Original subtitles

DEEP INSIDE A CRAGGY CAVE IN TEXAS HILL COUNTRY,

COUNTLESS ICE AGE FOSSILS LIE ENCASED IN ROCK.

THIS WHOLE SIDE IS JUST COVERED IN BONES.

ARE THESE ANCIENT REMAINS EVIDENCE

OF AN UNKNOWN MASS EXTINCTION?

NEW, 3D SCANS OF THE SUBTERRANEAN CAVERN

COULD UNCOVER A SURPRISING PREHISTORIC KILLER.

AND BENEATH THE SEEMINGLY PLACID WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN,

COULD A RECENTLY DISCOVERED SHIPWRECK UNRAVEL

THE MYSTERY BEHIND A SERIES OF BAFFLING DISAPPEARANCES?

IT'S MUCH BIGGER THAN I THOUGHT WE'D SEE FROM THE SONAR.

I'LL DIVE DEEP BENEATH THE SURFACE

TO UNTANGLE FACT FROM FICTION.

HIDDEN JUST BELOW THE EARTH'S SURFACE,

THERE ARE COUNTLESS UNSOLVED MYSTERIES.

AND, TODAY, WE FINALLY HAVE THE TOOLS TO UNLOCK THEM.

LOOK AT THAT! WHOA.

I THINK THIS IS IT.

I'M ROB NELSON,

A SCIENTIST USING STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY

TO PEEL THE LID OFF OUR PLANET'S HIDDEN DEPTHS.

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH RIGHT HERE. HOLY MOLY!

THESE ARE THE SECRETS OF THE UNDERGROUND.

Captions by VITAC-- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

ON THE NORTHERN EDGE OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS,

SURROUNDED BY TIDY SUBDIVISIONS, SITS A SMALL,

SUBTERRANEAN CAVERN,

ACCESSIBLE ONLY THROUGH A NARROW OPENING.

THE FRIESENHAHN CAVE HARBORS

AN ANCIENT MYSTERY OF EPIC PROPORTIONS.

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF BONES HAVE BEEN FOUND HERE

FROM OVER 30 DIFFERENT SPECIES OF ANIMALS.

IT HAS ONE OF THE GREATEST CONCENTRATIONS OF FOSSILS

FROM THE PLEISTOCENE ERA IN NORTH AMERICA.

THE SHEER CONCENTRATIONS OF SPECIMENS IS STUNNING.

IT DEFINITELY RAISES A GIANT QUESTION.

HOW COULD SO MANY ANCIENT CREATURES END UP

IN ONE SMALL CAVE

THAT'S ONLY REACHABLE BY A SINGLE 30-FOOT SHAFT?

COULD THESE REMAINS BE EVIDENCE OF A PREVIOUS

UNDOCUMENTED MASS EXTINCTION?

OR COULD THOUSANDS OF ANIMALS

BEEN WASHED INTO THE CAVERN

BY A FLOOD OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS?

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IN FRIESENHAHN CAVE?

I'M HEADING THERE TO TRY TO GET TO THE BOTTOM

OF THIS PREHISTORIC MYSTERY.

I GREW UP AS A KID IN DALLAS IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE CITY.

I USED TO WALK AROUND IN FORESTS JUST LIKE THIS,

AND THE IDEA OF FINDING A CAVE IN ONE OF THE FORESTS

THAT I GREW UP IN IS JUST AWESOME.

IN FACT, THE CAVE WAS DISCOVERED BY LOCAL RESIDENTS

IN THE EARLY 1900s.

INSIDE, ARCHAEOLOGISTS EXCAVATED

THE REMAINS OF A BEAST FROM THE ICE AGE--

THE COLUMBIAN MAMMOTH.

THIS MASSIVE MAMMAL

COULD REACH 14 FEET AT THE SHOULDERS.

WHEN IT ROAMED, THIS AREA WOULD HAVE BEEN GRASSLAND,

LIKE OKLAHOMA OR PARTS OF COLORADO TODAY.

GRAZING ANIMALS INCLUDING GIANT MEGAFAUNA DOMINATED

THE ANCIENT LANDSCAPE OF TEXAS.

OH!

THIS IS A MASSIVE HOLE.

WHOA.

OBVIOUSLY, THEY HAVE IT GATED OFF RIGHT NOW

SO NOBODY FALLS IN OR GOES IN.

TODAY, THE SITE IS CONTROLLED BY CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY,

BUT THEY'VE GIVEN ME SPECIAL ACCESS

TO GO DOWN AND EXPLORE.

RIGHT UP ABOVE US, 30 FEET, IS A FLAT FOREST,

AND THEN YOU COME DOWN HERE, AND YOU'RE IN A DIFFERENT WORLD.

I QUICKLY SEE JUST WHAT MAKES THIS CAVE SO REMARKABLE.

THIS WHOLE SIDE IS JUST COVERED IN BONES.

THAT'S A FOSSIL RIGHT THERE.

IT'S EITHER SOME SORT OF BONE OR A MAMMOTH TUSK.

CLEAR AS DAY. OH, MY GOSH.

THIS COULD VERY WELL BE THE TEETH OF SOME

SORT OF LARGE MASTODON OR MAMMOTH.

MANY OF THE BONES FOUND

IN THIS CAVE HAVE BEEN FROM ANIMALS OF THE ICE AGE.

THE CONCENTRATION OF THOSE BONES IS SO EXTREME.

RIGHT HERE.

I KEEP FINDING NEW ONES.

LIKE, THEY'RE LITERALLY STACKED ON TOP OF EACH OTHER--

ONE BONE AFTER THE NEXT.

IT'S HARD TO ESCAPE THE FEELING

THAT SOMETHING REALLY BIG HAPPENED HERE.

ARE WE LOOKING AT ESSENTIALLY A MASS EXTINCTION EVENT?

SCIENTISTS HAVE IDENTIFIED FIVE PREVIOUS MASS

EXTINCTIONS OVER THE PAST 500 MILLION YEARS.

THE FIRST WAS 450 MILLION YEARS AGO,

WHEN 85% OF MARINE SPECIES DISAPPEARED.

IT MAY HAVE BEEN TRIGGERED BY A BURST

OF GAMMA RAYS GENERATED BY A NEARBY SUPERNOVA.

THE LAST AND PROBABLY MOST FAMOUS

WAS ABOUT 65 MILLION YEARS AGO

WHEN SCIENTISTS BELIEVE A MASSIVE

ASTEROID HIT THE PLANET,

TRIGGERING A SERIES OF EVENTS

THAT LED TO THE DEATH OF THE DINOSAURS.

COULD THIS UNASSUMING HOLE IN THE GROUND

IN CENTRAL TEXAS BE EVIDENCE OF ANOTHER,

AS YET UNIDENTIFIED APOCALYPSE?

WHAT WE WOULD HAVE TO DO IN THIS CAVE

IS SCOUR THE WALLS,

LOOK FOR EVIDENCE OF SOMETHING

THAT MAY HAVE CAUSED THAT EXTINCTION EVENT.

I KNOW THAT VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

HAVE PLAYED A PART IN PREVIOUS EXTINCTIONS,

AND THEY OFTEN LEAVE BEHIND GEOLOGIC EVIDENCE.

MANY VOLCANIC ROCKS HAVE EASILY IDENTIFIABLE STRUCTURES

LIKE GLASSY, LIKE OBSIDIAN,

OR GRAINY AND ROUGH LIKE BASALT.

