Salvaged and wreck mail collections From the Wreck Mail

Cleopatra - 1862

Cleopatra - 1862

Description

This letter was mailed from Monrovia, Liberia (West Africa) on July 31st, 1862.

The 'Cleopatra' was a Royal Mail Steamer, totally lost at Shebar River by Shebar Island, Sierra Leone, West Africa on August 19, 1862. It seems that the news did not reach England until October 10th. Part of the mails was saved; only one of the ship's company (the chief engineer) was drowned.

This letter was post-marked at London on October 13th and was received in New York on November 3rd, 1862.

Salvage operations continued at the wreck and by October 21st had recovered 107 oz of gold dust, some silver coins (value £50) and a few sundry cases of stores. By November 21st some odd butts and puncheons of oil (palm oil perhaps) had been salvaged.

This letter shows evidence of water soaking. Major Adrian E. Hopkins believes that only one other cover is known, owned by a collector in Europe.