With the Garden Shaft rehabilitation on hold pending permits, Rick Lagina, Marty Lagina, and Craig Tester meet with Scott Barlow and Steve Guptill at the Research Center to plan the next project. Rick wants to gather as much information as possible about the area around the Garden Shaft, and Marty wants to continue following the gold in the water. Craig confirms that Dr. Ian Spooner is ready to take more samples from boreholes near the shaft.
On Lot 5, Rick and Gary Drayton work through 42 flagged targets. Rick digs the first spot and Gary pulls out what he identifies as a tool blade that could be very old. The depth of the find prompts Rick to suggest using the XRF. At the next flag they recover a square-shanked fastener, and Gary then rechecks the hole and finds pottery. Marty arrives as several more pieces come out of the ground, and the team calls in archaeologist Laird Niven, Helen Sheldon, and Craig. Helen identifies the pottery as English pearlware, press-molded in a style that began in 1740, with the ceramic type itself dating from around 1720. The next day Laird, Miriam Amirault, and Helen return to continue excavating the rock anomaly where the pottery was found. Miriam recovers a piece of tin-glazed pottery that Laird identifies as delftware, English and from the 1700s. Helen then finds a hand-forged copper nail that could have been used in boat building, as copper resists corrosion and was used for sailing vessels by the Egyptians and Romans. Laird notes the large feature being exposed could pre-date the 1770s and was intentionally buried. When Rick and Marty return for an update, the group discusses whether the site may have been a landing spot or a camp.
In the Money Pit, Rick, Ian, and Matt collect new water samples from previously drilled boreholes near the Garden Shaft. The team recently encountered tunnels at a depth of 103 feet in boreholes L16 and K15.5, located 60 feet south of the shaft. Ian explains that last year they found gold in areas that were either connected or disturbed, and they want to retest these spots to see if anything has changed. He and Matt use a biodegradable single-valve bailer to collect the samples.
At Saint Mary's University, Emma Culligan, Peter Fornetti, and Charles Barkhouse have Dr. Christa Brosseau analyze an iron spike found on Nolan's beach property using a scanning electron microscope capable of magnifying an object up to 200,000 times. The scan reveals no manganese, which indicates the item is older, and a large amount of sulfur, common in items from 1700 to 1750. Emma notes the area where the spike was found has high sulfur content, and Dr. Brosseau says the sulfur could be environmental, which would push the date even earlier. A small amount of phosphorus is also present, a characteristic common in medieval European iron. At the Interpretive Center, Emma shares the results with the team: the phosphorous typically comes from English iron, and the sulfur makes the spike 1700s or older. Tom Nolan tells the group he will take a closer look at his father's book about his exploration work on the island.
In the War Room, Dr. Spooner, Dr. Lukeman, and Dr. Fred Michel present updated water testing results. Two samples were collected from each monitoring well, one from 110 feet and one from 150 feet. Dr. Michel explains that there are two distinct groups of water beneath the site: the samples taken east of the Garden Shaft show no gold or silver, but those from the north contain both precious metals. Dr. Michel confirms the gold and silver are concentrated in the shallow monitoring wells at approximately 80 to 110 feet. Steve plots the data and identifies a zone of gold-bearing water sitting 10 to 15 feet west of the Garden Shaft. Rick and Marty agree that a targeted drill project should begin as soon as possible.
