Members,
another researcher has given me permission to post his personal research with regard to Grubby's multi-national coin finds at this site. It is a well thought out and crafted piece of work.
Members;
I have just spent the night typing up and back-checking the source documents for this short analysis of Grubby's recent discovery of the "Deep Water Site" off the California coast. I could have gone deeper into the Historical Context aspects of this small report, but wanted to get at the real "meat" of the subject matter. Unfortunately, due to some arising issues tonight, I cannot get to scanning the primary documents for inclusion with this report, but intend to do just that during tommorrow afternoon's work schedule.
Please forgive the delay in getting this posted. I had originally planned to have it posted early yesterday, but alas, things have popped up that required my immediate attention.
Aside from assisting Grubby in a "possible" identification of his 'deep water' site, I believe that the forum readers will enjoy the historical details described and may even be able to utilize the enclosed information to help in their research for other marine losses.
Enjoy;
TR.
Historical, Archival & Field Analysis of the ?Deep Water? Site Discovered by Gerry Edwards off of the California Coast.
Introduction
We have all seen the interesting findings of Gerry Edwards, (aka: ole grubstake), from his two shipwreck sites off of the California coast. Reportedly, these two sites consist of a ?deep site? and a ?shallow site?, supposedly close to one another in the same general area. All indications suggest that the two wrecks are of course, not related. The shallow-water site appears to date from either the late 16th century or early 17th century, and from all accounts appears to be Spanish in origin. The deep-water site, however, appears to be a much more comlex loss given the variety of coinage found to-date.
Within this short briefing, I will not attempt to identify the shallow-water site as there simply is not enough data available for even a preliminary identification. For the moment we must only assume that this shallow-water site is Spanish in origin, and could be anything from a Manila Galleon to a small Spanish coastal-trader or vessel of exploration.
The deep-site, however, does provide some tangible evidence that we may be able to track-back to a potential, albeit preliminary, possible identification. The reported finding of copper spikes at the shallow-water site was helpful, and the type of spikes that have been photographed positively indicate a vessel that was fastened with either British or American copper at the time of its construction, and would consist of a date-span of approximately 1770-1820.
Additionally, silver coinage of several nationalities appears to have been found at this site as well, with some of that coinage dating to the late 18th century, (1790?s). Some of the subject silver coinage appears to date back by thirty or even fifty years. But this would not be uncommon for a specie shipment that may have been gathered by a commission-broker for investment purposes during the late 18th century. The bulk of the silver specie appears to be both Dutch and Spanish.
During the review of this data, at least that data that was made available online by Gerry Edwards, I began to see a number of similarities that I had encountered on another shipwreck site that dated from this same era, (the late 18th century). That site was of a New England ?Nor-West? merchant that dated from 1797, and it too exhibited the same type of coin assemblage and copper-fastenings.
After having reviewed other possible avenues of origination, I personally have discounted as viable all but one possibility; that the deep-water site as discovered by Gerry Edwards off the California coast may very well be one of these vessels engaged in the ?Northwest Fur Trade?, and in all probability was registered out of the American port of Boston, Massachusetts at the time of her loss.
Considering this possible identificaiton, I began reviewing old microfilm that I had accumulated years earlier during my investigation of the 1797 ?Nor-West? merchant loss off the coast of Massachusetts. Sure enough, the similarities were astounding! Indeed, almost identical in many respects.
Eventually, I re-read the various New England company records-books of several firms, and was able to come up with the loss of an American brig on the California coast in the year 1799 that was employed by the Boston firm of T. & J. Lamb, (Thomas & James Lamb). And that vessel is confirmed as having carried as part of her cargo re-invested Dutch, Russian, British and Spanish silver coin that was to be utilized at the Canton markets in China at the completion of a visit to the Columbia River on the Northwest Coast of America to pick up otter and seal-pelts, also for the Chinese market.
Below I have layed out the general historical outline and explained the complex relationship of the various ?players? involved in the Northwest Fur Trade for the late 18th & early 19th century so as to provide some context to the discoveries. Utltimately, I provide actual document images of the lost vessel?s documented cargo at the time of her departure from Boston for the Northwest Coast and Whampoa Road, China. I feel that this listing will in many respects reflect much of the discovered material on the ?deep water? site discovered by Gerry Edwards.
