Last Halloween, skeletal remains were found in the unearthed roots of the New Haven Green’s Lincoln Oak tree that was knocked over by the rage of Superstorm Sandy. Now, it appears authorities have found another item of interest preserved within the soil.
Along with the remains, a barrel-shaped lump of concrete was discovered attached to the engraved stone that sat at the bottom of the tree, the New Haven Independent reported. On Wednesday, the city jack-hammered it open to discover two copper tubes that they believe may be time capsules, due to X-rays showing items possibly stored inside. New Haven historian Robert Greenberg believes they may have been placed in the ground along with the tree, which was planted in 1909 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.
We’ll have to wait for the state archeologist Nicholas Bellantoni to investigate, but in the meantime, the New Haven Green is starting to look like a scene from Indiana Jones.
Fearful New Havenites can rest assured that the mysterious snow patterns that appeared on the Green earlier this week were not the work of extraterrestrials— at least according to one authority.
With the relieving headline “New Haven Green ‘crop circles’ not likely made by aliens, expert says,” the New Haven Register took the lead in explaining the connected circles and swirls seen in the shoveled snow on Tuesday. The patterns supposedly resembled the “crop circles” that have mysteriously appeared in farming fields in recent decades.
Colin Andrews, who coined the term “crop circle” and has researched the patterns of these curiously bent stalks since 1983, provided his expert opinion at the behest of the TV station WFSB.
“[T]he precision of the actual designs lacked preciseness, which has always been evident in the several thousands of unexplained crop circles that I’ve witnessed in many countries around the planet,” said Andrews, according to the Register.
Aliens, however, are only one possible cause of crop circles. In the past, crop circles have been attributed to laser-toting artists, nighttime UFOs, strange weather patterns, secret military experiments and the like. One scientist interviewed by The Huffington Post in 2011 also cited the importance of “rapid air movement, ionization, electric fields and transient high temperatures combined with an oxidizing atmosphere,” in addition to an “ion plasma vortex.”
In an interview with WFSB, West Haven resident Gloria Caprio said she thinks New Haven’s snowy rings are probably the work of “somebody who has a lot of time on their hands,” but the media members scurrying around the Green still need to consider all possible causes of New Haven’s most fascinating new mystery. After all, The Huffington Post seems to think crop circles come from “wallabies ‘stoned’ on opium.”
As the church bells on the New Haven Green chimed at 6 p.m. this evening, roughly 500 Yalies and New Haven residents gathered on the Green to commemorate the 27 lives lost in yesterday’s elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
Holding brightly lit candles to the sky, the mourners listened as several clergymen and speakers emphasized the need for unity and action in the face of Friday’s tragedy. At one point, the crowd began singing in unison, repeating the phrase, “Never give up, never give in.”
“I asked everyone to come out to share their condolences — to know that they are not alone at this time, that people across the world feel their pain,” said Keya Youins, a New Haven resident who helped organize the vigil, as she held back tears. “Everyone showed up. It’s a beautiful thing.”
As mourners arrived at the vigil, they gathered in groups between the lit Christmas tree and the flagpole. Some of the group, gathered in a circle, listened as others stepped forward to speak on the shooting and the process of healing to come. Candles were passed through the crowd and lit by those in attendance. Community members present said attending the vigil, which was hosted by Interfaith Cooperative Ministries, was a small act they hoped would begin the process of healing.
“I thought it was a coming together point for the community,” said Josh Clapper ’16, who attended the vigil. “It shows us what to be thankful for right now. It’s awful, but we need to take time to figure out what should be done … [and] work on a solution.”
At one point during the New Haven vigil, Interfaith Cooperative Ministries President and Reverend John Gage ’92 stood to speak. Asking the crowd to move in closer to the flagpole where he stood, Gage stressed the connection shared between New Haven residents and those in Newtown, saying “[the purpose of the vigil was] to sit in the darkness with our neighbors who have experienced unimaginable pain.”
Reverend Tracy Johnson Russell of St. Andrews Episcopal Church said “healing and action go hand in hand,” adding that “grief should spur us to make a change.”
In prepared remarks delivered from his Hartford office and broadcast throughout the state this afternoon, Gov. Dannel Malloy alluded to a forthcoming debate on gun laws, saying, “there will be time soon for a discussion of the public policy issues surrounding yesterday’s events.”
At the end of tonight’s vigil, those in attendance blew out their candles and told friends and strangers alike, “peace be with you.” The flag, raised only to half-mast, still hung limply in the cold.
