6/29/19 Report - Vacation Metal Detecting. Pigeon Island. Coin Cleaning. D. B. Cooper Mystery. Reader Comments.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com. 

Pigeon Island, St. Lucia.
Photo I took from resort across bay.

It's the time of year when you might want to take a vacation and go somewhere else.  Above is a photo that I took back years ago.

I made a number of personal firsts on that island.  I don't know if it was in the eighties or nineties, but it was a good trip.

If it looks familiar, I talked about it before in this blog, but you might have seen it on the Sandals TV commercial that has been running lately.  They show the island from almost the same angle.

Pigeon Island is now a National Park and there is an admission fee.  When I was there it was virtually abandoned.

I found grape shot, musket balls, military buttons, musket parts, and some other neat stuff.

It always made me laugh to watch the crab pull in their legs in and roll down the hill.

At the resort, I didn't do as well as expected - a lot of coins, but not a lot of gold.

One lady at a restaurant refused to accept the coins I found.  She said they looked like they had been burned.  I did spend most of them though.

I found this picture on the internet and added arrows to some of the places of interest that I remember

Aerial View of Pigeon Island From St. Lucia Commerce Web Site.

I added the arrows.

A.  Fort Rodney.  There was only one at the time I was there.
B.  Trash dump over the hill.
C.  Steep hill where things were found showing evidence of battle.
D.  Cave with indigenous carvings, supposedly also used by pirates.  Must dive to enter.
E.  Remains of old stone buildings.
F.  Building now converted to restaurant.
G. Cannon emplacement on other side of hill.

The causeway was made in 1972.  The red roofed resort in the photo wasn't there when I was.

Here is a little of the history.

Pigeon Island was first occupied by the Amerindians, mainly Caribs. The island was later occupied by pirates whose leader was a Norman Captain called Francois Le Clerc. He had a wooden leg and was known to the French as Jambe de Bois. The French who owned the island in 1778 declared war on the British, who retaliated by attacking them in Saint Lucia and capturing the island. The British then built a Naval Base at Gros-Islet Bay, heavily fortifying Pigeon Island. From there they were able to monitor the French fleet in Martinique which resulted in the defeat of the French at the Battle of the Saints in 1782. Pigeon Island was therefore a key factor in the Battles between the British and the French. In 1909 a whaling station was established at Pigeon Island. Legislation to control whaling in 1952 put an end to this operation. Pigeon Island was leased to Josset Agnes Hutchinson, an actress with the D’Oyle Carte Theatre of England in 1937. When the American established a Naval Base at Rodney Bay in 1940 she left the island. In 1947 she returned to establish a thriving yachting industry, entertaining many guests and giving the island the reputation of a paradise island. She relinquished the lease in 1970, finally retiring to England in 1976...

See https://www.slunatrust.org/sites/pigeon-island-national-landmark/

Here is a photo of a grape shot, which I left.  I wasn't about to take a chance it being considered an explosive.  It might still be snuggled between the roots of the tree where I left it.

Grape Shot Found on Pigeon Island.

54th and 74th Regiment of Foot and some other buttons were found.  I believe they came from the 1778 Battle of Morne de la Vierge, also known as the Capture of St. Lucia.

Pewter British Buttons.

I know a lot more about it now than I did when I was there.  I often find myself wishing that I knew then what I know now.  I don't care how much it has been searched or excavated, I know where I'd go to find artifacts, metal detector or not.

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Same Dime Before and After Additional Immersion in Acid.

On the left is the silver dime after about 12 hours in Muriatic Acid.  After two additional similar periods of immersion, once with a strengthened solution (right), I can see no significant difference in the appearance of the surface.  My conclusion is that leaving the dime in a Muriatic solution for a period of time will achieve results.  Continuing immersion seems to produce neither additional results nor damage.

The difference in color of the two photos is caused by lighting, not a change in the color of the dime.

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James F. added his thoughts on the article I posted about the "comtemporary archaeology" of Woodstock. 


Interesting to know that "Contemporary archaeology is a very big thing right now..," And I thought that I'd heard everything at this point. I have previously looked up the definition of archaeology in the past and find that it is defined as 1) the scientific study of historic or prehistoric peoples and their cultures by analysis of their artifacts, inscriptions, monuments, and other such remains, especially those that have been excavated. or 2) Rare. ancient history; the study of antiquity. Apparently "contemporary archaeology" meets none of those conditions. I studied archaeology as a minor course of study in college, and none of this new take on the subject really complies with the study of ancient or prehistoric cultures.

