SSCA Part 1A Catalog

The Ship of Gold Neil Dobson Commentary Archaeologist for the 2014 Expedition Page 49

S.S. Central America SS Central America Artefacts – A Few of My Favorites Neil Dobson, St. Andrews, Scotland Shipwrecks are events that are not meant to Eleven years later in 2014, I was privileged with all her equipment, technology, and happen. The tragic loss of the ship with its to complete the 4-month investigation crew to be given the opportunity to plan and crew, passengers, cargo, and tales of heroism and recoveries on the SS Central America, conduct the investigation and recoveries. and rescue were national headlines. For (originally named SS George Law) lost in a The four-month expedition was challenging centuries shipping routes were the internet of hurricane off Charleston, South Carolina, at times but was made up by the amazing the day. It was how news, information, goods, on the 12th, September 1857, enroute from discoveries and artefacts that were revealed. new technologies and people communicated. Aspinwall (now Colón, Panama) to New For me working with Bob Evans was a great Shipwrecks represent a slice of time revealing York. Known as the “ship of gold” the SS pleasure and honour as I learned much about the technologies, fashions, foods, way of life Central America is my all-time favourite the numismatic assemblage and the world and commerce of that period in history. shipwreck. of coins. The shear diversity and volume of As a deep-water marine archaeologist of over To me she represents a window to the past. coins was amazing, and we both enjoyed 20 years, I have had the privilege to be involved Every artefact and the shipwreck itself have a our time together in the coin room handling, in the research, search, and investigation story to tell. The technologies and fashions of documenting, and processing all the coins. of many high-profile shipwrecks from the the period, the successes, and failures of the We affectionately called this time “coin 17th century to the 20th century. I have been era of the California Gold Rush are all there wrangling.” I learned new skills during my fortunate to have investigated both a pre-US in this shipwreck. time on this project. One of them was the use Civil War and post-US Civil War side wheel Shipwrecks are like a crime scene. You need of a small gold sluice and how to pan for gold paddle steamer. My first in 2003 was the SS to look at the clues laid out on the seabed and out at sea in the North Atlantic. The Central Republic, (originally named SS Tennessee) lost try to piece them together to understand and America truly is ‘the ship of gold.’ Lying on in a hurricane off the coast of Georgia on the work out what happened to the ship when top of the sandy seabed surface flecks of 25th, October 1865 enroute from New York it sank beneath the waves and how through gold could be seen. These were recovered to to New Orleans. It contained a significant time the wreck formation processes resulted a container on the ROV (Remotely Operated specie cargo of gold and silver coins along on what is on the seabed today. Vehicle) and brought to the surface. On deck with a diverse general cargo of goods that I was very privileged along with Odyssey with the sluice and the pans we were able were destined for the regrowth of the South Marine Exploration, their experienced and to recover many pounds of gold dust and and New Orleans after the end of the US Civil skilled team, and the M/V Odyssey Explorer nuggets. It was amazing to think that the gold War. dust and nuggets panned and mined out of Page 50

The Ship of Gold the rivers/streams and hills in California Daguerreotypes and ambrotypes ended up on the bottom of the north Atlantic The 19th century silver plated copper daguerreotype and glass and that the gold bars and ingots were made plate ambrotype photographs encased in a book style covered of the same gold. frame were one of the most amazing and poignant discoveries When all the recoveries were complete and I have ever made on a shipwreck. Lying on the seabed in the we were satisfied that we had met the aims debris field these images of the passenger themselves, their and objectives of the expedition, it was not families, relatives, and friends brings the shipwreck and the the end of my association with the Central people on it back to life. When these farmed photographs were America. In 2016 in Norfolk, Virginia, I was discovered, they were usually coins, jewellery and other valuable requested to be an expert witness in a court items lying next to them. The photographs were for sure very treasured possessions. Who case where Chief Judge Rebecca Beach were these people in the photographs, what is their story? Smith of the United States District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, awarded title Gold Love, Loyalty, and Friendship Ring to RLP (Recovery Limited Partnership) of There were many gold signet and wedding all items recovered. The huge skilled task rings recovered from the wreck. Many were of conservation and study of the specie initialled and some had elaborate engraving assemblage and artefacts began. and designs. My favourite is a gold, loyalty, It was a challenging question for me when and friendship ring with six interlocking I was asked to select my favourite artefacts rings and a pair of hands that locks the rings from the SS Central America that myself and together. These type of rings were often used as the team recovered. I love them all and they wedding and engagement rings. Who was the owner or the recipient to be of this ring, for sure all have amazing stories to tell. They are it was for someone who was truly loved. not in any order of preference. The images are those of the artefacts documented and 1855 Sidney Mint Australian gold sovereign photographed by me shortly after arriving on the deck of the Odyssey Explorer. The coin assemblage from the Central America is spectacular. So many varied denominations of gold and silver coins from all over the world. The coin I like is the 1855 Sidney Mint Australian gold sovereign. It is likely to be the furthest travelled coin and I wish it could speak as I am sure it would have an amazing story of how after it was minted, 2 years 2 months and 18 days later it ended up on the seabed of the North Atlantic. I am sure that if this coin could talk what a wonderful story it would tell. Page 51

S.S. Central America Cylindrical brass music box song bullion and specie cargo onboard was shipped by them. Crates, This was a very interesting artefact to boxes, containers are interesting items as they tell us how goods were uncover from a broken-up wooden shipped and transported in their time. 19th century music box. Was the song played on the voyage or was it a gift Comb or a personal belonging? Was the song Combs have been with us from a hit of the day? I can just imagine 1,500 B.C. made of many materials the people from the photographs all and some very decorative. singing and dancing along to the tune. However, the teeth were easily Brass mold for a bullet and ball broken and during the 19th A few brass bullet molds were century a goal was to invent a recovered from the wreck. Popular comb that solved this problem. back in the day was the Colt patent This was achieved by Goodyear bullet and ball mold. A revolver was in 1839, who designed a comb made from vulcanised rubber. found in the ship’s safe, and I am Recovered from the wreck was a Comb Co., Goodyear Patent 1849 sure many of the male passengers comb. What is interesting about this comb is that the owner has had weapons with them and certainly scratched information about his voyage on the ship. On one side of any military or law enforcement people the comb, we have the name W.G. Berry, George Law Sept 8th1857. who were onboard. I like antique weapons and especially those This was five days after the ship left port and two days before the ship associated with the American Wild West. Even with mass factory was caught in a hurricane. I wonder if he bought the comb for the production of bullets it was still good practice to be able to make your voyage or onboard the ship and wanted to record the event. It is just own, especially in remote and dangerous regions of America. I would an ordinary comb with an amazing story. love to think that this mold made bullets for some well-known sheriff Brass Key and Tag Number or gunslinger. A number of brass keys with numbered round brass tags Wells Fargo & Co New York, were discovered on the wreck crate side site. These are most likely cabin One of the most iconic American keys. What is interesting, is that names must surely be Wells apart from a different banding Fargo & Co. Founded in 1852 by design near the bit end of the Henry Wells and William George key, the shaft, collar, and bow Fargo. This wooden section of are identical to the cabin keys I recovered from the 1865, SS Republic. a crate with the company logo I wonder where this cabin was and who was the passenger that tells us that some of the gold occupied it. Page 52

The Ship of Gold Gold Dust and Gold Nuggets Gold Bars and Ingots The Central America would not The gold bar and ingot assemblage from the Central America is hugely be the “ship of gold” without the significant. To think that the gold dust and the nuggets that were gold dust and gold nuggets. These recovered similar items went into making the gold bars and ingots. were strewn all over the wreck, The bars and ingots tell us so much about the story of the gold mined loose on the seabed and contained form the rivers, streams, and hills of California. Each bar and ingot has within cotton, canvas, and leather a specific number, the assayer’s name and mark, the weight of gold bags, pouches, and bundles. It in ounces, the fineness of the gold and the value in US dollars. It is a gold document really. If you take the gold bars and ingots recovered is amazing that the Odyssey during the first recovery phase and add it to the 2014 recovered bars team had the technology and and ingots, it is a truly amazing assemblage. ability to be able to recover the dust and nuggets from the harsh deep environment of the bottom of the North Atlantic. Handling the dust and nuggets for me was a great moment. They are a testament to the hard work, adversities and struggles of all those miners who mined and panned gold from the lands of California. Gentlemen’s Spectacles Many personal belonging were recovered of all types, from rings, pin brooches, pocket watches, combs, toothbrushes, and clay pipes to name but a few. Of interest are a pair of gentlemen’s metal spectacles. They are wire rim sliding temple arm spectacles. A popular design of the mid-19th century. We will never know who they belonged to, but we would be able to find out what prescription the lenses are and how the eyesight was of the owner. I love the design of them, and I am sure they would be popular today. Page 53

Ship’s Provisions S.S. Central America Page 54 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Ship’s Provisions Ship’s Provisions 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 55

