Underwater New York

Objects

Seahorses, Lower Bay. Seahorses seem in the realm of unicorns and griffins, but they’re real, and really living in our waterways! The Lined Seahorse is a native New Yorker.

Deer, Lower Bay. We do not usually expect to see deer in New York City, let alone in the waterways of New York. And yet, in October 2011, three deer were found, frantic, at the foot of the Verrazano Bridge in Brooklyn, the first seen in the borough in many years. Naturally strong swimmers, the deer likely swam over from Staten Island, but the circumstances of their watery journey are suspect: one deer’s hind legs were bound with twine.

Jet Ski, Long Island Sound. This vehicle was obtained by artist Marie Lorenz, who made a print from it. Who rode it before it became artwork?

Plastic Purse, Newark Bay. This plastic purse turned up on Shooters Island, a bird sanctuary between Staten Island and New Jersey. Before it landed there, though, it used to be hooked on someone’s arm. Whose?

Baby Jell-O, Gowanus Canal. This baby jelly was fished from the Gowanus by the New York Times urban forager, and spent a few hours swirled around inside a jar at our evening of poetry and performance at Proteus Gowanus in July. Read the full story of its retrieval from the canal here.

Shinbone, New York Harbor, Staten Island. Listen to David’s story about a mysterious find on a Staten Island beach, and then invent your own…

The HMS Hussar, Westchester Creek. This 18th century frigate sank in Hell’s Gate – listen to the story of how Robert and Lucy are trawling for its treasure on the Tugboat Bronx…

Sitar Baby figurine, Dead Horse Bay. Found on our excursion with the teachers of the Sarah Lawrence Child Development Institute. Awaits your story.

Headless Dutch Boy figurine, Dead Horse Bay. Found on our excursion with the teachers of the Sarah Lawrence Child Development Institute. Awaits your story.

Demolished teapot, Dead Horse Bay. Found on our excursion with the teachers of the Sarah Lawrence Child Development Institute. Awaits your story.

Heel with a key nailed to it, Dead Horse Bay. Found on our excursion with the teachers of the Sarah Lawrence Child Development Institute. KC Trommer was inspired to write a poem about this strange pair of objects–how do they inspire you?

Animal Bones, Dead Horse Bay. Found on our excursion with the teachers of the Sarah Lawrence Child Development Institute. Awaits your story.

Smoking Pipe, Dead Horse Bay. Found on our excursion with the teachers of the Sarah Lawrence Child Development Institute. Awaits your story.

Silver Baby Rattle, Dead Horse Bay. Found on our excursion with the teachers of the Sarah Lawrence Child Development Institute. Awaits your story.

Hebrew Newspaper Fossil, Dead Horse Bay. Found on our excursion with the teachers of the Sarah Lawrence Child Development Institute. Awaits your story.

Aztec Broiler, Dead Horse Bay. Found on our excursion with the teachers of the Sarah Lawrence Child Development Institute. Awaits your story.

Lizardskin Pocketbook, Dead Horse Bay. Found on our excursion with the teachers of the Sarah Lawrence Child Development Institute. Awaits your story.

Dolphins, East River and Newtown Creek. A fireboat captain spotted dolphins near the Navy Yard just a day after a NY Harbor School educator saw a 7-footer in toxic Newtown Creek. What might our misplaced mammalian friends be trying to tell us…?

Baby humpback whale, beached in East Hampton. For three days in April (2010), this baby fought for its life in the Hamptons before being euthanized (three rounds of sedatives and three gunshots).  Marine biologists didn’t know how it arrived here, but knew it wouldn’t survive on its own, even if freed.

A bag of lottery tickets, Prospect Park. All it takes is a dollar and a dream…

Gowanda the harp seal, Gowanus Canal. In 2003, an injured harp seal made its way into the Gowanus Canal and nursed back to health with the help of the Riverhead Foundation. Later that year, the fan club of Tama-Chan, a Japanese sister-(survivor-of-urban-waters)-seal, came to visit Gowanda. Really.

Ellis Island Ferry, New York Harbor. This boat once ferried millions of immigrants to Manhattan where the untold future unfolded …  the ferry was surfaced in December, 2009, after decades underwater – what a perfectly evocative event for story invention….

Clara Bell clown, Dead Horse Bay. We were delighted, and more than a bit freaked out, to be greeted by this guy as soon as we stepped onto the beach. The text on his box says “Clara Bell”—the new “Rosebud”?

Baby doll heads, Dead Horse Bay. If you are the type to squeeze real, live babies’ chubby cheeks, these pre-squeezed plastic baby doll heads are probably your worst nightmare.