BUT, AS I RUN MY HANDS ALONG THE WALLS OF THE CAVE,

I'M NOT FINDING THESE.

THE PROBLEM IS, LOOKING AT THIS CAVE,

IT SEEMS TO BE ALL COMPOSED OF THE SAME MATERIAL--

LIMESTONE.

YOU CAN SEE, CALCIUM CARBONATE

IS DRIPPING OFF THE ROOF OF THIS CAVE.

THIS IS VERY TYPICAL OF A LIMESTONE CAVE.

IT CERTAINLY SEEMS THAT THESE SPECIES

WERE NOT THE VICTIMS OF A CATACLYSMIC ERUPTION.

SO THEN, WHAT KILLED ALL THESE ANCIENT ANIMALS?

IT'S DARK DOWN HERE,

AND MY VISIBILITY IS EXTREMELY LIMITED.

I SUSPECT THERE ARE MORE CLUES HERE

THAT CAN'T BE DETECTED BY THE NAKED EYE.

I THINK THE BEST WAY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON HERE

IS JUST TO RUN A 3D SCAN.

I'M HOPING THAT BY STEPPING BACK

AND LOOKING AT THIS 3D IMAGE,

WE CAN START TO UNDERSTAND THIS AREA MORE.

I'VE CALLED IN SUBTERRANEAN SCANNING SPECIALISTS RICK WALKER

AND TRES SMITH.

WELL, I'M EXCITED TO SEE WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO FIND,

SHALL WE START IT?LET'S GO.

TO CREATE A DETAILED, 3D MODEL OF THE CAVE,

RICK AND TRES HAVE BROUGHT IN ONE

OF THE MOST POWERFUL LiDAR SCANNERS ON THE MARKET.

"LiDAR" STANDS FOR LIGHT DETECTION AND RANGING.

BY EMITTING AN ARRAY OF UP TO 1 MILLION

LASER PULSES PER SECOND,

THIS DEVICE CAN CAPTURE ALL THE CREVICES

THAT LIGHT DOESN'T PENETRATE.

ALL RIGHT, LET'S DO IT.

THE LiDAR LASERS CAN DAMAGE OUR CAMERAS,

SO WE CAN'T FILM THE PROCESS,

BUT I'M EXCITED TO SEE THE 3D MODEL IT'S GOING TO CREATE.

SO, I JUST GOT THE LiDAR IMAGES.

LET'S SEE WHAT THEY SHOW.

OH, WOW, THAT'S SO COOL.

SO, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE CAVE FROM THE OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW.

WHAT I HAVE TO DO, I HAVE TO GET INSIDE OF IT.

THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED DETAIL.

AND TO BE ABLE TO SEE IT IN COLORS--

THE COLORS INDICATING THE HARDNESS--

THAT ALLOWS US TO SEE THINGS SO MUCH DIFFERENTLY.

THE RED INDICATES SOFTER MATERIALS LIKE SEDIMENT.

THE BLUE, HARDER MATERIALS LIKE LIMESTONE.

THE FLOOR OF THIS CAVE

IS CLEARLY MUCH SOFTER THAN THE CEILING.

THAT MAKES SENSE. THE FLOOR OF THE CAVE

WAS ESSENTIALLY SEDIMENT WASHED IN WITH RAINWATER,

BUILT UP OVER TIME.

THE CEILING OF THE CAVE, IT MAKES SENSE THAT IT'S HARDER

BECAUSE LIMESTONE IS PRETTY HARD A MATERIAL.

LOOK AT THIS RIGHT IN HERE.

THAT IS SOFTER SEDIMENT,

APPARENTLY ON THE WALL OF THE CAVE.

I DID NOT EXPECT THAT.

SO, THIS SEEMS TO INDICATE THAT WATER

HAS BEEN COMING INTO THIS CAVE POTENTIALLY IN FLOOD-LIKE FORM,

LEAVING ALL THIS DEBRIS QUITE HIGH UP THOSE WALLS.

COULD THIS BE EVIDENCE

OF A FLOOD OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS?

AND IF SO, HOW DID THESE MASSIVE,

PREHISTORIC BEASTS FIT DOWN THIS SINGLE,

SMALL ENTRANCE SHAFT?

AND LATER, I'LL DIVE DEEP INTO LAKE MICHIGAN

ON THE HUNT FOR A LOST VESSEL THAT DISAPPEARED WITHOUT

A TRACE MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO.

WE FOUND THE SHIP!

COULD THIS REALLY BE THE SCHOONER

THAT LAUNCHED THE LEGEND OF AMERICA'S

VERY OWN BERMUDA TRIANGLE?

I'M AT FRIESENHAHN CAVE IN CENTRAL TEXAS,

HOME TO OVER 10,000 PREHISTORIC FOSSILS.

ASIDE FROM THE LA BREA TAR PITS IN LOS ANGELES,

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST PLEISTOCENE FOSSIL-RICH SITES

IN NORTH AMERICA,

AND I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW ALL OF THESE BONES GOT HERE.

I'VE JUST RUN A LiDAR SCAN AND CREATED A 3D IMAGE

WHICH SHOWS SOME SEDIMENT DEPOSITED HIGH UP

ON THE WALLS OF THE CAVE.

SO POTENTIALLY, THIS IS WHY

ALL THESE MAMMOTH BONES ARE IN HERE.

THEY JUST GOT WASHED HERE WITH A GIANT FLOOD.

BUT COULD A FLOOD REALLY TRIGGER AN EXTINCTION OF THIS MAGNITUDE?

WHILE SCIENTISTS HAVE IDENTIFIED

FIVE MAJOR EXTINCTIONS IN OUR PLANET'S PAST,

THE ONE SOME PEOPLE MIGHT THINK OF ISN'T AMONG THEM.

NOAH'S FLOOD.

CHAPTERS 6 THROUGH 9 OF THE BOOK OF GENESIS RECORD

THE STORY OF A DELUGE

THAT ENGULFED THE ENTIRE WORLD,

DESTROYING VIRTUALLY ALL LIFE ON THE PLANET,

EXCEPT THE SPECIES ABOARD NOAH'S ARK.

COULD WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN FRIESENHAHN CAVE BE EVIDENCE

OF A MASSIVE FLOOD,

LIKE THE ONE DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK OF GENESIS?

IT'S DEFINITELY A COMPELLING THOUGHT

THAT ALL OF THIS IS EVIDENCE OF THE SAME FLOOD OF NOAH'S ARK.

BUT THE PRESENCE OF MAMMOTH BONES

HERE MAKES THE TIMELINE A BIT DUBIOUS.

MAMMOTH STOPPED LIVING ON EARTH AROUND 10,000 YEARS AGO.

BIBLICAL SCHOLARS BELIEVED

NOAH LIVED APPROXIMATELY 4,000 TO 5,000 YEARS AGO,

AND SCIENTISTS HAVE FOUND EVIDENCE

OF A CATASTROPHIC FLOOD 2,000

TO 3,000 YEARS BEFORE THAT,

BUT STILL LONG AFTER MAMMOTHS WENT EXTINCT.

BUT COULD WE BE SEEING EVIDENCE OF AN EARLIER DELUGE?

AND IF WE ARE, HOW DID MAMMOTHS FIT DOWN

THE CAVE'S SMALL ENTRANCE SHAFT.

FIRST THING'S FIRST, WE CAN SEE EVIDENCE

OF POSSIBLE FLOODING ON THE LiDAR SCAN.

