This week on The Curse of Oak Island, the guys continued to find more intriguing evidence of secret structures on Lot 5, which they believe are connected to a cache of treasure buried near the Garden Shaft.
Also, on last night’s episode, the Dumas Mining Company arrived on site to excavate the Garden Shaft, and the borehole drill team continued chasing the mysterious tunnel and possible chamber under the shaft.
Last year, the Lagina brothers purchased Lot 5, which proved an incredible investment. This area is the priority for metal detectorist Gary Drayton as they are currently finding some of the “oldest artifacts” in North America. This includes Roman coins dating back 2000 years.
The archaeologists have been getting particularly excited about two stone features. One feature is a circular depression that appears, on the surface at least, to have the same dimensions as the original Money Pit found in 1795.
However, last night, the focus was on the second peculiar rectangular stone structure. Archaeologist Helen Sheldon claimed that in 40 years of excavating, she had never seen anything like it.
The feature is mysterious because it appears to have been buried deliberately. Under the surface, the team found pearl and creamware artifacts that date back to the mid-18th century before the discovery of the Money Pit.
Is the stone feature on Oak Island’s Lot 5 connected to the Money Pit?
Jack Begley, Alex Lagina, and Helen speculated that this may have been a secret encampment inhabited by treasure depositors who used the site to organize a treasure-burying operation at the Garden Shaft.
There is no historical record of any building or structure on Lot 5, which leads the guys to wonder why these structures were kept hidden. The findings have also left the team wondering if a complex of hidden tunnels is buried under the lot.
Also, on last night’s show, the borehole drilling team kept hitting wood around the 100-foot mark under the Garden Shaft. Over the last few weeks, they have clearly identified a massive tunnel in the area, which appears to be seven feet high in places.
However, with the arrival of the Dumas crew, the borehole drill team has to move aside to make room for the miners’ crane.
Dumas miners laid out plans for Garden Shaft on Oak Island
Last night, Dumas laid out the agenda for the coming weeks for the Garden Shaft. First, they must pump out all the water accumulated over the winter. Then, they will use a hammer grab tool to deepen the shaft by about 20 feet.
This means they should hit the same tunnel the borehole drill guys first discovered.
The Dumas guys will also conduct probe drilling in a 40-foot diameter around the shaft, which should detect any valuables. Don’t forget Dr. Ian Spooner said the treasure is likely within a 20-foot diameter of the Garden Shaft.
Finally, once the guys have detected the location of the valuables (or something of interest), Dumas will build a lateral tunnel out to that spot.
And Voilà! They hopefully find the elusive buried treasure. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!
As Rick Lagina suggested at the end of the episode, they don’t know if there is actual treasure down there, but they have never been so hopeful about finding something of great importance.
The Curse of Oak Island airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on History.