How deep to dig,-or when to give up?

[AvoidingWork]

Hello all. I had my harddrive wipe -out so i couldn't remember my info to log on to this site--therefore i am a new participant again. ANYWAY--as i had written a while ago-i have two sites to dig. The first is the homestead from which we are taking a log house, at which my son found a pontiled aqua merchant's lockport bottle. When time permitts, i will dig the ravine there as well as some depressions in the yard. The second site is where the house is going--my lot which is next to my current 1900 era house. Its full of stuff--glass, metal cans, old forged things, all in a foundation from much earlier. MY problem--we will be getting the excavators in to do the new foundation in June so i'm under the gun to dig out all th cool stuff. How deep should i go?? How far outside the old foundation hole should i explore? How do you deal with all the tangled root systems of old lilacs etc? uh--and we also found two old unfired howtzer shells, and a..well, gravestone from1862. So far no body. And a 1Rheal silver spanish colonial coin, 1815, Ferdin VII Help!!!!! thanks--ml

 

[Pontiled]

Avoiding work (nice new name!), I'm curious about the shells. Do you really have any idea as to the age? A number of the Civil War vintage shells can look quite modern. Can you send us a picture? I might be able to help. As for digging, you don't have any time to waste! Dig until you are certain you've hit original soil. There should be a definite difference between fill material and original soil.

 

[AvoidingWork]

hi Mike

The shells are gone-had to report them to the Ontario Provincial Police, who in turn called the Department of Defence, who came out with their "Hot Box" bomb disposal truck. After i signed a release, they tucked them under their arm , said goodbye and left. All very exciting. Need to reassure the neighbours that we really are still good folks, despite all the police and military vehicles!

Also-found a marble gravestone from 1862. This could complicate my life.....ml

 

[Pontiled]

Well, I was just thinking about a few shells that went to the demolition team where they were supposed to be destroyed. Both were Civil War vintage and worth quite a bit at the time. One lady in Manassas, Virginia, is sitting with a cache of shells in her back yard (underground) from the Southern troops. I'm sure they are all paper-fused, so they could do no harm now. There are cylinders that are just a "live" today if they had Tice fuses. The Tice fuse was a fulminate of mercury fuse in a brass housing that had a striker. The brass fuse device is almost 100 percent still live since they actually sealed to the cylindrical iron case.