distant fireworks

[Terrance F. Flaherty]

Richard Romeo wrote:

>
> ----------------
> two things re: July 4th--while checking out the fw from my roof, one lady
> said excitedly:  "It's just like war."
>
> the other was learning of American POWs during the revolution, being sent by
> the British to a ship anchored off the "LI" shore to basically starve or
> perish from disease.  These so-called prison ships and those who died are
> commemorated with an obelisk in Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn. If only we
> knew more about the latter, than the mediated corporate mongering that 7/4
> represents.  In fact, my buddy and I were musing on which corporate logo
> will first appear within the FW patterns.
>

An unbelievable story. The bleached bones of thousands strewn along the shore.
The "Old Jersey" alone, tossed 11,000 corpses into the water. Monuments and
tombs were erected all over NYC and Long Island, many of them, because every
time a major construction site on the water was begun, thousands of bones were
discovered.

Washington's letters to Digby and  Howe provide some details of the ships of
death.