders. 611 00:30:27,367 --> 00:30:29,500 A century later, a young Horatio Nelson captured 612 00:30:30,133 --> 00:30:31,100 the fort for the British. 613 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:34,266 And in 1850, the town became a major stop 614 00:30:35,133 --> 00:30:36,567 on Vanderbilt's developing trade route. 615 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:40,667 After the Orus disaster, this was the toughest 616 00:30:41,567 --> 00:30:43,000 set of rapids for the future steamships 617 00:30:43,567 --> 00:30:44,300 navigating the river. 618 00:30:45,166 --> 00:30:46,767 It was so tough, Josh, that they would 619 00:30:47,333 --> 00:30:49,500 disembark downstream. 620 00:30:50,467 --> 00:30:52,667 They built a rail system to haul the passengers 621 00:30:53,700 --> 00:30:56,567 and cargo around this castle, down to this point 622 00:30:57,700 --> 00:30:59,867 at the foot of the castle, and they'd load their cargo 623 00:31:00,767 --> 00:31:02,367 and passengers onto another steamship 624 00:31:03,166 --> 00:31:04,266 that would take them westward back. 625 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:06,266 So they totally gave up on the idea of even 626 00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:08,066 getting a steamship through this section. 627 00:31:08,667 --> 00:31:09,200 [Peter] They really did. 628 00:31:10,867 --> 00:31:13,767 [Josh] With the sun setting, we set up hammocks in town 629 00:31:14,467 --> 00:31:16,200 to get some much needed rest. 630 00:31:16,600 --> 00:31:17,367 [Josh sighs] 631 00:31:18,433 --> 00:31:19,000 -All right, boys, good night. -[Peter] Good night. 632 00:31:19,867 --> 00:31:20,700 [Miguel] All right. Good day, fellas. 633 00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:21,667 [Josh] Great day. 634 00:31:22,500 --> 00:31:23,867 Hey, none of you guys snore, right? 635 00:31:24,300 --> 00:31:25,066 [Josh] Uh, no. 636 00:31:26,367 --> 00:31:28,467 -[crickets chirping] -[loud snoring] 637 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:38,367 [Josh] Early the next morning, we're back on the hunt 638 00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:39,767 for the Orus. 639 00:31:40,533 --> 00:31:41,567 With El Castillo in the rear view, 640 00:31:42,433 --> 00:31:44,467 every trace of civilization vanishes. 641 00:31:45,633 --> 00:31:48,800 We're alone on the river, surrounded by wild rainforest, 642 00:31:49,734 --> 00:31:51,100 with nothing but green in every direction. 643 00:31:51,333 --> 00:31:53,300 ♪♪ 644 00:31:54,800 --> 00:31:56,867 [Josh] According to contemporary sources, 645 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:00,166 the wreck was overtaken by the jungle and transformed 646 00:32:01,133 --> 00:32:03,166 into a small island somewhere in this area, 647 00:32:04,166 --> 00:32:06,266 about two-thirds of the way to Lake Nicaragua. 648 00:32:06,834 --> 00:32:07,900 We're in the right spot. 649 00:32:09,033 --> 00:32:11,600 The Orus should be close, so we keep our eyes peeled. 650 00:32:13,467 --> 00:32:15,567 [engine revving] 651 00:32:18,066 --> 00:32:21,266 [Josh] It is so overgrown that it's kind of hard to imagine 652 00:32:22,533 --> 00:32:24,200 seeing anything, unless it is just right on the water's edge. 653 00:32:25,100 --> 00:32:26,400 The course of this river has changed a lot 654 00:32:26,967 --> 00:32:28,467 over the last 200 years. 655 00:32:29,667 --> 00:32:32,000 Today, what's in the jungle 200 years ago might have been 656 00:32:32,867 --> 00:32:33,867 on the edge of the bank. -[Josh] Totally. 