TREASURE HUNTER BOB EVANS SPEAKS TO STUDENTS

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V22 2019 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 22, Number 19, May 12, 2019, Article 15

Not all treasure hunters become treasure finders, and few do so in the big way Bob Evans did with the wreck of the SS Central America. In a recent trip to Minnesota Bob spoke to a group of students at Hutchinson middle school. Here's an excerpt from an article in the local Hutchinson Leader newspaper. -Editor

Hutchinson Middle School students received a history lesson of a different sort on Wednesday when Robert Evans, a consulting geologist, paid a visit to the school.

Evans had a whale of a tale to tell. He was co-discoverer of the S.S. Central America shipwreck site, a gold-rush era treasure ship. The 280-foot sidewheel steamer ran afoul of a hurricane in September 1857. It sank along with 425 of her 578 passengers and crew, and 30,000 pounds of gold.

As chief scientist and historian for the project, Evans was part of the team that located the wreck, which was found about 150 nautical miles from Cape Fear, North Carolina.

He also served on the recovery team that used state-of-the-art robotic technology to plumb the shipwreck that rested more than a mile deep along the ocean floor. Ultimately, Evans said they recovered one of the "most incredible treasures in American history" — 577 gold bars, more than 10,000 gold coins and more than 10,000 pieces of silver.

Evans’ first visit to Minnesota was the result of a serendipitous meeting. He and Shad Ketcher, owner of New Era Financial Advisors Inc., Hutchinson, served together on a panel at a conference in Dallas, Texas. The two got to talking and one thing led to another. In addition to addressing middle school students, Evans was the featured speaker during an event Wednesday evening at Crow River Golf Club.

It was fun, in spite of inclement weather. Talking to students is always delightful, and to see their response. Minnesotans are undaunted by 35 degrees with driving wintery mix on May 8. The evening event at the gold club was fairly well packed, with close to two hundred in attendance. Finally, I got to see some part of Minnesota other than the inside of the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport.

And for the record, the figure of "30,000 pounds of gold" did not come from me. This reporter conducted a very pleasant interview, and she was well-schooled in the subject, having done her homework (interesting subject, I guess.) She must have pulled this speculative figure from earlier publications from the nineties. Amazing how stuff lives forever online.

To date, we have recovered more than two tons of gold from the S.S Central America site. I did tell her that.

To read the complete article, see:
Meeting a treasure hunter (https://www.crowrivermedia.com/hutchinsonleader/news/local/meeting-a-treasure-hunter/article_e956b515-d931-5854-aecd-8565e1446c45.html)