Another Gold Rush ship unearthed in downtown San Francisco

The remains of a massive Gold Rush-era sailing ship dating to the early 1800s have been discovered at the site of a large construction project in downtown San Francisco. . .

The ship's decaying bow peeked through mounds of earth as workers under the direction of an archaeologist brushed away generations of dirt from its aging timbers. A dig crew unearthed the first portions of the ship last week as they carved away dirt to lay the foundation for a 650-unit condominium development. . .

The ship was likely abandoned as Gold Rush fever overtook the region in the mid-1800s. In the 1850s, as many as 600 ships were abandoned in San Francisco's harbor, burned or simply junked by owners who switched their focus to mining the rich gold veins in the state's interior . . .

Other now-inland shipwrecks serve as interesting obstacles for public works projects. The new Municipal Railway tunnel extension that takes baseball fans out to SBC park goes right through the hull of The Rome, a ship's remains underground at the intersection of Market Street and the Embarcadero along the waterfront.

Posted by David on September 8, 2005 11:50 AM