Dentures and toothbrushes, Dead Horse Bay. One half of a set of the former, scores of the latter. Whose mouths have they seen?

Produce, Dead Horse Bay. Specifically, a tangerine, a plantain, a sun-bleached jalapeño pepper and a bunch of grapes. We haven’t had any recipe submissions yet, but hey—maybe you could make something tasty.

Kangamouse, Dead Horse Bay. This toy appears to be a kangaroo-mouse hybrid. Although he is missing an ear, his little light-bulb heart is still intact.

A single red rose and a bunch of carnations, Dead Horse Bay. The flowers were so fresh that they couldn’t have been in the water for more than a day. Is it possible to tell their story while avoiding cliché and sentimentality? Try it—we dare you.

Princess Anne Steamship, Rockaway Point. Built in 1897 for the Old Dominion line, the Captain missed the entrance to New York Harbor and stranded the ship on Rockaway Shoals.  Despite severe weather, the passengers were all taken to safety, but strangely, the crew refused to leave without their luggage, which could not fit in the life boat.  They stayed onboard for nine days, until the ship split in half and they had to be rescued.  WTF?

Mysterious White Goo, Gowanus Canal. A mixture of bacteria, protozoans, and contaminants.  Oh my.  Scientists are now studying the goo for its medical potential, since it’s managed to not only invent itself, but propagate in one of the most polluted canals in the city.

Stripped Cars, East River. Lots of them, near the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, mostly from the 70s and 80s.  We’re guessing this is what people did before Cash for Clunkers.

Home Depot Shopping Cart, Coney Island Creek. Hidden behind Home Depot (you have to traverse the parking lot to get to it), is an entrance to this creek, which is full of hidden and not-so-hidden (see Half-Decayed Radio, and Lost Submarine) treasure.

Teredos and Gribbles, East River. They’re like underwater termites, chomping at the wood that holds up those little ol’ structures we call bridges.  We knew the Tapan Zee was a total hazard, but FDR Drive? Yet another reason to not own a car in this city.

Abyss, Lower New York Bay. The deepest point (96 feet) of the river as it flows toward the Atlantic Ocean, near the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

Birdcage, Gowanus Canal. But what about the bird, we ask you?  What about the bird?

Dreamland, Coney Island. One of the earliest and grandest amusement parks in the world.  Alas, it only lasted a few years before it burned down on May 27, 1911.

Formica Dinette, East River. Sitting upright, as if waiting to be set, right near 16^th Street.  So evocative that we’d accept a hundred stories about this one.

1968 Lincoln Continental, Coney Island. It was discovered, belly-up, in 1978, just a few feet off the end of the old Steeplechase Pier.

Dreamland Pier, Coney Island. The pier was an elaborate creation that served as an extension to the decadent Dreamland.  When a fire broke out on the night of May 27, 1911, the pier collapsed into the water. It was only recently discovered, however, since the piers don’t line up with current street patterns.

Half-Decayed Radio, Coney Island Creek. We found it propped upright along the edge of the creek, strung with seaweed, just waiting for someone to click that Play button.  The Home Depot shopping cart is its neighbor.

Grand Piano, Lower New York Bay. Like the dinette, so evocative that we’d totally understand if you wanted to write about this one.  You wouldn’t be alone.

Volvo, Gowanus Canal. In May 2009, a man drove his Volvo into the Gowanus.  A firefighter dove into the canal after him and saved the driver.  The firefighter had to have two Hepatitis B shots afterward, though, because he swallowed some water during the rescue.

Island Growing On A Submerged Barge, Coney Island Creek. Since we can’t seem to shut the writers in us off, we see a metaphor here – new life blooming from the rot of something lost. Tell us what you see. Or rather (our inner workshop-writers correct) show us. Don’t tell.

Steeplechase Pier, Coney Island. Steeplechase Park, like Dreamland before it, was one of the great amusement parks of Coney Island.  The feature attraction was the Steeplechase Ride, a horse race which circled the Pavilion of Fun.  A series of accidents, rivaling factions within the Tilyou family (which owned the park), and a rise in crime caused the park to close permanently in 1964.  As far as we know, this submerged pier is all that remains of the park.

Fort Lafayette, The Narrows. This fort, built by Robert E. Lee, was once a Civil War Confederate Prison. Rebuilt after a catastrophic fire in 1868, the fort was ultimately destroyed in 1960 with the construction of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.

Ghost Ships, Coney Island Creek. It looks like a graveyard where dozens of old ships came to die.  Spooky and evocative and sad.  On the day we visited, some crazy dance party was raging on the other side of the creek, giving our UNY expedition a surreal quality.

