Somerton Man: What do his fingerprints tell us? His occupation maybe? UPDATED August 16th 2022 (Originally Posted 19th September 2014)....UPDATED APRIL15th 2024

THIS POST WAS MISTAKENLY QUOTED BY THE TBT BLOGGER PETE BOWES

He was referring to the post I had made here:

https://tamamshud.blogspot.com/2014/09/somerton-man-fingerprints-questionable.html

...the post link above discusses in detail, the issues surrounding the unsigned and uncertificated set of fingerprints of the Somerton Man. 

 

On this blog, truth, honesty, and integrity are of paramount importance, Pete's mistaken link issue is not uncommon in the Somerton Man blog space.

Here is another link to a page regarding the issue of fingerprints in the Somerton Man case:

https://tamamshud.blogspot.com/2014/04/somerton-man-why-no-fingerprints.html

The above link takes you to another 10-year-old post and it discusses the lack of fingerprints on many items found and related to the Somerton Man.

....SOMERTON MAN FINGERPRINTS
Another and Closer Look & Discussion....:

When you look closely at the Somerton Man's fingerprints and the right thumb, forefinger and middle finger, you will see quite noticeable areas of wear. Compare them to his left hand and you will see the difference. I have separately found and examined numerous sets of fingerprints and compared them to those shown above. Of around 20 randomly sourced specimens only 1 had similar markings but unfortunately, there was no mention of the man's occupation. More work to be done.

For this reason, I say that the Somerton Man was right-handed and that he worked with some kind of tool, probably metal, which caused the wear patterns. One tool that comes to mind is an engraving tool, quite heavy and made of metal, such tools were used for wood carving and of course for carving metals. Metal workers use similar tools for scribing.

TOOLS:

1. Engraving:

2. Metalworking:

3. Intaglio Platemaking (Printing):

4. Engineers:

5. Rough Handmade:

The final image of knives has examples that are similar to items found on escaping Japanese POWs at Cowra on August 5th, 1944.

 I see similarities in engraving, intaglio printing, and the bound-handled knives.

SUITCASE TOOLS

Returning to the tools found in the suitcase, the knife the scissors even the brush could make up an engraver's kit and possibly be used by those engaged in the printing industry. The engineer's and metal worker's tools are too refined.

Back to the Fingerprints:

This fingerprint example is interesting for a variety of reasons:

This man was in fact a possible SM candidate. Byron, you would be interested in this, Mr. Michaelson was a prospector. He arrived in 1931 on the Eridan, add 17 years to this man and who knows? Would prospectors use a hand tool similar to an engraving tool for some purpose?

This man, Frank Ernest Gransgog arrived in Australia around the same time and both were miners from Finland and of similar age.. They were in fact one and the same person.



This image compares Gransgog with the pre Burial image of the Somerton Man:


                            
Gransgog would have been 31 years old in 1941 when this photo was taken, You can access his NAA file via his service number V500310.

NOTE: As of April 2024, it has been found that Gransgog and Michaelson are in fact the same person.

Was the Somerton Man involved in printing?

As mentioned, another option for SMs occupation would be in the printing field. The tools found in the suitcase, the knife, the scissors, the screwdriver and the brush, may all have been used in the printing process. But perhaps most interesting is the combination of various chemical elements that were found via the Mass Spectrometry tests carried out on samples of the mans hair, the three items most of interest were found to be:

Lead
Silver
Tin

In the printing field and in those times, lead was used in fonts, tin was added to the lead, and silver was used in the gelatin silver process to enhance the printing of images. This particular process was first used by Richard Leach Maddox in 1871 so it was a well-tried and proven element of printing technology. Lead was not considered a health risk as long as normal precautions, washing of hands, etc, were followed. However if the lead type was stored in 'damp' conditions then lead oxide, the dangerous stuff, would form. It was practiced in those days to remelt the lead type for further use and it is the high temperatures needed in that process that produced a highly toxic environment. These were the immediate post-war years and there was a huge focus on the re-use of all sorts of materials including those used in the printing industry.

In summary, the foregoing has served to confirm he was right-handed and that he very probably used some form of a tool similar to those used in the engraving, scribing, carving, and printing fields. The next step is to see just where this part of the puzzle fits.