SSCA Part 1A Catalog

The Ship of Gold Passenger Possessions Lot# 1144 Opening Bid * * * HWAC# 146652 SSCA# E20-027, 29200 Gold-Quartz Pendant Spinner, S.S. Central America Treasure Gold pendant recovered from the Easton trunk found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck in 1990. It is made from a 25 x 22 x 4 mm piece of gold-bearing white quartz mounted in a frame that lets the stone spin on a horizontal axis to see both sides of it. Total length is 40 mm, width is 32 mm, and weight is 14.5 grams (0.46 ozt). Setting is similar in style to the stone of the Brannan brooch. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 149

S.S. Central America Lot# 1145 Opening Bid $5000 t Knight’s Cross o St. Maurice a St. Lazarus HWAC# 146650 SSCA# E20-032, 33691 Knight’s Cross of the Order of Saints by William D. Hyder Maurice and Lazarus With passenger receipt eled Maltese Cross, the Cross of the Order of Saint Lazarus, placed in saltire between Knight’s Cross of the Order Among the interesting and enig- the arms of the cross bottony. The badge of of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus. matic artifacts recovered from each class except that of Knight and Dame is Holabird Western America Collections, LLC. the S.S. Central America is a medal topped by a gilt crown. The modern knight’s of the Knight’s Order of Saint badge is 41mm across, while that of a dame Maurice and Saint Lazarus is slightly smaller at 37mm. found in the first cabin area. The specimen in this auction is 64 x 60 mm The history of the order and weighs approximately 30 grams. It is transitioned over time double-sided – each side being practically from the separate Order identical – and in excellent condition, with of Saint Lazarus, the a slight staining of the raised bottony knobs Patron Saint of Lepers, on each side. established pre-1100 Success of the new order was accompanied in Palestine and the by the acquisition of considerable properties Order of Saint Mau- and wealth. The gradual decline in military rice, the Patron Saint importance of the order led to an expansion of Savoy, established in its charitable work. By 1851 the ranks of in the 1400s. Both the order were open to recognition of merit monastic brotherhoods as opposed to traditional measures of chiv- evolved into hereditary alry. Diplomatic recognition rivaled that of military institutions of the military recognition. nobility within the Catholic Church. A Knight of Catholic Nobility The orders were combined in 1572 on the S.S. Central America? in the face of challenges from the So, who among the first cabin passengers Protestant Reformation and Muslim mil- of the S.S. Central America, male or female, itary activities in the Mediterranean region. might have been carrying the Order of Saint Badges of the two orders were combined to form a white-enameled cross bottony of the Order of Saint Maurice, with a green-enam- Page 150

The Ship of Gold Maurice and Saint Lazarus? Prior to 1851, the award was made a few months earlier, how- Charge d’Affaires at the time of Dillon’s awards were closely linked to nobility and ever there is no evidence that Dr. Jackson death. Dillon served as French Consul in the military service. It is doubtful any of the S.S. sailed on the SS Central America. The news of Hawaiian Islands in 1848 and his forceful Central America passengers would be carry- the Jackson appointment indicated that the pursuit of French economic interests in the ing the medal unless we could trace them to medal and diploma would be shipped to the Pacific prompted his advancement to French European nobility. Our first review turned recipient, so it is unlikely that Jackson’s med- Consul in San Francisco at the height of the up no obvious individual, so we turned to al could have been on board the S.S. Central gold rush in 1850. researching who might have been awarded America. Economic unrest and rioting in France the medal after 1851. Searches of newspaper drove many to join the wave of argonauts archives revealed one, possibly two Ameri- The French Connection seeking their fortune in California. Emper- can resident recipients of the order prior to The King of Sardinia conferred the title or Napoleon III took special interest in the September 1857. English newspapers rou- and rank of Knight of the Royal Order of burgeoning French community in San Fran- tinely reported the activities of the King of Saint Maurice and Saint Lazarus on the cisco, seeking to expand French interests Sardinia whose primary ceremonial role San Francisco French Consul Patrice Dillon in the western hemisphere. Dillon actively appears to have been awarding the Order in a Council held on the 20th of September supported Louis Napoleon’s desire to limit of Saints Maurice and Lazarus. Celebrating 1855. Several such appointments to French the expansion of American influence, at one the successful alliance between Italy, France, diplomats and others appear to have been point actively recruiting French immigrants England, and the Ottoman Empire prompt- rewards for the alliances of the Crimean War. to support William Walker’s effort to estab- ed numerous awards recognizing military, It took nearly three months for the news to lish private colonies in Sonora and Central humanitarian, and diplomatic contributions. be reported in California. Knights received a America. France feared the economic expan- Recipients became knights in a select Catho- badge in the form of the cross as recovered sion of America if it captured the gold fields lic order, one that continues to this day. The from the S.S. Central America. The cross of in Mexico, and Dillon saw an opportunity order today is approximately 2,000 strong higher rank appointments were topped by a for French citizens to help thwart American with 200 members in the U.S. The number gold crown. The lack of a crown is consistent expansion into northern Mexico. Dillon was of American members in 1857 would have with Dillon’s appointment as a knight. arrested by America authorities for foreign been, and was, much smaller. It is possible Patrice Dillon was the son of an Irish sol- interference, but the courts ultimately had to the two recipients discussed here were the dier born in the Isle of France, educated in accept his diplomatic immunity. only two individuals admitted to the order France, and destined for the priesthood. His The San Francisco correspondent to the in America at the time. A 1910 publication maternal grandfathers had earned military New York Herald reported on the events of of American Members of Foreign Orders lists rank and stature for their service to France. May 1856 leading to the re-establishment of fifty-three recipients with the earliest being Showing more than an ordinary inclination the San Francisco Committee of Vigilance. awarded in 1874. to the pursuit, Patrice was induced to enter Decrying the lawlessness of the reconstituted American newspapers reported that Dr. a diplomatic career in 1841. He entered at vigilantes the reporter nevertheless admitted Charles J. Jackson of Boston was reported to the bottom of the diplomatic ranks, proved the need to cleanse San Francisco and Cali- have been selected to receive the award in his loyalty and value to French President fornia of the criminal element that governed November 1857. Allowing time for the news and Emperor Louis Napoleon III, and quick- the city and the state. Only the Herald in his to be reach America, it is possible the actual ly rose to the level of Consul General and estimation was brave enough to warn of the Page 151

S.S. Central America unintended outcomes of the vigilante move- if it had. Napoleon III was himself a mem- Dillon’s Private Secretary ment should they lose sight of their more ber of the Order of Saint Maurice and Saint The Sacramento Bee reported on August 6, noble goals. Amid the chaos, the Herald cor- Lazarus. The appointment carried weight in 1857, that W.H. Newby, a well-known col- respondent notes the considerable influence the French diplomatic corps. Dillon owned ored man of San Francisco, was appointed of the French in the vigilante movement and ranch property near Sonoma that was auc- the Private Secretary to M. Patrice Dillon, singles out Consul Dillon’s appointment to tioned in December 1859 following is death. Consul General of France to the West Indies. California as furthering the interests of the He obviously left a variety of business inter- Newby departed to assume his official dip- French Emperor in the Pacific. Indeed, Dillon est in the hands of others when he departed lomatic duties on the Steamer Golden Age participated in vigilante activities without in 1857. becoming an overt participant in the unrest. Dillon recognized that promoting civilian Knight’s Cross of the Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus (lower right) chaos in San Francisco worked to solidify as it was found in the cabin area of the S.S. Central America shipwreck. French economic interests in the Pacific. The Herald correspondent noted that Dillon’s appointment to Consul Generalship made him one of only four such French consular positions also invested with the powers of Charge d’Affaires. Napoleon III obviously placed great trust in Dillon in assigning him jurisdiction over Cuba, Nicaragua, the West Indies, and Central America in general, while moving his diplomatic appointment to Hai- ti. Dillon’s active involvement in expanding French business interests in the Pacific and undermining political and social stability in the West undoubtedly made him well known throughout the French diplomatic corps. Dillon departed San Francisco aboard the steamship John L. Stephens on January 5, 1857. We know he did not immediately assume his post as he acquired an unknown mala- dy before leaving on his journey to Port-au- Prince. Instead, he traveled to his home in Paris where he died on October 14, 1857. We have no idea as to whether his medal arrived in San Francisco before his departure, but we are certain he would have carried it with him Page 152

The Ship of Gold Passenger Receipt recovered from the S.S. Central America purser’s safe showing the name of Mr. Ange Richon. Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. bound for Panama on August 6. In Stock- ton, friends of the new Secretary prepared from Peru and Spain. They had been wait- diplomat traveling to Paris would certainly a handsome silver goblet as a parting gift. ing in Aspinwall and purchased their tickets carry their badge with them and wear it in Newby was said to be a man of ability and on September 2. The Belgian Consul to Peru, formal diplomatic events while in Paris. The fine education and was formerly a barber in Ange Richon, was carrying a diplomatic Richon family were wealthy partners of a Stockton and on the Eclipse operated by the pouch containing information on shipping shipping company in France with represen- North Pacific Steamship Co. More recently, movements in the Pacific to Paris. Given the tation in South America through their diplo- Newby was one of the outspoken editors of stature of Dillon in the French diplomatic mat relative, so Richon would be a candidate the Mirror of the Times, a newspaper devot- ranks, it is possible that Newby passed Dil- for diplomatic (and economic) recognition. ed to the interests of the colored people of lon’s cross to Richon to carry to Paris. Richon survived the sinking, but whether he California. As a militant spokesman for the The other alternative is that Richon himself had a badge himself or was carrying a pack- rights of blacks in California, he would have was a recipient of the Order, although we age to Dillon is irrelevant, as either situation been noticed by and embraced by Dillon as have no indication that he was. Given that would explain its presence in the first cabin someone promoting economic chaos in the the emperor held high office in the order, a area of the S.S. Central America. ● West. As a successful black businessman and political leader, he would make an obvious choice to represent Dillon in Haiti. Newby traveled to Panama two weeks ahead of the passengers on the Sonora that were booked on the S.S. Central America. It is prob- able that Newby was carrying diplomatic papers and possibly personal items from the French Consul’s office in San Francisco on behalf of Dillon. It is not a stretch to assume that Newby would meet with a diplomatic delegation from South America that was in Aspinwall, Panama, to hand off the items to a diplomat headed to Paris. After all, Newby was representing the senior French diplomat in the western hemisphere. Two Options to Explain the Cross being on the S.S. Central America Passengers from South America boarded the Central America in Aspinwall before it departed for New York on September 4, 1857. Among them was a delegation of diplomats Page 153