Ship’s Provisions S.S. Central America Lot # 1000 Opening Bid $100 Lot # 1001 Opening Bid $250 Lot # 1002 Opening Bid $250 HWAC #158885 SSCA# HWAC #158884 SSCA# HWAC #158882 SSCA#R-406 Passenger Receipt, Second Cabin, Passenger Receipt, Second Cabin, Passenger Receipt, Steerage, William Major Jacob B. Clark William A. Adams & Dog Curless, Truckee, Cal. Druggist Second Cabin passenger receipt recovered from the Second Cabin passenger receipt recovered from the Steerage passenger receipt for William Curless on S.S. Central America shipwreck and issued for Jacob B. S.S. Central America shipwreck for William A. Ad- pre-printed neutral US mail Steamship/ Pacific Mail Clark, reportedly a veteran of the Mexican War and ams, 27, of Maryland, and his dog. There is no record steamship form. Datelined San Francisco. Curless born in Tennessee (we were unable to verify). Klare’s of what he was doing in California, but he boarded bought a steerage ticket on August 20, 1857 in San record of Clark shows him in Steerage, but the actual August 20, 1857, for New York. He survived by div- Francisco to New Orleans via Aspinwall, signed by receipt says otherwise. When the ship was floundering, ing head-first into the ocean and coming up behind a Thompkins, the agent for the Pacific Mail Steamship Clark and friend J.F. Reed of Petaluma each grabbed a rescue boat sent from the Marine, then slipping into Co. in SF. Born in Ohio in 1822, Curless came west for stateroom door and a life preserver and headed top- it unnoticed. He and the other passengers were con- the California Gold Rush. In August, he boarded the side to exit the ship before she went down. The violent stantly bailing out the small boat as waves constant- S.S. Sonora bound for Panama, crossed the isthmus nature of the sea caused havoc with the pair, and they ly washed overboard. No word on the survival of his on the Panama Railroad and boarded the S.S. Central were injured in the process. Reed got lost in the rough dog. By 1860 he was a carpenter in Harve de Grace, America at Aspinwall. With his passage paid to New water, and Clark never saw him again. At midnight, Maryland. He enlisted with other family members in Orleans, he would have disembarked in Havana and Clark found another door, lashed it to his own with a the Union Army in 1863. After rising to Corporal, he boarded another steamer bound for that great South- handkerchief. As morning broke, and the Norwegian was demoted to Private when he was discharged, nev- ern port, which was also serviced by the same line, the barque Ellen arrived, Clark found himself surround- er to be heard from again. United States Mail Steamship Company. This was his ed by dead, all wearing life preservers, floating at the last stop before heading north to New York, and his surface. “It was a horrible sight.” He was the 47th man detour from the direct route on the S.S. Central America rescued. He went back to California in 1858 for good. was a lifesaver. More information on William Curless He became Sheriff of Sutter County, then moved to can be found in Ghost Towns and Medicines by Fred Colusa country where he mined and did other things. Holabird, pp374-376. Page 56 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Ship’s Provisions Lot # 1003 Opening Bid $500 HWAC #158892 SSCA# Passenger Receipt, First Cabin, #1! for Judge Monson The order of issuance of the S.S. Central America passen- Monson journeyed to California in 1849, though he is a Sheriff’s sale held on July 24, 1857, The Sherrif sold ger receipts began to become clear after we were able not listed in Bancroft, but he may have been a member a lot near Sutter’s Fort belonging to Monson that he to interpret the very old handwriting that suffered 150 of the Territorial Pioneers of California in New York, had purchased from Gillespie. On about August 1, years underwater, aptly conserved by the Northeast a different organization than the Society of California 1857, Monson announced his plans to leave Califor- Document Conservation Center in Andover. While Pioneers, and one in which a key member was John nia, resign his Judgeship, resign his presidency of the reviewing the receipts, most of which had previous- Little Moffat. Pioneer Association of Sacramento and return to New ly been sorted by Purser Hull, there appears a pattern Klare reports that Monson lost his home to Sacramento York for family matters for 6 months to a year, then re- of issuance. That pattern suggested they might have Union owner Paul Morrell in a poker game, which we turn. While the Sacramento Bar Association wanted to been issued in the relative order of the importance of cannot verify. Monson began his legal career in Sacra- throw a party for Monson, he declined because of the the person. This is a difficult interpretation because the mento with Eugene Gillespie as Gillespie & Monson lack of time prior to departure, and instead met them relative importance of a person in 1857 can be quite in either late 1849 or early 1850. Later, his law partner all at the docks on August 17 a noon for his departure. different than our interpretation of a person today. was Milton Latham, who became Governor of Cali- Monson was a friend of Herndon’s and a popular man Nonetheless, the passenger receipt #1 for First Cabin fornia. In the early 1850s, he was active in Whig pol- among the passengers. He perished at sea. belongs to Judge Alonzo C. Monson. Monson was a itics, and became head of their regional organization. Judge for the 6th District in Sacramento. He had re- By 1854 he had been elected District Judge, a position signed his position two days prior to leaving San Fran- he held until his departure in August, 1857. He also cisco and was returning to his native New York. served as interim Judge for Yolo County in 1857. In 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 57

Ship’s Provisions S.S. Central America Lot # 1004 Opening Bid $500 Lot # 1005 Opening Bid $2,500 Lot # 1006 Opening Bid $250 HWAC #158881 SSCA#P-148 HWAC #158906 SSCA# HWAC #158888 SSCA# Passenger Receipt, First Cabin, Passenger Receipt, First Cabin, Passenger Receipt, First Cabin, Ansel Easton & Wife Capt. Thomas Badger Dr. Kittridge The original passenger receipt recovered from the S.S. Capt. Thomas Badger First Cabin Passenger Receipt, First Cabin receipt recovered from the S.S. Central Central America shipwreck for Ansel and Addie Easton, First Cabin ticket No. 9, recovered from the purser’s America shipwreck for Dr. Kitteridge from San Fran- “A. I. Easton & Wife”, 4 x 6.75” on US Mail Steamship safe of the S.S. Central America shipwreck in 2014. This cisco to New York, August 20, 1857. First Cabin Ticket pre-printed form. Datelined San Francisco, August 20, receipt is faded, chipped on right edge. Capt. Thomas #51. This is an interesting receipt, in that Dr. Kitteridge 1857. “Running in connection with the United States Badger was one of the most important of all the S.S. must have been present at dockside, purchased the Pacific Mail Steamships.” Stained. This is unarguably Central America passengers. He had been captain of ticket for his wife Almira, but the ticket is in his name. the most important of the passenger receipts, for the several other ships and had traveled on the S.S. Central He did not travel from his Santa Cruz home, rather Al- couple that was married the day before boarding, and America three other times and was thus very familiar mira went to visit relatives back east. Almira was res- the wealthiest people on the S.S. Central America. Ade- with the ship. He reportedly took over when Chief cued by the Marine and gave an extensive interview line Easton was the younger sister of D.O. Mills and Engineer Ashby ignored his duties, which allowed the to the New York Herald September 27, 1857, which brothers, California bankers. boiler furnaces to burn down, get cold, and come to a was subsequently published in San Francisco. It was near-stop. Capt. Badger also was observant in finding thoroughly quoted in many places in Bowers et al., A water in the lower levels, including the boiler room, California Gold Rush History. and he organized bailing crews. Badger was also in- strumental in organizational management of emer- gency procedures during evacuation and subsequent recoveries. Badger survived, probably because of his extensive sea knowledge. He was awarded a silver horn, engraved to him noting his bravery, which is to- day in a Virginia museum. Much has been written on him in the historical record of the S.S. Central America. He was one of the living heroes. Page 58 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Ship’s Provisions Lot # 1007 Opening Bid $250 Lot # 1008 Opening Bid $1,000 HWAC #158891 SSCA# HWAC #158894 SSCA# Passenger Receipt, First Cabin, Passenger Receipt, First Cabin, James Henry Childs of New York E. Birch, California Stage Co. Founder Passenger receipt recovered from the S.S. Central Amer- Another of the very important people onboard the S.S. the Sacramento River near Folsom. He had an “old ica shipwreck for Henry H. Childs of New York, First Central America were James E. Birch and his wife. His Rancho wagon drawn by four Mexican broncos.” He Cabin Ticket #31 from San Francisco to New York. first cabin ticket was #34 in line. Birch perished at sea charged $32 or two ounces of gold dust. By February Childs was a survivor who gave numerous accounts because he refused to wear a life preserver, claiming of 1850 he expanded his line to Sutter’s Mill at Coloma. to newspapers, including September 19, 1857. He was that they didn’t work, and you’d die from the cold A year later, he had lines running all through the cen- an “oils” merchant in New York City, and may have anyway. He lit a cigar in one of the last moments he tral mother lode country. Along the way, Birch learned been in California to promote sales of his oils. Childs was seen by other passengers. Somehow, he may have how to get help from the newspaper. he offered them was one of the last three men to see Herndon alive. All anticipated a problem, because he sent about $60,000 to ride along. On March 9, 1850, the Sacramento Placer three claimed they saw him afloat about midnight after in gold bars in his wife’s name to New York on the Illi- Times stated: We made an experimental trip in one of the ship had sunk. Childs appears to have been a bit of nois prior to the S.S. Central America’s departure. Mr. Birch’s stages a few days ago, which proved high- a political in Massachusetts circa 1851 and moved to Birch was another of the master thinkers in the early ly satisfactory. The horses had never been harnessed New York City about 1855. years of the California Gold Rush. Though he was only but once or twice before, yet they dashed through the 29 years of age, he has his start as a stage driver and soughs and gulches in a remarkably knowing style. owner in Sacramento in 1849 with partner Frank Ste- These California horses seem to know about as much vens. While back east, he claimed to have been a stage as most folks. The party returned highly delighted driver, in which case he would have been a “student” with the hour’s ride, and fully satisfied that Birch’s of the Wells, Fargo, and Holliday expresses while they Line was the line to get to the Mines in a hurry” (Win- were in their infancy, continually expanding routes ther, Via Western Stage and Express, 1945, p7) and services. (See Holabird; American Express and Wells Birch continued to grow the company, and on Jan- Fargo Express, American Business Response to the Califor- uary 1, 1854, he merged with Stevens, Green, Hall, nia Gold Rush, 2021). and Crandall, who all had other stage lines through- Birch got his start running a line from Sacramento to out California and Oregon and became the California Mormon Island, a hugely rich placer deposit along continued on page 60 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 59

