Season 6, Episode 9

SOME UNTOLD STORIES FROM AMERICA'S PAST.

Gwendolyn: THIS WEEK,

THIS NAVY SCHOONER ONCE FLEW THE FLAG

IN A BORDER DISPUTE WITH THE MIGHTY BRITISH EMPIRE.

ARE THESE HER LAST REMAINS?

OH, MY.

Elyse: HOW IS THIS CONNECTICUT FARMHOUSE CONNECTED

TO THE ASSASSINATION OF A RUSSIAN CZAR?

Tukufu: AND IS THIS PAINTING AN UNKNOWN WORK

BY AN IMMIGRANT POET WHOSE WORDS INSPIRED

AN AMERICAN GENERATION?

People chanting: END THE WAR!

END THE WAR!

Elvis Costello: ♫WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♫

♫I GET SO ANGRY WHEN THE TEARDROPS START♫

♫BUT HE CAN'T BE WOUNDED 'CAUSE HE'S GOT NO HEART♫

♫WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♫

♫IT'S JUST LIKE WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♫

Gwendolyn: THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE OUR FIRST STORY INVESTIGATES A MARITIME MYSTERY

WASHED UP ON AN OREGON BEACH.

1846: TENSIONS BETWEEN THE U.S. AND BRITAIN

ARE APPROACHING A BOILING POINT.

ALL EYES ARE FOCUSED

ON THE DISPUTED BORDER BETWEEN THE U.S.

AND THE BRITISH COLONIAL TERRITORY OF CANADA.

AT STAKE IS OWNERSHIP OF THE ENORMOUS RICHES

OF SOME 300,000 SQUARE MILES OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.

THE U.S.

NEEDS RECONNAISSANCE

AND DISPATCHES AN ARMED NAVAL VESSEL,

THE USS SHARK.

BUT THAT SEPTEMBER, DISASTER STRIKES.

THE SHARK WRECKS AND SINKS

AT THE TREACHEROUS MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER.

MORE THAN A CENTURY AND A HALF LATER,

14-YEAR-OLD MIRANDA PETRONE

FROM TUALATIN, OREGON, THINKS SHE MAY HAVE FOUND

A PIECE OF THIS HISTORIC SHIP.

ME AND MY DAD WERE WALKING ALONG THE BEACH,

AND I SAW THIS BIG THING WITH RUST,

AND I'M LIKE, "HEY, DAD, COME HERE."

HI.

I'M GWEN WRIGHT, NICE TO MEET YOU.

SO I HEAR YOU FOUND SOMETHING PRETTY INTERESTING AROUND HERE.

YEAH, I DID.

WHAT WAS IT?

I FOUND A CANNON.

NOW, ARE YOU SURE IT WAS A CANNON?

WELL, NOT AT FIRST.

ME AND MY DAD WERE WALKING ALONG THE BEACH

AND THERE WAS THIS BIG BLACK ROCKY THING,

SO I WENT UP A LITTLE CLOSER AND EVENTUALLY SAW RUST.

I THOUGHT, "ROCKS AREN'T SUPPOSED TO HAVE RUST,"

AND SO I CALLED MY DAD OVER.

HE CAME AND CHECKED IT OUT.

HE WAS LIKE, "HUH, MAYBE IT'S A CANNON."

HE WAS JUST JOKING, THOUGH, BUT I STILL WENT OUT THERE,

AND IT WAS, SO...

NOW, I'M HOPING THOSE ARE SOME PICTURES YOU TOOK.

IS THAT RIGHT?

YES.

SO THIS IS YOU.

ARE THESE YOUR SISTERS OR FRIENDS?

WELL, THAT ONE'S MY SISTER AND THAT ONE'S MY FRIEND.

WHAT DID YOU NOTICE, ACTUALLY, WAS IT THIS RUST HERE?

YEAH, I WALKED UP CLOSER AND SAW THERE WAS RUST.

AND THEN THIS FRIEND OF OURS FOUND THE SECOND ONE.

MIRANDA'S FRIEND MADE A SIMILAR FIND,

ANOTHER BIG STONE-COVERED OBJECT.

WAS IT IN THE SAME PLACE?

UM, NO, IT WAS PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT FARTHER OUT.

MIRANDA'S DISCOVERY GENERATED A LOT OF LOCAL EXCITEMENT.

THE MEDIA SPECULATED SHE'D FOUND A RELIC

FROM THE SHIPWRECK OF AN OLD NAVY VESSEL CALLED THE SHARK.

IT WAS MADE IN 1821,

AND IT CRASHED IN 1846 AROUND THIS AREA.

WHAT DID YOU DO NEXT?

MY DAD, HE LOOKED AT THIS BOOK,

AND IT SHOWED PICTURES OF THE SHARK,

KIND OF LOOKED AT THEM, WE WERE LIKE,

"OKAY, WELL, THIS HAS SOME SIMILARITIES."

MIRANDA'S RESEARCH INDICATED

THAT THE SHARK SANK IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER

60 TO 75 MILES NORTH OF HERE

AND THAT SOME WRECKAGE COULD HAVE DRIFTED SOUTH

TO THIS BEACH.

CAN YOU TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT YOU'D LIKE FOR ME TO FIND OUT?

I'D LIKE TO FIND OUT IF IT REALLY IS A CANNON

AND IF IT REALLY DID COME FROM THE SHARK.

I'LL SEE WHAT I CAN FIND FOR YOU, OKAY?

OKAY.

WHATEVER IT IS SHE'S FOUND IS NOW BEING PROTECTED

BY THE OREGON PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT

AT NEHALEM BAY STATE PARK.

HI, ARE YOU CHRIS HAVEL?

I AM.

GWEN WRIGHT, SO NICE TO MEET YOU.

CHRIS HAVEL IS THE PROJECT COORDINATOR

FOR THE DEPARTMENT'S CANNON CONSERVATION.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK.

OH, MY.

IT'S ACTUALLY BEAUTIFUL, ALL THESE COLORS.

WELL, I CAN SEE THAT THIS ONE CERTAINLY LOOKS LIKE A CANNON,

ALTHOUGH THE OTHER ONE, NOT AT ALL.

SO WHAT IS THIS STUFF THAT'S ALL OVER IT

BEYOND THE ROCKS AND STONES I CAN SEE?

WELL, THESE ARE CONCRETIONS.

THIS IS A NATURAL FORM OF CONCRETE

THAT FORMS AROUND ANYTHING THAT'S LEFT ON THE OCEAN SHORE

IN CONTACT WITH THE SAND FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.

DOES THIS KIND OF CONCRETION GIVE YOU ANY IDEA ABOUT AGE?

IT'S DIFFICULT TO TELL THE AGE JUST BASED ON THE CONCRETION.

THE KIND OF CHEMICALS THAT ARE ON THE BEACH, THE WEATHERING,

HOW MUCH WATER IS THERE, THE SALINITY,

ALL OF THESE THINGS CAN AFFECT HOW QUICKLY

THE CONCRETIONS BUILD UP.

CHRIS SAYS MIRANDA'S DISCOVERY

HAS THE DEPARTMENT EXCITED BECAUSE 100 YEARS AGO,

ANOTHER CANNON, ALSO PRESUMED TO BE FROM THE USS SHARK,

WAS RETRIEVED FROM THE VERY SAME BEACH.

I'VE GOT A DRAWING HERE.

CHRIS COMPARES THE SOAKING MASS OF SEDIMENT AND RUST

TO A DIAGRAM OF A SHARK-ERA CARRONADE,

OR SHORT-BARRELED CANNON, THAT COULD BE HIDDEN BENEATH IT.

BUT IF I'M TO DETERMINE WHETHER MIRANDA'S CANNON

IS FROM THE USS SHARK,

I'LL NEED TO LEARN ALL I CAN ABOUT THE SHIP,

STARTING WITH ITS FINAL VOYAGE.

I'M RETRACING THE SHARK'S ROUTE

UP THE COLUMBIA RIVER TO FORT VANCOUVER,

WHERE THE SHIP ANCHORED WHEN IT FIRST ARRIVED

IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.

THE FORT, NOW IN WASHINGTON STATE,

THEN OPERATED UNDER AN ENGLISH CHARTER

AND BELONGED TO THE HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY,

THE FIRST CORPORATION IN NORTH AMERICA.

GREG SHINE IS CHIEF RANGER.

WELCOME TO FORT VANCOUVER.

HERE'S AN IMAGE OF THE SHARK.

THE SHARK WAS A SCHOONER, AND SHE WAS LAUNCHED IN 1821.

AND A FORE-AND-AFT RIGGED SCHOONER,

WHICH MEANT IT HAD TWO MASTS HERE SLIGHTLY RAKED BACK.

THE SHARK WAS WELL-ARMED,

HAVING POLICED WEST AFRICAN WATERS

AGAINST THE SLAVE TRADE,

SAFELY CONDUCTED FREED SLAVES TO NEWLY FOUNDED LIBERIA,

AND PROTECTED AMERICAN MERCHANTS

AGAINST PIRATES IN THE CARIBBEAN.

BUT I CAN'T SEE ANY CANNONS IN THIS PICTURE.

DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY SHE WAS CARRYING?

YES, THE SHARK HAD TEN CARRONADES

AND TWO LONG GUNS, AND THESE LITTLE OPEN AREAS HERE

WERE CANNON PORTS.

THIS EXPERIENCED SHIP WAS CHOSEN TO SAIL

FOR THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST IN 1846.

AS THE U.S. BORDER DISPUTE WITH BRITAIN INTENSIFIED,

THE SHARK'S COMMANDER, LT. NEIL HOWISON,

WAS INSTRUCTED TO RALLY AMERICANS

WITH A DISPLAY OF THE FLAG,

SURVEY THE OREGON TERRITORY,

AND TALK WITH BRITISH AND AMERICAN HOMESTEADERS

LIVING THERE.

