Help me out guys and gals..

[RelicRick]

I will post a pic asap. Yesterday I found a copper tag a little larger than a dogtag. It reads U.S.M. Steamer Gazelle 48 engraved in it. The only info I can find with this name on it is from a steamship near Lake Michigan in the mid 1800s. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!



Finally...here's the pic!

 

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[Angelo]

Here's some information on another "Gazelle".

Sounds, like you have a baggage tag.

http://www.gendisasters.com/data1/or/ships/canemah-steamergazelle-exp1854.htm

Tony

 

[CRUSADER]

Here's some information on another "Gazelle".

Sounds, like you have a baggage tag.

http://www.gendisasters.com/data1/or/ships/canemah-steamergazelle-exp1854.htm

Tony

yeah

 

[ivan salis]

what part of the country--(state)-- did you find it at? that might help in finding out which exactly vessel it was and when--

 

[RelicRick]

Thanks for the help so far! It was found in Northern Jersey...pretty far from both Michigan and Oregon, eh? Sorry no pic yet...I'm a little under the weather...I'll try to post one tonight.

 

[ivan salis]

ah seems the usm ship prefix was common in mid 1800 hundreds (1852 / 1855) the new york times maritime intellegence report has vessels listed with that type of ship suffix in its old archives--- it shows a couple of vessels that were using that type ofsuffix as being immergrant vessels coming from london to new york -- humm those would have been close by to new jersey -- hope this helps -- so I'm thinking either a baggage or passanger tag to id who was who -- they matched the tag to the name on the arrival list when they docked since many did not speak english -- some very poor immergrents came as "deck cargo" traveling on the open decks -- or in steerage -- life was hard back then. Ivan

 

[LadyDigger]

Must have been more than one STEAMER GAZELLE....I found articles in 1854, even the one of the explosion...then nothing for 1855-1858...then in 1859...I find reference to the STEAMER GAZELLE. They must have rebuilt a new one and named it the GAZELLE or the old one was repairable....took 3 years to repair and sail her again...