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

8/3/18 Report - Air Tests and Why To Use Them. Large Cent and Foreign Coin Finds.

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

ce

Two Large Cents.

In Florida you find a lot of foreign coins.  Here are a couple of British large pennies.  They are the same diameter as a US half dollar.

Two Large Cents.

As you can see, one is dated 1903 and the other, 1967. The 1903 has a heavy dark patina.

The 1903 might be worth a couple dollars since it is not in great condition, and the 1967 just a few cents.

I have found other large cents from the US and Canada.  It seems like it would make a nice start to a collection of large cents.  I like them better than a lot of other coins.

Hollywood Florida always produced a lot of Canadian coins.  The modern Canadian coins are pretty boring, in my opinion.

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Good Uses For Air Tests.

Before I begin with the proper uses, there are some ways that people commonly used air tests that should not be used.  Air tests do not necessarily provide a good measure of a metal detector's field performance, so they should NOT be used to determine the depth a buried object can be detected in the field or to determine which of two detectors will provide the best performance in the field.

Here are some good ways to use air tests.

- To learn the language of the metal detector.  Learn to recognize the different sounds and readings and what they mean.

- To learn how the metal detector responds to a wide variety of types of targets.  Learn to identify changes in the signal and readouts to different types of targets.   The choice of test targets is very important, and there should be a variety of the kinds of targets that are found in the field, including those that the detectorists really wants to find.  Use test targets that are the same or very similar to what you would most like to find and those that are likely to be the biggest obstacle.

- To learn how different modes and settings affect the detector's response to various targets.  For example, at what setting does the detector eliminate bottle caps and at what setting does the detector lose various good targets.  Settings like discrimination and sensitivity should be varied to observe how that affects the signal and readouts to a variety of targets.

To map areas of coil sensitivity.  Identify the area of maximum sensitivity and how much sensitivity decreases as you approach the edges of the coil.  Where under the coil is maximum depth obtained and how quickly does it decrease as you move out from that area.

I highly advise doing a lot of air testing.  Most people run out to the beach or where ever and hope to learn while detecting.  It's my opinion that spending more time learning to understand the metal detector would be time very well spent.

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There is still no storm activity in the Atlantic.  I'll bet that we get some storms before summer is over.

The surf is up a little to around two - three feet.  The wind is coming from the east/southeast.

Happy hunting@comcast.net
TreasureGuide

2/12/18 Report - Two Types of Metal Detecting Mistakes and Which Is Worse. Marx FIT Lecture. 54th Foot Button.

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

Pewter British 54th Regiment of Foot Button

The above button years ago in the West Indies.  It was found near a battle site where the French and British fought in December of 1788.  I'll talk about that more below.

The 54th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Originally formed in 1755 as the 56th Regiment of Foot, it was renumbered as the 54th when the 50th Regiment and 51st Regiment were disbanded. It was renamed as 54th (the West Norfolk) Regiment of Foot on 31 August 1782.

I've made a lot of mistakes and expect to keep making mistakes as long as I walk this earth.  I expect to make mistakes but I try to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

There are two types of mistake that I want to talk about today.  They are opposites.  One is thinking a find is not a good when it actually is, and the other is thinking an item is good when it is actually not.

The first example of the first type of error that comes to my mind is a musket flint that I found.  I detected a very twisted rusted piece of metal that I uncovered, but paid no attention to.  I then saw the flint.  This was my first time that I detected a site like that.  I was accustomed to digging gold rings in those days and didn't know much about hunting artifacts.  I can remember that experience precisely today: where I was, uncovering the rusty metal item, etc.  And I regret to this day that I didn't recognize the twisted piece of rusty metal and flint.  I'd appreciate them much more today than I did then.

Not only do I wish I had kept what I later realized was a musket hammer and the flint, but the failure to appreciate the find in the field resulted in not hunting the immediate area more effectively. Who knows what else might have been found where those items were.  I did find several other nice finds during that hunt including grape shot, soldier art and military buttons ( including the one at the top of this post ) but I still wish I had picked up the flint and hammer.

