Hi gang, The Commercial Appeal newspaper (http://www.gomemphis.com) has given me permission to share with you this article about identifying and preserving old steamship wrecks in NE Arkansas (part of Jackson County history.) Please do not forward this article to any other mailing lists without permission. Thanks, Mark Williamson ARJACKSO listkeeper [email protected] ----------------- [Headline] Efforts under way to preserve 19th Century vessels resting beneath Arkansas's White River By Tom Charlier MELLWOOD, Ark. - Once a brief summer shower has passed, Michael Krivor tucks his ponytail into his wet suit, secures his radio-equipped helmet and climbs down an extension ladder into the treacherous realm known to divers as zero-visibility water. Though Krivor can't see where he's going, he certainly knows where he is. On this very spot, below a sharp bend in the White River, an unidentified steamboat foundered and settled onto the muddy bottom 10 to 15 feet down sometime during the 19th Century. The challenge facing experts like Krivor, a maritime archeologist with Panamerican Consultants Inc. in Memphis, is to sift through and examine the debris that's strewn amid sunken trees and swirling currents. The information they gather will help ensure the wreck remains protected from dredging operations and other federal work. Working under a contract with the Corps of Engineers, Panamerican divers have been examining sunken |wrecks in a landmark survey that plumbs the rich maritime history of the White. The vessel they studied recently is one of nearly 60 wrecks documented from Batesville, Ark., to near the river's mouth. "There is an extreme amount of historic resources that have never been inventoried," Krivor said. "There are historic resources all up and down this river - it's amazing." Flowing more than 700 miles from the Ozarks to the Delta, the White long has been a vital transportation and commercial link connecting the Mississippi River with eastern and northern parts of Arkansas. From the arrival of the first steamboat in 1831 until railroads gained pre-eminence later that century, traffic on the river was thick. But with the river untamed and full of countless snags and shoals and with boat construction often flimsy, sinkings were inevitable. Some resulted in extensive loss of life, such as the loss of the Caroline, which killed approximately 45 people in 1854. Civil War battles, skirmishes and accidents sent more vessels to the river bottom. At St. Charles, for example, the Confederates scuttled a gunboat and two transports across the channel in June 1862 in an attempt to block a Union flotilla advancing up the river. In the ensuing battle, nearly 150 men on the federal gunboat Mound City were killed or wounded after a Confederate shell pierced the steam drum. Two years later, Rebel forces captured and burned the Queen City, a tin-clad federal gunboat, at Clarendon. After being set adrift, the vessel exploded and sank. Maritime accidents continued through the remainder of the 19th Century, often involving smaller commercial steamboats that "never were intended to last forever," said Erwin Roemer, archeologist with the corps in Memphis. Over the years, remnants of steamboats occasionally have been exposed by low-water conditions during droughts. But until now, little effort has been made to locate and identify wrecks. "It's always been known that there are a number of steamboat wrecks in the Lower White River," Roemer said. "The sensitivity of these underwater wrecks is just coming into play." Under the National Historic Preservation Act, officials are supposed to avoid or minimize damage to significant resources such as wrecks as they carry out federal projects. That includes dredging. Authorized to maintain a navigation channel along much of the White, the corps regularly dredges shallow areas to keep the river open to barges. The corps also is studying a controversial proposal to deepen and improve portions of the White's navigation channel. That proposal, which environmentalists fear could hurt wetlands along the river, prompted the corps to pursue a survey of wrecks and other cultural and historic resources. "This is just another resource," Roemer said of the sunken vessels. "You've got wetlands, endangered species - plants and animals. This is just one aspect of protecting the environment." Roemer said recent technological advances have made it easier to locate underwater wrecks. Side-scan sonar identifies bumps on the river bottom, and proton magnetometers help pinpoint submerged metal. This month, Panamerican crews have been studying wrecks along a section of the White near and below St. Charles, Ark., more than 100 miles southwest of Memphis. At each site, they verify that a historic wreck is present and map out its precise location relative to the navigation channel so corps dredges can "carefully avoid it," Roemer said. A minimal amount of material is brought to the surface for sampling purposes. Among the sites they've examined is a wreck believed to be the Maurepas, one of the vessels scuttled by the Confederates at St. Charles, Krivor said. Last week, divers explored a relatively small steamboat whose identity and history remain mysteries. As is the case with some other wrecks on the White, parts of this vessel may have been salvaged shortly after the sinking. Still, divers have located the brick "flame bed," which was beneath the boiler, and some planking. "Apparently, we have an intact main deck," Krivor said. Beneath that, the depth of the hull - with some cargo possibly still inside - is about 3 feet. Metal fasteners and rods brought up for examination are consistent with those of 19th Century vessels, he said. "We take measurements on all exposed pieces of the |wreck," Krivor said. "You have to know your ship construction." The job isn't easy. There are sunken trees and other hazards that can snag an air hose. And the current can be strong and swift. "On the channel side, I had to hold onto the wreck to keep from getting washed downstream," said diver Matt Muldorf. Roemer said that on any site where human remains might be present, the corps works with special-interest groups, such as the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and government officials to ensure they are handled appropriately. - Tom Charlier: 529-2572 August 20, 2001 Copyright, 2001, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN. Used here with permission. No additional reproduction or distribution of this article in any form is permitted without the written approval of The Commercial Appeal (http://www.gomemphis.com). -----------------