Progress in recording the Padgett vessel has quickened pace and the end is nearly at hand. With only a few sections left to record it seemed reasonable to assume completion could be enjoyed today, leaving Friday as a ‘loose ends’ and clean-up day. Alas, these hopes were not realized. A small bit of one section (20-30 Starboard) needs to be completed as well as a mid-ship cross-section.

Today’s tasks were straightforward and work began immediately upon arrival. Everyone was to complete their sections that were started yesterday. I resumed working on the bow cross-section and profile. The sediment had settled from yesterday’s dredging and a much clearer view of the bow’s assembly was evident. In order to achieve access I dredged completely under a small portion of the keel and stem, taking care to maintain structural support. While digging so deep in the sediment some stratigraphy layers became evident. Corresponding almost exactly with the depth of the keel the sediment changed from fine sand to a mixture of detritus consisting of decayed organic matter such as leafs and twigs. At first glace this suggests that the vessels bow may have originally been on the shore. This makes sense considering that the present shoreline is only about 20 yards away, which is not an unreasonable amount of shoreline alteration to take place on a river in a 100 year or so time frame. At the very least this provides an interesting avenue for further investigation and possible interpretations about the abandonment and its relation the landscape.

After completing the details in the bow section I began work on the final section remaining at 20-30 feet on the starboard side since it was still almost entirely covered with sediment. While I began dredging this section the others completed mapping their units. Calvin Mires worked on a detailed documentation of the centerboard trunk, recording profile views from the port and starboard side. By the end of the day the vessel had been almost entirely recorded. A large portion of the 20-30’ starboard section remains as well as the cross-section in the center as well as a more detailed plan-view of the centerboard trunk. Only one more day in glorious Pamlico River… I look forward to saving money on q-tips.

 

For more information you can visit the ECU website at:
http://www.ecu.edu/maritime/index.htm

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Last updated 2 Oct 2006