Dead Giraffe, Lower New York Bay. As unbelievable as it sounds, it’s true.  When the Army Corps of Engineers dredged up this surprising haul, they guessed it was pitched off the side of a circus ship after it died. Or …  maybe it escaped the circus (go giraffe, go!), only to meet its fate in the Atlantic (stop giraffe, stop!).

Dreamland Bell, Coney Island. Before subways connected Coney Island to Manhattan, ferries were one of the most popular ways to get there.  The bell is believed to have sat at the end of the pier, announcing the ferries as they arrived and departed.  Another find by Gene Ritter, of the fabulously amazing Cultural Research Divers.

Red and White Polka Dot Flying Fish Kite, Coney Island Creek. This area is full of cheerful castaways, which take on a creepy aspect among the reeds and rot.

Subway Cars, Hudson River. The Garden State North Reef is constructed, in part, with old subway cars.  Which begs the question, if they can recycle old subway cars in this city, why can’t they recycle all those different kinds of plastic?

Silicone Breasts, Coney Island. We don’t really know the story behind these, so make one up and send it to us.

Lost Submarine, Coney Island Creek. This man-made submarine was originally built to dive the ill-fated Andrea Doria,  Needless to say, it turned out to be ill-fated as well.  On top of that, it looks like a sawed-off school bus.

Tons of Silt, Hudson River. Every day, 2200 tons of sediment is carried through the Hudson from upstate.  Although pollution can account for some of it, it’s this silt that gives the Hudson’s water its dismal brown hue.

Toilet Paper and Sewage. We’d like to give you the exact location of this stuff, but sadly, it’s everywhere.

Freight Train, Hudson River. In 1865, a train carrying passenger baggage failed to stop at the Peekskill drawbridge, which was open, and the train plummeted into the river. Two young stowaways survived.

Abandoned Buoy, Coney Island Creek. Found by our intrepid designer, Adrian Kinloch, on one of his evening excursions to Coney Island Creek, where the abandoned collect and decay, or, like this buoy, grow tumor-like conglomerations of rock, rust and mysterious mar.

Gas Main, Hudson River. Each week, this main carries gas from NYC to the Gulf of Mexico.  It takes about a week to make the trip.

Clams, Rockaways. Why is this aquatic life unique enough to list, you might ask?  Well, the fact that they’re being fished and eaten, that’s why.  Although most high-end restaurants wouldn’t dare dream of serving you these, some not-so-high-end restaurants do.  Don’t email us to find out who, because we have no idea.

Shallow Water, East and Hudson Rivers. This makes us think of that Edie Brickell song, but now we’re dating ourselves.  Actually, it’s a true story.  Much of the water that lines the edges of the rivers, plus most of the water near Liberty Island, is less than ten feet deep.

Ice Cream Trucks, Rockaways. Just like the subway cars, a fleet of these were used to build an artificial reef to lure schools of fish.  Mission accomplished.  Now those same cars that used to deliver your Good Humor ice cream bars are home to black sea bass, porgy, bergall, hake and cod.

Oysters, White Perch, Herring, Striped Bass, Crabs, Jellyfish, and Anchovies, Gowanus Canal. Who would think that anything, aside from the mysterious white goo, could thrive in such polluted waters?

Heavy Oil, Gowanus Canal. Actually, it’s a combination of silt, coal tar, and something referred to as “black mayonnaise.”  We wish we could be credited with coming up with that term, but we can’t. This mixture lines the bottom of the Gowanus.  Yet another reason for it to be declared a Superfund site.

Bars of Silver, Arthur Kill. Arthur Kill, the harbor between Staten Island and New Jersey, is home to 1600 bars of silver, each weighing 100 pounds.  How’d they get there? In 1903, a barge capsized, spilling its cargo.  Some were recovered, but the rest are still down there.  Valued at about $26 million, they’re definitely worth their weight in silver.

New Main Stream, Hudson River. This refers to a current pattern, not a cultural trend.  When Battery Park City was built in the 1970s, it re-routed the current in the Hudson, which now scrapes the protective layer of mud off the top of the Lincoln Tunnel.  If the tunnel ever becomes exposed, the Port Authority will have to start worrying about potential cracking, shifting, and terrorist threats.

Wharf Rats, The Narrows. Even though New Yorkers are used to seeing these creatures run the subway tracks while they’re waiting for a train, next time you’re near a wharf, take a look.  Surprise!

Schools of Contaminated Fish, Hudson River / Rockaways / Coney Island. Despite the pollutants that surround our fair city, fish like shad and striped bass are increasing in number.  One of the goals of Underwater New York is to do more outreach to organizations that have a vested interest in the health of our waterways.  This is why.

