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Forwarded message:
From:   [log in to unmask] (Jack T. Hughes)
Sender: [log in to unmask] (Spanish Borderlands)
Reply-to:       [log in to unmask] (Spanish Borderlands)
To:     [log in to unmask]
Date: 97-04-24 22:32:34 EDT
 
Subject: The Belle
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 1997 17:20:31 -0500
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Forwarded from Curtis Tunnell of the Texas Historical Commission:
The last of the hull timbers and artifacts from LaSalle's old
ship have been removed to the conservation lab.  Tons of
equipment and tools are being sorted and cleaned.  The
cofferdam is filling with water, and awaiting demolition in
a few weeks.  I just returned from the conservation lab, and it
is a sight to see!!  There are dozens of vats lined up and covered
out on the slab in front.  Some of the vats for timbers are 40 feet
long, 4 feet wide and three feet deep...filled with timbers and water.
Smaller vats have hundreds of wooden, fiber, and incrusted
objects...many in almost perfect condition.  Inside the lab is
an amazing array of treatment vats, electrical apparatus, chemical
tanks, etc.  A beautiful pewter powder flask has been cleaned and
stabilized.  There are a myriad strings of cleaned blue glass beads.
A prized pewter cup has the name Jean Paul scratched on the
side and Pauly scratched on the bottom.  There is a fine small
jar of German stoneware.  Several stoneware fire-pots have wooden
lids and fuses, and contained gernades and flammable material.
They were used in fighting ship to ship.  Many other wonderful
things are being cleaned and expertly preserved.  The sheleton is
well preserved.  The man was short but husky and had a cracked
skull which had healed.  He also had an extremely rotton tooth and
abcess.  An intact box of trade goods will be opened before the
news media at some future time.    More later...    CT