What is this I found in the woods?

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Was hiking earlier yesterday and came across this... thing. Middle of nowhere. Not certain what it even is. Full of water, and plenty more trickling in from little slots in the middle. Any ideas?


http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs785.ash1/167564_10150122519611796_611791795_7868850_785791_ n.jpg

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/006/2/a/uncertain_waters_i_by_karribi-d36lman.jpg

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/006/4/1/uncertain_waters_ii_by_karribi-d36lmew.jpg

http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/006/9/9/uncertain_waters_iii_by_karribi-d36lmhh.jpg


This was at the base of it, outside the square at the lower end:
http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/006/3/5/pumping_mud_by_karribi-d36llt1.jpg

[Serpentine]

Looks vaguely familiar, but I couldn't say exactly why. Possibly reminds me of the structures left from when the first settlers were hauling all their stuff over the mountains, and an aquifer they built up there. Know of any structures that might've been there years ago?

[Roc Ness]

... I'm not sure what it is, but there appears to be a bike in there. :smallconfused:

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Not much. This is about half a mile uphill from the copper mines though. River nearby, so dunno why they'd need to store it or anything.

Old chimney is only other sign of previous settlement I found in the area, though nowhere near this thing.

Edit: Oh, and no bike. Just a tire and a lot of animal bones. Fished out a hawk skull from in there.

[Keld Denar]

Thats a pretty old valve. Not like, SUPER old, but I'd place it somewhere around 60-80 years old if its the same as some of he valves we still use around the plant I work at. Looks like 3" pipe, which is kinda...large, for whatever it is. Think you could get a couple more pictures, like top down and side with clear labels so I could get a better idea?

Tentatively, it looks like some kind of tank or cellar. Not sure what the purpose of a drain on a cellar would be...need more informationz!

[Coidzor]

The upraised edges make it almost seem like a cistern. Though the drains would seem to preclude that. Were you able to see much of the holes? They look intentional. Actually, from the crookedness of 'em, they look almost hand-cut rather than if they were simply left out during the process of constructing it...

On the other hand, maybe it allows groundwater to feed into it more from the rain, since the drains seem to be pointing uphill. But they also seem deeper than rainwater would penetrate and not deep enough to hit upon an aquifer.

You said you fished out some objects from it, did you sound out or otherwise test the bottom to see how solid it was? Might be much deeper and obscured by accumulated vegetation and bones

[Vizzerdrix]

I know I've seen something like that before. I'm positive that you'll find more handholds under the moss and below the waterline too. I want to say that it's part of a pump house for an underground spring, but I'm not sure.

[Eldan]

I'm sure I've seen things exactly like that before around here, but I just can't remember where and what for...
It's driving me crazy right now.

[_Zoot_]

It reminds me of the old fortifications that can be found in Europe from The World Wars, but I doubt it is.

[Teddy]

It reminds me of the old fortifications that can be found in Europe from The World Wars, but I doubt it is.

Well, those generally have somewhere to enter and possibly somewhere to shoot out from (but that's not always the case). And it's certainly not a parapet, I can tell.

Now, there hasn't been any wars in Sweden in a long time, but I have enough old remnants of military training grounds scattered around my town to tell what's a bunker and what isn't.

To give some answer to the OP, well, unless there are other traces of military activity in the general area, your find most likely isn't of military origin. At least that I can tell.

[Serpentine]

Not much. This is about half a mile uphill from the copper mines though. River nearby, so dunno why they'd need to store it or anything.

Old chimney is only other sign of previous settlement I found in the area, though nowhere near this thing.The place I was thinking of had a stream dammed and aquaducts moving water from it to... I'm not sure where.
Maybe there was a factory of some sort around there. The chimney might support that, too. Start doing some local history research!

[Killer Angel]

I've seen a lot of these things, but usually smaller and with a cover.
Almost surely it's a little basin / tank to collect superficial underground water, which probably tends to flow here thanks to morphology and geological semi-waterproof limits; the shots in the middle, (which are drippling water) are at the level of the lower wall, which support this.
The pipe with the valve is unusual, it's typical of aqueducts, but probably is related to the coppermines downhill: the miners needed water.

