THE 2001 EXCAVATION
updated AUG. 2002
| MONTE CRISTI SHIPWRECK
PROJECT THE 2001 EXCAVATION |
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| Jerome Lynn Hall, Principal Investigator |
updated AUG. 2002 |
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From
13 June to 17 August, 2001, archaeologists and volunteers sponsored by INA
excavated the remains of a northern European merchant shipwreck on the north
coast of Hispaniola.
Archaeological
data indicate the wreck is the remains of a merchant trader;
historical and geographical information suggest the vessel may have
ventured in search of salt, or, perhaps, to trade with contrabandistas
or boucaniers common
to the region during the second half of the seventeenth century.
Comparative cultural material from contemporary sites indicates most
cargoes were intended for European-American outposts on the eastern seaboard of
what is now the United States of America, although at least one cohort of trade
goods was specifically for Native Americans.
click
image for larger map
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Figure 1: Site map.
(Click to see larger image) |
The
“Pipe Wreck” lies at a depth of 4.4 m. in a bed of sea grass (Thalassia
testudenum) at the northern end of Monte Cristi Bay, approximately 80 m east
of Isla Cabra, the small island that served as base camp for the 2001 INA team.
The wreck earned its moniker from the inordinately large number of clay
tobacco smoking pipes that were carried as cargo aboard the vessel.
The visible site is characterized by five large concretions, three of
which appear to be conglomerations of iron and copper-alloy artifacts; two are
most likely solid slabs of iron (Figure
1).
All are covered with a thick layer of calcium carbonate and provide ample
substrate for the reef ecosystem that characterizes and, to a great extent,
defines the extant hull located beneath or in close association with these
concretions.
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Figures 2 and 3: the Rummy Chum diving platform with hookah system. |
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The
2001 campaign focused on a region immediately southwest of the extant hull (Refer
to Figure 1), where the prevailing wind and currents dispersed large
quantities of cargo from the foundering vessel.
Divers accessed this area from a wooden platform, the R.V.
Rummy Chum III, positioned directly over the wreck (Figures
2 and 3) and were supplied with air from a low pressure (5 h.p.) compressor.
Four divers were deployed twice a day using this nargileh/hookah system,
with times ranging from 1.0 - 2.5 hours per dive.
Once the turtle grass was extracted, the mostly sand overburden was
lifted by hand-fanning and removed by a Venturi dredge comprising a water pump
powered by an 8 horsepower motor. Most
often, two divers were stationed at the head of the dredge, one to remove the
overburden and the other to assist with artifact collection (Figure 4). Likewise,
two divers were positioned at the dredge exhaust to monitor the spoil as it
passed through a small-mesh wire screen (Figure
5). The research area was
divided into 2 m x 2 m grid squares and divers excavated in 1 m x 1 m quadrants
within these squares. Artifacts
were distributed throughout the substrate in depths of 30 - 85 cm (Refer to
Figure 4). There is
sufficient evidence to suggest that this deposit of pipes, ceramics, metal, and
wood fragments, as well as assorted organic artifacts, extends well beyond the
areas that were excavated this past summer.
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Figure 4. The Dredge head in use. |  |
Figure 5. The dredge exhaust. |
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| Figure 6: The Yolas. |
Two
wooden Dominican yolas – El Arawaco of
20 feet LOA and La
Madrugada, 22 feet LOA -- were used
to transport personnel and supplies from the island to the dive
platform, as well as to travel to the nearby town of Monte Cristi to provision
the camp (Figure 6).
Several
research questions have defined the investigation since its conception:
does the archaeological record suggest an inbound or outbound voyage?
Was the north coast of Hispaniola the primary destination, or was the
ship en route to North or South America?
In light of the fact that the wreck has been heavily salvaged for over
three-and-a-half centuries, are there sufficient archaeological data to
accurately interpret the site?
To
date, there are overwhelming data – both historical and archaeological -- to
indicate the vessel was inbound to the Americas and likely destined for the
Upper Hudson River Valley.
Furthermore, it is abundantly clear that, although heavily salvaged, the
site still holds tremendous potential for future excavation, study, and
interpretation.
With
these tentative but suitable explanations to the preliminary research questions,
researchers from the 2001 campaign sought information to answer an additional
question: why did the vessel sink in the shallow water of a relatively
well-protected bay?
Iron
A small group of iron artifacts
adhered to an outlying coral reef 60 m northwest of the site may indicate that
the vessel ripped open its starboard hull while trying to enter Monte Cristi
Bay, therefore addressing the preliminary research question for the 2001 season.
These artifacts -- mostly cooking cauldron fragments -- match well the
iron fragments recovered directly from the wreck in past campaigns.
A total of 262 new fragments were excavated from the 2001 research area.
Two thousand three hundred and sixty-one pipes were raised
during the 2001 campaign, of which 2,219 (94%) had bulbous bowls (BB) (Figure
7); the remaining 142 (6%) were the funnel elbow-angled (FEA) variety, a
favorite European trade item for the Native Americans of the Upper Hudson River
Valley. An additional 1,998 bowl fragments (BB 1,944 and FEA 54),
along with 15,050 stem fragments were recovered.
