Sure enough, it's a metal bar. Archaeologists removed another couple of buckets full of sediment from the hole in the submarine's starboard stern and Dr. Scott Harris, a scientist from Coastal Carolina checked out the layers of silt inside to see if it told anything about how long it took the submarine to sink into the sea bed. Dr. Bob Neyland, the project manager, said that after all this time, it's exciting to now be getting a first glimpse of the inside of the submarine that has held its secrets for 137 years. Looking in here raises questions about its construction. Right now, the interior excavation is confined to the aftmost compartment of the sub.
Scientists expect to have all the sediment out of that area within the week.
Then they will use fiber optics to take a peek forward. That should help them determine if they are in the rear ballast tank. With part of the rear hole in the sub cleaned out, scientists can see the shaft that turned the propeller and another one mounted along the top of the submarine that, somehow, controlled the rudder. That bar, which could contain smaller rods inside, is about four inches wide. No sightings, yet, of rivets or anything else that might supply a hint of how the Hunley was built.