HIS ORDERS WERE VERY DIRECT:

HE WAS TO COME IN TO OBTAIN THEIR DISPOSITION,

WHETHER IT WAS FOR THE UNITED STATES OR FOR GREAT BRITAIN,

AND ALSO TO REPORT ON THE AGRICULTURE,

THE COMMERCE OF THE AREA,

AND GIVE A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE OREGON COUNTRY.

HOWISON KNEW A MISSTEP

COULD EASILY IGNITE TENSIONS IN THE AREA.

PRESIDENT POLK'S DEMOCRATIC PARTY

WAS PUSHING TO LEGITIMIZE AMERICAN SETTLEMENTS

ACROSS THE CONTINENT.

ONLY A YEAR EARLIER, IN 1845,

THIS DRIVE WAS DUBBED "MANIFEST DESTINY,"

IMPLYING THAT IT WAS GOD'S WILL

FOR THE UNITED STATES TO EXPAND ACROSS THE CONTINENT

WEST TO THE PACIFIC, SOUTH INTO LATIN AMERICA,

AND NORTH INTO BRITISH CANADA.

THIS BELIEF HELPED INFLAME THE POLITICAL RALLYING CRY

OF "54-40 OR FIGHT,"

A CALL TO EXTEND AMERICA'S REACH

THROUGH BRITISH CANADA ALL THE WAY

TO LATITUDE 54 DEGREES AND 40 MINUTES.

THE OREGON SETTLERS NEEDED LITTLE ENCOURAGEMENT.

THERE WERE CERTAINLY SOME AMERICAN SETTLERS

THAT WERE HERE THAT WERE CROSSING THE COLUMBIA RIVER

AND BEGINNING TO HOMESTEAD,

OR, IN THE EYES OF THE HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY,

JUMPED LAND CLAIMS THAT THE HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY

HAD ESTABLISHED.

WHAT WAS THE BRITISH RESPONSE TO THE SHARK ARRIVING?

THE HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY WELCOMED THE SHARK

AND LT. HOWISON AND WELCOMED AN AMERICAN SHIP

INTO THE COLUMBIA RIVER BECAUSE THEY PROVIDED

SOME LAW AND ORDER, REALLY,

TO AN AREA THAT DIDN'T HAVE MUCH LAW AND ORDER.

WITH THE LAND AND TEMPERAMENT SURVEYED,

HOWISON SET SAIL FOR SAN FRANCISCO

TO FILE HIS REPORT.

WHEN THEY LEFT FORT VANCOUVER,

THEY WERE ALREADY BEHIND SCHEDULE.

THE WINTER CAN BE VERY FEROCIOUS,

AND ESPECIALLY AT THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER

NEAR THE COLUMBIA RIVER BAR.

AS THE SHARK HEADED FOR OPEN SEAS,

IT WRECKED ON AN UNCHARTED SANDBAR

AT THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA.

LUCKILY, ALL OF THE PERSONNEL WERE ABLE TO SURVIVE.

GREG SHOWS ME HOWISON'S REPORT TO THE U.S. CONGRESS.

ONE PASSAGE MAY RELATE DIRECTLY TO MIRANDA'S DISCOVERY.

IT SAYS HOWISON IS EAGER TO RECOVER

THE SHIP'S LOST WEAPONS.

"RECEIVING INFORMATIONS THAT PART OF THE HULL

"WITH GUNS UPON IT HAD COME ASHORE,

"I SENT MIDSHIPMAN SIMES, AN ENTERPRISING YOUTH,

TO VISIT THE SPOT."

IN THE WATER JUST OFF THE BEACH,

SIMES FOUND A BROKEN SECTION OF DECK

WITH THREE OF THE SHARK'S ONE-TON CARRONADES.

"HE SUCCEEDED IN GETTING ONE ABOVE THE HIGH-WATER MARK,

"BUT THE OTHER TWO WERE INACCESSIBLE

ON ACCOUNT OF THE SURF."

GREG SAYS THE RESCUED CARRONADE

WAS DRAGGED TOWARD THE SHORE

BUT HAD TO BE ABANDONED.

IN 1898, IT WAS REDISCOVERED AFTER A STORM

AND IS NOW ON EXHIBIT

AT THE CANNON BEACH HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM.

DID MIRANDA DISCOVER ONE OF THE TWO

LEFT IN THE SURF?

SAYS THE COLUMBIA RIVER WAS A NOTORIOUS GRAVEYARD

FOR HUNDREDS OF SHIPS, NOT JUST THE SHARK.

WHAT WE SEE TODAY IS A SMALL GLIMPSE OF WHAT IT ONCE WAS.

IT WAS THE MIGHTY COLUMBIA BEFORE ALL THE DAMS.

BUT THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA WAS A VERY WICKED PLACE.

YOU HAD TIDES COMING UP THERE OR STORMS COMING UP THERE

FROM 35 TO 50 FEET WAVES TO CRASH.

FIFTY FEET WAVES!

HUGE WAVES.

THEY CALL THIS THE GRAVEYARD OF THE PACIFIC.

THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER WAS KNOWN TO BE DANGEROUS,

BUT DENNIS SAYS IF YOU WANTED A PIECE OF THE REGION'S WEALTH,

YOU HAD TO RUN THE COLUMBIA'S GAUNTLET.

YOU HAD THE HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY IN CANADA

COMING ACROSS FOR FURS.

LOTS AND LOTS OF SALMON.

SAN FRANCISCO AND THE BIG CITIES, THEY NEEDED WOOD.

PEOPLE CAME UP THE COAST, FOUND LOTS OF TREES.

ALL THAT SHIP TRAFFIC MEANT A LOT OF WRECKS OVER THE YEARS.

OF THE 308 I KNOW, I HAVE 104 THAT I THINK WERE WRECKED

EITHER AT THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA

AND DOWN TO ARCH CAPE, IN THAT AREA.

NOW, OF THOSE 104, WE HAVE TO NARROW IT DOWN,

WHICH ONES CARRIED CANNON,

AND WE DON'T KNOW THAT, AND THAT'S A BIG IMPORTANT PART.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE ODDS

THAT THE CANNONS WE HAVE ARE FROM THE SHARK?

EVERYONE WANTS TO SAY IT'S THE SHARK.

I KNOW.

AND I'D LIKE TO THINK OF IT BEING THE SHARK,

BUT YOU DON'T KNOW.

DENNIS SUGGESTS THE RECOVERED SHARK CARRONADE

COULD HELP RESOLVE OUR MYSTERY.

I'M MEETING COLUMBIA RIVER MARITIME MUSEUM CURATOR

DAVID PEARSON FOR A CLOSER LOOK.

SO THIS IS IT, THE CANNON THAT WAS FOUND IN 1898?

THIS IS IT, RIGHT, JANUARY OF 1898.

DAVE SAYS THIS CANNON WAS RECOVERED ON THE SAME BEACH,

ABOUT 200 FEET FROM WHERE MIRANDA MADE HER DISCOVERY.

WAS THIS THE ORIGINAL BASE, BY THE WAY?

THIS ONE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE IS ACTUALLY A REPRODUCTION

FROM NAVAL DRAWINGS THAT ARE WELL KNOWN.

IF MIRANDA'S DISCOVERY HAS A SIMILAR BASE,

THAT WOULD CONFIRM IT'S A CARRONADE

FROM THE RIGHT ERA, BUT NOT NECESSARILY THE SHARK

OR EVEN AN AMERICAN SHIP.

THE CARRONADE WAS INVENTED BY THE BRITISH FOR THEIR NAVY.

THEIR CARRONADE WAS ACTUALLY ATTACHED

TO THE DECK OF THE SHIP.

AND IT WOULD ACTUALLY BE PINNED AT THE FRONT OF IT

AND THEN SWIVEL ON THAT PIN

TO PREVENT IT FROM MOVING AROUND ON THE SHIP.

IT WAS THE OLD EXPRESSION, "LOOSE CANNONS,"

AND THAT WAS EXACTLY IT,

THAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU WANTED ON A SHIP

HEAVING IN THE WAVES WAS A CANNON BOUNCING AROUND.

SO THE NAVY TOOK THE ADDITIONAL STEP

AND WOULD ACTUALLY PIN THEM TO THE DECK.

DAVE EXPLAINS HOW THIS WORKED.

A THREADED PIN AT THE BACK OF THE BARREL

ADJUSTED THE TILT.

THE BARREL WAS MOUNTED ON A SMALL BASE, OR SLIDER,

WHICH FIT ONTO A LONGER SLOTTED BOARD.

THIS BOARD SAT ON ROLLERS AT THE BACK

AND PIVOTED AT THE FRONT.

ANOTHER PIN BENEATH THE CARRONADE

WENT FROM THE SLIDER INTO THE SLOT.

WHEN THE CARRONADE FIRED, THIS CONTROLLED THE RECOIL.

DAVE SAYS THE RECENT FINDS SHOW SIMILARITIES TO THIS DESIGN.

THEY STILL HAVE THAT SLIDER ATTACHED TO IT,

OR AT LEAST EVIDENCE OF THAT.

THAT BRINGS THE PROBABILITY OF THIS BEING A U.S. NAVY SHIP

MUCH, MUCH HIGHER IN OUR EYES.

BUT WITH ALL THE CONCRETION SURROUNDING MIRANDA'S OBJECT,

IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE A DEFINITIVE CONNECTION.

MY INVESTIGATION MIGHT BE AT AN END.

BUT BECAUSE INTEREST IN MIRANDA'S FIND IS HIGH,

I'VE BEEN ABLE TO SCHEDULE AN X-RAY SESSION FOR THE CANNONS.

