# HOW TO GET THROUGH THIS dump!



## mcaseyw (Jun 11, 2010)

Hi all - I am new here and just posted pics of the dump at our house in CT.  We (my daughter and I) just went down to dig for a bit and I tell you it is SOSOSO overwhelming I just don't see how I can get through it!  It's over 100 years of trash from the 860's through the 1960's.  SO...needless to say there a a billion great bottles, but also batteries, bones, metal scrap ENDLESS amounts of STUFF!  How in the WORLD can I get through this.  How do you all do this?????  Do you go out in teams or do you tackle huge projects like this alone?  Other option...have my brother come in with his skidsteer and just dig it all up and hope for the best????  HELP!
 Mackenzie


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## RedGinger (Jun 11, 2010)

One step at a time.  It's not going anywhere.  Just sort it out as you go.  

 A big dump could take months or years to dig.  Do your research as you go on the bottles you are finding.  Don't throw anything away if you're not certain what it is.  Post pics on here and members will help tell you what you have.  Don't get overwhelmed.  Most diggers would be delighted with a huge dump to dig on their property.  You'll get the hang of it.


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## pyshodoodle (Jun 11, 2010)

We dig it ourselves.... Since it's on your property, I'm guessing you also want to clean it up, though, not just re-bury the broken stuff. ie - extra work. Nobody said this was an easy hobby! Just a highly addictive one!


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## woodswalker (Jun 11, 2010)

Take it slow and have fun with it...learn from it to!! There's so much history there...it'll take lots of time but in the end you will be happy with your work, your clean yard and have a great bottle collection to boot.....As for the metal scraps and such I would find a junk man....
   we just did some cleaning on our property as well...The old house and foundation are long since gone...but the huge old barn and implement sheds were full of all kinds of stuff left from who knows how many years ago.
   We put adds on craigslist and you would be surprised at how many responses we got just for old wooden boards and scrap metal...one guy came out and loaded everything up himself and there went a small part of our messy problem...
   The only thing left now is the barn and very old tractor and wagon type skeletons out in the woods....makes for a nice walk a conversation to have those left there to...

 Oh and sorry for writing a whole book here....[]
 Amanda


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## appliedlips (Jun 11, 2010)

Do not use the skidsteer! It is on your own property and not going anywhere. Another no,no is to start digging random holes everywhere. You will create extra work by forgetting what has been dug by the time your done and will end up doing twice the work. If it is on a hillside start at the bottom, if on flat land start at one edge, dig all of the way to the bottom and methodically dig in one direction, always throwing your tail pile where you just dug.If you are looking to clean the area up like Lauren mentioned use the skidsteer to dig a large hole to throw all of the shards metals and non hazardous stuff into outside of the dump's boundaries. Anything you don't feel good about reburying, haul off.Good luck hope to see some of your finds.


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## GuntherHess (Jun 11, 2010)

> Another no,no is to start digging random holes everywhere. You will create extra work by forgetting what has been dug by the time your done and will end up doing twice the work.


 
  That's how they missed Tutankhamun's tomb[]


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## RedGinger (Jun 11, 2010)

Good idea, Amanda.  Yes, save the metal or scraps and you can get some money for it.  I don't know what the prices are currently, but it's a good money making/recycling idea.


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## pyshodoodle (Jun 11, 2010)

We save any brass & copper we find & turn it in just before Shupp's Grove. Usually make between $60-$75 dollars a year. We usually have about 1/2 a bucket of each, so it's not even like we're turning much in. This year, I think we will do better.


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## Mike O (Jun 11, 2010)

Like others have said, think about what you are doing, PLAN your attack, Start in one spot and work in one direction, Unless you need to get it done by a cretin date when you have the time go play for a wile and when you tire go sit on your deck the stuff has been there 100 years a little longer wont hurt anything.  Now if you really think it is too much work for you to handle, Plan a big bottle diggers cookout, Get a bunch of guys and gals together and have at it for a wile then everyone can hang out and talk have a burger or a dog and drink.   Gppd luck and keep us posted "WITH PICTURES"


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## mcaseyw (Jun 11, 2010)

OK...I will TRY to make some sense of the dump and start on one end and work my way down...It's hard since I feel like the GOOD STUFF is in the middle.  BUT...I know I need to get the other crapola out of there!  Have you guys come across large amounts of batteries in your digs...all gross and Have you guys come across large amounts of batteries in your digs...all gross and corroded of course???  They kind of fall apart when we touch them...is there still dangerous acid in them and stuff?  Do we just throw them away?  We found some cool stuff today and MANY bones (this was a dairy farm at one point) and one horse shoe.  The bones freak me out...GET THIS...last month my brother was renovating a barn and found a dead (murdered) body of a woman that had been stuffed in the floor.  He solved a 26 yr old cold case!!!  Needless to say...I do not like to see the bones...even if they are animal!!!  OK...enough about bones...must go eat dinner!  Nerver know what you are gonna find when you dig!!!