Ship’s Provisions S.S. Central America Stage Company. They were immediately a major force Lot # 1009 Opening Bid $250 Lot # 1010 Opening Bid $250 in the stage business, and Birch was president with Ste- vens, VP. HWAC #158883 SSCA#R-130 HWAC #158890 SSCA# During this period of the early 1850s, Wells, Fargo & Co. and Adams & Co. had been the major express Passenger Receipt, First Cabin, Passenger Receipt, First Cabin, companies, each with an East coast foundation and de- John V. Dobbin Jones and Servant cades of experience. But California was a new territory, ripe for expansion. Adams Express had preceded Wells Passenger receipt recovered from the S.S. Central Amer- First Cabin passenger receipt for F. Jones and Servant Fargo, who came in 1852. The California Stage Com- ica shipwreck for John V. Dobbin, brother of James C. from San Francisco to New York recovered from the pany under Birch, competed with these two giants, as Dobbin, Secretary of the Navy, 1853-1857. John Dob- S.S. Central America shipwreck. This is one of only a well as with many other smaller express companies. bin was one of many men who worked tirelessly to small handful, possibly three , passenger receipts for Little is known of the acquisition phase of Wells Far- try to keep the water out of the S.S. Central America. First Cabin passengers who had a servant. One of go in its early days. WF bought the Gregory and other He joined forces with Jones in forming a bucket bri- the others was Mrs. Adeline Easton. First Cabin Tick- express companies, but how far did they go in negoti- gade after rigging pulleys to get barrels of water out et 33. Jones was traveling with his family. He was a ations with Birch’s California Express? through the hatches. He perished. Kentuckian reportedly involved in real estate. He had As Birch expanded, making his “brand” more econom- been to California numerous times and was an invet- ic and profitable, the complex financial world of some erate gambler. Jones was on another treasure ship, the key California Gold Rush businesses began to crum- Yankee Blade, when it “floundered” off Pt. Conception ble. Bankers Page, Bacon & Co., who tried desperate- near Santa Barbara, where yet another treasure ship, ly to compete with other bankers, failed in early 1856, the Winfield Scott, also was lost, though Jones was not setting off major economic alarm bells. Then Adams on the Winfield Scott. Klare reported Jones had $6,000 & Co. Express failed. The failure of two of the largest in gold on the S.S. Central America. His servant was a banking and express firms touched off a financial pan- Black man named Charley. Neither survived. ic. But Birch’s California Express stood on solid finan- cial ground and made it through the tumultuous tidal wave of financial instability gripping the region. In June of 1857, Birch resigned as President of the Cal- ifornia Stage Company. He had begun another line covering the southern routes from San Antonio to San Diego. He had his sights set on big things, and in Au- gust, 1857 left on the S.S. Central America headed to Washington D.C. to try to secure major mail contracts. While Birch died at sea, his company continued under other management. His vision had been a strong one that withstood the death of its founder. Many inter- views with S.S. Central America survivors discuss Mr. Birch. See Klare and Bowers. Page 60 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Ship’s Provisions Lot # 1011 Opening Bid $250 Lot # 1012 Opening Bid $1,000 had no ownership or political ties to the West, they had not yet undertaken the purchase of any land from HWAC #158893 SSCA# HWAC #158887 SSCA# Mexico, and the trip preceded the war with Mexico over Western territory. Passenger Receipt, First Cabin, No. 11, Passenger Receipt, First Cabin, Fremont personally purchased from Mexico Gover- E. Hirshfield Rufus Lockwood, nor J. V. Alvarado the Las Mariposas Estate in 1847, Fremont’s Gold Rush Attorney later known as the Mariposa Estate, originally 44,000+ acres. On it were some of the richest gold deposits, Passenger receipt for first cabin, #11, to E. Hirshfield One of two of Fremont’s Gold Rush Attorneys, Rufus which included what was probably the first producing recovered from the S.S. Central America shipwreck. We Lockwood, Passenger Receipt. First Cabin, ticket #2. hard rock gold mine. The four key mines were the Pine include this receipt because there is virtually nothing San Francisco to New York, August 20, 1857. Degraded Tree, Josephine, Princeton, and the Mt. Ophir, all lo- found by Klare or the Bowers team on this man, nor is upper right. legible, but light. Recovered from the S.S. cated near the mining camp of Mariposa. These mines anything found in newly digitized newspaper or other Central America shipwreck in 2014. produced a wealth of gold for Fremont but were not records. But... food for thought... Lewis Hirschfield was Lockwood was quite possibly much more important without their challenges. Fremont hired Rufus Lock- born in Utica, New York in 1837, back at a time when that many of the other First Cabin passengers. He was wood to protect his rights. Rufus thus became one of census records were few and far between. He became the main lawyer for John C. Freemont regarding his the most important and influential lawyers on proper- one of the most powerful bankers in the northwestern Mariposa Estate in the central Mother Lode region. ty rights in America. It is said he was a brilliant strate- United States, based in Virginia City, Montana. While Fremont did use other lawyers in the early gist and lawyer, acutely aware of how the law worked. Hirshfield kept to himself. Little is known of his life 1850s, Lockwood and David Hoffman (his London In the early days of mining on the Fremont’s Mariposa prior to his arrival in Montana in the 1860s. We were agent and lawyer) was “the main guy” in the USA in Estate, Fremont used the best minds in the gold busi- also not able to find a published obituary in New York all matters involving gold, mining, and related proper- ness. He hired John Little Moffat and others, includ- where it was reported he died, such that we could find ty issues. When Rufus Lockwood died at sea from the ing the Wass, Molitor company to advise on different out (maybe) about his family. One thing is certain – by S.S. Central America disaster, Fremont’s financial world aspects of the gold business. (See Spence, M. L.; The the time Hirshfield made it to Montana, he had capital. began its collapse. Expeditions of John Charles Fremont, (Letters) v3, 1984). Was Edward Hirshfield an older brother who was re- Fremont was the renowned Western Explorer. He had Numerous challenges were made to the title of the turning from California? Here we have the coincidence led five expeditions through the West, each for differ- Mariposa estate, and after years of legal battles, Lock- of a New York family, a New York destination, and an ent reasons, including his first exploratory expedition wood secured title on June 19, 1855, though the formal early First Cabin ticket, which indicates “money.” But to California in the 1840s, where he marched through patent to the 17,709.79 acres was not completed until who was he? territory then unknown to the rest of the Country, in- 1866. The original Mariposa Grant had gotten whittled cluding the fabulous Lake Tahoe on the California-Ne- down because of complexities in the law, and a meth- vada border, at a time when the Federal Government od of land transfer and language used by then Califor- nia Governor Alvarado used in his “land grants” that conflicted with US custom and law. Lockwood was the person that had to sort it all out. Alvarado, as was the custom with Mexico land grants, had included a phrase that could be interpreted as not allowing the re- ceiver to sell any part of the land, but could lease it. We see evidence of this in another lot in this sale, where US land agents for nearly a decade investigated Mexican land claims. Spence, in the Fremont Letters, claims Lockwood’s real name was Jonathan A. Jessup, and considered him an “eccentric legal genius.” In the early 1850s, Lock- wood was off to the Australian gold rush, of which lit- continued on page 62 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 61

