How a Lynbrook Man Solved 175-Year-Old Mystery

The story of the shipwrecks of the Bristol and the Mexico off the southern coast of Long Island in late 1836 and early 1837 has quite the history attached to it — a history that, until a year ago, was largely forgotten.

It wasn't until Lynbrook village historian Art Mattson became intrigued by inscriptions on the mass grave at the in Lynbrook — the final resting place of 139 out of 215 total victims of the shipwrecks — that the story came together, in Mattson's book, Water and Ice: The Tragic Wrecks of the Bristol and the Mexico off the South Shore of Long Island.

Mattson was recently honored with the 2010 Joseph F. Meany Award for Excellence in New York State Maritime History, awarded by the Association of Public Historians of New York State (APHNYS), for his book.

The history buff shared his experience of researching the two tragedies with Lynbrook Patch.

"I certainly didn't know at first," Mattson said, when asked what he thought he might uncover in his research. "I knew it was a mass grave with 139 people … it talks about the ships and the captain. That's all anybody knew."

The mystery of what caused the two shipwrecks, combined with his younger sister Irene being killed in a boating accident, inspired Mattson to discover the truth.

"I was determined to find out what was behind the story," he added.

He began investigating in the 1970s — before he became Lynbrook's historian — looking at microfilm at local libraries, colleges and flipping through old newspapers. But it was when Mattson retired years later that he really began making significant progress. His research brought him all the way to Liverpool, England and Dublin, Ireland.

He discovered that the Mexico was a steam liner, often picking up European immigrants and also freed slaves in the Caribbean. The Bristol was an American cargo ship that brought supplies to Liverpool, but transported Irish immigrants looking to escape a potato famine back to America. The journey was long and living conditions terrible, but for 215 people aboard those ships in late 1836 and early 1837, the worst part of the trip would be actually making it to America.

On Dec. 31, 1836, the Mexico moved into a holding position near South Street Seaport. The way ships were docked back then was that a pilot from the New York Pilots, something of a union in those days, would sail to the ship and take over for the captain. The pilot would then steer the ship into port, carefully navigating through rough waves and sandbars.

That day, however, no pilot came. As waves rocked the ship again and again, water began filling the ship, forcing passengers up onto the deck in freezing temperatures. All but eight — the captain and seven crew members who stayed in the warm cookhouse and then jumped on a rescue boat — perished. The remaining 115 froze to death.

Mattson later discovered that the pilots who were supposed to come out were "drunk and eating sandwiches" in celebration of New Year's Eve.

It was a similar story for the Bristol a few days later, which also waited for a pilot off the coast of Rockaway Beach. Again, a pilot never came — it was later determined that the pilots had taken the day off. A sitting duck in the rough waves, the Bristol's hatches were knocked off, allowing water to spill into the ship. Many women and children were among the 100 dead.

"I think one of the critical moments was when I discovered who had caused the whole thing — it was the New York Pilots," Mattson said of the way in which the pilots abandoned the two ships. "How could this have happened, and if one of them happened, how could the second one right after it?"

But though the full story may have been lost for roughly 175 years before Mattson put it all together in his book, the tragedies certainly had a major impact on the time in which they occurred.

According to Mattson, the shipwrecks sparked an overhaul of the New York Pilots, ensuring more oversight of the organization and making sure it was operating properly. The wrecks also inspired the creation of sea-rescue organizations in the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Lifesaving Service.

"[The wrecks] altered the way that the United States treated shipwrecks," Mattson said. "Now you see [rescuers] with helicopters. All that stuff happened because of these two wrecks."

And over a century and a half later, one would find it hard to downplay the significance of Mattson's discovery.

"Just think," Mattson said, "after 175 years, if it wasn't for my book, no one would remember it."

Mattson's book is on sale at and also on Amazon.com.