1700's Ship Found at WTC Site

[GarrAarghHrumph]

This is too cool for words - an 18th c ship was found today during excavations on the World Trade Center site:

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/20..._interstitial/

[milanessa]

I saw this on the news this morning. Very cool.

[Jenny]

Here's another link as the one above didn't work for me - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38254110/ns/us_news/

I wonder why it wasn't found when they build the WTC.

[Really]

Here's another link as the one above didn't work for me - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38254110/ns/us_news/

I wonder why it wasn't found when they build the WTC.

It said in one of the articles that particular area wasn't excavated when the original was built.

[HisWeirness]

Here's a great article about the Viele Map, which shows the original and filled-in topography of Manhattan.

And a link to a large version of the map.

[MOIJTO]

I just read this...how cool is that! More history of the US and my favorite era the 18th century!

[Gazpacho]

Very cool! I wonder why they can't halt construction until the ship has been excavated, however. Surely they could work on another part of the new building during the excavation, right?

[HisWeirness]

Very cool! I wonder why they can't halt construction until the ship has been excavated, however.

It's probably an issue of and related construction delays. Construction schedules are complex and dependent upon other steps being completed within the allotted timeframe. Contractors get bonuses for finishing work ahead of schedule and penalties for late completion in some contracts.

[GarrAarghHrumph]

Very cool! I wonder why they can't halt construction until the ship has been excavated, however. Surely they could work on another part of the new building during the excavation, right?

It doesn't seem to matter if they stop construction or not. The archaeologists said that as soon as the ship was exposed to air, it began to degrade extremely quickly. There's little, if any, time - it's been protected by the gloopy mud for 200+ years, and now that it's up in the air, it's already going. They said that they were glad that it was raining yesterday - the sun would have made it degrade even more quickly, and the rain and clouds gave them a bit more time to document it. They've been rushing around the thing and measuring it, documenting it as it basically dissolves. They hope to retrieve it, or what they can of it, by end of day today. They think they won't be able to get any large portions of it out intact, but they're trying.

[Gazpacho]

It doesn't seem to matter if they stop construction or not. The archaeologists said that as soon as the ship was exposed to air, it began to degrade extremely quickly. There's little, if any, time - it's been protected by the gloopy mud for 200+ years, and now that it's up in the air, it's already going. They said that they were glad that it was raining yesterday - the sun would have made it degrade even more quickly, and the rain and clouds gave them a bit more time to document it. They've been rushing around the thing and measuring it, documenting it as it basically dissolves. They hope to retrieve it, or what they can of it, by end of day today. They think they won't be able to get any large portions of it out intact, but they're trying.

I have absolutely no knowledge of archaeology, but isn't there something they could put over the ship, such as a big plastic cover, to protect it from the sun?

[Aussie Willy]

Very interesting - thanks for posting

[rfisher]

I have absolutely no knowledge of archaeology, but isn't there something they could put over the ship, such as a big plastic cover, to protect it from the sun?

No. When you find organics you have to put them back in the same condition that preserved them, such as water or mud. The oxidation process begins as soon as the organic material hits the air. That's impossible with a ship. They'll take measurements and photos and try to retrieve key elements that help identify use, age, etc., such as nails and joints.

This is one reason why we don't excavate things unless we have to. It's better to leave artifacts in place and let them be preserved.