I'M RETURNING TO NEHALEM BAY TO MEET ROBERT NEYLAND,

HEAD OF THE UNDERWATER ARCHEOLOGY BRANCH

OF THE NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER,

WHO WILL EXAMINE THE X-RAYS.

THIS IS JUST A GENERIC CARRONADE.

BOB TELLS ME THESE WERE COMMON

ON MANY NAVY SHIPS LIKE THE SHARK

IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 19th CENTURY.

IN A CLOSE-IN FIGHT, THEY WOULD DO MORE DAMAGE

TO THE OPPOSING OR THE ENEMY SHIP

AND DO MORE DAMAGE TO THE CREWS, TOO.

IT WOULD SMASH UP THE WOOD OR THE SHIP A LOT MORE.

BECAUSE THIS SMALL CANNON WAS A POPULAR WEAPON,

BOB SAYS MATCHING IT TO THE SHARK WILL BE TOUGH.

BUT ONCE THE X-RAYS HAVE PENETRATED

MORE THAN 150 YEARS OF DEPOSITS,

THEY MAY REVEAL SOMETHING TELLING.

YOU COULD GET LUCKY AND ACTUALLY SEE A DATE MARKED ON THE GUNS

AS WELL AS FOUNDRY MARKS.

YOU COULD GET LUCKY AND SEE THAT.

THAT'D BE VERY LUCKY.

YEAH, IT WOULD BE.

YOU KNOW, OR SAY "U.S. NAVY" AS WELL, TOO.

TO CAPTURE A GLIMPSE OF THE OBJECT BENEATH THIS THICK MASS

REQUIRES AN EXTREMELY HIGH-POWERED SYSTEM.

A TEAM OF SPECIALISTS IN NUCLEAR IMAGING

FROM FUJIFILM NDT AND PSI INCORPORATED

ARE VOLUNTEERING THEIR EXPERTISE TO HELP.

BOB EXAMINES MIRANDA'S CANNON TO PLAN THE X-RAYS.

HERE YOU'VE GOT YOUR PIN FOR THE CARRIAGE.

THIS APPEARS TO BE WHAT'S LEFT OF YOUR BREACH RING,

BUT IT LOOKS LIKE A PIECE OF IT'S BROKEN OFF

IF I'M CORRECT IN THAT.

THE SCREW, THE ELEVATING SCREW,

SHOULD BE RIGHT IN HERE SOMEWHERE AS WELL, TOO.

YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BACK OFF.

IT'S GOING TO GET REAL HOT RIGHT HERE.

THE FILM NEEDS TO BE EXPOSED FOR NEARLY 90 MINUTES

TO CAPTURE ENOUGH DETAIL.

WHEN ALL OF THE EXPOSURES ARE FINALLY COMPLETE,

WE TAKE THE X-RAY PLATES INSIDE TO SEE WHAT WE HAVE.

STILL NOT GETTING ANYTHING, HUH?

I CAN SEE A LITTLE MORE.

THE FIRST IMAGE REVEALS LITTLE.

THE SECOND PLATE IS ONLY SLIGHTLY BETTER,

BUT IT DOES OUTLINE THE SHAPE OF A CANNON BARREL.

IN THIS SHOT, WE'VE GOT SOME OF THE BORE,

WE'RE DEFINITELY LOOKING AT THE BANDING AROUND THE GUN...

THE BANDING KEPT THE BARREL FROM RUPTURING WHEN FIRED.

WE'RE DOWN TO THE LAST PLATE.

THAT IS A GREAT SHOT.

NOW WE'RE TALKING.

IT'S TIME TO GIVE MIRANDA HER ANSWER.

I HAVE DONE ALL THE RESEARCH THAT WAS POSSIBLE

ON THE CANNON THAT YOU FOUND.

BUT THIS IS NOT JUST A CANNON,

IT'S A CERTAIN KIND OF CANNON CALLED A CARRONADE

THAT WAS ON U.S. NAVY SHIPS

IN THE EARLY HALF OF THE 19th CENTURY.

I TELL MIRANDA ABOUT THE USS SHARK'S ROLE

IN THE SHAPING OF AMERICA'S BORDERS

AND ITS FOREIGN RELATIONS.

ONLY VERY POWERFUL X-RAYS COULD PEER DEEP

INTO THE MASS OF SEDIMENT AND RUSTED METAL

TO REVEAL WHAT LIES UNDERNEATH.

SO WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT HERE?

THERE'S YOUR SCREW.

EXCELLENT.

I GUESS THIS IS THE THREADING ON IT, RIGHT?

YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE YOU'VE STILL GOT THE THREADS

VERY VISIBLE IN HERE.

OH, THAT'S WHERE YOU'D CRANK IT, OKAY.

THE LOOP HERE FOR THE BREACH ROPE,

A LONG GUN WOULDN'T HAVE THAT.

THE ELEVATING SCREW,

A LONG GUN WOULD NOT HAVE AN ELEVATING SCREW.

IT'S DEFINITELY A CARRONADE.

BUT IT ALSO COMPARES VERY FAVORABLY

TO THE CANNON THAT WAS RECOVERED IN THE 1890s

AND IS NOW AN EXHIBIT, SO SUGGESTING IT IS

THE SAME TIME OF CANNON, PERHAPS FROM THE SAME SHIP.

I DON'T SEE ANYWHERE WHERE IT SAYS "USS SHARK"

OR "U.S. NAVY," BUT THIS IS ALL CONSISTENT

WITH THE CARRONADE.

SO FAR, CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE, IT IS CONSISTENT

WITH WHAT WE'D EXPECT TO SEE FOR A CARRONADE FROM THE SHARK.

AND HERE IS AN X-RAY OF THE PART OF THE CANNON

THAT WOULD GO INTO THE DECK THERE.

YOU WOULD SCREW IT TO LIFT IT UP.

THAT'S AWESOME.

THANK YOU.

ALL THE PEOPLE AGREE THAT WHILE WE'LL NEVER KNOW FOR SURE,

YOU PROBABLY FOUND THE CANNON THAT WAS ON THE USS SHARK.

NICE, THAT'S PRETTY COOL.

DON'T YOU FEEL PROUD ABOUT THAT?

YEAH, THAT'S COOL.

YOU FOUND SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T JUST GIVE US

A CRITICAL PART OF THE EARLY HISTORY OF OREGON

BUT TELLS US ABOUT A VERY IMPORTANT PART

OF AMERICAN HISTORY.

WOW, ONE CANNON.

YEAH.

THE GREAT IRONY OF THE SHARK'S STORY

WAS THAT A TREATY ENDING THE DISPUTE

OVER THE CANADIAN BORDER WAS SIGNED IN JUNE OF 1846,

ONE MONTH BEFORE THE SHARK ARRIVED AT THE COLUMBIA RIVER.

NEWS DIDN'T REACH LIEUTENANT HOWISON

UNTIL A MONTH AFTER THE SHARK SANK.

THE OREGON TREATY SET THE U.S./CANADIAN BORDER

AT THE 49th PARALLEL, WHERE IT REMAINS TODAY.

SOME OF THE WORLD'S MOST FASCINATING HISTORICAL OBJECTS

HAVE EMERGED FROM THE DEEP.

OCEANS, RIVERS, AND LAKES ARE TOMBS

FOR AN INCALCULABLE WEALTH OF OBJECTS.

ALTHOUGH UNDERWATER RECOVERY IS NOT ALWAYS EASY,

ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY HAVE MADE MARITIME ARCHEOLOGY

AN EXCITING NEW FRONTIER FOR HISTORIANS.

IN 1943, JACQUES COUSTEAU AND EMILE GAGNON

REVOLUTIONIZED UNDERWATER EXPLORATION

WITH THEIR AQUA-LUNG,

A SELF-CONTAINED UNDERWATER BREATHING APPARATUS.

THIS SCUBA DEVICE ALLOWED HUMANS TO FREELY DIVE

TO DEPTHS OF 180 FEET.

THE NEXT GREAT ADVANCE

WAS TITANIUM-REINFORCED SUBMERSIBLES,

WHICH COULD PROBE TWO AND A HALF MILES BELOW SEA LEVEL.

IN 1985, AN UNMANNED SUBMERSIBLE

FINALLY MADE CONTACT WITH THE TITANIC.

THE NOTION THAT A GREAT GASH HAD RIPPED THE SHIP IN TWO

WAS NOW DEBUNKED.

IN 2002, ONE OF HISTORY'S MOST SIGNIFICANT DISCOVERIES

WAS MADE BY SHEER ACCIDENT.

OFF INDIA'S COAST, OCEANOGRAPHERS UNEARTHED

WHAT COULD BE ONE OF THE WORLD'S OLDEST CIVILIZATIONS.

SCIENTISTS USED SONAR TO IDENTIFY

HUGE GEOMETRIC STRUCTURES DATING BACK 10,000 YEARS.

Elyse: OUR NEXT STORY INVESTIGATES

A CONNECTICUT FARMHOUSE WITH AN UNSETTLED PAST.

AS THE 20th CENTURY DAWNS,

AMERICA'S CITIES ARE INDUSTRIALIZING

AND GROWING AT AN EXPLOSIVE RATE.

THEY'RE BEING FILLED BY A TIDAL WAVE

OF IMMIGRANTS FROM EUROPE AND NATIVE-BORN AMERICANS

WHO ARE ABANDONING THEIR FAMILY FARMS

FOR THE OPPORTUNITY AND BETTER WAGES

OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.

MORE THAN 100 YEARS LATER,

CHRIS REMY OF EAST HADDAM, CONNECTICUT,

BELIEVES HIS HOME MAY SOMEHOW BE CONNECTED

TO THIS DRAMATIC PERIOD IN AMERICA'S PAST.

