Mardi Gras Shipwreck

Daily Log

May 27, 2007, Sunday

Update by Della Scott-Ireton, FPAN, and Kim Eslinger, Nautilus Productions

A second batch of artifacts was lifted today, which included two more sandclocks (one of which is very small), a wine bottle, and a small glass bottle with ‘LONDON’ embossed on it. This bottle is especially significant because the style gives us another clue to the date of the shipwreck. According to the Glass Glossary published by Parks Canada (1989:26-27), this type of bottle was molded in two pieces and contained mustard. The date range for these mustard bottles is 1750 to 1880, which is a large range but still includes the estimated time period for the shipwreck, and the earlier end of the range agrees with the dates of the creamware and the other bottles.

Along with the archaeological crew, the Mardi Gras Shipwreck Project also has filmmakers from Nautilus Productions. Nautilus Productions has three crew onboard, Rick Allen, Kim Eslinger, and Lawrence Taylor. Nautilus will produce a documentary on the project and the Mardi Gras Shipwreck; it likely will be shown on a major cable network next year. The documentary crew works round the clock, always ready to capture the excitement of discovery as it happens. The archaeologists have gotten used to the presence of someone with a large camera on his or her shoulder right up in the middle of everything. We’ve been interviewed at all hours, and always are careful to mind our language! Kim is also a maritime archaeologist and Larry is a marine biologist, so their expertise and insight are enormously helpful. Together with Rick’s extreme good humor, they are a delight to work with.