Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
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| Source: Vol. 80, 1941 National Geographic Magazine. Cannon on Florida Reefs Solve Mystery of Sunkenship, by Charles Brookfiedld. |
I was looking through an old box full of research materials that I hadn't seen for a long time. There were hundreds of photocopied pages. They included shipwreck sites from several very exhaustive resources, pages of books on Spanish cobs, and a lot of information on the keys since I lived down south at the time.
One of the older articles I found was an article from vol. 80 of a 1941 National Geographic Magazine, which included some photos showing how things have changed in the last eighty or so years.
In the photo above it might appear at first glance like they are looking at the blowers off the back of a salvage boat, but they are actually using what the article calls waterglasses, which are just barrels or tubes with glass in the bottom so you can get a good look at what is below.
Another interesting photo showed a diver coming up with a diving helmet - not scuba tanks. 1941 was a couple years before Cousteau invented scuba gear.
I'm often impatient with the rate of progress, thinking things haven't changed much, but there are couple big changes. I never see anyone using glass bottom buckets to look below anymore.
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I noticed one pile of photocopies showing every beach access around the state. I don't know what the date of publication for that one was but it says Ambersand Beach Park will open in 1985, so it must have been before that. It also says, "Development plans include a "sail-cat" ramp. That was at least thirty some years ago, and it hasn't happened yet.
Instead of Seagrape Trail and Turtle Trail it reads, North County Walkway and South County Walkway, which, as far as I can tell, seem to be in the North County and South County walkways, althought that doesn't seem right to me. How is Turtle Trail South County? Maybe you can straighten me out on that.
I remember finding what I thought at the time might be part of a lead draft marker something like those shown below.
I don't see the name of the publication on that page.
The text reads, "The draught markers, Roman numerals VII and IX, told me at once the ship they belonged to had to be a large one, for a a small sloop would never draw more than four of five feet."
Today I don't think the lead strips I found are draught markers, but probably part of a frame of some sort. Anyhow, in doing the research that is the kind of thing I was looking at.
The photocopies pages in that box were heavy in those areas that were in some way relevant to me, as is natural, but there was also a lot of information for sites that I never got around to investigating. I probably never will.
I won't look at any more of those tonight. There are way too many pages. You don't see boxes of photocopied pages much anymore. It can be convenient to have some things on paper rather searching everything on the internet.
One of the things I found interesting is some of the personal correspondence from treasure hunting groups and the old newsletters from Garrett, Fisher, Tesoro etc.
I also found a copy of In the Wake of the Golden Galleons by Roy Volker and Dick Richmond. That was from 1976,
If you are old enough you might be familiar with Exanimo Press. Do you know what treasure hunter is associated with that? I'll tell you in a future post.
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From watching TV, it would seem that people use the internet rather than a family doctor or provider to guide their health care decisions these days.
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The tides are pretty big right now, and it looks like we'll be getting some bigger surf.
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| Source: MagicSeaWeed.com. |
Good Hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net