Underwater Archaeological Society of Chicago

General

Approximately 16 people attended the April 2007 meeting, two of which were new members.
John & Ruth Loftus ran the meeting, with minimal business to leave time for a long and thorough program.

Treasury – In the absence of Bob Gadbois, Jim Jarecki reported on the state of the UASC finances. Contact Bob for full details if interested.
ICSSD – No announcements. Visit the ICSSD Web Site for more information.
Membership – Roger Brown has distributed a new membership roster. Contact Roger or Jim Jarecki if you need a copy.
Newsletter – UASC is still looking for a new newsletter chair.

On April 10, Cris Kohl moderated a discussion on Shadow Divers at the Museum of Science and Industry. It was well attended and enjoyed by all.
A CPR class was held on April 14th.

April 28, Chris Kastle, solo performance at Uncommon Ground
Safety Classes – April 28, EFR Class – Jack Donoval, $65 at his house. 9 hours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
May 5, Mysteries and Histories Beneath the Inland Seas, Holland MI
May 7, Opening Reception, Michael Angelo Gagliardi Art Show
May 8, National Archives will present a Program on Rouse Simmon

Brief updates were given on ongoing projects, mostly gearing up to start the dive season.

John and Ruth Loftus lead a presentation on the Railroad Ferry Barge #2 project, including contributions from several UASC members:
- John & Ruth presented the overview of the project, and historical information about the barge, its life, its sinking, and events subsequent to its original sinking. Many underwater photos of the current wreck were included.
- Tony Kiefer gave a presentation about trusses and truss types, and how the trusses used to support the railroad barge closely resemble those commonly found on many bridges. A question arose as to whether the ship's designer got his inspiration from bridges he had seen or from other sources.
- Dean Nolen spoke briefly about creating a photo montage from Tony's pictures using AutoCAD.
- John Bell gave a short presentation on creating a similar montage using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Both Dean and John experienced a scaling problem that may be correctable using keystone correction in PhotoShop.