Passenger Possessions S.S. Central America Lot# 1146 Opening Bid $500 HWAC# 149454 SSCA# 11206a, b, c Gold Hunter’s Watch Case, S.S. Central America Treasure Gold hunter’s watch pieces recovered from the S.S. Central America shipwreck. The main body case (53mm, 44.92 grams) is engraved with a forest scene of a bird sitting on a branch, inside is engraved // 26601 //. The cover shell (53mm, 12.01 grams) is engraved with a scene of two dogs felling a stag, inside is engraved // WB & Co // with three small hallmarks and // 26601 //. Third piece is the interior hinge bezel (48mm, 3.42 grams) for the cover which has separated from the watch case. The inner mechanism is an unrestored con- creted mass. Crown is missing. Electronically tests as 18K gold. Total weight, 60.35 grams (1.940 ozt). Page 154 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Passenger Possessions Lot# 1147 Opening Bid * * * Lot# 1148 Opening Bid $500 HWAC# 159485 SSCA# E22-101 / 14229 HWAC# 152379 SSCA# 14596 Gold Watch Covers w/California Gold Gold Nugget Brooch in shape of Wolf Miner at Yerba Buena c1851. or Dog’s Head, S.S. Central America Treasure Gold watch covers with California Gold Miner at Yer- covers show some wear, so this was not a new piece. Stickpin brooch made with a single gold nugget, 3.49 ba Buena c1851, recovered from Coin Pile #10 at the It was a pocket piece. We can date the scene to 1851 grams (0.112 ozt). Imitates the shape of a wolf or dog’s S.S. Central America shipwreck debris field. Two spec- by comparing numerous engravings of San Francisco head. Recovered in 2014 from the port-side debris field, tacular gold watch case covers with customized Cali- Bay and its development over just a few years. This is Coin Pile #23, of the S.S. Central America shipwreck. fornia Gold Rush engraving. One side has the miner a spectacular watch pair from the beginning of the Cal- leading his pack burro with supplies away from Yerba ifornia Gold Rush. One weighs 3.5 grams (0.113 ozt), Buena (the early settlement that became San Francisco) and the other is 2.9 grams (0.093 ozt). Net weight is 6.4 and the other side has the miner heading out of town grams. They are each ~43 mm in diameter. Electroni- with San Francisco in the background. The watch case cally tests as 18K gold. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 155

Under Water Image Gallery Deteriorating leather gold poke or bag containing gold coins and jewelry San Francisco Directory advertisement page for competing jewelers, including Shreve. Gold rings and jewelry in deteriorating gold bag Page 156 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Passenger Possessions Lot# 1149 Opening Bid $500 Recovered trunks HWAC# 146635 SSCA# E20-031 History Found in Lost Luggage Gold Buckle, Small, S.S. Central America Treasure Small gold buckle recovered from the S.S. Central by Robert D. Evans sity studied the costume history and mate- America shipwreck debris field. Ornate engraving on Strewn around in the debris field of the S.S. rial science revealed by this amazing time the front, no maker mark on reverse, 28 x 21 mm. Elec- Central America were boxes covered with capsule. The artifacts informed the historical tronically tests in the 10K range. These are the size that leather: passenger trunks! Looking like the record with new discoveries and details. might have appeared on the back of a man’s vest or the proverbial “treasure chests,” these caught In 1991, we repeated our success with the back cinch of a pair of trousers. our attention early in our surveys of the Easton trunk by recovering a second piece of shipwreck site, but we knew they were not passenger luggage from the portside debris full of gold. They were too big to be real trea- field. Identified by a letter of introduction sure boxes, like we found in the gold room. found within, the owner of this trunk was The idea quickly emerged that these trunks gold miner and Army veteran John Dement should be recovered as intact as possible. of Oregon City. But this tantalizing possibility waited for a The clothing in both trunks were made of couple years, while we were busy recovering cotton, linen, silk, and wool. They were more than a ton of gold from the commercial an extraordinary opportunity to study the shipment area. In 1990, we outfitted a plastic effects of long-term exposure and degrada- tank of appropriate size with the necessary tion of fabrics in a shipwreck environment. handles, hinges, and accessories to trans- The anaerobic (no or low oxygen) environ- form it into a “recovery module” to receive ment within the trunks arrested most of the and transport the first trunk to the surface. bacterial degradation and biological con- The results were spectacular! The trunk was sumption seen in more exposed conditions filled with the clothing and papers of Ansel on the site, and so much of the clothing is in and Adeline Mills Easton, as well as small remarkable condition, stained but supple. valuables belonging to these wealthy and The presence of one particular pair of pants prominent California newlyweds. Survival with a unique five-button fly led us deep of delicate organic artifacts for more than into the early history of Levi Strauss in Cali- a century at the cold bottom of the Atlantic fornia. Read on to learn what we discovered. was a delightful surprise! Scientists, histori- ans, and students at The Ohio State Univer- 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 157

Passenger Possessions S.S. Central America t Dement Trunk The Actual Trunk Will Be Offered In Our February Sale Page 158 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Passenger Possessions Lot# 1150 Opening Bid $100 Lot# 1151 Opening Bid $100 HWAC# 158733 SSCA# 33711 HWAC# 158744 SSCA# 33791 Men’s Scarf, Dement Trunk Men’s Scarf, Dement Trunk Men’s scarf recovered from the Dement trunk found Men’s scarf recovered from the Dement trunk found at at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. Diagonal line the S.S. Central America shipwreck. Size is 5x47”. Deg- and two-tone + design, 0.5” line spacing, 5 x 48”. radation along center fold. One small edge chip, otherwise no apparent degra- dation, just stained. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 159

Passenger Possessions S.S. Central America Lot# 1152 Opening Bid $100 Lot# 1153 Opening Bid $100 HWAC# 156779 SSCA# 33752 HWAC# 158716 SSCA# 33732 Men’s Bow Tie and Collar, Men’s Collar, Dement Trunk Dement Trunk Bow tie and collar recovered from the Dement trunk Collar recovered from the Dement trunk found at the found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. 2 x 23”, S.S. Central America shipwreck. 1 buttonhole, no but- Bow tie attached to collar with rear tie. Silk lining. tons. No apparent degradation, just stained, 3 x 13”. Page 160 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Passenger Possessions Lot# 1154 Opening Bid $100 Lot# 1155 Opening Bid $100 HWAC# 158717 SSCA# 33746 HWAC# 158731 SSCA# 33718 Men’s Collar, Men’s Collar Dement Trunk Dement Trunk Collar recovered from the Dement trunk found at the Collar recovered from the Dement trunk found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. 3 buttonholes, no but- S.S. Central America shipwreck. 3 buttonholes, no but- tons. No apparent degradation, just stained. 3.25 x tons. 3 x 14”. No apparent degradation, just stained. 14.5”. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 161

Passenger Possessions S.S. Central America Lot# 1156 Opening Bid $100 Lot# 1157 Opening Bid $100 HWAC# 158732 SSCA# 33713 HWAC# 158736 SSCA# 33715 Men’s Collar, Dement Trunk Men’s Collar, Dement Trunk Collar recovered from the Dement trunk found at the Collar recovered from the Dement trunk found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. Collar with 1 button- S.S. Central America shipwreck. Collar with 1 center hole and no buttons. 3 x 13”. No apparent degradation, hole, no buttons. 3 x 14”. No apparent degradation, just stained. just stained. Page 162 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Passenger Possessions Lot# 1158 Opening Bid $100 Lot# 1159 Opening Bid $250 HWAC# 156773 SSCA# 33732 HWAC# 158799 SSCA# 33720 Men’s Collar, Three-Hole, Dement Men’s Dress Shirt in Excellent Trunk Condition, Dement Trunk Three Hole Men’s Collar recovered from the Dement Men’s dress shirt recovered from the Dement trunk trunk found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck, found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. This is the good condition, 3 x 15”. finest shirt from the Dement trunk. Very few spots and almost no discoloration. A remarkable find and excel- lent restoration job by Ohio State University. Three- stud closure front, pleats, split-side bottom 8”, sin- gle-button cuff closure. This has a fold-over cuff (loose, for, or as part of formal wear), neck 14”, sleeve inseam 22”, overall length 32”. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 163

Passenger Possessions S.S. Central America Lot# 1160 Opening Bid $100 Lot# 1161 Opening Bid $100 HWAC# 158707 SSCA# 33745 HWAC# 158708 SSCA# 33724 Men’s Dress Shirt, Dement Trunk Men’s Dress Shirt, Patterned & Pleated, Dement Trunk Plain, men’s dress shirt recovered from the Dement Fancy patterned dress shirt recovered from the Dement trunk found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. trunk found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. 36” Pleated front for studs only. Sleeve from armpit to end, overall length, 19” from the back of the collar to the 22”. Overall length 31”. Thin cotton, usual brown and bottom of the pleats. Inside seam sleeve length 21”. black stains. No apparent degradation. Pattern of small brown stars outlined by white on a slightly darker background. Holes in front for studs only. Page 164 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Passenger Possessions Lot# 1162 Opening Bid $250 Lot# 1163 Opening Bid $100 HWAC# 158710 SSCA# 33729 HWAC# 158715 SSCA# 33782 Men’s Handkerchief, Men’s Light Jacket, // J. D. D. // John D. Dement Dement Trunk Men’s handkerchief recovered from the Dement trunk Light men’s jacket recovered from the Dement trunk found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. About 20 x found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. Conserved 22”, stained, no markings, cotton. Initials embroidered in 1991. Two lower big pockets and a large breast pock- in corner, // J. D. D. // for John D. Dement. Cotton et. Some degradation, holes. No inside pockets, no lin- with linear pattern around the edges. er. Overall length 33”. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 165

