As President of the 1715 Fleet Society, I am often called upon to give a presentation on the history of the 1715 Fleet, its loss rediscovery, and recovery. I usually have a short version or a long version depending on the group. Every so often, though, I am asked to prepare a talk on a different shipwreck that also has historical significance. Such was the case the case last week.
My topic was the Brother Jonathon. The group was the Sphinx Society. The Brother Jonathon was a sidewheel steamer built in 1850. It sank off the coast of California (near Crescent City) on July 30, 1865. Although the wreck was not particularly deep (about 272 feet) the ocean currents and turbulence in that area made it almost impossible to find. Many attempts at locating the wreck took place but it was not until October 1, 1993, that the wreck was finally located.
Expeditions to the wreck site in 1996 and 1997 recovered a total of 1,207 gold coins. Of those 1,140 were double eagles, 5 were eagles, and 62 were half eagles. Of the 1,207 recovered, 200 went to the state of California via a settlement agreement and 1 went to the Del Norte County Historical Society. That left 1,006 for commercial distribution, 957 double eagles, 3 eagles, and 46 half eagles. The coins were sold at auction by Bowers and Merena, Inc. on May 29, 1999. What all of this means is that the coins from the Brother Jonathon are extremely rare in any condition, especially eagles and half eagles.
Incidentally, this program was held at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum outside of Washington, Pa. It is a brand-new facility with operating trollies that take folks for a nice ride in the country. Below are some pictures of our excursion into the wilds of Western Pennsylvania. NOTE: It was at night so not much of the countryside can be seen but the inside of the trolley brought back memories of my childhood, for sure.
Ben Costello
President, 1715 Fleet Society