That is an error caused by not recognizing the possible significance of a find when it was found.  If I had taken the item home but still didn't realize its significance, I could have still lost it or damaged it through improper cleaning.  If you do not treat an item as potentially significant until you prove otherwise, a good find can easily be lost again or damaged beyond repair.

The area had already been studied by archaeologists but the park ranger was interested to see what I could find near the ocean where the archaeologists couldn't excavate.  They had a small museum there, and they kept a grapeshot that I found.

Another example would be a medallion from a  1715 Fleet beach that I did not recognize because when I dug it up it was encrusted and didn't look like anything other than a common coin.  I kept it for quite a while without really studying it and eventually put it in a tumbler with a bunch of modern coins.  When I took it out of the tumbler, it was clean enough that I could recognize it as a religious medallion and it still had some silver gilt on it.  After that it was studied, but the damage was already done.

I could give you more examples of times when I made the same type of mistake, some of them involving even nicer items, but the point is that treating a find as being nothing significant before you know for sure can have disastrous results.

If, on the other hand, you make the other kind of mistake - that of treating an item as valuable or significant when it is nothing - the results aren't nearly as bad.  The biggest thing with that type of error is that you end up getting disappointed when you learn that the item is not as good as you hoped it would be.  That is why I recommend trying to avoid the first type of error even if it means making the second kind of error.

Here are two recommendations that I often repeat.  First, never throw away an item until you KNOW that it is nothing good.  Don't be hasty.  And second, if an item has any chance of being good, treat it as if it is.  As I've shown in the past, it can take a long time to be absolutely sure.  You might never solve the puzzle.  It is better to think a find might be good even if it is not, than to make the mistake of concluding that it is no good and then finding out too late that it is better than you thought. I learned the hard way.  Some of my biggest regrets are the result of not appreciating an item enough to care for it properly.   My advice is that when there is any doubt, keep it and study it until you are absolutely sure.

To give just one example of when I thought a find was good when it wasn't, I once found what appeared to be a gold escudo.  That was back in my early days of detecting.  It would have been my first gold escudo, and it came from a treasure wreck beach, so it seemed possible.  It was encrusted and so I tried to clean it.  I took great pains to carefully clean it.  I got it fairly well cleaned and was confused by the fact that I couldn't identify it.  This was before I was experienced with testing metals, and I didn't have the reference books that I have today.  Eventually I figured out that it was a fake.  Yes I was disappointed, and I wasted time in trying to carefully clean it, but I learned a lot.

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There will be a free Robert Marx lecture at FIT on February 20.

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Civilized people should be able to disagree without being disagreeable.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/17/17 Report - New Margarita Finds. Industry Shipwreck and St. Augustine. SS Central America Search Strategy.

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

Beach Renourishment Begins At Jupiter Beach South.
Submitted by CladKing.

Thanks CladKing.

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The sea is usually rough in the keys in March, however the Mel Fisher organization reports some very nice finds were made recently during a calm spell by the Sea Reaper on the Margarita site.  Exploring a less explored area to the east, a variety of artifacts were found including a large encrusted iron pot.  A iron key and a sword handle was found the next day a little distance away.  These new finds added new possibilities to what is known about the distribution of wreckage.

A second iron pot was found the next day nearly a half mile away, but in a direct line with the first.  It appears that a second scatter lies parallel to that previously plotted.

Here is a three-legged 18th century iron cooking pot from the Industry shipwreck off St. Augustine.

Source: TAMU Dissertation.  See link below.

The pot shown above is not one of those found on the Margarita site. The photo is from a 2005 dissertation by Marianne Franklin entitled BLOOD AND WATER; THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION AND HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF THE WRECK OF THE INDUSTRY, A NORTH-AMERICAN TRANSPORT SLOOP CHARTERED BY THE BRITISH ARMY AT THE END OF THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR: BRITISH COLONIAL NAVIGATION AND TRADE TO SUPPLY SPANISH FLORIDA IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. (More on recent Margarita finds below.)

Franklin's dissertation is something that anyone interested in 18th Century Florida will want to read. It gives a good history of St. Augustine (one of the best I've read) and especially how they were provisioned, both legally and illegally. The Lawrence family of New York was one big player.