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## Wangan (Jun 11, 2010)

I dug a TOC(turn of the Century)farm dump and found a huge depression.I couldnt see any big old tree where it may have blown down and pulled a bunch of earth out when it fell.After digging a little,I found huge bones buried there.Farms often slaughtered animals and buried sick or old ones that died and this is what I think it was.

 By walking to the center of a dump you could crush medicines that are usually thin walled bottles.It is tedious but best to start at the edge like appliedlips said.Slow and steady wins the race/dig.[] Sifting will ensure you dont miss any smalls like marbles,buttons,bottles or other clues to the history of your dig sight.Good luck! Im eager to see your finds!


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## RedGinger (Jun 11, 2010)

I'm sure there are many a local digger who would be very happy to help you!


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## madman (Jun 11, 2010)

KILLER INFO THERE! ALL YOU LURKERS, GETTIN THIS? YES AS SAID ABOVE BY THE INFAMOUS APPLIED LIPS, DONT DIG RANDOM HOLES, AND HAVE FUN!


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## slimspickens (Jun 11, 2010)

i just dug a dump similar to the one your talking about,not as much stuff but all the newer stuff was on top and around edges,and in middle about 2 feet below newer stuff was the goods,i dug down in some spots almost 5 feet.good luck


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## JOETHECROW (Jun 11, 2010)

Mackenzie.....
                      Normally I would let Tom speak for himself, but since you sound somewhat overwhelmed, (try not to be, it's no big insurmountable thing)...[] and Tom doesn't always make it on to the forum on a daily basis, well, Fred and I had a quick snack at Tom and his wife's restaraunt today, on our way to dig, and he mentioned he may be heading your way next weekend to visit Frank..... I'm sure he'd be more than happy to help you make sense of it all,...sure of it.... He may choose to elaborate, add to, or correct what I said when he's on here again, but try to relax with it all, and don't worry too much about the batteries etc, just work smart, wear gloves and resist the urge to _hurry._ Any equipment in there would defeat your purpose and end up_ crushing your bottles!_ They ARE worth it,....they're historical prizes, aren't easy to come by and it's worth it to be methodical. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





  Relax with it and enjoy it for what it is while you're doing it, and above all stay calm.          Joe


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## pyshodoodle (Jun 12, 2010)

That cold case story sounds interesting.... care to elaborate? Or post a link to a newspaper article?  Good luck on your dump. I know which one I'm buying when I win the lottery!


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## gniog67 (Jun 12, 2010)

Never give up and work through it steadily. I remember digging in this old dump in Petrolia, Ontario, Canada in the early 1980s (man, that's nearly 30 years ago!). The dump was in an old underground storage tank about 25 feet in diameter and 10 feet deep, and was filled with all sorts of what I'd call, for the lack of a better term, commercial garbage.

 One section contained about two cubic yards of cut sheet metal, and another section contained about the same volume of leather. The sheet metal was actually fairly easy to move out of the way, since the pieces would slide over one another and could be punctured with a pitch fork and then pulled out. Underneath this sheet metal were some pretty good sodas, medicines, and syphons.

 The leather, well, that's a different story. The original sheets were about a yard square and had perfect circles cut out of them in a regular pattern, perhaps for making gaskets. While you might think that the leather could be pitch-forked out, think again. The leather was too slippery and spongey for the tines to pierce effectively. Needless to say, I spent hours pulling these leather confounders out by hand. I gave up eventually, and moved on to another section of the old oil tank. Although I found some neat stuff after surrendering to the leather, a digging friend a few days later was bragging about how he had found a Rose pint jar, which is one of the more desirable Canadian smooth-lip midget jars.

 Guess where he found the jar? Yeppers, behind a few of those blasted sheets of leather. He said he got to the dump, and after spending a few minutes tugging out the leather, out rolled the jar!!! To boot, the tannins in the leather neutralized the calcium compounds in the dump soil, rendering the jar in mint condition, save the zinc band, which the acidic tannins had eaten away over the decades.

 Moral of the story: Never give up because you never know what is a mere two inches or so beyond your quitting point. Good luck!


