Who is Roger Fortin? Dumas miner on 'The Curse of Oak Island' found an offset chamber at the Garden Shaft
NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA: This week on 'The Curse of Oak Island,' the crew discovers an offset chamber discovered by the Dumas mining firm led by Area Manager, Roger Fortin beside the Garden Shaft. Also, on the January 2 episode, the crew proceeds to explore the mystery cavern/void known as Aladdin's Cave in the Money Pit area, suspecting they've discovered something of tremendous value.
The Dumas mining firm is expected to undertake some probe drilling out from the sidewalls of the Garden Shaft as they make their way down as part of their work on the Garden Shaft. They have the ability to dig up to 40 feet outward in search of secret rooms or anything of interest.
According to a preview, Roger from Dumas had some potentially game-changing news for the team. He explained, "I tapped into a cavern from the side of the shaft."
Marty Lagina asked Roger if it could be an offset chamber, to which he replied, "Yeah!"
This is exactly what the boys are looking for. They've been convinced in the last year that there must be an offset chamber next to the Garden Shaft, which is hopefully full of wealth.
Prior Muon Tomography survey results showed abnormalities next to Garden Shaft on Oak Island
According to the most current Muon tomography survey data, the sensors detected two abnormalities just beside the shaft at 65 feet and 112 feet below the surface. Maybe Roger and his colleagues discovered a chamber at one of these depths.
We learned in the previous episode that the shaft currently holds 30 feet of water; therefore, the 65-foot option seems most plausible. It should be noted that neither of these anomalies is recorded as particularly thick, so they're unlikely to be crammed with riches.
But there may be something valuable there. At the very least, the boys should get some answers.
Viewers may anticipate the men sending another camera down a hole to investigate Aladdin's Cave on Oak Island. The men are still attempting to figure out if this massive tunnel, which is roughly 160 feet below the surface, was created by people or if humans buried anything there.
Mystery feature discovered by the Oak Island crew in Aladdin's Cave
In a teaser, the lads were shown getting enthusiastic over a "linear feature," and surveyor Steve Guptill was overheard saying it may be a "hallway" or a "tunnel."
Long-term showgoers will know that Steve can be a touch theatrical at times, so don't get too enthusiastic, but it all sounds promising. The Fellowship of the Dig appears to be getting close to discovering some answers and, possibly, some wealth.
What was finally found on Oak Island?
For almost 200 years, treasure seekers have been captivated by the mystique of Oak Island. Some say one of history's greatest riches is concealed on this enigmatic island off the coast of Nova Scotia, with tales ranging from Knights Templar gold to Captain Kidd pirate spoils.
Over the years, Rick and Marty Lagina have spent many hours digging and have uncovered several "top pocket finds."
Gary Drayton uncovered a cartwheel penny depicting King George III produced in 1797 while looking through Lot 2.
Garnet Pin, a gemstone brooch discovered while metal detecting on Lot 8, dates back to the 16th century and is regarded as the Laginas and their team's first valuable treasure find.
Gary and Jack Begley's discovery of the Copper Artifact in 2022 remains one of the team's most intriguing top-pocket findings.
The ornamental keyhole plate was discovered on property 9 during a metal-detecting expedition on a property held by Tom Nolan, Fred Nolan's son.
Gary Drayton discovered two 17th-century King Charles II Britannia coins in Lot 16.
A French military cap badge discovered on Lot 21 might be from a 1700s French grenadier's headgear.
On Lot 21, a Decorative Lead Piece was discovered near the location of Daniel McGinnis' old residence.
The earliest confirmed gold discovered on Oak Island was a Gold-Plated Brooch from the 14th century.
A tag found in Lot 24 with the name Ball etched on it may have belonged to Samuel Ball, a freed American enslaved person who became one of Nova Scotia's richest property owners.
The stone well, which is located more than half a mile from the Money Pit on the western side of the island in Lot 26, is maybe 800 years old - or older.
Archaeologist Laird Niven led the research on this stone wall in 2022, which has a distinctive construction style compared to other stone barriers erected by 19th-century farmers on other locations of Oak Island.
Spanish Galleon Spike, dated from the late 1600s to the early 1700s, this wrought iron spike unearthed in the Swamp would have been used to fasten down decking planks of the Spanish Galleon.
The 1652 Spanish Maravedi copper coin discovered in the marsh by the Laginas and their team during the first season demonstrates that there was activity on Oak Island even before the Money Pit was discovered in 1795.
Gary's finding of a gold-plated military officer's button in the Money Pit joins earlier military discoveries as proof that Oak Island's subterranean structures and oddities may have been created by 18th-century British troops.
A mysterious, dazzling item, maybe made of gold, was seen on film by an underground camera.
A parchment and leather bookbinding discovered 160 feet down might be evidence supporting the notion that William Shakespeare's original writings are buried in the Money Pit.
Leather bookbinding and parchment fragments were discovered 160 feet underground.
In the same borehole as vegetable-tanned leather bookbinding and bits of paper, a splinter of purple-stained wood was unearthed.
Human bone samples dating back to the 17th century were discovered during a dig in the Money Pit.
Pottery shards were uncovered at a depth of 192 feet.
Dr. Ian Spooner, a geoscientist, and his colleagues, Drs. Matt Lukeman, a chemist, and Fred Michel, a hydrogeologist, discovered in 2022 that an artificial gold source appears to be buried between 80 and 120 feet below the surface. It appears to be concentrated in a 20-by-20-foot area that the team has dubbed "The Baby Blob."
The crew discovered a previously undiscovered tunnel at a depth of 95 feet in three distinct boreholes while undertaking a core drilling operation to investigate the source of the precious metals reported in the Money Pit area.
The Garden Shaft, an 82-foot-deep structure that the team initially assumed was an 18th-century searcher shaft, is now deemed to be a significant component of solving the Oak Island enigma.
Coconut fibers, which date back to 1260–1400, were discovered at Smith's Cove in 1850, along with five stone box drains that were supposed to booby trap the Money Pit by filling it with water.
A lead cross, considered one of the most significant findings, was unearthed at Smith's Cove.
An artificial French drainage system uses an old method of rock placement to manage water flow without the need for pumps or pipelines.
Gary uncovered a wrought iron hinge that resembled the ornate hinges seen on Fred Nolan's home.
Dan Blankenship, a treasure hunter, found a U-shaped structure after building a cofferdam at Smith's Cove in 1970.
Beams were discovered in 1771, two decades before the Money Pit was discovered.
Smith's Cove revealed a probable entry to one of the five stone box drains.
'The Curse of Oak Island' Season 11 airs on Tuesdays on History on 9 pm ET