Ship’s Provisions S.S. Central America tle is known of his time there. He returned to handle Lot # 1013 Opening Bid $500 Lot # 1014 Opening Bid $250 Freemont matters. (See Spence, M. L.; Fremont Letters, v3, p282 and others). Lockwood perished on the S.S. HWAC #158886 SSCA# HWAC #158880 SSCA#R-453 Central America. His wife and three children survived. Fremont, by the way, could easily have been on the S.S. Passenger Receipt, Forward Cabin, Passenger Receipt, Panama Railroad on Central America. He had been traveling back and forth Mrs. Easton’s Servant S.S. Central America Form from California to New York on legal and political matters since about 1850, and most recently had done Forward Cabin receipt recovered from the S.S. Central A passenger receipt recovered from the S.S. Central so in late 1856. He ran for President of the USA in 1856. America shipwreck. Issued for San Francisco to New America shipwreck, filled out for the Panama Railroad While Fremont was busy in Washington on his Pres- York for “Mrs. Easton’s Servant”. The name is diffi- (not a specific named passenger) on a US Mail Steam- idential campaign, Lockwood was busy perfecting cult to read but might be Mrs. E. O. Conner. Adeline ship Central America pre-printed form. The ticket is for his land title. Successful in securing formal patent to Easton’s journal of the S.S. Central America trip does New York to Aspinwall, leaving New York on August 17,000+ acres, other things were going on in the back- not mention a servant. Klare mentions several ser- 20, 1857. Fine condition, conserved by the Northeast ground. In Fremont’s absence, a band of crooks and vants, but not by name. Document Conservation Service. miscreants had forcefully taken over Fremont’s key mines at Mariposa. They had threatened violence, threatened to kidnap Mrs. Fremont and to ruin every- thing Fremont owned. Lockwood was the guy who would find legal mechanisms to put these men, not only under arrest, but in prison. But he died on the S.S. Central America. Fremont was suddenly without his Number One weapon, Rufus Lockwood. Confu- sion, threats and near war broke out between the bad guys, known as the Hornitos League, and Jesse Fre- mont sought help from neighbors and help from law- men. Once a Freemont insider ëescaped’ to get help in Stockton, the word passed, and support for Fremont was overwhelming. The cries for help to Stockton nev- er happened, as the “Coulterville Home Guard” came to the rescue and threatened the Hornitos gang in a manner that permanently dispersed the group. This was a form of necessary vigilantism at a time when tempers ran high in San Francisco with the Vigilance Committee of 1856 and the hangings of Casey and Cora. After some time, the help came in quickly and got rid of the squatters. But Fremont’s woes were far from over. Without Lockwood guiding Fremont in his Mariposa ventures, Fremont outspent his income and saw expenses and expenditures mount out of control. The man who had kept the reins on Fremont, kept his estate under control, and managed all the legal aspects of the Mariposa Estate - Rufus Lockwood, was dead. Fremont’s financial world collapsed. By the 1860s, he was forced to sell to New York investment bankers, and in so doing, had turned a large fortune into a tiny stipend. Page 62 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Ship’s Provisions Lot # 1015 Opening Bid $1,250 Lot # 1016 Opening Bid $500 Lot # 1017 Opening Bid $250 HWAC #158903 SSCA# HWAC #158895 SSCA# HWAC #158889 SSCA# Passenger Receipt, Printed Form, Passenger Receipt, Second Cabin, Passenger Receipt, Second Cabin, Finest One Havana to Aspinwall Transfer Ticket Aspinwall to Havana and Back on the This is the finest known of all the S.S. Central America S.S. Central America Second Cabin transfer ticket recovered from the S.S. passenger receipts on pre-printed US Mail Steamship Central America shipwreck for passage from Havana to Company forms coming from New York. // United A unique pair of a physical tickets recovered from the Aspinwall on the trip down from New York, immedi- States Mail Steamship Central America // boldly print- S.S. Central America shipwreck for Second Cabin from ately preceding the trip from Aspinwall to New York ed at top. It is one of about 359 passenger receipts for Havana to Aspinwall and a passenger receipt for Cris- in which the S.S. Central America perished. While sev- the trip from New York to Aspinwall, though not all tobal de Losada to travel back the other direction from eral of these tickets were found in the Purser’s safe, are on these beautifully self-identified forms. Dated Aspinwall to Havana in First Cabin. The receipt clearly few are readable. August 18, 1857, sails August 20, and datelined New shows “Steamer Central America” in manuscript on a York. Very few are clean, and even fewer are immac- United States Mail Steamship preprinted form for Sep- ulate. This piece was hand-picked. It is for “Miss tember 3, 1857. Found in the Purser’s safe in 2014 and Ville....?”, stateroom 30, berth 108. carefully restored, there were only a couple of these Collectors should be very excited by the discovery and tickets in good enough condition to be restored. conservation of these pre-printed “S.S. Central Ameri- ca” pieces. They are the only pre-printed pieces extant from “the Ship of Gold,” and they are a remarkable treasure in themselves. Conserved by the Northeast Document Conservation Center, Andover, Mass. in 2018, and recovered from Purser Hull’s safe in 2014. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 63

Under Water Image Gallery This is what the passenger receipt and document group looked like when it first came out of Purser Hull’s safe and made its way to the surface in 2014. The documents were sent to the Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover, Massachusetts, where a world-class conservation was performed. Page 64 Documents early in conservation stages. Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

Under Water Image Gallery Documents in various stages of conservation banknote after restoration Holabird taking notes of passenger receipts Conserved passenger receipts 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 65

Ship’s Provisions S.S. Central America Lot # 1018 Opening Bid $500 HWAC #150878 SSCA# Passenger Receipt Collection, S.S. Central America Treasure In 2014 the crew recovered the contents of Purser Hull’s safe found at the S.S. Central America shipwreck. In it were two black smudgy bundles of documents wrapped in paper and tied with string. They were sent to the Northeast Document Conservation Cen- ter in Andover for restoration. In this group of hun- dreds of passenger receipts we find the names of all the passengers. Unfortunately, many were not restor- able to a point where the names could be interpreted. This group consists of several different forms: US Mail Steamship Central America, NY to Asp #190; US Mail Steamship Line (Central America in manuscript), Asp to NY; First, Second and Forward Cabin SF to NY; Steer- age SF to New Orleans. Interestingly, there were no “steerage” tickets from SF to New York. It appears the Forward Cabin forms were used in place of the Steer- age ticket forms. Page 66 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Ship’s Provisions Lot # 1019 Opening Bid $200 HWAC #150879 SSCA# Passenger Receipts Originating in Lot # 1020 Opening Bid $250 Lot # 1021 Opening Bid $250 Aspinwall, S.S. Central America HWAC #153310 SSCA#1371 HWAC #153317 SSCA#2475 Treasure Brass Luggage Tag NY to SAN Fo via Brass Luggage Tag NY to SAN Fo via Two fascinating and historical passenger receipts re- Panama #1371 Panama #2475 covered from the S.S. Central America shipwreck for the United States Mail Steamship Lines, with “S.S. Central Brass luggage tag recovered from the S.S. Central Amer- Brass luggage tag recovered from the S.S. Central Amer- America” filled in by hand. Both originated in Aspin- ica shipwreck, approx 2 x 1-5/8 inches, embossed // ica shipwreck, approx 2 x 1-5/8 inches, embossed // wall for the trip northbound. Here, M. Bertham bought N.Y. TO SAN Fo / 1371 / VIA PANAMA //. The name N.Y. TO SAN Fo / 2475 / VIA PANAMA //. The name passage in Steerage with final destination of New Or- of the tag manufacturer is visible in very fine print on of the tag manufacturer is visible in very fine print on leans. The other passenger, J. Sellner, was bound all the the back: // T.W. MOREHOUSE / J. CITY N.J. // the back: // T.W. MOREHOUSE / J. CITY N.J. // way to New York. Both receipts were conserved by the Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover. There is no “Bertham” listed in the 1858 New Orleans Directory, but Marie Bertham had a letter waiting for her at the New Orleans Post Office in late August 1858. There is no Sellner listed in either New York or San Francisco in 1856. One of the two made it safely, the other may not have. Sellner is listed in Bowers as lost, though the spelling is different. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 67

Ship’s Provisions S.S. Central America Lot # 1022 Opening Bid $500 Lot # 1023 Opening Bid $100 HWAC #153311 SSCA#14670a HWAC #158846 SSCA# Panama Railroad Baggage Tag #613, Boiler Steam Gauge, S.S. Central America Treasure S.S. Central America Panama Railroad brass baggage tag #613 recovered the purser in February of 1855. On February 5, the S.S. American Steam Gauge Co. steam pressure gauge re- with a bundle of keys from the purser’s safe found George Law left New York on its 16th voyage to Pana- covered from the S.S. Central America. It is 8” diameter, in the port-side debris field of the S.S. Central America ma, this time carrying a number of celebrants to mark 2” thick with brass release valve. Cracked 5” window, shipwreck. Extremely rare! It is 1.75 x 1.6 inches and the completion and opening of the Panama Railroad, stain inside obscuring some of the printing. The gauge in fine condition – the ONLY Panama Railroad brass finished and opened for traffic just 9 days earlier. numerical indicators go up to 70, but the units of mea- tag recovered! It is extremely important in that it rep- Purser Edward Hull was a part of this important busi- surement are not clearly noted and are assumed to be resents the transfer of the entire Ship of Gold treasure, ness, and this tag well may have held some meaning PSI. cargo, and passengers from the Pacific to the Atlantic for him. I (BE) think it is entirely possible that Purser The American Steam Gauge Co. built its factory in via the Panama Railroad, which itself had only been Hull kept this tag as a memento of that event, which Boston in 1851 at #4 Charlestown St. They quickly be- completed in 1855. was of enormous importance on the route where he came one of the largest steam gauge manufacturers in It cannot be positively known why the purser would made his living and held a position of significant es- America. The company was under the management have kept this Panama Railroad tag along with his teem. The opening of the Panama Railroad ushered in of E. Ashcroft, who was succeeded by H. K. Moore by keys in the safe, but its presence there is unusual, a new era of convenience in traveling to and from Cal- 1855. The company owned a number of patents, and and it is the only such tag recovered from anywhere ifornia and New York. Men in California sent for their in 1855 got into a legal dispute with a competitor who on the shipwreck. Edward Hull had been a purser on wives and families to come, confident that most of the allegedly stole their “Bourbon Patent” and used it as if the Panama Route since its inception (Bowers p950). hardships due to the overland journey across the isth- it were not under patent. Hull was probably the purser on the S.S. George Law mus were now in the past. Certainly, the railroad made A number of steam gauges would have been within (later renamed the S.S. Central America) since early in transport of 2-ton gold shipments from San Francisco the boiler room of the S.S. Central America monitoring the steamer’s years of service, and he was probably to New York physically much easier. differing sectors of the steam production. While the continued on page 69 Page 68 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Ship’s Provisions Lot # 1024 Opening Bid $250 HWAC #159089 SSCA# Brass Bell, Small, S.S. Central America Small brass bell recovered from the S.S. Central America shipwreck. It is 5-1/2 inches tall, 5-7/8 inches in diam- eter, and it weighs 2.8 pounds. The clapper is missing, perhaps because it was iron and dissolved away after more than a century on the seafloor. The bell has a rich, dark brown patina, and some greenish oxidation is ev- ident in the lower portion along with a bit of concreted sediment. When struck, it rings with a clear D note. Overall in excellent and still usable condition. boilers themselves were made of iron and dissolved Page 69 into the seawater, the gauge remained as a memory and artifact of the engines that were hoped to carry the ill-fated ship through the rough waters while the deployment of the sails was impossible in a horrific storm. But after the boilers and coal source were flood- ed with water, this gauge became of no use. When the black arrow on this gauge hit the zero, it became the signal that all was lost. With no power, the ship was left to wallow in a rough sea at the whim and mercy of Mother Nature. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected]

