Miscellaneous

Lot 1125    SESSION 7 (9.30AM WEDNESDAY 27TH NOVEMBER)    Miscellaneous

Estimate $700
Bid at live.noble.com.au

GENT'S PRESENTATION POCKET WATCH, full hunter in fine silver, no brand, white dial with black Roman numerals, black hands, subsidiary seconds dial with black Arabic numerals and black hand, the work's cover inscribed, 'Presented By/The/Hon. James Fletcher/To/Charles Jackson/For valuable services rendered to/H.M.C.S.S. Ajax/When in distress off Kiama on/the night of Decr. 4th 1888'; another half hunter gent's pocket watch by Elbico, white dial with Roman numerals, black hands, subsidiary seconds dial with Arabic numerals and black hand, screw back cover, inside cover marked 'Fahys Oresilver/No1/Pat./Feb.19th/1884'. Both watches not working, the first with a few small dents on lid, otherwise fine - very fine. (2)

Felix Tanner, real name Charles Jackson, was born at Berrima, NSW in 1863. In 1887, by now a daredevil and a tight rope walker, he walked over the famous Kiama Ocean Blow Hole on a wire stretched high up in the air. It was in the next year that the steam ship Ajax got into trouble off Kiama. 'Felix' went out by boat with two other men and saved the passengers and some of the crew. The first and second officers and four crew had already taken the only lifeboat and saved themselves. For his efforts he was presented with an inscribed pocket watch.
Fasting Felix as he became known regularly went on public display in fasting mode in various locations in Australia and New Zealand, even appearing at the Melbourne Exhibition in 1890 where he finished his fast and lost 13 kilos in weight.
He became interested in circumnavigating the world and in December 1905 Captain Felix Tanner set out in 'Tanners Ark' from Wellington, New Zealand with a young sailor. The 'Ark' was in the shape of a barrel about 12 feet long and 6 feet wide and had two masts and inside there were two bunks. It soon became obvious that the boat was not seaworthy in rough seas requiring them to be rescued by a steam ship. During the following year Felix invented a propeller governor for steam ships that was successfully tested by a company.
Charles Jackson, 'Fasting Felix', was living in America in November 1913 but then he disappeared off the radar to the general public. It appears he returned to Australia because he died at Merrylands, Sydney in 1943 and by then had fathered more than 12 children with at least three different women.
With research.