Passenger Possessions S.S. Central America Lot# 1164 Opening Bid $100 Lot# 1165 Opening Bid $100 HWAC# 156860 SSCA# 33793 HWAC# 158738 SSCA# 33798 Men’s Long Underwear Shirt, Men’s Long Underwear Shirt, Dement Trunk Dement Trunk Long undershirt recovered from the Dement trunk Long undershirt recovered from Dement trunk found found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck in 2014. at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. Long undershirt, Fairly large men’s “underwear” shirt made of heavy probably wool, with 3 buttonholes, 3 buttons present. cloth. The neck was originally a four-button closure, “Merino Finish” stamp on lower right front. 11” XXX but buttons are now missing. Iron stain throughout ir- pattern embroidered neck, 29” length and waist. 20” regularly. It is 11” from bottom of neck opening to the sleeve with 3” form-fitting cuff. No apparent degrada- top of the neck, sleeve inseam about 23”, top of back tion, just stained. of neck to bottom of the back, 33”. Curated by Ohio State University. Generally excellent condition except for stain. Page 166 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Passenger Possessions Lot# 1166 Opening Bid $100 Lot# 1167 Opening Bid $100 HWAC# 158739 SSCA# 33819 HWAC# 158714 SSCA# 33780 Men’s Long Underwear Shirt, Men’s Night Shirt, Dement Trunk Dement Trunk Long undershirt recovered from Dement trunk found Men’s Night Shirt Socks recovered from the Dement at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. Long underwear trunk found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. shirt, probably wool, with 3 buttonholes, 3 buttons Light patterned cotton with 1” cloth covered buttons. present. “Merino Finish” stamp on lower right front. Long sleeve, 33” overall length. stained. 11” XXX pattern embroidered neck, 27” length, 30” waist, 20” sleeve with 3” form-fitting cuff. Fantastic, almost tie-dye patterned stain. No apparent degrada- tion, just stained. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 167

Passenger Possessions S.S. Central America Lot# 1168 Opening Bid $500 HWAC# 158704 SSCA# 33775 Men’s Overcoat, Fine Dress, Dement Trunk Fine dress overcoat recovered from the Dement was a former Oregon City, trunk of John Dement recovered from Oregon, hardware merchant, partner the S.S. Central America Shipwreck. with his brother William. Oregon City Overcoat has a velveteen collar and was the terminus of the Oregon Trail, brushed cotton-twill body. Insulation thus those coming West all ended up lined, double-breasted, cloth-covered there as the central “meeting point” buttons with some cloth button cov- before moving on elsewhere. This in- erings separate. Single leather glove cluded California Gold Rush miners rolled up may have come out of the as well as Oregon gold miners. It was pocket upon conservation by Ohio the place where the famous Oregon State University. Length about 36”, Beaver gold coins were minted just arm inseam 19”. One inside breast four years before John Dement joined pocket, no external pockets. This was his brother, who appears to have been most probably an expensive item in in Oregon City when the Oregon Gold 1857, not the usual overcoat. John D. “Beavers” were used as currency. Page 168 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Passenger Possessions Lot# 1169 Opening Bid $2,500 Lot# 1170 Opening Bid $100 HWAC# 156777 SSCA# 33776 HWAC# 159094 SSCA# Men’s Vest, Fancy Cloth, Men’s Work Shirt, Brooks Bros. Wool, Dement Trunk Dement Trunk Men’s fancy cloth vest recovered from the John De- One of three woolen work shirts found offset to the right of center (as worn) ment trunk found at the S.S. Central America ship- inside the Dement trunk recovered and has three small buttons. The neck- wreck. The material is a dark cotton woven fabric, a from the S.S. Central America ship- line appears to be hand-stitched in an cotton twill construction. Eight buttons, all intact some wreck. Brooks Brothers logo showing X pattern, and the bottom hem is only with original cloth coverings. The remainder of the a sheep suspended by a ribbon sur- tack-stitched every half-inch or so. All button covers are present, but separate. 24” tall, 36” rounded by the words // MERINO three shirts were neatly folded togeth- waist. Generally good condition with degradation to / FINISH // is still visible in the low- er in the trunk, and over more than a the interior lining. er right (as worn) corner of the shirt. century on the seafloor, dark brown, Shoulder-to-waist distance is 27 inch- orange, and black stains leached from es, sleeve length from the back center other items in the trunk have colored of the neck opening is about 32 inch- these originally white shirts with a es. Torso width is 15 inches. Today, beautifully symmetrical “tie-died” these shirts would be considered a pattern. Each shirt has a unique color size “small” considering that they may pattern. The fabric is still supple and have shrunk underwater. Wrists are seems durable. close-fitting and the neck opening is 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 169

Lot# 1171 Opening Bid * * * S.S. Central America HWAC# 159097 SSCA# 33807 t Levi Strauss Company a The Pants that Pre-date the Rivets Men’s Pants, Five-Button Style, Dement Trunk An Essay on the Early Days So, the hunt was on. The Company history of the Company discussed the many directories with pub- Pair of men’s work pants recovered from the Dement by Fred N. Holabird, William D. Hyder, and lished data on the family in both New York trunk found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. The Robert D. Evans and San Francisco. They, as did we, sent five-button fly strongly suggests these were an early professional researchers into the research manufacture of work pants sold by Levi Strauss. The Introduction facilities on both coasts looking for original original color of the fabric is unknown, and the blacks Much has been written on the Levi Strauss files. It was noted that no family members and browns visible now are fugitive stains from the Company. A very thorough history was writ- kept records, nor any of the partners. But we trunk and its other contents. ten and compiled by Lynn Downey for the kept at it, and so far, after inquiring, both in Company a number of years ago. Anoth- person and through telephone and emails er work by a direct family descendant also of more than 20 institutions, few original adds color and information on this Califor- records have been found. nia Gold Rush family. A literature review fol- But the big anomaly kept staring me [FH] lows this piece. right in the face – the fact that the Levi Strauss Company shipped tens to over one But… hundred thousand dollars in gold from Cal- While researching data for the miners’ pants ifornia to New York regularly. This is not that were found on the SS Central America, a the act of a poor little company that never long, hard, data digging process began that produced anything. In fact, the only compa- is only paused or stopped by the need for nies that were ahead of Strauss on the gold publication here. shipment lists were almost always banks or express companies. This is an anomaly that When the plants were first seen by me in cannot go unnoticed. Florida, the texture of the material coupled It took the S.S. Central America accident of with what appears to be a relatively unique 1857 and our study of the artifacts to start fly button size and style immediately led me shining the lights in the right direction. to think of Levi Strauss. But the company The Company’s history is significantly lack- maintains its first production of goods came ing information on the Strauss businesses in with the famous rivet invention with the first the 1850s. They dug for info too – they also pants produced by Levi Strauss in 1873. The noticed there are no advertisements for the Company has long maintained that they had older brother Jonas in New York. There are no direct production until that time. I didn’t argue. Page 170

The Ship of Gold shipments. In New York, the Herald and the Havana, as well as dropped off. Times sometimes published the arrival of The competing steamer services rarely pub- none for Levi in San Francisco until 1873 and the California steamers and their gold ship- lished a gold consignee list. In the instanc- the rivet pocket jeans. There are no newspa- ments, but the publication of the gold ship- es where they did, it is clear that their gold per advertisements that we could find either. ments was irregular. Complicating matters shipments were much smaller. Often this The ephemera market is nearly void of his- are two important things: A) the newspapers was due to smaller ships. These companies torical ephemera from the Strauss compa- picked the companies they listed, usually may have had one or two trips from San nies on both coasts. keeping the list to about 15 shippers, and Francisco to New York per month also, but So began the march through all direct and at the bottom had a line entry for “Other”, possibly some at different times or intervals. ancillary records we could find. which was usually followed by a lot of mon- In an interesting anomaly spotted in the Follow the Money ey, generally in excess of $100,000. So we’ll data, some shippers sent gold on both com- I compiled a chart of the gold shipments from never know who all the shippers were, and pany’s steamers, inclusive of Wells Fargo. It 1856 through the end of 1858. I pulled data the list changed from time to time, rendering is unknown if these shipments were “split from both coasts. In San Francisco, the Pacif- a conclusion that we cannot be sure who had shipments” to lower risk, or a last minute ic Mail Steamship Company (PMSS), which a shipment on board. B) there are significant addition for a faster trip to New York. Per- was used by most of the larger businesses stretches, generally in full single months, of haps cargo price played a part. often published the data of the shippers of newspapers that are either no longer pres- Many of the shippers had a preference of gold to New York. There was also a compet- ent (missing or not photographed), or have shipping company. Some of the larger ship- ing San Francisco to New York steamship not been digitized for whatever reason. This pers clearly preferred one or the other. The company, but they rarely published gold means that we cannot have a complete data Metropolitan Bank only used PMSS’s com- set. petitors. Drexel, Sather & Church also only List of “treasure” shipped from San Francisco on the used the competitors, until Drexel retired S.S. Sonora on August 20, 1857. The amount sent Pacific Mail Steamship Company & from the firm, and then switched to the Competing Steamship Companies PMSS company. by Levi Strauss is only exceeded by six banks! The PMSS carried gold shipments and mail. This shipment was transfered to the Panama Railway They clearly had the contracts for most of Gold Shipment Data in Panama City and then loaded aboard the S.S. Central the larger banks and express agencies. The The gold shipment data is the only public publication of the list of gold consignees was financial record presently known to remain America in Aspinwall to be taken to New York. a show of market control and confidence, which allows a window of observation into guaranteed to build the value of the Compa- Gold Rush finances. It is not complete, and ny. This company had two trips per month it makes several assumptions which must be from San Francisco to New York, connect- understood. ing at Panama to the Panama Railroad, then The data is incomplete. PMSS or the news- across the isthmus to another member PMSS paper (Alta) picked who they published as a ship, The United States Mail Steamship Co., line entry. for the trip northward, which often stopped in Havana and sometimes New Orleans. Passengers were picked up In Aspinwall and Page 171

