Re: The Newport Tower - some reflections, and a question

"Inger E.(Norah)" <noninger_none.Johansson@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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<ghughesarch@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
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As an English mill specialist with a mild interest in the early
development of the tower mill, I have been following the discussions
here about the recent work on the Newport Tower. To set out my stall
at
the outset, I believe that of the theories advanced over the last
100+
years, the Colonial Windmill theory comes closest to fitting all the
known facts, and physical evidence, without the necessity of
introducing a great raft of "ifs" and "buts" and postulating
otherwise unknown or unrecorded Viking voyages, Portuguese settlers
or
whatever - Occam's razor has its uses.

So, my basic question is:

What, if any, hard archaeological or other evidence (evidence, not
speculation) is there that any of the individuals or groups claimed
as
being responsible for its construction, apart from seventeenth
century
British settlers, were active - at any time - at, or near to (within
say twenty miles) of the Newport Tower before 1800?

The problem with any of the theories other than the Arnoldist one is
that none of them fits with any wider proven context. At least the
Arnoldist theory has on its side the known existence of Governor
Arnold
in Newport in the late seventeenth century; the existence of
documentary evidence that he possessed a windmill, and that it was
built of stone; and archaeological evidence for activity on and
around
the Tower during the late seventeenth century (with, apparently, no
archaeological evidence for activity before that period except a
possible meteorite strike - you can claim that later works have
destroyed any such evidence, but it would have to be an impossibly
thorough act of destruction to remove everything before 1650).

I apologise for the oversimple nature of the following comments, and
also for any offence they may cause - such is not their intention.

Every other theory, it seems to me, is based on little more than
wishful thinking and, if I may say so, a peculiarly American form of
wishful thinking in that it invests an immense grandeur and
importance
in any solid fact,

Well not necessarily wishful thinking. There are two sources, one a
painting
before the Governor or any other known person built anything in the
area.
That's been discussed before, I think it was eight or nine years ago.
BUT
and that's one hardly anyone seems to remember. When Pothurst, Pinning
and
the other had been in Greenland and after trying to get into an other
fjord
there they were driven ashore and taken by a storm southward,
description
doesn't fit Labrador or Newfoundland. Anyhow as a Danish seacaptain
presented some years ago in a History article in a Danish Marine
Journal/Paper there do exist a drawing from where they had to stay
over
winter. There is a windmill on it as well as houses. It doesn't seem
that
the url I sent the group six or seven years ago is up, but I did send
the
url and hope that at least someone looked at it when it was sent.


Gareth Hughes presented himself as a newcomer or lurker here (and a very
sensible and welcome one, too). You have to take into account that he
might not have been around eight or nine years ago. Even you must admit
that a reference to an untitled article published in an unknown year by
a
nameless Danish captain in an untitled Danish journal is hard to trace.
A lost url
is even less useful. Not exactly the "hard archaeological or other
evidence"
Gareth asked for.


Alan




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