[meteorite-list] Buried Treasure - OT with Links that work

[Norman Lehrman]

Greg,

Thanks for the great story!  ---and for opening the
thread.  Coincidentally, I also just returned (this
morning) from a bit of treasure hunting in Hawaii and
found a mystery object that I wanted to ask the 
diverse experts on the list about--

My stuff was all modern, but did include a gold ring,
a diamond earring, a sapphire navel stud, a gold
earring, a woman's wrist watch, and a bunch of coins. 
But the weirdity was some sort of tracking or bugging
device.

It's a little screw-top cylinder with a plastic dome
showing a microchip and its associated circuitry. 
Inside are two hearing-aid batteries.  There are no
external contacts.  Not visible on the attached photo
is a faint inscription on the circuit board reading
SH002A.  Here's a link to the picture:

http://tektitesource.com/pictures/offTopics/BeachBug1.jpg
   

(you'll have to copy this and past it into your
address line)

Anybody have any ideas???  I'm thinking it would serve
as a great starting place for a novel (for all I know
it's still broadcasting right now and secret agents
are converging on this location----)

Cheers,
Norm Lehrman
http://tektitesource.com

P.S., the metal detector is really for the meteorite
search in Nevada, but so far I've found nothing but
gold nuggets.  Oh well, maybe someday----


--- Greg Hupe <gmhupe at tampabay.rr.com> wrote:

> Dear list members,
> 
> 
> 
> I found buried treasure!
> 
> 
> 
> I know that many of you enjoy treasure hunting as
> much as I do. In fact, 
> meteorite hunting is one of many forms of treasure
> hunting so I thought I 
> would share one of my latest adventures with you.
> 
> 
> 
> After 23 years of serious thought and planning of
> treasure hunting the 
> Florida coast, I finally found some. While in high
> school, I had dreams of 
> traveling to the Florida "Treasure Coast" in search
> of lost riches from the 
> ill-fated Spanish 1715 Plate Fleet. It is called the
> "Plate" fleet due to 
> the abundance of silver (Plata in Spanish, hence the
> name, 'Plate'). The 
> fleet of 12 Spanish galleons sank off of the east
> coast near Vero Beach and 
> Ft. Pierce, Florida after a violent hurricane over
> took the unsuspecting 
> mariners.
> 
> 
> 
> After high school I had planned to fly to the
> Florida east coast after a 
> hurricane in search of gold and silver, which washes
> up onto the beach after 
> serious storms and hurricanes. Much is buried under
> several feet of sand, 
> which is stripped away after such acts of Mother
> Nature. I suppose it is her 
> way of giving some back after taking it nearly 300
> years ago. I would plan 
> to use a metal detector for the task.
> 
> 
> 
> I had waited over 20 years without any hurricanes
> hitting the area directly. 
> Who would have thought that after moving to Florida
> a few months before that 
> a succession of hurricanes would devastate Florida,
> two of which hit Vero 
> Beach and the surrounding areas dead on within weeks
> of each other! I now 
> had two occasions to drive the 2-hours it would take
> to get to one of the 
> richest galleon wrecks sites known.
> 
> 
> 
> During the wait for a hurricane to hit the area, I
> did extensive research on 
> the Internet about where the wreck sites where. I
> settled with directions 
> and coordinates from a web site that looked good.
> 
> 
> 
> The first trip was a few days after Hurricane
> Frances tore through the area. 
> I went three times during a 2-week period and found
> many modern U.S. coins 
> and a few artifacts from the site, mostly bronze
> rivets and possibly one 
> very weathered Silver Half Real. I will have to take
> that one to the local 
> museum to verify.
> 
> 
> 
> Click here to see damage created by Hurricane
> Frances
> 
> http://www.lunarrock.com/treasure/GregZac.jpg
> 
> That's me on the right holding metal detector
> 
> 
> 
> Click here for picture of artifacts
> 
> http://www.lunarrock.com/treasure/relics.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> The second hurricane, Jeanne, would do even more
> damage and expose more of 
> the older layers of beach. I made two trips to the
> coast and didn't find 
> anything, not even a penny, during six hours of
> searching the first day. The 
> night before my second outing, I decided to compare
> coordinates and 
> landmarks from the web site and from a book written
> by one of the original 
> finders of these wrecks. I discovered that the web
> site missed a large 
> southern area of one of the wrecks closest to the
> beach. I decided I would 
> try the area from the web site first and then go to
> the southern area 
> overlooked by his notes.
> 
> 
> 
> Click here to see up to 8-feet of sand erosion by
> hurricanes
> 
> http://www.lunarrock.com/treasure/BankErosion.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> After my research for the night was over, I decided
> to watch the movie, 
> "Pirates of the Caribbean" for good luck, or as the
> saying goes, "Good Luck 
> equals Preparation plus Opportunity". I would find
> out the next day just how 
> true that is.
> 
> 
> 
> The next morning, after 2-hours of detecting the
> well-searched area of the 
> web site location, I went to the southern area I
> wanted to investigate. 
> After approximately 30 minutes, I found my first
> Spanish Silver Real in 
> excellent condition. I couldn't believe it, here in
> my hand was a 300-year 
> old piece of Spanish treasure! I was elated and
> looked around me to see if 
> there was anyone who saw my body motions or heard my
> voice exclaiming in 
> delight. No one was around so I felt confident
> nobody realized I had found a 
> good spot.
> 
> 
> 
> Click here for a picture of the Silver Real at the
> beach
> 
> http://www.lunarrock.com/treasure/real1a.jpg
> 
> Notice damaged dock in background
> 
> 
> 
> Click here for a picture of the Silver Real
> 
> http://www.lunarrock.com/treasure/real1.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> I jotted down notes and made a detailed map for
> future searching. I 
> continued in a grid pattern to search the site very
> carefully and was 
> rewarded with a small caliber musket ball from an
> old pistol. This, too, was 
> from the 1715 fleet. Another few minutes and I found
> my second coin, which 
> was not in as good of condition.
> 
> 
> 
> Click here for image of mushet ball
> 
> http://www.lunarrock.com/treasure/musketball.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> Click here for picture of encrusted coin
> 
> http://www.lunarrock.com/treasure/real2.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> I continued my search, when after another hour, my
> metal detector blared out 
> the alert of another find. This time I found a gold
> ring in very good 
> condition. It was still in its perfect circle-shape
> but the outside was 
> dulled from the many years of abuse from sand
> abrasion. The inside had some 
> coral growth but revealed brilliant gold along the
> areas of encrustation.
> 
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