New Hampshire Bans Digging... Starting Now?

[Mainepontil]

I wrote a letter to the reporter...Here it is and then his response.
___________________________________________
Eric,
As an avid bottle digger (with a college degree in Archaeology) I find your news story extremely one sided. That site along the river has been pounded by diggers since the early 60's, why is it big news now?

Most bottle diggers are good citizens who care about private property and historical context. I really think you should follow up with a story about bottle diggers and their side of historic preservation.


_______________________________________


The story is one sided, largely because I couldn't find a bottle digger
from this area that wanted to speak on the record. However, the facts
still stand. It is illegal, according to the letter of the law, though
what the spirit of the enquiry is I have yet to determine. As far as
preservation of history, I stand on the fence about that. I have a
bachelors in Anthropology and a masters in Heritage Studies which
focuses largely on material culture. I worked for several years as an
archeologist and saw the wanton destruction that even the most well
intentioned avocational digger could wreak on a site.

Given all that, if you can connect me with a digger in the area willing
to go on record I would love to talk with them and air their side of the
story, not only to be journalistically fair but in the spirit of debate
as well.

As for why it's news now is simple. We were told about it and we felt
readers would be interested in it. Much of the news covered is not
fresh, but redicovered, kind of like an old bottle.

I do appreciate you taking the time to get back to me and air your
opinion. If more readers did so all of journalism would be better for it.

Best wishes for the holiday and the New Year.

I look forward to your reply

Eric Baxter

__________________________________________________

His email address is ebaxter@manchexpress.com I think more people should write to him and express their opinions. I'm posting this on every bottle forum I can find.

Joel

 

[PhilaBottles]

sounds like someone has aids. but on the other hand, his rubuttle did sound good.

 

[Mainepontil]

ORIGINAL: PhilaBottles

sounds like someone has aids. but on the other hand, his rubuttle did sound good.

???? I don't know what that's all about but his REBUTTAL is really just as lame as his one sided story.

 

[frank]

I sat figured out the archies want too make some money of the deal too after seeing what they could get of ebay for them?????? It all about the greenbacks!!!!

 

[capsoda]

Well there is your in. Go get the bA$*^%&s. Let the public know that we are not digging sites of archaeologicly important sites.

Hey Chris, if I lived in Baltimore, Boston, New York, I would say that with my research abiltiies and digging experance I probably could dig quite a few 1000 buck bottles in a year but I live in an area where the town was super small but the military presence was large until the late 1870s. There were a few timber towns if you can call them towns and a few scatered settelments that didn't last long enough to make a differance. We have our big buk bottles such as the only hutch in the world with the Pepsi script but most everything else was imported and unembossed. Lots of onions were found along with demis and meds back when but not these days so it is sodas or nothing and an occasional goody. I think most diggers would like to live where the bottles were actually made in abundance like you northerns folk but we dont so 1000 buk bottle is a once in a life time fimd to many of us who are not as lucky as you.

 

[Caretaker maine]

if they pass a law of no digging, then this summer, I'm going to have every 5 year at Hampton Beach arrested for digging holes to make a castle. these idiots better think before they pass these laws , cause there are a lot of use ready to push them to inforcement, when they get 100 calls in one day, this is so moronic, you pay taxes on state land, that means it's our land, period

 

[zanes_antiques]

Seems to me he could get plenty to print right from this thread. Then again, it might not fit the PC Agenda.

 

[PhilaBottles]

i think he blew you out of the water from a non-bottle digger point of view. the general public does not know or comprehend what we do. whatever he writes will be what shapes the readers minds. he simply took your letter, ccrumpled it up, ate it, pooped it out, and blew you off.

but us bottle diggers see it a whole diff way. we see him as an idiot, and im with you. I just think if this went to the public/non diggers...he would have the upper hand.

so tare him apart.



quick story...theres a river in Slovania. all kinds of crzy stuff is found from divers. The archaeologists want to keep it all. The guy who wrote the article went to a divers house...the author described dusty cases. see what im gettin at?

if you think ur gonna be able to shut this guy up...go for it. but otherwise, it will just go away.

 

[digger mcdirt]

I doubt anyone would be stupid enough to go to the newspaper and say I am the one who has been digging there. I mean if the newspaper wants another side to the story good luck. Sounds like the state has the Ace in this case. I would not go and say I was the one who had been digging it up there. They have already made it know from their point it is illegal and who knows what kind of charges they would try and bring against the ones who said "Hey we have been mining the Site". I saw the state smoke a man who was bottle digging years ago they even brought charges against him about changing the flow of water etc etc. I serve in City Gov. and there are State and Federal laws against changing the flow of water . We run into it all the time a City can even be fined. No I would not dare go and do a newspaper interview if I was the one digging there.
I think it will blow over in time and within a few years or year it can be dug again under the radar if someone wanted to.I hate it for the ones digging there. But all it takes sometimes is one loud mouth to ruin a place. I dig solo and for a reason.I have learned throught the years 30 + years of digging the best policy is out of sight out of mind unless you are on property with written permission.
I hope if the ones who were digging there is reading all this they think long and hard before letting the newspaper talk them into another side of the story. That is admission and can be used against them planning on how far the state wants to go. I say it will all die down after a while the Police will Hawk it for a while and burn someone up if they catch them. Just my thoughts on it.

 

[capsoda]

I agree, Never admit you were there but it couldn't hurt to let people know we are not treasure hunting theives like that stupid schmuck says. We don't go out and dig up grave yards and burial sites and destroying bottles by the thousands just so we can get another grant or for progress. We dig bottles to keep progress from destroying them.
I have sold, traded and bartered many bottles but it was because I had doubles or my collection was changing or I just didn't collect the type but I am sure not a treasure hunter or thief.