Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY 7 NOV 2015

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U.S. NEWSSaturday 7 November 2015
Centuries-old coffins, skeletons found under New York street
JAKE PEARSON
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Two
centuries-old burial vaults
discovered beneath a
street in the heart of New
York University’s campus
by workers replacing a wa-
ter main were likely part
of a Presbyterian church
cemetery, an archaeolo-
gist said this week.
One of the roughly 15-foot
by-18-foot (4.57-meter
by 5.5-meter) crypts was
clearly disturbed, with the
skeletons and skulls of be-
tween nine and 12 peo-
ple pushed into a corner
while more than a dozen
stacked wooden coffins
can be seen in the second
one, said Chrysalis’ Alyssa
Loorya, the project’s prin-
cipal investigator.
“You never know what you
can find beneath the city’s
streets,” she said at the site
in Manhattan’s Greenwich
Village neighborhood.
“You bury people to me-
morialize them, and these
people were forgotten.”
Anthropologists and arche-
ologists have hung lights in
the excavated area and
will use digital cameras

with zoom lenses to take
pictures of the coffin plates
in the hopes of identifying
the buried. And because
city policy is to leave burial
grounds undisturbed if pos-
sible, project engineers are
planning a new route for
the water main.
“We knew we could be
encountering remains or
other items in this area,”
said Thomas Foley, an as-
sociate commissioner with
the city’s Department of
Design and Construction.
“We’ll do some explor-
ing to discover what other
lanes we might have.”
Loorya’s firm was contract-
ed to work on the three-
year, $9 million project be-
cause Washington Square
Park, adjacent to the exca-
vation work, was a potter’s
field for yellow fever victims
in the early 1800s, officials
said. The tombs’ brick roofs
were discovered Tuesday
by workers just 3 1/2 feet
under the street with utility
cables running on top of
them.
The vaults were probably
built in the late 18th centu-
ry or early 19th century and
belonged to one of two
A plywood wall surrounds the opening to an underground construction area in the Greenwich
Village neighborhood of New York. Two burial vaults discovered beneath a street in the heart
of New York University’s campus by workers replacing a water main were likely part of a
Presbyterian church cemetery, an archaeologist said this week. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
area Presbyterian church- historical artifacts in the in the Battle of Brooklyn
es, Loorya said. Members course of planned upkeep were found during con-
of her team will search projects to replace old struction work beginning in
old newspapers, death re- pipes and water mains. 2005 in lower Manhattan’s
cords and church archives Eighteenth-century houses South Street Seaport area,
to identify the buried if pos- and wells along with Revo- Loorya said.
sible. It’s not the first time lutionary War buttons worn “It’s definitely a wonderful
officials have discovered by soldiers who marched find,” she said.q
Fred Thompson remembered for wit, sincerity
TRAVIS LOLLER that he “missed the sincer- way ticket to Hollywood.”
Associated Press ity of Hollywood.” The two remained friends
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Thompson, who died Sun- and she jokingly noted one
Former U.S. senator and day at age 73 in Nashville lasting influence he had
actor Fred Thompson was after a recurrence of lym- on her life: “I, a lifelong,
remembered Friday for his phoma, appeared in fea- born-and-raised, baptized
booming voice, sense of ture films and television, and spoon-fed Democrat,
humor and sincerity. including NBC drama “Law now have two registered
At a public memorial ser- & Order.” Speaking of Republican sons, com-
vice in Nashville, U.S. Sen. Thompson’s first acting role pliments of Fred Dalton
John McCain recalled how in the movie “Marie,” Mc- Thompson.”
Thompson’s funny, slightly Cain said, “Fred is listed as Ragghianti and others re-
subversive asides on the playing himself. That’s who called how the 6-foot-6
Senate floor made some- he always played, in mov- Thompson always filled a
times tedious proceedings ies and in public life.” room with his commanding
more bearable. McCain Marie Ragghianti, whose presence.
said Thompson was a natu- story of exposing a Ten- “Anyone who ever knew
ral campaigner who didn’t nessee cash-for-pardons Fred Thompson knew him
run for office just to play a scheme was the basis of to be a dynamic, charis-
senator but believed he the movie, said she first saw matic man of uncommon
had a responsibility to solve Thompson when he worked charm,” she said.
America’s problems. as Senate counsel on the Thompson’s brother Ken
“He had such natural au- Watergate hearings. Later, Thompson, recalled how
thority and charm and she knew he was the attor- the two always played
ease with people,” McCain ney she needed to repre- jokes on each other. When
said. “Americans knew he sent her after she was fired Fred Thompson ran for
was the real deal.” for exposing corruption. president in 2007, his broth-
But Thompson sometimes She joked that, “I should er says he told him, “I have
found politics frustrating. have known from the start every intention of following
Sen. Lamar Alexander re- when he represented me in the footsteps of my hero,
called Thompson joking that he saw me as a one- Billy Carter.q