On Tuesday, December 18, the latest episode of the popular show aired on the History channel. The sixth episode of Season 6 is titled “Precious Metal”. It features Rick, Marty and their team continuing their work on of their most expensive and ambitious projects ever, the excavation at Smith’s Cove, as well as new developments in the war room.
The Urban Equipment Limited team needs 100 sections of steel sheet piling for the construction of a 525-foot long copper dam. They are doing it to seal off the cove from the ocean in order to excavate it. The team hopes to find more treasures and artifacts here, like the medieval cross Rick and Gary Drayton found last year. A finding like this could surely help solve more than two centuries old mystery of Oak Island. In addition, the dam will help them seal off an ancient water system, which was used to flow seawater into the Money Pit. This flood system is perhaps the main reason why the treasure has not yet been found by anyone. They encountered some bad weather with strong winds and rain, toughening the already dangerous and exhausting job.
Meanwhile, Rick and the team have a meeting in the war room to discuss an important new development. They talk about the lead cross they found, and which they had tested about six weeks ago at the University of New Brunswick using laser ablation. They irradiated a microscopic part of the cross with a laser beam to determine the exact materials, and where and when they came from. They found out it was not from North America, further complicating its potential Templar and European origin.
They then reached Tobias Skowronek, a geochemist at the German Mining Museum. It is a renowned museum with an impressive database of minerals and metals, and the perfect place for new and exciting information. They gave him the data and hoped for any help regarding the time and place of the origin of the cross. Marty, Rick and the team receive the news the following evening. Tobias informs them that the results are interesting. The isotopes of the cross are most likely connected not to the period between the 15th and 17th Europe, but to that preceding the 15th century, meaning it could very well be connected to the Templar’s. The team is very excited with the news.
Craig Tester and Charles Barkhousego to the Money Pit areato the Mega Bin, where a recent seismic test revealed a large mysterious board and where Dan Blankenship believes the Latrine Pit is located. The team used sonic drilling to drill the area. The process excavates samples at a pace of every 10 feet to be scanned by metal detectors and by hand. Dan is hoping to find a similar metal structure he came across in 1973, during a similar drilling project. The guys find a change in soil at around 50 feet below the surface, and go deeper, to more than 100 feet. They again come across an obstruction, hoping it is the metal object Dan found more than 40 years ago. It is actually bedrock, meaning that nothing can be down there. Obviously disappointed, at least they know where not to look for clues anymore.
Rick, Dave and Dave’s dad Danwent to the dam in the meantime to check progress. Dan has been trying to solve the island mystery for half a century, so his expertise is extremely valuable. He is amazed with the operation, and wishes to have had the resources back in his days of chasing treasures and mysteries.
Back at the war room, Judi Rudebusch arrives to inform the team on some new developments. She worked with Xena in the past, who worked closely with the brothers and their team before passing away. Judi contacted Gretchen Cornwall and John Temple, experts on the Knights Templar, and proposed a meeting between everyone. John and Gretchen researched the Templar’s for more than a decade. Gretchen wrote a book on the early 14th century Templars and offered her expertise. She believes that some Templar’s became pirates and outlaws, connecting the Jolly Roger symbol of the pirates with the ancient Templar symbol. She says the skull and bones represent Saint John the Baptist, the famous Christian Saint, who was beheaded. The Templar’s may have used the Money Pit to hide invaluable artifacts from their journeys. The pair also connects the Nolan’s cross from the Oak Island to the Templar’s, making it the key to the Money Pit. The theory is in vain unfortunately, as many details on the pit are still lacking.
It is a coffer dam, not a copper dam. Thank you for the recap; I read it every week.