Ship’s Provisions S.S. Central America Lot # 1025 Opening Bid $100 Lot # 1026 Opening Bid $100 HWAC #156842 SSCA#33945 HWAC #159477 SSCA#29007 Brass Handle with Wood Knob, Chamber Pot, Ironstone, S.S. Central America S.S. Central America Brass handle with wooden knob recovered in 1991 Ironstone white chamber pot with handle recovered from the stern debris field of the S.S. Central America from the S.S. Central America shipwreck. // Maddock’s shipwreck where dining salon goods were found. It is / Patent / Ironstone / China //. John Maddock and 5.5” long, 2.25” high. Wood not badly degraded, nor Sons Ltd. have made ironstone and earthenware in is the handle. This handle was possibly a handle for a Burslem, Staffordshire, England, since 1855, heavily grinding device such as a coffee mill. advertising in 1856-57 in England. The only advertise- ment found in the U.S. was for an apparent shipload of Maddock’s goods that were sent to auction in New York City on February 28, 1855, which was a good way to sell a shipload of material into a new marketplace. This piece could very well have been purchased at that auction held by J. Bartlett, probably by the purser for the S.S. George Law, which later became the S.S. Central America. (NY Herald 2/28/55) This and other pieces have the same hallmark. 7” diameter, 5” tall, completely intact, no visible chips or cracks. Page 70 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Ship’s Provisions Lot # 1027 Opening Bid $100 Lot # 1028 Opening Bid $100 HWAC #156852 SSCA#29006 HWAC #156844 SSCA#15965 Child’s or Chocolate Cup Clear Glass Ashtray, S.S. Central America Child’s or chocolate cup recovered in 1990 from the S.S. Clear glass ashtray recovered in 2014 from the S.S. Cen- Central America shipwreck. Small ceramic cup, white tral America shipwreck. It is 4” diameter, 2” high, 2.25” with blue stripe around top & bottom. 1.6” tall, 1.5” opening. Six scallop design on top and bottom, though diameter. The difference between a child’s cup and a the base is 2.8” diameter. Two “nubs” on the bottom, chocolate cup can be coincidental, and thus difficult to 5mm in diameter, centered on two adjacent base scal- ascertain. Slight staining and discoloration of the orig- lops, one inch apart, which may be air vents. Original inal white into a buff color. striations still present in the bottom. This is part of a significant tobacco- related item group found in trunks and the debris fields. Some chips, no stain, generally excellent for an item that survived a fall of 7,200 feet. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 71

Ship’s Provisions S.S. Central America Lot # 1029 Opening Bid $100 Lot # 1030 Opening Bid $100 HWAC #159478 SSCA#Coal 1 HWAC #159104 SSCA#Coal 2 Coal (2) from the S.S. Central America Coal (2) from the S.S. Central America Two large chunks of coal recovered from the S.S. Cen- Two small chunks of coal recovered from the S.S. Cen- tral America shipwreck. The larger is 5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inch- tral America shipwreck. The larger is 3 x 2.75 x 1.5 inch- es, about 1.4 lbs. The other is 5 x 4 x 2.5 inches and es, about 1/4 lb. The other is 3.5 x 2 x 1.5 inches and about 1.2 lbs. The coal bed of the S.S. Central America about 1/4 lb. The coal bed of the S.S. Central America was in the bottom of hull, where it served as ballast as was in the bottom of hull, where it served as ballast as well as fuel. During the havoc of the sinking, the coal well as fuel. During the havoc of the sinking, the coal would have been inundated with seawater, and being would have been inundated with seawater, and being only slightly more dense than water, it was mobilized only slightly more dense than water, it was mobilized by the incessant sloshing of the storm waves. Thus, by the incessant sloshing of the storm waves. Thus, coal was found at almost every level of the shipwreck coal was found at almost every level of the shipwreck during the recovery effort. Sitting amongst the coal during the recovery effort. Sitting amongst the coal debris were several key artifacts, including the spec- debris were several key artifacts, including the spec- tacular daguerreotype, now called the “Mona Lisa of tacular photograph, now called the “Mona Lisa of the the Deep.” Deep.” Page 72 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Ship’s Provisions Lot # 1031 Opening Bid $500 HWAC #159100 SSCA#E20-011 Copper Hull Plate, S.S. Central America A sheet of copper recovered from the S.S. Central Amer- ica shipwreck. The entire hull below the ship’s water- line was covered in copper sheathing to prevent foul- ing by marine plant and animal growth (e.g. barnacles, limpets, marine grasses, etc.). Prior to her 43rd voyage, the ship, at that time named the S.S. George Law, was put in for repair and maintenance of the hull sheath- ing, boilers, and engines. During this repair, the ship was renamed the S.S. Central America. The ship made its 43rd voyage traveling from New York to Panama and sank on the 44th as it was returning to New York. This copper sheet is 32 x 14 inches, and it shows a trian- gular pattern of nail holes with spacings between 3.75 and 4 inches. The much more closely spaced nail holes along three edges are about 1.25 inches apart. The lot comes with an original billhead for Wm. A. Freeborn & Co. of New York, a ship’s chandlery company. The box at left indicates Freeborn sold copper sheathing for re-coppering ships, and it may be this very company that sold this copper plate to the US Mail Steamship Company for the re-coppering of the S.S. Central Amer- ica. “Dealers in new and old sheathing copper.” This document was found in Purser Hull’s safe. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 73

Ship’s Provisions S.S. Central America Lot # 1032 Opening Bid $500 Lot # 1033 Opening Bid $150 HWAC #159088 SSCA#30225 HWAC #150880 SSCA# Cup/Mug, 12-sided, Cutlery Group, S.S. Central America S.S. Central America Treasure Twelve-sided white ironstone cup or mug or bowl re- A partial knife, fork, and spoon recovered from one of covered in 1991 from the cabin area of the S.S. Central the S.S. Central America shipwreck debris piles. Lot also America shipwreck. It is 3.6 inches wide, 3.25 inches tall, includes a billhead for a cutlery store in New York for and the round base is 2.5 inches in diameter. No mak- H. D. Ward, June 1856. This invoice was found in Purs- ers mark found. This piece has seen significant use as er Hull’s safe, and it may be a receipt for one or more evident from the worn edges. No significant chips but of these very pieces of cutlery. some abrasion on the edges of the facets. Page 74 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Ship’s Provisions Lot # 1034 Opening Bid $200 Lot # 1035 Opening Bid $100 Lot # 1036 Opening Bid $100 HWAC #159084 SSCA#29000 HWAC #158830 SSCA#13805 HWAC #156845 SSCA#15964 Double-Spouted Pitcher, First Cabin Large Brass Numeral, Glass Candle Holder (?), S.S. Central America Room 8 or 18 S.S. Central America Double-spouted, white ceramic pitcher recovered from First Cabin large brass numeral, 8 or 18, recovered in Clear glass candle holder (?) recovered from the S.S. the S.S. Central America. It is 11 inches tall, 5.25 inches 2014 from the S.S. Central America shipwreck. 6” tall, Central America shipwreck in 2014. The base is 3.25 in diameter at the base, and 6 inches in diameter at the 4.25” x 1/8” thick. Great white-green (or marbled tur- inches in diameter, 1-5/8 inches tall. Seven protruding, widest. Spout-to-spout distance is 5.5 inches. The de- quoise-white) oxidized patina. Comes with two orig- narrow scallops. The inner bowl is 1 inch deep and sign is a 10-sided body. Hallmark on the base shows inal short square nails, 1 3/8” long that attached the 1-7/8 inches in diameter. The base shows significant the British royal seal with // IRONSTONE CHINA number to the door. One broken nail hole near the bot- wear, clearly a tabletop piece. The glass surface has an / J.F. // beneath it. This refers to J. Fernyhough, who tom, otherwise fine. iridescent appearance, and the edges have significant was a china/ironstone manufacturer in Staffordshire, chipping, probably from falling off a table multiple in partnership with J. Adams and S. Hartshorne, un- times while at sea. No hallmark. til October 1853. (10/4/1853 Liverpool Mercury, and 10/7/1853 Coventry Standard). This piece may have been purchased as part of the initial outfitting of the ship for its maiden voyage in October 1853 as the S.S. George Law, the original name for the S.S. Central Amer- ica. This piece is in nearly pristine condition except for the iron-stain splotches it acquired from being on the seafloor for more than a century, and a small chip on one side between the spouts. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 75

