In this case, project manager B. Fritz Von Bargen of Post, Buckley, Schuh and Jernigan Inc. and Dick Gosselin, the county's construction coordinator, decided to contact the Florida State Museum in Gainesville. Museum officials contacted Sligh, who rallied club members for a weekend dig. Saturday, eight club members with shovels, buckets, plaster and trenching tools braved the rain to unearth their find. Early fascination turned to frustration by midday as the group began to realize the magnitude of excavating a 50-foot whale with hand tools. Prince contracting chipped in, donating the use of a backhoe to make afternoon digging easier.
Time is short.
Although the county has temporarily shifted work away from the area of the find, Gosselin said they will be ready to resume in about two weeks. Members of the Florida Fossil Hunters have full-time jobs that keep them from the task during the week, forcing them to pull marathon weekend sessions. The skull, which has been buried for thousands of years was already beginning to crack as it dried. Sligh said the group plans to clean and preserve it as quickly as possible. The dig site is in a secured construction area that is not open to the public.