General Historical Outline
As we all know, the Spanish were perhaps the first European humans to discover and capitalize on the natural resourse of the American west coast. Beginning with Juan Cabrillo in 1543, and continuing with the Manila Galleon trade, the Spanish actually harvested seal and sea-otter pelts along the California coastline and on into the northern territories of what is now Oregon & Washington State. The Pacific curents in most cases necessitated the Manila Galleons to make landfall further north than the Mexican coastal port of Acapulco, and as a result the vessels had to then follow the coast south to reach their final destinations. In some cases Spanish landing parties would land along the California coast prior to heading on their southerly tracks to load fresh-water and take on whatever food provisions the area had to offer; and this obviously would have included some pelt-gathering from the seal and otter population of the areas.
Beginning around the mid 17th century a Dane by the name of Vitus Bering, then sailing under a Russian flagged vessel, conducted voyages of exploration along this coast that eventually opened up the Northwest coast of America to further Russian fur-trading activities. Indeed, the Bering Strait is in fact named in honor of this industrious man, and the Russian tradesmen temporarily settled and exploited the natural resources of the Aleutian Islands, the westeren coast of Canada at what is now Vancouver Island and on into the coastal areas approaching the Columbia River.
In 1778 the now famous Royal Navy Captain James Cook, while conducting voyages of exploration and opening up avenues of British trade, actually established a British port-of-call at Canada?s Vancouver Island, and the subsequent British fur traders slowly squeezed out the influence of the former Russian occupiers
It seems that the Spanish were not too kind to the local Indian population, so their access to large amounts of seal & sea-otter pelts appeared to be somewhat limited. This combined with the later Russian and then British influence in the California coastal areas meant the the Spanish continuation of resource acquisition was very limited and eventually dropped off alltogether by the late 18th century; primarily due to near war-like conditions with the British traders that utltimately ended with a treaty in 1790. The first group to conduct meaningful trade activity with the local Indian populations were the Russian traders, and this was later partly inherited and than wholy taken over by the British.
While the British were pre-occupied in a European war soon after the American Revolution, (ca. 1784), the American shipping interests in New England discovered, and then capitalized on, the Northwest Fur Trade. For the next 30 years, the Americans held sway over the Northwest Fur Trade and generally conducted a benevolent trading practice with the local Indian populations of what is now Oregon, Washington State and the northern sections of California State.
As a result of all of this maritime activity off the Northwest coast of the United States, we see a prolific transitting of Spanish, Russian, British and then American vessels along those coasts. Inevitably, we will also see a certain number of vessel losses within this same general area from all four national origins.
The Boston Ships of the Northwest Fur Trade
As stated, the American involvement in the Northwest Fur Trade essentially began with the business venture of American shipping concerns from New England, specifically Boston, Massachusetts, starting around 1787-1790. The ship Columbia, owned by the wealthy Boston merchant Thomas H. Perkins, conducted the first true ?Nor-West? trade with the local Indians of the Northwest in 1788-1789. Her voyage took her on the classic Nor-West voyage itinerery, that being the Boston-Savannah, GA-Cape Horn-Northwest Coast-Whampoa Road, China & return to Boston run. Later voyages, invested in by Perkins but with vessels owned by the Boston firm of Thomas & James Lamb, conducted similar voyages with several other notatable ships and eventually added a stopover for the Dutch Texel ports for its returning Nor?West vessels.
Some notable ships that were involved in the Northwest Fur Trade were:
Ship Jefferson, (Capt. Roberts, for T. & J. Lamb Brothers)
Ship Philadelphia, (Capt. Benjamin Swift, for Thomas H. Perkins)
Brig Sea Otter, (Capt. Snow, for T. & J. Lamb Brothers)
Ship Cordelia, (Capt. Ebenezer Dorr, for Russell Sturgis of Boston)
Ship Lucia, (Capt. William Wilds of B. & C. Sands of New York)
Ship Margaret, (Capt. MaGee, of T. & J. Lamb Brothers)
Ship Columbia, (Capt. Jno. Dixey, for Thomas H. Perkins)
Thomas Perkins, Russell Sturgis & the Firm of T. & J. Lamb
Thomas Perkins, Russell Sturgis and Thomas & James Lamb were perhaps the most prolific of the individuals involved in the American Northwest Furt Trade between the years 1790-1822. In fact, between these years there were 178 voyages conducted to the Northwest Coast by vessels either owned outright, or heavily financed by, these four individuals. In most cases, a vessel operated by these parties conducted an average of two trips to the Northwest Coast prior to its retirement to local coastal trade due to wear & tear on the ship?s hull. Inevitably, there were losses also.
