Alex Lagina checks on the progress of TOT1 (The One Thing), positioned less than 10 feet south of the collapsed TB1. After that collapse, the team concluded the Chappell Vault and more than 100 cubic yards of material had fallen into the solution channel below, and they hope TOT1 will reach deep enough to recover it. John reports that pressures are steady. At 142 feet, Terry identifies wood from the wall of the Chappell shaft. Marty examines the spoils and sets aside several unusual pieces, including wood with a wedge cut, a section containing a dowel, and round timber that looks out of place. Terry then recovers a piece of wood with part of a metal shoe still attached, a significant marker: in 1931, Melbourne Chappell braced the bottom of his shaft with a four-foot-tall metal shoe to prevent flooding and cave-ins, meaning anything found below it could come from the original Money Pit. At 160 feet, Gary Drayton picks up a hit and Marty pulls out an old iron tool with visible striations. Rick arrives to inspect the finds. Adam reports they are at 171 feet before shutting down for the day. The following morning, high pressures signal a heavy plug, and the shaft caves in around the caisson. The team backfills with gravel and pushes on. Adam confirms the casing reaches 183.5 feet. Terry recovers a chunk of gypsum-saturated wood that Marty drops into water; it sinks immediately, suggesting it could be very old. At 192.5 feet, the casing will not advance further. Marty and Terry suspect they are hitting a ledge and propose airlifting to bring material to the surface.
On Lot 5, Alex and Peter join the ongoing excavation at the round feature, where Ethan uncovers a square nail that Fiona dates to the late 1600s to mid-1700s.
At the Interpretive Center, Rick asks Steve to compile the dating results from all features investigated in the swamp this season. The cobblestone path stretches 600 feet, with multiple survey stakes dated between 1650 and 1700. The Eye of the Swamp falls between 1630 and 1680, the brick-and-slate vault dates to the late 1600s, and stakes found among the boulders in the northern swamp range from the late 1600s to early 1700s. Dr. Spooner notes the team examined features like the cobble path and a stake found beneath a pile of stone. Peter observes that every one of these dates aligns with the Knights of Malta being active in the area during the 1600s. Jack suggests the Knights may have been completing work originally begun by the Templars. Moya adds that scans conducted north of the boulder seawall revealed an elongated anomaly worth investigating.
Alan begins excavating the anomaly site at the northern end of the swamp while Rick, Peter, Alex, Craig, and Gary watch for artifacts or structural evidence. Rick spots a possible piece of wood, and Alan pulls back more dirt to reveal it, but Gary's scan produces no hits. After digging further, Craig identifies virgin ground, and Rick calls off the search.
In the lab, Carmen Legge examines the iron tool recovered from TOT1 and notes the grain structure is folding at one end, consistent with being struck repeatedly against stone. He identifies the piece as part of a heavy, very old pickaxe, typically from the 1500s or perhaps the early 1600s. Emma confirms the presence of potassium, phosphorus, sulfur, and magnesium, impurities that place the tool between the 1500s and 1700s.
