Hello,
Matt, Thank you for posting the link to the South Shields Gazette news article regarding my Aug 2023 visit to So. Shields, my SS Norwich City Niku Bones hypothesis and other information. A related paper will soon appear on the So. Shields Local History Group webpage. I met a number of Yemeni Arabs and local historians. I did not return with data, for example a photograph of 5 foot 6 inch lost sailor Saleh Ragee, however I learned a lot and introduced many people to the hypothesis. One gentlemen in particular is interested to the point last week he visited the British National Archives to conduct supporting research. We corresponded frequently. My research has been advanced.
Why Saleh Ragee? Why South Shields? Sandals? How could a sailor, perhaps injured go undetected? Interested parties can read my Null Hypothesis research paper here which includes an introduction by Tom King:
https://ameliaearhartarchaeology.blogspot.com/2019/01/lost-norwich-city-crewmen-potential.htmlEmail if you would like a PDF copy. KSpading@Comcast.net
Richard Jantz assisted me with composing the report. I quote him in the paper in cases where I utilize his input. For example, he reran FORDISC for the paper. Since the 2019 publication I uncovered the height of Ayed Naif. I am close to a couple more.
I am working on a revised paper which, among other data, will include Ayed Naif's height at 5 foot 9 inches. I suggest caution surrounding stating broadly a lost sailor is “too tall” or “Too Short”. As outlined in my paper Jantz determined the 90 percent confidence interval is 5 ft. 4 in. to 5 ft. 9 in. The “Most Likely” height for the castaway is 5 ft. 6 in. to 5 ft. 8 in. albeit within the small FORDISC sample size. However, no one within the confidence limit can be eliminated in particular someone within plus or minus one inch of the Most Likely range.
For example, in June 2021 I notified Jantz I located Naif’s 5 ft. 9 in. height at one inch above the most likely range. He replied:
“Your newly discovered height for Naif [5 ft. 9 in.] would also be [a good fit] for the Nikumaroro bones. Naif would fall within the error of estimate.”
Similarly Thomas Scott at 5 ft. 9+ in. is within/close to the error of estimate. Said Metanna at 5 ft. 4 in. is a tougher fit but still in the game given the small sample size. Ragee Saleh at 5 ft. 6 in. is a Most Likely fit for the castaway’s height as stated by Jantz in my paper.
See Table 1 in my report. Eight (
sailors were lost. Three (3) British and (5) Yemeni Arabs.. On the British side I am searching for James Horne’s height. On the Arab side I am searching for Redman Yousef, Ahmed Hassan and Ali Hassan.
Caution regarding ethnicity; Jantz is quoted in my paper as follows:
“The Most Likely height range assumes the castaway was Euro-European. However, it is doubtful a Yemeni/Arab reference sample would be different enough to exclude Ragee whose height is around the 50th percentile.”
I am not discounting Amelia Eahart as being the castaway. She is also a good fit for the castaway bones. However, she is not the only possibility. I have attached two files as references.
Respectfully, Kenton Spading