Posted on 08/06/2005 8:19:37 AM PDT by rastus macgill
WASHINGTON - The rusty iron coffin stubbornly resisted hammer and chisel as researchers in a warm Smithsonian laboratory sought a glimpse of an American who lived more than a century and a half ago. An electric drill, its orange cord snaking around the pre-Civil War artifact, finally freed the lid. "This is a person and we want to tell this person's story. She is our primary obligation," anthropologist Doug Owsley said as the lid was lifted to reveal a young body wrapped in a brown shroud. Story continues below ↓ advertisement The scientists hope to identify the remains so they can have a properly marked grave. In the process, they have a chance to learn about mortuary practices of the period, what disease and trauma people may have suffered, their diet, past environments, clothing and perhaps even social customs. Based on the small size, they had expected the coffin to contain a female body. On examination, it turned out to be a boy, about age 13. The coffin was found in April by utility workers digging in Washington. Owsley, head of physical anthropology at the National Museum of Natural History, said the body was well preserved. The young man wore a shirt and vest, pants and drawers, all hand-sewn, as well as a pair of socks. Only the socks appeared machine-made, Owsley said Thursday. "I think ultimately we'll be able to determine who he was and what the cause of death was," he said. Owsley said the young man's right lung had adhesions indicating an infection, possibly pneumonia, and calcifications of the lymph nodes from infections. The cast iron coffin was shaped a bit like an Egyptian mummy and is of a type called Fisk style patented in 1848...
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Wow! These were people, much like ourselves... :^)
When they disinterred Lincoln's body a couple decades ago, they found he looked exactly the same as when he was buried, no decomposition.
I'm bein' cremated.
Yup.
Abraham Lincoln? He was last exhumed in 1900. He now lies buried under 10 feet of concrete.
1900 it is. Tnx.
Does no body else find this fasicnating?
Yes they could go to the local library, but these are the people who write the books which go in said library.
The smell................
Lets just say it is a whole lot more pungent than aerobic decomposition.Ever smelled a deer slowly rotting in heavy brush after being hit by a car? Like Chanel no.5 compared to the cast iron casket's contents.
I was suprised too see this story as removal of historic graves- including the occasional cast iron casket- is quite routine. It is literally happening everyday.It is unusual for the remains to be subjected to more than a cursory forensic examination if even that.
The question is can he get re-elected? lol! no disrespect.
I thouht he first voted for JFK?
There was a plaster cast made of his hand, while he was still living. Huge hand. His ax sunk deepest of all in the Ohio Valley. Very strong dude.
LIFE Magazine that did a pictorial story on the 1900 Lincoln exhumation around 1968 or so and that may be why he thinks it was just a few decades ago.
I just don't think it's necessary. I can't see anything profound coming out of this. It just sounds like morbid curiosity to me which is not a good enough reason to be spending time and money on.
Bog man and Kennewick man I can understand, but a child from the civil war era? I agree with the poster who mentioned the numerous records from this era. What else do we need to know? Maybe we learn his name and how he died. How does that justify disinterring him?
BTW, I got a good laugh from the anthropologist who assumed the coffin contained the body of a girl because it was small! Lol! Pure scientific genius at work!
Apparently you didnt read the part about the remains being found by digging utility workers, not in a cemetary but a forgotten burial area of unknown origin, in the interest of identification and returning the remains to the proper family also adds to our knowledge of the period or do you think we should actually believe everything written by the period historians.
I still say we won't learn anything we don't already know.
We already know about diet, customs, tradition, diseases, etc. from this period! There is an abundance of information on the civil war period. Not just from historians but from letters, diaries, newspapers and eyewitness accounts from people who lived it!
Everyone and their dog kept journals and diaries in those days. I'm convinced that we're not gonna learn anything of any significance from this find. Let the child rest in peace.
First, the people at the Smithsonian deserve as much respect for their work and effort as possible. This project has nothing to do with getting Federal funding.I hold this team in the highest of regards for their work.
Second, the family of two of the caskets is helping to fund this research and many others donated thier time and expertise in the areas of anthropology, pathology, historic archeaology, etc.
Third, there are legitiment reasons this particular casket was opened. The DC casket was in bad shape, could not have "re-intered" it as it was. There is VERY LITTLE DOCUMENTED on these types of caskets, rarer even to find them uncorrupted such as this young mans.
Also I have to say that I think a 13 yr old boy would think it was cool to have his body used for learning more about him and his life. He seems to have been forgotten, now he will become a part of history at the Smithsonian, where he is treated with utmost respect, until a determination by DC as to where his remains will lie.
It is a shame that this country treats it's dead as something wasting "valuable real estate space". Cemeteries are bulldozed, paved over and completely neglected in every state. The dead deserve as much respect and protection as the living. They also deserve a chance to teach us about ourselves and our history. If part of that respect is to open a casket and study the remains before reburial, then so be it.
Fourth, a trip to the library is not going to teach our young scientist what this opportunity has. There was much learned from this and even more to come.
I worked with Doug Owsley at the Jamestown Rediscovery site. He is a responsible, thoughtful and thoroughly professional forensic anthropologist, showing a great deal of respect for burial practices, cultures and individuals.
"First, the people at the Smithsonian deserve as much respect for their work and effort as possible."
First, you're trying to persuade the wrong kid that the people at the Smithsonian deserve respect for their work.
I'm an American Indian, and the Smithsonian has made its reputation exploting my relatives for their own funding purposes. This is not lib spin. It's a discernable fact that the Smithsonians have actively done their field work digging into the graves of Indian people.
I seriously doubt you would appreciate having this done to your relatives.
Second, how in the heck do you know that a 13 year old kid would find it cool to have his body exploted for this purpose? Do you have a power the rest of us don't have?
If so, please tell us what it is. If apparently gives you the ability to change the facts and histories of federal institutions.
It's very akin to have people tell me what a great thing the buffalo soldiers were. To my family, buffalo soldiers were simply killers who hunted down Indian people, too.
Amen to that. He is the most humble man I have ever met. His care and concern shown with the two caskets he did from my family before the DC casket, was absolutely heart felt.
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