Page 2 · The Pioneer · Jan. 29, 2015

Photo by Carla Antonio Dr. Paul Adamthwaite, executive director of the Naval Marine Archive located in Picton, stands among the many resources of the establishment. “We’re rich here in Lake in shipwrecks, particu- larly this part of ,” said Adamthwaite. Mysteries of Lake Ontario discovered

By Carla Antonio “It’s a treasure trove and it’s got to be founder of Ocean Scan Systems, has tribe, was accused of killing John Sharp, preserved.” ‘It’s a treasure trove and been extensively researching the ship a white fur trader whom he believed to Two canal boats believed to date back to Adamthwaite is a mathematician and it’s got to be preserved.’ since the 1970s and believes that a have murdered his brother in the year the 1830s have been discovered in Lake scientist who was educated by the Royal wreck he has located through side scan prior. The ship was also carrying six Ontario by a team of New York ship- Navy prior to serving as a marine. He Dr. Paul Adamthwaite sonar technology is indeed the famous hand-written copies of the Constitution wreck explorers off the coast of Oswego, says that shipping is an intensive part of HMS Speedy. of Upper . New York. human history that has always intrigued “The Speedy is the most archeologi- “Paxton, who was the most renowned tario has made it a hot spot for divers in The discovery, announced last week, him. cally significant wreck in Canada,” said captain at the time, refused to go be- search of shipwrecks, many frequenting raises some interesting questions, as “We didn’t have airplanes in those Burtt. cause he was afraid of the Speedy sink- the resting points of the USS Hamilton boats of this design were not meant for days, so you know, everybody came by “It established an historical path.” ing,” said Burtt. and the USS Scourge, two merchant travel in open water. ship. The original explorers, the discov- In 1798, the HMS Speedy was hastily But Paxton was ordered to make the ships that were used in battle during the It is a significant and mysterious dis- erers and most of the immigrants who built in anticipation of a probable attack excursion and the ship eventually hit a . covery, however, because the ships’ sto- came to Canada, came by ship,” says Ad- on Canada by American colonies, an as- storm and was never seen again on the However one particular ship of im- ries are among countless notable stories amthwaite. sumption that would later pan out to be surface of Lake Ontario. Some theories mense historical value, whose remains that rest beneath the surface of Lake “Preserving all of that body of knowl- the War of 1812. However, the Speedy, also point to a collision with a rock un- are assumed to still lie on the floors of Ontario, an area rich in historical ma- edge and tradition and wealth of human which was in rough shape due to the dry der the surface. the lake, is the HMS Speedy, a battle rine archaeology, particularly around experience in the way of bravery, in the rotting timbers of which it was built, Although Burtt is certain that he has schooner whose incomplete voyage the shores of Prince Edward County. way of courage, in the way of experi- never made it to battle. found the Speedy, it can’t be proven un- from North York (now Toronto) to “Now we’re not really sure how many ence, in the way of exploration and dis- Instead, the ship was to be led by its til it goes through an extremely com- Newcastle (now Presqu’ile Point) was shipwrecks there are – at least 180 that covery,” he said. captain, Lieutenant Thomas Paxton, plicated process of archaeological sur- one that presumably altered the history are documented, but there’s probably “We wouldn’t be a North America if it to transport numerous people of high veying, a procedure that is tied up in of Canada. as many as 700,” says Dr. Paul Adamth- weren’t for these ships.” prominence to a courthouse in Newcas- government protocols. Belleville resident Ed Burtt, a long- waite, executive director of the Naval The high concentration of history tle for a controversial murder trial. Oge- “I’m following the rules,” said Burtt. time diver, shipwreck explorer and Marine Archive located in Picton. that remains in the depths of Lake On- tonicut, a native of the Ojibway Muskrat “I want the history preserved.” Let’s Talk… Making literacy Continued from Page 1 The other half of the campaign hinged on opening up a dialogue about mental part of day-to-day living illness and the stigma that currently sur- rounds it. Canadian comedian and actor Belleville Public Library dren into the library, promote children’s Howie Mandel fronted the campaign this love of books, family reading and practice year, discussing his own struggle with ob- offers family programs literacy skills. sessive-compulsive disorder. Family Literacy Day, which occurs an- This aspect of the campaign was the to encourage love of reading nually on Jan. 27 across Canada, is to help