Enfield rifles are surrounded by a metal lining (Sweetwater Creek State Park) |
A crate of 20
British-made Enfield rifles that never made it into the hands of Confederate
soldiers has remained in water ever since it was pulled from the wreckage of
the blockade runner CSS Stono in the late 1980s.
For the last six years, the weapons have been on display in a 300-gallon aquarium at Sweetwater Creek State Park west of Atlanta.
Every six months or so, technicians with the Historic Preservation Division of
the Georgia Department of Natural Resources clean the tank and check on the
status of the artifacts.
“The rifles themselves are in great
shape, as far as the wood goes. That’s kind of a mystery,” said Josh Headlee, a
curator and historic preservation specialist.
The remnants of the wooden crate and
metal lining have not fared so well.
While the rifle stocks are walnut, the
crate is likely pine, a softer wood, said Headlee. And the metal lining, made
of an alloy, appears to be waterlogged.
The tank was recently cleaned (Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources) |
“The metal is taking on properties of
cloth, becoming really soft,” he said. The rifles are bulging that metal
outward.
Headlee and another specialist recently cleared
the tank algae and loose reddish sediment. “I run my hand over (the rifles) and
that removes the stubborn algae.”
Pending conservation of the artifacts, technicians have worked over the past
several years to remove damaging salt (chloride).
“We are actually right at tap water,”
said Headlee. “We feel most of the salts have already leached out.”
The CSS Stono, laden with precious arms, munitions and goods
from Europe, in 1863 ran aground on a submerged sandbar off Fort Moultrie while
trying to evade Federal ships.
Wooden crate (front) has softened over the years (Sweetwater Creek State Park) |
“It looks like this crate had fallen off
a stack and one end had busted completely out,” said Headlee. “A couple of the
rifles were damaged. Because the crate was damaged all the sediment had washed
in it and basically turned to concrete.”
After Georgia acquired the guns from
South Carolina, technicians chipped off the encrusted material.
Other crates containing the highly prized Pattern 53 rifles are still lying in Charleston Harbor.
At least one of the weapons bears the mark, “T. Turner,” a
reference to well-known English gunmaker Thomas Turner, who turned out quality
weapons in the mid-19th century.
The iron rifle barrels, locks and bayonets in
the crate are heavily deteriorated from saltwater corrosion. Brass components,
including butt plates, trigger guards and the nose cap at the end of the
barrels, better withstood the ravages of longtime submersion. Researchers also found a bullet mold, tools and tampions, or cork and
brass plugs inserted into the muzzle to ward off moisture. Those items are not in the aquarium.
The metal lining sealed the cargo from salt air and ensured
the rifles were not tampered with. Inside, the rifles were placed in an
alternating butt to muzzle pattern. Wooden blocks were used to prevent the
weapons from shifting.
The artifacts have been in a “holding pattern” until money is
secured for conservation.
The 3,000-gallon tank after recent cleaning (Sweetwater Creek State Park) |
In the short term, Headlee may look at a fungicide as a way
to cut down on algae.
“I would love something more done with
them,” he says of the rifles, crate and lining.
Officials are looking into a
possible heritage grant to do extensive conservation that will take the
artifacts out of the water. For now, the items remain in a
protective water environment.
But even that can’t prevent degradation.
“We
are doing everything we can do to slow it down,” said Headlee. “I am noticing
it is picking up.”
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