As ROC Equipment continues working on TB1, Jared Busby calls Vanessa Lucido over because the oscillator pressure has begun to drop. He tells her it feels as though the casing punched through something. Rick Lagina arrives, and Vanessa reports they are at 95 feet; for the last four feet the casing has been sinking with almost no resistance. She suspects the shaft has entered very soft material or a void, and Terry notes they are still roughly three feet from the first target. At 100 feet, the hammer grab begins bringing up material. The first load contains wood and short timbers. Gary Drayton scans but finds no metal. Terry picks up a piece with a dowel in the end, and Gary recovers wood with Roman numerals carved into it. Marty Lagina notes the similarity to beams used in the U-shaped structure. Vanessa updates the depth to 117 feet. The next day, TB1 has reached 147 feet. Jared later reports rising pressures, and Vanessa confirms they are at 160 feet cutting through something hard. That afternoon, Alex Lagina asks Marty if he can feel tremors; moments later, a member of the ROC crew calls for the oscillator to stop. A cave-in opens a 30-foot drop around the caisson. Vanessa says she expected some settling but this is larger than she is comfortable with. The team agrees to backfill, proceed carefully, and check for further collapse every few feet, though Vanessa cannot guarantee the shaft will keep advancing.
In the northern swamp, Alex, Katya Drayton, and Billy Gerhardt continue tracing the stone path near the brick-and-slate structure. Alex finds what appears to be the handle of a jug, followed by more pottery. Billy digs on the opposite side to check whether the underlying rock is undisturbed. Rick arrives for an update and learns that the path has reached its end at the edge of the permitted area. He says the permit will need to be expanded before work can continue.
In the War Room, the team meets with Scott Clark and John Edwards to hear new research findings. John reminds the group of two books he purchased in 2019: The Whole Genuine Works of Flavius Josephus, published in 1812, and Holy Week, published in 1763. He believes a map within the books could help solve the Oak Island mystery. John identifies a square structure on the map that appears to correspond to the northern end of the swamp. Scott notes that someone went to considerable trouble to encode the volumes. John shows underlined letters that spell out names and phrases, beginning with John Easson, a Freemason at the lodge in Annapolis Royal, the oldest in Canada. Annapolis Royal was established in 1605 by French settlers and became home to the first Masonic fraternal organization in 1738. The lodge met at the Sinclair Inn, which features painted murals including a Crusader or Templar tent, the type used when holy artifacts were being transported. Scott explains that the books suggest Biblical treasures connected to Crusaders made their way to Nova Scotia. John adds that when the Templars were dissolved in 1312, their assets passed to the Knights Hospitaller, who eventually became the Knights of Malta. Scott identifies the colony of Acadia as having been founded by Knight Commander Isaac de Razilly, a member of the Knights of Malta. John then shows drawings of a menorah and an eight-pointed cross, the symbol of the Knights of Malta, placed next to references to the Temple of Solomon and the Temple of Jerusalem. Scott concludes they believe the books document a multigenerational endeavor linking Biblical treasures to Oak Island.
On Lot 5, Marty, Jack Begley, and Gary metal-detect near the rounded stone foundation. Gary gets a hit, and Marty digs out a copper nail, the type Gary has encountered in Florida in connection with 1600s and 1700s shipwrecks. Copper nails have been used in European shipbuilding since as early as 3500 BC because they resist saltwater corrosion. A second, smaller copper nail follows. In the lab, Carmen Legge examines the nails and identifies them as sheathing tacks, or "clouts," used to fasten copper sheathing to the underside of boats. He adds they could have served other purposes if extras were available on board. Emma Culligan confirms the nails are a pure bronze alloy containing lead and arsenic. Carmen dates them to 1720 to 1760. Jack mentions the Knights of Malta as a possible connection to that period.
At the wash plant, Marty checks on the search through TB1 spoils. Charles shows him a piece of leather the team believes is from a shoe, along with a piece of concrete also recovered from the shaft.
