GOLD RUSH ERA SAILING SHIP UNCOVERED
Copyright 2005 www.tombraiderchronicles.com
[ September 6th 2005 ]
Archaeologists
have unearthed the decaying bow of an ancient
Gold Rush-era sailing ship dating back to the
early 1800s. According to Associated
Press, a dig crew unearthed the first portions
of the ship as they carved away dirt to lay the
foundation for a 650-unit condominium development
in San Francisco.
"This
is awesome. Everybody gets excited about this.
It makes digging in all that mud worthwhile,"
said James Allan, an archaeologist with Williams
Self Associates overseeing the removal and cataloguing
of the ship's remains.
In the
1850s, as many as 600 ships were abandoned in
San Francisco's harbour, burned or simply junked
by owners who switched their focus to mining the
rich gold veins in the state's interior, according
to Wolfgang Schubert, who gives historical walking
tours of the San Francisco's waterfront for the
Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
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