I'D LIKE TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE

ABOUT THE HISTORY OF MY HOUSE,

WHO WERE THE PEOPLE THAT LIVED HERE.

HI.

I'M ELYSE.

CHRIS, COME ON IN.

WHAT A GREAT HOUSE.

THANK YOU.

SO HOW LONG HAVE YOU OWNED IT?

WE BOUGHT THE HOUSE SIX YEARS AGO.

IT'S FIVE ACRES, PART OF WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY A 60-ACRE FARM.

THIS IS THE MAP FROM WHEN THEY SUBDIVIDED IT

BACK IN THE '70s,

AND HERE'S OUR FIVE-ACRE PLOT RIGHT HERE.

WHAT SPARKED YOUR INTEREST IN DOING RESEARCH?

WELL, I KNEW THE HOUSE WAS BUILT IN 1804, OBVIOUSLY,

WHEN I BOUGHT IT, SO I WANTED TO RESEARCH

WHAT I COULD FIND OUT, WHO BUILT IT AND WHEN,

AND WHO'S LIVED HERE.

WHAT'D YOU FIND OUT?

WELL, I FOUND OUT THAT AROUND THE TURN OF THE LAST CENTURY,

THE PROPERTY SEEMED TO CHANGE HANDS A LOT OF TIMES --

EVERY YEAR, EVERY TWO YEARS --

FOR A GOOD 15, 20 YEARS,

AND THEY SEEMED TO HAVE RUSSIAN AND EASTERN-EUROPEAN NAMES.

WHAT SPECIFICALLY DO YOU WANT ME TO FIND OUT?

I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHO THESE PEOPLE WERE,

WHAT WERE THEY DOING HERE...

MM-HMM.

AND WHY DID THE PROPERTY CHANGE HANDS SO MANY TIMES

IN SUCH A SHORT TIME FRAME?

DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE FOR ME TO GO ON?

WELL, WHEN I WAS DOING SOME REMODELING ON THE HOUSE,

INSIDE THE WALLS, I FOUND THIS OLD WALLPAPER.

ON THE OTHER SIDE IS NEWSPAPER WITH HEBREW CHARACTERS.

AND AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE YOU CAN SEE

IT'S THE JEWISH MORNING JOURNAL.

WELL, I'M GOING TO GO WALK OUTSIDE AND TAKE A LOOK AROUND,

AND THEN I GUESS I'M OFF TO THE TOWN HALL.

OKAY.

I'M ESPECIALLY INTERESTED IN THIS STORY.

MY OWN FAMILY ARRIVED FROM EASTERN EUROPE

AND SETTLED IN NEW YORK CITY AND BALTIMORE, MARYLAND,

THREE GENERATIONS AGO.

BUT IT'S NOT CLEAR WHY SO MANY EASTERN-EUROPEAN IMMIGRANTS --

IF THAT'S WHAT THEY WERE --

ROTATED THROUGH THIS FARMHOUSE AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY.

MY FIRST STOP IS TOWN HALL.

THERE ARE LAND DEEDS HERE GOING BACK TWO CENTURIES.

BEFORE I SCOUR THESE BOUND RECORDS,

I WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE OLD NEWSPAPERS

FROM INSIDE THE WALLS OF THE HOUSE.

THE JEWISH MORNING JOURNAL

WAS APPARENTLY AN ULTRA-ORTHODOX NEWSPAPER

THAT STARTED PRINTING IN THE UNITED STATES

IN NEW YORK CITY IN 1902.

LISTEN TO THIS:

THE PAPER WASN'T WRITTEN IN HEBREW,

IT WAS ACTUALLY WRITTEN IN YIDDISH.

YIDDISH IS WRITTEN WITH HEBREW CHARACTERS,

BUT IT IS DIFFERENT.

IT'S DERIVED FROM THE GERMAN LANGUAGE.

THERE'S PROBABLY ONLY A QUARTER-MILLION PEOPLE

IN THE UNITED STATES TODAY THAT SPEAK YIDDISH,

INCLUDING MY GRANDMOTHER.

I KNOW FROM HER THAT BACK THEN,

THE LANGUAGE WAS SPOKEN WIDELY

AMONG JEWISH IMMIGRANTS FROM EASTERN EUROPE.

ALL RIGHT, LET'S SEE WHAT THE LAND DEEDS CAN TELL US.

HERE'S THE FIRST RECORD OF THE SALE OF THE LAND.

ON JULY 17, 1798,

JUSTIN WORTHINGTON SOLD THE LAND TO CIRUS WILLEY.

THE FARM STAYED IN THE SAME HANDS

FOR MORE THAN THREE-QUARTERS OF A CENTURY.

THE WILLEY FAMILY SOLD THE FARM IN 1878,

AND THE REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS LOOK PRETTY NORMAL

UNTIL 1891.

ON JUNE 15, 1891,

IT LOOKS LIKE THE LAND WAS SOLD TO DAVID DINSON.

ONLY FOUR MONTHS LATER, DINSON SELLS THE FARM

TO LEWIS NAMEROV AND LOUIS NATESZON

OF NEW YORK CITY.

JUST NINE MONTHS AFTER THAT, IT'S SOLD AGAIN.

BETWEEN 1891 AND 1906, THE FARM CHANGES HANDS SIX TIMES:

DINSON, NAMEROV AND NATESZON,

MALLER, BOOX, KATZ AND KURRIER,

RITTER AND AZWOLENSKY.

AND THE SALE PRICE OFTEN INCLUDED LIVESTOCK

AND VARIOUS FARM EQUIPMENT.

SOMETHING ELSE APPEARS TO LINK THE FAMILIES

WHO PASSED THROUGH CHRIS'S HOME.

A FEW OF THESE PEOPLE HAVE MORTGAGES FROM THE SAME LENDERS,

THE BARON de HIRSCH FUND

AND THE JEWISH AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL AID SOCIETY,

BOTH NEW YORK CORPORATIONS.

CENSUS RECORDS CONFIRM SEVERAL OF THE FARM'S EARLY OWNERS

WERE FROM RUSSIA.

MAX AND GUSSIE MALLER,

OR MULLER AS IT'S WRITTEN IN THE CENSUS,

CAME TO AMERICA FROM RUSSIA IN 1886.

AND THE ENTIRE RITTER FAMILY WAS BORN IN RUSSIA, ALSO.

SO FAR, I HAVE RUSSIAN IMMIGRANTS

MOVING FROM NEW YORK CITY,

I HAVE A YIDDISH PAPER THAT WAS PUBLISHED IN NEW YORK CITY,

AND I HAVE LOANS GIVEN BY TWO CORPORATIONS

IN NEW YORK CITY.

EVERYTHING IS POINTING TO MANHATTAN.

I'M MEETING IMMIGRATION HISTORIAN DANIEL SAWYER

AT NEW YORK'S LOWER EAST SIDE TENEMENT MUSEUM.

DANIEL, I'M INVESTIGATING THIS FARMHOUSE

THAT'S IN CONNECTICUT,

AND IN THE EARLY 20th CENTURY, THERE WAS A LOT OF TURNOVER.

THE PEOPLE WERE GENERALLY COMING FROM NEW YORK CITY,

AND THERE WERE TWO NAMES ON THE MORTGAGE

THAT I KEPT SEEING OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

THERE WAS THE BARON de HIRSCH FUND

AND THE JEWISH AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL AID SOCIETY.

WELL, THE BARON de HIRSCH FUND WAS SET UP IN 1891

BY BARON MAURICE de HIRSCH,

WHO WAS A EUROPEAN JEWISH PHILANTHROPIST, IN ORDER TO HELP

THE EASTERN-EUROPEAN JEWISH IMMIGRANTS TO THE UNITED STATES

TO GET ESTABLISHED IN THEIR NEW HOME.

DANIEL EXPLAINS THAT IN MARCH 1881,

THE ASSASSINATION OF THE RUSSIAN CZAR ALEXANDER II

TRIGGERED A MASSIVE JEWISH MIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES.

THERE WAS A POPULAR FEELING THAT THE JEWS HAD BEEN BEHIND THIS,

AND SO THERE WAS A WAVE OF POGROMS,

WHICH WERE ANTI-JEWISH RIOTS,

IN WHICH MANY PEOPLE WERE KILLED

AND MUCH PROPERTY WAS DESTROYED.

OVER THE NEXT DECADE,

MORE THAN 200,000 EASTERN-EUROPEAN JEWS

FLOODED INTO THE MAIN EAST COAST PORTS,

PARTICULARLY NEW YORK.

BY THE TURN OF THE CENTURY,

MORE THAN HALF A MILLION HAD ARRIVED.

SO THEY CAME HERE SEEKING A BETTER LIFE.

ABSOLUTELY.

CAME HERE SEEKING JOBS AND A WAY TO MAKE A LIVING.

MANY OF THESE JEWISH REFUGEES SETTLED

IN NEW YORK CITY'S LOWER EAST SIDE,

SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE WHO SHARED

A COMMON BACKGROUND, FAITH, AND LANGUAGE.

BUT DANIEL EXPLAINS THAT PACKED INTO THE SLUMS OF ONE

OF THE MOST DENSELY POPULATED NEIGHBORHOODS ON EARTH,

THE NEW ARRIVALS ALSO FOUND THEMSELVES AT ODDS

WITH THE ESTABLISHED AMERICANIZED JEWISH COMMUNITY.

THEY HAD A VERY AMBIVALENT FEELING TOWARDS THESE NEWCOMERS.

ON THE ONE HAND, THEY FELT A KINSHIP WITH THESE PEOPLE

AND WANTED TO HELP.