1. We assume the top gold shippers were Who are the Gold Shippers? S.S. Central America individually listed (perhaps the top ten) In our compiled list of gold shipments 1856- 1858 (3 years) we recorded 33 different mer- • Morgan, Hathaway – commission 2. Gold shipments included loan payments, chants, though data exists for another twen- merchants, SF company profits, and other ty or so. These 33 were picked because they were the top gold shippers during this time • Parrott & Co. – bankers, SF 3. Two major gold shippers were bankers span, as evidenced by their published data. • Patrick J. & Co. – importers and commission and express companies (Wells, Fargo and Some of the other twenty may have had Freeman), thus gold owned by specific a shipment or two that rose into this data merchants companies do not show as line entries sphere, but not for the most part. The mer- • Pioche Bayerque – bankers, importers, SF with the company name. chants we tracked are the following: • Rosenstock, merchant, Baltimore • Sachs, I. & M. L. – fancy goods, importers 4. Not all companies shipped gold to New • Alsop & Co. – bankers, commission • Scholle Bros. – dry goods, importers York. Many California home-grown com- merchants, SF • Seligman – dry goods, importers, SF panies were not in need of loan repayment • Spatz & Newhouse – dry goods, SF to New York banks or dependent on spe- • Coleman, W.T. – commission merchants, SF • Strauss, J or Levi – dry goods, importer, SF cific importation of goods from the eastern • Davidson, bankers – commission merchants, • Tallant & Wilde – bankers, SF seaboard. They kept their money and it • Thomas Treadwell – hardware, SF stayed home. SF, Europe • Ulmer Feigenbaum • Drexel, Sather, Church – bankers, SF • Vischer, E. – commercial merchant, Cal. 5. The largest gold shippers appear to be the • Duncan Sherman – bankers, SF • Wells Fargo – bankers, Cal. largest businesses, but this may not be • Dupuy Folkes completely true per #5 above. • Freeman & Co. – express & banking, Cal. Charting the Data • Garrison, Morgan, Fretz, Ralston – bankers, We have assembled two charts and graphs 6. Some treasure was designated for England of the data from January 1, 1856 to December or Europe, and some of this included reg- SF 31, 1858. These charts are very revealing. ular domestic gold shippers. We included • Guy, Abel – bankers, commission merchants, these separate shipments into the domes- Interpretive Findings tic gold shipper data. SF Examination of the charts renders a signifi- • Hentsch, H. – bankers, assayers, Cal. cant interpretation of the financial status of The gold shipment data is also a function of • Hoge, Wm. & Co. – international California Gold Rush business through the the historical record, and in this case, not all eyes of the gold shipments to New York. newspapers during the time span studied transportation, New York here exist or have been digitized. It is there- • Kelly, Eugene – dry goods, importer, SF • The largest gold shippers were bankers and fore incomplete, and while we may look at • Lazard Freres – fancy goods, importers, SF express agents. averages for the data present, it is still only a • Lucas Turner – banker, SF function of available data. • Metropolitan Bank – bankers, NY • The second largest shippers were dry goods • Meyer, S.T. & Co. companies, both importers, wholesale and The gold shipment data is thus just as we • Mills, D.O. – bankers, Sacramento retail. described – a “window” into understanding Gold Rush company finances. We may never know who Wells, Fargo and Freeman were shipping for, inclusive of their own internal banking shipments. Page 172

The Ship of Gold different yet. Much has been written on these ing of private gold coinage, which by 1857 financial systems, and we will only lend a had been labeled as illegal, and was in the • The third largest category of gold shippers short review here. process of being removed from the market appears to eb commission merchants, The American system of money was con- by banks who melted the gold. Californians importing everything from food and drugs trolled by private and governmental means. mined gold. They wanted payments in gold. to hardware. The US Mint and her branches produced The US Mint built a branch mint in San Fran- needed coinage for circulation. But it was cisco in 1854, but still could not keep up with The Businesses insufficient to meet needs of a growing pop- demand. Assay offices sprang up in every Banking ulation and business communities. Paper mining camp, with the major assayers and The banking business was the major part of currencies backed by real estate, gold and refiners locating to San Francisco, Sacramen- the gold shipments from California to New other holdings were printed for and distrib- to, and sometime to other locales. York. Bankers on the eastern side of America uted by banks. Federal rules applied, but The business center of California was San were anxious to get involved with the gold the banks were responsible for the backing Francisco. The central point, and easiest to from California, as were foreign banking of their own paper currencies. In California, reach town nearest the gold camps was Sac- interests. Afterall, it represented new money, it was far different. Eastern bank currencies ramento. The far northern gold region had and the world needed it. This new money held no value whatsoever. It is obvious that Shasta as a main business center, and the was so important, that by 1854, the gold pro- a California businessman could not know if southern gold region centered at Sonora. duced in California from 1848 to 1854 was the issuing bank was solvent or not. Forget Gold filtered into Sacramento and San Fran- just over six times the total of all world gold paper currency. US coin was in short supply, cisco from these mining centers. The gold – a fact not lost on major banks. Every one of certainly far insufficient for daily business migrated to the assay houses and banks, them wanted a piece of the action. or personal use in California. The extreme who purchased the gold from the miners, lack of coinage in California led to the mint- mining companies, and merchants. The gold The financial systems present at the times of the California Gold Rush were not the same as they are today. In California, it was even Line graph showing value of gold shipped from San Francisco to New York by selected banks and businesses, 1856 to 1858 Page 173

was transported by Express companies, who goods. Their gold shipments indicate the S.S. Central America in turn, became bankers by necessity. levels of business, though not necessarily New York banks established branches in the annual revenues. These two companies The early years of the Gold Rush saw con- California. Enterprising California business- were both so large that they were about five stant importation from New York and sur- man also created banks, and it became nec- times larger than their competitors, such as rounds of all necessary goods, including and essary to have contractual agreements with Scholl Bros. and Spatz & Newhouse, both especially clothing. Shiploads of goods were New York banks for increased funding and also based in New York. Most of the other loaded into the hulls of westward bound other needs. Banking interests also estab- dry goods companies had specialties such as ships carrying California gold seekers. lished branch banks in many mining camps fine clothing, business suits, and so forth. When the Panama Railroad was completed throughout California. Dry goods were thus a major business. in 1855, the goods no longer needed to make The gold shipment records reflect all of these During the first part of the Gold Rush, cloth- the hard, long trip around the horn of South facts. The bankers listed in the shipments are ing for California had to be made in the cot- America. This not only sped up delivery, it both of California origin (San Francisco and ton or woolen mills of the East. There were also spared the goods of further exposure Sacramento), New York origin and foreign dozens of these factories throughout the to moisture, which was a constant problem interests. eastern seaboard and along major rivers, particularly for dry goods, and one often dis- We tracked gold shipments from 33 entities. where water was necessary to drive machin- cussed in the press. Of those thirty three entities, about fourteen ery. Then, about 1852, a revolution took place were banks, and five were dry goods busi- in fabric manufacture with the invention of Eugene Kelly & Co. nesses. That delivers a very clear picture that automating weaving and cloth construction The Eugene Kelly company was an import- the banks and dry goods businesses may machines. A smash hit in London where they er and retail/wholesale seller of all sorts of account for approximately two-thirds of originated, these machines soon made their dry goods and a prolific advertiser. The com- large scale gold flow to New York. way to America. With this boom, a major rise pany was based in New York, where Kelly The chart of the top five banking gold ship- in dry goods (clothing) took place. lived. In the early 1850s the company set up ments can be seen below in the section on the By the start of 1857, business was booming a San Francisco sales office which grew into Strauss business. throughout California. It was changing, and a major multistory building and sales center. Dry Goods there were a number of mechanisms coming They clearly specialized in retail sales cater- Dry Goods were clearly the second highest into place in the business world precipitat- ing to clothing of all sorts and other goods. category of gold shipments. In this regard, ing this change, the discussion of which is Kelly & Co. competed with Strauss from Day two companies stand out wholly above the beyond the scope of this paper. One. rest: Eugene Kelly and Levi Strauss. These During the early 1850s it was reported that A look at their published gold shipment his- two companies were quite different, partic- there were no cotton or wool manufactories tory shows a strong, yet steady and slightly ularly in their business models. in California. A cordage and related business climbing business, perhaps on par with the Both companies were major sellers of dry sprung up, but it would be years before cloth increase in population as more and more manufacturing could take place in Califor- people from around the world migrated to Page 174 nia. California businesses had to order from California and its gold resources. the eastern factories. Or did they? Over the 1856-1858 period, Kelly & Co. recorded 27 gold shipments averaging $49,998 per shipment. A closer look at the period Jan. 1, 1857-Dec. 31, 1858, shows how