657 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:37,600 -Hey, guys. -There! 658 00:32:38,266 --> 00:32:38,867 Right there. Look at that! 659 00:32:39,700 --> 00:32:41,066 Right in there. That's metal for sure. 660 00:32:41,500 --> 00:32:42,567 You see that? 661 00:32:43,100 --> 00:32:43,767 Can we come around? 662 00:32:44,433 --> 00:32:45,600 [dramatic music intensifies] 663 00:32:46,433 --> 00:32:47,266 -That is metal for sure. -[Miguel] Yep. 664 00:32:47,967 --> 00:32:48,467 [Josh] What the hell is that? 665 00:32:50,066 --> 00:32:52,066 Let's see if we can find some place to come ashore. 666 00:32:52,734 --> 00:32:55,166 [Miguel speaking in Spanish] 667 00:32:58,266 --> 00:33:00,100 [Josh] We beach the boat in a clearing. 668 00:33:01,200 --> 00:33:02,567 We'll have to bushwhack through the dense vegetation 669 00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:04,700 to investigate the rusty metal debris. 670 00:33:04,934 --> 00:33:06,900 ♪♪ 671 00:33:13,900 --> 00:33:16,166 OK, now we gonna worry about what? 672 00:33:16,467 --> 00:33:17,300 Snakes? 673 00:33:18,300 --> 00:33:19,100 I think they're only about five different types 674 00:33:19,934 --> 00:33:21,367 of venomous snakes here in Nicaragua. 675 00:33:22,133 --> 00:33:24,100 Why did I even ask this question? 676 00:33:24,867 --> 00:33:25,800 [Peter] Come on, we're having fun. 677 00:33:26,333 --> 00:33:27,367 Keep your eyes open. 678 00:33:27,867 --> 00:33:28,367 [Josh] Good lord. 679 00:33:28,934 --> 00:33:30,467 [exciting music playing] 680 00:33:32,100 --> 00:33:35,367 The thick jungle slows our progress to a crawl. 681 00:33:36,333 --> 00:33:38,300 One machete chop at a time, we clear a path. 682 00:33:40,867 --> 00:33:42,000 Anything? 683 00:33:42,967 --> 00:33:44,867 [Peter] Nothing yet, but it's thick up here. 684 00:33:46,500 --> 00:33:50,567 It should be on our left by the water, yeah? 685 00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:53,000 [Peter] Yeah, I think I see something. Hang on. 686 00:33:57,266 --> 00:33:59,467 -Hey, guys, get over here! -[Josh] You got it? 687 00:34:00,333 --> 00:34:01,867 -[Peter] Over here! -Where is it? 688 00:34:02,433 --> 00:34:03,667 [Peter] Right over here. 689 00:34:04,200 --> 00:34:05,967 Ha ha! There it is! 690 00:34:06,667 --> 00:34:07,900 Oh, my word. That's a boiler. 691 00:34:14,200 --> 00:34:16,767 [Josh] That is absolutely a ship's boiler, 692 00:34:17,600 --> 00:34:18,800 literally in the middle of the jungle! 693 00:34:19,633 --> 00:34:21,000 I'm with explorers Peter Tattersfield 694 00:34:22,133 --> 00:34:25,100 and Miguel Fernandez, searching for the steamship Orus. 695 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:26,467 So, we got something here like a hatch. 696 00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:28,266 -[Miguel] Yeah. -[Josh] And I think this is connected. 697 00:34:29,200 --> 00:34:29,800 [Miguel] I think this is actually the boiler 698 00:34:30,867 --> 00:34:32,100 underneath us here. /Right, so this is the boiler. 699 00:34:32,934 --> 00:34:33,367 This is actually part of the chimney 700 00:34:34,433 --> 00:34:35,400 and there's a smaller chimney that goes up higher. 701 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:36,900 Right, so this is like the smokestack up here. 702 00:34:37,533 --> 00:34:39,467 -Exactly. -Unbelievable! 703 00:34:40,467 --> 00:34:42,667 So the million-dollar question, are we standing 704 00:34:43,200 --> 00:34:44,667 on top of the Orus? 705 00:34:45,567 --> 00:34:46,266 -I don't think so, Josh. -[Josh] You don't? 706 00:34:46,900 --> 00:34:47,467 [Peter] I don't think so. 707 00:34:48,300 --> 00:34:50,166 Number one, we don't have an island. 