Tag Archives: gutta-percha

Rubber Tablets From Titanic?

There is a minor mystery afoot concerning four rubber tablets found on Newquay beaches. Each tablet contains the word Tjipetir on them. According to This is Cornwall, that is an Indonesian rubber plantation from the early 20th century. The particular natural rubber, gutta-percha, was cargo aboard Titanic. While some speculate the rubber could be from Titanic, others are not sure.

Jenny Wittamore, assistant curator at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth,points out there have been many ships that carried this cargo. And a shipwreck in the 1920’s, according to an investigator, could be the source of these rubber tablets.

There is no way to determine precisely what shipwreck the tablets came from. So the mystery continues.

Sources:

1. Are Rubber Tablets Beached On Newquay Beaches From Titanic?(24 April 2013, This is Cornwall)

2. Why ARE 100-year-old rubber blocks washing up on shores all over Britain and northern Europe? (24 April 2013, Daily Mail)

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