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Centuries-old skeleton found in ship -- on land
November 7, 1996
Web posted at: 11:25 p.m. ESTCORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (CNN) -- More than 300 years ago, a ship belonging to the French explorer La Salle sank during a violent storm off what is now the coast of Texas. This fall, on land, researchers were introduced to a nearly intact skeleton who may have been a member of the crew.
(1.1MB/28 sec. QuickTime movie of the dig)
The wreck of the La Belle was found a year ago by a research team in 14 feet (4 meters) of water near the small town of Palacios.
In a rare archeological drama, they began excavating the site in September after a dam was built around the wreck and the Matagorda Bay waters were pumped out. Among their dry-land discoveries was the skeleton, who may have been someone who died of thirst during the voyage. (306K/28 sec. AIFF or WAV sound) -- Barto Arnold, project director
The skeleton is not believed to be that of La Salle, also known as Rene-Robert Cavelier.
He was murdered by mutinous members of his expedition in 1687, a year after the Belle sank while it was anchored in the bay. La Salle had led an expedition there, thinking it was the mouth of the Mississippi River. He was away on land exploring when the ship went down.
Well-preserved treasures
The ship and its contents are well preserved because they sank quickly into the seabed, where the sand and mud kept out the corrosive effects of oxygen. The La Belle is believed to have been one of the first ships to visit that coast.
Scientists say the ship's contents offer a treasure trove of information on what explorers were carrying to settle the New World. Researchers have recovered an ornate bronze cannon, barrels of lead shot, pewter plates, pottery, jewelry and the ship's timber.
"La Salle came here to establish a colony and to raid Spanish silver mines in Mexico. Had he been successful, Texas might have a French flair rather than a Spanish flair," said J. "Coz" Cozzi, a marine archaeologist involved in the project.
La Salle tried and failed to establish a colony near the bay, then walked northeast to find the Mississippi River. He expected his trip to last only 10 days, but was gone for two months. When his crew ran out of water, many died of thirst rather than risk going ashore, where they feared meeting hostile Karankawa Indians.
"You can't help but have a lot of empathy for the people who would have traveled on such a small boat for more than 3,000 miles, the kind of suffering that they went through and the hardships that they faced. They had no backups," marine archeologist Toni Carrell said.
A spokeswoman for the Texas Historical Commission, the agency overseeing the excavation, said the French Embassy has been notified of the skeleton's discovery in case France wants it returned for a proper burial.
"It's very, very rare to find a skeleton this intact and this old (in a shipwreck)," Renee Peterson said. There is a strong possibility that more human remains will be found in the ship.
"The French tradition was that even if they were traveling out at sea and they had someone die on the ship, they would store the body in the hull so it could be taken back to France to be buried on French soil," she said.
Peterson said the skeleton would be analyzed to see if its identity could be determined.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Raising Titanic delayed when balloons fail to inflate - August 28, 1996
- Two disasters 40 years apart haunt Atlantic waters - July 26, 1996
- Sunken ship holds treasure trove of history - October 15, 1995
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