Edit: the cover, when present, suggest a use for drinking (avoid dead animals in the water, and so on). Tha lack of it, supports the use for mine activities.

[Teddy]

Edit: the cover, when present, suggest a use for drinking (avoid dead animals in the water, and so on). Tha lack of it, supports the use for mine activities.

If you look at how the top sides of the concrete walls are sloped, I think there must have been a cover of some sort. Also, not having a cover wouldn't make especially much sense, as it would risk that the whole thing got clogged up over time. Also, if you have so low demands on water quality, you could just take the water directly from the river.

[Renegade Paladin]

Where (roughly, I don't need your street address or anything) are you located, and/or in what general area did you find this thing, VT? Might help.

[Killer Angel]

Also, not having a cover wouldn't make especially much sense, as it would risk that the whole thing got clogged up over time. Also, if you have so low demands on water quality, you could just take the water directly from the river.

If the use it's limited, or easily (relatively) accessible for any problem, you can clean from leaves and woods the basin 1-2/year, and you're fine.
Regardin' the water quality, I'm talking bout structures builded in the first years of 1900, to serve some mountain pasture during spring-summer, where streams were not so near, so yeah, they care only to avoid dead animals.

[Fifty-Eyed Fred]

These sort of structures are usually to deal with streams and the like in woodland areas (one sees quite a lot of them where I live), but I'm not sure that's the case with this one. Regardless, I shall put my bet on drainage of an otherwise problematic water source.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Looks like 3" pipe, which is kinda...large, for whatever it is. Think you could get a couple more pictures, like top down and side with clear labels so I could get a better idea?
It's so rusted and green not sure you could make it out. Definitely no labels on it that I could find.


You said you fished out some objects from it, did you sound out or otherwise test the bottom to see how solid it was? Might be much deeper and obscured by accumulated vegetation and bones
Well, we got a stick and it seemed to be only about 8 inches deep of muck below the water line. That's as far as we could penetrate anyways. Couldn't tell how solid it was though.


To give some answer to the OP, well, unless there are other traces of military activity in the general area, your find most likely isn't of military origin. At least that I can tell.
Wouldn't think so, no.


If you look at how the top sides of the concrete walls are sloped, I think there must have been a cover of some sort.
Possible, though no sign of broken stone/concrete around it or in it.


Where (roughly, I don't need your street address or anything) are you located, and/or in what general area did you find this thing
Dahlonega, GA. On, literally, Copper Mine Rd. Dahlonega is the location of the first U.S. Gold Rush. Actual gold mines however are more than 10 miles away.

[Serpentine]

Try having a look at Google Maps. Also, if it is a mining area, I think it almost certainly had something to do with that. Maybe - and this is pure conjecture - if the chimney is near this aquifer thing, there was some sort of smelter or smithy near there that used the water for that.

My old house used to be a cordial factory. There was a well out the back, the studio was an old barn thing, and I found an advertisement in a newspaper from the very early 1900s :3

[Abies]

Its a cistern. Its for collecting and storing water. There were likely less-permanent structures nearby that used water from it to cool or clean or any number of other water-related functions. Seems like a pretty formidable structure for a temporary camp, but its definately a water-retaining recepticle.

[Keld Denar]

Yea, those are poured concrete walls, by the looks of it. Poured with a slip-form by the stratiation in the concrete. Basically, a wooden form is built between where you want the wall to be, and where the ground is excavated. Concrete was poured between the form and the existing stone. After it cured, the form was jacked up, and the next layer of concrete was poured. Repeat until the wall is as high as desired. Its an old method, but still used today. It allows the heat to escape from the curing concrete so that it doesn't cause heat stress, rather than pouring the whole wall at once.

Do you have a wire brush? It would be kinda cool if you could scrape some of the rust off the valve body to look for identifying marks. Manufacturers often either forged their logo on the body, or otherwise emboss them.