ON THE OTHER HAND, THEY WERE FOREIGN,

THEY SPOKE YIDDISH, THEY WERE POOR,

AND THE ESTABLISHED JEWISH COMMUNITY WAS AFRAID

THAT THEY WOULD REFLECT BADLY ON THEM,

AND SO THEY FELT AN ADDED IMPETUS

TO HELP PEOPLE ESTABLISH THEMSELVES, AMERICANIZE,

AND GET ESTABLISHED ECONOMICALLY AS WELL.

HOW DOES THE BARON de HIRSCH FUND

AND THE JEWISH AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL AID SOCIETY

FIT INTO ALL OF THIS?

THE JEWISH AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL AID SOCIETY

WAS A SPIN-OFF OF THE BARON de HIRSCH FUND,

WHICH PROVIDED PEOPLE WITH MORTGAGES

WHEN THEY WANTED TO GET SET UP AS FARMERS

ON THE LAND AND WITH HOUSES.

HE SAYS OUR DEED HOLDERS WERE PART OF A PLAN

TO EASE OVERCROWDING BY RELOCATING JEWS

OUTSIDE OF NEW YORK CITY,

WHERE THEY COULD EARN A LIVING OFF THE LAND.

BUT HE CAN'T SHED ANY LIGHT

ON WHO OUR RUSSIAN IMMIGRANTS WERE

OR WHY SO MANY SEEMED TO HAVE STAYED

FOR SUCH A BRIEF PERIOD AT CHRIS'S FARMHOUSE.

THE CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY

HOUSES THE PAPERS OF THE BARON'S FUND

AND THE JEWISH AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.

IN A VOLUME ABOUT THE SOCIAL CONDITIONS

FACING RUSSIAN JEWS AT THE TURN OF THE 19th CENTURY,

I DISCOVER THE JEWISH AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY,

OR J.A.S., SET FAMILIES UP ON FARMLAND

ALL ACROSS NEW ENGLAND.

"INDIVIDUAL JEWISH FARMERS ARE SCATTERED

"THROUGH THE NEW ENGLAND STATES

"AND OWN FARMS IN RHODE ISLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, CONNECTICUT,

"MAINE, VERMONT, AND NEW HAMPSHIRE.

"BY FAR THE GREATEST NUMBER ARE LOCATED IN CONNECTICUT,

"AND THEY HAVE FORMED THE MOST IMPORTANT SECTION

OF THE JEWISH FARMING COMMUNITY IN NEW ENGLAND."

THIS IS A LEDGER BOOK THAT LISTS LOANS

FROM THE BARON de HIRSCH FUND.

LET'S SEE...

AH, CONNECTICUT.

ALTHOUGH THERE'S NO INFORMATION ON OUR FAMILIES,

THE ORIGINAL LOAN APPLICATIONS

DESCRIBE HOW THE LENDING PROCESS WORKED.

SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS WERE RUSSIAN JEWS

WHO WERE HEALTHY ENOUGH TO HANDLE FARM WORK

AND WHO ALSO HAD A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY TO GET STARTED.

FOR THOSE WHO DIDN'T QUALIFY,

THE FUND PROVIDED TRADE SCHOOLS, ENGLISH CLASSES,

AND SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS IN THE CITY.

BUT I'M NOT FINDING ANY INFORMATION ON OUR FARMERS.

HI.

HI, ELYSE.

I'M MEETING CONNECTICUT HISTORIAN BRIANN GREENFIELD

AT THE STATE ARCHIVES.

SHE EXPLAINS WHY CONNECTICUT WAS SUCH A POPULAR CHOICE

FOR THE IMMIGRANT FARMERS.

WELL, THE SHORT ANSWER IS AVAILABLE LAND.

A LOT OF OLD YANKEE FARMERS WERE MOVING AWAY FROM THE FARMS.

THEY WERE BEING PULLED OUT WEST,

WHERE AGRICULTURE WAS MORE PRODUCTIVE,

OR THEY WERE COMING TO THE FACTORY JOBS

THAT WERE AVAILABLE IN THE CITY.

BRIANN TELLS ME THAT THE STATE WORRIED

ABOUT THE ABANDONED FARM PROBLEM

AND THE DECLINE OF RURAL COMMUNITIES.

IN 1892, THEY BEGAN TO PUBLISH LISTS OF FARMS FOR SALE.

THIS IS A DESCRIPTION OF FARMS FOR SALE

IN CONNECTICUT THAT WAS PUBLISHED IN 1899.

SO IT'S A REAL ESTATE LISTING?

THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.

THEY HAVE MAPS, AND THERE ARE SOME PICTURES IN HERE AS WELL.

THIS IS EVERYTHING YOU WOULD NEED TO KNOW

ABOUT THE KINDS OF FARMS THAT YOU WERE LOOKING AT.

THERE'S EVEN SOME IN EAST HADDAM.

BRIANN EXPLAINS THE RUSSIAN JEWS

WEREN'T THE ONLY NEWCOMERS SETTLING THE OLD YANKEE FARMS.

IT WAS ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT IMMIGRANT GROUPS,

AND THIS WAS A PERIOD OF HEAVY IMMIGRATION.

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS ARTICLE.

"ALIEN INVASION OF CONNECTICUT FARMS."

"EVERY THIRD FARM IN CONNECTICUT IS NOW IN THE HANDS

OF A MAN OF FOREIGN BIRTH."

"THERE IS NO CORNER OF THE STATE

"INTO WHICH THE IMMIGRANT FOREIGNER HAS NOT PENETRATED

"AND THAT HE COMES FROM LANDS THE POLES APART

IN CUSTOMS, LANGUAGE, RELIGION, AND MORALITY."

THAT SEEMS PRETTY NEGATIVE TO ME.

WELL, TO BE VERY HONEST, I THINK THEY SAW IT

AS BOTH A BLESSING AND AS A THREAT.

A BLESSING BECAUSE THEY NEEDED AGRICULTURAL LABOR,

BUT ALSO A THREAT

BECAUSE PEOPLE FEARED THE LOSS OF YANKEE CULTURE.

THE FAMILIES WHO LIVED IN CHRIS'S HOME

SWAPPED THE OVERCROWDING AND CLASS TENSION

OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN NEW YORK

FOR THE XENOPHOBIA OF THE YANKEES IN CONNECTICUT.

DOES THAT EXPLAIN WHY THE ARRIVALS

ONLY STAYED FOR SUCH A SHORT TIME?

MARY DONOHUE IS AN ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN

WITH THE CONNECTICUT COMMISSION ON CULTURE AND TOURISM.

HI, MARY, ELYSE.

HI.

LET'S HEAD IN HERE.

MARY, I'M INVESTIGATING A FARMHOUSE IN CONNECTICUT

THAT DURING THE EARLY 20th CENTURY

HAD A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF TURNOVER WITH RUSSIAN JEWS,

AND I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY.

WELL, THEY SETTLED ON THE LOWER EAST SIDE OF MANHATTAN

IN A VERY JEWISH AREA,

BUT THEN TO MOVE TO THE COUNTRY

WAS A VERY HARD MOVE.

SUDDENLY, THEY'RE IN THE CONNECTICUT COUNTRYSIDE,

WHERE THERE'S NOT A READY-MADE JEWISH COMMUNITY,

THEY DIDN'T SPEAK ENGLISH --

THAT MADE IT HARDER.

BUT MARY DOUBTS RESENTMENT OF THE NEWCOMERS

WAS THE REASON FOR THE HIGH TURNOVER.

I THINK IF THE JEWISH FARMERS

WORKED HARD AND BECAME SUCCESSFUL,

THEY REALLY HAD THE YANKEE FARMERS' RESPECT.

BUT IF IT WASN'T XENOPHOBIA,

WHY WEREN'T THE FAMILIES WHO LIVED IN CHRIS'S FARMHOUSE

ABLE TO MAKE A GO OF IT?

THE REAL BREAKTHROUGH CAME THROUGH IN 1908.

WHAT MARY TELLS ME NEXT

PUTS ALL THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE IN PLACE.

IT'S TIME TO HEAD BACK TO CHRIS.

CHRIS, I WASN'T ABLE TO FIND OUT A LOT OF INFORMATION

ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT LIVED HERE,

BUT YOU WERE RIGHT, THEY WERE RUSSIAN JEWS.

THAT'S GREAT.

PRETTY COOL, RIGHT?

PRETTY COOL.

I TELL CHRIS HOW, WITH THE HELP OF ORGANIZATIONS

LIKE THE JEWISH AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY,

IMMIGRANTS ESCAPED FROM THE SLUMS OF NEW YORK CITY

TO FARMS SUCH AS HIS.

BUT WHEN THEY GOT HERE, IT WAS A DIFFERENT STORY.

THEY REALLY DIDN'T HAVE TRAINING AS FARMERS,

AND THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT WERE REFUGEES.

THEY WERE IN THE TRADES, THEY WERE PROFESSIONALS,

THEY WERE ALMOST ANYTHING BUT A FARMER.

YOU WEREN'T EVEN ALLOWED TO OWN LAND IN RUSSIA

IF YOU WERE JEWISH.

IT WAS ALSO VERY MARGINAL LAND.

CONNECTICUT POTATOES ARE REALLY ROCKS.

THIS IS FARMLAND THAT'S BEEN USED HARD FOR OVER 200 YEARS.

MANY SIMPLY COULDN'T MAKE IT,

AND THE OLD YANKEE FARMS KEPT CHANGING HANDS.

WOW, THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE GUESSED.

WELL, I GUESS THAT EXPLAINS WHY THERE WAS SO MUCH TURNOVER.

THEY DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING

AND DECIDED TO GIVE UP.

BUT THE STORY DOESN'T END THERE.

MARY EXPLAINED THAT THE ORGANIZATIONS

THAT HELPED BUY THE FARMS

REALIZED THE EARLY IMMIGRANTS NEEDED FURTHER ASSISTANCE.

