Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1905-09-14
BURIED MANY YEARS
HULL or ZIG SHIP uNEARThED
IN NEW YORK.
Still Strong Timbers Might Tell Won
derfuI Story Of Romance Of the Long
Ag-1uitt Before Metal Rivsts or
Nails Were Known. ..

Buried twenty feet below the pave
ment In Joralemon street IL the hull
Of big ship that q hundred or one
hundred and fifty years ago must have
been one Of the proudest vessels that
sailed the seas. Her grave was opened
the last week BY men excavating q
shaft for the tunnel under the East
river. It was almost like desecration
70 cut to pieces the sturdy beams and
timbers that lay buried and resting
after many story day at sea, but the
tunnel workmen needed a hole at
that particular. spot, and they were not
greatly disturbed with sentimental
feelings.
The old ship lies on an even keel,
with her bow pointing toward the
Narrows down the bay. The main part
Of the vessel is far beneath the Wood
run Stores, 1T Joralemon and Furman
streets, and only the stern projects
into the street twenty feet below the
surface.
The heavy teak wood timbers
brought to light toll wonderful story
of romance of the long ago. It Is
conflicting story, maybe one moment
they whisper dread tales of piracy and
blood, another moment they talk of
. honest commerce, Of nights Of calm
on Southern moonlit seas. Again they
speak, and there is the boom of guns.
and phantom figures troop before the
mind, figures that were real in the
days of John Paul Jones and other
daring sea fighters, who helped to
free the American colonies from tho
English yoke.
The buried ship must have been
bullt years before the revolution. Per
Aaps it was moored along the shore
of old Brooklyn when George Wash.
inston was fighting on the hills above.
Its construction proves it to be ex-
tsemely old. In fact, it is SO old that
Il suggests centuries more remote than
the early times Of the American col
onies. s4
There is not piece Of metal in the
ship. The timbers are held together
by bolts Of wood There is not q met.
Il rivst or nail to be found. She has
tho stanchness and the build of the old
Viking ships such a. brought the
Mortimer to this country four hum
dred years before Columbus started
out to discover America.
The timbers are strong as iron, even
now. The wooden pins hold them to-
Eether as firmly as the best of steel
rivets. The wood is so hard,that It
dulls the edge Of an az. The tunnel
Workmen found 1t almost impossible
TO cut the beams and ribs in making
room for the shaft that is to be used
for removing refuse from the tunnel
under the river. Part of the timbers
look like teak, others have the ap-
pearance of black oak They are we'll
nigh petrihed.
In length the sunken vessel is appar-
emily about one hundred and twenty
feet, q goodly length for the short and
chunky vessels of olden times. An
estimate of her tonnage gives her $50
tons burden.
The vessel lies with her stern stick
1QB Close u luc lOOt u IuS SSSSp OAuA
rising from Furman street. This bluff
was formerly bathed by the waters
of the bay, but IL, now good distance
back from the water, owing to the
filling in that has been done. The
old ship was probably wrecked at that
rough point along shore, ana left to
lie until she had sunk beyond sight
in the soft mud. When the agents OF
trade and development filed in the
shallow waters below the blun, and
built docks there, the old vessel was
buried perhaps ten feet deeper.
No human remains have been found
near the vessel, although the skull Of
q dog was taken out with some Of the
timbers. The workmen are looking
for more interesting finds as they
drive farther down through the vessel.
Brooklyn Eagle.