SEASON 13, EPISODE 20, “THE SANDS OF TIME” EPISODE ANALYSIS BY DANIEL SPINO
- 1 hour ago
- 7 min read
In this week’s episode, “THE SANDS OF TIME”, the show began in the WAR ROOM, where the Oak Island team met to discuss their next location to lay down a caisson. The team was disappointed that the TPF-! Caisson did not produce any notable finds. They are frustrated wondering what happened to the Money Pit collapse materials. The team was hesitant to drop another caisson in the TPF-1 or K-1 caisson area because the ground is unstable due to it being backfilled. The team decided that the best place to go next is the PEACOCK area near the Garden Shaft because they believe manmade workings are in this area. The team stated that time is running out on the season and this operation can be done expediently.
The action then took us to LOT 8, where the Oak Island Team continued its investigation and excavation of the area beneath the boulder. Archeologist Fiona Steele stated that she noticed that smaller cobble was at the top of the depression and larger cobble at the bottom. She stated that she continued to find the mortar like substance between the rocks. She said the deeper she went the harder it was to go through. Dr. Ian Spooner stated that they would collect samples of the organic material and test it at the Lab. The layered rock formation is nothing he’s ever seen before, and it produced a wall of rocks.
We were then taken to the SOUTHWEST SWAMP AREA, where the Oak Island Team began a new operation in this location after acquiring permitting approval. The team is wondering if there is a path or road that continues in this area. The team noticed sand that reinforces this possibility. After some digging, they unearthed what appeared to be a thin log but not cut on the end like other stakes they have found. The team will continue to explore this area to see if this feature is running in a particular direction.
We were then taken to LOT 5, where the Oak Island team began a search near the Circular Feature. Metal Detectorist Gary Drayton and Marty Lagina began scanning in this area which is only a few yards from the Circular Feature. While scanning they came across an old well that the previous owner of Lot 5, Robert Young, thought was more modern. Gary and Marty took the wooden beams over the well off and began scanning the inside of the well. There were no metal hits inside the feature. When scanning around the outside of the feature, Gary did have a metal hit, and they unearthed what Gary speculated was a hook or pintle pin. The artifact would be sent to the Lab for testing. Please see the analysis for more information.
The action shifted to PEACOCK AREA, near the Garden Shaft, where the Oak Island Team began their excavation to install a caisson. The team estimated that the depth to hit the bottom of the Solution Channel is about 211 Feet. It was noted that beginning at about 150 Feet the team could find theoretical treasure that may be in an offset chamber. Before the scene transitioned to the next site, the first grabber bucket was brought up with spoils to be searched by the team.
The scene shifted back to the LAB, where the Oak Island team met to discuss the iron artifact that was found around the well on Lot 5. Gary had speculated that it could be a Pintle Pin or Hook, but Archeologist Laird Niven and Archeometallurgist Emma Culligan believed it was a Hook. Emma stated that the exact location of the Iron was European, but she was unable to give a definite location. She said it had copper impurities and a lack of potassium in the iron. She dated it before the 1800’s, to around the 1750’s. Marty Lagina seemed very anxious for the Archeologists to excavate the well. Laird noted that Robert Young believed it was more modern, although the discovery of the hook may indicate the well could be older.
We were then taken back to the SOUTHWEST SWAMP AREA, where the Oak Island Team continued its exploration of this section of the Swamp. The team noticed a pattern emerging that made them wonder if this path could be associated with the Money Pit. After more digging, the team noticed two cut stakes. One was 5-sided and the other was 8-sided. The team also noticed the sand appeared to be perfectly straight indicating a possible path. After more searching, another set of a 5-sided and 8-sided stakes were found. These stakes were 21 feet apart and Rick Lagina decided to mark off another 21 feet, in the same direction to see if there were more. After digging, they did find another set of stakes. This alignment seems to be heading to the Northwest section of the Swamp.
The episode concluded in the WAR ROOM where the Oak Island team met with Dr. Ian Spooner, Emma Culligan and Jillian Parsons to discuss the mortar-like substance found under the boulder on Lot 8. One was the Blue Gray mortar sample and the other was the Blue mortar sample. They said the substances were a mix of sand, silt, and clay. They stated that they were natural ingredients but the mixture is not naturally occurring. Dr. Spooner mentioned that the mixture provided elasticity that was also strong and supported the rocks. A date of the material was requested and Emma stated that they looked at the binding material and it was not modern. They were classic minerals that she didn’t believe were too old. She stated that she believed that it was from pre-1800’s, probably 1700’s. Dr. Spooner said he was more bullish with his opinion that it was an older feature. Emma stated this type of mixture could be from post 1200’s to 1700’s. Marty said he would like to dig under it and Archeologist Fiona Steele said that was the plan but had to be done in a slow and methodical pace so they wouldn’t miss anything.
DANIEL’S ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARY:
During this week’s episode, Marty and Gary are investigating a covered well on Lot 5. Initially it was mentioned that they weren’t sure how old it was but then mentioned Robert Young thought it was modern. On Young’s website he lists the well as being a “20th Century” feature. This puzzles Marty and he asks why it was so close to the shore. This is interesting because there is another well, that Dr. Spooner has suggested was “Viking or Norse” related that is near the shore on Lot 26. It seems odd that a location for a freshwater source would be puzzling in this author’s opinion. After checking inside the well, there was no metal hits and nothing that seemed to suggest anything out of the ordinary. Outside of the feature, an iron hook was found that was dated to the 1700’s, which then led the team to decide to investigate the well further. This seems like a reasonable decision and due diligence.
Although, it was mentioned that perhaps this feature is older than what they think and then intimated that Robert Young was in error regarding the Circular Feature on Lot 5. This author wanted to clarify that Robert Young was very careful and respectful of his land and did things the right way. He explored the property and found many artifacts that can be seen on his Lot 5 website. He catalogued and tagged all his finds in a very professional and thorough way. He encircled the Circular Feature with stones to mark the area. It was not mentioned on the show, but this feature was a brick kiln. It exhibited a burning event there and bricks with associated materials were found. Robert Young was not an archeologist and would have had no idea that the kiln was built on top of another structure. Why this discovery hasn’t been mentioned on the show could be described as “puzzling” in this author’s opinion.
A tribute graphic to James McQuiston was briefly shown at the end of the episode, who passed away late last year. James was a valued Oak Island researcher, who put forth his extensive work towards trying to solve the Oak Island Mystery. His tribute was the same as the Late Chris Donah’s, who passed away in 2021. It was a nice gesture to show the graphics, most certainly. Although, this author would like to suggest in the future that some sort of oral tribute go along with the graphics. Perhaps having Rick Lagina, another cast member, or the narrator verbally mention the contribution that the deceased researcher made to the show and express their condolences. This author feels that it would be a more fitting memorial for someone who spent so much of their time to not only helping the show but also sharing their knowledge with Oak Island Fans everywhere, in this author’s opinion.
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