[1] On 22 October 1853, Western World, while departing New York carrying 300 passengers and a cargo of china, powder flasks, and consumer goods,[2] ran aground in a heavy fog off Spring Lake, New Jersey.
[3] Attempts to save the vessel using the steam tug Achilles were unsuccessful, and Western World broke apart over the next few days, finally sinking completely on 26 October.
[5] In the early 1970s diver John Mattera recovered a small bell also with the name Western World and began to research the shipwreck.
Finding a story in a hundred year old periodical detailing the mysterious Spring Lake wreck and set about to attach the correct name to the shipwreck.
[6] The wreck is covered with pieces of china and metal objects embedded into the rock hard conglomerate.