5/8/04

    We three arrived in Beloit at 7am. As usual we were going to do some probing and open a pit on an empty lot. Then, once normal people start to wake up, we would knock and get into some of their yards.

    We revisited an empty lot that where we never found the old pit. About half way through the probing session, the skies let loose with a deluge of rain. We packed it up an rode around a bit checking out some prospective sites. Then we decide to head to a permission we have had for the last few months.

    We arrived in town and started to probe. Their yard is thick with landscaping, sidewalks, and a garage. The open area to the back corner of the property line ended up having a slab about six inches under the dirt. Our only hope was to find something in a open area between the landscaping. Luckily we found a smooth deep spot in a little open area. I got the owner out to show her where it was and to ask if we could move some plants. She said yes and the dig was on.

    Steve marked out the edges and started to hit stones on the edge. Sure enough I had them on my side. Another stone liner with older stuff? Yes, it was true. I kept my pontil fever symptoms disguised from the other guys in case this one had been scooped over the years.

    This one ended up eight feet deep. The stones on the east side were caved in a little and on the verge of falling in.  Most of the good stuff in here was broken. There were a couple local beers and sodas I would have loved for my collection. Craig and Steve found the best stuff on their turns. Craig found a pint Millville Atmospheric aqua fruit jar. Steve got a cool pint amber strap side advertising flask from Milwaukee. It was a Peter Barth Wholesale Liquors. It was indeed a scooped  and reused pit. At the bottom Steve found an open pontil base they dippers missed.

The owner and her family

Craig's turn

Steve and his buddy Peter Barth

Lots of bottles, mostly reruns

    The lady who owned the house introduced me to the neighbor. He said we could dig next door. He had the yard tore up anyway. This ended up being bad. We found a pit, but he had dug a three foot deep hole on top of it and buried chunks of sidewalk. It was a pain moving the pieces and digging the packed dirt. When we got down to the layer at six feet, it was newer unembossed stuff. Nothing to spectacular. There ended up being another pit right next to this one. We tunneled over to see what might be in there. It was full of pink ash. We decide to let this one pass, as it was under more of the concrete chunks that were buried there.

    We had a little time left and the guys decide if we found another pit in this empty yard next door we would dig. This yard was the first one we ever dug in Janesville. Sure enough we found another pit in the yard and started digging. It contained a few milks we have never seen before. Sykes, Merrick, and Cronin. Another neat find was a 1/4 pint  Pure Milk.  It was a cute little bugger, and only Craig has ever seen a milk this small.