3/21/04

            Bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk.  Bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk.  Bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk.  Bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk.

            That is what we found, bunk. I had permission on a lot here. Our luck has not been to famous down here on "Whiskey Row". Seems no one had outhouses prior to 1900. Maybe they just crapped on the garden and used it for fertilizer. You should see these houses, they are ancient.  Each house has at least five post 1900 pits. All containing between 5 to 50 junk coffin flasks. Where is the good stuff? I am afraid my partners are going to replace me. "Dave, come to Racine and we will split some good pontil bottles with you. Then, in trade, you can take us  to dig crowntops and milks."

            All kidding aside, we started at seven here in Beloit. Everybody found pits right away in the empty lot. The first couple shovels came up with pink ash on the tip. We knew it was a newer dig. There were plenty of bottles, all automatic bottle machine and screw tops. I was ready to close the first one early. Steve reminded me that we could get a few good ones for my Rock County collection, and we did. A pint SW&W Dairy, Sanitary Bottling Works,  Consumer's Dairy, Kanters Soda.  Even a couple Essers Sodas. Steve found a monster amber bottle that was embossed "Theliquid".

The first take

                The second pit turned out to be newer. This one was full of 1/2 pint SW&W Dairy bottles. Craig thought maybe the dairy went out of business because these people never returned the bottles and the cost of new ones got to be too much.

                We had one hope for salvation left in another neighborhood. I was getting stuff ready when Craig comes from the fence with an amber shard. "Looks like an old one" he says. Steve sees it and exclaims, "That's a Drake's Plantation Bitters." Ok, lets find the old pit. Along the north fence, there was a dead crow laying there. Of course Steve finds a pit underneath it. Now we have to move the bird and find out if this is the pit where the Drake's came from.

                    It was decided that we test hole this one first. It was looking to as crappy as the first. Again my thoughts switched to getting the heck out of there. But, just my luck, the curious neighbor came over to see what we were up to. Come to find out, he owns the next 3 places to the north. Steve asks for permission and the guy says, "No problem." Great, three more yards full of bunk pits on "Whiskey Row". I never thought I would be griping about having all these pits to dig!

                    It was getting late, we were itching to see how many pits were over there. We filled in the test hole we started and moved our operation over to Ray's place. In about 10 minutes we had 6 pits located in the three yards. That is just on the lot lines. I am sure there are a pile of them in the interior area as well. Plus, we have another 6 pits from the yard we were just digging in. There has to be one old one in there somewhere! Stay tuned..............