In 1797, the full-rigged ship Margaret, returning from the Northwest Coast for T. & J. Lamb, via Whampoa Road & the Texel, was ?cast away? just to the south of Baker?s Island off Cape Ann, Massachusetts.
In 1799, the brig, (or sometimes referred to as a ?snow?), Sea Otter, under Captain Snow & sailing for T. & J. Lamb of Boston, was entirely lost off the California coast while transitting to the Columbia River.
In 1801 and 1804 two vessels, (names presently unknown due to the destruction by fire of company documents prior to 1916), were lost shortly after leaving the Spanish South Seas after having run the ?Horn? while on their way to the Columbia River, with intentions to proceed to Whampoa Road, China and then the Texel.
And then in 1804 the full-rigged ship Cordelia, Capt. Ebenezer Dorr, was totally wrecked on the Long Shoal off Scituate, Massachusetts while on a return run from the Northwest Coast via Whampoa Road and the Texel. The vessel went entirely to pieces soon after striking, but the Captain and crew were saved with great dificulty.
What makes the further narrowing down of specific data regarding marine losses of these individuals and firms is that most of the company journals were lost in a fire in a Boston office just prior to 1916. As a result, pieces of the varous histories must be gathered up from several sources among as many institutional repositories. Fortunately though, we do have a number of T. & J. Lamb journals from which to obtain data; which prove invaluable within this preliminary study.
The Possible Connection Between the ?Deep Water? Site and a Documented Loss
The general historical outline above will help initiate the reader into what the historical context actually is for this physical area of study. But to get to the ?meat? of the matter in regards to the wreckage and/or material discovered off of the California coast, we should deeply evaluate the material recovered from the ?deep water site? thus far; namely that being a series of silver coins and a variety of copper spikes & fastenings.
Of primary interest is the recovery of certain varieties of silver coin which, according to information made available by Gerry Edwards up to this point, appears to be primarily of Spanish and Dutch origin. The date-spans I can only guess at, but assume that they most probably range over the fifty years prior to the year 1799. What peaked my interest in this varying nature of the coinage assemblage was not that they were of at least two different nations, but that this mix of coinage appeared to fit the recorded specie consignement as associated with one of the Boston Northwest Trade vessels of J. & J. Lamb, and which was known to have been lost off of the California coast prior to reaching the Columbia River.
That vessel was the brig Sea Otter, Captained by a man named Snow, which was documented as having been cast away with all hands in October of 1799. According to the available insurance documents, (which themselves are somewhat limited as noted below in the ?Sources? section), the Sea Otter was carrying a mix of Dutch, Russian, British and Spanish silver coin, (with the bulk in Spanish Dollars), from Boston for re-investment in the Canton market. The Sea Otter was to stopover at Columbia River for seal and otter-pelts and then proceed to Whampoa Road, where her Captain was instructed to barter the otter & seal-skins for china goods, and then invest as best he could in an additional China goods cargo for Thomas Perkins of Boston.
From what we can tell, this odd mix of old European silver had originated from the Dutch port of Texel as a result of the earlier voyages of the Lamb brothers ships Margaret and Beaver. In fact, the first Northwest Coast voyage of the Margaret ended up with the vessel returning from the Texel with over 200,000. US dollars worth of Spanish Dollars & old European silver. The reasons for this were that the Texel commission merchants simply did not have enough Spanish silver on-hand at the time of the Margaret?s visit to pay for the China goods, and therefore made up the difference in Dutch Thalers, Russian Kopecs, British groats and Spanish dollars.
According to the personal letters of both the Perkins family and the Lamb Brothers, this odd mix of silver was difficult to dispense with on the open market. The decision was eventually made to ship most of the remaining balance of this odd silver onboard the Sea Otter as part of their re-investment into China goods at Canton on her next voyage. Thusly, as a result of these decisions and the subsequent loss of the Sea Otter in October of 1799, we have somewhere off the California coast the wreck of the vessel, and with her this odd mix of old European silver, (which as stated earlier, could span the whole of fifty years prior to the year 1799 or 1800.).