The Crane Valve Co, of particular interest, used to have a swastika forged on the body of their valves in the 20s and 30s. We found an old Crane valve in the mill here and thought it came from NAZI Germany, but after some digging, we found pictures like this:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3584/3440819124_a9ef16e30f_z.jpg

[grimbold]

Its a cistern. Its for collecting and storing water. There were likely less-permanent structures nearby that used water from it to cool or clean or any number of other water-related functions. Seems like a pretty formidable structure for a temporary camp, but its definately a water-retaining recepticle.
thats what i am going with
or a rainwater run off thing. It doesnt look to old. I seem to recall seeing one from when i lived in Pennsylvania

[Melayl]

Could be from the old New Deal Public Works Projects of the 30's. It wouldn't date to the old gold mining days, since it is, as Keld Denar pointed out, poured concrete, and it has modern piping.

Check to see if any Public Works Projects were done in your area. My guess is that it was made to help out with drainage (and jobs) during that time period.

[Kislath]

I think it's the remains of a pumphouse, with only the cistern part left after the shack part was lost. It's a hazard more than anything else, and should be marked before someone falls in it.

[leakingpen]

Either its a pumphouse, or, since you're downhill of a copper mine, it COULD be a leachfield collector, which would explain the large number of bones, it was poisonous water at one time.

[CrimsonAngel]

Whatever it is, it was used to sacrifice zebras.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Do you have a wire brush? It would be kinda cool if you could scrape some of the rust off the valve body to look for identifying marks. Manufacturers often either forged their logo on the body, or otherwise emboss them.
Hmm, good idea. Will head over that way if it can stop raining.


It's a hazard more than anything else, and should be marked before someone falls in it.
Meh, it's hard to get to, and even when you do its not something you'd casually fall into. Even taking that into account didn't seem 'too' deep'.

I live not even half a mile from it and drove past the area every day and never knew it was there.



Either its a pumphouse, or, since you're downhill of a copper mine, it COULD be a leachfield collector, which would explain the large number of bones, it was poisonous water at one time.
My area seems to have an unusual amount of animal remains. I find a new skeleton of something every time I go out. My sister for the heck of it starting marking down areas of dead bodies of creatures so she could go back after decomposition and do forensics with their bones. Cleans off the skulls, polishes them and gives lessons about it.

Has everything from hawks and vultures to a bear tooth and four-point buck skull.

[Teddy]

The Crane Valve Co, of particular interest, used to have a swastika forged on the body of their valves in the 20s and 30s. We found an old Crane valve in the mill here and thought it came from NAZI Germany, but after some digging, we found pictures like this:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3584/3440819124_a9ef16e30f_z.jpg

A rule of tumb when encountering swastikas is that if they aren't tilted, they probably haven't got any connection to Nazi Germany, unless the guy who made it is an unlearned neo-nazi, which, in the case of graffiti, is a distinct possibility. Point in case: The Finnish air force had a non-tilted swastika as their symbol during the WWII, which didn't have anything to do with the Nazism, but originated from the nobleman (I think) who founded it.

[Eldan]

Yeah. Switzerland has quite a few Tibetan immigrants, and it's quite common for them to have a swastika above or next to their door as well.

[CynicalAvocado]

MKULTRA structure?

[Serpentine]

The Crane Valve Co, of particular interest, used to have a swastika forged on the body of their valves in the 20s and 30s. We found an old Crane valve in the mill here and thought it came from NAZI Germany, but after some digging, we found pictures like this:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3584/3440819124_a9ef16e30f_z.jpgThat is so cool.
With regards to the above few posts, the swastika itself is a very old and usually very positive symbol. I doubt - possibly erroneously - that something made in the 20s or 30s wouldn't be related to the Nazis, though.
My area seems to have an unusual amount of animal remains. I find a new skeleton of something every time I go out. My sister for the heck of it starting marking down areas of dead bodies of creatures so she could go back after decomposition and do forensics with their bones. Cleans off the skulls, polishes them and gives lessons about it.

Has everything from hawks and vultures to a bear tooth and four-point buck skull.If you're willing and able, you should consider keeping track of when, where, what species and in what condition these remains are in. I'm sure any local natural historians would find it useful information, especially if the proportions or frequency of different animals changes over time.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

I'm sure any local natural historians would find it useful information, especially if the proportions or frequency of different animals changes over time.
Pfftttt. For a couple years we found so many dead deer dying in our favorite streams and pools that we looked it up and found what appeared to be the culprit.