The dissertation provides a lot of information on Spanish St. Augustine and how they were supplied by British ships, the Industry being one that sunk outside of the inlet to St. Augustine. Also covered are the artifacts. A good bibliography can be found at the end.

Here is the link.

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/pdf-files/Franklin-PhD2005.pdf

Picture of a Similar Iron Pot In a Ship's Hearth.
Source: TAMU  link immediately above.

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Here is another good read.  It discusses the search for the SS Central America.  It is not about what happened when the wreck was found - just search strategies prior to the location of the wreck.

Here is that link.

http://www.columbia.edu/~dj114/SS_Central_America.pdf

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Well the surf is still small along the Treasure Coast.  The tides have also decreased.  Not much hope for much improvement over the next few days.  It is however an chance to check the low tide area.

I expect a lot of beach renourishment this summer.  It has started, but there is more to come.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/22/16 Report - Pigeon Island. How To Metal Detect a Steep Hillside. Spys In The American Revolution.

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

Photo by Dale Lutchman
Source: Pinterest

Obstacles are often opportunities in disguise.  That is particularly true when it comes to metal detecting.

Pigeon Island was detected many years ago when it was overgrown and in disrepair. (See photo of old building above.). It is now a national park, has a restaurant and is a tourist spot, and of course, should not be detected.

Pigeon Island.
Source: pinterest
Photo by Sally R.

You can't see it well in this photo but the peak on the left has a cannon emplacement.  Another canon emplacement was located at the base of the taller peak, now hidden by the trees.

The building shown in the first photo is located by the trees in the flat area under the tallest peak.

The peak was used by the British to observe the French fleet at Martinique.

Here is a little of the history of Pigeon Island.

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.

Sorry, I can't find the link to that anymore.

Steep cliffs such as some of those on Pigeon Island can be difficult to detect.  Notice the steep cliff on the right side of the tallest peak leading down to the water.  Some of it is very steep and virtually impossible, but some of it could be detected using the technique I'll now describe.

If you are on a steep hillside, use a shortened rod as shown below.  You might choose a dive rod.  I have used a short length (just over a foot) of furring as a short rod or handle.  All you need is a bit of a handle for the coil.

You can hold onto a tree with one hand while detecting with the other.  You can also use a rope around the tree.

Another advantage of using a small length of wood instead of your standard detector rod is that it can be easily stowed in a backpack with your control box and coil.

Any hillside like that can hide nice finds.  It won't be easy though, at least until you get the technique down.

Good boots are also helpful in keeping your feet dug in and steady.

I should mention that recovery can also be tricky.  After pinpointing, you'll want to be able to attach your coil to your belt and use the free hand to dig.  Be careful to not let items roll down the hill.

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The summer 2016 issue of the SAR magazine has an article written by Liam O'Connor about spying in the American revolution.

One American spy that we all know is Nathan Hale who uttered the famous line, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country," before he was hanged.

The Culper Ring was an American military spy organization operating in New York City during the British occupation.

Spys were referred to by coded numbers.  Robert Townsend, a very productive spy for the Americans, was 723, for example.

Robert Townsend uncovered a British plot to flood the American economy with counterfeit dollars and warned the Americans of Benedict Arnold.

Code names, ciphers, dead drops and invisible ink were all used by the Americans during the revolution.

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The storm situation remanins unchanged.  Karl is a tropical depression, and Lisa is still a tropical storm.  I don't believe either will affect our beaches.

The surf will be picking up a little.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/17/15 Report - An Eighteenth Century Camp Site. Seeing Faint Marks On Rusty Implements. Ancient Coins Discovered.

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

Axe Heads Found At A Florida Site
 

A few days ago I gave you a link to a Florida Archives web site.  One interesting article I found through that site provided a new method of reading invisible marks on rusted iron implements.

That article and the picture shown here was  found in the Journal of the Florida Anthropoligical Society, volume 26, Dec. 1973, no. 4.

The article title is An Early Eighteenth Century Work Camp.  The archaeological site yielded a number of artifacts, mostly from the period of British occupation.  You might find it very interesting.

I can't find the direct link to the PDF file right now but you can use the link I gave in my 3/15/15 post and then do a keyword search.  I might find some time to do that for you myself a little later.

