Pirates find?

[Chagy]

I found this spike and plate in a place where many battles tuck place between pirates and Spaniards and pirates and English......many people think it is a railroad spike, but in this site there has never been a railroad......

I was looking for an old pirates fort in this site........

attached you will also see a pic of a spike identical to mine found by Tom Gidus from the 1715 fleet........I also found a 1712 "piece of 8" dated 1712 on the site, thats how I know it is from the same time period.....

Best,

Chagy......

 

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[AndyR1961]

Hi Chagy I would think the piece of 8 would certinly make the spike a strong contender, well done matey.
All the best
Andy

 

[Chagy]

Although the spikes are similar in appearance, Tom’s spike has a 45-degree cut-off tip, whereas the spike you are holding has a wedged tip. The wedged tip spike, commonly used for railroad work, is a byproduct of modern times.

Tom also notes this about the picture of his posted: “Copper, iron and bronze spikes recovered from 19th, 18th and 17th century shipwrecks along Florida’s east coast.” He does not specify the spike similar to yours was off the 1715 Plate Fleet.

Similar in appearance…but, not the same.

HH, Jim

You might be right.....I am no expert in spikes....but this is the thing, there are no railroads in this place....from what time period do you think it is?

Best,

Chagy........

 

[fldiver]

That looks like a tie plate with the spike. Now I have seen RR spikes and tie plates used to tie big beams together in old structures. It wasn't common practice and could be totally unrelated to the fort, like a later structure or patch but remember that people would have used whatever they could get their hands on in certain situations.

 

[rgecy]

Chagy,

I would have to agree with fldiver. It looks to be a railroad tie plate and spike. In my other hobby, I am a railroad enthusiast. The one thing I can say is that it is fairly old. The amount of deterioration would suggest at least 50-60+ years (or more). The railroads boomed during the first part of the 20th century but started to see a decline in the 1940s. Tracks were removed or abandoned and of course now built over.

I am very certain this is what you have found. How or why it is there may be another story.

Good Luck,

Robert in SC

 

[chong2]

the large one is from modern RR lines from my area, the thin ones are originals from the 1890's from my area

 

[Chagy]

Does this kind of railroad use the tie plates that I posted? Because this is the only railroad in this country it has been there since the 1890s....but the plate was found in an Island kinda far from the mainland.......

Best,

Chagy....

 

[rgecy]

Yep! Very possibly. That looks to be a narrow gage and the tie plates would be a little smaller like the one you have.

Robert in SC

 

[Trez]

Chagy,
You should post the 1712 coin...under the Spanish cob forum.
It may be of either some interest or help to some.
It may help to further your ID of the site....
Just a thought......

PS> R&R spikes have been found along the 1715 wrecksites...many years ago the oceans along the treasure coast were used to dump R&R used parts. R&R axle's, iron track, etc...I would suspect spikes were included in those dumps.
Also...some of these smaller "islands" were actually dump sites...spoils, with a variety of items found on them that one would never think should be there...

Trez