I find this sort of thing by the archaeological community as waste of time and resources...50-years later collecting surface samples from the Woodstock Festival. Seems like they are really reaching here, their scientific findings reveal Woodstock "...took on a life of it's own."  All they really needed to do was watch a few documentaries in full color with sound on the festival, filmed by people who were actually there, most of whom are still alive today. Or type "Woodstock" in the little window on YouTube for all the sound and video you could stomach. This is the sort of thing that may bring about the un-funding of archaeological groups...and maybe it should!

James F.

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Here is an excerpt from a lengthy article on the D. B. Cooper skyjacking mystery.

… Eric Ulis has been researching the famous skyjacking for years. And like many amateur Cooper sleuths before him, he believes he’s solved the mystery. The Phoenix entrepreneur, one of the creators of the defunct poker-playing TV show “High Stakes Hold ’Em,” says he’s “98 percent” convinced that Peterson is D.B. Cooper.

That’s why he was hacking through thick foliage on Bachelor Island, near Ridgefield, Wash., last weekend. He believes the FBI misidentified Cooper’s “jump zone” and so searched the wrong stretch of forest in the weeks and years after the high-profile crime. This small isle along the Columbia River, most of which is part of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, offers pristine woodlands that have been largely untouched by humans for decades. Ulis has analyzed wind speeds, “free fall” data and other information that led him to conclude the skyjacker likely came down here...
Here is the link for more.

https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2019/06/db-cooper-search-leads-to-bachelor-island-ex-fbi-agent-says-suspect-will-get-away-with-it-unless-he-confesses.html

Thanks to Dean R. for that link.

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More of the same beach conditions.  A lot of thunder early this morning, but just a little rain.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

11/4/17 Report - How to Find Older Coins. Metal Detector Sandals. Big Money in Old News.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Tired of finding zinc pennies? Want to find older coins and items like those shown above?  These were found at one site a couple days ago.

You know what they say about insanity -  it is doing the same thing and expecting a different result.  Your finds are the result of what you do or don't do.  You might want to try something different.

I often consider different ways of finding things.  If you've been reading this blog very long, you know that one other method I've talked about is sifting.  That is the way the archaeologists do it.

It isn't easy, and it is time consuming, but if you select the right location, it can be worthwhile.

Back in the old days there was what was called the Merkitch sifter.  It was a sifter that you pushed or pulled through the sand like a lawn mower.  I made one myself and used it on the beaches down south.  It worked, but it wasn't easy.

One reader of this blog sifts land sites.  Above you can see what he found on one hunt a couple of days ago.  How long has it been since you found coins like that?

Here is what he had to say.

I know sometimes you like to show finds that were unearthed in unconventional ways. I found these coins and marbles yesterday with a sifter on the mainland. The coins I find with the sifter almost never look as nice as these, since I am usually in high trash areas and the coins have been impacted by another metal, usually iron. However, at this particular site the layer of trash was very distinct and the coins were below in nice sandy soil. By my estimate, the half dollar was 3-4 inches down in an area that I'd been over numerous times with a detector.  It was one of my better sifting days for sure.

I still intend to get you a thorough accounting of my first sifting lot. The results were astounding to me. It will take a while to take the photos and write up, but I will get to it...

Sifting doesn't mean that you can't or shouldn't use a metal detector.  In this case, the detectorist had been over the same spot numerous times with a detector.  The coins were terribly deep, but he missed those coins when he used his detector.  There was a layer of trash over the coins.  

You can go over an area numerous times and continue to find things you missed the first time.  I've outlined a multiple-step approach to hunting such sites.  One thing you should do is change the direction you walk when you go over an area again.

The detector might miss certain targets, but it will still help you identify areas that you might want to sift.  There is little reason to take the time to sift an area where you are convinced there will be nothing.  There are other areas, however, where there was a lot of activity, perhaps a lot of trash, but some indication that there might be deeper targets.

You'll also come up with some non-metallic targets when you sift.  Notice the nice old clay marble. 

Those are some nice finds.  Thanks for the photo and email!

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Sandals With Built-In Metal Detector Coil.
Source: Popular Mechanics (See link below)

This is half serious, but to me, mostly funny.  These sandals and the control box you wear on your ankle detect metal.  The Popular Mechanics article says, We were also disappointed at the sandal's rather weak metal-detecting strength. Despite the claim of a two-foot range, you pretty much have to bring metal objects right up against the sole of the foot for them to work. This is especially true with smaller objects, such as coins and paper clips. It had a slightly easier time picking the larger items we tested it with, such as pliers and scissors. But if you're looking for lost wedding rings and extra quarters, it's not the best solution.