BUT IF AN EPIC FLOOD HIT THIS AREA,

WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIND EVIDENCE OF IT ELSEWHERE,

NOT JUST IN FRIESENHAHN CAVE.

SO, I'VE ARRANGED TO MEET LOCAL CAVERS AARON SWINK

AND AUBRI JENSON WITH TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY.

HOW YOU GUYS DOING?GOOD.

THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE ME INTO ANOTHER NEARBY CAVE,

ONE OF MANY THAT LITTER THE LANDSCAPE HERE.

WITH THEIR HELP, I'M HOPING TO FIND

EVIDENCE OF AN ANCIENT FLOODING,

CONSISTENT WITH WHAT I DISCOVERED IN FRIESENHAHN.

OH, SWEET!YEAH, HERE IT IS.

SO, WE'RE GONNA BE CAREFUL AS WE'RE GOING IN

BECAUSE A COUPLE THINGS WE WANT TO WATCH OUT--

THE BIGGEST DANGERS ARE LOOSE ROCKS.

AND THE OTHER THING IS RATTLESNAKES.

RATTLESNAKES.

OKAY, COMING DOWN!

OH. BOY.

I WAS NOT EXPECTING THERE

TO BE SO MANY AWESOME CAVE FORMATIONS IN HERE.

YEAH.THE LIMESTONE WALLS

ARE STRIKINGLY SIMILAR

TO THOSE OF FRIESENHAHN CAVE.

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL THESE CAVES HAVE IN COMMON.

THAT IS AWESOME. HERE'S A BONE HERE, TOO.

THERE'S A JAWBONE.

THIS CAVE ALSO HOUSES DOZENS OF ANCIENT FOSSILS.

HOW OLD DO YOU THINK THESE BONES ARE?

THEY COULD BE ANYWHERE FROM, YOU KNOW,

ON THE ORDER OF DECADES TO THE LAST ICE AGE.

YOU FIND ICE AGE FOSSILS IN THIS ONE, TOO.

THAT'S RIGHT. WE HAVE FOUND MAMMOTH TEETH,

SOME LARGE BONES OF VARIOUS ICE AGE ANIMALS.

SINCE THIS CAVE IS HARBORING FOSSILS FROM THE ICE AGE,

AS WELL, THAT TELLS ME THE SAME PROCESSES

COULD HAVE DEPOSITED THE BONES IN BOTH CAVES.

AND SURE ENOUGH, AARON QUICKLY POINTS OUT EVIDENCE OF FLOODING.

THERE'S SOME PRETTY GOOD CLUES HERE.

ONE IS, SOME OF THIS DEBRIS ON THE FLOOR HERE.

OH, MY GOSH, LOOK AT THAT.

NOT ONLY HISTORIC FLOODING.

THIS CAVE STILL GETS SWAMPED.

AARON EXPLAINS THAT IT'S REALLY JUST A PIT STOP FOR WATER

FLOWING MUCH DEEPER UNDERGROUND.

IT'S GOING INTO AN AQUIFER CALLED

THE EDWARDS TRINITY AQUIFER.

THE EDWARDS TRINITY AQUIFER

IS A MAJOR UNDERGROUND WATER SOURCE.

THIS SUBTERRANEAN LAYER OF WATER-SOAKED

SEDIMENT STRETCHES FROM SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA

TO WESTERN TEXAS.

IT SUPPLIES OVER 2 MILLION PEOPLE

WITH DRINKING WATER

AND IS THE WATER SUPPLY FOR AGRICULTURE IN THE REGION.

BUT COULD IT ALSO BE THE REASON WHY SO MANY BONES

HAVE ENDED UP IN THIS CAVE?

SO, WHEN THE WATER COMES IN HERE, IT'S GOING DOWN THERE.

IT'S GOING DOWN HERE.

AARON AND AUBRI EXPLAINED THAT DURING PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN,

WATER WILL RUSH INTO THE CAVE

AND WIND ITS WAY TO THE AQUIFER.

DEPOSITING DEBRIS ALONG THE WAY.

THIS OPENS UP A WHOLE NEW POSSIBILITY.

WHAT IF THE FOSSILS IN FRIESENHAHN

CAVE WEREN'T SWEPT IN BY ONE MASSIVE DELUGE,

BUT BY A SERIES OF SMALLER FLOODS

THAT DRAINED OUT DEEPER UNDERGROUND?

THIS IS REALLY FASCINATING.

I THINK MY NEXT STEP IS TO HEAD BACK TO FRIESENHAHN CAVE,

TRY TO FIGURE OUT IF IT'S PART OF A LARGER CAVE SYSTEM.

THE NEXT MORNING, I MEET UP WITH GEOLOGIST

KEITH MUHLSTEIN BACK AT FRIESENHAHN CAVE.

HE'S GOING TO HELP ME FIGURE OUT

IF THE CAVE CONNECTS TO A GROUNDWATER SOURCE BELOW.

THE FIRST STEP IS TO FIND THE LOCATION

OF THE WATER TABLE BENEATH THE CAVE FLOOR,

AND THEN SEE IF WE CAN FIND ANY DIRECT CONNECTIONS

BETWEEN IT AND THE CAVE.

TO DO THAT, WE'LL NEED A TECHNIQUE CAPABLE

OF PENETRATING HUNDREDS

OF FEET BELOW THE SURFACE--

MUCH FURTHER INTO THE GROUND

THAN THE LiDAR SCAN I RAN EARLIER.

I THINK AN ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY TOMOGRAPHY SURVEY

IS THE WAY TO GO.

ERT, AS IT'S CALLED,

IS AN ADVANCED SUBSURFACE

IMAGING TECHNIQUE THAT WORKS

BY INJECTING ELECTRICAL CURRENT INTO THE GROUND

BETWEEN TWO ELECTRODES AT A TIME.

ADDITIONAL ELECTRODES THEN MEASURE THE RESISTANCE

OF WHATEVER MATERIAL LIES BELOW.

WE'RE GONNA RUN OUT THE CABLE FIRST,

AND THEN POUND IN THE STAKES KIND OF ALONG IT, RIGHT?

MM-HMM.

SO, ANY OPEN VOIDS BENEATH THE CAVE FLOOD

SHOULD BE EASY FOR US TO LOCATE.

TOGETHER, KEITH AND I GET TO WORK SETTING UP THE ERT GEAR,

LAYING OUT FOUR GRIDS SURROUNDING THE CAVE'S ENTRANCE.

WE HAVE THIS CABLE RIGHT HERE,

WHICH WE'VE LAID OUT DOWN THE LINE,

AND THIS IS GONNA SEND A VOLT OF ELECTRICITY

THROUGH THE WIRE,

THROUGH THIS METAL SPIKE, INTO THE GROUND.

WE CAN USE THE DATA WE'RE COLLECTING TO CREATE

A 3D MAP OF THE SUBSURFACE,

WHICH WILL REVEAL ANY CONNECTIONS TO THE AQUIFER.

THE DATA'S COMING IN NOW.

ON THE RIGHT, YOU HAVE YOUR GRID

WITH THE RESISTIVITY COMING UP IN 3Ds.

IMMEDIATELY, I'M STRUCK BY THE YELLOWISH-RED SECTION,

WHICH REPRESENTS A WHOLE SUBTERRANEAN WORLD

RIGHT BENEATH US.

MY GOSH, THAT IS AMAZING.

