Possible Site of White House Treasure Ship Found
2005-12-06 09:43 ET - News Release
NEWTOWN, Pa. -- (Business Wire) -- Dec. 6, 2005
Sovereign Exploration Associates International, Inc.
(OTCBB: SVXP), announced today that Artifact Recovery & Conservation,
Inc. (ARC), a portfolio company of SVXP, has been conducting an
archaeological survey of the site off the coast of Halifax, Nova
Scotia, under an official Treasure Trove licensing agreement with the
provincial government. Under the licensing agreement, the province
will receive a 10 percent royalty on any official "treasure"
recovered, including specie and artifacts. The remaining artifacts
will belong to ARC.
The focus of the exploration has been the location where it is
believed the Fantome, a French brig captured by the British in 1810
and used as a gunboat during the invasion of the Chesapeake in 1814,
went down on November 24, 1814, three months after British troops
invaded Washington, D.C. Surviving manifests for the Fantome indicate
that it was carrying valuables taken from the White House, U.S.
Treasury and Capitol Building when it was lost on a reef of rocks near
Prospect, some 20 miles southwest of Halifax, while escorting a convoy
of ships.
Curtis Sprouse, COO of SVXP, says that no actual wooden ships from
the period are left on the site, having long since disintegrated. The
company hopes to find what remains of the ship's historic cargo. It
believes the cargo and history of the Fantome will yield tremendous
educational and economic value. Although items clearly linked to
Washington, D.C. and the British Navy - including American coins and
buttons from officers' uniforms - already have been recovered, Sprouse
says that neither the company's independently retained chief marine
archaeologist, James Sinclair, who worked on the wreck of the Titanic
and other historic sites, nor its independent conservator, Ian Cross,
is prepared to say the site of the Fantome itself has been pinpointed.
The involvement of both Sinclair and Cross in the project has been
approved by the Province of Nova Scotia. The company is dedicated to a
careful, responsible excavation, he said, and has a 25-year record of
meticulous marine exploration.
"We believe that the preservation and presentation of history is
of utmost importance. We are proud of the approach we take to these
sites," Sprouse said.
The War of 1812, often called "The Second American Revolution,"
was prompted by British interference with U.S. sea trade with Europe.
On August 24, 1814, British soldiers invaded Washington and looted and
burned key government buildings, including the Capitol and White
House. President James Madison's wife, Dolley, managed to save a
full-length portrait of George Washington and a few other possessions
before fleeing the presidential mansion just prior to the soldiers'
arrival.
British naval records describe the Fantome as "a fine French
corvette brig letter of marque...with ports for twenty heavy
carronades," a short gun half the weight of an equivalent long gun. It
carried a crew of 74. Although its role in the bombardment of Ft.
McHenry is not clear, it did participate in the British attack on the
Maryland city of Havre de Grace on May 2, 1814.
Excavation of the possible Fantome site is just one of the
projects being conducted by ARC, Sea Research, Inc. (SR) and Sovereign
Exploration Associates International of Spain, Inc. (SEAI of SPAIN),
all portfolio companies of SVXP. ARC has been recovering substantial
artifacts from the site of the wreck of Le Chameau, a French ship
whose loss on August 27, 1725 may have altered the history of France's
colonies in Canada.
SVXP is a Business Development Corporation firm headquartered in
Newtown, Pa. It became a public corporation in October (OTC BB: SVXP).
About Sovereign Exploration Associates International, Inc.
Sovereign Exploration Associates International, Inc. (OTCBB:SVXP)
is a Business Development Company under the Investment Company Act of
1940 undertaking shipwreck exploration and recovery initiatives.
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Security Exchange Act of 1934,
SVXP has filed Form 8-K.
SAFE HARBOR
The statements made in this release constitute "forward-looking"
statements, usually containing the words "believe," "estimate,"
"project," "expect," or similar expressions. These statements are made
pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements inherently
involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that
would cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not
limited to, the failure of the ships to contain cargo of historic,
archeological or intrinsic value, changing economic conditions,
interest rates trends, continued acceptance of the Company's products
in the marketplace, competitive factors and other risks detailed in
the Company's periodic report filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. By making these forward-looking statements, the Company
undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or
changes after the date of this release.
Contacts:
Sovereign Exploration Associates International Inc.
Curtis R. Sprouse, 781-246-7512
Fax: 781-245-7774 |
