cje
Full Member
I haven't been out much this summer due to the heat and humidity. Last weekend I went digging at my go - to dump. I've mentioned it before. It's a neighborhood dump on a wooded slope. The dump is pretty big and I've been digging there for awhile. Most of the dump dates from the 1890's til 1920 or so, but I often find pockets that date into the 1870's. I started to uncover the last hole i had dug so that I could get into the thick ash layer under the table of roots. I'm not sure how deep the ash goes, because the steep slope will eventually collapse into any hole i dig. I've been down four feet in places and still been in ash. Sometimes fine wood ash, but mostly nasty coal ash. At this dump the glass usually comes in pockets. I've had good days where I can't hardly carry all of the glass out, but I've had more not so good days where I move a ton of ash and only find a handful of whole bottles. Sunday started not so good. First half hour i didn't find anything other than some busted dinnerware. I finally found my first bottle, and in the hole it felt like a blob soda. Turned out to be a Lea & Perrine's Worcestershire sauce. Disappointing but typical. I could see what looked like a stone in the sidewall above where I was digging. I decided to dig it out so that it wouldn't fall in me. The first thing I noticed was that the stone was light. Really light. It took a second but I realized it was a bottle, and a second later to recognize it as an historical flask. I couldn't believe it. I've dug broken ones before in other dumps, but this one was whole. The pictures aren't very good but one side has an eagle perched on a shield and the other side has an American flag with a motto underneath " For Our Country ". I don't know how that flask ended up in a 1900's layer of coal ash. A foot away i dug a broken DrView attachment 1631060View attachment 1631062u Hartshorn's Family Medicine bottle with the bullseye. I can only guess that the two old timers were late throw aways. Thanks for looking.
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