SO THE CAVE THAT WE WERE IN IS GREEN.

THAT'S RIGHT.

AND THERE'S A GIANT YELLOW PATCH OVER HERE.

THAT'S RIGHT.

WHICH MEANS THERE'S A BIGGER CAVE.

IT APPEARS THAT FRIESENHAHN

IS ONLY ONE CHAMBER OF A SERIES

OF SEEMINGLY CONNECTED CAVERNS,

ALTHOUGH NONE OF OTHERS APPEAR TO BE ACCESSIBLE.

I MEAN, WE'RE ONLY TOUCHING THE SURFACE WITH THIS CAVE.

DOES THIS LEAD TO THE EDWARDS AQUIFER, TOO, YOU THINK?

OH, YEAH, CERTAINLY. YOU CAN SEE,

THIS IS ACTUALLY A LINEAR CONDUIT

FROM THE SURFACE ALL THE WAY ALONG.

IF SO, YOU'VE GOT A DIRECT CONDUIT RIGHT TO THE AQUIFER.

THIS MEANS THAT FRIESENHAHN COULD HAVE FUNCTIONED

AS A KIND OF STRAINER OR FILTER,

COLLECTING THE CARCASSES OF ANCIENT BEASTS RANGING

FROM MAMMOTHS TO GIANT,

SHORT-FACED BEARS AND PREHISTORIC TURTLES

AS WATER FILTERED TO THE AQUIFER BELOW.

BUT ONE GLARING ISSUE IS STILL BUGGING ME.

HOW DID THESE ENORMOUS ANIMALS

GET WASHED DOWN THROUGH THIS SMALL CAVE OPENING.

BUT THEN I NOTICE SOMETHING ELSE ON THE 3D MAP.

WHAT IS THAT?

THAT TO THE NORTHWEST LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER ENTRANCE.

HAS THE ERT DATA UNCOVERED A HIDDEN ENTRANCE TO THE CAVE?

AND COULD THIS FINALLY UNLOCK THE MYSTERY OF

HOW THESE PREHISTORIC CREATURES

ENDED UP DEEP UNDERGROUND?

I'M AT FRIESENHAHN CAVE IN SAN ANTONIO,

TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW THOUSANDS OF FOSSILS ENDED UP

IN THIS ONE SMALL CAVERN.

I'VE JUST RUN AN ERT SURVEY

AND DISCOVERED NOT ONLY A MUCH LARGER

CAVE SYSTEM HIDDEN UNDERGROUND,

BUT ALSO SOMETHING EVEN MORE SURPRISING.

SO THERE COULD HAVE BEEN ANOTHER ENTRANCE TO THIS CAVE

THAT GOT FILLED IN LATER.

APPEARS TO BE.

LOOKS LIKE THIS IS MOSTLY CLOSED IN.

IT'S GOT A HIGH RESISTIVITY TO IT,

BUT YOU CAN SEE, RIGHT IN THE CENTER,

THERE IS AN OPENING.

IF THAT SECTION REALLY USED TO BE AN OPENING,

IT COULD HAVE BEEN LARGE ENOUGH FOR THESE MASSIVE

PREHISTORIC BEASTS TO GET THROUGH.

SO, IS IT POSSIBLE IT GOT SWEPT IN THROUGH THERE,

OR EVEN ENTERED THE CAVE ON THEIR OWN

WHILE THEY WERE STILL ALIVE?

I'LL NEED TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS AREA.

TO THE NORTHWEST OF THIS HOLE, ABOUT 15 YARDS.

TWO, THREE.

HOLY CRAP, LOOK AT THIS.

THERE IS A DIVOT IN THE GROUND, SENSING A LITTLE DEPRESSION.

OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S NO OPENING RIGHT AT THE MOMENT.

IT IS FILLED IN, BUT IT IS REALLY SOFT.

ACTUALLY, I FEEL LIKE IF I WAS TO JUMP UP AND DOWN,

THIS WHOLE THING MIGHT COLLAPSE.

AND I THINK ALL THAT'S BETWEEN ME

AND POTENTIALLY ANOTHER CAVITY

IS A BUNCH OF ORGANIC MATERIAL.

HAVING ESTABLISHED WHERE THE ENTRANCE

PROBABLY WAS UP TOP,

I NEED TO HEAD BACK DOWN INTO THE CAVE

TO SEE IF I CAN FIND THE OTHER SIDE OF IT.

THERE IS SOMETHING THAT GOES BACK IN THIS DIRECTION.

I DIDN'T EVEN SEE THIS UNTIL NOW.

BUT IF YOU LOOK BACK UP IN THERE,

THERE IS ESSENTIALLY A REALLY,

REALLY TINY CRAWL SPACE WHICH HEADS UP,

AND IT HEADS TO THE RIGHT A LITTLE BIT.

IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S HEADING RIGHT TOWARDS

WHERE THE DEPRESSION IN THE GROUND

IS UP TOP, LIKE A RAMP.

SO, I HAVE A SNEAKING SUSPICION THAT THERE WAS PROBABLY

THAT OLD ENTRANCE LEADING IN THIS DIRECTION,

AND IT HAS SINCE COLLAPSED OR FILLED IN.

IT SEEMS LIKE THIS CAVITY IS FILLED WITH RUBBLE

THAT COULD CONCEAL WHAT WAS ONCE A MUCH LARGER SPACE.

I BET WE FOUND THE OLD OPENING RIGHT HERE.

THIS CHANGES THE GAME COMPLETELY.

MAYBE FLOODING WASN'T THE ONLY FACTOR,

OR EVEN THE MAJOR ONE BEHIND FRIESENHAHN'S

COLLECTION OF FOSSILS.

ONE, HUMANS COULD HAVE USED THIS CAVE.

THEY COULD HAVE GOTTEN THESE BONES HERE.

OR ANIMALS COULD HAVE SIMPLY WALKED INTO THE CAVE

AND THEN DIED.

I KNOW THAT THE PREHISTORIC CLOVIS PEOPLE INHABITED AREAS

NOT FAR FROM HERE,

STARTING AT LEAST 12,000 YEARS AGO.

AND EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THEY MAY

HAVE HUNTED THE GIANT MAMMOTHS

THAT ROAMED THE GRASSLAND, CUTTING THEM DOWN

WITH THESE DISTINCTIVE FLUTED SPEARS.

SO, COULD FRIESENHAHN BEEN A DUMPING GROUND

FOR DISCARDED CARCASSES?

I THINK I NEED TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BONES THEMSELVES.

IF I CAN FIND EVIDENCE OF HUMAN BUTCHERING,

LIKE MARKS FROM TOOLS OR WEAPONS,

THAT THEORY BECOMES HIGHLY PLAUSIBLE.

SO I'M HEADING TO THE VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY LAB

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS IN AUSTIN,

WHERE PALEONTOLOGISTS ERNIE LUNDELIUS

AND KENNY BADER ARE GIVING ME ACCESS

TO SOME OF THE FOSSILS ALREADY PULLED FROM THE CAVE.

SO, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THE BONES.

IS THERE ANY INDICTION OF HOW THESE ANIMALS DIED?

YES, THERE ARE SOME MARKS ON SOME OF THE BONES

THAT MIGHT GIVE YOU SOME IDEA,

MAYBE PERHAPS NOT HOW THEY EXACTLY DIED,

BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM SHORTLY AFTER.

OH, REALLY?WE HAVE THINGS LIKE THIS--

WOW, LOOK AT THAT SCRATCH MARK.

