Glossary
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The Pump Used to Get Materials to the Surface
The dredges, or the pumping mechanism, operate in a manner similar to a household vacuum cleaner. A diver swims to the desired location at the bottom of the river just over the wreck. Once there he takes hold of the mouth of the dredge, opens the air valve to allow for the suction to begin, and starts to clean the bottom.
Within seconds the silt from the riverbed is stirred into action creating a thick black cloud. The diver is blinded and is forced to work in relative darkness. The mud, silt, and various small objects that are suctioned up pass through the PVC piping to be collected in the screening near the surface. There a member of the team collects all of the elements (both artefacts and ecofacts).
Since each of the pumping stations occupied by a diver are located precisely over a section of the wreck the artefacts recovered from the sifter will be numbered according to the location of recovery.
