News Journal reporter Molly Murray, a Lewes resident, has two follow-up articles in the December 13 edition of the News Journal on the mass of 17th century European artifacts dredged from the Delaware Bay floor and spewed onto Lewes Beach this fall.
In one -- Beach artifacts boost preservation -- Molly explores the mistakes that appear to have led to a dredge ripping through the site. In another -- Discovery excites, intrigues experts -- she looks into the level of excitement and interest this discovery has generated.
These are two important sides to the story. I'm glad to see the Journal taking a continuing interest.
7 comments:
Dredging up artifacts, not stopping the dredge, not notifying the archeologists was a violation of their contract. The blame is either the project manager who was Army Corps, the dredging company or DNREC, since DNREC was the non-federal sponsor for the project at Lewes beach.
Is the area a crime scene? Who's investigating? The Army Corps says the State of Delaware is in charge, the state says it's the army corps. Noone at DNREC that I called knew about the dredging up of the artifacts.
The artifacts are evidence in a criminal case, so where are they? Has chain of custody been followed properly?
Whose going to pay for the conservation of the artifacts, further research to where the arifacts were dredged up? No one else but the perpitrator, the Army Corps.
Another Delaware conspiracy of coverup by not only by DNREC but also by our US Congressman. Not a peep out of any of them or the local politicians about this federal offense. The government within the government is in control of this to make it "go away".. It's here to stay and they haven't seen anything yet.
DNREC is equally responsible along with the Army Corps for not reporting the artifacts being pumped up onto the beach. DNREC had a project manager as did the Army Corps which were responsible for the day to day operations and were to report to a Project Coordination Team under Article V of the Project Consent Agreement signed in October/November 2002, by Thomas C. Chapman, Lt. Col of the Army Corps, John Hughes Secretary of DNREC and by David L. Ormond, Jr. Deputy Attyn General for Jane Brady.
Why has DNREC when called by the press denies any knowledge of this project and referred everyone to the State Historical Preservation Office? It's no different than what a squid or an octopus does when it gets in trouble. It squits out a cloud of black ink, which takes the focus off of itself while it slips away! In the real world it's called "coverup". And DNREC is not too good at it since they seem to get caught quite abit lately.
Live artillery dredged up at Bethany Beach in a 1998 beach replenishment project supposedly washed ashore(cloud of ink) but a couple of months after the 1st live artillery shell was found it was proven by beachcombers and the press that the beach was littered with live artillery. The beach was closed and $500,000.00 was spent on mapping out where the artilery was and only 6 live shells were exploded on the beach. Storms reshaped the beach and moved the ordinance. Where is it? Someone someday will find out. The last shell to appear was in 2004 after a March storm. It was turned over to the bomb squad and nothing made the press.
What is Rehoboth and Dewey in store for now? Will they have to close their beach to remove broken pottery and glass that the dredge will impact since there is a shipwreck in that site too? Most likely but for the sake of our economy, let's hope it's only a few pieces.
URL for the Army Corps model form(30pages) of a Project Consent Agreement. See Article V for Project Manager stipulation. What if the DNREC project manager lived in Lewes, wouldn't that be unbelievably embarrasing?
http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cecc/6008.pdf
Get your metal detectors ready for Rehoboth and Dewey beaches.Beach replenishment is about to start. Since the State of Delaware nor the federal government can protect the historical shipwrecks off our shores,as history dictates,then we might as well have some fun and excitement by beachcombing for the artifacts that will be dredged up onto Rehoboth and Dewey Beaches, like many people did in Lewes.
If the archeologists get upset with you beachcombing and picking up artifacts, refer back to the Coastal Management Program,DNREC and even their own office of Historical Preservation, who all have signed off and approved the replenishment projects. Have fun artifact hunting.
How many people saw the bulldozers dig a hole about 20 ft deep big enough to put a house into, in front of the Lewes Yacht Club back in September 2004 when the project began? Was an archeological site hit there? Did you ever see a bulldozer dig a hole so big on the beach for a beach replenishment project? Maybe that's why they did it at night!
If the beach was supposed to be 100ft wide when the beach replenishment project was completed,then why was it almost 300 ft wide? Was some "extra dredging" done without a permit? As we speak the bay waters, wind and waves are eroding the Lewes beach replenishment project. State officials know that in a couple of months there will be no proof of how wide the beach was at completion of the project back in November 2004, only heresay.
How many artifacts did the state,federal and private workers walk off with? How come no one is investigating them? Why is pressure being put on beachcombers who legally beachcombed? Possibly to take the focus off of the real perpetrators?
TONY PRATT was the Project Manager from DNREC in charge of the Lewes beach replenishment project. Ask him why shipwreck artifacts were dredged up and why he never contacted Dan Griffith at the Historical Preservation Office.Why did Griffith "retire".Would it be more appropriate for Tony Pratt to retire??
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