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All Forums >> [Bottle Forums] >> Digging and Finding >> First dig of the Season

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First dig of the Season - 11/7/2003 1:01:06 AM    oz-riley   Posts: 135 Joined: 11/24/2002 From: Melbourne, Australia. Status: offline Well, I have had my first creek dig of the bottle digging season here in Australia, it is still spring but we had a couple of warmer days and I was visiting friends in a country town in Victoria. I though I would have a go at a place where we have had good success in the past and it was right in the middle of town so easy to get to. I pulled on my wetsuit and jumped in the river, now I have a 7mm wetsuit but the cold water still took my breath away, I thought I will give this ten minutes and if I have not found a good bottle I will pack it in! After about five minutes to my surprise I pulled out a Cruickshank Bulge Top Codd from Hamilton with a Rooster trade Mark, this is a very rare bottle and I was very happy to find it. I thought I will give it a bit longer, and soon enough my probe found another Codd bottle this one was the Volcanic Aerated Water Co also from Hamilton. Well that was it I managed to stay in the water for just on three hours before Hypothermia almost set in and I had to get out, in that time I had also found another Codd bottle a J.S. Rowley from Warrnambool & Hamilton. All three codds are rare and these were some of the better bottles to come from this spot, there were also heaps of more common bottles found. Thanks Chris Attachment (1) _____________________________ Please visit my Australian Antique Bottle Web Site 'The Aussie Bottle Digger' http://www.users.bigpond.com/oz-riley/ Post #: 1

RE: First dig of the Season - 11/7/2003 1:02:07 AM    oz-riley   Posts: 135 Joined: 11/24/2002 From: Melbourne, Australia. Status: offline close up of the Codds Attachment (1) _____________________________ Please visit my Australian Antique Bottle Web Site 'The Aussie Bottle Digger' http://www.users.bigpond.com/oz-riley/ (in reply to oz-riley) Post #: 2

What technique do you use? - 11/7/2003 4:55:39 AM    Max   Posts: 25 Joined: 10/7/2003 From: UK Status: offline Hi Chris, Looks like a good "dig". When you are searching rivers do you probe for individual bottles and then try and dig them out? I've never tried rivers before but I've been thinking about giving it a go near where I live as I reckon there might be some worthwhile sites. So I was wondering just how you go about it. Do you probe methodically every foot or so, and how deep do you go? I'm thinking that if you probe something more than a foot or so below the bottom of the river it might be difficult to try and get it out of the mud if the water is 3 or 4 feet deep. Thanks. Max (in reply to oz-riley) Post #: 3

RE: First dig of the Season - 11/7/2003 7:01:21 AM    oz-riley   Posts: 135 Joined: 11/24/2002 From: Melbourne, Australia. Status: offline Hi max, Creek digging has been covered in this thread here Have a read through this thread. Thanks Chris _____________________________ Please visit my Australian Antique Bottle Web Site 'The Aussie Bottle Digger' http://www.users.bigpond.com/oz-riley/ (in reply to oz-riley) Post #: 4

So I need a hooked probe - 11/7/2003 4:29:33 PM    Max   Posts: 25 Joined: 10/7/2003 From: UK Status: offline That thread had some good info. I'll get round to making a probe although I'll probably have to wait until next spring for the water to warm up. In the UK we are about to move into winter so the main rivers will be getting a bit cold. I might be able to try it out somewhere shallow with some chest waders I suppose. Thanks, Max (in reply to oz-riley) Post #: 5

RE: First dig of the Season - 11/7/2003 5:13:37 PM    Pontiled   Posts: 411 Joined: 8/27/2003 Status: offline Nice finds, Chris! I've never "water dug" before, but I've seen some fantastic pieces found. On the Potomac River, near Alexandria, Virginia, a friend recovered a milk-glass school house ink. It was a beauty! _____________________________ Mike Russell Author of: The Collector's Guide to Civil War Period Bottles and Jars -- Third Edition (in reply to oz-riley) Post #: 6

RE: First dig of the Season - 11/7/2003 5:58:39 PM    IRISH   Posts: 1238 Joined: 11/23/2002 From: cockatoo Australia Status: offline Hi Max, I strongly recommend you DON'T use waders, although I did use them for years (until I started to dig with oz-riley) I will never wear them now, there are a few fishermen and shooters drown here every year in waders due to stepping into a deep spot etc. and the bottom of creeks and rivers are often very uneven (if you go under in waders you will likely not get out). The best way to go is with a wetsuit, warmer and safe . (in reply to oz-riley) Post #: 7

RE: First dig: Neoprene Wetsuit - 11/7/2003 9:58:34 PM    Harry Pristis   Posts: 495 Joined: 7/24/2003 From: Northcentral Florida Status: offline I agree with IRISH. Not only is a wet suit warmer, it is buoyant. It will give some protection from bumps such as barking your shin on a submerged tree branch. I always wear neoprene wetsuit boots, as well. These work well to minimize the grit that gets next to your feet. Over the neoprene boots, I wear oversize, canvas high-top basketball shoes. The latter provide a flexible, protective sole with good traction. The rubberized soles allow you to feel things like bottles on the bottom, but are stiff enough to dig those things out of the bottom sediment using your toe. BTW, IRISH, I gather you are hunting rivers outside of the range of the Saltwater Crocodiles? Good hunting! ---------------Harry Pristis _____________________________ ______________________________________________ Visit The Demijohn Page at: http://members.aol.com/pristis/index.html (in reply to oz-riley) Post #: 8

RE: First dig of the Season - 11/7/2003 10:53:16 PM    IRISH   Posts: 1238 Joined: 11/23/2002 From: cockatoo Australia Status: offline Well away from the crocs Harry about 1800 kilometers from the southern most range of them, can't help but think about the bottles that must be in all the rivers around the Queensland goldfields though . (in reply to oz-riley) Post #: 9

RE: First dig of the Season - 11/8/2003 12:46:13 AM    oz-riley   Posts: 135 Joined: 11/24/2002 From: Melbourne, Australia. Status: offline As for boots I used to wear rubber boots, now I have a pair of what are called 'rock hoppers', they are a soaled wetsuit boot with small metal spikes on the base. they were invented for trout fishermen to stop you from slipping over on slippery rocks. They are good for getting out on slippery banks and they are like having another set of probes on the bottom of each foot, however I have learned that if you are not careful when you hit a bottle with them you can scratch them badly. Chris _____________________________ Please visit my Australian Antique Bottle Web Site 'The Aussie Bottle Digger' http://www.users.bigpond.com/oz-riley/ (in reply to oz-riley) Post #: 10

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