SCRATCH MARKS.SO, WHAT CAUSED THIS?

DO YOU SEE ANY EVIDENCE

THAT HUMANS WERE MAKING MARKS ON THE BONES,

OR THAT HUMANS WERE EATING ANIMALS IN THAT CAVE?

NO, THIS WAS NOT SOMETHING DAMAGED BY A PERSON.

KENNY EXPLAINS THAT HUMAN TOOLS

WOULD HAVE LEFT MUCH THINNER GROOVES ON THE BONES,

AND CERTAINLY FLOODING WOULDN'T LEAVE

SUCH DISTINCT MARKINGS, EITHER.

WE DEFINITELY HAVE TWO VERY PERFECT PARALLEL GROOVES.

RIGHT.THAT ARE V-SHAPED

AND CROSS-SECTIONED.

AND THEY PROBABLY MATCH QUITE WELL

WITH THE ACTUAL TEETH

FROM SOME KIND OF PREDATOR.

BUT WHAT KIND OF BEAST COULD BE RESPONSIBLE

FOR THESE BRUTAL GASHES?

COULD IT BE A BLOODTHIRSTY CULPRIT

WHO COLLECTED ALL THESE FOSSILS?

THAT IS A BIG SKULL.

I'M IN AUSTIN WHERE PALEONTOLOGISTS ERNIE LUNDELIUS

AND KENNY BADER HAVE GIVEN ME ACCESS

TO SOME OF THE FOSSILS PULLED FROM FRIESENHAHN CAVE.

THERE ARE CLEAR MARKINGS ON ONE OF THE BONES

THAT KENNY SAYS WERE MADE BY A PREDATOR.

AND KENNY TELLS ME THAT ANOTHER SET OF BONES FOUND

IN THE CAVE MAY REVEAL ITS IDENTITY.

THAT IS A BIG SKULL.

THAT IS THE SKULL OF A HOMOTHERIUM,

AND IT'S A PRETTY GOOD-SIZED CAT.

HOMOTHERIUM WERE LARGE,

PREHISTORIC SABERTOOTHED CATS

APPROXIMATELY THE SIZE OF A MODERN AFRICAN LION.

THEY WERE APEX PREDATORS

AND ROAMED VAST AREAS OF NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA

THROUGH ASIA AND AFRICA BEFORE GOING EXTINCT.

ERNIE TELLS ME THAT NOT JUST ONE,

BUT 13 ADULT HOMOTHERIUM SKELETONS

HAVE BEEN FOUND IN FRIESENHAHN CAVE.

ALONGSIDE FIVE JUVENILES.

SO, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A DEN.

I THINK SO.

THIS CHANGES THE STORY COMPLETELY.

YES.

SO, COULD THESE FIERCE AND FORMIDABLE PREDATORS

BE THE REASON THERE ARE SO MANY BONES IN THE CAVE?

OR, ARE THEY YET ANOTHER SET OF VICTIMS

WASHED IN HERE BY SURGING FLOODWATERS?

ONE KEY DETAIL ABOUT THE MAMMOTH BONES

MAY FINALLY SOLVE THIS MYSTERY.

INTERESTING THING ABOUT THOSE MAMMOTH BONES

IS THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THEM

ARE FROM JUVENILES, BABY MAMMOTHS.

THAT'S AN IMPORTANT CLUE.

AS ERNIE SEES IT,

THAT MAKES IT VERY LIKELY THAT THE SABERTOOTH CATS

WERE ATTACKING BABY MAMMOTHS,

WHO WERE SMALLER AND MORE VULNERABLE THAN THE ADULTS,

AND DRAGGING THEM BACK TO THEIR DEN IN FRIESENHAHN

THROUGH THE LARGER, LOST ENTRANCE.

BUT MAMMOTH BONES ARE NOT THE ONLY PREY

REMAINS FOUND INSIDE THE CAVE.

ALSO PRESENT ARE THE BONES OF OTHER ICE AGE MAMMALS,

REPTILES, AND BIRDS.

IS IT PLAUSIBLE THAT THIS SABERTOOTH CAT

PULLED IN ALL OF THE PREY?

THAT'S A HUGE DIVERSITY OF PREY FOR ONE ANIMAL.

PROBABLY OTHERS WERE CONTRIBUTING,

AS WELL, BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER ANIMALS IN THERE.

SO, BASED ON THE EVIDENCE I'VE SEEN,

FLOODING COULD BE A FACTOR IN DEPOSITING THE FOSSILS HERE.

IF NOT ONE MASSIVE FLOOD, THEN AT LEAST SMALLER,

MORE REGULAR EVENTS AS WATER TRAVELS

DOWN THROUGH THE CAVE TO THE AQUIFER.

BUT MORE THAN LIKELY, GIANT HOMOTHERIUM CATS

BROUGHT THE BULK OF THE BONES INTO THE CAVERN.

TECHNOLOGY HAS HELPED US

UNLOCK THE ANCIENT MYSTERY OF FRIESENHAHN CAVE.

A REPOSITORY OF ICE AGE FOSSILS LIKE NO OTHER,

AND A TESTAMENT TO THE WILD FEROCITY OF PREHISTORIC TIMES.

AND NOW, I'M HEADING FROM THE BOWELS OF THIS ANCIENT

CAVERN TO THE BOTTOM

OF ONE OF THE GREAT LAKES.

LAKE MICHIGAN--

THE FIFTH LARGEST LAKE IN THE WORLD.

IT BOASTS SANDY BEACHES AND SNUG HARBORS.

BUT THESE SEEMINGLY PLACID WATERS HARBOR

A DARK SECRET.

OVER 1,500 SHIPWRECKS LIE SCATTERED ACROSS ITS FLOOR.

IN FACT, THIS AREA IS SO SYNONYMOUS

WITH DISAPPEARANCE AND DISASTER

THAT IT'S COME TO BE KNOWN AS THE MICHIGAN TRIANGLE.

PERHAPS THE MOST MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE

WAS ONE OF THE EARLIEST--

THE THOMAS HUME WAS STURDY CARGO SHIP

WITH A CREW OF SIX

THAT VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE IN MAY OF 1891.

NO WRECK, NO BODIES, NO DEBRIS.

TO THIS DAY, NO ONE KNOWS FOR SURE WHAT HAPPENED TO IT.

SOME SAY IT WAS STOLEN BY ITS CREW AND REPAINTED.

OTHERS SAY MYSTICAL FORCES

CAUSED IT TO VANISH INTO ANOTHER DIMENSION.

BUT NOW, AFTER 125 YEARS,

WE MAY BE CLOSER THAN EVER TO SOLVING THIS MYSTERY.

RECENTLY, DIVERS CAME ACROSS

WHAT THEY THINK MIGHT BE THE THOMAS HUME

SOME 20 MILES OFFSHORE

DEEP IN THE COLD LAKE WATERS.

COULD THIS REALLY BE THE WRECK OF THE INFAMOUS SHIP?

AND IF IT IS, COULD IT HELP EXPLAIN THE STRANGE PHENOMENA

THAT PERVADE THIS SO-CALLED MICHIGAN TRIANGLE?

TO SEPARATE FACT FROM FICTION,

I NEED TO SEE THIS NEWLY DISCOVERED WRECK FOR MYSELF,

SO I'M HEADING TO SOUTHWESTERN MICHIGAN

TO MEET WITH EXPERT DIVER

AND GREAT LAKES HISTORIAN VALERIE VAN HEEST.

