APR.24th digging results

The "time capsule" was located behind this large Italinate house along the rear property line. It is actually a cistern made of yellow brick fashioned in the shape of a beehive. The opening at the top was really small, about 2 feet in diameter, then opened up gradually as the hole went down. The maximum diameter opened up to about 5 feet.
When I started into the hole I had to go in with my arms above my head to weasel my shoulders through the small opening. The same story for exiting. Not a feat for the claustrophobic! I was a little uneasy at first going in because there were so many bottles in the hole there really was no room to move around. Later we would remove enough material to move around in there like a little bomb shelter.

Dan and I could hear bottles crushing under our feet as we manuvered around in the hole. We fashioned a ladder out of some lumber to climb down into the hole.

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##WORD OF CAUTION## Please do not attempt to duplicate such a venture. Dan is professionally trained at assessing structures of this type for structural integrity and by no means should others not trained in this field attempt such acts!!

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This cistern had been filled to the top with bottles before the turn of the century and just left alone for the next 100 years!

I was the first to go down the hole, Dan then removed our ladder and passed a lamp down in with me so I could see the endless amount of blown bottles scattered around. Like I said before, my feet were just sinking in bottles. I was sort of nervous I would sink up to my neck in bottles like quicksand. I filled the bucket with bottles in about 2 seconds and Dan heaved it out of the hole. A nice 10" cobalt utility, a large size embossed druggist, a couple of Wistars, and a monster applied top DR. SA Weavers canker & salt reum syrup medicine. Not bad for 2 minutes worth of picking bottles up off the top of a bottle mound.
After passing the bucket up I probed the material in the well to estimate depth. It showed about 5 feet of use layer. That number would turn out to be correct. The process was a real simple team work effort. Thirty minute duty down in the hole picking bottles up and placing them into the bucket while the other guy pulls the bucket up by a rope. There was also a lot of decayed metal cans that had decomposed into a dirt like substance that we also bucketed out.
Next was Dans turn in the cistern. As he was lowering himself down in the hole I warned him of the possibility of a rung popping off if he put too much weight on one side of it. The next thing I heard was a snap and then just seeing his head sticking out of the small opening at the surface. He was stuck and looked pretty worried. After a minute he exhaled and popped down in the hole, where I have to say he was much more comfortable in than I.









Dan holding up a HOPSTONIC semicabin








As we worked our way down, the age of the bottles was getting older. We also noticed that this guy/girl had an appetite for expensive beverages. Dan pulled out two HOPSTONICS followed by two nicely striked WARNERS SAFES. He also would pull out a very rare beer bottle. By now the whole yard was covered in bottles.
I climbed down next and picked up two emerald green SARATOGAS (EXCELSIOR) out of the mound and an electric blue SANFORD RADICAL CURE.









Then the grand finale,......a mint HOPS & MALT BITTERS, the rare 9" 7/8" one with the sheaf of wheat on the front. The bottle gods where looking down on us!










IT WAS JUST TOO EASY!!!! WE ARE DEFINITELY SPOILED NOW




ALL KEEPERS



















ALMOST LIKE NEW!

This dig will be remembered as one of the best. What a way to start off the season! We pulled about 300+ bottles out. The home owner instantly aquired a nice bottle collection of his own and was very happy.
We got a lead on a friend of his that lives in an 1800's mansion near by that can't wait for us to probe his yard for treasures. We will keep you posted. Scott And Dan.