The Ship of Gold zines, trade journals, and city directories in ment. The Company had grown to about New York and San Francisco. This is certainly double the size of Kelly & Co. The remark- their business grew rapidly. Kelly & Co.’s an anomaly, and bears closer examination by able thing here is that the Strauss Com- gold shipments rose to an average of $58,988 others, again outside the scope of this paper. pany grew to sixth place in average gold per shipment, a near 25% increase. Business Other means of advertising also existed in shipments, where the top five are all banks. was clearly booming. another form – the trade fairs, exhibitions, Strauss followed, in order, with average gold and world fairs. Here, we also failed to find shipments during this period: Jonas Strauss & Bro., anything, and perhaps the most famous of Later Levi Strauss & Co. all the west coast trade fairs were the annu- Average Gold Shipments, 1857-1858 The Strauss business was based in New al Mechanics Institute fairs in San Francisco, York. Jonas and brothers Louis and Levi ran where major dealers proudly exhibited their Company Shipments Avg Au Value the business until Levi went to San Francis- wares. Luckily the historical records of the co about 1853 to open a branch store there events are preserved – but no Strauss & Co. Wells Fargo 14 $346,001 under the name Jonas Strauss & Bro., or The company also stayed out of the news 13 $253,577 “Strauss & Bro.” on both coasts. Gold shipments and bill col- Davidson 11 $194,414 The San Francisco Strauss business got off lection were the only reported items found (Rothschild) to a good start. The family was well estab- in digital searches involving a multitude of lished in New York, and well experienced variables. Sather, Church at clothing sales. It is not particularly clear Gold shipments from San Francisco prior to when they took in longtime friends BBB as January 1, 1857, were listed variously as “J. Lucas, Turner 2 $102,500 partners, representing the “& Co.” part of Stauss & Bro.”, “Strauss & Co.”, and perhaps the business. Brother Louis appeared to go a few more iterations of the name. But after Alsop & Co. 11 $94,431 back and forth between the New York and January 1, 1857, the shipments were listed as San Francisco businesses. “L. Strauss & Co.” or “Levi Strauss & Co.” Levi Strauss 14 $91,033 The Strauss business was in direct competi- With this very slight, and perhaps unnotice- tion with the Eugene Kelly & Co. business. able change in the published company name Tallant & Wilde 12 $84,983 This competition certainly must have begun came a great change in gold shipments. in New York, perhaps prior to 1850, where The Strauss business exploded. Sales must Kelly & Co. 13 $58,988 both companies were based. have been very high, as evidenced by the In California, both businesses strolled along increase in gold shipments. Instead of stroll- This is remarkable. It shows a strong level in the early years of c1853-1855 at about the ing along at a nice, relatively even pace, of industry and market control. But how did same pace. Kelly’s gold shipments were a bit nearly parallel to the Kelly & Co. sales, they get there? ahead of Strauss & Co., but not by much. Levi’s company grew at a remarkable rate. In The impact of the Strauss company here is In the early years, the Strauss & Co. business those two years from 1857-1858, the reported unmistakable. Interpretation of the data led did not advertise. In fact, we could not find Strauss gold shipments averaged a whop- to more thorough searches, and in so doing, a single advertisement in any publication ping $91,033 – just under $100,000 per ship- lends a strong interpretation of history. whatsoever, inclusive of newspapers, maga- Strauss & Co. Business Model It was opined in the Strauss Company his- tory that the family used an “old fashioned” door-to-door sales technique while in New Page 175

1858 Billhead of Levi Strauss (www.imigrantentrepreneurship.org) S.S. Central America York. We strongly believe that this is the exact to the Gila placers, and possibly into the Ore- indicating a strong mail program, no surviv- same business mechanism used by Levi and gon and Mexican mining regions. The evi- ing catalogs, also a regular part of a massive Louis in California, but entirely wholesale. dence is in what is lacking – any advertising mail program. In plain English, there is next They went after every dry goods business whatsoever, and a complete lack of ancillary to nothing remaining in the historical record from town to town, all throughout the entire historical paper trail in the collector’s market. on how this company did business. The one multiple California gold regions from Shasta There are no order forms, no outside letters, piece of physical evidence existing today is a single receipt issued to Hardy & Kennedy of Forest Hill, right smack dab in the center of the California Gold Rush region, from a few months after the S.S. Central America ship- wreck that shows massive sales in multiples of dozens of specific line entry items – not the usual single or minor multiple of items – but a huge order of literally hundreds of items at a time. If this single receipt or bill- head is typical of sales, them it is very clear that Strauss & Co. were major players in the wholesale market. They did not need fancy advertisements because they probably had a team of salesmen. This team operated in every gold region. Snippets of news across California tell us they had interests in Shasta in the far northern region; and down on the Colorado River gold region (Gila and else- where). When Jonas put Levi in charge in January 1857, everything changed. Levi Strauss cre- ated a mass marketing venture that was unmatched in history. And it just gets better. Louis Strauss, San Diego Levi Strauss & Co. Agency Louis Strauss traveled about. He would return to New York now and then, and at least once to Europe. In the spring of 1857, he opened another Strauss store and busi- ness, also under the Levi Strauss & Co. Page 176

The Ship of Gold name. The new location was San Diego. On a complete record for a variety of reasons, all May 17, 1856, they announced the company’s discussed earlier. But sometimes shipments grand opening, complete with champagne. bound for L. Strauss in California were And here, over the next couple of years, reported in the New York press. We found he took a slightly different path than his a few examples of these – again, not a com- brothers, and advertised in the local news- plete record. Some are reports of shipments paper. The ads were not placed very often, published in New York. Others are reports of but they stand out as a family anomaly – a shipments received in San Francisco: first. Louis hired a manager, Charles Gerson, who managed the store with a strong hand. Jan 4, 1857 31 cases, 6 bales Louis continued to travel, probably for busi- ness reasons. In June, they put out a call for Apr 23, 1857 38 folio trunks, hides. Several notes of imported hides from 29 cases, 7 boxes California were reported, including 29 hides from Santa Cruz on November 10. June 22, 1857 31 cases mdse The news of the purchasing of hides also broke tradition. It indicates a purchasing of July 3, 1857 On the Cowper: L. goods used for manufacture. Did the Strauss Strauss, 25 cases mdse Company quietly begin or now show evi- dence of dry goods production? Were they July 6, 1857 26 cases, 2 bales supplying or employing specific companies to make goods for them, or were they doing Sept 3, 1857 50 trunks, 43 nests (?), it themselves? Were the hides for manufac- 4 bales, 21 boxes ture shoes? saddles? saddle bags? coats? We may never know, but one thing is sure – they Nov 7, 1857 15 barrels, 29 cases entered the manufacturing business one way or another in mid-1857. Nov 15, 1857 5 bales, 45 cases mdse Strauss & Co. Importation or Nov 16, 1858 3 bales, 41 cases Manufacture of Goods We have no idea of the contents of these With the huge sales uptick, it becomes nec- shipments. The tiny amount of real data does essary to investigate where the goods are indicate Jonas Strauss was probably con- coming from. Gold shipments were often trolling regular shipments of goods to their recorded as we have discussed. They are not California businesses. How often were these shipments made? Were they twice a month? At left, an ad for L. Strauss & Co. that appeared in the San There are rumored accounts of Strauss ship- Diego Herald, Volume 6, Number 7, on June 28, 1856. ments occupying entire sea vessels. We strongly doubt it. The need for passenger travel was far too great, and far more prof- itable than the devotion of an entire ship to shipment of goods. Page 177

S.S. Central America 1857 – a Year of Change An 1890 billhead of Levi Strauss & Co on Battery Street in San Francisco for Strauss, and Production? that shows a agency relationship with Maryville Woolen Mills. When looking at the gold shipments, in con- junction with the overall Strauss business Cloth Manufacture on the West Coast Manufacturing Company (city not known) models in 1857, the single known 1857-8 Cloth manufacture was in production on the and the Oregon Pioneer woolen Mills in invoice (Hardy & Kennedy, Forest Hill), and West Coast prior to the SS Central America of Salem, Oregon. Both got their start in 1856, the goods shipment snippet of records, there 1857. The first commercially producing wool- according to Oregon Historical Quarterly, (Vol. is the appearance that there are not enough en mills appear to be the Willamette Wool & 30, No. 2, Jun., 1929, pp. 147-160), who also goods coming to California to meet the demand or meet the huge amount of mon- ey created from goods sold evidenced by the gold shipments. The Hardy & Kennedy invoice alone cov- ers more than one of the shipments above. Yet the Strauss Company did this over and over, day by day, town by town, merchant by merchant (wholesale and retail.) It could be argued that they would need daily ship- ments of goods coming from the East of the sizes exhibited above, and that simply was an impossibility of the times. Where did the rest of the goods sold by the Strauss Co. come from? Were they manu- facturing more than just leather goods? Did Strauss & Co. contract with various cotton or woolen works for the mills entire production run? Did they create a contract that drove a third party to construction of a clothier fac- tory in California or the eastern states with a guarantee to buy the entire production? It appears there is more than ample evidence to suggest that several of these possibilities actually took place. Page 178

The Ship of Gold No company that we could find advertised the pants. But the data strongly points to they carried Brooks Bros. products. Further, not only Strauss as the seller, but possibly as reported that these companies sold their there is no indication that the company had the maker. The key takeaway from the new product to California merchants. In February their own store(s) in California or that they research is unmistakable: Levi Strauss was of 1858, the Salem factory employed 25-30 exported goods to California. It is simply the first mass-marketing company in Califor- people, about half of which were women, as a mystery at this point. But somebody had nia that set a new standard of sales at a time reported in the Sacramento Union (3/17/58.) to sell them, and it makes perfect sense that when his only comparable monetary com- Did one or both of these companies contract the largest wholesaler to provide them to a petitors were banks. He excelled in creating with Strauss? retailer was the Levi Strauss Co. a new business model that worked to perfec- In California, David S. Turner is reported to The same holds true for the pants. These tion, ultimately catapulting him to the top of have opened a wool factory in early 1859 as pants are not normal wear of a “fine” cloth- the clothier market with the “invention” and reported in the Red Bluff Beacon. The Pioneer ing nature, but rather are thick material production of “blue jeans”, the most popular Woolen Mills at Black Point in San Francisco designed to take use and abuse. We call them form of men’s pants in existence today. is reported to have opened in 1858, and Col- “miner’s pants” because that is the appear- The Miners Pants of the Dement Trunk onel Turner is reported as opening another ance to us. The pants of the Dement trunk appear to be in 1859. Unfortunately, little is known of the Since we know Strauss specialized in whole- “new.” They appear to be a new purchase by business workings of any of these early Gold saling into the California mining regions, Dement in San Francisco prior to his depar- Rush-era woolen mills. and from the gold shipment records, there is ture on August 20, 1857, onboard the S.S. The billhead at right is an important discov- a 61% chance the pants were sold by Strauss. Sonora, bound for Panama and New York via ery. It shows Strauss doing business with But… the physical characteristic of the pants the S.S. Central America. Maryville Woolen Mills and was also acting suggest even more. The five-button pattern The style and manufacture technique of these as an agent for them, which clearly illustrates of the fly, combined with the nearly identical pants is not like any other pair of pants in the concept that Strauss was contracting for size and manufactured style of the specific either trunk. In each trunk, all pants, wheth- clothes to be made. buttons strongly suggests that the pants are er fancy or for regular use, have a pocket sold by Strauss. In fact, the specific combi- closure that is a square corner with a button Dement Truck Clothes and Work Pants nation of fly pattern, number of buttons and edge at the top “corner.” The fly is either a The clothes present in the Dement and manufactured style of buttons, coupled with three-button fly, or a five-button fly, but the Easton trunks allow a look at clothing from the heavy material, very strongly points to buttons are nowhere near similar to this pair California in 1857. Strauss as the seller. We believe it may go of pants, often cloth covered. This pair’s but- The only trademarked clothes were from further still. Since we know Strauss had tons were never cloth covered. Brooks Bros., a retail clothing company at 116 started manufacturing goods in 1857, did he In short, they strongly resemble today’s Levi Cherry Street in New York, This company contract to have made these pants by either jeans. But are they? What do we know about also did not advertise in newspapers or the a Western or Eastern factory? Did he cause Levi Strauss? The above biography is based Trow Directory for New York, 1857. Since nei- them to be made at a factory with full cloth- upon new and extensive research from orig- ther of these parties originated in New York, ing production devoted to his company? inal source material. In the past, the Com- it only makes sense that they purchased the We may never know the absolute origin of pany has maintained Strauss did not man- Brooks Bros. undershirts in California, more specifically San Francisco. But from whom? Page 179