SHE AND HER CREW ARE GOING TO TAKE ME OUT ON THE WATER TODAY.

I'VE GOT MY DIVE GEAR.GREAT.

OKAY, GOOD.PROBABLY LOAD THAT UP.

THIS IS GONNA BE A FUN DIVE.

THIS WOULD BE PRETTY BIG, RIGHT,

IF WE CAN DECIDE THIS IS THE THOMAS HUME,

IF WE CAN DEFINITIVELY SAY THIS IS THE SHIP.

IF WE CAN DEFINITIVELY PROVE THIS IS THE THOMAS HUME,

THIS IS GONNA BE HUGE IN MARITIME CIRCLES.

THE DIVERS WHO FOUND THE WRECK CAME ACROSS IT BY ACCIDENT

WHILE SEARCHING FOR LOST WORLD WAR II PLANES.

IT WAS FOUND FAR FROM THE HUME'S INTENDED COURSE

BETWEEN CHICAGO AND MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN.

BUT ITS SIZE AND SHAPE SEEM TO BE A MATCH.

SO, WE SET OFF ACROSS THE LAKE

ON A QUEST TO ANSWER A WHOLE SERIES OF QUESTIONS.

IS THE WRECK THAT THE DIVERS FOUND REALLY THE THOMAS HUME?

IF SO, WHY IS IT SO FAR OFF COURSE,

AND WHAT CAUSED IT TO SINK?

WAS IT MOTHER NATURE, A MECHANICAL FAILURE,

OR SOMETHING MORE MYSTERIOUS?

FOR YEARS, SOME HAVE ARGUED THAT

THE HUME MUST HAVE FALLEN VICTIM

TO THE SO-CALLED MICHIGAN TRIANGLE.

ALTHOUGH NOT NEARLY AS PROMINENT IN POPULAR CULTURE

AS THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE, PER SQUARE MILE,

THIS AREA MAY BE RESPONSIBLE

FOR EVEN MORE LOST VESSELS.

AMONG THE MANY SHIPS THAT HAVE GONE DOWN HERE

ARE THE SCHOONER ROUSE SIMMONS,

ALSO KNOWN AS THE "CHRISTMAS TREE SHIP"

WHICH WAS LOST IN NOVEMBER OF 1912

WHILE DELIVERING A LOAD OF HOLIDAY TREES TO CHICAGO.

AND THE CARL D. BRADLEY,

A 639-FOOT FREIGHTER WHICH WENT DOWN IN 1958.

33 CREW MEMBERS WERE LOST.

BUT IT'S NOT JUST BOATS THAT HAVE MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED.

RESCUE CRAFT AND PLANES SEARCH THE WATERS

OF LAKE MICHIGAN NEAR SOUTH HAVEN, MICHIGAN,

FOR CLUES TO THE WORST AIRLINE DISASTER IN U.S. HISTORY.

IN 1950, NORTHWEST ORIENT AIRLINES

FLIGHT 2501 VANISHED

WHILE TRAVELING FROM NEW YORK CITY TO SEATTLE,

LOSING ALL 58 ON BOARD.

ALTHOUGH SOME LIGHT DEBRIS WAS FOUND,

THE PLANE'S WRECKAGE HAS NEVER BEEN LOCATED.

THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF WILD THEORIES TO EXPLAIN

THE STRANGE DISAPPEARANCES ON THE LAKE.

SOME HAVE CLAIMED THEY ARE THE WORK OF ALIENS

OR A TIME PORTAL THAT SUCKS THE VESSELS

INTO AN ALTERNATE DIMENSION.

AS A SCIENTIST, I'M SKEPTICAL

OF THESE SUPERNATURAL EXPLANATIONS,

BUT IS THERE SOMETHING STRANGE GOING ON IN THIS AREA?

BEFORE WE CAN ATTEMPT TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION,

THOUGH, WE HAVE TO FIND THE MYSTERY WRECK ITSELF.

WE KNOW THE GENERAL COORDINATES

FROM THE DIVERS WHO DISCOVERED IT,

BUT WE STILL NEED TO FIND THE EXACT SPOT

BEFORE WE CAN GET IN THE WATER.

BASICALLY WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW,

WE'RE IN THE GENERAL VICINITY, WE'RE USING THE SIDE-SCAN SONAR,

WHICH ONLY REALLY WORKS WHEN YOU'RE SLOWED DOWN.

AND WE'RE JUST GONNA TRY TO SEE IF WE CAN FIND THE WRECK.

SONAR TECHNOLOGY WORKS BY EMITTING AN ACOUSTIC SIGNAL

OR PULSE OF SOUND INTO THE WATER.

IF SOMETHING IS IN THE WAY OF THAT PULSE,

THE SOUND WILL BOUNCE OFF THE OBJECT

AND SEND BACK AN ECHO

WHICH WILL REGISTER ON THE TRANSPONDER.

THE WAY SIDE SCAN WORKS,

YOU CAN'T SEE IF IT'S RIGHT UNDERNEATH YOU,

BUT YOU'RE SHOOTING OUT SONAR BEAMS

BASICALLY TO THE SIDES OF THE BOAT,

AND IT'S GETTING RELIEF OF WHAT'S ON THE BOTTOM.

IT LOOKS PRETTY FLAT.

SO FAR, THE SONAR'S REVEALING

NOTHING MORE THAN AN EMPTY LAKE BOTTOM.

BUT THAT IS ABOUT TO CHANGE.

WHAT IS THAT COMING UP THERE?

LOOK AT THAT.WHOA.

IS THIS THE LONG-LOST THOMAS HUME?

TO FIND OUT,

I'M GOING DEEP TO GET A CLOSER LOOK.

I'M OUT ON LAKE MICHIGAN LOOKING FOR A WRECK

THAT MAY BE THE INFAMOUS THOMAS HUME--

A LOST SHIP AT THE HEART OF THE MYTH

OF THE LAKE MICHIGAN TRIANGLE.

AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE JUST FOUND SOMETHING BIG USING

THE SIDE SCAN SONAR TECHNOLOGY.

LOOK AT THAT.

THAT'S STICKING UP INTO THE WATER COLUMN THERE.

WHOA.

I THINK THIS IS IT.

WE FOUND THE SHIP ON THE SONAR!

YOU CAN JUST, CLEAR AS DAY, SEE THE RELIEF OF THIS WRECK.

IT'S CREATING A SHADOW, AND IT'S BIG.

IT'S MUCH BIGGER THAN I THOUGHT WE'D SEE FROM THE SONAR.

THE IMAGES ARE SO CLEAR.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE YOU CAN REACH OUT AND TOUCH THE SHIP,

BUT IT'S NOT AS CLOSE AS IT LOOKS.

IN FACT, THE WRECK IS 150 FEET BENEATH THE SURFACE.

AS A MARINE BIOLOGIST, I'VE DONE HUNDREDS OF DIVES,

BUT NONE QUITE LIKE THIS.

THIS IS GONNA BE A DEEP, DEEP DIVE.

THIS IS THE DEEPEST DIVE I HAVE EVER DONE.

NO JOKE.

YEAH, THROW IT!

WE BEGIN OUR DESCENT SLOWLY.

BECAUSE VISIBILITY IS LIMITED,

WE FOLLOW A GUIDELINE HOOKED ONTO THE WRECK ITSELF.