708 00:34:51,200 --> 00:34:53,400 We have vegetation, but there's no island impact 709 00:34:54,233 --> 00:34:56,100 with this wreck. Whatever this ship is, 710 00:34:56,800 --> 00:34:58,500 I think she came to rest here, 711 00:34:59,433 --> 00:35:01,367 and the bulk of her is two feet beneath us. 712 00:35:02,333 --> 00:35:03,567 There is one other big issue with this, too. 713 00:35:04,200 --> 00:35:05,767 -Yeah, rapids. -Exactly. 714 00:35:06,467 --> 00:35:07,667 There's no rapids here at all. 715 00:35:08,433 --> 00:35:09,000 We're not at the foot of rapids. 716 00:35:10,066 --> 00:35:11,600 We're not above rapids. This is calm water out here. 717 00:35:12,033 --> 00:35:13,066 [Peter] Yeah. 718 00:35:14,433 --> 00:35:16,600 [Josh] We also know that the Orus was powered by two steam engines, 719 00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:18,567 but here we don't see any remains 720 00:35:19,834 --> 00:35:22,467 beyond the boiler and chimney. -[Peter] Probably not the Orus. 721 00:35:23,166 --> 00:35:25,300 But a steamship in the jungle. 722 00:35:26,166 --> 00:35:26,700 That's not something you see every day. 723 00:35:27,633 --> 00:35:29,467 -But on Rio San Juan, it is. -[Josh] Right. 724 00:35:30,600 --> 00:35:32,567 This era during the Gold Rush had a tremendous amount 725 00:35:33,367 --> 00:35:35,100 of traffic up and down this river. 726 00:35:36,233 --> 00:35:37,166 All right, so we'll document it as best we can and then 727 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:38,500 head back to the river. -Sounds good. 728 00:35:39,433 --> 00:35:39,800 -[Peter] Let's do it. -[Josh] Let's do it. 729 00:35:40,033 --> 00:35:42,200 ♪♪ 730 00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:44,567 [Josh] Having come across another lost wreck, 731 00:35:45,467 --> 00:35:46,600 we measure the dimensions of the boiler 732 00:35:47,266 --> 00:35:48,900 and record GPS coordinates. 733 00:35:49,934 --> 00:35:51,767 Hopefully, future archival research will uncover 734 00:35:52,867 --> 00:35:55,200 a name and reveal the story of this mystery vessel. 735 00:35:56,767 --> 00:35:59,600 [adventurous music continues] 736 00:36:00,767 --> 00:36:01,867 [Josh] Back on the boat, we continue working our way 737 00:36:02,567 --> 00:36:03,967 upriver for several more hours. 738 00:36:05,500 --> 00:36:09,400 Hey, guys, we're coming up to a really, really dangerous 739 00:36:09,900 --> 00:36:11,300 part of the river. 740 00:36:12,333 --> 00:36:14,200 All the accounts that we have with these rapids, 741 00:36:15,133 --> 00:36:16,166 this is where we have the greatest chance 742 00:36:16,700 --> 00:36:17,600 of finding the Orus. 743 00:36:18,500 --> 00:36:19,900 Keep your eyes open, but brace yourselves 744 00:36:20,633 --> 00:36:22,667 for a bumpy ride. -All right. 745 00:36:23,600 --> 00:36:24,400 Everybody hang on to something. Here we go. 746 00:36:24,633 --> 00:36:27,266 ♪♪ 747 00:36:28,600 --> 00:36:30,500 [Josh] Vanderbilt's lost steamship may have crashed on the rocks 748 00:36:30,934 --> 00:36:31,867 in this rapid. 749 00:36:32,934 --> 00:36:34,867 We need to be careful, or we'll meet the same fate. 750 00:36:35,934 --> 00:36:37,967 Yeah, hang on. It's gonna get bumpy. 751 00:36:39,100 --> 00:36:40,200 [Miguel] Hold on. 752 00:36:41,400 --> 00:36:42,567 [Josh] Whoo! 753 00:36:44,767 --> 00:36:46,266 Good Lord! 754 00:36:47,867 --> 00:36:50,467 Fighting this current is no joke. 755 00:36:51,166 --> 00:36:52,100 These are some strong rapids. 