The mystery of a wooden crib washed ashore from Lake Superior in December continues, and one theory hasn't panned out. The origin of the 50-foot long structure will determine whether to preserve it or chop it up for firewood.
A team of divers explored the area of "the old harbor breakwater cribs" behind the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Saturday afternoon to test a theory.
Local divers were certain the 50-foot long timber structure emerged from a line of cribbing built in the 1870s that supported a wharf for Elevator A in Duluth. But after measuring, studying and photographing the underwater cribs, the theory doesn't stack up.
"The one on shore is practically brand-new compared to the ones in the water," said Steve Daniel, president of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society, one of four divers Saturday.
