A forensic look at this intact wreck tells us even more. This ship sank suddenly, probably in a winter storm. Fresh water, driven by the wind, will quickly ice up decks, rigging and masts, weighing down a vessel. The position of the gaffs, boom and mast hoops suggests that the schooner was scudding along the lake on a storm-tossed crossing with very little sail set—“close reefed” in sailor parlance — and perhaps, in a gale or a snowstorm, with very little visibility. The location of the wreck, very close to shore, but turned away from it, suggests that the crew suddenly realized that they were driving onto shore. Not surprisingly, the rudder is angled sharply to starboard, literally stopped in time in the middle of an incomplete turn. Experienced mariners would turn about and head back out to deeper water, perhaps to drop anchor and ride out the storm. The anchors do look as if the crew was in the midst of trying to drop them when the ship sank. The davits for the ship’s boat are empty at the stern, indicating the boat may have been launched; but, in heavy seas, it was probably carried away. Then schooner slipped beneath the waves, leaving the sailors suddenly alone in the cold dark water, struggling until their thick clothing and heavy boots pulled them under.
We don’t know the name of this ship or when she sank. Perhaps, based on our discoveries, researchers will ultimately learn what it is we found and perhaps just what happened. This wreck and its story will not rewrite history or enlarge our understanding of the past, but they serve to remind us that when we go into tombs, dig in the ground or dive into the sea, what we are really seeking is a connection to everyday people whose experiences and lives make up the rich fabric of history. That’s why we keep on exploring.
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ARTICLES
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My dad taught me about life and how to value people for who they are, not what they are.
Lynn Vermillion, the librarian at the California History Room at the San Jose Public Library, showed me the way to books and files from the first afternoon I asked my father to drop me off at the downtown library.
Constance “Connie” Perham, founder and curator of the New Almaden Museum, took me in as a fifty-cent-per-hour assistant at age fourteen and taught me that collecting the past meant nothing unless you could share it with others and make it relevant and exciting for them.
Ted Hinckley convinced my parents to send their precocious child not to the local community college but to university.
Tom Mulhern and Gordon Chappell of the Western Regional Office of the National Park Service, with help from Roger Kelly and Robert Cox, taught me about nominating historical resources to the National Register of Historic Places and about cultural resources management.
Allen Pastron let me join his crew at the bottom of a deep pit that had just reached the top of the hull of William Gray. That dig in 1979 lured me with the siren song of the sea, and the drama of a lost and buried ship now fills my archeologist’s soul. My work with Allen continues and remains my touchstone.
Doug Nadeau, Golden Gate National Recreation Area’s first chief of the Division of Resource Management and Planning, was the best boss that I’ve ever had the privilege to work for.
No-nonsense master diver Lawrence “Dutch” Bowen often said while training me, “There are bold divers, and there are old divers. There are no old bold divers.” Through the years, whenever I make some mistake underwater and nearly kill myself, Dutch’s basic training comes back to mind to save the day.
Dan Lenihan and Larry Murphy of the National Park Service’s Submerged Resources Center Unit taught me how to dive wrecks and how to “do” underwater archeology. Their philosophical discussions over the role of anthropology in underwater and maritime archeology, as well as a strong preservationist approach to saving wrecks from the ravages of treasure hunters, also formed a solid core in my education.
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