most important part for many supporters, By Kayleen Preston promote and encourage parents to read to including Dack. their children daily. Reading together as “I’m so glad famous people are reduc- a family benefits the child and parent in ing the stigma by talking about their own Reading and learning as a family are es- many ways. issues. I think it opens the door for other sential in children’s development. “For a child, the more time spent with a people to talk about it. We’re all human, One way families can read and learn parent reading aloud increases his or her no matter what our job is, and we can all together is to attend programs provided level of attachment, enhances a sense of succumb to illnesses.” by your local library. security, and imparts the knowledge that According to the Canadian Mental Every Saturday, the Belleville Public Li- their parent feels they are worthwhile Health Association, one in five Canadians brary holds programs to encourage both people with whom to spend time,” ABC will experience a mental health issue at parents to attend with their children. Life. some point in their lives. Statistically, it is This past Saturday, the library held a Literacy Canada described in one of nearly impossible to not know somebody Celebration of Family Literacy Day activ- their pre-written tweets that companies with a mental health issue. Medically, they ity for children two and older as an early could use to help promote the day. are just as valid as any physical illness. festivity for the day. #FamilyLiteracyDay was one of the “It’s just like diabetes or cancer, and no- The activity began with reading the highest trends on Twitter throughout body would be ashamed to go to the doc- children three books, where the children Tuesday. tor with those issues,” Dack said. were encouraged to engage in the story. Corporations including the CBC and Sarah Michelle Ogden, mind and well- This proceeded to the children learn- Penguin Books Canada, along with indi- ness practitioner at Loyalist College, re- ing about rhyming words using a white viduals including Will Gourley tweeted ports that approximately 25 percent of board, small pictures of items with three- about the day. The TED Ed teacher post- college-aged students in Canada will ex- letter words, and magnetic letters. This ed a graphic explaining how 20 minutes a perience a mental health issue. was followed by a craft where the children day accumulates to 1,800,000 words in a “When you see a group of 10 people on made their own books using stapled pa- school year compared to five minutes dai- campus, you can imagine that probably at per, wallpaper, fun-designed scissors, and ly resulting in 282,000 words, or 1 minute least two of them will be facing some type markers. resulting in 8,000 words. of mental health concern. It’s very com- Some of the children enjoyed the According to ABC Life Literacy Can- m on .” decorating aspect more, while others, ada, spending a mere 15 minutes a day With those numbers in mind, Ogden including Dylan and Nolan Phillips, en- reading with your children can increase says it’s incredibly important that men- joyed making a story. Dylan, six, created their literacy skills tremendously. tal health support is available and visible a comic book titled Dylan’s Crazy Day, A few out-of-the-box ideas that can ac- on campus. The stress of being a student while his younger brother Nolan (3), who cumulate to the 15 minutes include learn- can put an extra strain on mental health, was making a surprise for his dad, kept ing how to play an instrument, creating and existing disorders can be triggered or his book a secret to everyone. The Phillips and using a map to go the park, and writ- made worse if support is not accessed. brothers attended the activity along with ing a new recipe together. Ogden is one of multiple councilors their mother Rebecca. For more information on the activi- available to students upstairs in the stu- “Anything to help parents get involved ties at the Belleville Public Library visit dent support centre. reading with their children,” stated Sarah Photo by Kayleen Preston http://bellevillelibrary.ca/programsande- Dack’s poetry books, Discarded, Dis- Basinski, who along with Jane Vanmanen, ventss151.php. Evie Richard, 4, and her mother Rebecca Richard decorated her book cover to- carded Again, and Snapshots, which focus organized Saturday’s activities. For more ideas on ways you can in gether as part of the “Celebrate Family Literacy Day” activity at the Belleville largely on Dack’s mental health struggle and Both Basinski and Vanmanen, who gauge in your child’s learning everyday Public Library last weekend. finding hope, can be found at the Belleville work at the Belleville Public library, visit http://abclifeliteracy.ca/fld/15- Public Library or in the Loyalist library as of agreed that the programs help get chil- minutes-of-fun. Wednesday, Let’s Talk Day 2015.