Are these dumps?

[crkgrl]

Just got back from the coral island where I have looked for old homesteads and bottles for years. Have found a few, but very labor intensive, as there are no noticeable privy or dump pits. What they did with their trash has escaped me. Digging a pit would be very difficult because of the solid rock ground.

In two places where I have found homesteads there have been fairly large pits, now filled with brackish water and debris. If it were some other part of the country you would probably think these were basements. No basements in this part of the country. I wonder if they were their dumps?

Anyone have experience with tropical islands and what they did with their non burnable garbage and human waste?

Next question would be how to look in these pits. No telling how deep they are?

 

[JGUIS]

That would make sense to use the pits, if they were natural or dug, might take more investigative searches. Do you have access to a pump to empty the water? I have also seen programs about the underground aquifers in Mexico, where they threw stuff into sinkholes that were the result of these underground rivers. I would guess they used the ocean as a trash pit, since they couldn't drink the water.

 

[capsoda]

Do you have any idea of the time period your in? Most waste probably whent into the water on the heavy current side of the island.

 

[crkgrl]

Thanks for the help, guys. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I would say the last time these sites were homesteads would be in the 1950's. Both also had settlements in the early 1900's and were previously Indian settlements. There are lots of natural and man made pits in both.

They are far away from electricity, for the pumps, unless there is some kind of manual system. I have been leery of just jumping in, not knowing where is the bottom.

I have scoured these sites by water, under water and on land and have found so little. It is curious to me. WHere did all the trash go? The pits make sense. Any other ideas, greatly appreciated.

 

[logueb]

Well there's the old fashioned way to dip out the water, with a bucket with a weight on one side to dip the lip under the surface and a rope attached to dip it out. Very time consuming and labor intensive. There are manual siphon pumps with handles that you transfer liquids out of 55 gallon drums. Still labor intensive and time consuming. The best bet in a remote area would be to locate a 12 volt pump and a good deep cycle battery. Sort of like a large bilge pump. Then you could recharge the battery after each pump.

 

[crkgrl]

Thanks for the brainstorming, Logueb.

A bilge pump would be great. Will have to research that further. Maybe put the ME Dad on it. Getting a visual of me draggin a 12V through the underbrush. Could do it in stages though.

 

[bottlenutboy]

if you can borrow a generator that would work well

 

[logueb]

If you don't have one already, buy one of those cheap hand trucks with pneumatic tires ( they will roll over rough terrain easier than the solid rubber type). You know, the thing you move the fridge with. Put everything you need in one of those plastic totes. Bungy strap the tote or totes to the hand truck (so it won't keep bouncing off) and off you go.

 

[crkgrl]

Thanks for the ideas, guys. I applaud your persistence. Now here is the catch. Most of the sites are at least a mile away from any road. But, hey I will figure it out when I am back next year. And there is always entry by boat.