ufacture anything until they manufactured S.S. Central America rivet-cornered jeans in 1873. But this is not only unlikely, it appears incorrect on a num- • We know that sales mechanism must have ber of fronts. He had to be manufacturing worked, because his San Francisco location pants long before that – and had a problem was one of the largest in the city. with the pants tearing at the pocket. Oth- erwise, when the rivet idea came along, “so • We know that they out-sold any orders that what” … the rivet had to be fixing a very seri- they caused to be made in New York or back ous problem, and he knew it. Further, several East and shipped to California, because the authors claim the Strauss company was man- reports of goods shipped from New York ufacturing pants well prior to 1860, but only are far too skinny to justify the huge gold one of these authors offered up a footnote to shipments going back to New York. “prove“ it. Unfortunately, that “source,” an interview with Levi Strauss himself, has nev- These things are like the rings on a bullseye. er been re-published. It sits as an interview It leads to a simple conclusion: that the Levi within an obscure Bay-area newspaper that Strauss Company had to be manufacturing, is so rare, few paper copies are known today. or contracted to manufacture clothing for The paper is so rare and obscure that a neg- sale to miners and the public well before the ative was shot by the Bancroft Library years S.S. Central America ever left Aspinwall for ago, but the positive was never made, thus New York in 1857. there are no – repeat... NO – microfilm copies anywhere! We have ordered one and await Summary the required ten-week period. After a thorough investigation of the pub- lished financial records, which we know are Stay tuned for the February 2023 auction… incomplete in many ways, it is abundantly clear that Levi Strauss was the largest seller of Meanwhile, Things Have Changed goods during the California Gold Rush – and We now know: not by just a little – and that he led all other retailer/wholesale businesses significantly, • Levi took over management of the such that the only companies he competed California business on Jan 1, 1857. with were banks and express companies. His closest competitor was Eugene Kelly, whose • We know that sales effectively tripled. revenues appeared to be half. He did it by • We know that Strauss was soliciting raw capitalizing on his old family sales philoso- phy of selling door-to-door. The key was in materials for manufacturing. the vision and understanding that the hun- • We know Levi sent out teams of salesmen dreds of mining camps throughout Califor- nia (and Oregon) needed dry goods. The a to every mining region imaginable to sell way to get to them was not through adver- goods because the legal record of his efforts tising, but through physical, one-on-one con- to collect bad invoices proves it. tact made by teams of salesmen – not just a handful. In that manner they canvased the Page 180

The Ship of Gold Literature Review Roth, Art; The Levis Story, American Heritage, Downey, Lynn, Strauss… company history Fall, 1952, pp 49-51 entire mining regions quickly. Their pricing Alta California, various issues, see footnotes San Francisco Bulletin, 10/12/1895, an inter- and payment policies also must have been New York Tribune, various issues, see foot- view with Levi Strauss (unavailable except carefully considered. With huge sales here- notes in original hard copy) ● tofore never seen in the new frontier of Cali- San Francisco Chronicle, 2/11/1872 “Our sol- fornia, Strauss must have contracted with as id merchants: The immense establishment of many production houses as possible. Levi Strauss & Co. This would have included Western sources that may not have been known to historians because they too did not advertise. If their entire production was contracted to Strauss, there was no need to advertise. The same held true for Strauss. He had no need to advertise. His teams of salesmen were all that was necessary. In this manner, Levi Strauss importantly became the first mass-marketer in California history, a fact that is far more important than his use of the rivet to secure pocket corners. Are the pants here made by Strauss, or for Strauss? It is questionable if anyone could ever prove or disprove who, where, or when these were manufactured. They were new for Dement, probably purchased in San Francisco in the days prior to his departure on the Sonora. The one fact remains certain: These pants so closely resemble the Levi’s of today in so many ways that it seems highly improbable that they came from anywhere else. Close-up of the Five-Button Work Pants recovered from the Dement Trunk in the debris field of the S.S. Central America shipwreck. Page 181

Passenger Possessions S.S. Central America Page 182 Frame grab from a VHS video recording of the first opening of the Dement Trunk at Ohio State University in the autumn of 1991. Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Passenger Possessions Lot# 1172 Opening Bid $100 Lot# 1173 Opening Bid $100 HWAC# 157073 SSCA# HWAC# 156766 SSCA# 33784 Men’s Socks, Men’s Socks, Dement Trunk Dement Trunk Pair of men’s socks recovered from the S.S. Central Men’s socks recovered from the Dement trunk found America shipwreck, possibly linen, form-fitting ankle. at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. Form-fitting an- heel to top is 10”, heel to toe unstretched is 8”. kle, 10” heel to toe, 10” heel to top, good condition. Dement trunk. Appear fairly new, with no significant wear. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 183

Passenger Possessions S.S. Central America Lot# 1174 Opening Bid $100 Lot# 1175 Opening Bid $100 HWAC# 158703 SSCA# 33781 HWAC# 158740 SSCA# 33805 Men’s Socks, Men’s Socks, Dement Trunk Dement Trunk Form fitting socks recovered from the Dement trunk Socks recovered from the Dement trunk found at the found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. 9” heel to S.S. Central America shipwreck. Pair of socks, 10.5” cuff toe, 9” heel to top. no holes. to heel, 9.5” heel to toe, 3” form-fitting cuff. No appar- ent degradation, just stains. Page 184 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Passenger Possessions Lot# 1176 Opening Bid $100 Lot# 1177 Opening Bid $100 HWAC# 158743 SSCA# 33811 HWAC# 158746 SSCA# 33812 Men’s Socks, Men’s Socks, Dement Trunk Dement Trunk Socks recovered from the Dement trunk found at the Socks recovered from the Dement trunk found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. Marked British 10 S.S. Central America shipwreck. Marked British 10 1/2 1/2on toe. Cuff to heel 10.5”, heel to toe 8”. No appar- near toe. Form-fitting cuff. Cuff to toe 11’, heel to toe ent degradation, just stained. 8”. No apparent degradation, just stained. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 185

Passenger Possessions S.S. Central America Lot# 1178 Opening Bid $100 Lot# 1179 Opening Bid $100 HWAC# 158750 SSCA# 33815 HWAC# 158751 SSCA# 33817 Men’s Socks, Men’s Socks, Dement Trunk Dement Trunk Socks recovered from the Dement trunk found at the Socks recovered from the Dement trunk found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. Pair of socks, dark S.S. Central America shipwreck. 2.25” form-fitting cuff, heavy wool, different than others so far. 1.5” form-fit- 14.5” overall length. 1 sock shows heavy use, other is ting cuff. Cuff to heel 9.5”, heel to toe 8”. Different not torn. Both stained. shading on toe and cuff. No apparent degradation, just stained. Page 186 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Passenger Possessions Lot# 1180 Opening Bid $100 Lot# 1181 Opening Bid $100 HWAC# 158702 SSCA# 33779 HWAC# 156768 SSCA# 33792 Men’s Socks, Wool, Men’s Thick Undershirt, Dement Trunk Dement Trunk Thick wool socks recovered from the Dement trunk Men’s undershirt recovered from the Dement trunk found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. Showing found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. Thick, significant wear through stretching of the upper por- possibly wool, undershirt, additional cloth lining for tion. 8” heel to toe, 9” tall. no holes. supporting buttons at chest to neck. Four button, two present. Overall length 33”, arm inseam 22”. Minor degradation at one spot in waistline, no labels or mak- er’s marks. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 187