Ship’s Provisions S.S. Central America Lot # 1037 Opening Bid $100 Lot # 1038 Opening Bid $2,500 When Bob Evans spotted what appeared to be the ship’s sextant on the ocean floor, he knew an attempt HWAC #156854 SSCA#11022 HWAC #158843 SSCA# had to be made at recovering this remarkable device. A sextant is a very delicate navigational tool, that when Glass Medical (?) Stirring Stick, Herndon’s Sextant (Octant) - used in conjunction with chronometer and a nautical S.S. Central America almanac, was the only way to locate your present po- The Key Navigational Tool sition out in the open ocean. By utilizing many compo- of the S.S. Central America nents with a complicated internal workings, and some fancy math, longitude and latitude can be calculated. Clear glass medical (?) stirring stick recovered from the This is quite simply the most important artifact on the Without it, you’re lost. Thought to be invented in 1751, S.S. Central America shipwreck in 2014. It is 5.25” long, S.S. Central America. Without it, no one ever would the sextant was the advanced brother of a celestial broken on one end with two flat glass disks molded have found the ship. Without it, Capt. Herndon would navigational tool called Hadley’s Quadrant, which into the unbroken end. The shaft is 0.35 inches in diam- not have been able to holler the coordinates to Capt. had been invented twenty years earlier. These devices eter, and the larger disk at the end is 0.6 inches diam- Stone of the Schooner El Dorado. Without it, the Ship could measure the angles between different celestial eter. Exact use is unknown, and this is our best guess of Gold would have remained lost on an ocean floor based upon comparative analogy. so massive that it is like looking for a pinhead in more continued on page 77 than five million football fields. Page 76 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Ship’s Provisions bodies in comparison to the horizon and known Green- photo-mosaic and tracking lines to graphically locate was removed, recovered, and conserved as best as pos- wich Mean Time. Interestingly enough, fragments of and map the ship’s remains. During this process, the sible to this point. celestial navigation devices similar to a sextant have octant was discovered. As a tremendously delicate ob- We have placed these remnants in a soft nest to retain recently been discovered in much older wrecks, and ject, the crew built a special spatula designed to care- the original juxtapositions as found. The lenses and unraveling the mystery of how man navigated on the fully slip under the artifact and lift it. With its many other recoverable parts are present. ocean through time is still in the discovery phase. parts composed of different materials that deteriorate Captain Herndon’s use of the octant in the eye of the The instrument here is known as an octant, a variety in a different way in the seabed environment where it hurricane was magnificent. Through its use over the and a brother of the sextant, and is a remnant of the sat, it was a gamble to even touch it on the ocean floor. last 40 hours of the ship’s life, he recorded their po- original. It has many of the intricate cross beams and After 150 years of exposure was there any competence sition accurately whenever cloud cover allowed. This none of the parts. It is delicate, to say the least. But this left at all in any of the components? navigational position, determined by celestial readings is Herndon’s navigational instrument. The crew had extensive experience with iron artifacts and complex calculations, allowed him to communi- An octant is similar to a sextant, but it is built on a on the ocean floor. As an example, when the purser’s cate the Central America’s exact position to a passing 45-degree angle – one-eighth of a circle – with a scale safe was located during the 2014 mapping process, as vessel an hour before the sinking. This position and set from zero to 90 degrees used to measure the angular soon as the feelers of the recovery vehicle barely and of coordinates nudged Columbus America’s probabil- distance above the horizon. A sextant is built on a lightly touched the safe, some external parts exploded ity map to the west, and the SSCA was found at the 60-degree angle – one sixth of a circle – with a scale into a cloud of iron dust. The only thing left were the western edge of the search area. “We should have giv- from zero to 120 degrees used to measure the angular contents, which had only just begun the degradation en this coordinate more weight in our analysis,” said distance between objects in the sky. process because of the lack of oxygen. This is why the Bob Evans. “It became key in leading us to the place In 2014, more than twenty years had passed since the silver coins, coin bags, vest, and papers are so well pre- where the ship was found 7,200 feet deep, about 150 last recovery of gold and artifacts in 1991. New meth- served today. years later.” The Ship of Gold was not lost. It was close ods were used at sea, new recovery techniques invent- As the special spatula was carefully placed under the to where Captain Herndon told the world where it was ed, and better processes of discovery were in place. octant, it was indeed incompetent, a mere shadow or it in 1857. One of those processes was establishing an accurate “ghost” of its original self. With great care, the ghost 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 77

Ship’s Provisions S.S. Central America Lot # 1039 Opening Bid $500 HWAC #159091 SSCA#33671 Janus Bowl, White Ironstone, S.S. Central America A white ironstone rectangular bowl, marked // Iron- may have had significance for the United States Mail stone China / Barrow & Co. // on the bottom (1853- Steamship Company since they provided two-way 1856). Called a “Janus” bowl because of the two human service in both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. This faces on opposite sides. Janus, the Roman God name- piece has a 4-inch-long hairline crack in one corner, sake of the month of January, represented time because and some iron staining is evident on all sides. Two of Janus could see into the past with one face and into the these Janus pieces were recovered from the stern area future with the other. Some references online suggest of the S.S. Central America shipwreck in 1991, as well Janus pieces were used for marriage events. The Janus as a single lid, which does not quite fit either example. bowls may have been purchased for the outfitting of the S.S. George Law (the original name of the S.S. Central America) for her maiden voyage in October 1853. These Page 78 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Ship’s Provisions Lot # 1040 Opening Bid $150 HWAC #159092 SSCA#30223 Janus Bowl, White Ironstone, S.S. Central America A white ironstone rectangular bowl, marked // Iron- may have had significance for the United States Mail stone China / Barrow & Co. // on the bottom (1853- Steamship Company since they provided two-way ser- 1856). Called a “Janus” bowl because of the two human vice in both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. This piece faces on opposite sides. Janus, the Roman God name- is in near-pristine condition, with no chips, cracks, or sake of the month of January, represented time because staining on the ceramic. There are calcareous marine Janus could see into the past with one face and into the worm (serpulid) casts on this one, on each end, add- future with the other. Some references online suggest ing their touch to this rescued item. Two of these Janus Janus pieces were used for marriage events. The Janus pieces were recovered from the stern area of the S.S. bowls may have been purchased for the outfitting of Central America shipwreck in 1991, as well as a single the S.S. George Law (the original name of the S.S. Central lid, which does not quite fit either example. America) for her maiden voyage in October 1853. These 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 79

Ship’s Provisions S.S. Central America Lot # 1041 Opening Bid $100 HWAC #156853 SSCA#13743 Oriental Human Figurine, S.S. Central America Oriental human figurine recovered in 2014 from the S.S. Central America shipwreck. Oxidized ivory, clas- sic ivory texture visible on the base, 4” tall on a 1.5” oval base. Ivory degrading, some chips, overall, still solid and appears stable. A 2014 recovery, it has been out of water for eight years. This is one of a very few Oriental-themed items recovered from the shipwreck. Another was within the Easton trunk. Interestingly, the S.S. George Law (the original name of this ship) carried the documents for the Treaty of Kanagawa between Ja- pan and the USA in 1855. Page 80 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

Under Water Image Gallery Captain Herndon’s large porthole in situ. Room key with numbered tag Steam Gauge In situ. Page 81 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected]

Ship’s Provisions S.S. Central America Lot # 1042 Opening Bid $100 Lot # 1043 Opening Bid $100 Lot # 1044 Opening Bid $500 HWAC #156843 SSCA#33857 HWAC #156841 SSCA#34092 HWAC #156858 SSCA#33872, 34071 Rigging Eye with Chaffing Gear, Serving Tray Remnant, Ship Timbers with Ship’s Deck Sail Hardware S.S. Central America Brass Spikes and Bolts Rigging eye with chaffing gear by Ship’s Deck Sail Silver-plated, ornate serving tray remnant recovered in Two spectacular artifacts from the S.S. Central Ameri- Hardware recovered in 1991 from the stern area of 1991 from mid-stern cabin area of the S.S. Central Amer- ca ship’s hull. 13 x 9” degraded wood timber show- the S.S. Central America shipwreck. 2” (rope) diameter, ica shipwreck. This location is consistent with the din- ing splintering, surface erosion from direct exposure 7.5” across x 6”. This is a multi-rope connection device ing salon debris. It is 8.5 inches in diameter and about to the ocean bottom/water interface, with two 8.5” intended to keep the attachment of two ropes from 1” deep. Edges are fashioned in a floral and swirl mo- brass square, tapered spikes. Some wood degradation abrading and chaffing. It was used in the rigging of tif. Most of the bottom is gone, no hallmark is present. from deep ocean worms. (34071) . A second piece is an the mast and yards process. Here, a fine hand-stitched Probable First or Second Cabin food service item. approximate 14”, 1” diameter brass bolt in a degrad- leather covering wraps around a four-strand organic ed timber fragment, with the long end sheared off. In line (rope). The leather is encrusted with rust. the former case, the original timber was 4” by an un- known thickness. (33872) The huge spikes would have attached another large timber securely as part of the ships structural frame. Recovered in 1991. Page 82 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Ship’s Provisions Lot # 1045 Opening Bid $100 Lot # 1046 Opening Bid $100 HWAC #156847 SSCA#20-009 HWAC #156856 SSCA#33859 Ship’s Timber, Cut by Modern Small Deadeye, S.S. Central America Underwater Chain Saw Ship’s timber from the S.S. Central America shipwreck, Small deadeye recovered from the S.S. Central Ameri- cut by a modern underwater chain saw. It is 7” x 5.5” ca shipwreck. It is d 3.5” diameter, 2.5” thick. Center x 3” thick. Worm-eaten with remnants of ship worm portion shows severe damage from deep-ocean ship burrow linings. This timber was part of an experiment worms. Center trough competent and fully visible. in underwater tool use for heavy structure and debris This is part of the ship’s rigging used to secure the removal in 1991. The saw performed well, but the ex- ropes that steady the sails. pedition found no pressing practical use for it. It is in- teresting to note that, 23 years later in 2014, the return expedition did use a similar chainsaw to gain access to the lower reaches of gold-bearing parts of the ship- wreck. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 83

