Ballard's Lost City Project

Here's a REALLY neat series of links. My company recently assisted in the data communications work for the Ballard Lost City Project at the University of Rhode Island. Dr. Robert D. Ballard is Director of the Institute for Archaeological Oceanography at URI's Graduate School of Oceanography, and is the man who discovered the Titanic.
This summer he is running a project in the middle of the Atlantic to study thermal vents at the ocean's floor. Live video is being sent back for the project's duration, which runs from July 24 to Aug 2nd. Follow any of these links to see some really incredible footage, sent live from the bottom of the Atlantic into space and then across the internet to you:

http://lostcity.jason.org/

http://www.immersionpresents.org/

Here is a description of the project from the Jason website:

The scientists and researchers will study the Lost City hydrothermal field (LCHF) and surrounding region using the NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown and the Institute for Exploration’s remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) Argus and Hercules. This program brings together the excitement of investigating a submarine hot spring system like no other yet seen within the world’s oceans, and new technology that allows shore-based scientists nearly 5,000 miles away to conduct “seagoing” research in real-time via the underwater robotic systems and satellite transmissions. The ROVs are supported by a state-of-the-art shipboard control system and ship-to-shore satellite telecommunication system that will send live video, audio, and scientific data to shore-based command centers that will be used by geologists, chemists and biologists associated with the expedition. Through live transmission, this expedition will bring never-before-seen views of this remarkable submarine ecosystem to researchers, educators, and the public.

A Cotuit Treasure Hunt

I went kayaking this weekend for the first time this season. Some friends invited me out to Sampson's Island, also known as Dead Neck, in Cotuit. I took two of my sons and we met up with our guides in the small but affluent cape village. It was a very beautiful day, aside from a fairly strong wind coming in from the north. I was intrigued by the island, which is a long, sandbar-like mass which shelters Oyster Harbor from Vineyard Sound. Today the island is a bird sanctuary, and at times it has areas roped off to protect the piping plovers who nest there. The island was inhabited at one point in its colonial history by Hannah Screecham, an old woman said to be a witch. Hannah purportedly consorted with pirates who would visit the place, and is rumored to have hidden treasure for William Kidd and Blackbeard. One Kidd legend says that she was killed and buried with the treasure and today haunts those who come looking for it.

We came looking with a JW Fishers Pulse 8x metal detector, but it didn't take old Hannah to convince us that hunting for fiddler crabs (which infest the place) and horseshoe crabs would be more fruitful- and fun. In our exploration we met up with a local artist who knew one of our guides. In the ensuing conversation it turns out that the artist went to school with Barry Clifford, the treasure hunter who discovered the sunken pirate wreck Whydah off of Wellfleet. We got the inside scoop on Clifford's youthful days. It sounded like he may have a bit of pirate blood in him, as well.

With no treasure to show we turned around and headed back. The wind had picked up considerably and I struggled to keep on course. Midway back I realized that I would have to steer nearly head-on into the wind. By keeping the bow angled just slightly to the northwest I was able to let the combination of the wind and tide ferry us west, across to the public access beach where we put in. The water was warm and it was refreshing to get out and pull my two passengers across one stubborn sandbar. I hated to get back in and go back to paddling against the wind, but my crew was getting anxious and there really was no choice. We made it back safe and sound, a little wiser about the ways of fiddler crabs and a little sore in the shoulder. It was a great little adventure, though, and I look forward to going back sometime.

The Hannah Screecham legend sounds interesting, and worthy of more study. The Kidd connection is certainly incorrect, even without the fantastic ghost story. Most old tales do have a grain of truth in them, however, and I'm eager to learn more. There is a short publication on Hannah at the Cotuit Library, which I may try to get a hold of. If I do, I'll publish more details regarding the witch of Dead Neck and the tales of pirate treasure that surround her. In the meantime, if anyone out there knows more about the story I would love to hear from you.

Iootash!

I went to the library today to pick up a book on the Corte-Real's and their early exploration of North America, when I discovered that the library was closed on Saturdays. I had three of the kids with me, and they wanted to do something special, so we took a drive to the Royal Wampanoag Cemetery. I had driven past it before, but never stopped to visit.

We stopped the car and got out. It's a nice area, with a lakeside view. I knew that some of the headstones would bear no engravings, but did not realize that none of them had any markings. In fact, most of them were just stones, anywhere from six inches around to the size of a basketball. A few were more european, upright headstones, but still there was no mark upon them.