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## mcaseyw (Jun 12, 2010)

Thanks all!  I WILL get through this eventually...I think I will try to stant on one side like mentioned and try to resist the urge to just go dig in a million holes   It's fun and looks like it will be my fun for years to come


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## glass man (Jun 12, 2010)

> a dairy farm at one point) and one horse shoe.  The bones freak me out...GET THIS...last month my brother was renovating a barn and found a dead (murdered) body of a woman that had been stuffed in the floor


   ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO A 100 PLUS OLD HOUSE WAS TORN DOWN.THE HOUSE IN THE EARLY 1900S WAS A HOTEL/BORDING HOUSE. A PERSON'S BODY WAS FOUND IN THE WALL!IT WAS DETERMINED THE PERSON WAS MURDERED IN THE EARLY DAYS.PROBABLY A TRAVELING SALESMAN OR SOME ONE THAT LIVED  FAR AWAY SO MAYBY WAS ROBBED AND IF HE HAD ANY FAMILY THEY HAD NO IDEA OF WHERE HE WAS OR WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM!


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## nhpicker (Jun 12, 2010)

Seems like everyone gave you some great advice in here. I would like to tell you how I would handle it:

 #1 DON'T USE MACHINE TO DIG IT! You will most certainly break more than you recover. 

 #2 Take your time. Bring a pair of root cutters and dig it slow and methodical. Start at the bottom of the dump and move up through it.

 #3 If it is deep (3 feet +) use a shovel. If it is shallow than stick to a potatoe rake or a clam digger. 

 #4 Have fun.


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## surfaceone (Jun 12, 2010)

Welcome Mackenzie,







  Thanks for sharing your beautiful escarpment with what appears to be a bountiful glass section. What seems now to be overwhelming, with time and a lot of scratching, will surely delight for many moons to come.

 What a great mother/daughter project right there in the back 40! You've received a lot of excellent advise. Do enjoy! My daughter would say, "Dad, CHILL, will'ya, why don't you go digging..."



> That cold case story sounds interesting....


 
 I thought so, too. I believe I probably found the story. What surprised me was the number of 26 year old cold cases that have been solved recently. Here's one, and another, yet another, still more murder, and finally. Yikes!


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## lexdigger (Jun 12, 2010)

If your brother has equipment and is willing to help, by ALL means take him up on it. Like others have said, DO NOT dig into the dump itself. After a while though, you will have alot of overburden to deal with. There may be huge rocks, tree stumps, and many other obstacles in your way. There isn't anything Wrong with taking advantage of having some Muscle around to help you out when you need it. By the way, when it comes time to fill it all in... use whatever you need to make it a nice graded out area that you and your family can enjoy. You also may want to consider that you may need some extra Fill to complete that job. A skidloader would be LOVE when that time comes!!! Most of all... HAVE FUN and BE CAREFULL!!!


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## mcaseyw (Jun 12, 2010)

You got it!  That is the woman's body that my bro dug up...isn't that INSANE!  My folks own the property, but just bought it in 2007....LONG after the woman went missing   My bro got his 15 mins of fame from it that's for sure!  I just hope I don't dig up another in my dump   Going digging with my mom right now...while the kiddos are out fo rthe day


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## JOETHECROW (Jun 12, 2010)

Best of luck Mackenzie,...Hope you guys find something cool.                           Joe


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## RedGinger (Jun 12, 2010)

What a tragic story.  I'm glad the case was solved for the woman and her family, though.  What a terrible way to end up on the news!


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## mcaseyw (Jun 12, 2010)

Just in from our hour dig...brought up about 20 in tact bottles...but lots of milk of nags and stuff like that.  Found one old one called 7 sutherland sisters hair grower new york...funny name...hubby could have used that   Also found a very pretty old floor grate and old door handle.  No worries...no heavy machines used...just me, my mom and some shovels!
 Mackenzie


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## JOETHECROW (Jun 13, 2010)

Mackenzie,....The Seven Sutherland Sisters were quite famous, and you found an interesting bottle, and I think they may have had a home somewhere near us,I'd have to go back and check, but I'll see if I can scare up a link for you....           Joe


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## JOETHECROW (Jun 13, 2010)

Yes it seemed I remembered them being from Lockport NY, also the source of many beautiful bottles....

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=the+seven+sutherland+sisters&aq=1m&aqi=g1g-m1&aql=&oq=Seven+suthe&gs_rfai=CTJZyElAUTMSmAZTuzAS0jM3RBgAAAKoEBU_QisD_&fp=a3c13f954bf61e86


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## mcaseyw (Jun 15, 2010)

Thanks for the info on the 7 sisters Joe...I find all of this fake medicine SO amusing   Will start diggin' again in the next few days


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