bottlediger
Well-Known Member
Ok folks, Digger Ry here. I am going to start a post that I will add to throughout 2007. I am going to make 2007 the best digging year ever, at lest for me anyway. I will be adding great dig stories as they happen and in full detail with pics and videos. So make sure to stay tuned because there will be a lot of updates throughout the year
Today’s digin tale....3-20-07
Well I planed a dig for today to take my buddy Paul to a new dump I found a few days ago I also asked digger George but he was MIA. Its a very very old dump which no one knows about and has to be from the 1870s-90s and LOADED. Woke up early headed out with Paul and found the ground to be frozen solid in the woods, so we decided to skip the dump today and figure something else out to dig. I had a privy lined up but wanted to wait to dig with a bunch of guys because I knew it was going to be a good one. But since the dump was frozen and I didn’t have anything else lined up, we headed out to the site to dig. The house was built around 1840, has a real small yard and plopped right on the property line 10 years from the rear of the house a nice large sink hole! We started digging around 12pm, opened up a large hole but couldn’t find the walls. Paul was getting a little worried but I said just keep digging straight down. About 3 feet down we hit a nice little thin ash layer and out pops a real nice local med. I figured more stuff would surface but nothing and nothing for hours. We dig down and widen the hole, the left side was filled with lime, i started to follow that vein down and hit bottom with nothing! I was surprised at this time, and couldn’t figure out what was going on. (actually it was another privy I broke through) At that point I almost gave up on the hole completely but wanted to be sure and dig another test hole to the left side of the privy. Three feet later still solid clay I said to paul, 3 more shovel fulls and im giving up on this thing. Next shovel bam! Seeds everywhere, I knew stuff was about to start flowing out now. I started scratching though the dark seeded night soil and glass and pottery is bubbling out like a geyser. At this point in my life believe it or not after almost 15 years of digging, I have never dug a hole complete pontil bottle. But this hole really got me worked up and I could feel things were about to chance and take my pontil virginity way forever. Back to scratching, real thin glass is coming out and it HAS to be pontiled glass but couldn’t be sure without the bases. Pulled out a couple nice smooth base umbrella inks, then there it lay...My first pontil bottle sitting there waiting to be picked up and loved 150 years after being thrown away as garbage. I felt a great relief as my pontil virginity diapered. Anway scratching some more I pulled out a few winslows syrup, more umbrella inks, another killer open pontil and a sweet druggist from Philadelphia. I let Paul in the pit to enjoy some prime pontil action. He jumped in and started around one of the corners and pulled out a TON of broken redware, porcelain shards, and clay pipes. He didn’t bring anything out whole! After about 45 mins I said to Paul, man your some bad luck let me plop back down there. So we trade spots and he starts pulling buckets and im scratching away again, took a little bit but out pops some more bottles and some really killer broken bottles. I was really upset to see a nice broken dyotteville whiskey and squat beer to come out smashed, but this pit was so loaded at the bottom I couldn’t believe anything came out whole. After a little bit more, I spot of cobalt blue glass and I couldn’t believe it at first since we were in the 1860’s 70’s age. I pull out the video camera and let the tape start rolling because I had a feeling it was going to be a good bottle. I pop it out and wow what a beautiful bottle, embossed bullock & Crenshaw Philadelphia. That was my favorite find for the day beside my first pontil. Paul jumps in again and pulls out some more bottles, nothing to great but we decide to give up for the day because we had a minor collapse and it was getting dark. So tomorrow there will be much more, we only dug about 1/3 – ½ of the best part. Can’t wait for tomorrow because I know the best has yet to come, enjoy the pics and vid!
1850-1870 Wood liner privy about 7-8 ft deep
Ya aint dead until ya stop digging
Ry
Today’s digin tale....3-20-07
Well I planed a dig for today to take my buddy Paul to a new dump I found a few days ago I also asked digger George but he was MIA. Its a very very old dump which no one knows about and has to be from the 1870s-90s and LOADED. Woke up early headed out with Paul and found the ground to be frozen solid in the woods, so we decided to skip the dump today and figure something else out to dig. I had a privy lined up but wanted to wait to dig with a bunch of guys because I knew it was going to be a good one. But since the dump was frozen and I didn’t have anything else lined up, we headed out to the site to dig. The house was built around 1840, has a real small yard and plopped right on the property line 10 years from the rear of the house a nice large sink hole! We started digging around 12pm, opened up a large hole but couldn’t find the walls. Paul was getting a little worried but I said just keep digging straight down. About 3 feet down we hit a nice little thin ash layer and out pops a real nice local med. I figured more stuff would surface but nothing and nothing for hours. We dig down and widen the hole, the left side was filled with lime, i started to follow that vein down and hit bottom with nothing! I was surprised at this time, and couldn’t figure out what was going on. (actually it was another privy I broke through) At that point I almost gave up on the hole completely but wanted to be sure and dig another test hole to the left side of the privy. Three feet later still solid clay I said to paul, 3 more shovel fulls and im giving up on this thing. Next shovel bam! Seeds everywhere, I knew stuff was about to start flowing out now. I started scratching though the dark seeded night soil and glass and pottery is bubbling out like a geyser. At this point in my life believe it or not after almost 15 years of digging, I have never dug a hole complete pontil bottle. But this hole really got me worked up and I could feel things were about to chance and take my pontil virginity way forever. Back to scratching, real thin glass is coming out and it HAS to be pontiled glass but couldn’t be sure without the bases. Pulled out a couple nice smooth base umbrella inks, then there it lay...My first pontil bottle sitting there waiting to be picked up and loved 150 years after being thrown away as garbage. I felt a great relief as my pontil virginity diapered. Anway scratching some more I pulled out a few winslows syrup, more umbrella inks, another killer open pontil and a sweet druggist from Philadelphia. I let Paul in the pit to enjoy some prime pontil action. He jumped in and started around one of the corners and pulled out a TON of broken redware, porcelain shards, and clay pipes. He didn’t bring anything out whole! After about 45 mins I said to Paul, man your some bad luck let me plop back down there. So we trade spots and he starts pulling buckets and im scratching away again, took a little bit but out pops some more bottles and some really killer broken bottles. I was really upset to see a nice broken dyotteville whiskey and squat beer to come out smashed, but this pit was so loaded at the bottom I couldn’t believe anything came out whole. After a little bit more, I spot of cobalt blue glass and I couldn’t believe it at first since we were in the 1860’s 70’s age. I pull out the video camera and let the tape start rolling because I had a feeling it was going to be a good bottle. I pop it out and wow what a beautiful bottle, embossed bullock & Crenshaw Philadelphia. That was my favorite find for the day beside my first pontil. Paul jumps in again and pulls out some more bottles, nothing to great but we decide to give up for the day because we had a minor collapse and it was getting dark. So tomorrow there will be much more, we only dug about 1/3 – ½ of the best part. Can’t wait for tomorrow because I know the best has yet to come, enjoy the pics and vid!
1850-1870 Wood liner privy about 7-8 ft deep
Ya aint dead until ya stop digging
Ry
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