Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1883-05-17
VERY ANCIENT.



don an ancient vessel which had been
dug up at Malham, a short distance
from the present navigable river Of
the Rother, at the west end Of the Isle
of Oxney, and about two miles from
Rolverden and New Enden, the site OF
the ancient city Of Anderida- The
spot where this old vessel was found
was an old branch of the Rother, Kent
county, the channel of which was di-
verted by high winds in the reign of
Edward ], and therefore il is thought
this vessel was buried at the time Of
that disaster. Others have supposed
her to have one of the feet abandoned
by the Danes after their defeat by Al
fred the Great.
The vessel was sixty-three feet eight
inches long and fifteen feet broad, and
when discovered her upper part was
buried ten feet, TO which add nine feet
her hight from bottom to top, and
you have an accumulation of nineteen
feet Of sand and mud upon theriver
since she was stranded. She was single
masted, round-sterned, flat-foored and
without keel. There were two cabins
in her stern, the after one decked over,
with hatchway for entrance; the
other, adjoining it, was covered with
caboose, which fell in on being ex-
posed and the sand taken from under
it. There was also a short deck for
ward with an inclosure beneath it, but
the midship part was entirely open.
Her bulwarks and washboards mani
tested she had been sea vessel. Her
beams, which were much stronger than
would be required for vessel for in
land navigation, prove that our fore
fathers knew how to apportion a due
strength to the stress upon timber, her
timbers being three times as deep as
broad. Her timbers and plank were
remarkably sound and hard, and in
many parts quite black. She was
calked with moss. The method of
steering her was quite singular. She
had rubber bands which yoked the
rudder, and by an alternate motion of
the ropes, which were fastened to the
back of the rudder, it was made to re-
volve on the pinions as center of mo-
tion, the breadth of the rudder being
the leverage.
The rudder was broad, and hence
the vessel easier to steer. BY this it
would seem that in her time the tiller
had not been invented. There was a
curious windlass on the after-deck.
which showed they had not much idea
of getting rid of friction, and at her
forepart there had evidently been an
other fixed from side to side Her
planks were very broad and of close,
hard texture, and thought by some to
be oak, by others chestnut. The wreck
of a small boat was discovered near the
stern of the vessel, but her iron fasten-
ings being in very corrOded state, she
could only be removed piecemeal; be-
tween the edges of plank were layers
of hair.
In the vessel were found a large
flint and STEEL which, though very
much worn, still elected sparks; part
of the blade of sword, with hollow
ball or hilt of yellow metal attached to
it four vases several bricks of red
and yellow color ; the corroded remains
of two locks, etc. In the cabin, or
cook-room, was found a leathern ink
bottle, curiously ma rked, but similar.
in shape to those still used by school
boys; part of brass cock sounding
lead several shoes and sandals of GU
rious shape; several bricks and frag-
ments of tiles bound together with
iron; small glass bottle small
milestone several hooks an oak board,
eighteen inches long and twelve broad,
with curious lines cut in it /; and cir
cular wooden board, of oak, perforated
with about twenty-eight holes, which
was most probably a calendar by
which the progress of the lunar month
was marked. Of mortal remains there
were a mans skull, the hip-bones,
ribs, and other parts Of the
skeleton of an adult, part of
the skeleton of a child, parts of the
skeleton Of dog, supposed to be a
greyhound, parts of two skulls, with
the horns of sheep or goats, the breast
bone of a goose, and several bones of
larger animals. .-Re0r-Admirol George
III DrobIo