Back during the 1990's I was contacted by Dan Gallagher who was with the Pigeon Key Foundation in the Florida Keys regarding some old bottles that had been found around Pigeon Key. I took a ride up to the Key and spoke with Gallagher who showed me several cases of bottles collected and had a nice visit of the museum. Gallagher was a very interesting man to talk to and had much info on the Seven Mile bridge that ran over Pigeon Key as well as the Florida Keys Extension Railroad that ran from Miami to Key West. The 128 mile railroad was built back in 1905 to 1916 by Henry Flagler and linked the mainland to the Keys and Key West...
During my visits with Gallagher at Pigeon Key he advised me to keep and eye out for small cement artifacts that looked like "Dogbones" that were used to test the strength of the concrete used in the construction of the bridges. At that time Gallagher did not have any examples of this artifact for the museum and could only describe them to me...
Since that time Gallagher has written several books on the construction of the railroad and the work camps that housed the workers. Above is a page from his book showing the "Dogbone" artifacts with description.
During this recent trip to the Keys I had the opportunity to dive the area again looking for old bottles known in the area. On my first dive I descended directly on two of these "Dogbones" sitting in the sand. I had hoped to find a few broken pieces for my collection and was happy to find a total of three intact specimens...
Specimens that have been submerged in saltwater over long periods of time must be soaked in freshwater for extended periods to leach out the salts. If not many artifacts like porous cement will deteriorate once exposed to air. Here are some of the artifacts soaking in a dish where the freshwater is easily changed daily. Both specimens are covered with marine growth and have been soaking for weeks at time of this photo...
I took one of the artifacts and cleaned it down to the bare cement to show the exact shape of the "Dogbone". This specimen will be allowed to dry out completely and then will be sealed in polyurethane for protection...
Research found that this type of testing is still in use and is used to determine the "Tensile" strength of the cement used in the concrete for projects. I found this photo of testing equipment recently...
Now that we have pinpointed a very productive site for these artifacts I hope to get back down to the Keys soon to continue the "Hunt"....
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