http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nbc-news/53623576/
Probably the result of some contest. Used to be popular in these parts to put a junk car out on the ice and sell chances. Whoever guessed closest on the date it would fall through won the prize.
It should be restorable, after all, it was "running when parked", right? ;>)
Well on the bright side it's resting not to far from a Godfather's pizza.
We crossed the Mississsippi in Winona on a T-Totalers club tour there about 10 years ago... I thought we all made it back.
Having lived half my life within 10 miles of the Mississippi I can say I have never heard of the river freezing over anyplace south of St. Paul.
the rivers feeding into do though, even the St Croix.
You never know, it might be pretty well preserved if it was covered with silt fairly quickly after sinking. The silt keeps the oxygen away from the items and prevents corrosion. Here are a few pictures of artifacts that were recovered from the USS Cairo gun boat that was submerged for 100 years. The condition of many of these items is amazing.
Derek, does it freeze over at Winona?
..."the wheels are all off of it, except for two of them on the passenger side". Wow, let me compute that, now how many wheels are gone?
From what they showed on the photograph I challenge anyone to identify it as a model T Ford. They must have cleared away some of the silt for these crack observers to come up with their identification. Of course it just might be a refrigerator door (or would that be "Frigid-Air" door?).
(^:
TH
Interesting. Just last night my wife daughter and I attended the annual Soil and Water Conservation District dinner. (My daughter is a volunteer there.)The guest speaker was Steve Dasovich Phd. He is an underwater archaeologist from Lindenwood University in St. Charles Missouri.
He talk was on the steamboat era on the Missouri River, from St. Charles County (near St. Louis) all the way up the river to near where Stan Howe lives in Montana. He said there between 600-800 wrecks in the river. Now this was on the Missouri which is muddier than the Mississippi, at least below where the Knife River joins the Missouri. Perhaps the Mississippi is clearer up where this car is located, but some of the descriptions of the artifacts that have been recovered are amazing.
Right here at St. Charles there are the remains of a steamship that has been in the river for over a hundred years that at low stage can be seen and investicated. Do a search and look up the steamship Arabia and see what has been recovered from it.
I think if this is a car under the river it might not be too bad. But who can say for sure? It would need to be brought up and conserved. Who would own it?
Would it come with a title?
Aaron, you mentioned "Having lived half my life within 10 miles of the Mississippi I can say I have never heard of the river freezing over anyplace south of St. Paul."
Around LaCrosse, Genoa, & Lynxville in West Central to South West Wisconsin, you can see dozens of ice fishermen late in the season on the main channel right below the dams! Some even take ATV's! I've never ice-fished the main channel though... The backwaters are dangerous enough for me...
Occasionally the Mississippi comes to visit me!
I have ridden across Lake Pepin on snowmobile a few times, so it must have been frozen. Now the river is warmer because the Prairie Island nuke plant heats the river some in the winter.
The Mississippi froze pretty good at Nauvoo, Illinois years ago and was solid enough for Mormons to cross over into Iowa on their way to form Salt Lake City.
Herb;
I once was told by a tugboat service company that operated on the Mississippi here in Memphis that whoever pulls up salvage from the river gets to keep it. I didn't ask him about permits or whether a sheriff's deputy needs to witness it.
How you go about getting a title is anyone's guess.
Ive never understood salvage rights. Sometimes you hear of guys who find a wreck and bring up gold and such, but have to share with Lloyds of London or somebody who paid a claim 300 years ago. It ain't like they were out looking for it themselves. How do they lay claim? Same for governments. How can Spain lay claim to gold from a gallion that sank 300 years ago in international waters when they didn't fund the expedition? I suppose these hunters know the deal ahead of time and its ok with them, but I still don't understand it.
Hal, it's the same when someone wins the lottery, folks line up to claim their share weather legit or not. KB
I would love to see this old wreck,after it has been washed off.
I would like to see a picture of it,I cant watch video on dial up.
I'll bet theres a dozen of 'em on the bottom of Lake Erie around the islands. They were a great car for the ice fishing guys. Stripped a lot of 'em down to bare chassis, the "braver" guys would just take the door(s) off, I've heard there's at least one enclosed car on the bottom too.
Tim - I'm sure you're right. Lots of Model T's and other makes and models wound up on the bottom of lakes and streams.
In 2012 there was a thread about a '26 Touring on the bottom of Lake Mendota in Madison, WI. A diver took pictures that were posted on the thread too. Here's the thread:
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/257047/289466.html#POST432249
Keith
Great link Keith...that was a great pic of that poor old car.