The Chinese Connection/Echo Park Mudslide

I really had the fever after finding that pharmacy bottle. I returned to Chinatown on two occasions after the score at the Wall.
On the first excursion I began my hunt at the Wall to see if there was any new erosion or anything missed. After a good probe,scope, and nothing, I headed east up the boulevard following similar looking sections of wall. I was feeling kind of Ninja-like cruising along with my three-pronged garden claw in one hand a framing hammer in the other. That coupled with all the Asian energy had me giglin' away.
About two blocks up there was a break in the wall which turned out to be a side street heading up hill. To my surprise, each side of the street was rimmed with eroding mini-bluffs. COOL!!
I made my way up the sidewalk scanning up and down until I came across an area 7 feet up showing signs of glass. There were little shards and plate rims peeking out of the sand. I alternated digging between "The Claw" and the hammer and crazy broken plates, mason jars, bottles and crock pieces came pouring out.
It was a strange mixture of stuff. There were some things from the 40's as well as turn of the century. All the dishes were China/Ironstone. Go figure!! Everything was cracked or broken until a base embossed olive oil bottle popped out.

AKERMAN & TUFFLEY
OLD MISSION BRAND OLIVE OIL
ABSOLUTELY PURE
NORTH SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA (on base)

I dug for a bit after that, then lined stuff up for pictures, and headed home.

My second attempt was much fun. Other than things being washed by rain the scene was undisturbed. I dug for sec and looked down and noticed an intact BIM bottle lying on the side of the pile that had come out of the pocket. It must have fallen with other shards and went unnoticed. Cool!!

DOCT MARSHALL'S SNUFF
(thick glass)

I commenced digging and out popped two marbles. A nice clay-ee and a warped, clear glass marble. I was thinking maybe it was in a Codd bottle, but didn't see any other remnants of one. There was also a nice heavy/rusty mouthpiece to a trumpet or trombone or something. A BIM unembossed medicine was next to add to the keeper pile.
A few more minutes clawing away and a glass rectangle with embossing came into view. I pried it out intact.

               SPERM
SEWING MACHINE OIL
(what were they thinkin'?)

I called it quits after that.
I cut up Sunset Blvd. trying to avoid the mad traffic on the 101 and 110 freakshow. I made a left to slide (no pun intended)  past Echo Park when I noticed a bunch of barricades clumped around some mudslide action. I again tried to scope the exposed ground as I went by. I could see one bottle lying in the debris. Of course I flipped around and drove to the neighborhood up above the slope. After parking, I took the big stairwell down to the street level again. I spotted the bottle I'd seen from the road and it was an old, cracked, opalized milk. It had no embossing either so I let it be. I could see hunks of opalized glass all up and down this section. The slope looked as if a chunk of earth/overhang broke loose and slid down leaving a trail of old bottle debris along the way. You know me, I was soon traversing the steep slope to the origin looking for a pocket. Bing!!  A nice little Sanford's ink partially buried at the top. There was also a paste bottle?? I think.. and a couple random ceramic doll pieces. I haven't researched here but seems there was a school maybe.  I dug for a bit more and she went dry so I made like a tree and got out of there!

 

TIL THE NEXT TIME!
PATRICK