Messages in 6,000 Bottles
Sean Kingsley describes how hi-tech marine archaeology off the Atlantic coast of Georgia in the US has thrown a new light on the world of snake-oil salesmen.
She had sailed from New York as the South licked its wounds at the end of the Civil War. With the bloodletting over, the country’s shelves were bare and, as plantations came to life once more, shipping was booming. Carpetbaggers and old money in top hats returned to exploit fresh opportunities. The Republic’s first-class cabins were sold out to entrepreneurs and speculators bound for New Orleans, while the hull was crammed with 500 barrels of cargo and a reported $400,000 in gold and silver – a private consignment heading to a city short on cash.
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