John Daniel Dement S.S. Central America (1826-1891) Dement Becomes a California ‘49er and Fred N. Holabird California Pioneer4 Sometime after this, Dement, Hathaway and John D. Dement was a man of estimable Vera Cruz to the gates” of Mexico City.1 their Company returned home to the East character whose life pursuits in the In 1847, the Army attacked the castle at Coast. In the winter of 1848, still part of the military and in business were varied and Chapultepec, a major Mexican stronghold Artillery, he was given orders to head out successful. Born in 1826 to a Washington and strategic point. In one of the last to California with about 59 other soldiers as D.C. area farming family, he would later great battles, Dement was part of the part of Companies L and M.5 The men left join his brother William’s family in the new attack of Churubusco, which began the New York for California November 10, 1848 Territory of Oregon. He was a survivor of end of the Mexican War. At the battles on the steamship Massachusetts under the multiple open ocean hurricanes including of Contreras and Churubusco2, Dement’s command of Major Hathaway. Their arrival the SS Central America tragedy. Captain, Captain J. S. Hathaway was in San Francisco is not recorded publicly. The Setting wounded.3 By that point, the Mexican The fact that Dement and his fellow soldiers The Mexican War broke out when Mexico forces were composed in part by US arrived in San Francisco in late 1848 or early attacked US forces after the annexation deserters. Negotiations failed after the 1849 cannot be disputed. What they did, of Texas in 1845. The new Mexican Mexican surrender at Mexico City on and where they went from January to about Government did not recognize a treaty august 27, and the US forces took the May 1849 is unknown. Did they prospect signed by Santa Ana in 1836, and a major city in September 1847. For a short time, for gold? Were they miners? border dispute erupted into a major war. Dement was appointed a “Police Chief” Many of the military involved in the Dement enlisted in the Army July 30, 1846 during the occupation of the City. The war Mexican War went to the gold fields. in Washington City. A man of average was officially over by Feb. 2, 1848. In July, Perhaps the most famous of them was height, blue eyes and brown hair, he was 1848, Dement was promoted to Second J Gould Buffam. This exact period of immediately appointed as a sergeant in Lieutenant for his actions in Mexico. uncertainty of what happened in John the First Artillery under Captain Mason at 1 Alexandria Gazette 9/28/1857 Dement’s life is the very same period in Jefferson Barracks. 2 Only 5 miles from Mexico City which Edward Gould Buffam went to the Dement eagerly joined the fighting as part 3 J.S. Hathaway joined the First Artillery, US Army gold fields. A veteran of the Mexican War, of the US Army Artillery units. A short as early as 1838. In July that year he was promoted to he was sent to Monterey in June, 1848. biography of Dement published in 1857 First Lieutenant. claims he “fought in every battle from 4 Dement nor Hathaway are not listed as California pioneers or among those who came to California Page 188 before 1850. This exposes an error in the recordation of names because they may have been omitted as military, a clear mistake in historical recordation. 5 The orders for 1849 were not found. The orders for Companies L and M for 1850 were to go to Oregon. The other Artillery companies were sent to San Diego for the period 1850-1855.

The Ship of Gold While things had been fairly quiet and A US Military commission convened friendly between the different cultures for a court, held an hour long trial, and On July 4, he was ordered to Los Angeles years8, the onset of the California Gold condemned the five men to death. It was and the company was disbanded on Rush brought a seemingly non-stop flow apparent to many men in the Military as September 18, 1848. From there, he and of emigrants to Oregon along the Oregon well as locals understood that not all of the fellow x-soldiers ventured north to San Trail, which had its terminus at Oregon five were guilty, but rather were brought Francisco, arriving October 25th. Noting City on the Willamette River. The Hudson to Oregon City to “tell the story of the that people leaving the city had pockets Bay Company had begun a trading post killings”, which they did. Kimasumpkin lined with gold dust, he remarked further in the region in the 1820s, and a Fort was spoke for the group of five, stating the “Gold dust and coin were as plentiful established at Walla Walla, north of Oregon original killers were all dead, and that he as sea-shore sands, and seemed to be City, and another at the Dalles.9 was summoned strictly to tell the story. thought as valuable.”6 Clearly, gold was With the killings in 1847, exacerbated by the They hung him anyway on June 3. John everywhere. By the end of the year, Buffam new influx of emigrants and would-be gold Dement’s involvement is unknown, but his had found riches everywhere, especially miners, tensions erupted, tempers flared, Captain, J. S, Hathaway, tried to commit in the Placerville area. Did Dement, like and cries for justice abounded. Peter Skene suicide shortly after by cutting his throat. Buffam, both Mexican War veterans, spend Ogden helped negotiate with the “friendly” Though he survived, the message was a few months in the gold fields before he part of the Cayuse, who sent in five men very clear. Innocents were hanged.10 Other ventured north to Oregon? to stand trial in early 1850. By then, gold stories about Dement’s adventures as part Dement to Oregon, May 1849 miners were everywhere – some looking of the Indian Wars could fill a magazine While historical discussion of the First for gold in Oregon, others on the way to article.11 Artillery, Companies L and M is quite California. Indeed, the mining interests Dement Business in Oregon City limited, it is a sure bet they were sent to were so high that the Oregon Exchange About this time, Dement’s older brother Oregon because of the start of the “Indian Company of Oregon City, minted their own William and wife Olive came to Oregon Wars” which began after the murder of Oregon gold coins in 1849, only to have the City where they established a hardware eleven white missionaries and friends by practice come to a halt after the government and mercantile business for the burgeoning Cayuse tribal members on November 29, notified them that as a Territory, it was now community. In 1852/1853, Dement’s 1847 in a remote area on the eastern sides illegal to make your own money. Artillery Unit was reassigned to the East of the Cascade Range. In response, a local Coast. By then, Dement appears to have met militia was formed, and asked for Federal 8 Even Buffam noted of Indians: “The native assistance since the region was in line to inhabitants (are) a kind, hospitable and light hearted 10 Two years later, in July, 1852, he fell from a horse become a US Territory.7 The first arrival of race.” [ibid, pxv] and broke his leg. By then Hathaway had been a military attachment was May, 1849, and 9 News of gold discoveries in 1849-1850 in Oregon is promoted to Major in the US Army. By 1871 he may easily have been the unit led by Capt. not well documented. Certainly prospectors migrated became a Judge in Vancouver, Washington. He died of Hathaway that included John D. Dement. to the central established town of Oregon City, as consumption in 1876. evidenced by the Oregon Exchange Company and 11 9/28/1857 Alexandria Gazette tells of one story, 6 Edward Gould Buffam, Six Months in the Gold their gold coins, but published news was scant, if not and others exist based upon this, as well as an article Mines, 12850, pxxiii. nonexistent. 3/28/1889 in the Statesman Journal of Salem, Oregon. 7 Oregon formally became a Territory in August, 1848 Page 189

his future wife, Mary J. Smoot. He resigned City, a distance of not too much more than S.S. Central America his Army position and married Mary in ten miles by river. Portland formed at the 1853 and joined his brother William in his junction of the two rivers, but was very Railroad and over to Aspinwall for the mercantile business. By this time, gold slow to develop. By the end of 1850, there trip north to Norfolk/New York on the ill- miners were everywhere, as evidenced by were only a few hamlets with little to no fated SS Central America, where he expected this article published in Boston: infrastructure to sell goods and services.13 to buy more goods for their Oregon City As Portland grew, dependence on the business. A rich specimen of quartz had acquisition of goods, particularly for the hot The SSCA Disaster been obtained from a ledge of rock topic of gold mining, was still centered on Dement boarded the Sonora on August 20, on the west slope of the Cascade the Dement business in Oregon City. 1857, bound for Panama, then across th4 Range near the Willamette River. Buying Goods for the Oregon City Store isthmus by Panama Railroad to Aspinw3all It is thought that the Cascade John Dement was the Company buyer and where he and others boarded the SS Central Range will produce as rich mines his brother William the store manager. He America bound for New3 York. By this as any in California.12 made numerous trips to San Francisco and time, he became described as a muscular, Certainly, the Dement brothers must have the East each year to purchase goods for well-built man with “strong nerves.”16 ventured into this new and fascinating resale. In 1856, John took a ship to Norfolk Dement was the last passenger picked up endeavor – gold mining -, as well as sold to buy goods for the store. On his way, from the sea immediately following the goods from their store into the mining aboard the steamer Illinois, the ship was horrific sinking of the SS Central America in business entities throughout the Oregon nearly lost at sea.14 On another trip that a fierce hurricane.17 Passenger R.T. Brown of gold regions. year, he was aboard the Texas, which put Sacramento recounted to a newspaper that Things appear to have gone well for the into Norfolk in distress. On another trip in at 8pm starlight was visible and the horrible Dement families. John’s son Ralph was born 1856 he was onboard the John L Stephens. weather was over. Twelve hours later, he in 1856. On that trip, off the Gulf of Tehuantepec, as and Dement were picked up by the Bark The Dement Store which appears to have well as with the gale that nearly vanquished Ellen. They were the last two rescued. “At sold hardware, mercantile goods and the Texas, Dement described each of these the request of Mr. Easton, the Captain had probably dry goods, clearly controlled storms “fully as severe as that in which the continued his search until he found us.”18 the regional business. Oregon City had a Central America was lost.”15 Making yet Dement was not the only passenger from thirty year head start on Portland as the another trip East for goods in 1857, Dement Oregon City. J. B. Ements also survived.19 main point of commerce in Oregon. While boarded the SS Sonora in San Francisco on The SS Central America started out in life Oregon City was the terminus of those August 20, and transferred to the Panama as the George Law. On June 13, 1857, it coming West on the Oregon Trail and was officially condemned, having fought others, sea access to the regions were up 13 Russ, C. H.; The Log of a Forty-Niner; 1923, pp72- through nearly two dozen trips up and the Columbia River to the junction of the 3. 16 Barrows.. p71 Willamette River, then down to Oregon 14 9/28/1857 Alexandria Gazette 17 Three more passengers were picked up randomly 15 Barrows, H.D.; Foundering of the Steamship at sea about twelve days later. They were indeed the 12 7/3/1852 New England Farmer [Boston] Central America; Annual Publication of the Historical last passengers rescued. Society of Southern California, 1897, vol. 4, No. 1, 18 Sacramento Bee 10/27/1857 Page 190 pp70-75. 19 National Enq, Washington DC, 10/1/1857

