'The Curse Of Oak Island' Recap: Heavy Lifting

Welcome to The Curse of Oak Island folks! Last week, we were treated to finds of coins dating from at least 3 BC and on to the 5th century AD. Four total and no nails in sight! Oh, and I forgot the possible Chinese coin underwater. So, you know I was a happy camper. But tonight, what will they find? Will the finds be in the water they are testing or will they find an entrance to the tunnel? Will more artifacts be found on Lot 5? What about last week’s dive? Will the paperwork be back for that continuation? And finally, what about that old swamp that Marty hates so much? Let’s get ready and see what comes.

The Money Pit/Garden Shaft
We open tonight at the drill site heading toward the Garden Shaft. Last week, they found what could be wood from a tunnel. The new borehole is leading to the Garden Shaft and on the opposite side of the Baby Blob. Spooner and Micel think the treasure is within a 20-foot radius (circle) of the Garden Shaft. The plan – construct a new tunnel after determining the direction. 

The team is anxiously awaiting samples from the new borehole and hopes that they find signs of a tunnel. They find soft soil and wood. The next sample is from a different borehole nearby and contains more wood, so things are promising. There looks to be some sort of structure but is it the tunnel? With more of the team members arriving, the decision is to continue the path toward the Garden Shaft. Marty feels since it lines up with the Garden Shaft and Baby Blob, all are connected. 

The next day, they’re at it again and have been joined by expert Ian Spooner. The sample comes up and it is soft with more having some slivers of wood. With Craig and others joining, they decide to continue toward the Garden Shaft. The next sample has more evidence of the tunnel. Rick tells us that they must continue to find the direction of the shaft to understand what is happening.

The next morning, Rick, Alex, and others are at the Interpretive Center studying the wood found near the shaft. They’ve got to decide where to go next – the Baby Blob or Garden Shaft. Also, they need to know if precious metals are present. There is no gold, Emma reports, but something that seems to point toward something sourced from gold/platinum nearby. I’ll be honest. I didn’t get the technical terms – sorry folks). Emma didn’t expect it but there could be a palladium deposit. (Wait, this isn’t Riverdale, is it?) They will send that piece of wood off for further testing.

Lot 5
Marty, Jack, Laird, Jamie, and Fiona are investigating the stone circular feature. Marty gets to dig again with the front-end loader. All of the artifacts so far could be related to Sir William Phipps from the 1700s who could have buried the mystery treasure. There is a hole that looks interesting. As the archeologists started digging, they found a larger same of pottery. Interestingly enough, it could have come from Germany or Philadelphia two decades before the Money Pit's founding. Interesting enough. I know from my family tree that I had many times removed my grandfather who arrived in Philadelphia on a German ship. He took the road south and not north. 

Meanwhile, Rick and Gary are back digging for clues. Gary digs down and finds a piece of what turns out of be a French crate strap. The next find is an iron bolt (well, at least it is not a nail). When the pieces are examined the next day, Erica calls it a wedge. An expert is called in and he’s not sure how the wedge was used. Erica’s evidence implies that it could be connected to other artifacts connected to William Phipps (and possibly the Free Masons). The anchor-looking piece could have come from a part of something similar. Rick decides that they aren’t through with Lot 5. Another piece is a bow strap that could be around a box or crate from France. This leads to Jack reminding all of the “French map” that mentions a hatch. This leads to a reminder of the iron cross and coins. Knights Templar again rears its head. These artifacts are different from anything the expert has seen before.

The team thinks they are getting close to a breakthrough. Oh, and the narrator had to bring up the curse. 

Next week. Unusual finds and more evidence of a tunnel. Plus, a camera is sent down for a look. Also unusual find and longer pieces of wood. The camera going down!