Past issues
Feeds
The Paper in print
Twitter
Facebook
Contact
Email updates Twitter Facebook RSS Feeds
The Gowanus Canal is filthy — filthy with a rare archeological trove, that is.
Environmental Protection Agency sonar readings have revealed several sunken vessels — including the 60-foot -long hull of a wooden vessel near Fifth Street that may date back to its glory days as an industrial highway of the 19th century.
“It looks like it might have been a working boat,” said archeologist John Vetter who found the craft.
He’s a scientist, so he conservatively suggested that the boat was at least 50 years old, but it is likely far older.
Sonar images also show the hull of a 126-foot-long barge, a 110-foot-long barge, a small boat, debris, tires, and a “mysterious U-shaped object between the Union and Carroll Street bridges,” according to EPA documents.
No human remains have yet to be discovered.
“We don’t think that’s too likely, but we’re not in a position to rule that out,” Vetter said.
The wrecks didn’t astonish those brave enough to dive in the canal — they’ve seen it all before.
“We were more surprised by the microbiology findings,” said Ludger Balan, founder of the Urban Divers Estuary Conservancy, referring to a 2007 study that found an array of sexually transmitted disease germs living in the fetid corpse of water.
It is likely most of the items in the beleaguered canal, named a Superfund site last year, will simply be junk.
If something of historical significance is discovered, it will be preserved, as federal law forbids the agency from destroying anything of archeological value.
In the upcoming months, Vetter will be performing a more detailed analysis of the sonar data, determining how and whether the canal’s 11-year, $500 million cleanup will affect items or areas of historic value.
©2011 Community Newspaper Group
By submitting this comment, you agree to the following terms:
You agree that you, and not BrooklynPaper.com or its affiliates, are fully responsible for the content that you post. You agree not to post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening or sexually-oriented material or any material that may violate applicable law; doing so may lead to the removal of your post and to your being permanently banned from posting to the site. You grant to BrooklynPaper.com the royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual and fully sublicensable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform and display such content in whole or in part world-wide and to incorporate it in other works in any form, media or technology now known or later developed.
Enlarge this image
Print this story
Digg this
Del.icio.us