Bottle finds from Eastport, Maine this weekend.

[adshepard]

Traveled the 430 miles to our home in Lubec, Maine and did some dives off Eastport to collect some bottles. I got skunked for the most part on Friday although I did find an old green squat with an iron pontil. Unfortunately about 1/3 of the top was cracked off and since it had no lettering I just left it for someone else to find. I also found a blob top mineral water but it was clear glass and boring so I left that too.

On Saturday I found a few slick whiskeys/ales including one that is black glass. It's pretty darn crude with lots of bubbling and roughness. I can't see the bubbling about half way down due to the darkness of the glass not letting any light through. The black glass ale also still had its cork inside and man does it stink! I also found a very pretty pepper sauce.

On Sunday I picked up a few more nice bottles. One is from Providence, Rhode Island and reads - "Wm E. Clarke - Pharmacist - Providence, R.I." on one side and "Hunt's Remedy" on two other sides. It is pretty nice and I did find info on it on a RI based bottle site. The last one I found was a small "Dr. S. Pitcher's - Castoria". There was plenty of info on that on on the Internet. I also found a clear strap flask.

Got to use my new steel 120 which is great for long shore dives. Water was about 48f and visibility ranged from 5' to 15'. There was plenty of marine life. Only nudibranch species in abundance was Flabellina gracilis, a very small red-gilled nudibranch. The old steamship pier site is looking better and better as life rebounds from the over-collecting done by the now banned aquariums.

Here are a few of the finds.

 

[TommyT]

Cool stuff. So was this found by a wreck or just by chance?

 

[adshepard]

Cool stuff. So was this found by a wreck or just by chance?

Eastport, Maine was a very busy port in its day. Nearly the entire shoreline was covered in wharves. Steamships pulled in all the time and dumped their trash which added to the stuff dumped off wharves. Back in the mid to late 1800's it was a very busy place with both industry and tourism bringing ships to port.

I dive most of the time where the old Eastern Steamship Company wharf used to be.

 

[octotat]

You've got me sitting here in TN getting green with envy! Vary nice bottles! Those round bottom bottles are a great find, often referred to as "Drunkard Bottles" with the idea that they drank so much, a drunk didn't need a flat bottom to set his drink down. In reality, many of them contained soda! That blob top is excellent! Keep up the good work!

 

[WesTexDiver]

Very nice finds, I hope to try out some of the old ports if I ever make it to the East Coast.

 

[DivetheRock]

Guys, generally speaking, how old are the bottles that you keep? My brother and I dive together, and we're sick and tired of finning our way through bottles (among other stuff). Last week my brother picked up an old glass Javex bottle. Now, I'm only 33 yrs. old, but I don't ever recall Javex coming in glass bottles (I don't even know how old the company Javex is). I found an old Coca-Cola bottle, with the curves around it, most likely from the 60s or 70s. Many old beer bottles, and liquor bottles. I just pick it up, look at it, and then put it right back down again.
Do you guys collect these for personal interest, or do you sell them to collectors? TBH, I feel that all the stuff I come across on the bottom is just litter/trash that really should be disposed of properly. I'll take some pics of the bottles we find next time we dive and come across any, and post them on my website so as you can view them.

 

[adshepard]

Guys, generally speaking, how old are the bottles that you keep? My brother and I dive together, and we're sick and tired of finning our way through bottles (among other stuff). Last week my brother picked up an old glass Javex bottle. Now, I'm only 33 yrs. old, but I don't ever recall Javex coming in glass bottles (I don't even know how old the company Javex is). I found an old Coca-Cola bottle, with the curves around it, most likely from the 60s or 70s. Many old beer bottles, and liquor bottles. I just pick it up, look at it, and then put it right back down again.
Do you guys collect these for personal interest, or do you sell them to collectors? TBH, I feel that all the stuff I come across on the bottom is just litter/trash that really should be disposed of properly. I'll take some pics of the bottles we find next time we dive and come across any, and post them on my website so as you can view them.

I generally only take bottles that are 100 years old or more. Most of it is stuff I keep but some stuff I'll sell to collectors.

 

[DivetheRock]

Alright, now I can see why you collect...I doubt very, very, very much if I've ever seen anything 100 yrs. or older...unless it was grown over and unidentifiable. I'll keep my eyes peeled more next dive.

 

[adshepard]

Alright, now I can see why you collect...I doubt very, very, very much if I've ever seen anything 100 yrs. or older...unless it was grown over and unidentifiable. I'll keep my eyes peeled more next dive.

You have a great web site. The Newfoundland area is steeped in history and I'm willing to bet that you've been passing over bottles and clay pipes well over a hundred years old. Most of the bottles I find (take) date from 1850 to 1900.

I hope to head up your way in the next couple of years to do some diving.

 

[DivetheRock]

Thanks for the kind words. Yes, I'll be looking for those bottles and such from now on. If you ever do decide to come to NL for a dive, you know where to find me. I'll show you some Newfoundland hospitality.