Old Car Found In Winnipesaukee

[Island Girl]

Congratulations on your successful dive. The artifacts are great.

I find it interesting that both of the deceased man's sisters are married and their last names are Davis. Did they marry brothers?

[Rattlesnake Gal]

What an excellent addition to the lakes history! You must have been so excited to find such a unforgotten treasure in Winnipesaukee. Glad you were so determined to locate it and didn’t give up.
Thank you Senter Cove Guy for sharing this with us. Very cool stuff.

[Just Sold]

Thanks for documenting more of the lakes history. A great story of then and now.
Your dedication to finding the car and the story behind it and then bringing it to everyone here and in the paper last October is really wonderful.

[Grant]

I have to add a little sidebar to the car saga, as there's a forum link.

Senter Cove Guy and I became dive buddies a few years ago when he e-mailed me through the forum. Seems we're sorta Lake neighbors. At the time, he sent me a very detailed letter explaining how he'd been looking for the car for years, and now wanted to dive and locate it, and also included the scan of the Grunter article from 1937.

Well, to make a long story short, we've since enjoyed numerous dives together, from one end of the Lake to the other. But we never dove the car together...for various reasons...not for lack of his desire to get there! (More like high boat traffic in the area, me being convinced that there would be nothing left of the car, etc.) So when he e-mailed me late last August with word that he'd located the car, I was absolutely thrilled. It only seems proper that he should find it -- having invested so much research into the incident.

And thanks to Don for providing the forum that hooked me up with a great local dive buddy who is ALWAYS game for plunge! Looking forward to getting back beneath the surface of the Lake this spring so we can take a look at this "wreck" and some of the rest of the stuff at the bottom. Can May get here any faster?

[Lady Di]

When learning to water ski, I was always afraid of what was under the water.

Mostly I skiied on the big Ossipee. It's pretty shallow. The color of Ossipee is golden. No problem there. But on Broad Bay, where we lived, it was dark and creepy. I guess one gets more timid as one gets older. Now I only like swimming in a pool, where there are no weeds or boats, or bodies.

I am chicken, compared to then.

[Senter Cove Guy]

Originally Posted by Island Girl

I find it interesting that both of the deceased man's sisters are married and their last names are Davis. Did they marry brothers?

I believe the answer is yes they did. I've actually talked with 4 relatives of the deceased man and am sure that fact was mentioned.

When I was interviewed by Roger Amsden of The Weirs Times, I related to him that one of the relatives of the deceased man told me that he was wearing a heavy wool coat which must have weighed him down and prevented him from reaching the surface. However, several days later, another relative indicated that he successfully exited from the underwater car and knocked himself unconscious on underwater ice while trying to reach the surface. This relative also told me that the diver who located the body had to make three dives, at $100 per dive, to find him. That was a lot of money in those days.

I was also told that Mary Sullivan, the passenger in the ill-fated car, had been living in California in recent years but had passed away in the last 2-3 years. The eye-witness that I spoke with also passed away last year.

This is the end of a quest for me and now I'm looking for a new lake adventure. Feel free to email me if you know of other "sunken objects" that might be worth looking for.

[Lady Di]

they were.

I have to protect myself and my son and his new family in Meredith.

[Steve]

Too bad the passenger passed away. As I read the article, I wondered what she would have thought, so many years later, of seeing pictures of the car on the bottom of the lake. Of course, it would have brought back some scary memories, and sad ones, of her companion not making it through the accident.

Thanks for sharing this, my wife and I really found it interesting.

[Senter Cove Guy]

Originally Posted by waukewanderer

The winged spur design of the radiator shell emblem was first used in 1928, and the hub cap design was also from that year. The radiator shell and headlight shapes are consistent with the 1928 Model F28 also, and are much different than the earlier four cylinder models. The only part that doesn't fit is that Oldsmobile only produced a six cylinder in 1928.

I searched the internet this evening looking for a picture of an F28 model and came up with the attached. This picture looks very close. I will dive the car again this spring and will again review the distributor cap to make sure that we didn't miscount the wires the first time.

[Lin]

neat article and photos. I found it very interesting and informative. Really enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing it with us all.

[glennsteely]

I think things on the bottom of the lake are the neatest things and I never heard this one before. I would think that there would be a number of cars on the bottom with everyone driving on the ice......does anyone else know of any? Also, what is this place I hear about called the graveyard? Anyone? Anyone?

[BroadHopper]

The graveyard has nothing to do with junks from human beings. Rather it is a gift from God to keep Moultonboro Bay and beyond from the intimidated. It is between Whortleberry and Chases Island. May be a good place to snorkle as it is shallow but it is mostly sand and rocks. I wonder if anyone in the Forum has a story to tell as to why this area got its name????

