The Daily BuzzMessage in newly discovered century-old bottle remains a mystery
A Canadian has found a message in a bottle that was plopped into the ocean nearly 107 years ago, but he still doesn't know what its early twentieth century author had to say.
Steve Thurber from Courtenay was walking at Schooner's Cove in Tofino, B.C. last week when he found a sealed bottle with a message inside, according to Global News. Peeking through the glass he could make out the date, 1906, and a name — Earl Willard, a passenger on the Steamer Rainier travelling from San Francisco to Bellingham, Global reported.
However, Thurber told the Victoria Times-Colonist he doesn't want to open the bottle yet, because he doesn't want to damage the bottle or its contents.
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A bottle sent adrift in 1914 as part of a scientific study on water currents holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest ever found, but if the date on Thurber's bottle is confirmed, it would beat that record.
Lynette Miller, head of collections at the Washington State Historical Society, told Yahoo Shine she has never heard of a message in a bottle older than Thurber's being discovered.
"The odds of finding it are astronomical. Seawater doesn't really damage glass bottles, only discolors them; however, it's surprising that the bottle didn't break, considering how long it spent bumped around on rocks or sand. It's also surprising that the cork didn't disintegrate; however it's possible that the sender applied a sealant to keep it closed."
Messages in bottles have long held notions of mystery. National Geographic, reporting on their history, wrote Queen Elizabeth I appointed an "Uncorker of Ocean Bottles" in the 16th century, to find any secret messages tossed overboard by British soldiers or spies.