Anyhow here is the method for reading marks on rusted iron.

First some of the rust was removed.  Then they did the following.

From the marks they were able to determine who likely made the axe.

That is a new method that I plan to try some time in the future.

Even if you won't be using this method, I still think you'll find plenty of interesting reading in the article.

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The past few days I've experienced a lot of what people call coincidences.  Some people say there is no such thing.  Maybe they are right.  I don't know.  I can easily imagine that there is a purpose behind everything and that everything is ordered in one way or another.

Anyhow, I have reels of old 8mm family film made decades ago.  I didn't have a projector to view the movies and intended to buy one.  I kept putting it off, not wanting to spend the money, not knowing for sure exactly what I needed or how trustworthy the used units selling on the internet might be.  I had something I needed to do and kept putting it off, but last Saturday decided to go do it.  On the way, I spotted a yard sale, and although I almost never go to yard sales, made a U turn and went back.  One of the first things I saw was an old movie projector.  I asked how much the lady wanted and she said ten dollars.  She said it worked, but I could see a missing piece.  I decided to take a gamble on it for the small price of ten dollars.   It worked. 

So I have been looking at old family films.  There are pictures of mountains, waterfalls, tourist attractions, and all of the types of things that people want to capture in photos.  But I discovered one thing.  The thing I love to see is the people.   Most of the other stuff just doesn't seem that interesting.  I like seeing my parents, grandparents, my friends and relatives, and even me.   Many of those people are no longer alive, and the others are now some fifty years older.

The point of this is that it is the people that matter.  We want to go, do and have, but when it comes down to it, it is all about the people.  

PS: Old films can be used to find old detecting sites too.

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There was a rumor of ancient coins stored in a collection somewhere at the University of Buffalo.  Finally one faculty member decided to try to find them.   Eventually he did.  There were 40 silver Greek coins, three gold Greek coins and a dozen Roman coins that had remained hidden in the archives for decades.  The coins dated from the first century A. D. and back.

Here is that link.

http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2015/03/020.html

How many other coins and artifacts remain forgotten in a university or museum?   A lot I'm sure.

Yesterday I reported from a source that said that something like 84% of the 366 billion U. S. coins in circulation are actually in storage or hoarded.   That doesn't sound right to me, but if it is anything near close, that means that something like 209 billion are stored away somewhere.  I find that hard to believe, but even if it is way off, there are undoubtedly tons of them.  Many will be forgotten, like those ancient coins.

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On the Treasure Coast today we have a two-foot surf.  The wind will be from the West for at least a while.

There will be a negative low tide too.

Have courage, and be kind.  (Some of you will know where that comes from.)
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net

4/24/13 Report - British Salvage Camp on Treasure Coast & More on Beach Holes

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

60th Regiment of Foot Button.
Photo from the Worthpoint link below.

You probably know something about the Spanish salvage camps that worked the 1715 Fleet wrecks immediately after the disaster, but did you know that there was also a British salvage camp on the Treasure Coast?

There is a lot of evidence to that fact.  And I am not talking about William Jennings and his gang.

Several British 60th Regiment of Foot buttons were found back in the eighties on the dunes very close to where one of the Spanish salvage camps was located.  In fact right beside an old Spanish salvage camp.

The button shown here is not one of the buttons from the salvage camp, but I am showing it as an example.

It appears that the British salvage or "treasure hunting" camp is from the late 1700s, possibly around 1780.  Besides the buttons many other artifacts, including musket balls, flints etc. were found and indicate the presence of the camp.

Several fellows dug that area back in the eighties, including some that are recognized as amateur or non-vocational archaeologists.

Now the area is covered by a private residence and is off limits.

Back in the late 1700s there were undoubtedly still some remaining signs of the wreckage and the Spanish salvage camps along the beach and also popular knowledge of the earlier events.

Here is a link that will provide a picture of what the British treasure hunters probably looked like and a little history of the 60th Regiment of Foot.   It does not mention what brought them to Florida, although it is known that they served in the Caribbean.

http://www.militaryheritage.com/60thregt.htm

And here is the source of the button photo.

http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/60th-regiment-of-foot-button


As you might know, two days ago I received a report indicating that Brevard County was going to make it illegal to dig holes on the beach.  That story developed quickly.  The next day I learned through a News 13 article that Cocoa Beach was indeed considering the issue, but that there was already an ordinance that made it illegal to dig holes on Cocoa Beach.  The city was considering "fine-tuning" the ordinances. 