Rebar, East River. The water’s edge is sharply defined by concrete in order to accommodate docks and roads but, over time, the concrete cracks, revealing tons of rebar.  The rebar acts as a kind of netting, snagging lots of random junk like old tires and garbage cans.

Two Shipwrecks On Top of Each Other, Hudson River. A cabin cruiser and a 19^th century sailing ship decide to get it on.  There’s definitely a story in there, so why hasn’t anyone given it to us yet?

Old Channels, New York Harbor. One of these channels is Ambrose Channel, which is the main shipping route into New York Harbor.  It’s 45 feet deep, which isn’t big enough for the newest super-container ships.

Dead Bodies, East River. Because of the current, they tend to accumulate in nooks and crags near the Manhattan Bridge.  This makes us sad.

Alligators, Hudson River. Not real ones, mind you, but just as dangerous.  These alligators are the wooden pilings at the edge of Manhattan.  When they’re knocked loose, they become treacherous floaters, ready to ram into anything that crosses their path.

Surveillance Systems, New York Harbor. Just when we thought it was safe to go in the water, we found out about these: anti-swimmer sonar systems used by the U.S. Coast Guard to conduct periodic sweeps of the New York Harbor.  You can swim, but you can’t hide!

Shark, Gowanus Canal. In 1952, it made its way into the canal.  The cops ended up shooting it.  R.I.P little sharkie.

Contaminated Mud, New York Harbor. In order to accommodate the biggest and newest container ships, old channels need to be deepened.  As a result, the bottom of the harbor is being dredged up, which is full of contaminants like mercury and DDT.  The cost of getting rid of this contaminated sludge is insane, and ironically, we’re doing it to tap into the commerce we’re losing by not being able to fit these mammoth ships.

Shipwrecks, Hudson River. Hundreds of them have been uncovered in the lower Hudson.  They’re archaeological sites, however, so their exact location remains a secret, even to us.

Oil, Toxins, and Raw Sewage, Newtown Creek. Newtown Creek is an estuary that traverses the border between Brooklyn and Queens.  It is infamous for its 17 million gallons of oil, raw sewage, and chemicals, making it one of the most polluted industrial sites in America.

Reef Ball Habitats, Hudson River. Seven hundred of them, to be exact.   The habitats resemble small concrete igloos, and were made by inmates at Cumberland County Penitentiary to house fish in the Garden State North Reef.

Lighship Frying Pan, Chelsea Pier 66, East River. This lightship was submerged for three years in the Chesapeake Bay before its current owners acquired it.  Now you can get drunk on it, and throw launch parties devoted to underwater objects.

Cholera, Typhoid, Typhus, and Gonorrhea, Gowanus Canal. Enough said.

Minke Whale, Gowanus Canal. Like the shark before it, the whale swam into the canal in 2007, beached itself, and sadly, died.  R.I.P little whale.

State Secrets, Lower Hudson. A few years ago, near the Kings Point Maritime Academy, someone dropped a piece of secret equipment into the river that had to be recovered by the U.S. Coast Guard to prevent state secrets from being compromised. We have no idea what state secrets this device could keep, but we’re sure glad they didn’t leak into the Hudson. There are enough dirty secrets in that river already (see Two Shipwrecks On Top of Each Other).

White Boat, Coney Island Creek. Speed boat no longer, this gutted Larson looks like someone’s unchecked mid-life crisis personified. Well, now we’re editorializing. It’s hard not to. You try looking at this thing without imagining a story behind it.

Hog Island, Rockaway Beach. Shaped like a hog or grazed by hogs, the etymological jury is out on how Hog Island got its name, but how it got its fame is without debate. A beach retreat for Boss Tweed and his Tammany pals, this island was completely submerged by a category 2 hurricane that hit Brooklyn and Queens on August 23, 1893.

Mermaid, The Coral Room. Mermaids have wet dreams. So says Julie Atlas Muz, a performance artist, former Miss Exotic World, and head mermaid of the 9,000 gallon tank at The Coral Room in Chelsea. We wish The Coral Room was still open, but through your stories, the mermaid show can live on….

Scooter, Newtown Creek. It’s kind of like a hipster ghost rider. (Thankfully no skull in sight.) We do have to wonder what treasures were hidden beneath the seat… Take a look at Nate Dorr’s photo, and tell us a story about this ill-fated ride.

Deck of cards, Gowanus Canal. Anyone for a game of Go Fish?

1897 Pocketwatch, Coney Island. Another find courtesy of Gene Ritter. This baby was keeping time well over a century ago. What else did it keep? Tell us its secrets…

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