756 00:36:54,900 --> 00:36:57,300 I mean, we are basically at a standstill here. 757 00:36:59,100 --> 00:37:02,467 Like an aquatic treadmill, the surging waters have us 758 00:37:02,967 --> 00:37:03,700 running in place. 759 00:37:06,266 --> 00:37:08,200 -Come on! -[Miguel] Come on, baby. 760 00:37:10,600 --> 00:37:12,767 [Josh] It almost feels like we're going backwards in this. 761 00:37:14,467 --> 00:37:18,467 You can absolutely see how a ship the size of the Orus 762 00:37:19,133 --> 00:37:19,767 could get destroyed in here. 763 00:37:20,734 --> 00:37:23,300 We clear the first leg of the rapids and find 764 00:37:24,400 --> 00:37:27,066 an unusual channel forking off near the river's edge. 765 00:37:27,867 --> 00:37:28,266 This is not the back of the river. 766 00:37:28,767 --> 00:37:29,467 This is an island. 767 00:37:30,266 --> 00:37:31,867 [Peter] This is an island for sure. 768 00:37:32,834 --> 00:37:34,066 [Josh] This is reminiscent of what passersby 769 00:37:34,900 --> 00:37:36,967 like Mark Twain noted a century ago. 770 00:37:37,967 --> 00:37:40,200 A small island which built up around the Orus. 771 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:42,266 It's certainly worth investigating. 772 00:37:43,300 --> 00:37:45,266 Can we sneak in here, you think? 773 00:37:46,400 --> 00:37:46,900 Let's see if we can get out of the main current here. 774 00:37:47,133 --> 00:37:49,100 ♪♪ 775 00:37:52,367 --> 00:37:53,967 Beauty, amazing, we're in. 776 00:37:56,100 --> 00:37:58,767 OK, we're on the inside of whatever this island is now. 777 00:37:59,700 --> 00:38:01,800 Right in the rapids, and we got an island. 778 00:38:02,200 --> 00:38:03,100 Absolutely! 779 00:38:05,700 --> 00:38:07,467 So let's see if we can come ashore. 780 00:38:08,667 --> 00:38:09,867 Right here. 781 00:38:11,166 --> 00:38:12,367 Everybody hang on! 782 00:38:13,500 --> 00:38:16,700 As I set foot on dry land, we are once again enveloped 783 00:38:17,233 --> 00:38:18,166 by thick wilderness. 784 00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:22,467 Wow! Look at this place. 785 00:38:23,133 --> 00:38:23,967 -Hey, Peter. -[Peter] Yeah. 786 00:38:24,800 --> 00:38:25,367 -Gonna need that. -[Peter] Oh, yeah. 787 00:38:26,066 --> 00:38:26,600 So let's see where this goes. 788 00:38:27,533 --> 00:38:28,000 [Peter] We got some work ahead of us, though. 789 00:38:28,667 --> 00:38:29,667 Yeah, this looks overgrown. 790 00:38:30,834 --> 00:38:32,467 Keep an eye out for anything metal, any kind of objects. 791 00:38:33,100 --> 00:38:33,667 [Josh] That's right. OK. 792 00:38:35,467 --> 00:38:38,567 We bushwhack our way toward the far edge of the island, 793 00:38:39,500 --> 00:38:41,667 searching for traces of anything man-made. 794 00:38:42,333 --> 00:38:42,800 [Peter] It is thick up here. 795 00:38:43,033 --> 00:38:45,000 ♪♪ 796 00:38:51,467 --> 00:38:52,667 This is tough going. 797 00:38:57,166 --> 00:39:00,300 Inch by inch, we hack our way to the opposite shore. 798 00:39:04,100 --> 00:39:05,166 Looks like it opens up. 799 00:39:07,166 --> 00:39:08,700 -[Peter] Whoa! -[Josh] What you got? 800 00:39:09,500 --> 00:39:11,266 -[Peter] Check it out! -Oh, my god! 801 00:39:12,166 --> 00:39:13,200 -[Miguel] Oh, boy. -[Josh] Holy [bleep]! 802 00:39:13,633 --> 00:39:14,266 Look at that! 803 00:39:15,033 --> 00:39:16,867 That is an entire boiler system. 804 00:39:18,033 --> 00:39:19,900 -[Miguel] This is a steamship. -That's from a steamship? 805 00:39:20,333 --> 00:39:21,600 Yes, for sure. 806 00:39:22,800 --> 00:39:24,266 Try clear this out, so I can get a good look at the boiler. 