On The Curse of Oak Island this week, have the team finally discovered the entrance to the legendary Money Pit? It certainly looks like a serious possibility.
The episode saw the treasure-hunting team lead by Rick and Marty Lagina continue their quest to uncover a man-made connection between the pit and Smith’s Cove.
One week ago wooden beams dating back to 1735-1784 were found in the cove at a depth of more than 50 feet. The team took this as possible evidence that they may have hit a main flood tunnel.
Based on the evidence, this week they continue to drill exploratory boreholes just above the beach.
In the target zone a core sample near the cave-in pit reveals sand which could be evidence of a manifestation of a bygone tunnel, according to geologist Terry Matheson.
The discovery is deemed important enough to call Marty, and when he arrives at the site he exclaims in anticipation, “It’s a beautiful day on Oak Island!”
As Marty examines the spoils Rick can’t help but note, “the irony is there is no wood” in the sample.
Nonetheless, he adds that this may be the “one thing,” the clue that could solve the 200 years plus Oak Island mystery once and for all.
Next they take a sample five feet to the west, at a depth of 108 feet. The core sample contains some sand but nothing that would point to anything resembling a tunnel according to Terry, who describes the spoils as unremarkable.
The team is disappointed, and they decide to ditch the current random drilling operation in favor of seismic scanning in the hopes of finding more promising targets.
Later, the team from seismic scanning team from Eagle Canada arrive to map underground anomalies in a bid to finally locate the elusive Money Pit. Their ambitious goal involves setting off a whopping 18,000 dynamite charges which will create sound waves that can be measured as they travel through the earth. Based on the sound wave data, a master map of tunnels and voids as deep as 300 feet down will be created.
Meanwhile, the team find time to meet with naval historian and author Chipp Reid in the war room, where he sheds new light on the possible purpose of the mysterious man-made structures at Smith’s Cove.
He shows the team an old map of Oak Island and on it they recognize the mysterious L-shaped structure unearthed last year. Chipp believes that the structure could be evidence of a military fortification known as a water battery, and be connected to what is known as the Louisbourg treasure that is associated with Nova Scotia.
He tells the team that if this is the case, they may actually be looking for some kind of a French treasure, based on his research. In response Marty asks the team’s historians to investigate any possible lead based on Chipp’s assertion.
Elsewhere, members of the team head out to Lot 27, once owned by Daniel McGinnis. Evidence left behind suggests that McGinnis himself searched on the lot for treasure tunnels leading to the legendary treasure vault.
Three weeks ago ancient rock drilling tools called swages, as much as 600 years old, were found on nearby Lot 21, also owned by McGinnis.
Metal detecting expert Gary Drayton finds a promising area for Jack Begley to dig, and they find what Gary terms an iron chisel. “Look at that,” he says, “definitely looks old.” He surmises that the chisel could have been used for tunneling, perhaps in tandem with the swages, and estimates it could date back to the 1400s.
In response, the team decide to further investigate what could be beneath Lot 21, using ground penetrating radar. When the ground penetrating experts arrive on site, they find an anomaly 4 feet down. Could this be a void or a tunnel? The anomaly is 4 feet wide and Craig Tester remarks that there are a couple of known wells in the area, although he concedes that finding this anomaly is promising.
Lastly, the team gather at the southern shore of the island with the goal of finding a wooden sluice way that connects to Shaft 9, thus indicating the location of the Money Pit. Dan Henskee, whom Rick declares is, “the sage, the royalty of Oak Island now,” has recommended this operation based on his knowledge of the island.
Marty operates the heavy equipment machine and soon finds a buried pipe. He continues to dig until the team see water pouring into the dug-out earth through a hole. Examining the mud, they find wood and clay and determine that they have found the 159-year-old sluice referenced by Dan Henskee.
Marty yells, “Holy smokes,” saying this could be one of the most important discoveries of the year.
Have the team finally made a major breakthrough, uncovering a searcher shaft which will lead them to a centuries old vault?
Be sure to tune in next week to find out!
The Curse of Oak Island airs Tuesday nights at 9/8c