What would you expect?  At least somebody was thinking - just not too well.  You would look weird if you tried to grid an area by dragging one foot around.

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There's money in old news.  Four old newspapers containing accounts of the wrecking of the 1715 Fleet, the first published in November of 1715, received an auction bid of over four thousand dollars in the recently concluded Sedwick auction.

Here is the lot description directly from the auction catalog.

Unique set of newspapers with accounts on the sinking and salvage of the Spanish 1715 Treasure Fleet, consisting of four issues of The Post Boy (London) from 1715-16. 

Four very rare, complete issues of The Post Boy, a major London newspaper, from November 19, December 8 and 19, 1715 and July 3, 1716, each issue a single 14” x 8” sheet (“broadsheet”) of high-quality rag stock printed on both sides, and in Fine to Very Fine condition. In all probability these papers are the only ones in private hands. 

These four historic newspapers provide accounts of the legendary disaster and Spain’s frantic attempts to recover the hundreds of millions of dollars of gold and silver coins and precious jewels carried by eleven Spanish galleons, accompanied by a French warship that was the only ship to escape the hurricane on July 30, 1715, as the treasure-laden Fleet attempted to sail from Cuba to Spain. Hundreds of seamen and passengers drowned in the vicious storm with the survivors going to St. Augustine or Havana. Although much of the treasure was salvaged over the next few years—and present-day salvors have uncovered millions of dollars in coins and jewels—more treasure remains unclaimed in the Atlantic Ocean off the east coast of Florida. Several whole ships have yet to be found. 

The first report of the disaster in the November 19, 1715 issue reads: “Letters from the Havana, of the 17th of September, advise that the Flotilla, consisting of Ten Ships, met with such a violent Storm, upon the 31st of July, that they were forced to run ashoar upon the Coasts of Florida, 50 Leagues from Cape S. Augustin, and 20 from Cape Canaveral; and that only one Ship, v.z. the Flying-Hart, escaped: That upon this News, several Ships were immediately sent from the Havana to fish up the Gold and Silver; that good Part of it was already recover’d and particularly that on board the Urza de Lima; and that it was hoped, most of the rest would likewise be got up. They add, that 4 or 500 Men were drown’d, and among them several Passengers. This News was brought to Rochelle by the S. Francis, whose Cargo is very rich, consisting of 500000 Pieces of Eight besides Merchandizes.” 

Further details from the December 8 issue are more positive (possibly to buoy public opinion on the disaster). Some of the reporting stated: “We have receiv’d better News concerning the Flota of New Spain…that only two Ships of it were cast away; Some others were indeed run aground upon the Coast of Florida; but all the Gold and Silver, and most of the Merchandizes were taken out of them.” The King then sent four ships to Florida, “…and shall take on board those of the Flota, which amount to 12 Millions of Crowns in Gold and Silver only.” 

From the December 17, 1715 issue came the following: “Letters from Cadiz, of the 28th past, say, that all possible Diligence is used in fitting out the Men of War, which are to go and take on board the Cargoes of the Galleons run aground upon the Coast of Florida. By a Vessel arrived from thence they heard, that the Galleons could not be put a float again; but the Chests of Gold and Silver had been all taken up, and great part of the Merchandizes; so that only the Cochineal will be lost.” 

Finally, after just over six months of salvage attempts, the July 3, 1716 issue reported the following gleaned from letters from Havanna at the end of March: “…they had recover’d out of the Capitana, a thousand Chests of Silver, and seven hundred and fifty out of the Admirante (Almiranta), but no Merchandizes out of those two Ships, whereas all those of the Urca de Lima had been fish’d up; that some English Barques being come in Sight of Palmaer, five (Spanish) Barques were fitted out at the Havana to observe them; that nevertheless the English seiz’d some Part of the Plate above specify’d whereupon a Deputy was order’d from the Havana to the Governor of Jamaica to complain of that proceeding….” 

These newspapers represent highly important accounts of the disaster and the subsequent attempts to salvage the enormous treasure Spain and other European countries were counting on for their economies. In our time, ironically, these newspapers are vastly rarer than the treasure itself!

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The surf is going to be around two to four feet for several days.  The tides are nice and high now.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net