Under Water Image Gallery cruet bottle Case of beer/ale bottles Page 84 Rare bottles not recovered Riesling bottle Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

Under Water Image Gallery On September 11, 1988, during the first pass over a new exploration site, Nemo went directly over the paddlewheels, a signature feature of the S.S. Central America... ...and the rest is history. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 85

Ship’s Provisions S.S. Central America Lot # 1047 Opening Bid $250 HWAC #159103 SSCA#29237 Wash Basin, Ironstone, Cracked, S.S. Central America Ivory-colored, ironstone ceramic wash basin recov- ered in 1990 from the S.S. Central America shipwreck. It is 13.5 inches in diameter, point-to-point across the 12-sided rim, and 4-5/8 inches tall. The base is 6-5/8 inches in diameter. There is an embossed hallmark on the bottom, but it is not legible. There is a large crack from one of the rim corners down and across the bottom, and a half-dollar-size piece is missing along this crack just inside the rim. There are large areas of iron-staining inside the basin but practically none on the outside. When missing piece is replaced, it is barely visible. Page 86 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Ship’s Provisions Lot # 1048 Opening Bid $125 HWAC #159102 SSCA#29009 Wash Basin, Ironstone, S.S. Central America Ivory-colored, ironstone ceramic wash basin recovered from the S.S. Central America shipwreck. It is 13.5 inch- es in diameter, point-to-point across the 12-sided rim, and 4-3/4 inches tall. The base is 6-5/8 inches in di- ameter, small chip on one edge. There is an Eagle with three arrows hallmark on the bottom, but no other markings other than “Ironstone China” in flowing rib- bons beneath the bird. The surface is generally bright, with a number of surface “dings”, as if falling debris hit the glazed surface. Crack on one side that does not penetrate the entire basin. These basins sat in a wood shelf with a hole on the top, so that the basin was ac- cessible, but stable at sea. It is postulated that some of these brighter pieces may have been purchased in 1857 to replace broken basins. There are a few billheads for New York ceramic dealers found in the purser’s safe, probably from purchases made before the voyage de- parted from New York. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 87

Ship’s Provisions S.S. Central America Lot # 1049 Opening Bid $100 Lot # 1050 Opening Bid $100 Lot # 1051 Opening Bid $200 HWAC #156855 SSCA#33863 HWAC #156850 SSCA#29027 HWAC #159085 SSCA#29004 Wash Basin, Shards (3 pcs), Whale Oil Lamp Base, White Ceramic Pitcher, Broken, S.S. Central America S.S. Central America Treasure S.S. Central America Three stained ironstone wash basin shards. A large Brass whale oil lamp base recovered in 1990 from Double spouted, white ceramic pitcher recovered from base, with old breaks as evidenced by iron stain on stern cabin area of the S.S. Central America shipwreck. the S.S. Central America with one spout broken off. It is the fracture surfaces. Three pieces of an angled-edge Weighted bottom, top unit diameter 6”, base 3.5”, neck 11 inches tall, 5.25 inches in diameter at the base, and wash basin, marked with a Royal Crest, under which diameter 1.15”. No glass chimney, no iron or brass 6 inches in diameter at the widest. Spout-to-spout dis- is found // Ironstone China / J.F. //. This refers to J. wick spindle. This piece was placed in clean water tance was probably 5.5 inches. The design is a 10-sid- Fernyhough, who was a china/ironstone manufactur- overnight after recovery. The following morning a ed body. Hallmark on the base shows the British royal er in Staffordshire, in partnership with J. Adams and fishy smelling oil slick had formed on the surface of the seal with // IRONSTONE CHINA / J.F. // beneath it. S. Hartshorne, until October 1853. (10/4/1853 Liver- water. The contained oil is whale oil, which congeals This refers to J. Fernyhough, who was a china/iron- pool Mercury, and 10/7/1853 Coventry Standard). below 50 degrees F, and so had remained within in a stone manufacturer in Staffordshire, in partnership The largest piece is 7.5 x 4 inches. This wash basin may gelatinous state from 1857 to 1990, when it “melted” with J. Adams and S. Hartshorne, until October 1853. have been purchased as part of the initial outfitting of and leaked out of the apparatus. Very nice green patina (10/4/1853, Liverpool Mercury, and 10/7/1853, Coven- the ship for its maiden voyage in October 1853 as the with some rust concretion from the iron parts. try Standard). This piece may have been purchased as S.S. George Law, the original name for the S.S. Central part of the initial outfitting of the ship for its maiden America. voyage in October 1853 as the S.S. George Law, the orig- inal name for the S.S. Central America. As noted, this piece is missing one spout, but it is unknown wheth- er this break occurred before or after the sinking. The surface bears some seafloor dirt and a few iron-stain splotches it acquired from being on the seafloor for more than a century. Page 88 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Ship’s Provisions Lot # 1052 Opening Bid $150 Lot # 1053 Opening Bid $100 HWAC #159083 SSCA#29005 HWAC #159063 SSCA#33679 White Ceramic Pitcher, Beer Bottle from the S.S. Central America S.S. Central America White ceramic pitcher recovered from the S.S. Central er in Staffordshire, in partnership with J. Adams and S. Brown beer bottle recovered from the S.S. Central Amer- America shipwreck. It is 10 inches tall and 6 inches in Hartshorne, until October 1853. (10/4/1853, Liverpool ica shipwreck. 8 inches tall, 3-inch diameter, 4 inches diameter at the widest. The mouth is 3 inches in diam- Mercury, and 10/7/1853, Coventry Standard). This piece from base to the bottom of the shoulder. Bottom of the eter at the widest, the base is 4-7/8 inches in diame- may have been purchased as part of the initial outfit- shoulder has a copper-green smudge, and most of the ter. Maker’s mark on the bottom is a British royal coat ting of the ship for its maiden voyage in October 1853 glass has a slightly frosted appearance that accentuates of arms with the lion and unicorn on either side of an as the S.S. George Law, the original name for the S.S. the molding swirls. Deep punt in the bottom. oval shield bearing the Latin phrase // HONI SOIT Central America. Two prominent mold marks are visi- QUI MAL Y PENSE // (Shamed be whoever thinks ble on opposite sides, from top to bottom. Exterior is ill of it), and a ribbon banner that reads, // DIEU ET iron stained in a mottled pattern, and four spots on one MON DROIT // (God and my right). Beneath this is side could be the fingerprints of one of the last people // IRONSTONE CHINA / J. F. //. This refers to J. to hold this vessel. Fernyhough, who was a china/ironstone manufactur- 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 89

Ship’s Provisions S.S. Central America Lot # 1055 Opening Bid $250 HWAC #159070 SSCA#33685 Lot # 1054 Opening Bid $250 Beer Bottle from the S.S. Central America HWAC #159064 SSCA#33882 Beer Bottle from the Dark brown glass beer bottle recovered from the S.S. S.S. Central America Central America shipwreck. It is 8 inches tall, 3 inches in diameter, and 4 inches from the base to the bottom of Brown glass beer bottle recovered from the S.S. Central the shoulder. Complete with no chips in the top. Some America shipwreck. It is 8.5 inches tall 3 inches in diam- slight surface etching and surface abrasions where it eter, and 4 inches from the base to the shoulder. Deep may have been in contact with other bottles. Interior punt in the base. Top is undamaged. Original seafloor may have the dregs of its original contents that rattle dirt still adorns the exterior, and possibly dregs of 19th when the bottle is shaken. century beer coat the interior. Page 90 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Ship’s Provisions Lot # 1056 Opening Bid $100 Lot # 1057 Opening Bid $100 HWAC #159060 SSCA# HWAC #159067 SSCA#29021 Beer Bottle from the Brown Stoneware Bottle, S.S. Central America Saloon S.S. Central America Brown glass bottle recovered from the S.S. Central Brown stoneware bottle recovered from the S.S. Central descendants, and other relatives until 1942 when it America shipwreck. 9.5 inches tall, 2.5 inches at the America. It is 7 inches tall, and just shy of 3 inches in passed to the Wood and Dales families, who had been base, deep punt into the bottom, 5.5 inches to the bot- diameter. Just above the base, the side is embossed // in the management of the company for many years. tom of the shoulder. Not cleaned, and there is solid- VITREOUS STONE BOTTLES / WARRENTED NOT After various mergers and acquisitions over the years, ified material remaining inside the bottle. Exterior is TO ABSORB / J. BOURNE & SON / PATENTEES / Denby Pottery Ltd still exists today. See http://www.pot- swirled with iron oxide coating. Base is slightly un- DENBY & CODNOR PARK POTTERY / NEAR DER- teryhistories.com/Denbyhistory.html for more informa- even, making the bottle tilt slightly and wobble. BY. //. This pottery works has existed since 1812, and tion about J. Bourne and Denby Potteries. it was under the leadership of J. Bourne, his sons, their 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 91

