The iron bound wooden seaman’s chest. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 210
A possible memento of the first crossing of the Atlantic by steamship comes up at Hegarty’s sale in Bandon tomorrow afternoon. Lot 184 is an iron bound wooden coffer or seaman’s chest with rope handles believed to have been on The Sirius which completed the first steamship crossing in New York on April 10, 1838.
SS Sirius, built in 1837 for the London Cork route by the Saint George Steam Packet Company, was captained by Richard Roberts of Passage West, Cork. The next year she was chartered by the British and American Steam Navigation Company for two voyages to the US. Hegarty’s sale includes contents from Simla, a 19th century house overlooking the sea in Passage West, which was home to the Roberts family for almost 100 years.