Dear List Members:
 
The following appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle Editorials on Monday,
April 27, 1998:
 
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The 'Brother Jonathan' Shipwreck
 
California treasure hunters, who claim salvage rights to the sunken Gold
Rush-era steamer "Brother Jonathan," won a major legal victory last week
when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the state's assertion of ownership.
 
The legal issues are complex, but in briefest terms the high court
dismissed California's claim to the shipwreck and said ownership of such
historic derelicts must be determined by a federal maritime court.
 
While the case is not settled, the court's unanimous ruling was a boost to
Deep Sea Research, a group of hardy treasure hunters who discovered the
220-foot, sidewheel steamer "Brother Jonathan," that sank off the North
Coast in 1865 with 221 souls.  It was the worst maritime disaster in
California history, but left a sunken legacy of historic objects along with
an Army payroll in gold that is believed to be worth millions.
 
Deep Sea Research took the risks to find the wreck in 1993 and have been
fighting state bureacrats for ownership ever since.
 
We are rooting for the treasure seekers, whose bold adventures spark the
imagination and inspire dreams of diving on the estimated 5,000
wrecks--including gold-laden pirate ships--that still lie undiscovered in
U.S. coastal waters.
 
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I urge all listmembers to write to the Chronicle and protest against such
an outrageous message to the public!  The paper can be reached at:
 
        Letters to the Editor
        San Francisco Chronicle
        901 Mission Street
        San Francisco, CA 94103
        415-777-7183
        415-543-7708 FAX
        [log in to unmask]
 
 
Jeannie Yang
 
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Jeannie K. Yang
Graduate Student, Webmaster Extraordinaire
Sonoma State University
http://www.wco.com/~genie/
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