Union Canal (Scotland) - Nineteenth Century Boat Discovered

Nineteenth Century Boat Discovered

In 2004, an archaeological investigation by a team from Headland Archaeology uncovered the stern of a 21 metre long wooden barge. The vessel was discovered on the south bank of the Union Canal. The remains represent the final berth of an early to mid 19th century canal barge or scow, a type of horse drawn vessel that was the main freight carrier of the time. Typical cargoes included coal and lime from Lanarkshire although there were a number of passenger carriers too; the actual function of this vessel is unknown. The vessel was dismantled and removed from the canal in order to record the techniques used in its construction. Additional work will seek to identify the species, age and provenance of the timbers.

Read more about this topic:  Union Canal (Scotland)

Famous quotes containing the words nineteenth century, nineteenth, boat and/or discovered:

    I delight to come to my bearings,... not to live in this restless, nervous, bustling, trivial Nineteenth Century, but stand or sit thoughtfully while it goes by.
    Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    There is one great fact, characteristic of this our nineteenth century, a fact which no party dares deny. On the one hand, there have started into life industrial and scientific forces which no epoch of former human history had ever suspected. On the other hand, there exist symptoms of decay, far surpassing the horrors recorded of the latter times of the Roman empire. In our days everything seems pregnant with its contrary.
    Karl Marx (1818–1883)

    When the boat reaches midstream, it is too late to mend the leaks.
    Chinese proverb.

    Galileo, with an operaglass, discovered a more splendid series of celestial phenomena than anyone since.
    Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)