Hemingray Dump Experience
by Richard Case

Reprinted from "INSULATORS - Crown Jewels of the Wire", April 1972, page 8

How many of you readers know what it's like to Dig a Dump? Well, it takes a lot of hard work and patience. We want to share an unforgettable experience with you.

We arrived at our destination for a big week-end in Muncie, Indiana, January 15-16, 1972. The weather was cold - a 15(degrees) below zero!! But it was sunny and very nice. Also there was a 6" snow on the ground to make it a little more like winter. We couldn't believe our eyes when we arrived at the dump--nothing but 53 acres of glass, and up to 15 feet deep. So here we were at the dump, six hardy collectors willing to sacrifice all and try to dig up some excellent pieces of glass.

 
Phil and Richard Fooling Around

We used a "CASE" back-hoe to ease some of the digging, since the ground was frozen 2 feet down. We dug several spots that yielded some fantastic finds and some excellent pieces of glass. Each hole we dug yielded something different, such as bottles, slag pieces of glass, insulators, or just fill.

Some pieces of glass found were as follows: Hemingray D-515 Honey Amber; Hem. D-512, D-513, D-514 In Clear and Carnival glass; Hem. #71, #62 Cable, TS-2, D-518, all in Carnival and Aqua. Also found were D-990's, 660's and 680's Also Carnival Hem. #71's and Carnival and Amber Spools, Some unusual glass found also were Hem. 680's in Carnival. The tops and pinholes were sprayed with a black Carnival. Also found some 670's in Honey Amber, Hem. E-14-B's and Mickey Mouses. We were very surprised we didn't see many common glass. Most of the glass we found was color or experimentals.

Many of you are probably wondering what the D-515 in Honey Amber is. It is the same shape as the D-512's to D-514's, while it is the same size as the 7" Muncie CD 302. A pretty piece of glass.

This experience is something nobody would want to miss. Each of us couldn't believe what we found or saw.

This would never have happened without the cooperation of each of us and the owner of the land and hoe.

We wish you the best of luck in the Insulator field. Thank you. Richard Case, Stillman Valley, Illinois; Sam Dwire and "Bert", Ottawa, Illinois; Larry Veneziano, River Grove, Illinois; Phil Rose, Dalton, Illinois; and Ed Batts, Zionsville, Indiana.

Richard Case