I am a certified SCUBA diver who has made quite a few dives in Lake
Michigan off Chicago.  It is indeed impressive how well preserved wooden
and metal artifacts are in these cold, salt-free waters.  Where else can
you see a walking-beam side-wheel steam engine whose bolts look as if you
could break them loose given a big enough wrench?

When I saw last week's post, yes, I concluded that a player piano dumped
in the Lake would probably still be recognizable, and with great care you
could probably answer questions as to what type of tracking device was
used, size of bellows, etc.  And even Elmer's-glued joints would be loose
by now :-)

You might even salvage a tracker bar in usable condition.  Other than
that, all you would get would be information useful in reconstructing or
restoring a land-based instrument of the same model.

I've yet to hear any divers or dive-boat skippers mention piles of "junk"
underwater or anything other than shipwrecks, but I'll keep my ears open.

Mike Knudsen