Super Deep - Privy Digger Input Please

[BittersMax]

I've encountered and dug numerous 20' deep privies but this last weekend I found the mother of all holes. I've been working on this permission for almost four years now and the property owner finally agreed to let me have my way. The area once contained a very elite massive three story brick hotel built in 1862. I located the privy which is 6 feet wide x 12 feet long and brick lined. It has a 10" concrete slab over the top of it and it sits in a tight area between two buildings. The hole is filled with 8' of rubble on top and then past that is another 12' of clean fill. At the 20' level there is a layer of bricks and beyond that who knows. It's been my experience that when an old concrete slab covers a deep hole that usually there will be an air void under the slab from the the trash decomposing and the ground settling. However there is no air void here and at least 20' of fill with no use layer making me question if it's worth digging or not. Saftey is not an issue but it would take a monumental effort to dig this monster even with a backhoe in such a tight area and breaking the 10" slab would be a bitch too. Has anyone ever dug such a thing that deep with no air void and that much fill and if so what was it like ???

 

[baltbottles]

Dug a 30 foot deep round brickliner a couple weeks ago with no air void and 26 feet of clay and 4 feet of layer with about 30 1860s sodas and many other bottles.

Chris

 

[RICKJJ59W]

We don't dig to many (deep deep) ones around here,but I have dug a 6 x22 foot brick-liner filled 12 feet down with concrete,huge stones and tons of clay fill.After the12 feet of junk fill was removed, there was a 10 foot use layer.
The story about this dig is on my page in digging story's,
(The (Privy/Well). If it was me I would dig it.If you have (unlimited) time to do it,there is no reason not to.

 

[andy g]

If you don't dig it, then you will always be thinking about the one that got away ... when in doubt, dig it.

 

[RICKJJ59W]

Yesindeed.[]

 

[Staunton Dan]

I located the privy which is 6 feet wide x 12 feet long and brick lined. It has 2" of asphalt plus a 10" concrete slab under the asphalt. The hole is filled with 8' of rubble on top and then past that is another 12' of clean fill. At the 20' level there is a layer of bricks and beyond that who knows. It's been my experience that when an old concrete slab covers a deep hole that usually there will be an air void under the slab from the the trash decomposing and the ground settling. However there is no air void here and at least 20' of fill with no use layer making me question if it's worth digging or not.

What am I missing here? How do you know all of this not having dug it yet? Are you using ground penetrating sonar or something similar to it to gleen your information?

 

[appliedlips]

Sounds like you are using GPR.Can you be sure there is no solid layer of trash?If I was sure there wasn't much of a use layer I wouldn't dig it.If I didn't know I would dig it and find out,like the others stated.

 

[BittersMax]

Yes, we're using GPR and confirming the data with probe rods. I've got a good feel for both but rely heavily on the probe rod to sample soil color and feel the consistency of the soil as the probe moves through it. The longest rod I carry is 20' but this last weekend found it wasn't long enough. I took my 20' rod to a welding shop nearby and had my 10' rod welded to the 20' in order to try and determine the depth of the hole and where the trash started. I was only able to get past the 8' thick rubble fill layer on top twice with the probe. Beyond the rubble
fill it was clean, clean, clean with with no color, layering, snaps, pops, pows, no nothing until it hit a brick layer at 21'. That was the end of the line as we could not get through the bricks to tell what was beneath them. I've dug numerous holes on this block of which non exceeded 20'. As an experienced privy digger I know a brick layer can often cap the use layer but what seems weird is a cap starting where most holes in that area end in depth.

 

[bottlediger]

You have dug other 20's on the block but were any of those hotels? Hotel holes should be much larger volume and deeper as well from the ones ive seen. Have any of those 20 fters on the block been cleaned to the bottom. It would be rather odd for them to clean an extremly large hole like that only to find some fill to fill her in. There could be a large use layer 10 plus ft waiting for you filled with sodas bitters meds etc. Hotel privs are a wonderful thing

Digger Ry

 

[Digger George]

DIG IT!