Measurements being taken

Divers document shipwreck in Oneida Lake.

(Provided photo)

OSWEGO COUNTY, N.Y. -- Three Oswego County divers discovered a rare early 19th century boat in Oneida Lake.

The wreckage of a long slender boat was determined to be a Durham boat. Durham boats were the first canal boats in the state and were designed to carry heavy cargo on the early canals and rivers.

No archaeological examples of Durham boats were identified prior to this discovery, according to diver Timothy Caza, of West Monroe.

Caza, and his diving partners, Christopher Martin, of Constantia, and Timothy Downing, of West Monroe, found the shipwreck in 2011. The divers and Ben Ford, a maritime archaeologist at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, excavated and recorded the shipwreck in 2013 and 2014.

The team has been analyzing the data since then and are now convinced that the shipwreck is the remains of a Durham boat.

The shipwreck measures 62.5 feet long, 10 feet wide and about 2.5 feet deep. It was designed to carry about 20 tons of cargo on shallow rivers. Its long, thin shape, and the use of a long oar to steer it were designed specifically for operating on rivers.

Susan Anagnost, of SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, identified the frames of the boat as white oak. The bottom planking was also white oak, while the side planking was eastern white pine. The different woods allowed the boat to be safely run aground for loading and unloading, but also reduced weight where damage was less likely.

Evidence of collapsed decks were noted at the bow and stern of the boat. The stern cabin contained barrels, a mallet, a wooden scoop and a stoneware jug. The jug, mallet and scoop are currently being conserved by the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. Proper conservation is necessary for all artifacts recovered from a wet environment to ensure their long-term stability.

The only cargo in the vessel was about 5.25 tons of small stones, identified by Carlton Brett, of the University of Cincinnati, as silty dolostone of the Salina Group. This type of stone is available along the south shore of Oneida Lake.

The location of the shipwreck suggests that it was an accidental loss, rather than an intentional sinking, and the hull appeared to be sound at the time of its loss. The wreck is oriented perpendicular to the predominant direction of wind and waves on Oneida Lake suggesting that it may have sunk in a storm, according to the findings by the divers and archaeologists.

"If that was the case, it is unclear why the captain risked his life for the relatively worthless cargo of stone. It may have been that the light load and increasing breeze led him to believe that he could beat a storm across the lake. Whatever the circumstances it would seem that the captain misjudged Oneida Lake, his boat, his skills, or some combination of these factors," according to Caza in a news release.

Under the Abandoned Shipwreck Act, the Durham boat belongs to the state of New York and cannot be disturbed without a permit from the New York State Museum. The shipwreck was reburied after being recorded.