Charles River

ItalianInBoston watched the sun go down tonight.

After a passerby spotted the body around 9:20 this morning by the Teddy Ebersol ballfields, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Detectives have a tentative ID based on his wallet, but have yet to release his name pending notification of next of kin, the DA's office says, adding, however, that he is from the greater Boston area.

There are no immediate signs of foul play, but the exact cause and time of death remain under investigation.

This is the third man's body removed from the river over the past couple of months. On March 27, a man's body was recovered between the Hatch Shell and the Mass. Ave. bridge; on March 15, police recovered the body of a man who had been spotted jumping off the Mass. Ave. bridge on Jan. 1.

A.P. Blake spotted what might be an American eel swimming up the Charles yesterday.

Meet the eels of the Charles River.

Ben Heyman took this photo of a Charles River sunset a couple weeks ago, but it somehow seems fitting today.

Shortly before 7 p.m., a hearse left the state medical examiner's office on Albany Street, headed toward a Wilmington funeral home with the body of Sean Collier, the MIT police officer ambushed Thursday night. Albany Street was lined with Boston police officers showing their last respects. As the hearse pulled out, a commander went on the radio: "Present! Arms!"

Fountain will supply water even in the dog days of summer. Photo by DCR.

Officials from the state Department of Conservation and Recreation and New Balance gathered in Artesani Park on the shores of the Charles this morning to cut a ribbon and official open a new year-round, three-faucet bubbler that will let thirsty runners, walkers and animals rehydrate, both through individual sips and by refilling their water bottles:

DCR Commissioner Ed Lambert loves that clean water. Photo by DCR.

The state Department of Conservation and Recreation and New Balance are holding a formal unveiling on Saturday morning - for a water bubbler in Artesani Park off Soldiers Field Road in Brighton:

New Balance and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) are taking their commitment to outdoor enthusiasts to a new level. Together, they will unveil a brand-new water bubbler at Artesani Playground. The new bubbler will operate all year long to keep outdoor enthusiasts hydrated along the popular Charles River paths. The bubbler features heights adequate for thirsty adults, children, and even pets! Join us for this exciting installation.

DCR is also installing new bubblers for Hatch Memorial Shell on the Esplanade, Jackson Square Playground on the Southwest Corridor and Pope John Paul II Park in Dorchester.

The folks at Railroad.net report the Grand Junction bridge over the Charles River - which connects rail lines north and south of the city - has had to be shut again, only three months after it was re-opened following extensive repairs.

The bridge is used for produce shipments to the Chelsea market and lets Amtrak and MBCR ferry trains to repair facilities on either side of the Charles (South Boston for Amtrak, Somerville for MBCR). With the bridge shut again, trains have to go on a circuitous route via Worcester County.

A couple years ago, state officials bought the Grand Junction bridge and East Cambridge rail line in the hopes of routing some Worcester Line trains to North Station. They've since shelved those plans.

UPDATE: The DA's office reports the victim was a 33-year-old Brighton man and that his death was declared "a non-homicide" after an autopsy and investigation.

State Police report recovering a man's body from the Charles River, between the Hatch Shell and the Harvard Bridge this morning.

Although the man's exact identity remains unknown, the body was probably not that of missing Brown student Sunil Tripathi, because it appears to have been in the water longer than he has been missing, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports, adding an autopsy is planned to determine the cause of his death.

The DA's office adds the body was discovered around 8 a.m. by a Boston University rowing team.

A body of a man pulled out of the Charles River yesterday is that of a 32-year-old South End man whose apparent jump into the river on Jan. 1 sparked a massive search that came up empty at the time, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports, adds:

The investigation during the intervening months into that man's death has not developed any indication of foul play. Because the case is not believed to be criminal in nature, his name is not being released.

Time-lapse animation from MassDOT. With bonus new-agey guitar track that fortunately you can just turn off when it gets really annoying. And don't worry - they'll be putting the shakers back on.

Sarah Bourne captured sailboats on a reduced-ice Charles yesterday afternoon.

Copyright Sarah Bourne.

WBUR reports on the impending three-year Longfellow Bridge repair project that will include a total of 25 weekends of Red Line bustitution and lane restrictions for drivers.

Penny Cherubino watches (and photographs) a guy who started walking across the Charles, then thought the better of it, or satisfied his curiosity or something. She finds the large crack in the ice he almost walked over. With bonus Leslie Jones photo of a Charles River ice rescue from back in the day.

Roving UHub photographer Neil roved himself up the Pru yesterday.

Greg Hum walked across the Longfellow early this afternoon.

The folks at Railroad.net report the Grand Junction Bridge, under the BU Bridge, re-opened to train traffic on Friday.

The bridge, the only connection between railroad tracks north and south of Boston within 128, was was shut by inspectors in November. This forced Amtrak, MBCR and CSX to re-route freight trains and trains carrying cars needing repairs on a 108-mile journey through Worcester County.

Mick T. spotted some snowpeople along the Esplanade yesterday.

Posted under this Creative Commons license. Tagged as universalhub on Flickr.

Boston and Cambridge divers conduct search. Photo by BFD.

UPDATE: The Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports the victim was 32 and from Boston. "Multiple witness statements suggest that the man who went over the bridge did so intentionally, and foul play is not suggested at this time." His body remains unrecovered.

The Boston Fire Department reports a man jumped into the Charles River around 3:30 a.m. today:

Michael Skrzypek watched the sun set over the Charles this evening.

Norm Vigeant posted a photo of three MBTA locomotives and a commuter-rail coach crossing a causeway at the Wachusett Reservoir in West Boylston on Saturday.

Normally, the T would use the Grand Junction bridge (the train bridge under the BU Bridge) to move cars from its repair facility in Somerville to points south, but the bridge was shut last Wednesday for some emergency repairs, changing what used to be a 7-mile trip into a 108-mile loop by way of Ayer and Worcester.

Via A.P. Blake, who says the bridge could be shut for another couple of weeks.

A.P. Blake reports a key part of the proposed route - the Grand Junction Bridge that spans the Charles under the BU Bridge - has had speed and weight limits put on it that are so severe the freight train that normally delivers produce to Chelsea couldn't go across it.

Vasant Marur watched the sun come up over the Back Bay and the Charles River yesterday.

Copyright Vasant Marur. Tagged as universalhub on Flickr.

Jeff Tamagini took in the first day of the Head of the Charles.

Copyright Jeff Tamagini. Tagged as universalhub on Flickr.

Photographynatalia took this photo along the Head of the Charles route this morning. She writes:

It was some kind of modified Mini Cooper that was out on the Charles River during Head of the Charles. I'm assuming it was some kind of promotion for the company.

Earlier:
Allston monsoon.

Copyright Photographynatalia. Posted in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

The State Police sent out an alert this morning that a body - which would have been the third this week - was found in the Charles near Boston University. They quickly followed up with this correction:

At this time the Massachusetts State Police has experienced an internal issue with its email system. An older email, possibly stored in the system for delivery, was sent out as a new advisory. There was no new body found in the Charles River. We apologize as this appeared as a new advisory.