October 6, 2011 - General Business Meeting followed by David Finnern - Bessie Brady Shipwreck
Prior to our weekly presentation, there will be a General Business Meeting where we will nominate our officers for 2012 and attendance is important.
The Strange Tale of the Bessie Brady
The Bessie Brady is one of the most enigmatic shipwrecks in the West,
and most certainly the catalyst for some of the most enduring sunken treasure tales of all time.
The Brady was built in 1872 in the shadow of Mount Whitney to carry silver ingots across Owens Lake to be loaded onto wagons bound for Los Angeles.
By 1877 the silver production at the Cerro Gordo Mine was so prolific another vessel,
the Mollie Stevens, was constructed to supply the necessary coal to power the smelter on the east side of the lake.
By 1882, both vessels vanished into shadowed history, and the stories began to flourish.
One version has the Bessie Brady in a violent storm with 40 knot winds causing her to take on water and sink in the middle of the Owens Lake,
with a full cargo of silver bars.
Another has the Mollie Stevens doing the same thing.
Yet another tale has a wagon load of silver shifting its position, causing the vessel to capsize.
Another version has a wagon full of silver ingots rolling overboard, where it was lost forever.
One of the more fanciful stories has a giant sea serpent attacking the poor Bessie, causing her demise, and, of course, the lost treasure.
In 2010, shipwreck explorer and author David Finnern, Adventurers’ Club member #1065, and his wife Linda
set out to find the truth about the shipwrecks, and the history behind the mysterious tales
which have prompted countless expeditions to find the lost treasure of Owens lake.
Join us on this night for yet another great presentation of adventure and interesting lore from one of our most accomplished members.
David Finnern
The Posts are part of the Cartago Landing Where the Bessie Brady Tied Up
Charcoal Kilns Where Wood was Burned to Charcoal, Then Transported Across the Lake to the Smelter.
Painting by William McKeever of the The Bessie Brady
Casper Titchworth, Captain of the Bessie Brady circa 1879
The Adventurers' Club of Los Angeles®
October 13, 2011 - Vivian Callahan - Adventure in Southeast Asia aboard The Quest
Vivian Callahan is an avid sailor and all-around adventurer.
She has made many blue water passages on sailboats ranging from 36' to 58', including one to and from Hawaii,
during which she survived a hurricane and a fire onboard.
One of her most recent adventures was a four and a half month voyage from Hong Kong to Phuket, Thailand
aboard the ill-fated sailboat, Quest with Jean and Scott Adam, who were captured and killed by Somali pirates on a later voyage.
This presentation will include many pictures and reminiscences of her time on board.
Vivian Callahan currently is an adjunct professor of communications at Santa Monica College.
She is also a freelance writer / producer / director / editor.
Recently, she co-wrote and edited the multi-award-winning documentary feature,
RESCUE MEN, which is currently making the rounds of various national and international film festivals.
October 20, 2011 - Kevin Lee - Sea Slugs, Pole to Pole
Sea slug is the common name given to a sub-class of invertebrate gastropods called opisthobranchs.
These creatures have evolved into marine creatures that come in a myriad of beautiful colors,
shapes and sizes and have unique defense mechanisms which assist their survival in every ocean and sea in the world.
Kevin Lee resides in Fullerton, California and frequently dives SoCal waters.
His adventures, in over 40 countries, include multiple treks to Mt. Everest Base Camp and atop Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest summit.
Among his memorable experiences, he fondly recalls a warm hug from Mother Teresa and meeting the Dalai Lama.
After learning to scuba dive, Kevin took up underwater photography to share the wonders of the ocean with others.
Recently, he traveled to his 7th continent, going below the Antarctic circle, and scuba dived in 29-degree waters.
Kevin's images have been featured in magazines, newspapers, academic literature and numerous dive related publications.
Let's go divin' at the club on this night.
This fine gentleman's photographs on his web site are truly wonderful.
Join us for dinner and another great presentation.
See you there!
October 27, 2011 - Charles Carmona - Gem Adventures in Sri Lanka
Charles Carmona # 1136, led an expedition of intrepid L.A. County Natural History Museum patrons to Sri Lanka in September of 2006,
in search of the legendary gemstone mines that drew earlier explorers such as Sinbad and Marco Polo.
As well as several of the ancient and modern gem sources, the group visited ancient historical and cultural sites throughout this Indian Ocean island.
Join us as we relive some of the adventures involving elephants, leeches and most challenging of all, local gemstone dealers.
The Bessie Brady is one of the most enigmatic shipwrecks in the West,
and most certainly the catalyst for some of the most enduring sunken treasure tales of all time.
The Brady was built in 1872 in the shadow of Mount Whitney to carry silver ingots across Owens Lake to be loaded onto wagons bound for Los Angeles.
By 1877 the silver production at the Cerro Gordo Mine was so prolific another vessel,
the Mollie Stevens, was constructed to supply the necessary coal to power the smelter on the east side of the lake.
One of the more fanciful stories has a giant sea serpent attacking the poor Bessie, causing her demise, and, of course, the lost treasure.
Vivian Callahan is an avid sailor and all-around adventurer.
She has made many blue water passages on sailboats ranging from 36' to 58', including one to and from Hawaii,
during which she survived a hurricane and a fire onboard.
