Rick Lagina meets with Paul Cote and Simon Bedard of Dumas Contracting to discuss the Garden Shaft excavation. Dumas will construct the top section of the shaft and pour concrete for the surrounding pad before using a 109-ton crane and a three-ton hammer grab to clear water and debris. As the shaft is rebuilt with platforms at eight-foot intervals to a depth of approximately 80 feet, probe holes drilled 16 to 20 feet below each level will allow the team to check for anything abnormal, including voids. At the Money Pit, Charles Barkhouse and Terry Deveau examine a core from Borehole N.5-17.5, located 75 feet south of the Garden Shaft, where the team hopes to find evidence of the 103-foot tunnel discovered five weeks ago. According to sonar the tunnel heads toward the Garden Shaft and contains wood dated to the 17th century. At a depth of 99 to 103 feet, Terry identifies what appears to be a base support and a vertical beam sitting above where the tunnel should be, and Steve Guptill raises the possibility of a second tunnel at a different elevation. The next day, Borehole F.25-14.4, located 45 feet northwest, produces wood at about 103 feet, with the drill dropping from 99 to 103 feet, supporting the theory of a second tunnel. A third borehole, IJ-15.25, is drilled 16 feet south to help determine whether two tunnels are heading toward the shaft.
On Lot 8, Jack Begley and Gary Drayton dig flagged targets. At the first flag they unearth pieces of a chain with oval links that Gary says are hand-forged and old, noting that a thin chain like this could have been used to secure a strongbox or chest. At the next flag they recover a piece of blue-green metal with markings on both sides that Gary says looks very old and could be from a brooch or a belt, possibly from the same period as the garnet brooch found in 2017. At the Interpretive Center, archaeologist Laird Niven examines the piece under the microscope and says his first impression is military, but it should not be on Lot 8. Emma Culligan's XRF shows the piece is 94.50 percent copper with zinc and iron. A follow-up CT scan reveals the metal is folded and carries deliberate markings Laird has never seen before. Rick Lagina says they need outside opinions to determine what the piece is.
At the Research Center, Rick, Steve, and Scott Barlow discuss where to drill next, factoring in the 10-foot setback required around each of the 14 muon tomography sensors placed across the Money Pit. Rick decides to push the next borehole one foot into the setback area, and Scott agrees he is comfortable with the decision.
In the War Room, the team meets by video conference with Dr. Edwin Barnhart, Director of the Maya Exploration Center, for his analysis of the Lot 8 artifact. Barnhart tells the group the geometric patterns do not help narrow the region or time period but agrees the piece is likely handmade, which would tend to indicate an older date. The materials used suggest it is not from the Americas, and he believes it was decorative, a more common practice in Europe. He also raises the possibility that it could be a religious object. Rick tells Barnhart they will send the XRF and XRD reports for further analysis. Later, Rick and Roger Fortin watch the delivery of the 109-ton crane that will be used for the next phase of the Garden Shaft reconstruction.