807 00:39:28,667 --> 00:39:31,667 [Josh] Oh, my God! Look at this! 808 00:39:35,467 --> 00:39:38,867 But is it the pioneering Orus, or just a boiler 809 00:39:39,500 --> 00:39:40,767 from a later lost steamer? 810 00:39:41,667 --> 00:39:42,767 Good? 811 00:39:43,900 --> 00:39:46,000 Look at this beast! 812 00:39:46,834 --> 00:39:48,300 OK, so let's talk about this thing. 813 00:39:48,867 --> 00:39:50,266 I mean, this is insane. 814 00:39:51,433 --> 00:39:54,867 If I'm not mistaken, this is a cylindrical style boiler. 815 00:39:55,834 --> 00:39:57,667 It was first developed in the 1840s, which is 816 00:39:58,533 --> 00:40:00,166 right the time when the Orus was built. 817 00:40:00,934 --> 00:40:02,667 So this is definitely potential. 818 00:40:03,433 --> 00:40:04,367 -This fits the bill. -Absolutely. 819 00:40:05,567 --> 00:40:06,867 [Peter] And not only that, we're right by a set of rapids. 820 00:40:07,800 --> 00:40:08,266 [Miguel] Guys, there's even more up there. 821 00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:09,266 Oh, there's more in front of it. 822 00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:10,400 I think there's some machinery. 823 00:40:11,767 --> 00:40:13,767 -[Josh] Oh, there's more. -[Peter] Yeah, look at this. 824 00:40:14,734 --> 00:40:15,467 [Josh] Look at this. There's a lot more here. 825 00:40:16,266 --> 00:40:16,667 This looks like part of an engine. 826 00:40:17,633 --> 00:40:18,100 [Miguel] These are definitely engine parts. 827 00:40:18,900 --> 00:40:19,867 And remember what I told you guys? 828 00:40:20,633 --> 00:40:22,066 The Orus had a twin beam engine. 829 00:40:22,834 --> 00:40:23,266 That's right. And look at that. 830 00:40:23,967 --> 00:40:25,266 Look at these parallel pieces. 831 00:40:26,367 --> 00:40:29,200 This is almost a smoking gun. We know from designer 832 00:40:30,166 --> 00:40:31,867 James P. Allaire's records that the Orus had 833 00:40:32,967 --> 00:40:35,300 two lever-beam engines driving paddle wheels mounted 834 00:40:35,967 --> 00:40:37,600 on either side of the hull. 835 00:40:38,767 --> 00:40:39,767 You should be able to see furnace openings on the bottom 836 00:40:40,600 --> 00:40:40,834 of the boiler. Can you see anything? 837 00:40:41,700 --> 00:40:42,800 Oh, there is! look at that! 838 00:40:43,600 --> 00:40:44,266 That's the opening to the furnace. 839 00:40:44,700 --> 00:40:45,467 [Miguel] It is. 840 00:40:47,567 --> 00:40:49,967 [Josh] What's in there? Can you see in there? 841 00:40:50,433 --> 00:40:51,500 [Miguel] I can. 842 00:40:51,934 --> 00:40:52,700 Check it out. 843 00:40:53,900 --> 00:40:55,100 [Josh] What's in there? 844 00:40:56,133 --> 00:40:57,867 -You got something? -[Miguel] I do. 845 00:40:59,033 --> 00:40:59,367 -[Josh] What the hell is that? -[Peter] What do you got? 846 00:40:59,867 --> 00:41:00,467 [excited] Oh, my. 847 00:41:06,367 --> 00:41:09,100 ♪♪ 848 00:41:10,066 --> 00:41:11,667 [Josh] Welcome to charming downtown Managua, 849 00:41:12,867 --> 00:41:15,867 Nicaragua's cultural center and the heart of its capital. 850 00:41:16,800 --> 00:41:18,100 It's funny. I thought it would be bigger. 851 00:41:18,400 --> 00:41:19,200 Weird. 852 00:41:22,266 --> 00:41:24,867 This scale model is an exact replica 853 00:41:26,033 --> 00:41:28,166 of the city's main drag before a devastating earthquake 854 00:41:28,734 --> 00:41:30,767 flattened it in 1972. 855 00:41:31,633 --> 00:41:33,767 Now visitors can tower over "Mini"-agua 856 00:41:34,900 --> 00:41:37,767 and remember the city that was frozen forever in time. 857 00:41:41,266 --> 00:41:42,300 I just raided the mini bar. 858 00:41:42,533 --> 00:41:44,500 ♪♪ 859 00:41:47,200 --> 00:41:50,767 'Cause it's a small hotel, Mini -- doesn't matter. 