Shipwreck and Treasure of the S.S. New York

A.C. Dwyer's Coin Stories - 

The SS New York was a sidewheel steamship that, during the 1840s, regularly shuttled passengers and cargo between Galveston, Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana.

In 1846, just a few months after the Republic of Texas joined the Union as the 28th state and the start of the Mexican-American War, the SS New York set sail on September 5 from Galveston headed for New Orleans carrying 53 passengers and crew along with an estimated $40,000 - a numismatic value in the millions today - in gold and silver coins.

Early morning on September 7 found the ship caught in the throes of a hurricane fighting to survive. Water began filling the hold through a split in the side of the hull. As the ship began tilting, passengers and crew worked together to bail out the hold.

Eventually the storm won the battle as water overtook the boilers and the fires went out. Passengers and crew grabbed anything that could float. As though the archangel Michael was announcing his arrival, a single note rang out from the ship's bell as the ship rolled one last time and sank.

The next day, 36 of the 53 passengers and crew aboard were rescued by another ship. 17 people perished including five children. A treasure in gold and silver coins sank to the bottom of the Gulf with the ship. The story of the ship's sinking was soon lost and obscured by sensational stories of battles fought in the Mexican-American War.

Read more...

Posted via http://batavia08.posterous.com batavia08's posterous