This week on The Curse of Oak Island, Rick Lagina shocked everyone by announcing there would be a fifth caisson placed at the Money Pit in yet another Season 9 attempt to locate the Chappell Vault.
This announcement came on the back of a crushing disappointment when the fourth shaft, DMT2, ended in failure.
This was a super exciting episode with the drama ramped up to the max. It really felt like the guys were getting closer and closer to the treasure with each hammer grab. And that’s why it was so frustrating when it suddenly ended in disappointment. However, this disappointment did not last long.
The episode began with Gary Drayton‘s usual chirpy attitude, “this is the day [we find the treasure],” he said for the umpteenth time this season. But any cynicism started melting away once the drilling reached the 150-foot mark.
The Chappell Vault is thought to be at the 153 feet point, and as they neared that mark, they suddenly began finding really old ax-cut wood. They also came across clay, a substance William Chappell’s men came across in 1931 just before they pierced the vault.
Oak Island’s Shaft 4 ended empty-handed at the Money Pit
The excitement started building with each scoop of dirt as the guys prepared to finally hit the vault. Suddenly, the drill hit a void and began rapidly descending. Then, worse news, the drill struck bedrock, meaning it was game over.
Viewers had been told this would be the last shot at the Money Pit for this season. However, Rick Lagina had a nice, albeit somewhat shocking, surprise for everyone. The drilling had proceeded faster than expected, and the guys still have a few more weeks on the island before winter sets in, which means they have the time, and the money, for a fifth shaft and another go at finding the vault.
All that was left was to decide where to put shaft number 5. It was promptly agreed without any argument that the new dig location would be just one foot to the north of the old C-1 shaft and almost directly above the old B4 borehole.
The honor of naming the new shaft fell to Scott Barlow, who christened it B4C after the B4 borehole with an added C for caisson. Marty Lagina joked, “So it’s the hole we dug just B4 (before) we found the treasure.”
New fifth shaft in area of Money Pit with high level of gold and silver
As Jack Begley detailed the reasons why the C1 spot would make a suitable location, viewers may be forgiven for wondering why on earth they hadn’t placed a caisson can there before now. This area of the Money Pit saw the highest concentration of gold and silver in the underground water following Dr. Spooner’s tests. They’ve also found pieces of metal with fragments of gold, and they’ve uncovered wood dating all the way back to the 15th century.
It’s likely the Fellowship was put off this location because they have already dug two ten diameter shafts on either side of C1; TF-1 and EC-1 were dug in 2017 and 2020, respectively, and frankly, they spectacularly failed to reveal any treasure-laden vaults.
However, there’s still plenty of unexplored earth down there, so fingers crossed. The new shaft will be placed just a few feet to the north of C-1 and the two other old shafts. Unless there are some really extraordinary circumstances, this will definitely be the guy’s final shot this season at finding the Money Pit.
The Fellowship of the Dig have once again shown off their resilience and never say die attitude. They are absolutely determined to find the Oak Island treasure and are prepared to push themselves to the limits to get it.
The Curse of Oak Island airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on History.