Old Gold artifacts were discovered onboard the wreck of a steamship which sank in the 19th century.
What happened?
In the year 1838, a luxury steamship ‘Pulaski’ was enroute from Charleston to Baltimore when it sank off the coast of North Carolina. There were 200 people on board the vessel and around 100 people lost their lives.
Those on board the steamship were some of the richest, most influential people in America, including Congressmen, bankers, and businessmen, and when it sank, a lot of their wealth sank with it.
Treasure discovered
In January 2018, divers from Blue Water Ventures International and the Endurance Exploration Group discovered the wreck of the Pulaski around 64 kilometers (40 miles) off the coast of North Carolina. Upon further probing discovered gold and silver coins, silverware, and gold jewelry.
The divers found the shipwreck 35 meters (115 feet) down, and 16 kilometers (10 miles) further out than it was thought to have sunk, as suggested by an article in the Wilmington Advertiser dated June 18, 1838.
Among the interesting finds was a gold pocket watch which was frozen in time at 11:05 pm believed to be the time when the ship sank.
Max Spiegel of Certified Collectables Group, handling the preservation of Pulaski artifacts said, “We were shocked. It’s very unusual to see an artifact with that sort of impression of a historic moment when a ship sank. Think about how fragile the watch’s hands are, yet they survived in that exact position. It’s one of the most exciting finds we’ve handled, and we’ve done a half dozen shipwrecks.”
Identity confirmed
The wealth of coins dated to the time, plus the ship’s anchor and two items that have the name Pulaski engraved on them has confirmed the ship’s identity, although the ship’s bell, which is usually used to confirm a wreck’s identity, has yet to be found.
As of now, they have discovered 150 coins, gold necklaces, and ornate silver pots, as well as keys, thimbles, and a mysterious box that has yet to be opened – are thought to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars today.
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Source: IFLScience