THE REAL BREAKTHROUGH CAME THROUGH IN 1908

WHEN THEY ALSO STARTED TO PRODUCE A NEWSPAPER

IN YIDDISH FOR FARMERS CALLED THE JEWISH FARMER,

WHICH WAS THE FIRST YIDDISH AGRICULTURAL MAGAZINE

IN THE WORLD.

MARY'S FRIEND AVI HAS AGREED TO HELP TRANSLATE

SOME OF THE YIDDISH.

ALL RIGHT, HELP US OUT HERE.

AND THE FIRST ARTICLE YOU HAVE

IS "HOW TO BEST UNDERSTAND YOUR COW," OR...

[ speaks in Yiddish ]

AND THEN IT GOES ON TO SAY IN YIDDISH

WHAT EVERY FARMER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THEIR COW.

[ speaking in Yiddish ]

"EVERY JEWISH FARMER WHO HAS EYES HAS NOTICED

"THAT SOME COWS GIVE MILK BETTER

AND SOME COWS GIVE MILK WORSE."

WHAT YOU HAVE HERE IS THIS HOW-TO GUIDE FOR JEWISH FARMERS,

EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO KNOW HOW TO BE A FARMER,

ALL THE BASICS, WRITTEN IN YIDDISH.

MARY, WITH ALL THIS INFORMATION FROM THE JEWISH FARMER,

HOW DID THEY DO?

THEY DID GREAT.

IN 1908, IT ONLY HAD 638 SUBSCRIBERS,

AND FIVE YEARS LATER, IT HAD THOUSANDS.

IN CONNECTICUT, JEWISH FARMERS DEVELOPED A NICHE MARKET

FOR THINGS LIKE TOBACCO, POULTRY, EGGS, DAIRY,

AND SECOND AND THIRD GENERATION JEWISH FARMERS

REALLY PROSPERED.

YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE DIDN'T MAKE IT

AND THEY WENT BACK TO THE CITY,

BUT OTHER PEOPLE WERE SMART

AND THEY FOUND OTHER WAYS TO MAKE MONEY,

AND THEY TURNED THEIR FARMS INTO EITHER BOARDING HOUSES

OR WEEKEND RESORTS,

SO MUCH SO, THAT AT ONE TIME,

THIS AREA WAS CALLED THE CATSKILLS OF NEW ENGLAND.

THE IDEA THAT THIS HOUSE WAS MORE THAN A HOUSE,

THAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN A SANCTUARY FOR PEOPLE,

I MEAN, THAT'S JUST FANTASTIC.

WELL, IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU.

FOR MORE OF MY INTERVIEW WITH DANIEL SAWYER,

VISIT HISTORY DETECTIVES ON THE WEB AT pbs.org.

THE TOWN OF WILLIAMSBURG IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK,

ALSO SAW AN INFLUX OF JEWISH RESIDENTS

AT THE TURN OF THE 20th CENTURY

THANKS TO AN INCREDIBLE FEAT OF AMERICAN ENGINEERING.

CONSTRUCTION ON THE WILLIAMSBURG BRIDGE,

NEW YORK'S SECOND GREAT SUSPENSION BRIDGE,

BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 7th, 1896.

TO ALLEVIATE THE TRAFFIC

OVERWHELMING THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE,

ITS DESIGN CALLED FOR A DOUBLE-DECKER ROADWAY

FOR CARRIAGES, TROLLEYS, AND PEDESTRIANS.

IN ORDER TO SUPPORT TWO LEVELS OF TRAFFIC,

310-FOOT-HIGH TOWERS WERE ERECTED,

THE FIRST EVER MADE ENTIRELY OF STEEL.

BUILT IN HALF THE TIME OF THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE

AND MEASURING FOUR AND A HALF FEET LONGER,

THE WILLIAMSBURG BRIDGE STOLE THE TITLE

OF THE LONGEST SUSPENSION BRIDGE IN THE WORLD

WHEN IT OPENED ON DECEMBER 19, 1903.

JEWISH RESIDENTS OF MANHATTAN'S CROWDED EAST SIDE TENEMENTS

STREAMED OVER THIS STATE-OF-THE-ART BRIDGE

TO FIND NEW HOMES IN SPACIOUS BROOKLYN.

THE BRAND-NEW LINK BETWEEN THE THEN-SEPARATE CITIES

OF NEW YORK AND BROOKLYN

ALSO PROVIDED A FINAL IMPETUS

FOR THEM TO CONSOLIDATE.

IN 1898, THEY JOINED WITH QUEENS,

STATEN ISLAND, AND THE BRONX

TO BECOME THE SINGLE UNITED CITY OF NEW YORK.

Tukufu: OUR LAST STORY INVESTIGATES THE CONNECTION

BETWEEN A PORTRAIT, A POET, AND THE FALL OF AN EMPIRE.

IN 1923, THE LEBANESE-BORN POET KHALIL GIBRAN

PUBLISHES THE PROPHET,

A COLLECTION OF POEMS EXPLORING FACETS OF LIFE

AND THE HUMAN CONDITION.

ALTHOUGH VIEWED SKEPTICALLY BY CRITICS,

IT WILL BECOME A LITERARY SENSATION,

MAKING KHALIL GIBRAN ONE OF THE WORLD'S BESTSELLING POETS

AND HAVING A POWERFUL IMPACT

ON THE COUNTERCULTURE OF THE 1960s AND THE NEW-AGE MOVEMENT.

BUT MANY ARE UNAWARE THAT THE WRITER

WAS ALSO A PROLIFIC PAINTER,

CAPTURING CELEBRITIES AND FAMOUS FIGURES

OF THE 20th CENTURY ON CANVAS.

NOW, ALMOST EIGHT DECADES AFTER GIBRAN'S DEATH,

BOB DIAB FROM OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS, HAS A PORTRAIT

THAT HE THINKS MAY HAVE BEEN PAINTED BY GIBRAN.

[ doorbell rings ]

HELLO, I'M TUKUFU.

I'M BOB.

PLEASE COME IN.

WOW, SO WHAT IS THIS?

THIS IS MY GRANDFATHER, NAJEEB MUSA DIAB.

HE WAS A PUBLISHER OF AN ARABIC NEWSPAPER

IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY.

JUST AFTER HE IMMIGRATED HERE FROM SYRIA.

AND WHICH PAPER WAS THAT?

IT WAS CALLED THE MIRROR OF THE WEST.

BOB SAYS HIS GRANDFATHER'S NEWSPAPER

WAS ONCE AN IMPORTANT RESOURCE FOR ARAB IMMIGRANTS,

A FAMILIAR VOICE REPORTING ON CHANGING EVENTS

IN THEIR HOME COUNTRIES

AND ON LIFE WITHIN ARAB IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES

IN THE UNITED STATES.

HE PUBLISHED GIBRAN'S POEMS IN HIS NEWSPAPER,

GIVING THE POET A PROMINENT VOICE

IN THE ISOLATED ARAB COMMUNITY.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS PAINTING THAT'S SO IMPORTANT?

THE STORY IS THAT IT WAS PAINTED BY KHALIL GIBRAN.

NOW, I KNOW OF HIM AS A VERY FAMOUS WRITER,

BUT I DIDN'T KNOW HE DID PAINTINGS.

YES.

ESPECIALLY PORTRAITS.

YES.

AND I KNOW THAT HE...

BOB TELLS ME A COUSIN HE HASN'T SEEN IN MANY YEARS

ONCE HAD A DRAWING SIGNED BY THE POET.

ALTHOUGH THE PAINTING OF BOB'S GRANDFATHER

IS NOT SIGNED, THERE ARE SOME POTENTIAL CLUES.

WHAT IS THIS MEDAL HERE, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT'S ABOUT?

I DO NOT KNOW.

AND THIS HERE, THIS IS A WATCH, RIGHT?

BOB HAS A TIMEPIECE THAT HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN

THROUGH HIS FAMILY WHICH HE THINKS MAY BE

THE SAME WATCH IN THE PAINTING.

THIS POCKET WATCH WAS PRESENTED TO MY GRANDFATHER

WHEN HE WAS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED SYRIAN SOCIETY

IN 1914 TO 1915.

FINE TIMEPIECE.

THANK YOU.

BOB SAYS THAT ALTHOUGH HIS GRANDFATHER

IMMIGRATED TO THE UNITED STATES,

HE DEVOTED HIS LIFE TO THE CAUSE OF INDEPENDENCE

FOR SYRIA AND LEBANON.

BOTH WERE STILL PART OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE,

WHICH HAD RULED THOSE LANDS FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED YEARS.

SO WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO FIND OUT FOR YOU?

WELL, COULD IT HAVE BEEN PAINTED BY KHALIL GIBRAN

AND ANY BACKGROUND ABOUT MY GRANDFATHER.

THE PORTRAIT IS TOO LARGE TO CARRY WITH ME,

SO I'M GOING TO TAKE SOME PHOTOS.

I READ KHALIL GIBRAN IN COLLEGE,

BUT I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HIS ARTWORK.

I'M HEADING INTO BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, HOME TO A LARGE

AND LONG-STANDING ARAB-AMERICAN COMMUNITY,

TO SHOW BOB'S PAINTING TO A KHALIL GIBRAN SCHOLAR,

GREGORY ORFALEA.

WELCOME.

GREG SAYS MUCH OF GIBRAN'S WRITING AND PAINTING

REFLECTS HIS IDENTITY AS AN IMMIGRANT

IN A FOREIGN LAND.

I THINK HIS EXPERIENCE IN AMERICA

WAS ONE OF ALIENATION.

IT WAS A LONELY EXPERIENCE LINGUISTICALLY.

HE DIDN'T KNOW ENGLISH.

HE WAS NOT IN BEAUTIFUL, VERDANT, SNOWY MT.