The Ship of Gold staff, which would have attempted to make Dement returned to Oregon City where the immediate remedies, but there were not business flourished. In February, 1863, John down the continent. As part of the US Mail any, as the regular staff had been reduced and William invested with fourteen others Steamship Co., the ship was rebuilt and by half.21 in a local woolen factory. Cloth factories re-coppered, fit for many more journeys.20 Dement commented that he thought cutting were in short supply in the West (see our As was the custom, once refit, it was away the foremast in “the early part of the discussion of Levi Strauss). A woolen renamed to SS Central America. On its fateful storm … to keep he from blowing over on manufacture plant had been built in Salem, voyage in September 1857, the ship “was her side so much” was a mistake, and it Oregon and it was veery successful. The not insured for a dollar,” though it carried could have potentially helped later, using group purchased five lots for the factory. $3.1 million in insured gold plus a pile of a similar storm instance as an example. William Dement got sick toward the end of passenger gold. He told Barrows that Herndon told him 1864, and died on January 2, 1865.22 John On the return trip to Oregon in December, he “hardly had half a crew,” including no continued to manage the firm. Later in the 1857, Dement befriended H. D. Borrows. carpenter, no tools and no proper engineers year, he joined with two others to build Off the coast of Lower California on the to fix things. a canal along the Willamette River for day after Christmas, Burrows found In hindsight it is interesting to compare goods transportation because the Portland himself making a written record of a long Dement’s comments to those words of the Transportation Company had a monopoly, conversation with Dement about the Central hearings and various committee findings and many of the Oregon City merchants America. Recounted in great detail, Dement when the investigations of the sinking of were hoping for some competition. told his listener how the US Mail Steamship the SSCA had been completed. The porthole In late 1865, John may have turned over Company had cut coasts so severely that issue was only mentioned by one, and management of the business to his sister Captain Herndon’s hands were essentially it was dismissed. But the lack of proper in law, Olive. He headed to San Francisco, tied behind his back. management, and the timing of Dement’s where he became one of the city’s Passengers were the first ones to discover observations perfectly fits the end result – “capitalists.” It appears he worked out water in the hold, and it was “several feet that the boiler room was uninhabited, the of his house on Folsom Street through at deep.” Astonishingly, Dement recounted boiler fires went down, the coal got wet, least 1873, though he may have gone back how water began to pour into the ship and that was then start of the end. While and forth from Portland to San Francisco through the lower portholes, and that they Dement did not mention officer Ashby by through 1879. Dement invested in real were completely rusted out, though made name, it was apparent this was the officer estate – some of it, very expensive. Many to look good by a covering of paint. While who was supposed to be watching things … of his sales are noted in local newspapers. the ship’s hull had been re-coppered, no one but he was asleep. Other investments are unknown. After 1879, thought to replace the rust eaten porthole he lived in Portland, along with his son frames. By Saturday, as dement noted, some 21 Barrows, pp71-73. In Cedric Nevitt’s “The United Ralph, who had become a lawyer. From of the portholes were completely blown out, States Mail Steamer George Law” (1944, the American 1879-1886 John Dement was alternately and water continually pouring in. The coal Neptune, Vol. 4, No. 4, October 1944), Nevitt’s list listed as a “Capitalist” or in “Real Estate.” was under water, the boilers useless. The of crew members shows seven engineers and no He also acted as a fiduciary and executor in identification of a water-filled hold should carpenters. Evidently, management wanted to cut 22 The Will indicates the Dement’s business thrived, have been noted by Company engineers or back staff, and this was an area dispensed with. They and William’s net worth was substantial. 20 Here, “rebuilt” is a relative word that means “fixed were already short on carpenters. up and strengthened”. Page 191

the dissolution of many estates, including different than anything we’ve seen online S.S. Central America the dissolution of the Portland General from the same 1850s period. Were they just Hospital in 1886. purchased in San Francisco? Probably. down a great distance … but John Dement died a few years later in Dement’s Last Minutes with the Trunk did not lose consciousness … 1891, leaving his estate to his and his wife’s From the clothes inside, we know that his life preserver brought him relatives and his son Ralph. He was a lucky Dement - again, which may have been put up at tremendous velocity … man that survived the sinking of the SS in at the last minute as knowledge of the he lost his breath and began to Central America. ship’s sinking was everywhere evident. He strangle.23 Notes on the Dement and Easton Trunks described his last minutes with the trunk to Dement survived. There were two trunks recovered from H. K. Barrows: the seafloor in the early recoveries. One 23 Barrows, p74 belonged to Ansel Easton, and the other to He went to his trunk, took out John Dement. The goods inside these trunks some papers of value and some tell us a lot about what happened in the last money, and with his overcoat hours of the ship’s existence on the surface. and life preserver, went on deck In those late hours, Easton took off a pair and sat down on a trunk in one of more formal pants and suspenders and of the upper state rooms, and quickly tucked them back into the trunk. leaned back to get a little rest. It appears he had grabbed another pair of Mr. Dement stepped outside the pants and quickly and crudely cut away the stateroom, and the water was legs, making a pair of “shorts’ perhaps in ankle high. He went to the wheel anticipation of entering the water in these, house and up on the hurricane but thought better of it, and tucked them deck to be as high as possible. … back into the trunk. His trunk also has a few A wave came from the leeward of his wife’s articles, particularly sleeping side and ran partly over the clothes. deck washing him between The Dement trunk carried a number of the escape pipe and the smoke significant pieces. Most of the clothes show stack … another wave from the wear. Only a few pieces do not. In amongst windward side washed over his daily clothes and dress attire, were her, throwing a man against found a pair of pants that today very closely him, which forced him out … at resemble Levi Strauss “jeans” or “miners which she began to settle bodily, pants.” They appear brand new, and are not her stern going under first, until like any of the other pants in the trunk. In she was entirely submerged, fact, they are completely different than any and sank…. Everything near other pair of pants in either trunk, as well as her was drawn down in a mighty wake. (He was) drawn Page 192

The Ship of Gold Page 193

Passenger Possessions S.S. Central America Lot# 1182 Opening Bid $100 Lot# 1183 Opening Bid $250 HWAC# 157075 SSCA# 33796 HWAC# 156770 SSCA# 33710 Men’s Undershirt, Merino Wool, Men’s Vest, Cotton Twill, Gold Fleck Dement Trunk Buttons, Dement Trunk Merino wool undershirt recovered from the Dement trunk Cotton twill vest recovered from the Dement trunk found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. Identified by con- found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. Seven-but- servators as Merino wool, this undershirt is strikingly different ton front, six present. Several buttons show bright gold from those of the Easton trunk. It is a fine, soft material (wool), spots (flecks), and it is possible the buttons were made with a four-button closure with two partial buttons intact. The with a gold fiber, now degraded. Two pockets, no sep- sleeves have form-fitting cuffs that show considerable wear. The arate watch pocket, no inside pocket. Rear straps with armpit areas have cutouts as manufactured, possibly for ease most of the buckle still present. Overall 23” tall, possi- in heavy physical labor. Dement, as a former miner, may have ble 34” chest. Generally good condition. used these in that pursuit. Overall length is 23 inches, sleeves are approximately 16 inches long, and the neck is about 15 inch- es. No markings or labels present. Page 194 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Passenger Possessions Lot# 1184 Opening Bid $250 HWAC# 156767 SSCA# 33788 Men’s Pants, Dement Trunk Unusual pair of pants recovered from the Dement truck found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. White, twill weave, wide waistband, drooping at the fly, four-button closure, two still present. 22” waist and 24” inseam. This may be a boy’s pair of pants? Rear tie is missing the metal buckle, and there is degradation fully around the buckle area. Two ties at ankle with 5” split as made. Some serious degradation along the bottom of the pant leg edges and area. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 195

Passenger Possessions S.S. Central America Lot# 1185 Opening Bid $100 Lot# 1186 Opening Bid $100 HWAC# 159096 SSCA# HWAC# 158711 SSCA# 33731 Men’s Work Shirt, Brooks Bros. Wool, Scarf, Patterned Silk, Dement Trunk Dement Trunk One of three woolen work shirts found offset to the right of center (as worn) Silk scarf recovered from the Dement trunk found at inside the Dement trunk recovered and has three small buttons. The neck- the S.S. Central America shipwreck. Patterned silk scarf, from the S.S. Central America ship- line appears to be hand-stitched in an about 22 x 26” beige with oval white patterns and dots wreck. Brooks Brothers logo showing X pattern, and the bottom hem is only and linear pattern around the outside. Stains, but no a sheep suspended by a ribbon sur- tack-stitched every half-inch or so. All tears visible. No markings. rounded by the words // MERINO three shirts were neatly folded togeth- / FINISH // is still visible in the low- er in the trunk, and over more than a er right (as worn) corner of the shirt. century on the seafloor, dark brown, Shoulder-to-waist distance is 27 inch- orange, and black stains leached from es, sleeve length from the back center other items in the trunk have colored of the neck opening is about 32 inch- these originally white shirts with a es. Torso width is 15 inches. Today, beautifully symmetrical “tie-died” these shirts would be considered a pattern. Each shirt has a unique color size “small” considering that they may pattern. The fabric is still supple and have shrunk underwater. Wrists are seems durable. close-fitting and the neck opening is Page 196 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Passenger Possessions Lot# 1187 Opening Bid $100 Lot# 1188 Opening Bid $150 HWAC# 156764 SSCA# 33790 HWAC# 156771 SSCA# 33783 Scarf, Silk, Shoe Gaiter Pair (Spats), Dement Trunk Dement Trunk Triangular silk scarf recovered from the Dement trunk A pair of spats recovered from the Dement trunk found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. Diagonal found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. A pair of cross-pattern construction, 17 x 48”, generally good fine, thick cloth and leather gaiters with under tie. In- with obvious stains. terior printed label, via stencil // Smith (illegible) / (monogram) / Patent / Gait (illeg) //. Smith’s Gaiters were advertised in the Cecil Whig, Elkton, Maryland, in 1851, sold by merchant B. F. May. While we did not find any advertisements for Smith’s Gaiters, the men- tion of “Smith’s Gaiters” or “Smith’s French Gaiters” seemed to stop in late 1851, lending to the conclusion these gaiters may date from this period. (see also Janes- ville Daily Gazette 9/11/1851) 8 x 9”, good condition. From the Dement Trunk. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 197

Under Water Image Gallery The luggage tags are among those used for passenger baggage placed on passenger checked baggage Page 198 Recover of passenger luggage tags Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511