Under the water: A cultural, heritage site

SENECA LAKE--For many long, interesting years, Art Cohn has looked well beneath the surface of bodies of water. Where another person might think "shipwreck," Cohn finds an "underwater cultural heritage site." A self-described "professional diver and legally-trained person with a great interest in history," in 2018 he began exploring the treasures under Seneca Lake. This year, unable to assemble an exploration and dive crew due to pandemic cautions, he produced a report on his findings.
Don't let the title fool you. "Seneca Lake Archaeological & Bathymetric Survey 2019 Final Report" hides a wealth of history, illustration, scientific information and insight into the investigative process within its covers. At just over 100 pages, like a suitcase someone sat on before closing, there's a lot to unpack.
Since Europeans arrived in the area, this deepest of the Finger Lakes was regarded as a great final resting place for anything that had outlived its usefulness. All sorts of things found their way to the bottom of the lake. Among the largest and most significant were boats that plied the lake or the Erie Canal - a barge entering the lake at Geneva might be towed by a steamboat down to Watkins Glen. Most of the ones that went down sank because of unexpected weather events.
"Anyone can find shipwrecks. It's not hard," Cohn says. "I got started in the dive world as sonar technology was being developed, allowing everyone to find anything." The big question is what to do with what you've found. It's no longer "Finders/keepers." The treasures Cohn finds, "Connects us to the formative era of the nation," he says. An old boat at the bottom of the lake, and there are many, "enlightens us by its presence. It's a successful cultural attraction. But who manages them? If we define them as public resources, how do we best manage them for this and future generations?"
As can be seen from the photographs Cohn's researchers took of sunken canal boats, the cold, clean water preserved vessels at the bottom of the lake from decay. On the other hand, most surfaces are encrusted with millions of invasive quagga mussels. A tiny mollusk related to the zebra mussel, the quaggas could be damaging these underground treasures. At this time, how much destruction they'll wreak over time is not yet known, though previous research indicates they will ultimately destroy the boats' iron fittings.
Cohn first came to Seneca Lake in 2018, when he worked with the Corning Museum of Glass's glass barge program. Cohn, who worked on the historical perspective of this tour says, "It led me to a deeper study of the maritime history of Seneca Lake. Logically there was a shipwreck collection on the bottom."
In many instances, historical records named the boats and approximate locations where they're likely to be found. Between 2018 and 2019, Cohn estimates they surveyed about 30 percent of the lake, locating 17 "targets" - including a sunken automobile. "The goal is to survey 100 percent," he says. "I think over the next two years we should be able to do that." 2020, for all the obvious reasons, has been a year this couldn't happen.
Working on a research project of this size is complicated by the need to coordinate a variety of factors - staff and their needs, boats, equipment, divers - although diver Tim Caza also points out much of the lake is too deep for a scuba exploration. Instead, using an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) carrying a video camera, it's possible to thoroughly explore a wreck and record that exploration for review. Caza used these to draw and diagram what they found. His 40 years as a diver combined with Cohn's long experience enabled them to identify their findings and notice the unique qualities of individual craft.
There's also the bathymetric aspect, the "pure science" of their research - while looking for the wrecks, Cohn's group also used their sophisticated equipment to map Seneca Lake's bottom, partnering with geologists from Hobart and William Smith College.
For Cohn, the most fascinating find was a rare collection of hardwood logs resting on the bottom. He says he always had a particular fondness for log rafts, a collection of timber logs joined temporarily so they could be brought to a sawmill by a few humans pulling them to their destination. He theorizes the raft broke up when an unexpected storm blew in; green, unseasoned logs would be more likely to sink. "I love log rafts and I've studied them for a long time," he notes.
They also found a sort of large frame they could not identify, until on a trip to the Sampson State Park's naval museum they saw a photograph of an almost identical lifting frame to help maneuver boats.
"To study and understand why things occur and how people live... my advocacy is shipwrecks are another way to enrich our life," Cohn says. "We try to find them not to be the discoverer - that's easy. It's so we can study what they are, what they came from, what do they teach us about law and economy and art and the sociology of the people who lived in those days? There's a menu of knowledge that comes from these."
And there's more to come - when Seneca Lake is finished in a few more years, Cayuga Lake and Keuka Lake could also be fruitful areas for further exploration. Understanding the complexities of the Finger Lakes is clearly a work in progress. But in the meantime, find Cohn's book at the Finger Lakes Boating Museum, 8231 Pleasant Valley Road, Hammondsport, NY. You can also see more photos of the exploration right now at Caza's website, sonarguy.com.