860 00:41:51,166 --> 00:41:51,900 You get it. 861 00:41:58,200 --> 00:41:59,600 [exciting music playing] 862 00:42:00,100 --> 00:42:01,266 Check that out. 863 00:42:02,233 --> 00:42:02,700 -[Josh] Is that coal? -[Peter] Look at that. 864 00:42:03,800 --> 00:42:05,700 -Is that coal from the furnace? -[Miguel] It sure is. 865 00:42:06,567 --> 00:42:07,867 [Josh] We've just found a lump of coal, 866 00:42:08,700 --> 00:42:10,567 yet somehow it feels like Christmas. 867 00:42:11,667 --> 00:42:13,467 That's because our expedition up the San Juan River 868 00:42:14,300 --> 00:42:16,467 in Nicaragua may have hit pay dirt. 869 00:42:17,166 --> 00:42:17,767 [Miguel] I got another piece. 870 00:42:19,200 --> 00:42:21,166 -That's coal. -That is definitely coal, 871 00:42:21,734 --> 00:42:22,467 and that is old coal. 872 00:42:23,367 --> 00:42:24,767 And remember, the Orus was burning coal. 873 00:42:25,600 --> 00:42:29,166 Right. So another piece of evidence. 874 00:42:30,133 --> 00:42:31,867 -They're stacking up. -They are stacking up. 875 00:42:33,033 --> 00:42:35,467 Everything we're seeing matches descriptions of the Orus. 876 00:42:36,500 --> 00:42:39,266 We've got an 1840s era coal-fired boiler wrecked 877 00:42:40,166 --> 00:42:42,166 near a rapid and embedded in an island. 878 00:42:42,734 --> 00:42:45,100 Check, check, and check. 879 00:42:45,367 --> 00:42:46,266 Oh! 880 00:42:47,367 --> 00:42:49,166 I got metal! Oh! 881 00:42:49,867 --> 00:42:51,266 Look at this! Look at this! 882 00:42:52,166 --> 00:42:53,400 -[Peter] Whoa! -[Josh] This is an anchor. 883 00:42:54,467 --> 00:42:55,000 -[Peter] That is an anchor. -[Miguel] Definitely. 884 00:42:55,800 --> 00:42:57,667 I mean, that is for sure an anchor. 885 00:42:58,667 --> 00:42:59,500 The main part of the anchor here, you can see, 886 00:43:00,133 --> 00:43:00,567 is completely buried. 887 00:43:01,500 --> 00:43:02,500 So the flukes, all that must be all the way 888 00:43:03,066 --> 00:43:03,767 underneath this mass. 889 00:43:05,000 --> 00:43:07,200 Again, this is more evidence that this ship, whatever it is, 890 00:43:08,266 --> 00:43:10,000 when it wrecked here, it formed a kind of island. 891 00:43:10,900 --> 00:43:11,867 There's gotta be more around here, Josh. 892 00:43:12,433 --> 00:43:13,100 Let's keep on looking. 893 00:43:16,066 --> 00:43:18,367 [Josh] To fully investigate the debris field, 894 00:43:19,567 --> 00:43:22,166 we put on wetsuits and brave the crocodile-infested waters 895 00:43:23,066 --> 00:43:24,867 to see what's hiding beneath the surface. 896 00:43:25,800 --> 00:43:26,367 All right, let's talk about the plan here. 897 00:43:27,200 --> 00:43:27,567 What are we looking for underwater? 898 00:43:28,567 --> 00:43:30,367 So, these pieces of machinery should be bolted 899 00:43:31,233 --> 00:43:33,266 to an iron plate, and that iron plate 900 00:43:34,100 --> 00:43:35,000 would have been bolted to a keelson. 901 00:43:35,934 --> 00:43:37,467 That's a really big, thick piece of timber 902 00:43:38,433 --> 00:43:39,266 that ran the length of the hull. -That's right. 903 00:43:40,367 --> 00:43:42,800 Orus has to be wooden hulls, so that configuration is 904 00:43:43,767 --> 00:43:44,500 indicative of the Orus. -[Miguel] Absolutely. 905 00:43:45,500 --> 00:43:46,600 And in fact, this is a wood-hulled ship, right? 