After receiving a link to a current City of Cocoa Beach ordinance from Mitch K., I saw that the current ordinance stated that it was illegal to dig holes on the beach that would endanger people.  That is certainly reasonable enough. 

I suspect that any revision to the ordinance will also be reasonable, but it is good to be informed and involved so that you know what is going on and are able to provide input from the perspective of the metal detecting community.

Although the story developed very quickly as I received various reports and I wanted to get whatever I received out as soon as possible, I wish I would have done a better job.  It kind of reminded me of the way the press dealt with the quickly developing Boston Marathon story and got some things wrong early on.  Of course that is at a totally different level.  Nonetheless, I am sure that most of you are more informed about it now than two days ago and in a better position to act and provide input. 

Below is a link to the existing ordinance that Mitch K. sent me, which Mitch says became effective early in 2012.  Read it for yourself.

http://www.cityofcocoabeach.com/Cityhall/Ordinances_Index/Ordinances/2011-2015/2012/1545.pdf

If you have a very detailed eye, you might have noticed that the original report that I received referred to Brevard County and the News 13 article and the above link is from the City of Cocoa.  I'm not prepared to elaborate on that now.

My least favorite topic for this blog, even though I get a lot of question about it, is the rules, regulations and laws affecting metal detecting. There are layers on layers and I do not want to be in a position of interpreting, explaining or summarizing what seems to me to be a confusing mess.  Thank goodness most of our officials are very reasonable people. 

I usually advise people with questions about the laws that apply to a specific park or area to ask somebody - sometimes a life guard will be on duty and will be able to tell you, or make a call to a government office.  That is simple enough and usually does the job.

You probably remember back a year or so ago when we had to act to stop legislation proposed for the State of Florida that would have seriously affected the treasure hunting community.  Vigilance and involvement is continually required.

There was one time when I was told by a life guard that detecting was not permitted at a park after I had just walked onto the beach with my metal detector.  I said OK and put my detector away and moved on.  No problem.  When I got home I called the county office and talked to an official to further inquire, and he told me that although detecting was not allowed there, it was about to change and gave me a date for the change.  As a result, I was one of the first to know about the coming change and was one of the first to detect the park after the ban was lifted.  My point is that it paid to ask.

When talking to public officials, make your point as clearly and respectfully as possible.  Present a good image for the hobby. 

Sorry for any confusion, but I thought it was important to put the information I received out there as quickly as possible since I didn't know how quickly things might be done.


It is a beautiful morning on the Treasure Coast.  The waves seem to be coming directly from the east.  The surf is about  3 - 4 feet today and will be about the same for a couple of days, while the wind is predicted to take a more northeasterly direction.

I'm disappointed that the prediction on the surfing web site for Sunday has been changed a little.  It looks like there still might be a brief period of 5 foot and higher surf, but for most of the day Sunday, they are now showing less.

Low tide today is about 1:40 PM, and it looks like the low tide will be a bit lower than it has been lately. 


Anybody have any reports or stories from the Treasure Hunters Cookout?  I know everybody had a good time.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/18/12 Report - Big Treasure Raffle and Prizes & British Military Button Finds

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



British Pewter 76th Regiment Button Metal Detector Find



Yesterday I mentioned a British military button found at St. Augustine that was thought to be associated with the wreck of a British ship that sank after the British fled Charleston. That reminded me of a find that I made that is remotely related.

The button found at St. Augustine was worn by members of the 74th Regiment British Army which was raised in Scotland by Archibald Campbell in 1777 (or 1787 according to another source) to fight the rebels in North America. The regiment was also known as Cambell’s Highlanders. I’ve found records of them being in many locations, including Canada, Niagara, New York, Virginia, Charleston, Bermuda, St. Lucia, and Barbados.

Years ago I found a pewter 76th Hindoostan Regiment British button (not 74th) in St. Lucia along with a variety of things, including grape shot and musket parts, musket balls and flints, as well as other buttons including one from the 54th foot.

