I found it!

Or, rather, Ma Nature uncovered it for me.

You may remember that I sighted, on the beach near Pines, Indiana, what I thought might be a capstan from a nearby shipwreck.

Then, when I went to find it again, it was covered up in the sand...
Which led to a whole lot of fun when I set out to find it with a poker and a shovel.

Well, Monday, being as it was above freezing, and had been for a few days (during the day at least) and with an expected high of 40, I got to the beach for a hike...when I got there, the sand and shingle were mostly scoured from the beach...the level was about 4 foot lower than my last time at the beach.

So, I went off in the direction of the "artifact" instead of the other way, as I had planned...... I didn't go to find it, mind you, just to enjoy the beach when it wasn't frozen and under a foot or more of snow and ice (unusual on Jan 2) But since the sand was low.....

2 miles later, I was at the stream. It was low and I could step across on the rocks in the streambed.

And there it was.

Just west of Michigan City, Indiana. Looking east.  

Looking west-ish

Just about exactly (within 5 paces) where I had looked for it last time, only not covered by 3 feet of sand and a foot or more of shingle. It was, honestly exactly in the area I had dug to find it. This time, however, it was above the sand... mostly. the beach was at least 3 feet lower than last time I was there....almost exactly one month ago. .... Such are the vagaries of wind and wave.

It wasn't however, what I thought it was.....

I had originally thought it was a capstan, but it is instead, I think, a 1920's era Delco Light Plant .....I think. Or something similar...(lots of images at that link)...It likely isn't a part of the shipwreck.... (ETA: These WERE apparently used on boats, but not in the era of the nearby shipwreck..so it isn't related to 'Unknown #3")

For scale, the water bottle is 7.75 inches long

 I hadn't brought a shovel, nor a tape measure...I hadn't planned on looking for the thing. I'd only planned on walking the beach for exercise and to relax...I had honestly thought it was buried again forever....

As always, click to embigginate.

Prolly not fixable...

I did take pictures, and I did get a good Lat/Long...
(Latitude: 41° 42' 24.71112''  Longitude: -86° 56' 24.5224'')

Also close by was a riveted well tank.  Also likely from the 30's or 40's. Maybe connected with the light plant, maybe just coincidence.

Glove for scale. Men's large. 

I'm figuring a house fell into the lake at some point due to erosion and these were buried under the sand until now.....who knows how many times these have been covered and uncovered?  Who knows exactly when (or where) they became part of Lake Michigan? What else is buried there or nearby?