One might not believe finding buried treasure is likely in this day an age, especially in a place like Clarkston.
Burt Fangel of Springfield Township knows better though, because he has found plenty over the years ? and not where you might expect.
Fangel, 75, spent most of his free time for over three decades searching the bodies of water around the Clarkston community looking for whatever he could find. During that time, he saw the technology of the sport change dramatically, but his passion remained the same.
‘Scuba diving is really a nice sport if you’re comfortable being underwater, and I never had any problem until I got older,? Fangel said, who added that he has not been diving in nearly 12 years.
Even though he knows he can no longer dive, Fangel said he has not been able to bring himself to sell his equipment.
Fangel also keeps a photograph of himself in his old gear on his desk at work, saying he looks at it whenever he needs a boost. Without fail, Fangel says the fond memories come back to him every time, reminding him of his many experiences under the water and the history he discovered there.
Fangel said he spent time under the surface of every body of water in the Clarkston area, and think people would be amazed at what can still be found down there today.
‘People say there’s no fish in those lakes? there’s fish in those lakes,? Fangel said with the certainty of someone who has seen them with his own eyes.
Scuba diving has taken Fangel on many adventures. He has explored the dark waters of the oceans. He marveled at the beauty of sea creature that moved around him without regard, and stayed away from dark waters thinking, ‘I wonder what is big and hungry down there.?
He narrowly avoided being hit by speeding boats and once ran out of air while 40 feet underwater. He explored shipwrecks in the Great Lakes and fought against strong currents by crawling on the seas floor with the help of a knife.
But Fangel’s journeys have also made him a treasure hunter, albeit unintentionally.
Fangel has made a multitude of trips through more local, smaller bodies of water. Though many things have to be sought out through the heavy layers of silt, Fangel said he found artifacts going back more than 100 years in some of the small bodies of water in the Clarkston area.
‘I’ve got a good selection of milk bottles over the years,? Fangel said, remarking that the bottles are handmade and several bare embossed text that is still legible.
Seeing the history in the objects he collected, Fangel recently donated several of the handmade bottles he found at the bottom of the Millpond to the Clarkston Historical Society. The bottles will soon be on display.
‘I think the most interesting bottle I gave them was a beer bottle that says ‘no drugs or poisons added,?? laughed Fangle.
During his time at the bottom of the Millpond he has also found bottles for shoe polish and a baptismal bottle.
‘It’s kind of a strange place to dive,? said Fangle describing the 65-70 feet deep Millpond. ‘If you go down about 15 feet, maybe 20, then all of sudden you run into this layer of silt? maybe eight or 10 feet deep. When you come out of that you’re in the bottom. You can’t see anything. It’s so dark, you got to have a light and when you turn on your light, it’s perfectly clear? just like the ocean would be.?
Finding sewing machines and old refrigerators might not be everyone’s idea of treasure hunting, but that is not all Fangel has found. On one exploration, Fangel said he discovered a complete wooden buggy at the bottom of the lake.
‘They probably didn’t have dumps, lakes were the dumps then. I think they just took them out there and let them sit on the ice, and when the ice melted they just disappeared,? Fangel said, thinking back to the era when his discoveries were first created and used by the residents of Clarkston.
In his 30-plus years of experience, Fangel figures he has spent more than a month of life underwater. The seas became like a second home, but eventually things changed.
‘The last time that I went ? I had never been afraid of the water and I had done some really stupid things in the water too ? I just didn’t feel comfortable anymore,? Fangel said. ‘It was kind of gnawing at me. The body wasn’t bending like it was supposed to and I got tangled up in my line? maybe it’s trying to tell me something. I’d rather go out knowing I enjoyed it all those years, and that’s what I did.?
Fangel said he may make one more trip under the water one day, if only part of a large group on an ocean cruise ship. However, he joked that depends on if his wife Phyllis can convince him. The couple has been married for 51 years and have three children ? Kevin, Kristie, and Kim ? all of whom are certified scuba divers.