Ship’s Provisions S.S. Central America Lot # 1058 Opening Bid $100 Lot # 1059 Opening Bid $100 HWAC #159068 SSCA#29035 HWAC #159066 SSCA#15920 Clear Glass Bottle, Cruet Bottle from the S.S. Central America S.S. Central America Clear glass bottle recovered from the S.S. Central Amer- Small, possibly leaded, cut-glass condiment cruet bot- ica. It is 7.5 inches long, 3 inches in diameter, and 4 tle recovered from the S.S. Central America shipwreck. inches from the base to the bottom of the shoulder. It is 5-3/8 inches tall, 1.5 inches at the base, and 2 inches Bottom is not level, as evident in the pictures as the from the base to the first shoulder. Stopper is missing. bottle is rotated. Surface of the glass is slightly etched Cut facets are still shiny and smooth, and intermediate revealing the swirl pattern in the glass. surfaces appear lightly etched. This bottle would sit with other, similar condiment bottles in a metal stand with 1.5-inch holes. Page 92 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Ship’s Provisions Lot # 1060 Opening Bid $125 Lot # 1061 Opening Bid $125 Lot # 1062 Opening Bid $125 HWAC #159078 SSCA#33666 HWAC #159077 SSCA#33667 HWAC #159080 SSCA#29038 Glass Decanter from the Glass Decanter from the Glass Decanter from the S.S. Central America S.S. Central America S.S. Central America Heavy, possibly leaded, cut-glass decanter recovered Heavy, possibly leaded, cut-glass decanter recovered Heavy, possibly leaded, cut-glass decanter recovered from the S.S. Central America shipwreck. It is 9 inches from the S.S. Central America shipwreck. It is 9 inches from the S.S. Central America shipwreck. It is 10 inches tall and 4.25 inches in diameter at the base. Opening at tall and 4.25 inches in diameter at the base. Opening at tall and 4.25 inches in diameter at the base. Opening at the top is 2.75 inches in diameter at the widest. Exte- the top is 2.75 inches in diameter at the widest. Exte- the top is 2 inches in diameter at the widest. Exterior rior facet edges have small chips, glass has several air rior facet edges have small chips, glass has several air facet edges have a few small chips and a few dime- bubbles, but there are no visible cracks or major chips bubbles, but there are no visible cracks or major chips size chips, and the glass has a few small air bubbles. other than already noted. Interior has smudges of sea- other than already noted. Interior has smudges of sea- The base has one dime-size chips and one small chip. floor dirt. floor dirt. There is a dime-size crack in the lip of the base. Interior has minor smudges of seafloor dirt or stains from the original contents. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 93

Ship’s Provisions S.S. Central America Lot # 1063 Opening Bid $250 Lot # 1064 Opening Bid $250 HWAC #159081 SSCA#29039 HWAC #159079 SSCA#33675 Glass Decanter from the Glass Decanter from the S.S. Central America S.S. Central America Heavy, possibly leaded, cut-glass decanter recovered Heavy, possibly leaded, cut-glass decanter recovered from the S.S. Central America shipwreck. It is 9 inches from the S.S. Central America shipwreck. It is 10 inches tall and 4.25 inches in diameter at the base. Opening tall and 4.25 inches in diameter at the base. Opening at at the top is 2.75 inches in diameter at the widest, and the top is 2 inches in diameter at the widest. Exterior there is a large chip in the tip lip. Exterior facet edges facet edges have a few small chips and a few dime- have numerous small chips and a few dime-size chips, size chips, and the glass has a few small air bubbles. and the glass has a few small air bubbles with one The base has three dime-size chips and one significant elongated bubble in the neck. The base has numerous chip. Interior has smudges of seafloor dirt or stains chips all the way around and one small chip. Interior from the original contents. 1.5 inches of dried seafloor sediment caked in the bot- tom. Page 94 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Ship’s Provisions Lot # 1065 Opening Bid $100 Lot # 1066 Opening Bid $125 HWAC #159086 SSCA# HWAC #159175 SSCA# 8003 Gold-Lettered Cup, Green Wine Bottle, S.S. Central America S.S. Central America Large, white ceramic coffee cup recovered from the Tall, green wine bottle recovered from the S.S. Central S.S. Central America shipwreck. Lettered in gold // America shipwreck. It is 11-7/8 inches long, 3.5 inch- To my / Mother // and generously embellished with es in diameter at the base, and 5 inches from the base gold-painted leaves and flower motifs. Cup is 3.75 inch- to the bottom of the shoulder. The top is 1-3/8 inches es in diameter and 3.5 inches tall. The top 1.5 inches of across at the neck band. Open pontil, museum wax vis- the inside surface has been painted gold, and a ~2-inch ible in photo. This is known as a “wine vessel” which circle appears at the bottom inside. Some iron-staining was used to extract wine from a barrel when a syphon appears on the surface, and the gold paint has flaked was not available. The source of wine on this ship is away in some places. No identifiable hallmark was unknown. The first award given for a California wine found. This would have been the personal possession was 1856 to Capt. John Cooper for wine from San Jose. of an unknown passenger and not part of the ship’s serving pieces. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 95

Ship’s Provisions S.S. Central America Lot # 1067 Opening Bid $250 Lot # 1068 Opening Bid $200 HWAC #159073 SSCA# HWAC #159072 SSCA#15885 Pale Green Perfume Bottle, Perfume Bottle from the S.S. Central America S.S. Central America Pale green, likely hand-blown, thin-walled, cylindrical Small, pressed glass perfume bottle recovered from flask with a flared top recovered from the S.S. Central the S.S. Central America shipwreck. 2.5 inches tall and America shipwreck. It is 8-3/4 inches long, 1-1/4 inches 1-3/8-inch-square at the base, and 1-3/4 inch from the in diameter at the base, and 7 inches from the base to base to the bottom of the shoulder. Still corked, and the shoulder. Top opening is 3/4-inch in diameter. It is it contains a cloudy pinkish liquid inside with some an unusual design, and our research suggests it was black crud sticking to the inside surface. Exterior used as perfume bottle. shows rippled surface. Page 96 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511

The Ship of Gold Ship’s Provisions Lot # 1069 Opening Bid $500 Lot # 1070 Opening Bid $150 HWAC #151586 SSCA#29017 HWAC #159090 SSCA# Roussel’s, Philadelphia, Stoneware Jar from the S.S. Central America Shaving Cream Ceramic Lid, S.S. Central America Treasure Roussel’s Unrivalled Premium Shaving Cream pot lid Stoneware jar, without lid, recovered from the S.S. recovered from the S.S. Central America shipwreck in Central America shipwreck. It is 7.75 inches tall, 5-5/8 1989. Classic American pot lid, 2-15/16” diameter 3/4” inches in diameter at the base, and 5-3/4 inches in thick, 663.8 grams. Partial iron stain at left. No base, diameter at the widest. The jar mouth has an interior as usual. Catalog #BJ 122 in Jackson’s American Pot ridge to support a lid, but the lid was not found. There Lids, 1987 pg. 55. Eugene Roussel was a French born, is one chip, smaller than a dime in the mouth rim, and personally trained merchant in Philadelphia. His first there is minor wear of the brown glaze (see photos). business there began in 1842 on 114 Chestnut St, where No maker’s mark found on the item. he sold and produced “French perfumes,” oils, miner- al water, and various other health products. Roussel’s mineral water bottles are popular and very collectible. In 1849 he sold his cosmetics business to Xavier Ba- zin and concentrated his business interests in selling mineral waters. There are two versions of this pot lid known today, one in black, like this piece, and another in purple. This piece is pre-1848 because Bazin’s name is not present, though he may have sold old stock for a number of years, particularly through Langley & Mi- chael’s, wholesale San Francisco Druggist. 775-851-1859 ● www.holabirdamericana.com ● [email protected] Page 97

Ship’s Provisions S.S. Central America Lot # 1071 Opening Bid $100 HWAC #159061 SSCA#29021 Tall Green Whiskey Bottle from the S.S. Central America Tall, dark green bottle recovered from the S.S. Cen- tral America shipwreck. 11.5 inches tall, 3.25 inches in diameter, 6 inches from base to bottom of the shoul- der. 3/8-inch chip in the top. Air bubble seed about one inch below the shoulder. Page 98 Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC. ● 3555 Airway Dr., Suite 308 ● Reno, NV 89511