This week’s episode of The Curse of Oak Island saw lots of exciting things happening all over the island, this was an action-packed episode, to say the least.
On last week’s episode, the team was excited to discover coconut fiber, which according to the early searchers, was used as a filter for the box drains that formed an integral part of the flood tunnels. Therefore, this was evidence that they’re getting really close to the original booby trap.
However, this week saw the guys attack two very different parts of the island. First up, after finally receiving the results from a seismic survey done earlier in the year, the team started hunting for a flood tunnel by excavating an area in the uplands. Secondly, they then turned to the swamp, focusing their attention specifically on the infamous eye.
Results of seismic scanning
Earlier in the year, the team employed the services of a company, Eagle Canada, who conducted seismic scanning of the island. This involved setting off over 18,000 dynamite charges, which created underground sound waves, which could then be measured to build an underground map.
The results indicated that there was possibly a tunnel in the uplands at about 60 feet. It appeared to be heading towards the Money Pit area, so the guys reckoned it must be an original flood tunnel.
Marty Lagina decided he wanted to see this tunnel as soon as possible, and that meant getting their hands on a giant digger that could reach 60 feet.
Billy Gerhardt wasted no time in getting down to 50 feet, which is when things started to get interesting. Just beyond 50 feet, water started gushing upwards, and rapidly. Jack Begley shouts, “fricking awesome.” The guys think they’ve hit an original flood tunnel.
Then things started going wrong, as the water relentlessly gushed upwards the sides start collapsing in, and the hole began filling up again. Jack hastily runs to safety, saying, “it’s not worth it.”
As Marty announced, this is getting dangerous,” our boys decided to perform a tactical retreat. Is the booby trap still doing its job of keeping folk out?
Beaten but not defeated, the team then decided to turn their attention to the swamp.
Looking in the eye of the swamp
The guys seemed taken with a particular sense of urgency and energy as they headed towards the eye of the swamp. Their determination and resolve never cease.
A few weeks ago, Gary discovered a peculiar rock and metal formation in the eye.
This discovery, coupled with the theory posited by expert Corjan Mol that the Knights Templar may have buried the Ark of the covenant in the eye of the swamp, had spurred the guys to drain the area and dig it up finally.
Did they find the Ark? Unfortunately, no, not yet anyway, but what they did discover was a number of massive boulders laid upon smaller rocks. While they may not sound too impressive, these boulders appeared like they had been placed there. Perhaps they are hiding something?
Jack Begley also found some blue clay, and past searchers spoke of blue clay being originally used as a water sealant around the Money Pit. The guys decided it was time to call expert Dr. Spooner. Hopefully, he’ll have some info for us next week.
Once again, the swamp remains very exciting this season, let’s hope the guys retain that energy and urgency they showed to get to the bottom of it.
Gary Drayton’s find of the week
Members of the team also went to see expert Dr. Christa Brosseau at St. Mary’s University and watched patiently while she and her colleague Dr. Xiang Yang analyzed the two iron spikes found by Gary in the last couple of weeks.
The team was over the moon to be told that the spikes contained phosphorous, which means they’re old, really old. Dr. Brosseau informed them that they were from pre-1840. A wide grin spread across Alex Lagina’s face as he realized this means they could be from pre-searcher times.
The good doctor had even more info for them, a place of origin. She said they were from Britain or Northern Europe. This news excited the guys immensely, here we have the possibility of an original tool brought over from Europe. You could almost see Alex picturing the treasure in his mind.
We can’t wait for next week.
New episodes of The Curse of Oak Island start at 9/8c on History.