LEBANON,

HE WAS LIVING IN THE TENEMENTS IN GRIMY BOSTON,

SOUTH BOSTON, WEST ROXBURY.

GREG EXPLAINS THAT GIBRAN ARRIVED IN BOSTON IN 1895

AT THE AGE OF 12.

HIS FAMILY WAS PART OF AN ENORMOUS INFLUX

OF MOSTLY POOR IMMIGRANTS WHO ARRIVED

AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY FROM LEBANON AND SYRIA

TO PLACES SUCH AS BROOKLYN, NEW YORK,

AND SOUTH BOSTON.

HIS FIRST POETRY WAS IN ARABIC

AND OFTEN ADDRESSED YOUNG IMMIGRANTS LIKE HIMSELF

STRUGGLING TO FIND THEIR WAY IN THE UNITED STATES.

HE WROTE POEMS TO TELL YOUNG SYRIAN AMERICANS

TO BE PROUD OF THEIR HERITAGE IN THE UNITED STATES

AND FEEL THAT THEY HAD SOMETHING TO GIVE OF MAGNITUDE.

IN 1923, HE PUBLISHED A COLLECTION

OF 26 ENGLISH PROSE POEMS

ABOUT A MYSTICAL SPIRITUAL LEADER, THE PROPHET.

IN IT, GIBRAN EXPLORED SUBJECTS LIKE LOVE, BEAUTY, AND GIVING.

"YOU GIVE BUT LITTLE WHEN YOU GIVE OF YOUR POSSESSIONS.

IT IS WHEN YOU GIVE OF YOURSELF THAT YOU TRULY GIVE."

THE UNIQUE BLEND OF EAST AND WEST THINKING

HAS SOLD MILLIONS OF COPIES.

THERE ARE SOME PARTS OF THE PROPHET

THAT ARE VERY INTERESTING,

AND SOME OF THE APHORISMS THAT ARE DIFFERENT.

"WORK IS LOVE MADE VISIBLE."

IT WAS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STYLE OF WRITING

THAN WAS GOING ON RIGHT THEN AND THERE WITH THE AMERICANS.

BUT GREG BELIEVES THAT, IRONICALLY,

THE PROPHET'S COMMERCIAL SUCCESS MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED

TO GIBRAN'S MIXED REVIEWS FROM CRITICS.

AND ALSO YOU HAVE TO SAY THAT ANOTHER REASON WAS

THAT THEY JUST SIMPLY DID NOT TRANSLATE

HIS TOUGHER, MORE REBELLIOUS, PRINCIPLED POLITICAL WORK

THAT WAS PUBLISHED PRIOR TO THE PROPHET.

WE TRANSLATED A POEM OF HIS THAT HAD NEVER SEEN ENGLISH,

"DEFEAT, MY DEFEAT."

THAT MATERIAL SHOWS A MORE POLITICAL,

MORE DEFIANT, MORE SOCIALLY ENGAGED GIBRAN.

I'LL READ JUST A BIT OF IT.

"DEFEAT, MY DEFEAT, MY SHINING SWORD AND SHIELD.

"IN YOUR EYES I HAVE READ

"THAT TO BE ENTHRONED IS TO BE ENSLAVED,

"AND WE SHALL STAND IN THE SUN WITH A WILL

AND WE SHALL BE DANGEROUS."

SALMA JAYYUSI, THE PALESTINIAN CRITIC,

SAYS THAT HE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT LITERARY FIGURE

IN THE ARAB WORLD IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20th CENTURY.

THAT'S BIG.

I TELL GREG ABOUT MY INVESTIGATION.

SO I'M PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN THE RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN KHALIL GIBRAN AND NAJEEB DIAB.

CAN YOU TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT DIAB?

WELL, HE WAS A LEADER OF THE COMMUNITY AS A JOURNALIST.

HE WAS A LEADER OF THE UNITED SYRIAN SOCIETY.

IT WAS FOR FREEDOM FOR SYRIA FROM OTTOMAN TURKEY.

HE WAS A HIGHLY RESPECTED MAN.

GREG CONFIRMS BOTH MEN KNEW EACH OTHER

AND MOVED IN SIMILAR CIRCLES,

EACH SPEAKING IN FAVOR OF INDEPENDENCE

FOR SYRIA AND LEBANON.

LIKE GIBRAN, NAJEEB DIAB WAS PROFOUNDLY INFLUENCED

BY AMERICAN IDEAS OF POLITICAL LIBERTY AND FREE SPEECH.

THESE PEOPLE HAD COME TO AMERICA,

THEY HAD TASTED THE FRUITS OF DEMOCRACY AND SECULARISM.

MOST OF THEM LIKED WHAT THEY SAW

AND LIKED WHAT THEY TASTED.

THEY WANTED TO SEE IT IN THEIR HOME COUNTRIES.

BUT GREG'S NOT SURE IF GIBRAN EVER PAINTED THIS.

IT'S ALMOST TOO REALISTIC.

THERE'S NO PRE-RAPHAELITE LIGHT AND MISTINESS ABOUT IT

THAT YOU SAW IN GIBRAN'S PAINTINGS.

HE SAYS THE LARGEST PUBLIC COLLECTION

OF GIBRAN PAINTINGS IN THE U.S.

IS AT THE TELFAIR MUSEUM IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA,

SO I'M ARRANGING TO HAVE BOB'S PORTRAIT

SHIPPED THERE FOR COMPARISON.

MEANWHILE, I'M GOING TO TRY TO TRACK DOWN BOB'S COUSIN,

WHOM HE HAD SAID ONCE OWNED ARTWORK SIGNED BY GIBRAN.

EVENTUALLY, I LOCATE ROBERT MADEY

ON LONG ISLAND NEAR NEW YORK CITY.

ROBERT IS ALSO A GRANDSON OF THE MAN IN BOB'S PORTRAIT,

NAJEEB DIAB.

WELCOME.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

NOW, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU ACTUALLY HAVE A SKETCH

THAT KHALIL GIBRAN DID AND SIGNED.

I DO, AND AS A MATTER OF FACT...

ROBERT SHOWS ME THE SKETCH OF HIS AUNT SELMA.

THE WOMAN IS NAJEEB DIAB'S DAUGHTER.

HE SAYS THAT ALTHOUGH THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN SOLD,

THERE'S NO DOUBT WHO DREW IT.

"MY LOVE TO SELMA DIAB FROM GIBRAN GIBRAN."

WOW, VERY, VERY INTERESTING.

WELL, GIBRAN AND MY GRANDFATHER WERE FRIENDS.

ROBERT EXPLAINS THAT KHALIL GIBRAN

WAS CLOSE TO HIS ENTIRE FAMILY,

SHARING POLITICAL AND ARTISTIC INTERESTS.

THEY WERE FOUNDERS OF A SOCIETY CALLED AL-RABITAH,

AND THAT ORGANIZATION WAS FORMED TO PROMOTE

AND PERPETUATE THE ARABIC LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

AND LITERATURE IN THIS COUNTRY.

AND MY FATHER, IN FACT, DELIVERED A EULOGY TO GIBRAN

WHEN HE PASSED AWAY.

I'M DOING AN INVESTIGATION TO FIND OUT

IF KHALIL GIBRAN COULD HAVE ACTUALLY PAINTED THIS PORTRAIT.

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THIS BEFORE?

I HAVE.

I HAVE THE ORIGINAL PHOTO

FROM WHICH THIS PORTRAIT WAS PAINTED.

THIS IS AMAZING.

THE TWIST IN THE HAIR IS AT THE EXACT SAME PLACE,

THE TIE IS THE SAME, THE COAT IS THE SAME,

THE NUMBER OF BUTTONS ARE THE SAME.

DO YOU KNOW WHEN THIS PHOTOGRAPH WAS TAKEN?

NO, BUT I THINK IT WAS DONE PROBABLY IN CONNECTION

WITH A CONFERENCE HE ATTENDED IN PARIS IN 1913.

IT MAY HAVE BEEN DONE JUST PRIOR TO OR JUST AFTERWARDS.

ROBERT SAYS HIS GRANDFATHER ATTENDED

A MAJOR CONFERENCE IN PARIS JUST BEFORE WORLD WAR I

AS THE HEAD OF THE UNITED SYRIAN SOCIETY.

DELEGATES FROM ARAB NATIONS AND OTHER IMMIGRANT GROUPS

WERE DEBATING THE BEST WAY OF ENDING TURKISH RULE

IN SYRIA AND LEBANON.

THE WATCH BOB SHOWED ME

WAS ALSO FROM THE UNITED SYRIAN SOCIETY

AND MAY WELL BE THE SAME WATCH IN THE PORTRAIT.

HAD GIBRAN PAINTED THIS IMAGE OF HIS FRIEND

TO COMMEMORATE THIS IMPORTANT MOMENT?

BOB'S SKEPTICAL THE PAINTING WAS DONE BY GIBRAN --

THE STYLE IS SO DIFFERENT FROM THE IMAGE OF HIS AUNT --

BUT HE CAN'T BE CERTAIN.

IT'S CONCEIVABLE THAT HE COULD'VE DONE A COPY.

BOB'S PAINTING HAS ARRIVED AT THE TELFAIR MUSEUM,

WHERE I'M MEETING CURATOR TANIA SAMMONS.

WE ARE TRYING TO FIND OUT

IF THIS PAINTING WAS DONE BY GIBRAN.

WELL, KHALIL GIBRAN ACTUALLY WAS FIRST KNOWN FOR HIS ARTWORK.

TANIA TELLS ME THAT GIBRAN'S TALENT

WON THE ATTENTION OF BOSTON'S ART COMMUNITY

WHILE HE WAS STILL A TEEN.

A SCHOOL HEADMISTRESS NAMED MARY HASKELL

BECAME HIS PATRON AND EVENTUALLY HIS LOVER.