[SIKSUKR]

I would think it's from all of the boats that have"died" in there from hitting the numerous rocks that are found in that area. SS

[Grant]

My understanding of "The Graveyard," having grown up in its vicinity, is that it was named as such because of all the rocks sticking up. With the sparring buoys, it's a complete no-brainer to navigate -- I'd say the more hazardoud area is the nearby location of "Bizer Rock," an area that Senter Cove Guy can easily navigate in his boat by site!

[glennsteely]

are there more out there to be found, or found already? I love cars and I love being underwater.....is the graveyard a good fishing hole? no one has to worry, I am a catch and release fisherman now a days.....(except saltwater) please let me know, about the cars, and the fish.......did anyone notice the smallie in the one picture? I love this kind of thing, it will make my first trip up this year a little more interesting. Thanks.

[KTO]

Originally Posted by glennsteely

I love being underwater.....

Ever consider spending more time there?





(By the way, I'm just kidding! )

[glennsteely]

I just love the water, period. My 2 year old can swim already. Fish runs in the family, we havent evolved all the way yet. I will spend as much time as a set of twin 80's will allow, above and beyond that, I dont know......Good jokes, keep them coming!

[Skipper of the Sea Que]

Originally Posted by Grant

My understanding of "The Graveyard," having grown up in its vicinity, is that it was named as such because of all the rocks sticking up. ...

The story I heard about the Graveyard had to do with horses. Long ago, when the lake was a bit lower, that area was a good crossing place for horses. They were usually pack animals and would transport items through that area rather than going around the lake. Most places were rather shallow and the horses didn't have to swim very much. Some of the horses would not complete the trip. Either falling, tripping, hoof caught between rocks, wandering off the "path" or whatever. Anyway, skeletal remains of those horses that didn't make it across could be seen in the water around that area. It looked like a graveyard and hence the name.

Anyone else heard this or shed some light on the Graveyard name?

(almost had my fill of snow for this season )

[Grant]

Al -- Hadn't heard that one, although it certainly seems in keeping with genuine Lake Lore...

That in mind, I want to dive the area around the Graveyard this summer -- the area around Little Huck seems to drop off quite nicely.

We'll see what there is to be found!!

[mcdude]

Senter Cove Guy: What a wonderful job you have done with this thread. The old newspaper account and photo of what the car would have looked like made this story come alive for me. Great stuff, thanks. McD

[Senter Cove Guy]

I've been in contact with a product expert at General Motors Media Archive. He reviewed the pictures of the car and believes that it is a 1930 model, (or possibly a late 1929).

He confirmed that the "winged spur" design on the radiator medallion was used by Oldsmobile from 1929 to 1948. The car had only 1 rear tail light. Two rear tail lights were an option until 1932 when 2 tail lights became standard equipment.

That's probably as close as we'll get with identification.

[Outlaw]

Absolutely fabulous post Senter Cove Guy ! Spectacular write up, articles and photos. I was so captivated while reading the articles. Thank you for this piece !!

[Senter Cove Guy]

I recently found this website which has a 360 degree tour of an actual 1929 Oldsmobile including pictures of the interior. It simply provides another perspective of yesteryear.

[Cobalt 25]

Senter Cove Guy,

Thanks for sharing a great story. I admire your perseverance!

Now that you've done all the work, are you comfortable sharing the location so that others may see it? I haven't been motivated to dive for a while, but this automobile has certainly provided some inspiration.

I would understand completely if you were not interested in sharing the location. Some things are better left undisturbed.

Peter

[Senter Cove Guy]

Originally Posted by waukewanderer

I'd like to read more about your Lake diving finds. It gives a perspective on the Lake that most of us will never experience. What's it like down there? Can you dive in the Broads, or is it too dangerous? Have you or your fellow divers ever found any Indian artifacts on the lake bottom? Have you ever dived in Waukewan?

Diving for me is a very calming experience. I love it down there. It's pretty quiet except for the sound of your bubbles. There's a lot of muck, sand, leaves, rocks and fish. And yes, there's wrecks, artifacts and treasures. Winnipesaukee Divers is the master of finding treasures. Search the Forum archives for some of his stories. Grant likes to search for old bottles. A really old bottle can be worth some cash.

Even in mid-summer, the water at 60 feet deep is cold. Gloves and a hood are a must. The visibility in Winnipesaukee last summer was not very good, 7 - 10 feet around the car in 29 feet of water. A little better in deeper water although the sunlight disappears quickly as you descend. Your dive buddy's facial skin takes on a gray and ghoulish look.

To my knowledge there's nothing dangerous in The Broads but nobody dives there because it's so deep and not much to see even if you could see it.

Hope that gives you a little perspective of what it's like down there.

I've never dived in Waukewan but perhaps I will someday.

I'm looking forward to doing some wreck diving in the St. Lawrence River this summer with the folks from Dive Winnipesaukee.