Ship’s Speaking Trumpet, Bark <I>Laura</I>
date: label: Date made
content: 1858
notes: label: Description
content: The sidewheel steamer <I>George Law</I> was built in 1852/53 at New York by William H. Webb for the United States Mail Steamship Company. Named after the company president, the <I>Law</I> measured 278 ft. long and 2,141 tons. It was built to sail the New York-Panama route for the California gold rush. In 43 round trips between 1852 and 1857, the ship carried as much as a third of all the gold found in California. In 1857, the ship went aground and returned to the Webb yard for a major overhaul. The <I>Law</I>'s name was changed to <I>Central America</I> during the rebuilding, possibly to reflect its most common route and because its namesake had sold his interest in the company.
label: Description
content: On September 3, 1857, the <I>Central America</I> left Panama for New York City with nearly 600 passengers and crew, as well as thousands of new $20 Double Eagle gold coins produced at the San Francisco mint. Nine days later, the vessel sank in a hurricane off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, in the deadliest peacetime shipwreck in American history. Four hundred twenty-five people perished in the wreck, and tons of California gold went to the bottom. The wreck horrified and fascinated the American public and helped fuel a financial crisis known as the Panic of 1857. Without the <I>Central America</I>’s gold, several New York banks were unable to pay their creditors.
label: Description
content: In 1858, President James Buchanan gave this ornamental silver speaking trumpet to the captain of the German bark <I>Laura</I> for bringing the <I>Central America</I>’s final three survivors to New York. Actually, the British brig <I>Mary</I> had rescued the men after nine horrific days on the open sea. However, the <I>Mary</I> was bound for Ireland, so it transferred the survivors to the New York-bound <I>Laura</I>. The inscription reads:
label: Description
content: “The President of the United States to Capt. Martin Brinckmann of the Bremen Bark Laura for his humane zealous and successful efforts in rescuing one of the Passengers and two of the Crew of the Steamer Central America from the perils of the Sea. 1858”
topic: label: related event
content: Expansion and Reform
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Maritime
label: See more items in
content: Coins, Currency and Medals
label: See more items in
content: Transportation
label: See more items in
content: On the Water exhibit
label: See more items in
content: Art
label: Exhibition
content: On the Water
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: National Museum of American History. On the Water exhibition website
label: Related Web Publication
content: http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthewater
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Jo Anne and William A. Eidson
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1980.0464.01
label: catalog number
content: 1980.0464.01
label: catalog number
content: 80.0464.01
label: accession number
content: 1980.0464
objectType: label: Object Name
content: speaker's trumpet
label: Other Terms
content: speaker's trumpet; Maritime
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: silver (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 23 in x 5 in; x 58.42 cm x 12.7 cm