SHE SENT HIM TO STUDY ART AT THE ACADEMIE JULIAN IN PARIS

AND HAD A PROFOUND INFLUENCE ON HIS LIFE.

IN 1911, SHE HELPED HIM SET UP A STUDIO IN NEW YORK CITY.

SHE REALLY ALLOWED HIM TO TAKE OFF,

BOTH IN HIS WRITING AND VISUAL CAREERS.

SO NOT ONLY DID SHE ENCOURAGE HIM TO WRITE IN ENGLISH,

BUT SHE HELPED HIM LEARN THE LANGUAGE,

SHE EDITED HIS WORK AS WELL.

NOW, DOES THE LACK OF A SIGNATURE TELL US ANYTHING?

KHALIL GIBRAN DID SIGN HIS PIECES,

BUT HE DIDN'T SIGN EVERYTHING.

HOWEVER, I WOULD SAY THE STYLE OF PAINTING

IS NOT TYPICAL FOR KHALIL GIBRAN.

TANIA SHOWS ME A SERIES OF PAINTINGS BY GIBRAN,

AND AT FIRST GLIMPSE, HIS WORKS DO NOT RESEMBLE

THE DIAB PORTRAIT.

YOU CAN SEE HOW HE IS NOT REALLY FOCUSED

ON THE INDIVIDUAL FEATURES OF A PERSON.

IT'S VERY FLUID.

YEAH.

DO YOU HAVE ANY OIL PAINTINGS LIKE OURS WHICH ARE A PORTRAIT?

I HAVE A GOOD COMPARISON.

IT'S A SELF-PORTRAIT OF KHALIL GIBRAN.

THE STYLE OF THIS PORTRAIT

IS ALSO QUITE DIFFERENT FROM BOB'S.

IN THIS PAINTING, GIBRAN'S BRUSH STROKES

ARE VERY EVIDENT.

THEY'RE MUCH FREER.

YOU CAN SEE INDIVIDUAL COLORS IN THE PAINTING

AND HIS FACE ISN'T DELINEATED

LIKE THE IMAGE OF MR. DIAB.

I EXPLAIN THAT BOB'S PORTRAIT MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO

WITH NAJEEB DIAB ATTENDING A MAJOR CONFERENCE

IN PARIS IN 1913.

TANIA SAYS THAT DURING THAT PERIOD,

GIBRAN DID A NUMBER OF PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS

OF IMPORTANT ARTISTS AND THINKERS.

HE CALLED IT THE "TEMPLE OF ART" SERIES.

CERTAINLY MR. DIAB WOULD HAVE FIT WITHIN THAT SERIES.

AND SO IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN

UNCALLED FOR FOR DIAB TO REQUEST

A PARTICULAR TYPE OF PORTRAIT FROM GIBRAN.

YEAH, CERTAINLY NOT.

IT'S TYPICAL FOR PEOPLE WHO COMMISSION PORTRAITS

TO GUIDE THE ARTIST ON HOW THEY WOULD LIKE

FOR THE PORTRAIT TO BE PAINTED.

DOES BOB HAVE A PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN PAINTING

FROM THE "TEMPLE OF ART" SERIES?

TANIA SUGGESTS THAT IF DIAB HAD COMMISSIONED THE WORK,

GIBRAN MAY HAVE MENTIONED IT IN HIS CORRESPONDENCE

WITH HIS LOVER, MARY HASKELL.

LET ME SEE IF I CAN FIND ANYTHING

ABOUT THE "TEMPLE OF ART" HERE.

THERE ARE REFERENCES TO MANY OF THE LUMINARIES

THAT GIBRAN DREW OR PAINTED,

INCLUDING PSYCHOTHERAPIST CARL JUNG,

IRISH POET WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS,

AND THE LEGENDARY ACTRESS SARAH BERNHARDT.

LISTEN TO THIS:

"AT LAST, THE DIVINE SARAH IS CAUGHT."

THIS IS A REFERENCE TO SARAH BERNHARDT.

"BUT IF I AM TO GO THROUGH THE SAME PROCESS

"WITH OTHER GREAT MEN AND WOMEN,

"I MIGHT AS WELL GIVE UP ART AND BECOME A DIPLOMAT."

OKAY, HERE IS A REFERENCE TO DIAB.

I'VE DISCOVERED A CURIOUS NOTE

IN THE HASKELL LETTERS.

I THINK I FINALLY HAVE SOME ANSWERS FOR BOB.

BOB, THIS INVESTIGATION HAS ALLOWED US

TO GAIN SOME INSIGHT OF THE RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN YOUR GRANDFATHER AND KHALIL GIBRAN.

I SPOKE TO AN EXPERT ON HIS ARTWORK,

AND SHE IS OF THE OPINION THAT THIS PAINTING

IS NOT THE WORK OF KHALIL GIBRAN.

I EXPLAIN TO BOB THAT TO MAKE CERTAIN,

I CONSULTED THE LETTERS AND DIARIES OF MARY HASKELL.

AND IT IS THAT SEARCH WHICH LED ME

TO ONE OF MY MOST IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES.

OKAY, HERE IS A REFERENCE TO DIAB.

IT'S QUITE POLITICAL, AND THIS IS REFERRING

TO THE 1913 PARIS CONFERENCE.

"DIAB AND MYSELF WERE ASKED TO GO AS REPRESENTATIVES.

"THE IDEA IS FINE, BUT AFTER TALKING THINGS OVER

"WITH A COMMITTEE OF SYRIANS,

"I FOUND THAT WE DO NOT AGREE ON ANY POINT.

"DIAB THINKS I AM MAD -- OTHERS THINK SO, TOO."

IT HAS NOTHING TO SAY ABOUT HIM DOING A SKETCH

OR A PORTRAIT OF DIAB.

I TELL BOB THAT GIBRAN HAD REFUSED TO ATTEND

THE 1913 PARIS CONFERENCE BECAUSE HE HAD

FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCES WITH OTHER ATTENDEES,

INCLUDING NAJEEB DIAB.

SO IT SEEMS UNLIKELY

THAT GIBRAN WOULD PAINT A PORTRAIT

IN COMMEMORATION OF THE EVENT.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOUR GRANDFATHER

AND KHALIL GIBRAN WAS NOT ONLY OVER ISSUES

OF WRITING AND ART,

IT WENT TO THE HEART OF THEIR POLITICAL COMMITMENT

AND WAS A REFLECTION

ON THE EARLY ARAB-AMERICAN POLITICAL LEADERSHIP

IN THIS COUNTRY.

IT'S QUITE INTERESTING.

I NEVER REALIZED THAT THEY WERE EVEN IN POLITICS,

MY GRANDFATHER OR KHALIL GIBRAN.

IT'S THE ONLY PICTURE I HAVE OF MY GRANDFATHER,

AND I'LL STILL KEEP IT AND CHERISH IT AT HOME.

I THANK YOU.

IN THE 1960s, A GENERATION HUNGRY FOR CHANGE

WAS CAPTIVATED BY PASSAGES FROM THE PROPHET,

LIKE "LOVE POSSESSES NOT NOR WOULD IT BE POSSESSED;

FOR LOVE IS SUFFICIENT UNTO LOVE."

IN THEIR SEARCH FOR A DIFFERENT WAY OF THINKING AND LIVING,

MANY YOUNG, DISILLUSIONED AMERICANS

TURNED TO THE TEACHINGS OF THE EAST.

THE IDEAS EXPRESSED IN THE PROPHET

MIRRORED THEIR STRUGGLE OF THE SPIRIT AGAINST MATERIALISM.

KHALIL GIBRAN BECAME A VOICE

FOR THE COUNTERCULTURE MOVEMENT.

BUT GIBRAN NEVER LIVED

TO SEE HIS WORDS INSPIRE THAT GENERATION OF AMERICANS.

HE DIED OF CIRRHOSIS OF THE LIVER

FROM ALCOHOLISM IN 1931.

And so, my fellow Americans...

Elyse: PRESIDENT KENNEDY IS BELIEVED TO HAVE PARAPHRASED

KHALIL GIBRAN'S WRITING WHEN HE SAID:

Ask not what your country can do for you,

ask what you can do for your country.

[ cheering and applause ]

JFK WAS ALSO FOND OF QUOTING FROM ROBERT FROST

AND EVEN HAD THE POET READ AT HIS INAUGURATION.

IT'S RARE THAT POETRY AND POLITICS MIX,

BUT SOMETIMES TRAGEDY BRINGS THE TWO TOGETHER.

FOLLOWING THE DISASTER THAT CLAIMED THE LIVES

OF SEVEN ASTRONAUTS ABOARD THE SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER

ON JANUARY 28, 1986, RONALD REAGAN ADDRESSED THE NATION.

We will never forget them.

WHEN HE ENDED HIS REMARKS BY SAYING THE ASTRONAUTS HAD...

Slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God.

HE WAS BORROWING FROM THE FIRST AND LAST LINE

OF "HIGH FLIGHT."

THE POEM WAS WRITTEN IN 1941

BY A 19-YEAR-OLD PILOT OFFICER,

JOHN GILLESPIE MAGEE, JR.,

ON THE BACK OF A LETTER TO HIS MOTHER

JUST A FEW MONTHS BEFORE HE WAS KILLED.

WHEN MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., WAS ASSASSINATED,

BOBBY KENNEDY WENT BACK 2,500 YEARS

TO THE GREEK POET AESCHYLUS

TO GIVE VOICE TO HIS HOPE FOR THE FUTURE.

Kennedy: Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget

falls drop by drop upon the heart

until in our own despair, against our will,

comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.

Elvis Costello: ♫WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♫

♫IT'S JUST LIKE WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♫

♫WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♫

♫WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♫