What Gerry Edwards has found on his ?Deep Water? site certainly fits very closely with what was documented as lost with the Nor?West brig Sea Otter of 1799.
One other very interesting facet of Edwards? discovery on the ?deep water? site were the small collection of copper spikes and fastenings. Of particular note is the photograph showing the square-head and wedged copper spike in the center of the photo. This type of spike is catagorically either British or American in manufacture. And it is specifically dated anywhere between approximately 1770-1820. (this spike is identified by its distinctive square-head and the angle of the wedge point at the bottom).
Of notable historical interest, and a possible connection with the Sea Otter, is the fact that virtually all of the New England Northwest trading vessels of this era were constructed with ?Revere? coopper provided by the Revere Copper works of Saugus, Massachusetts. This copper spike is exact in appearance to other known samples of this origin. Unfortunately for the Revere Copper Works, the firm did not possess a steam-rolling mill to flatten copper sheathing for application on ship-hulls. As a result, all such sheathing at this time had to be imported from Britain. So, what is involved in the construction of the Nor?West vessels of the Boston firms is a combination of Revere copper spikes and British copper sheathing.
The copper spikes found at the ?Deep Water? site are indeed consistent with an American Northwest Trade vessel of the era 1787-1822. (alternatively, I would expect the fastenings of any Russian vessel of this trade to be fastened in iron, with no copper sheathing involved). I would also expect at some future time for further recoveries to include evidence of copper-sheathing fragments.
Concluding Statements
Please keep in mind that this small study is very preliminary in nature, and based on very partial field-data as supplied thus far by Gerry Edwards. However, enough has been presented for comparison with the available documentation to at least make a preliminary assessment in a possible identity for the subject wrecksite.
Those primary Identifiers are:
a) The nature of the mixed European silver specie encountered on the site; that being primarily Dutch, British and Spanish coinage.
b) The composition of the copper fastenings found on-site, which tend to be consistent with both American and British manufacture for the era.
c) The physical locality of the loss, which would be consistent with the documented area of loss for the Sea Otter, that being ?on the coast while approaching the Columbia River?.
Further investigation in the field and additional comparison of this data with the available documents may solidify this possible connection with the vessel?s preliminary identity. However, at this time we must consider the alternative possibilities, that being that this site may be an as-yet unidentified British or Russian vessel. In either case, and in all probability, the vessel was most probably engaged in the Northwest Fur Trade in seal and otter-pelts.
As stated, however, at the present time, and based on the available field & archival data, the preponderance of the evidence strongly suggests that the subject shipwreck of the Edwards ?Deep Water? site is in all probability that of the remains of the Boston brig Sea Otter, lost in October of 1799.
Sources:
Archival
Phillip?s Library, Peabody-Essex Institute, Salem, Massachusetts:
?T. H. Perkins Papers?, microfilm reel No. 1, section 1.3: Letter Perkins to Capt. MacKay, dated at Bordeaux, France, 19 July, 1795. [This letter was actually written by Benjamin Swift. In it he describes that unless the ship can procure a worthwhile cargo in Amsterdam, she may have to head back to Boston in ballast. The balance of the letter details how best to lay out $ 100,000. in Spanish Silver coin while at Amsterdam, and that Spanish Reales are preferable over Dutch Thalers or Russian Kopecs at the Canton market.]
?T. H. Perkins Papers?, microfilm reel No. 1, section 1.5: Perkins Company Journal for January, 1800. [Entries written by Thomas Perkins, outlining the loss of one of the T. & J. Lamb company ships at ?the coast?, (aka: the Northwest Coast of America), with all hands, in October of 1799. Perkins goes on to mention the regretable nature of the loss of Perkins Company investments on this ship, which consisted of Russian & Dutch silver coin for investment at Canton, but makes the statement that ?at least it was not all Spanish Silver as our losses would have been much more severe?. The name of the vessel is not stated, but is assumed to be the Sea Otter, capt. Snow.]
?T. H. Perkins Papers?, microfilm reel No. 2, ?Oversize section?: Letter from Capt. Benjamin Swift to Perkins, via agents T. & J. Lamb, dated 5 September, 1806. [This 12-page letter gives a good insight into the relationship between Perkins and the Lamb brothers. It seems that the Lambs? were acting as agents at this time rather than merchant-partners of the T. H. Perkins Company. This is a brief on the ?Nor-West? Trade, with ?how best to invest? directions, outlined by James Lamb.]
Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, Massachusetts:
?Lamb Family Papers, 1784-1822?, 27 boxes or original documents: [Summary of the documents ? One of the Lamb brothers sons married a daughter of Paul Revere around the year 1800. A Lamb daughter in turn married into the Perkins family about the same time. It would seem, according to all of these letters, that marriages were ?arranged? for the benefit of the businesses. The five-brother/1-sister group were affectionately referred to as ?the flock?. Further insight reveals that Perkins loaned Lamb $ 38,000. in 1790 for the building and furnishing of the ship Margaret. While the standard interest in the industry at that time was between 2 and 3 percent, Perkins stated an interest amount on the above loan for 7 percent. The Lamb brothers eventually paid back the loan, plus an interest amount of $ 22,000. dollars in Spanish Dollars. The first voyage of the Margaret provided the cash-flow for the loan payment, hence Perkins was bought out of the ship ownership shares, as reflected within the 1794 ship?s registration data. Perkins, however, was still investing in Lamb?s cargoes and in some cases, he owned the cargo outright. In one letter, unsigned and dated for the year 1800, it states that the Lamb?s could have gotten out from under the Perkins? debts if the re-invested specie profits had not been lost on the Northwest Coast in 1799.]
Widener Library, Harvard University Libraries, Cambridge, Massachusetts:
?Notes on the North-West Fur Trade?, by Horatio Lamb. Call No. MS. Am. W.65 [an original ledger, containing accounts of important events within the Boston firm of T. & J. Lamb. The pages relevant are: 13, 15, 15-insert, 17, 19, 21, 27, 29 and 65-attachment. Confirmed information of importance consists of the following:
a) The T. & J. Lamb vessels involved in the Northwest Fur Trade were all constructed at Boston shipyards, and fully fastened with copper below the waterline, and copper-sheathed, with said copper provided by the Revere Copper works at Saugus, Massachusetts. The copper spikes & bolts were fabricated at Saugus, but the copper-sheathing had to be imported from Britian as the Revere works did not possess a steam-rolling mill at the time.
b) All Northwest Trade ships of the firm ranged between 150-275 tons burthen, and averaged between 65-95 feet length in-keel. All were provided armaments of 6-pounder main-guns with 1-pounder swivels. {the usual armament amounts were ten 6-pdr. Guns & 6-1pdr. Swivels, with each swivel counting as a half-gun, for a total gun armament of 9 guns).
c) The cargo of the lost brig ?Sea Otter? in 1799 on ?the Northwest Coast of America? was said to be valuable, ?but not as good as the Margaret?s?. There are futher statements that the vessel was lost ?with all onboard? and ?on the coast? while approaching the Columbia River?. It would seem that the Lamb?s finally got word of the Sea Otter?s loss after many months through transmission of various parties, beginning with the native Indian population, which informed the crews of other Norwest Trade ships who stopped off at the Columbia River.
The Baker Business Library, Harvard College Libraries, Cambridge, Massachusetts:
?Records of the N.P. Russell Fire & Insurance Company?, Call No. MSS. 5-6411, No. 1208, 1795-1806 (3 volumes). [A collection of premium-reciepts and insurance coverage contracts relative to the coverages provided to the firm of T. & J. Lamb. These records confirm the coverage for $ 15,000. on the re-shipment of Dutch, Russian, English and Spainish silver to the Canton market via the Nor-West coast onboard the Lamb brig ?Sea Otter?, lost in the month of October, 1799. (it would appear that T. & J. Lamb actually maintained at different times two vessels called ?Sea Otter?, with one launched soon after the the first was retired from service. It is this second ?Sea Otter? that is presumed to have been the casualty.) ]
Published Works
E.E. Rich, The Fur Trade and the Northwest to 1857 (1967)
Gibson, James R. Imperial Russia in Frontier America. New York: Oxford University Press, 1976
. Otter Skins, Boston Ships, and China Goods: The Maritime Fur Trade of the Northwest Coast, 1795?1841. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1992
Malloy, Mary - Boston Men on the Northwest Coast: The American Maritime Fur Trade, 1788-1844
___________ - A Most Remarkable Enterprise: Lectures on the Northwest Coast Trade and Northwest Coast Indian Life by Captain William Sturgis.
Thanks Ed,
Cheers,
Doc
