Underwater Archaeological Society of Chicago
February 28, 2018
Meeting Minutes
Vice President Colin Bertling welcomed 20 new and former members and guests.
President Dean Nolan & Secretary Carol Sommers could not attend.
The January Minutes were approved and John Bell gave the treasurer's report. There are 72 memberships paid up for 2018, 28 of which are new members.
Our World Underwater- We just finished an excellent show at Our World Underwater and met quite a few people, 24 became new members! We want to thank all of our volunteer staff at the booth and Steve Arnam for his presentation on the mystery wreck. The show was a success for us because of you, our committed members & volunteers.
ICSSD (Illinois Council of Skin & Scuba Divers) – Scott Reimer told us of the underwater competition being held on Sunday, March 18 at the Elk Grove Pavilion at noon. This is a fun competition and is a great way to meet other divers and check out your equipment. We are looking to form a team if anyone is interested. There is no Jim Haigh Memorial Dive planned for this year.
Chicago Maritime Museum – Jim Jarecki reminded us that the third Friday open studios series continues each month. This upcoming March, 16th there will be a presentation by Larry McCellan & Tom Shepherd on the Chicagoland areas role in the courageous flights of slaves along the Underground Railroad.
Web Site Update – UASChicago.org has much to explore, including Chicagoland shipwrecks, past & present projects, and other websites of interest. Please like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and Join us on Meetup. Email Colin Bertling if you have information on wrecks or anything of interest & would like it added on our website.
We honored our show special of a free shipwreck survey dive at the meeting and got four of our guests to join. All new members get their first survey dive free, which is normally discounted to $40 for members. Individual memberships are $40 and family memberships are $55. There is also a full-time student rate of $20. Applications are available online, and at our meetings. John Bell is here if you need to pay your 2018 dues.
Newsletter- At the show, we also introduced our new newsletter. We will have copies available at our meetings, and we will have it online soon. Thanks to John Gerty for putting this together. He is looking for anyone and everyone to contribute articles for our upcoming newsletters as well. Please email him your ideas and contributions.
Upcoming events
This Saturday, March 3rd - The Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival will be held in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Some of the most recent discoveries will be presented, along with what it takes to find and identify these ships from the shipwreck hunters themselves.
This Sunday, March 4, we will have a new class on Direct Survey Measurement taught by Dave Thompson. Dave is a member of ours and an instructor with the Nautical Archaeological Society. It will be held right here at the Maritime Museum, and the cost to members is $25. It will be about a three hours course and begins at Noon this Sunday. To put it simply, Direct Survey Measurement or DSM is a very accurate and easy method of using a tape measure. We always get a lot of information out of these courses and there may still be room for a few more people, so email Dean if you are interested.
On Sunday, March 18th, the ICSSD is putting on their annual Underwater Competition – at the Elk Grove Village Pavilion. We need to put together a team. This is a lot of fun. There are relay races, obstacle courses. It’s a great way to meet some fun people and test out your gear for the New Year. To have a team, we need at least four or five participants. If we can’t get enough people to make our own team, we can still participate by joining with another group. Last year we joined with the Atlantis Divers and shared the victory!
Saturday, March 24th, The MSRA (Michigan Shipwreck Research Association) will present their 20th annual Mysteries & Histories beneath the Inland Seas. Tickets are $13.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. A group of UASC members will be attending this year. This is truly an event that is not to be missed!
Dive Coordination – We have a great partnership with Double Action Dive Charters for our Sunday archaeological dives. We are offered a discount on charters, so long as they are for survey diving. We need to take advantage of this great opportunity and get out as often as possible this year!
Other Business – We are sorry to report the death of past member Tom Freeman. He was an army veteran and a great friend of Bud Brain, with whom he dived. Together they found many shipwrecks off of Chicago such as the Iowa, Louisville and many more. His wake was held at Lawn Funeral Home in Orland Park & his funeral was at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, his family asked that he be remembered by making a donation to your favorite charity. This coming dive season, be sure to remember Tom when you dive on the Iowa or Louisville.
Reminders - Need for speakers – Jim Jarecki has done a wonderful job getting us great presenters and to help him he needs your suggestions on speakers we should be inviting.
Upcoming Meetings – In March, we will have Tammy Thomsen of the Maritime Preservation Program at the Wisconsin Historical Society and in April, Dick Lanyon, the author of Dirty Water, will talk about the Stickney Reclamation Plant.
Short presentations by members - Member presentations are needed—anything with a maritime theme.
Short Presentation – Colin Bertling introduced a film on the Arabia Steamboat that sank in 1856. It was buried under the muddy Missouri and later excavated to become the Arabia Steamboat Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. Displayed in the museum is the largest single collection of pre-Civil War artifacts in the world. The Arabia hit a tree snag and sank in the Missouri River on September 5, 1856. All 130 passengers survived, but an estimated 220 tons of cargo went down with it. Shortly thereafter, the river changed course, and the Arabia was buried under the muddy riverbank. The Arabia, destined for 16 towns on the frontier, was buried under a cornfield in Wyandotte County, Kansas for 152 years until it was discovered in 1988 by a group of self-proclaimed treasure hunters who located it and began excavations. With the permission of the land owner, they dug between November 1988 and February 1989. Although their original goal was to sell their discoveries, the historical importance of the finding quickly became apparent, and they started the museum. The same group behind the Arabia excavation are now looking in Malta Bend, Missouri for The Steamboat Malta – a fur-trading vessel, which is fifteen years older than the Arabia. The final resting place has been pinpointed and they are looking to excavate the contents and expand on the history and understanding of frontier development.
Main presentation - John Bell presented on the Car Ferry Number #2, our most recently completed project. Barge No. 2 was a 324-foot long rail car ferry barge built in 1895 for the Lake Michigan Car Ferry Transportation Co. She was capable of carrying 30 rail cars among four sets of tracks on her open deck. She was bound to South Chicago bearing a mixed load of iron ore in 16 hopper cars plus telegraph poles and cedar posts on 14 flat cars. She capsized the evening of Sept. 29, 1906, while anchored under the breakwater of the Chicago Harbor. Three of her crew of six perished. She had been under tow by the tug J.C. Ames, fighting a N.W. gale much of the afternoon. Barge No. 2 accumulated about three feet of water in her hull amidships. O.C. Olson, captain of the ferry/barge decided to pump out the bilge while at anchor. It was a fatal decision, Olson and two others would go down with the ship. The barge continued to list to port and suddenly turned over as the Ames stood by. The tug boat Perfection rescued two of the crew and the Chicago Life Saving Service rescued the third man. Barge No. 2 remained partially afloat against the break wall until the spring of 1907. She was towed near Calumet Harbor where salvage proved unsuccessful. She was sunk in 40 feet of water three miles from the Calumet City lighthouse and later was dynamited.
The meeting was adjourned and some members met up at Ricobene’s.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Colin Bertling