906 00:43:47,567 --> 00:43:48,100 So, there should be timber all through here. 907 00:43:48,633 --> 00:43:49,300 It's gotta be, yeah. 908 00:43:50,433 --> 00:43:51,166 OK, let's see if we can see anything underwater here. 909 00:43:51,900 --> 00:43:52,400 -Here we go. -[Peter] Let's go. 910 00:43:54,000 --> 00:43:56,567 We only have a few inches of visibility, 911 00:43:57,500 --> 00:43:59,800 so we use our hands to grope in the murk. 912 00:44:00,100 --> 00:44:01,900 ♪♪ 913 00:44:02,200 --> 00:44:03,266 Peter! 914 00:44:04,000 --> 00:44:04,200 -Yeah? -[Josh] I'm feeling wood 915 00:44:05,300 --> 00:44:06,066 all over the place down here, aren't you? 916 00:44:07,000 --> 00:44:09,166 I'm feeling wood, but I'm feeling an iron 917 00:44:10,033 --> 00:44:11,166 or steel plank right here beneath me. 918 00:44:11,967 --> 00:44:12,166 -[Josh] Where is that? -Right here. 919 00:44:13,333 --> 00:44:13,500 -Give me your hand. -[Josh] Uh-huh. 920 00:44:14,200 --> 00:44:15,166 Feel this. 921 00:44:15,900 --> 00:44:16,867 -Whoa. -[Peter] That is metal. 922 00:44:18,000 --> 00:44:18,166 -[Josh] That's metal. -[Miguel] What do you guys have? 923 00:44:19,600 --> 00:44:21,567 There's like a metal plank that runs right underneath 924 00:44:22,400 --> 00:44:23,000 this equipment. -[Miguel] Is it flat? 925 00:44:24,066 --> 00:44:24,367 -[Peter] It's flat. -[Josh] Yes, completely flat. 926 00:44:25,367 --> 00:44:26,400 And can you get any sense of how thick it is? 927 00:44:27,400 --> 00:44:28,266 -I'd say an inch and a half. -[Miguel] Oh, man. 928 00:44:29,367 --> 00:44:32,000 And there's also what feels like there might be like 929 00:44:32,767 --> 00:44:33,867 decking here. Hold on a second. 930 00:44:34,533 --> 00:44:35,066 -[Miguel] Wood? -[Josh] Yes. 931 00:44:37,567 --> 00:44:39,967 Ha! Look at this. That's a piece of timber. 932 00:44:40,867 --> 00:44:41,066 [Miguel] That's a great piece of timber. 933 00:44:42,033 --> 00:44:42,266 -Look at that. -For sure. 934 00:44:43,233 --> 00:44:43,433 -Look at these parts here. -Right? 935 00:44:44,700 --> 00:44:44,900 This looks like it might have been drilled out here. 936 00:44:46,400 --> 00:44:47,667 This is not like an old branch. This is a piece of timber. 937 00:44:48,300 --> 00:44:48,767 You can see that's planed. 938 00:44:49,700 --> 00:44:50,367 Yeah, look at this drill hole right there. 939 00:44:51,266 --> 00:44:53,600 There was a screw in there at one point. 940 00:44:54,033 --> 00:44:55,000 That's amazing. 941 00:44:56,000 --> 00:44:58,367 Two-lever beam engines affixed to a metal plate 942 00:44:59,066 --> 00:45:00,667 sitting on a wood-hulled ship. 943 00:45:01,700 --> 00:45:03,567 This is a dead match for the information we have 944 00:45:03,967 --> 00:45:04,867 on the Orus. 945 00:45:05,967 --> 00:45:08,367 All the pieces of the puzzle are sliding into place. 946 00:45:09,333 --> 00:45:09,800 All right, let's take stock of things here, 947 00:45:10,500 --> 00:45:12,166 starting with where we're at. 948 00:45:13,066 --> 00:45:14,667 Where we're at feels right, doesn't it? 949 00:45:15,667 --> 00:45:16,700 It feels like we're in the right place, Josh. 950 00:45:17,800 --> 00:45:20,166 -A, we're in the rapids. -Like literally in the rapids. 951 00:45:21,000 --> 00:45:23,066 -Right in the center. -B, an island. 952 00:45:23,934 --> 00:45:24,567 [Josh] That's right. We've got a wreck 953 00:45:25,400 --> 00:45:26,300 that has an island forming around it. 954 00:45:26,967 --> 00:45:28,166 -Right. -So, I mean, already 955 00:45:28,867 --> 00:45:30,767 that is incredibly promising. 956 00:45:31,867 --> 00:45:34,100 We've got a boiler that was overgrown by the jungle. 957 00:45:34,934 --> 00:45:35,667 And then we've got the wreck itself. 