Charles Miller Ltd
Lot 91
HISTORICAL DIVING: THE LONDON GAZETTE, 1687 AND LLOYD'S EVENING POST & BRITISH CHRONICLE, 1802comprising London Gazette 30 June-4 July 1687, report on back page that Captain William Phipps was knighted by the King for good services on his expedition where he took "treasure out of the sea"; together with London Evening Post 1 October-4 October 1802, long article entitled 'Diving Experiences' mentioning Robert Fulton and Nautilus, [Klingert], a Mr Todd, Dr Halley and Mr Spalding of Edinburgh(2)The ‘treasure out of the sea’ refers to the sunken treasure in the wreck of the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de la Concepción off the coast of Santo Domingo. Some sources report that an inverted container was used for the salvage operation, an early diving bell. The operation salvaged jewels, gold and 30 tons of silver, which at the time, was worth over £200,000 (about £50 million today). Phipps was the first New England native to be knighted.The London Evening Post article compares balloon ascension development with that of diving boats, and a comment that ladies tend to balloon and not dive, with the exception of a Mrs Short in 1780. It is also reported that a sporting celebrity of the time, Kit Blake, wagered 10,000 guineas for a diver off the isle of Portland to descend to 100 fathoms and remain there for 15 minutes. The diver and the wager were both lost.
