MIAMI, United States. – Some 37 Cuban cigars that sank in the Atlantic Ocean in 1857 with the SS Central America ―known as the “golden ship”― were auctioned at the beginning of March, according to the newspaper Interesting Engineering.
A hurricane was the cause of the sinking of the SS Central America and the death of more than 400 passengers who were on board.
All 37 cigars were recovered in 1991 from the wreckage of the ship. The cigars, along with other objects, were part of an auction organized by Holabird Western Americana Collections on March 4 and 5, 2023.
According to Fred Holabird, president of the organization, the packaging of the cuban cigars they were still in “excellent condition”.
For his part, Bob Evans, head of the scientific team that participated in the recovery missions, explained how the cigars survived: “At the SS Central America wreck site it is cold, a very constant temperature of 2 to 3 degrees Celsius… Essentially , is a dark, high-pressure, salty, deep-sea refrigerator.”
The scientist also explained that the trunks of the passengers found among the wreckage of the ship were not broken or open. Although they were not watertight, the leather casing of the trunks limited the circulation of water, he pointed out.
Shortly after the sinking, Evans continues, all oxygen was depleted and anaerobic conditions prevailed for most of the more than 130 years before two trunks were recovered, including one belonging to a passenger named “Mr. Dement”.
“When we opened Dement’s trunk, we saw a few dozen cigars that had been placed on top of clothing and other objects. Soggy and limp, the cigars were carefully placed on a fiberglass screen and slowly dried over the next several months to preserve them.”
The SS Central America was a steamship that operated between the west and east coasts of the United States. On one of her voyages, in September 1857, she was carrying just over 550 passengers and $2 million in gold ($300 million today), when she sank under the impact of a hurricane.
The “golden ship” sank off the coast of the state of South Carolina, taking with it some 425 passengers, including the captain. Rescue operations managed to save about 150 people.
The gold was lost until, 128 years later, in 1985, the Columbus-America Discovery group was formed. He was only able to recover a ton of coins and gold bars from the wreck.
The sinking of the SS Central America was a tragic and significant event in the history of the United States. Although it happened before, it has been compared to the tragedy of the Titanic.
