With casing pulled from borehole D5N25.5, the rig moves to D5N24.5 to continue tracking the tunnel believed to run beneath the Garden Shaft into the Baby Blob. The team plans lateral drilling once Dumas deepens the shaft and will deploy a sonar camera to examine the tunnel once confirmed. Carbon-14 results arrive for wood from borehole D5N26.5: a 55.6 percent probability the sample dates to 1735 through 1804 and a 24.7 percent chance it falls between 1656 and 1684. Craig and Marty agree the dates point to a depositor rather than a 19th-century searcher. Charles connects the timeframe to the Duc d'Anville expedition of 1746, a failed French military campaign that reportedly cached valuables south of Halifax. Jack observes that 1656 to 1804 overlaps with dates emerging from both the circular feature and a deep location the team calls Site 1. A video conference with Dumas reveals the Department of Labor has not yet issued the code of practice required to deepen the Garden Shaft, though Cameron expects approval by the end of the month.
A core from D5N24.5 at 61 to 68 feet produces very soft material, another possible indicator of structural proximity. On Lot 5, Rick and Gary work through spoils from the circular depression and recover a lead shot likely from the 1700s along with an unusual metal piece that Helen tentatively identifies as a gun sight. At the stone foundation nearby, Jack, Helen, Jamie, Lindy, and Fiona continue excavating the feature they believe was deliberately buried. Fiona finds a creamware shard, a type of pottery first manufactured in 1762, which could help narrow the date range for when the structure was last in use.
At the Interpretive Center, Laird identifies the piece Rick and Gary found as the middle tube of a ramrod guide for a musket, a weapon invented in Europe around the beginning of the 16th century. The ramrod guide helped load lead or stone into the muzzle. Laird notes the hole in this piece is unusual, something he has never encountered before. Emma's CT scan reveals what appear to be Roman numerals stamped on the surface, reminding the group of the Roman numerals found on the U-shaped structure at Smith's Cove. The team hopes to find additional parts of the musket on Lot 5.
The critical find comes from depth. A core from D5N24.5 at 105 feet contains wood that appears to be a vertical beam from the tunnel, and Terry measures 7.5 feet of timber. Rick arrives and the group notes hand-cut marks and evidence of adze shaping. Rick asks for a camera down the borehole as quickly as possible. Brennan and Mike recommend pulling back the casing to expose the open hole. Steve lowers the high-definition Inuktun Spectrum 120, but when the camera hits water the image goes black. Scott says the next borehole will move along the 27 line.