You might not realize that it was a cemetery at all, save for the sign by the roadside and the signs that others came here to keep the place sacred. Around each marker, whatever the size, were placed small white stones, pinecones, handmade items of a significance that was lost on me, and feathers. My children are part Wampanoag, or so the family history goes, so I explained the meaning of the place and they decided to pay their respects with pinecones. It made them happy, and it made me happy, and we were respectful of the place.

I try to keep them aware of their tie to the Wampanoag culture. Last Thanksgiving we went to Plymouth in the morning to find something to do before dinner. It was raining off and on, but when we got there the weather wasn't too bad. The Wampanoags had a tent setup to celebrate the signing of the first peace treaty (as opposed to celebrating Thanksgiving, a dubious holiday at best, in their eyes) with the Europeans. It was also meant to educate people as to their culture and their stance on Thanksgiving. We walked over and were welcomed warmly. As we walked through the tent some of the kids told me they were thirsty, and a squaw overheard and invited us all to have cranberry juice together. It was very kind, and the kids really enjoyed the whole experience.

So, later this afternoon we took another ride. This time we went over to Anawan Rock. It's on the side of Rte 44 in Rehoboth. It marks the location where Chief Anawan, the presiding Chief of the Wampanoags after Philip's death in the war of 1676, was finally captured by Benjamin Church and his men. It consists of a large, sedimentary conglomerate stone hill with a cliff on one side. Anawan had built his camp under the shelter of the cliff. Church and his men snuck up the hill and looked down the small drop on Anawan's camp and what remained of the Wampanoag warriors. The surrender was quick and sorrowful. Almost all of the tribe that were left were taken and either killed or sold into slavery, although some "praying Indians" remained in reservation areas. The war took a huge toll on the early settlers of New England, but it ultimately all but wiped out the Wampanoag tribe.

Today, legend states that visitors to the area may witness wisps of smoke rising up from the swamp, representing the long extinguished fires of Anawan's braves. Moreover, it is said that you may hear cries of "Iootash!" in the distance, which is the Wampanoag phrase for "stand and fight!". We neither saw the smoke nor heard the cries, this time, though it was not for lack of trying. If you have an interest in hearing the language, which is all but forgotten now, visit the online American Philosophical Library. There is a recording of a Wampanoag version of The Lord's Prayer, spoken by Chief Wild Horse at Betty's Neck in 1961. It is a dialect of Algonquin, and the recording is both interesting and beautiful to hear. Still, I would have rather heard an "Iootash!".

RMS Republic - Exclusive Salvage Rights!

This news broke last week. The RMS Republic sunk roughly 50 miles south of Nantucket and is rumored to have been carrying a shipment of newly minted American Gold Eagle coins valued in today's market at between $400 million and $1.6 billion, as well as a $265,000 U.S. Navy payroll that was intended to be delivered to the Atlantic Fleet at Gibraltar. Exclusive salvage rights have just been granted to Martin Bearle, formerly of Martha's Vineyard, who originally found the wreck in about 250 feet of water back in 1981. For more details, read the AP article quoted below in Boston.com News:

Judge grants treasure hunter right to salvage sunken ship
By Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press Writer | July 8, 2005

BOSTON --Martin Bayerle sets sail from Long Island next week to resume his quest for sunken treasure, driven by rumors that a cache of gold coins was aboard the RMS Republic luxury liner when it sank in the North Atlantic nearly a century ago.

When he returns to the Republic's wreckage this time, Bayerle will have a court order that gives him the exclusive rights to salvage the ship through 2008.

On Friday, a federal judge in Boston issued a preliminary injunction that bars anyone from interfering with Bayerle's efforts to recover a cache of gold from the wreckage of the RMS Republic, which sank 50 miles south of Nantucket in January 1909.

Bayerle has found hundreds of artifacts in the wreckage, but he is still looking for the elusive coins. Bayerle said there are persistent rumors that the ship was carrying a five-ton shipment of gold coins that would have had a face value of $3 million in 1909.

"That has never been proven, but there is a lot of circumstantial evidence to suggest the cargo is on board the wreck," said Bayerle's attorney, Timothy Barrow.

Barrow said the coins, if they are there, could be worth at least $400 million, or more than $1.6 billion if they are in good condition.

Bayerle, formerly of Martha's Vineyard, is scheduled to leave New York on Tuesday to resume his salvage operation. However, he acknowledges it could be several years before he reaches the part of the wreck where he believes the coins are located.

"We have identified the target areas," he said. "Now we need to get to the target areas."

Best of luck to Mr. Bayerle and his crew!