Manasquan Inlet "Treasure" Find...

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I had the opportunity to Scuba dive with the Point Pleasant First-Aid Rescue Dive Team this weekend at the Manasquan Inlet NJ. This inlet has recently been dredged to maintain navigation status and this exposes the bottom to the strong tidal currents each day...

During this training dive the above object was discovered and retrieved by a team diver who found it at the mouth or entrance of the inlet near the South jetty...

This item is all brass construction and is made up of three seperate compartments with fine threads and is watertight... It stands 3-1\4" high and is made up with a top compartment 1-1\4", middle at 7\8", and a bottom compartment of 1\2"... Top and bottom diameter is 2-1\4" and inside diameter 1-3\4"...

The bottom has an inscription "J.W. Forestal" and the date 1876 with the month of April. It has been noted that personal items of military service personell were required to have their name on it. This practice helped to identify the German Submarine U-869 that was located off the coast of NJ when a personal item was discovered with a crewmembers name on it. The inclusion of the month "April" may show that this was a Memorial service award. Several people have suggested that this item was used to carry tobacco, snuff, powder, gunpowder, or the likes...