Capitol City Wreck

General Comments

HISTORY CL1095/86--PRIVATE DIVER; LORAN C COORDINATES PROVIDED BY MR. ì LADA SIMEK, 57 SOUTH HIGHLAND AVENUE, OSSINING, N.Y. 10562, TEL ì NO 914-941-0610; 9960-X 26922.6, 9960-Y 43968.8; COMPUTED ì POSITION: LAT 40-56-57.43N, LONG 73-40-45.82W; IDENTIFIED AS ì THE REMAINS OF THE WRECK OF THE CAPITOL CITY WHICH RAN AGROUND IN ì 1886 AT PARSONAGE POINT, RYE, N.Y. (ENTERED MSM 4/90) H10559/94-- OPR-B285-AHP; AREA OF SEARCH IS ROCKY AND FOUL. ES INVESTIGATION NEGATIVE. CONTACT WITH THE GREENWICH, CT POLICE DEPT. REVEALED THAT RICHARD TARACKA HAD RETIRED AND MOVED TO FLORIDA AND COULD NOT BE REACHED. OFFICER JEFFERY CALDWELL,A MEMBER OF THE POLICE DIVE TEAM, WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE WRECK. CONTACT WAS THEN MADE WITH LOCAL DIVER AND INSTRUCTOR LADA SIMEK, 57 SOUTH HIGHLAND AVE. OSSINING, NY 10562. MR. SIMEK INDICATED THE WRECK WAS LOCATED IN LAT. 40-56-36N, LONG. 73-41-05W. AN ES INVESTIGATION IN THIS AREA WAS NEGATIVE WITH THE SAME BOTTOM CONDITIONS HAMPERING THE SEARCH. MR. SIMEK ALSO NOTED THAT THE "CITY OF HARTFORD" (AWOIS 7680)AND "CAPITOL CITY" ARE THE SAME VESSEL. NAME CHANGE OCCURED AFTER A REFURBISHMENT. VESSEL SANK IN APRIL 1888. 205 FEET LONG AND CONSTRUCTED OF WOOD. MR. SIMEK ALSO INDICATED THAT THE WRECK IS PARTIALLY BURIED UNDER THE ROCK JETTY AT PARSONAGE POINT. IN APPROX. 16 TO 18 FEET OF WATER WITH WOODEN BEAMS EXTENDING UPWARD .5 TO 1.0 FEET OFF THE BOTTOM. HYDROGRAPHER FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF WRECK. LD OF 5 FEET FROM MR. SIMEK. EVALUATOR RECOMMENDS NO CHARTING ACTION. WRECK IS NOT PRESENTLY CHARTED AND POSITION FALLS INSIDE FOUL LIMITS. (UP 11/18/04, SJV)