IT KEEPS US FROM DRIFTING OFF COURSE IN THE CURRENT.

IT'S A LONG WAY DOWN.

BUT THE WRECK FINALLY COMES INTO VIEW.

AND IT'S STUNNING.

BUT I CAN ONLY ADMIRE IT FOR SO LONG,

BECAUSE WE HAVE WORK TO DO.

FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS--

MEASURING THE SHIP, A TASK DONE WITH A SIMPLE MEASURING TAPE.

IT'S ABOUT 131 FEET, THE SAME LENGTH AS THE HUME.

THIS IS ENCOURAGING.

BUT THESE WATERS WERE LIKELY A BUSY HIGHWAY

IN THE LATE 1800s WITH PLENTY OF SCHOONERS

THAT SIZE TRANSPORTING GOODS AND PEOPLE ACROSS THE LAKE,

SO IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO CLOSE THE CASE.

WE NEED MORE EVIDENCE.

AND WE ALSO NOTICED THIS SHIP HAS WIRE RIGGING,

SO WE CAN COMPARE THAT DETAIL TO THE HUME'S RECORDS

ONCE WE GET BACK ON LAND.

NEXT, WE NEED TO CHECK OUT THE INSIDE OF THE HULL.

IF IT'S HOLDING CARGO,

THEN THIS PROBABLY CAN'T BE THE HUME

SINCE THE SHIP WAS RETURNING TO ITS HOME PORT

OF MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN, AFTER DROPPING A LOAD OF LUMBER

IN CHICAGO.

WE CAREFULLY SLIP BELOW DECK.

AND IT'S REMARKABLE HOW EMPTY THE HULL IS.

THIS SHIP CLEARLY WASN'T HAULING ANYTHING WHEN IT SANK,

WHICH LINES UP WITH WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE HUME.

BACK OUTSIDE THE HULL, WE GET A CLOSER LOOK AT THE MASTS.

THERE ARE THREE OF THEM,

AND THEY APPEAR TO HAVE SNAPPED VIOLENTLY AT THE BASE.

IF THE MASTS DID BREAK BEFORE THE SHIP WENT DOWN,

IT WOULD LIKELY TAKE A MASSIVE AMOUNT

OF FORCE TO BREAK THEM.

SO WHATEVER CAUSED THE SHIP

TO SINK MUST HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY POWERFUL.

WHOO! THAT WAS AWESOME.

Van Heest: WHAT AN AMAZING WRECK.

ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WRECKS I'VE EVER SEEN.

SUPER INTACT.

THE MOST INTACT SCHOONER SHIPWRECK

THAT I'VE EVER ENCOUNTERED.

ON OUR DIVE, WE GATHERED CRUCIAL DETAILS ABOUT THE WRECK

THAT WE CAN COMPARE WITH WHAT THE HISTORY BOOKS

SAY ABOUT THE THOMAS HUME.

SO, ONCE WE'RE BACK ON LAND,

VALERIE AND I MAKE OUR WAY TO EAST LANSING,

HOME OF THE MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

WHICH HOUSES THE OFFICIAL RECORDS OF THE LONG-LOST SHIP.

LOOK AT THESE OLD BOOKS.

HMM.

THIS LOOKS TO BE

ALL KINDS OF NEWSPAPER ARTICLES, PHOTOGRAPHS.

LET'S SEE WHAT WE'VE GOT HERE.

OH, THIS IS INTERESTING.

THIS IS AN ENROLLMENT DOCUMENT.

THESE WERE THE OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS,

LIKE A CAR REGISTRATION TODAY.

THIS WAS A SHIP REGISTRATION.

THE SHIP WAS 131 FEET LONG,

IT WAS 26 FEET WIDE.

THOSE ARE THE SAME DIMENSIONS AS THE MYSTERY WRECK.

BUT LOOK HERE.

IT HAD TWO MASTS.

THAT COULD BE A PROBLEM.

THE WRECK WE SAW HAD THREE MASTS.

BUT THEN VALERIE COMES ACROSS AN INTRIGUING NEWSPAPER ARTICLE.

APPARENTLY, THEY'RE INTERVIEWING A MAN,

CAPTAIN SIMON O'DAY,

WHO USED TO CREW ON THE THOMAS HUME

WHEN IT WORKED OUT OF WISCONSIN.

LOOK AT WHAT HE SAYS.

IT WAS BUILT WITH TWO MASTS,

BUT IT HAD A THIRD STICK ADDED.

THEY USED TO CALL MASTS STICKS.

IT TOOK A LOT OF GUYS AND A LOT OF TIME

TO RAISE THOSE BIG, HEAVY SAILS,

BUT IT TOOK FEWER MEN LESS TIME TO RAISE SMALL SAILS.

SO MAYBE IT WAS A COST-SAVING MEASURE.

MAYBE THE HUME REALLY DID HAVE THREE MASTS.

IF A THIRD MAST WAS ADDED

BEFORE THE SHIP WENT MISSING,

THEN THE WRECK WE SAW COULD STILL BE THE THOMAS HUME.

IN ANOTHER FILE, WE EVEN FIND A PHOTOGRAPH

OF A SIMILARLY SHAPED THREE-MASTED SCHOONER

TIED UP IN FRONT OF THE COMPANY

THAT OWNED AND OPERATED THE HUME.

OH, WOW. SO, THIS IS THE HACKLEY & HUME LOGGING COMPANY.

AND RIGHT THERE IS A THREE-MASTED SCHOONER.

DO WE KNOW WHAT THE YEAR IS ON THIS PICTURE?

WELL, THIS ONE, 1891.

THE SAME YEAR THE HUME WENT MISSING.

SO, DO YOU THINK THAT THAT IS THE THOMAS HUME?

IT COULD BE.

THEN WE COME ACROSS ANOTHER DETAIL

THAT MATCHES THE WRECK WE SAW.

IT SAYS HERE

THAT THE THOMAS HUME HAD WIRE RIGGING.

IT MAY SEEM LIKE A SMALL, INSIGNIFICANT POINT,

BUT THIS WAS ACTUALLY A RELATIVELY UNCOMMON FEATURE

ON SHIPS OF THAT ERA.

THE HUME WAS AMONG THE FIRST VESSELS TO RECEIVE IT.

BUT NOT ALL OF THE EVIDENCE IS IN OUR FAVOR.

THE THOMAS HUME WAS SUPPOSEDLY TRAVELING ALONG

THE SO-CALLED MUSKEGON COURSE

WHEN IT WENT MISSING.

BUT THE WRECK WAS FOUND ALONG

A DIFFERENT ROUTE HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY--

THE ST. JOSEPH'S COURSE.

SO, THAT HAS TO MEAN THE WRECK

WE SAW COULDN'T BE THE HUME-- OR COULD IT?

INTRIGUINGLY, THERE'S ONE MORE PIECE OF EVIDENCE

IN THE ARCHIVES THAT COULD BE A GAME CHANGER.

A MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE FOUND THREE MONTHS

AFTER THE HUME DISAPPEARED.

OH, WOW.

I'M TRYING TO SOLVE THE PUZZLING CASE OF THE THOMAS HUME,

A SHIP THAT WENT MISSING ON LAKE MICHIGAN IN 1891

AND THAT MAY HAVE RECENTLY BEEN FOUND BY WRECK HUNTERS.