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Three ceramic types characterize the wreck cargo: Rhenish stoneware from Germany and two varieties of glazed earthenwares that likely had their origins in Holland (Figure 8). Additionally, seven sherds of a lesser known green-glazed earthernware -- thought to represent the ship’s utility wares -- were recovered, as was a single fragment of German Westerwald pottery. Unglazed earthenware ceramics may well represent degraded blue-and-white or white-glazed earthenware. Overall 1,218 sherds were excavated in 2001.
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Other Artifacts
In addition to numerous pipes and ceramic sherds, 67 shards of glass, ranging from dense green case-bottle bases and body shards to delicate façon-du-Venice tableware, were excavated from the site. Other artifacts included 1,025 wood fragments -- 517 (50.43%) of which were charred -- as well as 130 small concretions and 146 organic artifacts. The majority of these organic samples comprised bone and bone fragments of cattle, pig, and sheep (or goats). Previous campaigns have yielded a total of 209 animal bones, most of which have been from domestic livestock, although several were from the ship’s vermin population (Rattus rattus).
The Monte Cristi “Pipe Wreck” is significant for at least nine reasons:
First, there is a relatively small corpus of archaeological data for Dutch shipwrecks in the New World.
Second, the cargo of clay tobacco pipes from this wreck is, to date, the largest known assemblage of smoking related artifacts ever recovered from an archaeological site. Many more clay pipes remain to be excavated.
Third, it is the only submerged site from which funnel elbow-angled pipes are known. These items were clearly manufactured for, shipped to, and traded with Native Americans. This alone makes it a unique cargo, for such categories of trade goods are scarce in the annals of shipwreck archaeology.
Fourth, the proposed temporal framework (1652-1656) and the propounded origins of the vessel and cargo place this wreck in the middle of a volatile competition between the English and Dutch for maritime, mercantile, and military supremacy in both Europe and the Americas. The “Pipe Wreck” may be one of the few maritime cultural resources that help to shed light on this fascinating era of history.
Fifth, Hispaniola’s northern coast – especially during the middle of the seventeenth century -- is a region about which little is known from the historical record. Any information garnered from this archaeological study will provide a welcome addition to the history of both the island and the Caribbean basin.
Sixth, historical records dealing with the northern coast of Hispaniola, though scant, indicate that northern European merchant vessels offloaded finished goods in clandestine bays. These cargoes were exchanged for resources and raw materials such as salt, leather, and tobacco. All of these were abundant in the region of Monte Cristi during the seventeenth century. The “Pipe Wreck” fits well what little we know about these ventures, therefore making it a significant cultural and historical resource.
Seventh, the vessel represented by the Monte Cristi “Pipe Wreck” was clearly involved in triangular trade, linking three geographical areas together in a commercial venture. Although triangle trade is well described in the historical literature, there are relatively few shipwrecks that can provide this information for archaeological study.
Eighth, even though incomplete, the cargo from the Monte Cristi “Pipe Wreck” is, to date, one of the largest and most diverse cargoes recovered from an inbound merchantman destined for the American continents. It may, in fact, only be rivaled by La Belle, one of the supply vessels brought to the Gulf of Mexico by the French Explorer La Salle at the close of the seventeenth century.
Ninth, and
lastly, although the archaeological context of the
“Pipe Wreck” is less than desirable (there is evidence of
profound site disturbance over the past three and one half centuries), it is
believed that sufficient interpretive data exist to effectively reconstruct
the vessel’s construction, lading, numerous voyages, and demise.
Therefore, not all disturbed archaeological sites should be viewed as
worthless. Even those so deemed
by the archaeological community may -- if managed properly -- yield
tremendous information.
I gratefully acknowledge the participation of Sr. Francisco Escoto, Director of the National Office of Cultural Patrimony for the Dominican Republic. Many thanks are also extended to Francis Soto Tejeda, Director of the Fortaleza Ozama Conservation Laboratory, Assistant Project Director Yvonne Broeder, Team Physician Dr. Ron Halbert, Dive Masters Neil Fisher and Frank Farmer, media personnel Bucky McMahon and Rob Howard, Texas A&M University Nautical Archaeology Program students Grace Turner and Sean Williams, and volunteers Shannon Campanaro, John Eckhart, Karl Eckhart, Johnathan Escoto, Bob Petrucelli, Diana Tisnado, and Patrick Smith. Without the able assistance of our Dominican staff -- Niurka Morel, Luisito Reyes, Luis Soto, Teniente Lima, and Nene – this project would not have been possible. I am deeply indebted to them all.
Citation Information:
Jerome Lynn Hall
2002 Monte Cristi Shipwreck Project: The 2001 Excavation
URL, http://ina.tamu.edu/montecristi.htm
Designed by Ralph K. Pedersen
© Institute of Nautical Archaeology
Artifacts
