Sunken Ship Found with Gold, Treasure

A 157-year-old sunken treasure ship, containing gold coins, bracelets, buckles, and broaches, has been found off the coast of South Carolina. The SS Central, which traveled between New York and San Francisco during the days of the California Gold Rush, was loaded up with 30,000 pounds of gold when it was sunk by a hurricane on Sept. 12, 1857. The shipwreck site was initially discovered in 1988 but only about 5 percent of the site had been excavated. Deep-sea exploration company Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc. recently set about re-excavating the site. They have now recovered more than 15,500 gold and silver coins, 45 gold bars, gold jewelry, and gold nuggets, as well as artifacts like chewing tobacco still in its package.