I was mystified by the strange ship 100 yards off shore at 56th street where I first spotted it, as I made the left off the Henry Hudson parkway. The Times has identified the craft: the Giulio Verne, an Italian cable-laying ship. Owned by Prymian Powerlink, its specifications show it is 133 meters, 8,800 tons, and uses 15 - 20 tons of fuel per day when under way on the open sea. It is inching its way to Edgewater New Jersey to connect the New Jersey power grid to New York's - to help wean the state from dependence on the Indian Point nuclear plant. Powerbridge, LLC is doing the job. They also ran a cable from Sayreville, NJ to Levittown on Long Island - 65 miles. Another project will bring power from Maine to Boston and south.
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| Rockland's lobster trap tree |
Roald Amundsen - the great Norwegian explorer and navigator took the short route to the south pole. He got there on December 14, 1911 - and back safely. Robert Falcon Scott - burdened by the weight of British science - knowledge, not adventure was the goal - did not get there and did not get back. This slideshow tells some of Scott's story, which is brilliantly told by law professor and historian of science Edward J. Larson, in his recent book “Empire of Ice: Scott, Shackleton, and the Heroic Age of Antarctic Science". John Wilford brings us up to date. - GWC
