Humane Society of Massachusetts, designed by C. Schollay, dies engraved by C. C. Wright, obverse; ‘Humane Society of Massachusetts, Instituted, 1785’, a house by the shore bearing the word, ‘Succour’, with men in the foreground bringing in a lifeboat and with a wrecked sailing ship in the background; reverse in raised lettering, ‘Honor The Reward of Merit, Courage and Perseverance’, and engraved, ‘To James Gibb, 1st Mate of Ship Three Bells of Glasgow for meritorious conduct on occasion of the wreck of the Steamer San Francisco of New York, Decr. 24th 1853’, 51mm., silver medallion, edge bruising, very fine, scarce £700-900

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Life Saving, Police and Fire Brigade Medals from the James N Spencer Collection.

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‘The paddle steanship San Francisco (approx 2,000 tons), Capt. J. T. Watkins, was a new vessel. She was chartered from the Aspinall Line as a troopship by the U.S. government to carry eight companies of artillery to California. On 21 December 1853, she left New York, having on board 16 officers and 498 artillerymen, with their wives and children, in addition to the crew, making a total of 750. The ship was loaded to the limit, part of the steerage being filled with cargo. This last circumstance was particularly unfortunate as the soldiers were confined in such meagre and ill ventilated quarters that fever broke out before the ship was many days out. On the 23rd December the ship met with a full gale during which the engines were disabled, all the boats washed away and the upper saloon and promenade deck carried overboard. The masts and funnels soon followed and on the 26th, when only five days out, the San Francisco was sighted by the Maria Freeman with the decks swept bare and apparently helpless.

On the 28th the barque Kilby fell in with the troopship and took off about 100 passengers and a quantity of stores. For the next two days the San Francisco continued to drift in a derelict condition, but on the 30th was sighted by the ship Three Bells. This vessel was unable to render aid owing to the gale, but stood by until 3 January 1854, when the sailing ship Antarctic came up and both ships made an attempt to save the survivors. After great efforts the Three Bells took on board from 180 to 200 persons and the Antarctic 176 persons; the former ship then proceeded to New York and the latter to Liverpool. Soon after she was abandoned the San Francisco foundered. Three hundred persons were lost of whom 59 died from fever.’ (Taken from Dictionary of Disasters at Sea, by Charles Hocking).