A message in a bottle

Look! Kirsa found a message in a bottle under a house. Here’s how we got the message out.

Following advice from our consultant conservator, Jessie spent half an hour carefully easing out the  cork (all the while worrying the cork would snap off!). Photo: K. Bone.


Following advice from our consultant conservator, Jessie spent half an hour carefully easing out the cork (all the while worrying the cork would snap off!). Photo: K. Bone.

 

 Easy does it: slowly pulling out the cork. Photo: K. Bone.


Easy does it: slowly pulling out the cork. Photo: K. Bone.

 Next step: getting the message out. Kirsa is carefully holding the bottle while Jessie uses the tweezers. Photo: K. Bone.


Next step: getting the message out. Kirsa is carefully holding the bottle while Jessie uses the tweezers. Photo: L. Tremlett.

 Tantalisingly close! Photo: K. Bone.


Tantalisingly close! Photo: L. Tremlett.

Special equipment: Jessie & Kirsa couldn't get the message out, so Sasha (our conservator) made some special tweezers. Here's how Sasha described her tweezers: "They're made of coat hanger wire with tips doubled over and beaten flat, covered in shrink tubing for smooth grippy surface.  The photo Jessie sent me of the message half tweezed out of the bottle was the first attempt using shorter, gentler tweezers, producing a cone shape which would have wedged in the neck.  To pull it out safely maintaining the diameter at less than the bottle neck, I needed to grab the paper at the lower inner corner and coil inwards.  It was tricky spreading the grippy tweezers either side of the paper while lowering into the bottle, which was why I gave the shorter tweezers a try first before committing and steeling myself for the job at hand." Photo: S. Stollman.

Special equipment: Jessie & Kirsa couldn’t get the message out, so Sasha (our conservator) made some special tweezers.ย Here’s how Sasha described her tweezers: “They’re made of coat hanger wire with tips doubled over and beaten flat, covered in shrink tubing for smooth grippy surface. The photo Jessie sent me of the message half tweezed out of the bottle was the first attempt using shorter, gentler tweezers, producing a cone shape which would have wedged in the neck. To pull it out safely maintaining the diameter at less than the bottle neck, I needed to grab the paper at the lower inner corner and coil inwards. It was tricky spreading the grippy tweezers either side of the paper while lowering into the bottle, which was why I gave the shorter tweezers a try first before committing and steeling myself for the job at hand.” Photo: S. Stollman.

 

 Sasha makes a start on extracting the message. Photo: J. Garland.


Sasha makes a start on extracting the message. Photo: J. Garland.

 

 Nearly there! Photo: J. Garland.


Nearly there! Photo: J. Garland.

 Carefully cleaning the message. Photo: K. Bone.


Carefully cleaning the message. Photo: K. Bone.

 What do you think it says? Photo: J. Garland.


What do you think it says? Photo: J. Garland.

Katharine Watson

 

 

 

 

 

12 thoughts on “A message in a bottle

  1. Excellent post!

    Great to see the original label on the bottle. The Bass trade mark was apparently only 11 years old when the bottle was deposited!

    Was the neck broken before it was deposited?

    • Hi Ralph,
      Yes, the neck had been broken before the cork was put in & the bottle deposited. The original label’s awesome – this week’s post is going to provide a bit more detail about the bottle, the site & our interpretation of it.
      Katharine

  2. looks like a prey or something think it says this bottle was put here on the 20th day( cant tell what month tho ) of 1887 in the year of .. thats all i can figure out but at the end it looks like amen amen

  3. That’s so exciting!
    I’ve been reading about the history of Bass for a post I wrote on Wellington’s first brewery – http://risingtogale.wordpress.com/2013/11/14/ghost-walks-beer-digression/ – so I will be interested to hear more about the bottle.
    My take on what it says at the end is ‘in the year of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’ I think the first name might by Hon J Finn (or maybe Tinn, or even Timm); and the second name might be David Bond, with a squiggle at the end (similar to the squiggle at the end of ‘Lord’).

  4. Looks like

    This bottle was put here by the Hon J Timm on the 20th day of ? 1887 in the year of our Father and Savior Jesus Christ
    Amen Amen
    Witness David Ban?

  5. Hi guys,
    I returned ‘home’ to Oz in Jan 2008, after 20 years in Tauranga NZ, in the BOP.
    For several decades I’ve been heavily involved in genealogy research, so feel I can assist with the interpretation of the message fairly well. My Gt grandfather W H Bowen owned a home you researched, for which I am very very grateful. He was my mum’s mum’s dad, & a very prominent Christchurch builder.

    My take on the message~in~the~bottel (hehe):-

    ” This *bottel was put here by the
    **Hon J LINN on 20 day of ***Oct
    1887 in the year of our Lord
    and Saviour Jesus Christ.
    Amen Amen.
    Witness
    David ****Baxter”

    Comments:-
    *bottel = mispelling => ‘bottle’

    **Hon J LINN (Honorable J LINN, or J TINN. My preference would be LINN. {Compare the other L’s T’s in message, as well as the distinct m’s}.

    ***Oct, but could be Sept, however if an ‘S’, to me it looks wrong.
    I Don’t think it’s an ‘A’.

    ****Baxter. I think it’s a unique stylization at the end.

    Hope that helps?. ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. Hello Christchurch Uncovered. The message in your bottle is the worlds oldest message-in-a-bottle ever found! The oldest message in a bottle was 108 years old and is yours from 1887 right? Well done. The message is quite impressive.

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