The 76th button is shown in the photo here.  The bottom of the button is actually to the left, where you can see the "76."  Not the best photo.  The button also shows an elephant with carriage and has the words HINDOOSTAN PENINSULA around the top of the button.

I’ve been trying to find out when the 76th and 54th were on the island of St. Lucia. That is my primary question at this point. I’d like to find out if possible which battle the two buttons came from.

By the way things were scattered about where the 76th and 54th buttons were found in St. Lucia, it did appear to me that the buttons and other items were from a battle.

It seems the 76th and 74th were in a lot of the same places, but do not know when they were together and when not.

The 76th (Hindoostan) Regiment of Foot was raised in 1787 by the East India Company.

I have one source suggesting that the 76th was involved in a battle with the French on St. Lucia in 1788. I also have a source saying that the 74th was stationed in St. Lucia in the 1840s. I don’t know if the 76th was there at the later date or not, but it could be as I think the 76th was also under the leadership of Archibald Cambell.

Here is a link to a detailed chart showing the dates of the various regiments of foot if you are interested.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Regiments_of_Foot

It is a good reference for British military regiments.

And here is a link if you want to learn more about the 76th Regiment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/76th_Regiment_of_Foot

I sure would appreciate any help in finding exactly when the 76th or 54th were on St. Lucia.



The Nov. 3 treasure hunter’s benefit cookout is becoming a really big affair - probably one of the biggest treasure hunting affairs of it’s kind that you’ll ever find. And with lots of prizes and goodies that you won’t find anywhere else.

If you missed the flyer with all the details, go back a few posts in this blog.

Here are new details sent in by Aquanut John.

I talked to Taffi Fisher today. She's going to donate a 1715 Pate Fleet or Atocha 8 Reale cob coin to be auctioned off at the benefit. Also she will be there for a short time to visit.

Also, Elle has sent me her last copy of her book "The Marigalera of the 1715 Fleet" that will also be available! This may go on auction or in the raffle!

I will also offer 3 rice bowls dated around 900 AD from the Vietnam wreck of the Tang Dynasty era which I got from Treasure Hunting' Tom.

Additionally, I'll put up for auction, out of my personal collection, an original Tairona Indian Pre-Colombian Tumbaga figurine of unknown age to generate interest.

I'll post pictures of my stuff and Elle's book next week when I get back from the Keys. BTW, Elle is also known as Laura Strolia, a wonderful researcher, so you don't want to miss what she has to say!

Additionally, There will be other limited addition treasure books, cobs, displays, treasure items and more available to everyone that attends.

Aquanut



The wind has shifted. It is now out of the South. That means the seas will be smoothing out.

The surf web sites are predicting around three foot seas today. Look for smooth seas this weekend. That might be a good time to get in the water and check out the low tide zone.

The south winds might also wash up some shell piles in some locations.

Treasure Coast beach detecting conditions for old shipwreck cobs or treasure coins remains poor.



Metal detecting is such a great hobby. And you can tell from what is being done for the cookout that really great people are involved. They come from all walks of life, young and old, male and female. They are different in any ways but have a lot in common.

No matter who you are, metal detecting has a lot to offer. You can learn so much. You can discover history on your own. You can make new friends. I can’t even begin to list all the benefits for those who do it, but there are other benefits too, such as the millions of coins that are returned to circulation and the discoveries are made.

And the web has helped. There are a lot of good sites for research now - a lot more than a few years ago.

As I looked for information on the button yesterday, I found several photos of 76th Regiment button finds, some posted by detectorists.

And when I was looking for information on the FEC box car seal, it wasn’t the railroad association that was able to answer my question, but I found the answer by looking at other metal detector finds.

We contribute a lot to the public knowledge base. And that benefit should not remain unappreciated.

The web is changing how knowledge is accumulated and distributed.

Passion motivates people - young or old.

Amateurs have always made contributions, but academics protect their place in the ivory tower. The public now has the ability to put their knowledge out there for the world to see.

I’ll leave you with one thought that is very important to me. Nothing in this country needs reformed more than our educational institutions.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net