SLO Times - February 2nd, 2035

## Ancient Artifacts Recovered From San Francisco Exclusion Zone

### **Morro Bay, North California**

A veritable treasure trove of historical artifacts have been uncovered by an independent salvage team in the San Francisco Exclusion Zone. A collection of items that were previously on display at the Metreon Entertainment Center have been recovered and are currently en route to the previous museum organization they had originally belonged to. While reports of recovered items from the San Francisco Zone are nothing new, the significance of these artifacts are certainly of note. This newspaper has confirmed with museum appraisers that these artifacts are genuine articles from a historical collection that were recovered from the wreck of the *RMS Titanic*. The famous British passenger liner sank 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, after striking an iceberg over 123 years ago. The historic disaster had captivated the world, even after so many years, and artifacts from the wreck are a rare sight to see from traveling museum exhibits. The artifacts recovered include assorted bills of United States Dollars, a pair of vintage eyeglasses, priceless heirloom jewelry, a set of binoculars, and a strip of the ship’s outer steel hull, measured at 2 feet by 3 feet. The museum display money counted out to 76 dollars in assorted historical bills, mostly in intervals of 10, 5, and 1 Dollar bills. Adjusted for inflation, the money is valued at $2,566.16 US, or approximately $1,441.66 Peso Dollars. Of course, the nature of the money raises the value of the bills significantly. It’s of interest to note that the bills were minted at a time in US history where its individual state's banks were responsible for printing their own money, and one of the bills appears to have been minted at the National Bank of San Francisco in 1903.

Despite the collection of artifacts that are still on display to the public in museum collections, the actual wreck of the *Titanic* has all but disappeared since 2030. Despite the remarkable condition it had stayed in when it was rediscovered in 1985, the ship had taken a dramatic decline in structural integrity. Even over 2 miles below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, the hull had begun to rust away, bearing its iconic “rusticles” sloughing off the surface of the outer hull. A rare species of bacteria, dubbed *Halomonas Titanicae*, was discovered to be slowly eating away at the rusting metal hull of the wreck. Now, only the faintest remnants of the iconic shipwreck remains, along with the debris field of artifacts that lies between the separated halves of the ocean liner.

While the salvage team in question was not available for comment, it is heavily speculated that there are more artifacts to be found in the buried ruins of the Metreon Entertainment Center in former San Francisco. The shopping and entertainment center had shown these artifacts on display in earlier years, along with a variety of other famous historical exhibits. This recent event has drawn attention to the state of the former City by the Bay.

### **Remembering Our Own Tragedy**

As these artifacts are brought to public attention, it reminds us about how such famous exhibits came to be forgotten in the evacuated ruins of San Francisco. It has been almost 4 years since the city suffered from the San Francisco Quake, a record 7.9 magnitude earthquake that caused catastrophic damage to the city’s infrastructure and surrounding area. The tectonic shift would trigger tsunamis that ravaged coastal establishments, and aftershocks caused untold damage on the inclined residential zones that collapsed and formed a debris slide towards the San Francisco Bay. The damage was further exacerbated when the GE Hitachi Nuclear Reactor suffered a partial meltdown, and contaminated the bay and surrounding environs with radioactive debris carried by the facility’s cooling water. A State of Emergency was declared shortly after by UCR President Gavin Newsom (at the time the governor of the former United States territory), and the city’s surviving population was evacuated. Official records are still unable to give an accurate estimate of just how much damage or how many casualties were suffered by the tragedy. The refugees of San Francisco were relocated to a temporary relief site in Morro Bay, North California, which has exacerbated local resources and turned the former quiet coastal town into a large slum of tents, trailers, and converted shipping containers. The disaster has since triggered the cordoning off of the area around San Francisco into an exclusion zone, where government services continue to monitor the situation and commit to cleanup efforts. It is unknown when San Francisco will be habitable again, but it certainly isn’t anytime soon.

### **Prospects On the Rise**

As sobering as the recent events have been for the people of North California, and the greater UCR, it also serves as a reminder for the denizens of San Francisco that once called the city home. With so many refugees, it is difficult for many to find work in already exacerbated areas, especially with current events bringing tough times for everyone in the Republics. Despite the restrictions put forth by Federal Services, illegal salvagers are prevalent in the Zone, making a living finding and selling items ranging from preserved foodstuffs and automotive parts, to valuable antiques and everyday goods like clothes and appliances, and more illicit items like weapons and pharmaceuticals. On rare occasions, a salvager will come upon a boon of some artifact of greater intrinsic value, such as the antique museum display pieces from a long-lost ocean liner. Who’s to say what next great artifact the next prospector will rediscover?

*This article was written by Carey Busch, a journalist with the San Luis Obispo Times, and her editorial team with contributions from the United California Republics Information Archives and the North California Responsible Media Service. This newspaper is funded in part by the North California taxpayers, and sponsored by the United California Public Information Library. SLO Times wishes to remind its readers to Stay Mindful, Stay Informed, and to Keep an Eye on the Times.*