The Great Gold Swindle of Lubec, Maine

The Great Gold Swindle of Lubec, Maine

Edited by Ron Pesha

$23.99

Publication Date: 16th April 2013

In 1897, a stranger named Reverend Prescott Jernegan arrived in Lubec and made a bold claim: he could extract gold from seawater. To do so, he used so-called accumulators of electrically charged rods in iron pots. Fooling many, he actually hid the gold beneath a wharf in the Bay of Fundy during the night. He and his accomplice, Charles Fisher, preached with fervent enthusiasm as they built their factory and encouraged inspections, which reversed doubters to greedy high-stakes investors. Hundreds of laborers accelerated factory expansion until July 1897, when Jernegan and Fisher fled. Although ... Read More
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In 1897, a stranger named Reverend Prescott Jernegan arrived in Lubec and made a bold claim: he could extract gold from seawater. To do so, he used so-called accumulators of electrically charged rods in iron pots. Fooling many, he actually hid the gold beneath a wharf in the Bay of Fundy during the night. He and his accomplice, Charles Fisher, preached with fervent enthusiasm as they built their factory and encouraged inspections, which reversed doubters to greedy high-stakes investors. Hundreds of laborers accelerated factory expansion until July 1897, when Jernegan and Fisher fled. Although ... Read More
Description
In 1897, a stranger named Reverend Prescott Jernegan arrived in Lubec and made a bold claim: he could extract gold from seawater. To do so, he used so-called accumulators of electrically charged rods in iron pots. Fooling many, he actually hid the gold beneath a wharf in the Bay of Fundy during the night. He and his accomplice, Charles Fisher, preached with fervent enthusiasm as they built their factory and encouraged inspections, which reversed doubters to greedy high-stakes investors. Hundreds of laborers accelerated factory expansion until July 1897, when Jernegan and Fisher fled. Although residents of Lubec attempted civil and criminal action, both men relocated, and fantasies of gold wealth flowed away. Relive the excitement, disappointment and anger of turn-of-the-century Mainers in this collection of accounts about the Lubec gold hoax.
Details
  • Pages: 208
  • Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Inc.
  • Imprint: The History Press
  • Publication Date: 16th April 2013
  • State: Maine
  • Illustration Note: 100% Mono
  • ISBN: 9781626190085
  • Format: Paperback
  • BISACs:
    HISTORY / United States / General
    HISTORY / United States / State & Local / New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)
Author Bio
Ronald Pesha has served 11 years as president of the Lubec Historical Society. He is a retired broadcast professor at SUNY Adirondack, and author of Remembering Lubec.
In 1897, a stranger named Reverend Prescott Jernegan arrived in Lubec and made a bold claim: he could extract gold from seawater. To do so, he used so-called accumulators of electrically charged rods in iron pots. Fooling many, he actually hid the gold beneath a wharf in the Bay of Fundy during the night. He and his accomplice, Charles Fisher, preached with fervent enthusiasm as they built their factory and encouraged inspections, which reversed doubters to greedy high-stakes investors. Hundreds of laborers accelerated factory expansion until July 1897, when Jernegan and Fisher fled. Although residents of Lubec attempted civil and criminal action, both men relocated, and fantasies of gold wealth flowed away. Relive the excitement, disappointment and anger of turn-of-the-century Mainers in this collection of accounts about the Lubec gold hoax.
  • Pages: 208
  • Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Inc.
  • Imprint: The History Press
  • Publication Date: 16th April 2013
  • State: Maine
  • Illustrations Note: 100% Mono
  • ISBN: 9781626190085
  • Format: Paperback
  • BISACs:
    HISTORY / United States / General
    HISTORY / United States / State & Local / New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)
Ronald Pesha has served 11 years as president of the Lubec Historical Society. He is a retired broadcast professor at SUNY Adirondack, and author of Remembering Lubec.