SEASON 12, EPISODE 24, “INTO THE VOID” EPISODE ANALYSIS
- Daniel Spino
- May 14
- 6 min read
In this week’s episode, “INTO THE VOID”, the show began in the MONEY PIT Area, where the Oak Island team began to install the TOT-1 caisson into the Solution Channel. This new caisson is located approximately ten feet south of the TB-1 Caisson which had to be abandoned due to a collapse of the ground around it. This would be the last can of the season, and the team was hopeful that they could locate the mythical Oak Island treasure.
The action took us to LOT 5, where the Oak Island team continued to excavate the large stone foundation area. Archeology Assistant Ethan Green and Archeologist Helen Sheldon were working in the area when a square nail was discovered. It was described as square, pre-cut and an example of colonial iron. Helen put the date as possibly the late 1600’s to middle 1700’s. The piece was bagged and tagged and sent to the LAB for further testing.
The action shifted to the OAK ISLAND MUSEUM AND INTERPRETIVE CENTER, where the Oak Island team assembled to discuss the work in the Swamp this season. Surveyor, Steve Guptill passed around a handout that was briefly shown on screen that will be discussed in the COMMENTARY. It was mentioned that there appeared to be connective tissue between the Stone Road feature dated to 1200 AD, The Eye of the Swamp dated to 1680 AD, and the Stone Platform dated to the 17th Century. It was stated that these features seem to connect to the new areas, like the Cobblestone Pathway and alleged Vault that had been more recently discovered. C-14 testing of wood from this area revealed dating between 1630 to 1700. This led to the claim that it indicated activity of the Knights of Malta on Oak Island.
We were then taken to the NORTH SWAMP Area where the Oak Island Team continued to search for a possible wall that Fred Nolan claimed he had previously uncovered. In the meeting at the Interpretive Center, it was stated that the support stakes found in this area dated to the late 1600’s to early 1700’s. A scan showed a possible structure. The team was excavating and found a plank that they suggested may be a part of this buried structure. The excavation would continue.
We were taken back to the MONEY PIT Area where the Oak Island Team continued their work installing the TOT-1 caisson into the Solution Channel. The oscillator reached a depth of 142 Feet, and the grabber was picking up a lot of wood. This was speculated as being from the Chappell Shaft. The target depth in this area was 200 Feet but it was stated they could push it to 215 Feet if necessary. In the spoils, a wedge cut piece of wood, and a dowel were discovered. The team thought this was old wood and appeared to be adze cut, which further indicated to the team it may be related to original construction.
The action shifted back to the NORTH SWAMP Area where the Oak Island Team continued their pursuit of the alleged wall located near Joudrey’s Cove. Marty Lagina mentioned that it had been an obsession with his brother, Rick, to find this wall for the last 15 years. After continued digging it appeared that they had hit “virgin” ground and there was no wall in this area. Work was halted and disappointment was clear.
The scene then shifted back to the MONEY PIT AREA, where the Oak Island team continued to install the TOT-1 Caisson. The oscillator reached a depth of 150 Feet when a chunk of metal was hit, apparently it was sheet metal that was placed at the bottom of the Chappell Shaft. At a depth of 166 Feet, an iron tool was detected in the spoils by Gary Drayton. The metal looked old and had striations on it that Gary speculated was a tip to a pickaxe and would be sent to the lab for further analysis. The oscillator reached a depth of 171 Feet, when work was called for the day.
The action then took us to the LAB where the Oak Island Team met with Blacksmith, Carmen Legge to discuss the piece of iron found in the TOT-1 caisson. Carmen described the piece as chunky and looked like it was broken off from a larger piece. He mentioned the grains appeared to be folded on the end which suggested it was used in heavy work with stone. He believed it was the end of a pickaxe and said it seemed to be a primitive mining tool and put the date from the 1500’s to early 1600’s. It was used for tunneling and digging. Emma said that the chemical composition included potassium and phosphorus and dated it from the 1500’s to 1700’s. In this author’s opinion, it seemed Emma may have been hesitant to contradict Carmen who has objected to her dating analysis in the past.
The episode concluded at the MONEY PIT Area where the TOT-1 caisson continued to be driven deep into the ground trying to penetrate the Solution Channel. The oscillator reached a depth of 183 Feet, but the progress had slowed considerably. The Grabber pulled up pieces of gypsum and wood. The ground around the oscillator began to cave in and stabilization efforts were successful. It progressed to 192 Feet when it appeared that the oscillator was hung up on a ledge of the cave around the Solution Channel. Marty Lagina suggested that they switch methodologies and use an airlift to blow compressed air into the area and force water and objects to the surface. Rick Lagina’s motivational words included, “Patience and Thank You”, with the hope this would recover the mythical Oak Island treasure.
COMMENTARY: A very interesting piece of paper was circulated when the Oak Island Team met at the Oak Island Museum and Interpretive Center. It was data that surveyor, Steve Guptill had gathered that showed C-14 test results for wood they found in the Swamp area. It showed a massive range of dates for wood found from 200 AD to 1400 AD. Presumably more dating went up to the 18th Century. This would be expected for a swampy bog area. The problem is that the methodology for proposing who worked in this area is problematic for many reasons. It appears that wood dated at different times can be cherry-picked and used to suggest a variety of different suspects such as the Knights Templar, Romans, Vikings, Knights of Christ, Knights of Malta, and next year possibly the Knights of Columbus.
The problem with this methodology is that it ignores historical facts and information and interjects theorized historical fiction for the sole purpose of fame and fortune. While this is great for television ratings and book sales, it is a black eye for the professional academic community. While it’s fun to speculate, many people in turn believe it as the truth and thus spread false information. This is all presented as an honorable and scientific quest to solve the Oak Island Mystery, yet it ignores real history and science and bypasses significant avenues of research for unspecified reasons. It is quite frustrating for this writer to watch with frequent biting of my lips and exasperated moans while watching. This author will soldier on and continue to watch, research and write about the Oak Island Mystery for those seeking truth, with the hope that an answer can be found during our lifetime.
Please follow our weekly episode analyses during the season, along with articles from the original “Compendium/Blockhouse Blog”, and special investigations and features involving Oak Island. Feel free to reach out to us for questions, comments, information and any theories to our email, theoakislandcompendium@gmail.com
Good day from Daniel of the Compendium!
