The Curse of Oak Island team found themselves battling nature and a possible flood tunnel booby trap as the Garden Shaft project hit a massive hurdle.
Also, the guys learned wood has been detected in Aladdin’s Cave, suggesting more evidence of humanmade structures in the underground cavern.
Last night’s show was Episode 7 of Season 11, named The Great Flood, and the moniker was not meant to be ironic. A once-in-a-generation storm battered Oak Island and Nova Scotia, causing widespread destruction across the province and leaving the Garden Shaft with 30 feet of water.
Before the storm, Dumas Mining Ltd Representative Roger Fortin took Marty and Rick Lagina down the Garden Shaft to give an update on the miners’ progress. They had increased the shaft depth from about 82 feet to 87 feet.
Water was constantly dripping down the shaft, but Roger seemed very confident they could stop the flow using an expanding foam.
However, after the storm hit, the team found the Garden Shaft full of water. The storm obviously contributed to the flooding, but Roger could not understand where the water was coming from.
Oak Island team suspect they’ve hit a flood tunnel at the Garden Shaft
The shaft was “bone dry” last year, so why was there now 30 feet of water? The guys speculated that maybe going the extra depth meant they had hit a flood tunnel.
These ancient booby traps, known as flood tunnels, were first encountered by the Onslow Company in the 19th century and are thought to release a torrent of water when breached at a depth of about 90 feet.
The guys don’t know if they’ve hit one of these flood tunnels, but it’s massively frustrating. The excavation will now be put on hold for an indeterminate time while the Dumas crew works on figuring out where the water came from and how to stop it.
On a positive note, if they have hit a flood tunnel/booby trap, it could mean they are close to finding something important.
Discovering wood at Aladdin’s Cave indicates human structures
Elsewhere, Dr. Ian Spooner and his colleagues Dr. Matt Lukeman and Dr. Fred Michels were back in the War Room with another round of data from their water testing.
These guys have been uncovering traces of gold and silver in the water buried under the Money Pit area. And Matt has expanded the research to include organic materials such as wood.
Matt told the team that he’d found traces of wood in the water of Aladdin’s Cave, the cavern the guys have been probing at about 150 – 160 feet below the Money Pit area.
Ian explained that there was no natural reason for wood to be found there, so its presence likely indicated humanmade structures were placed down there.
The guys have been trying to ascertain if the cavern is natural or humanmade, and so far, they’ve been unable to find conclusive evidence either way.
Last night, they put another high-definition camera down into the cavern, and there was great excitement when they spotted what looked like a metal bolt. Unfortunately, so much sediment was floating about that it was hard to get a clear image.
Most of the guys were enthusiastic about the images, but there was evident disappointment etched on Marty’s face as he had likely been hoping to see actual treasure.
This was a frustrating episode for the Fellowship of the Dig, as multiple problems seemingly hampered them. Don’t expect them to give up any time soon, though; they will keep striving.
The Curse of Oak Island airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on History.