Mary Bowers
Encyclopedia
The blockade runner
Mary Bowers, Captain Jesse DeHorsey (or Horsey), bound from Bermuda
to Charleston, South Carolina
with an assorted cargo, struck the submerged wreck of the in fourteen feet of water a mile off of Long Island (the present day Isle of Palms, South Carolina
) on August 31, 1864. She “went on with such force as to make immense openings in her bottom,” and she sank in a “few minutes, most of the officers and men saving only what they stood in.” The steamer’s passengers and crew escaped with the exception of a boy, Richard Jackson, who was left on the wreck and later taken off by the Federals.
The Mary Bowers was a large, shallow draft, sidewheel
steamer
of approximately 680 tons (also shown as 750\tons burden and 220 tons register). She measured 226'x25'x10'6" and was built by Simons and Company of Renfrew
, Scotland
. The steamer was owned in part by L.G. Bowers of Columbus, Georgia
, and had been built at a cost of approximately 22,682 £s especially for the purpose of running the blockade
.
The vessel was registered as owned by Henry Lafone. Her company owner was the Importing and Exporting Company of Georgia (which was sometimes called the Lamar Company). The Federals misidentified the blockade runner in their initial reports calling her the Mary Powers. The Federal boarding party took a bell and a few other items from the wreck. The Mary Bowers had made two previous successful attempts through the blockade, on one of which, she was chased by the U.S.S. R.G. Cuyler and had been forced to throw overboard sixty bales of cotton to escape.
On October 6, 1864, the wreck was subsequently run into by the blockade running, sidewheel steamer Constance Decimer, which was bound from Halifax, Nova Scotia
, to Charleston.
The wreck was discovered by pioneer underwater archaeologist E. Lee Spence
, who initially spotted the wreck from the air on March 19, 1965.
It was not until 1967, with the help of commercial fisherman Wally Shaffer and George Campsen Esq., that Spence formed Shipwrecks Inc. and actually began salvage operations on these wrecks. Shipwrecks Inc. was subsequently awarded the first salvage license issued under the state of South Carolina's shipwreck salvage law, which had been drafted by Spence and Campsen and passed by the South Carolina legislature.
and the Federals
) placed on the Georgiana as a potential threat to United States shipping, and archaeologically due to the nature of the site. It is also important in a literary sense because the Georgiana and her cargo were owned by [George Alfred Trenholm], who was Treasurer of the Confederacy and has been identified as the real Rhett Butler in Gone With The Wind
.
The site contains two distinct types of ships, both constructed of iron, but one built with extra reinforcing and relatively deep draft for operation as a privateer on the high seas and the other of extremely light weight and shallow draft that was perfectly suited for the purpose of running the blockade. One (the Georgiana) is a screw steamer and the other (the Mary Bowers) a sidewheel steamer. The two ships were built and lost less than two years apart, making their design differences even more significant.
Despite the site's obvious importance and even though a state salvage license had been granted and tens of thousands of artifacts were recovered from the Georgiana/Mary Bowers wreck site, no state official actually dove on the site to inspect it and/or verify the discovery for over 40 years.
Blockade runner
A blockade runner is usually a lighter weight ship used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait, as opposed to confronting the blockaders to break the blockade. Very often blockade running is done in order to transport cargo, for example to bring food or arms to a blockaded city...
Mary Bowers, Captain Jesse DeHorsey (or Horsey), bound from Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
to Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
with an assorted cargo, struck the submerged wreck of the in fourteen feet of water a mile off of Long Island (the present day Isle of Palms, South Carolina
Isle of Palms, South Carolina
Isle of Palms is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population on the island was 4,133. Isle of Palms is a barrier island on the South Carolina coast. As defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and used by the U.S...
) on August 31, 1864. She “went on with such force as to make immense openings in her bottom,” and she sank in a “few minutes, most of the officers and men saving only what they stood in.” The steamer’s passengers and crew escaped with the exception of a boy, Richard Jackson, who was left on the wreck and later taken off by the Federals.
The Mary Bowers was a large, shallow draft, sidewheel
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
steamer
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
of approximately 680 tons (also shown as 750\tons burden and 220 tons register). She measured 226'x25'x10'6" and was built by Simons and Company of Renfrew
Renfrew
-Local government:The town of Renfrew gave its name to a number of local government areas used at various times:*Renfrew a town to the west of Glasgow*Renfrewshire, the present unitary local council area in which Renfrew is situatated....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The steamer was owned in part by L.G. Bowers of Columbus, Georgia
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
, and had been built at a cost of approximately 22,682 £s especially for the purpose of running the blockade
Blockade
A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
.
The vessel was registered as owned by Henry Lafone. Her company owner was the Importing and Exporting Company of Georgia (which was sometimes called the Lamar Company). The Federals misidentified the blockade runner in their initial reports calling her the Mary Powers. The Federal boarding party took a bell and a few other items from the wreck. The Mary Bowers had made two previous successful attempts through the blockade, on one of which, she was chased by the U.S.S. R.G. Cuyler and had been forced to throw overboard sixty bales of cotton to escape.
On October 6, 1864, the wreck was subsequently run into by the blockade running, sidewheel steamer Constance Decimer, which was bound from Halifax, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, to Charleston.
The wreck
The remains of the sidewheel steamer Mary Bowers rest on and across the shattered wreckage of the Georgiana just forward of the first wreck's boiler.The wreck was discovered by pioneer underwater archaeologist E. Lee Spence
E. Lee Spence
Edward Lee Spence is a pioneer in underwater archaeology who studies shipwrecks and sunken treasure. He is also a published editor and author of non-fiction reference books; a magazine editor , and magazine publisher ; and a...
, who initially spotted the wreck from the air on March 19, 1965.
It was not until 1967, with the help of commercial fisherman Wally Shaffer and George Campsen Esq., that Spence formed Shipwrecks Inc. and actually began salvage operations on these wrecks. Shipwrecks Inc. was subsequently awarded the first salvage license issued under the state of South Carolina's shipwreck salvage law, which had been drafted by Spence and Campsen and passed by the South Carolina legislature.
Site Importance
This wreck site is extremely important both historically and archaeology. Historically because of the emphasis both sides (the ConfederatesConfederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
and the Federals
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
) placed on the Georgiana as a potential threat to United States shipping, and archaeologically due to the nature of the site. It is also important in a literary sense because the Georgiana and her cargo were owned by [George Alfred Trenholm], who was Treasurer of the Confederacy and has been identified as the real Rhett Butler in Gone With The Wind
Gone with the Wind
The slaves depicted in Gone with the Wind are primarily loyal house servants, such as Mammy, Pork and Uncle Peter, and these slaves stay on with their masters even after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 sets them free...
.
The site contains two distinct types of ships, both constructed of iron, but one built with extra reinforcing and relatively deep draft for operation as a privateer on the high seas and the other of extremely light weight and shallow draft that was perfectly suited for the purpose of running the blockade. One (the Georgiana) is a screw steamer and the other (the Mary Bowers) a sidewheel steamer. The two ships were built and lost less than two years apart, making their design differences even more significant.
Despite the site's obvious importance and even though a state salvage license had been granted and tens of thousands of artifacts were recovered from the Georgiana/Mary Bowers wreck site, no state official actually dove on the site to inspect it and/or verify the discovery for over 40 years.