Copy of letter signed John F. Darby, St. Louis, Missouri, to D.W. Bouldin, San Francisco, Cal. The vessel Darby wishes Bouldin and his friend to engage with him to recover is the Central America. Recounts history of the vessel’s passengers, cargo, and sinking, and his own work for ten years in researching and trying to locate the vessel. Captain Carpenter believed he had located the vessel, but ran short of money. Carpenter thinks he can locate it for them. Darby has a diver who can go down 180. Estimates costs of project at not exceeding $5000. The vessel is in the high seas, not subject to salvage, so the treasure would be theirs absolutely. [filed in 1877 Aug-Dec], 1877 Aug 3

Item — Box: 4, Folder: 12

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

This collection consists largely of the papers of John F. Darby and his wife Mary F. Darby, and relates mostly to the political, social, and business history of St. Louis. The papers also include family correspondence with relatives in North Carolina, Kentucky, and Missouri, and correspondence regarding legal and business matters. Of special note are the minute books of the Jefferson Society and the St. Louis Debating Club (1827-1828), both regional debating societies of which Darby was a member; letters of Mary F. Darby; correspondence with Montgomery Blair, William T. Sherman, and George Caleb Bingham; and fragments of a history of the Mormons by John Corrill, dated 1839.