Le Griffon in the NYT

Photo: David J. Ruck/Great Lakes Exploration Group, via Associated Press.

It's not often that the New York Times publishes a story related to the history of New France.  I'm happy to report that the search for La Salle's Griffon has made it into the realm of "all the news that's fit to print".  I'm slightly annoyed by the fact that they anglicised the ship's name, but nevermind -- I annoy easily.  The article is an excellent summary of the project and its context.  A few passages to whet your appetite:

"On Friday  [of last week], commercial divers hired by Mr. Libert and his organization, the Great Lakes Exploration Group, began dredging the lake bed adjacent to the beam for the first time. That work continued through Tuesday and has revealed that the beam gets thicker as it goes down, that it was hewed from a tree trunk, that it is at least 20 feet long and that it may well be the bowsprit of a ship — and a very old one at that, based on the 20 feet of compacted sediment it is sitting in."

 

"Probes used on Monday confirmed that there is a larger object below the beam, which the team of experts hopes and maintains might be a shipwreck — though whether it is the Griffin is not yet known."

 

Titillating stuff.  Click here for the rest.

 

P.-F.-X.