NOW, UNDERWATER EXPLORER VALERIE VAN HEEST

AND I HAVE COME ACROSS EVIDENCE

OF A CENTURY-OLD MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE

THAT COULD HELP US IDENTIFY THE MYSTERY VESSEL.

OH, WOW. THIS ARTICLE WAS FROM 1891,

THREE MONTHS AFTERWARDS,

AND THE MESSAGE IN THE BOTTLE READ,

"WE THE UNDERSIGNED ARE PASSENGERS ON THE THOMAS HUME.

THE SCHOONER'S HOLD IS RAPIDLY FILLING WITH WATER

AND HAVE NO HOPE OF ESCAPE.

WE ARE ON THE ST. JOSEPH COURSE.

WE HAVE FRIENDS IN McCOOK, NEBRASKA, AND ELKHART, INDIANA.

PLEASE NOTIFY THEM OF OUR FATE."

EVERYBODY THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO MUSKEGON,

AND HERE, THIS ONE SAYS IT'S HEADING TO ST. JOSEPH.

BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM.

THIS NOTE WAS WRITTEN BY PASSENGERS,

AND THE HUME WAS A CARGO SHIP, NOT A PASSENGER VESSEL.

YOU KNOW, THIS ARTICLE SAYS IT'S PROBABLY A HOAX.

THAT PEOPLE DID NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS MESSAGE

IN A BOTTLE WAS REAL.

SO, AT THE TIME IT WAS FOUND,

THE NOTE WAS DISMISSED AS A CRUEL JOKE.

BUT VALERIE TELLS ME

THAT IT MAY HAVE BEEN COMMON PRACTICE

AT THE TIME FOR SHIP CAPTAINS

TO TAKE MONEY UNDER THE TABLE TO GIVE CIVILIANS PASSAGE.

IF IT'S NOT A HOAX,

AND THE THOMAS HUME REALLY WAS ON THE ST. JOSEPH'S COURSE

WHERE OUR WRECK NOW LIES,

THEN ALL THE EVIDENCE LINES UP PERFECTLY.

THE SAME MEASUREMENTS, THREE MASTS,

WIRE RIGGING,

NO CARGO IN THE HULL.

IN FACT, MAYBE THE REASON

THIS WRECK HAD NEVER BEEN DISCOVERED BEFORE WAS

BECAUSE EVERYONE WAS LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACE.

SO, GIVEN THAT ALL THE OTHER SIGNS POINT

TO THIS BEING THE THOMAS HUME,

I THINK WE CAN ONLY COME TO ONE CONCLUSION.

I THINK WE FOUND THE THOMAS HUME.

BUT EVEN THOUGH IT LOOKS LIKE WE MAY HAVE FOUND THE MISSING SHIP,

WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT BROUGHT IT DOWN.

SOME HAVE SPECULATED THAT A LARGER VESSEL

ACCIDENTALLY RAMMED THE HUME

AND SIMPLY NEVER REPORTED IT.

BUT DURING THE DIVE, WE DIDN'T SEE ANY SIGN OF HULL DAMAGE

THAT WOULD POINT TO A COLLISION.

ONE DETAIL OF THE WRECK STICKS OUT TO ME, THOUGH.

THE SHIP'S THREE MASTS WERE SNAPPED LIKE TOOTHPICKS.

IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN A SERIOUSLY VIOLENT FORCE TO DO THAT.

SO I WONDER, IS THERE SOMETHING

TO THIS LEGEND OF THE MICHIGAN TRIANGLE?

IF THE LAKE HARBORING SOME STRANGE PHENOMENON NOTORIOUS

FOR BRINGING LARGE VESSELS TO THEIR KNEES?

PERHAPS A FREAK SET OF CONDITIONS

THAT SCIENCE CAN'T EXPLAIN?

TO HELP ANSWER THAT QUESTION,

I'M GOING TO MEET UP WITH A LOCAL EXPERT

WHO I HOPE CAN SHED LIGHT ON THE NATURAL FORCES

AT PLAY ON LAKE MICHIGAN.

WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE WEATHER HERE IN THE MICHIGAN AREA?

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY SHIPWRECKS RIGHT HERE?

WELL, LAKE MICHIGAN IS A STRANGE BEAST.

WE GET ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF WEATHER.

WE GET BLIZZARDS. WE GET REALLY FAST SQUALLS

THAT COME UPON YOU WITHOUT MUCH NOTICE.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS, TORNADOS DURING THE SUMMER.

AS THEY COME ACROSS THE LAKE,

THEY'RE COMING ACROSS SOMETHING WITHOUT ANY FRICTION,

NOTHING THERE TO SLOW IT DOWN.

BILL SAYS THE VASTNESS OF LAKE MICHIGAN

PROVIDES THE PERFECT SETTING

FOR ALREADY STRONG FRONTS COMING OFF

SURROUNDING LAND TO PICK UP EVEN MORE SPEED,

AND TO DO SO VERY QUICKLY.

IT'S A PHENOMENON ALSO SEEN

ON LAKE SUPERIOR JUST TO THE NORTH,

WHERE STRONG STORMS CAN APPEAR WITHOUT MUCH WARNING.

STORMS LIKE THE ONE THAT BROUGHT DOWN

THE S.S. EDMUND FITZGERALD IN 1975.

SHE WAS HIT BY NEAR-HURRICANE FORCE WINDS

BEFORE SPLITTING IN HALF AND SINKING WITHIN MINUTES,

KILLING ALL 29 CREW MEMBERS ON BOARD.

AT OVER 700 FEET LONG,

THAT FREIGHTER REMAINS THE LARGEST SHIP

TO EVER GO DOWN IN THE GREAT LAKES.

IT'S AMAZING TO THINK THAT A FREAK THUNDERSTORM

COULD PACK SUCH A SUDDEN,

VIOLENT PUNCH ON A VESSEL THIS LARGE.

BUT ACCORDING TO BILL, IT ABSOLUTELY CAN.

I GOT AN EXAMPLE TO SHOW YOU OVER HERE.

THIS IS A RADAR SHOWING THE THUNDERSTORM

COMPLEX THAT MOVED THROUGH IN 1998.

WE CLOCKED WINDS AS HIGH AS 128 MILES AN HOUR,

ESTIMATED WINDS ON BOTH SIDES OF LAKE MICHIGAN

TO BE 130 MILES AN HOUR.

THAT'S THE EQUIVALENT OF AN F-3 TORNADO.

A STORM LIKE THAT CAN KICK UP WAVES OF 10 TO 20 FEET.

THAT'S COMPARABLE TO THE SWELLS IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.

NOWADAYS, WE ISSUE WARNINGS,

AND EVERYONE GETS OFF THE LAKE.

BUT IN THE OLD DAYS, THERE WERE NO WARNINGS.

NO RADIOS, NO RADAR,

NO COMMUNICATION WITH THE LAND.

AND THAT COULD LEAD TO FATAL CONSEQUENCES,

AS IT APPEARS TO HAVE DONE FOR THE THOMAS HUME.

SO, BASED ON ALL THE EVIDENCE I'VE GATHERED,

I THINK WE CAN SAFELY SAY THAT THE HUME

WAS LIKELY TOPPLED IN A SEVERE STORM

BEFORE COMING TO REST IN ITS WATERY GRAVE.

IT APPEARS THE LEGEND OF THE LONG-LOST SCHOONER

CAN FINALLY BE PUT TO REST.

AND PERHAPS WITH IT

THE MYSTERY OF THE SO-CALLED LAKE MICHIGAN TRIANGLE.