how to dig an old burnpit?

[seekandfind]

found some old glass bottles a couple of old toys etc,. what has me baffled is there seems to be both a drain pipe in the center as well as water or gas supply in the ground. also this is an old concrete type box about two foot high eight feet lond and three feet wide. Yes I know it sounds like a grave but as i said ive dug in there already and retrieved burnt items. also their were some old auto/buggy businesses here years ago, kinda strange. well im going to make a sifter box and have at it.hh

 

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[HutSiteDigger]

Well i know quite a bit about digging civil war fire pits/trash pits and such like that.. I have been in some early-mid 20th century trash dumps also but i can't say I have dealt with what you are describing.. I would be careful if you think there is a old gas supply in the ground there but hopefully it is just water, but being a auto business it may be a old gas storage box or something and then over the years they just piled stuff into it or what have you... If you are finding bottles and such then I would think you are on the right track.. photos could help too. good luck !

 

[gerryk]

That sounds like an early cavitet septic system. I thought those were newer type systems but I found out that those types of systems were being used over 50 years ago.

It could also be a form of old oil separation pit that was eventually used as a burn pit.