"In recounting the disastrous sinking and miraculous recovery of the S.S. Brother Jonathan, Dennis M. Powers shows his prodigious research abilities. Every time you think this story couldn't possibly take another strange turn, Powers proves that it can, and he does so in highly entertaining fashion." --Alison Frankel, author of Double Eagle: The Epic Story of the World's Most Valuable Coin
"A remarkable piece of nautical literature. Well researched in every detail, Treasure Ship captures the intrigue of one of the most storied ship disasters on the American West Coast." --Jim Gibbs, author of Pacific Graveyard
"Powers captures the era beautifully. Treasure Ship is a thoroughly engaging read. . . . a fine companion work to Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea." --Kevin F. McMurray, author of Deep Descent, Dark Descent
"Powers weaves his extensive research about a shipwreck in 1865 into a fascinating tale whose intrigue continues for 150 years." --Judith A. Howard, author of Category 5: The Story of Camille
"Dennis Powers brings history to life, as he relates with compelling drama this classic nautical adventure, the true story of a ship's sinking that is as fascinating as the story of the Titanic." --David Flohr, Director and Treasurer, Deep Sea Research, Inc.
"The author recounts the last voyage of the S.S. Brother Jonathan, long shrouded in mystery, with accuracy and skill." --William Kooiman, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
"I could not put it down! An engrossing and detailed account of a human tragedy, the near miraculous discovery of sunken treasure, and the long legal battle that followed." --Fletcher Alford, Esq., Partner in Gordon & Rees LLP, attorney for Deep Sea Research, Inc.
Caught in tumultuous seas off the coast of northern California in 1865, the 220-foot sidewheeler S.S. Brother Jonathan skidded down the face of a massive wave and slammed into an uncharted reef. Her nine-story mast crashed through the bottom of the ship and within forty-five minutes she went under, taking with her 225 souls and millions of dollars' worth of newly minted gold bars and coins. Only 19 people in a battered lifeboat made it to shore, and over the next several weeks, bodies and pieces of the ship washed up along a 125-mile stretch of the coast. For more than a hundred years the ship's treasure would remain one of the Pacific's great secrets.
Countless expeditions searched for the ship and her treasure. However, storms in the area are notoriously unpredictable, and the seas are so treacherous that a 160-foot wave once blew out the top windows of the lighthouse that was erected after the tragedy. In 1942, following a monstrous storm, whiskey kegs from the ship washed ashore, yet her final resting place remained a mystery--until 1993.
Based on ten years of exhaustive research into previously untapped sources, Treasure Ship tells the harrowing tale of the last voyage of the Brother Jonathan and her passengers, which included prospectors, dignitaries, card sharks, young families¯and even a notorious madam with seven of her "soiled doves." The final moments as the ship went down were filled with acts of steadfast courage and quiet dignity, and just weeks later expeditions began to hunt for the ship and her golden cargo.
Treasure Ship chronicles the epic quest of the Deep Sea Research team, whose unique thinking and application of technology led them to the ship's ultimate resting place. They brought up well over one thousand gold coins and a lot of trouble, as descendants of the passengers, shippers, the state of California, and the salvors themselves vied for ownership of the treasure. The dispute raged all the way to the Supreme Court, where a crucial precedent was...
