MARIE CELESTE AGAIN.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume 1, Issue 8, 14 February 1914, Page 4

MARIE CELESTE AGAIN.

MYSTERY OF THE SEA. ANOTHER POSSIBLE SOLUTION.

What purported to be an explanation of, the mystery of the Marie Celeste, published in the;' ! Strand,'' was merely ' fiction, according,-to the ''Nautical " whi<?h gives as-the real explanation the theory held by Capt. J. H. Winchester, repeated by Winchester Noyes, the captain's grandson. The Marie Celeste, it will be remembered, was an American brigantine, picked up k " derelict in mid-ocean, but in perfect condition, in December, 1872. • What became of'h'er crew is still a iio mystery, but Capt. "Winchester,. who as was himself an experienced shipmaster \ !y as well as owner of the' Marie Celeste, s® and. who saw the vessel before she yh left New York, and after ' she was ' e . taken to Gibraltar, was certainly well th qualified to express an ; opinion as to or the cause of her abandonment. What ts follows is from the "Nautical Gazette." This, then, is the theory; always held ie by Capt. Winchester, and" now repeated ,d to the. "Nautical- Gazette" by his grandson: The .Marie Celeste wap an American n> brigantine of 236 tons, built at Bath, She loaded oil:and spirits' at one !e, of the Ea.st River,piers, for the Medix-: terranean. After "leaving port there^ >; as is no doubt she encountered-consider-' e . able rough *■ weather,' ; although- when g, picked up it; was fine and calm. , When= t- boarded.by the crew pf ; the: Dei.-Grattia, due of her hatch, covers was'found 'to have been overturned, but the- 'cargo ih -was perfectly, intact. • This disposes of 11 the theory that : the.-cargo.: had. djeen y broached crqw for „the A ; sake ofj ; ig t the spirits. 'One of the vessel's" boats" $. wits missing, and one only. Capt; Win3. Chester went across to ?pain after the vessel was , found, -in-order to attendr. the proceedings for salvage, .and be thoroughly' investigated the matter as ■ - ; • far as was possible. -'He always^held f: the theory that the cargo ;had r ;generl ated vapour and gas, .as, was entirely „ probable, fromHhe oil and spirits, dure ing the warm-weather voyage partieu- " larly. : :: \' :: - r :■-■"■">.■• * ■'■ ■ : jsS ■■•■'■■ - Explosion Blew dif Hatch.'] . tt ' <t This 'gas, after •' a ! : s»r)ell rough l " weather, caused spontaneous • .combuslt- tion, which one morning suddenly- blew >t off the hatch coyer. Seeing the smoke, h the report, and' perhaps a flash" a . of flame* and knowing the'highly com- r e bustible nature of the cargo,, the .crew ..made a mad rush for a and all hands got safely.away,!the captain, off; course, taking liis chronometer" with l ' him. But'the vessel sid : bur riband there were no g the . ventilation > got, to.. the eargq, it 0 cooled off, and the Marie Celeste "kept &-. on her way/' She' sailed "•■" A in f act > with a fair - breeze filling.: her] % square sails; that she :ran'-away:;,from . / the boat containing the], captain 'and ■:■■■-■■ his. wife and .child - anji ei-ew. "They, - « Y -, unfortunately,' found themselves une ab}e to again reach their, vesselj:;and t : .became.: the YAetim^,. c-f ; sea e t -then, ! ' : 'as' ;l ' now, .SSgel *¥ 6"r;' kefismttmal- - ism, hatched 4ip assorts 6fK»st6ries; about piracy, but < there was no- ; : . .thing., in the evidence % 0 warrant any i presumption of anything having*: hap- - 1 pened except"what Captain Winchestei -. f, inferred. If there- was: blood...op.part •-,. of the .deck, ,il in-juries to one of the crew the «--■ hatch ; blow bfi\ Celeste a, simply ran away ■ f o.>at, and - . the boat or its passengers were.never - after heard from.?' ... r :. ~,'-' .-,; ■-■<> 1 Picturing the -Pinal., scene. .. Picturing the actuality of Captain -• Winchester's, theory, tne final scene on 1 board the Celeste" can be readily im- . ...- 7. agined and found most natural; It has g come a fine clear morning-with a fair -.. breeze and very little sea, TKq vessfel t is running free under all plain \sail, . and the morning watch have' gone to breakfast. ! It is just-about eight bells ~ and breakfast is in -progress. aft -also. ". Tho mate remarks, to the ■. captain:. '"I don't'liite that gassy smell about the hatches,"sir.' think it vn»'.:ld be a tolift them a bit te-day"and ventilate the eargQ?" "All light," says Captain Briggs, after a moment's consideration. "Suppose y#u try it wupu'you go on dec>- » Ordy *be careful when you get at it. ( Wo-don't want nay danger of-an exv •plosi'-nv joi: luiow. ' .'" ','■.■ U .• f/Yciv good,, sir,", says the mate, , who finishes "&is coifeo and leaves' tlw ! ekbin; tuo cripLaki ahd'hiV wife, and j child cfeotinuin.j at their meal. ' A few minutes laier there is a rcr.r land an explosion thr.t slu-vkes the vesijHis.nL The instant that the hatch wa-J partly free, all the pent-up gns below | Vnt'offi witha.,bauff v Q«P of.tjo.iivn * [ was" badry injured and the • tered with his blood. The fumes Jrom 'the cargo were overpowering aa.s" tho ' smoke and vapour coming from;-. the hatch made it look as if the vessel were doomed. An old sword which the cook had started to scour, and which he kept for meat-handling operations, was thrown out of his hands and cut Mm. , . ':'. The captain-rushes on deck, , ana, krowing the very inflammable nature of his cargo of oil and spirits, order* a boat to be got ready at' once. In it are placed the wounded man. the captain's wife and child, some water and provisions. The captain grabs his chronometer and sextant, the others Oi. the crew tumble; in, and the. boat huxriedly jmshes off; Fearful of the vessel blowing up altogether,, they row .to a little distance : atfd, watch, then suddejily realise that they cannot -bvertakf her again.;.* Some of the crew be frighte-ned to go aboard again anyway, : so the effort to-:row as fast as the brigantine sails is somewhat half-hearted. Thus they watch for the next explosion, but it nevejr comes. The Marie Celeste drifts on as her cargo cools) and finally she is hull down on the) horizon. The people in.the boat eaferly look for another vessel, but it isgger comes. They are many from any .land. And gradually «em comes the tragie end so often the unwritten records of the sea. ,