Almost always hits male deer, usually causing a fever that attracts them to cool pools in the summer, and then usually kills them around rutting season. Fit it to a T. Called wildlife disease management thingy. Refused to return our calls.

[Partof1]

My first thought was old foundations to a building, maybe a house, but that doesn't explain the sloped sides.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

It's an alien artifact. Gotta be.

[CrimsonAngel]

It's an alien artifact. Gotta be.

An alien artifact used to sacrifice Zebras.

[Teddy]

That is so cool.
With regards to the above few posts, the swastika itself is a very old and usually very positive symbol. I doubt - possibly erroneously - that something made in the 20s or 30s wouldn't be related to the Nazis, though.

Well, given the fact that the Nazist party was a small group of extremists in the 20s, and didn't have that high influence outside of Germany during most of the 30s as well, I'd say that that assumption is mostly wrong. Sure, there were people who admired the Nazis, but there were a lot of other people using swastikas as well, since it hadn't become taboo yet (see Finnish air force above).

[Kobold-Bard]

Disappointing thread is disappointing.

From the title I was expecting some kind of flying saucer/missing link/Tardis to have been found :smalltongue:

[The Vorpal Tribble]

From the title I was expecting some kind of flying saucer/missing link/Tardis to have been found :smalltongue:
*pushes you into the water*

[Kobold-Bard]

*pushes you into the water*

You have no hands, I shall ride you like a Beholder to freedom!!

[Jarawara]

Hmmm, looking at those photos...

I think it's Slenderman's home. Watch out, this is where he takes his victims. He probably does something with the bones to make them look like animal bones, but in reality those were once your neighbor.

Run, fast as you can - maybe he hasn't seen you yet. If he has, running is still the only option, though it only delays the inevitable. Good Luck.

[Yora]

Meh, it's hard to get to, and even when you do its not something you'd casually fall into. Even taking that into account didn't seem 'too' deep'.
There's a very common german proverb that goes like "covering the well after the child fell in", which for exactly such situations. :smallbiggrin:

Unfortunately it's mostly used in regard to governments and local authorities. And if yours are like ours, they probably won't care at all since an accident is so unlikely. But once a child falls in a drowns, there will be a huge uproar and blaming others for failing to have done anything to prevent it, even though everyone knee the danger was there.
And after two weeks it will be forgotten without anyone having changed anything. :smalltongue:

[Eldan]

You have no hands, I shall ride you like a Beholder to freedom!!

And now I'm thinking of a trio of wet kobolds riding a hopping, human-sized kobolds through the woods.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

You have no hands
I didn't say they were 'my' hands!


But once a child falls in a drowns, there will be a huge uproar and blaming others for failing to have done anything to prevent it, even though everyone knee the danger was there.
Considering the nearby large, rocky, fast-flowing river (http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs045.snc6/167572_10150122512231796_611791795_7868747_1810796 _n.jpg), the abandoned copper mines (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10111035&postcount=155), the frequent natural pools/waterfalls (http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs440.snc3/25300_408353751795_611791795_5148878_2281873_n.jpg ) and the rusty/rotten bridges (http://www.flickr.com/photos/andymilford/4351826478/lightbox/) common to the area... that kid'll be lucky to get to it.

On a road nearby there is a sharp curve around the mountain with a hundred foot drop. No barrier, no sign, no warning, not even a fence. From an optical illusion it even appears there is a steep driveway going down it because of the way it was made. Folks go off it all the time. Been reported for years. No one does squat :smallsigh:

[CrimsonAngel]

Move. :smalleek:

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Move. :smalleek:
Naw, all that is what makes this area so much fun :smallbiggrin:

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/9/l_47fafdf192e943b6a1c52ebae0694ae7.jpg

[Nibleswick]

My guess is that it's part of an old irrigation system of some sort. I say that because it looks a lot like the ones we still use out here to feed small farm and ranches. Is there a history of that sort of thing in the area?