958 00:45:36,633 --> 00:45:38,100 I mean, we've got a cylindrical style boiler 959 00:45:38,900 --> 00:45:40,000 that fits into the era. -[Josh] Yep. 960 00:45:40,934 --> 00:45:42,100 We know that it had a double-beam engine. 961 00:45:42,900 --> 00:45:43,800 And we've got parallel parts here. 962 00:45:44,934 --> 00:45:45,467 -Look at this. -[Josh] That are about the right size. 963 00:45:46,166 --> 00:45:47,166 They're about the right size. 964 00:45:48,233 --> 00:45:50,266 And underneath that, it's all bolted down to iron. 965 00:45:51,400 --> 00:45:54,266 And we've got wooden timbers and beams underneath that. 966 00:45:55,066 --> 00:45:56,400 And it appears to be a wooden hull. 967 00:45:56,767 --> 00:45:58,266 OK. So? 968 00:45:59,166 --> 00:46:01,166 Josh, Miguel, we're sitting on the Orus. 969 00:46:01,934 --> 00:46:03,000 -This feels right. -It sure does. 970 00:46:03,834 --> 00:46:04,600 -Absolutely incredible! -[Peter] Yeah. 971 00:46:05,500 --> 00:46:07,367 And you know what is so wild about this? 972 00:46:08,333 --> 00:46:10,767 This isn't some artifact that had to be dug up. 973 00:46:11,433 --> 00:46:12,800 It had to be re-remembered. 974 00:46:13,900 --> 00:46:15,667 It's like a forgotten piece of history just trapped 975 00:46:16,600 --> 00:46:18,200 in this river. -She's been waiting for us. 976 00:46:19,133 --> 00:46:20,166 She's been waiting for us. How about that? 977 00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:22,667 -[Peter] Yep. -Awesome, awesome job. 978 00:46:23,633 --> 00:46:25,567 -Guys, incredible. -[Miguel] Really exciting. 979 00:46:26,133 --> 00:46:28,000 Look at that, the Orus. 980 00:46:28,767 --> 00:46:31,567 Dude, unbelievable. Amazing job. 981 00:46:32,467 --> 00:46:33,200 -Should we dry off? -[Miguel] Let's go. 982 00:46:33,767 --> 00:46:34,200 Let's get out of here. 983 00:46:34,834 --> 00:46:36,767 [triumphant music playing] 984 00:46:37,900 --> 00:46:39,867 We clean off the vegetation to photograph and measure 985 00:46:40,433 --> 00:46:41,300 the boiler and engine. 986 00:46:42,800 --> 00:46:46,467 All of the evidence indicates that this is the Orus, 987 00:46:47,133 --> 00:46:48,000 the first passenger steamer 988 00:46:48,834 --> 00:46:51,000 to take on the mighty San Juan River. 989 00:46:52,133 --> 00:46:54,867 A lost chapter in Nicaragua's history has been found. 990 00:46:59,600 --> 00:47:01,767 ♪♪ 991 00:47:03,000 --> 00:47:05,767 [Josh] Back in the Gold Rush heyday, when tens of thousands 992 00:47:06,600 --> 00:47:08,100 of prospectors were traveling West, 993 00:47:09,066 --> 00:47:11,967 Vanderbilt saw opportunity and dollar signs, 994 00:47:12,934 --> 00:47:15,367 but his vision claimed the Orus, the Ometepe, 995 00:47:16,066 --> 00:47:17,467 and dozens of other steamships. 996 00:47:18,667 --> 00:47:22,567 In 1855, a rail line was completed across Panama, 997 00:47:23,500 --> 00:47:25,867 and in 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad 998 00:47:26,500 --> 00:47:28,266 bridged the United States. 999 00:47:29,233 --> 00:47:31,667 In 1906, the opening of the Panama Canal was 1000 00:47:32,367 --> 00:47:33,467 the final nail in the coffin. 1001 00:47:35,567 --> 00:47:38,467 But history has a way of repeating itself. 1002 00:47:39,633 --> 00:47:41,900 Nicaragua is, once again, looking for partners to build 1003 00:47:42,567 --> 00:47:44,867 a new ocean-to-ocean canal. 1004 00:47:45,433 --> 00:47:46,600 But investors beware! 1005 00:47:48,000 --> 00:47:51,667 The San Juan River has a way of carving its own path 1006 00:47:52,800 --> 00:47:55,467 and deciding the destinies of those who try to tame it. 1007 00:47:55,700 --> 00:47:57,667 ♪♪