[Illustration: _Other objects recovered from the sunken gunboat were front and rear sights for a 30-pounder Parrott rifle; comb, watch, pocket-knife, dish, spoon, and cup, each marked with the owner’s name or initials; a brace of Colt .44 Army pistols; and an as yet unidentified item (right) which stands 12 inches high, is tin-plated and hand-soldered, and has a non-removable top. Any guesses as to what it is?_ Courtesy, William R. Wilson] [Illustration: _A stand of grape shot and a charge of canister, and a firing device for a 42-pounder Army rifle._ Courtesy, William R. Wilson] [Illustration: _Park Service historian Albert Banton, Jr., cleans up some of the projectiles removed from the _Cairo’s_ shell room._ Courtesy, William R. Wilson] [Illustration: _Leg and wrist irons, and mess gear possibly used by one of the _Cairo’s_ officers, were remarkably preserved despite being underwater for more than a century._ Courtesy, William R. Wilson] [Illustration: _So, too, were boots, shoes, and other leather objects, which became pliable again after treatment with a special preservative._ Courtesy, William R. Wilson] [Illustration: DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR · March 3, 1849] _As the Nation’s principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has basic responsibilities for water, fish, wildlife, mineral, land, park, and recreational resources. Indian and Territorial affairs are other major concerns of America’s “Department of Natural Resources.” The Department works to assure the wisest choice in managing all our resources so each will make its full contribution to a better United States—now and in the future._ _U.S. Department of the Interior_ _National Park Service_ ★ U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1974 O - 552-532 [Illustration: Photograph of gunboat] [Illustration: Wraparound cover image] Transcriber’s Notes —Silently corrected a few typos. —Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook is public-domain in the country of publication. —In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by _underscores_. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of U.S.S. Cairo, by United States National Park Service