AROUND THE WORLD.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 52, 2 March 1929, Page 4

AROUND THE WORLD.

GOSSIP OF THE PORTS. AN OCEAN MYSTERY. ißy LEE-FORE-BRACE.) Some weeks ago mention was made in this column about the loss of the ship Marlborough, anu as a result, the -writer has received a letter from a master mariner in Australia asking for the worj of this ocean mystery. The low of thM beautiful ship Is an epic of the sea. and the story will be of interest to landsmen M well as seamen. . For close on fifteen years the Marir borough traded between London and Lvttelton under the flag of the Shaw, Sivill Company, and proved hereelt to be a very able and smart vessel. Under the command of Captain W - Herd she sailed from Lvttelton for London on January 11th, IS9O, with a cargo of frozen mutton. When two days out she was spoken by one of J. J. Craip's barques. and this was the last tidings of her until nearly twenty years later. When six mouths overdue, and being posted at Lloyd's as "mwsinj," an inquiry was instigated by the Xi!W Zealand Government as to her condition and sea-worthiness before sailing. It was conclusively proved that the vessel was well manned, her cargo well stowed, and as well found as a ship could possibly be. Among seamen it was conjectured that she had got among the ice in the high latitudes—always plentiful at the time when she wonJd be running her easting down. | As several ships had put into the Falkland Islands badly damaged through being in collision with ieebcrgs during the late summer of 1890 considerable emphasis was given to the suggestion that &u iceberg had | caused her loss. I l*i avtirally every ship that made the | passj.j-'c of the Horn during the autumn of reported cncounU-i s wi th vast fields ji; if i*. S"iin;i I Kf-eni'xT. ISV9. until May. ISJI3. tl'- i< efieid v.;,? over 9)0 miles lon,Moid t > w.-st. r.nd ivas over 200 miles i:i (Xti.t i:«Hi: in-itli t-» south. The largi st um~- lormcd like a huge circle einbi>.< over :i huti'.'ted miles ot water. The ioi-- of t'i • Marlborough in the course of time n.is almost forgotten excepting by tv who !ia<.l relatives on board, anions th.- l.vtic: lxing a well-known Auckland family. In 1919 all the world [was thrilled by the story of the supposed finding of her wreck near Staten Island, a little to the north or Cape Horn. Captain Hadrop. of the ship British Isles, told the story, and it is so uncanny and weird that ! it is best told in his own words.

Uncanny Stillness. "My ship, the British Isles, was homeward bound from Lvttelton, New Zealand. We passed close into the land at Staten Island early in January of that year (1899). My ship was hugging the land for shelter. The coves and bays there are deep and silent, the sailing is difficult and dangerous. It was a weirdly wild evening, with th« red orb of the sun setting on the distant mountains. The stillness was uncanny. There was a shining green light reflected on the high rocks of the bays. We rounded a point and stood into a deep bay. Before us, about a mile or more, across the bay, stood a sailing vessel, high and dry on the beach. Her running gear was flying to the winds, and only the remnants of her rotten canvas fluttered on her rusty yards. *'We signalled and hoveto. No answer came. We searched the derelict with our glasses. Not a soul couiG we see; not a

movement of any Marts and yar-k nirked out ra green—the greea oa decay The vessel lay as if in a cradle. We elose into shallow water and anchored a'*"" a mUe distant from hor There *-v.- • no sign of life about her, ao I sent my mate off with four of my erew in the ship's boat to some difficulty they managed to board her. «d the sight that met their gaze w« thrilling. Below the wheel-box lay tfa, skeleton of * man. Treadmg wanly on th. rotten deck, which cracked and broke m pUces as they walked, they encountered three more skeletons in the poop companionway. In the forecastle were the remains of ten bodies, and s>x others were found in the cabin, one of them, an elderly man. perhaps the master. There was an uncanny stillness around, and a dank smell of mould which made one nek. A r«r remnants of books and charts, together with some rusty cutlery was found on thsaloon table. Nothing more weird m history of the sea can ever have been seep. An inspection of the ship was carefully made. and. on her bell, hanging on th« forecastle head, was rt%raved Ur name. 'Marlborough. 1876.' On her etera. under her counter, could be faintly swo her same and port of registry—Glasgow. Another Solution. Seamen throughout the world had considerable doubt of the authenticity of the above storv. the chief question asked being, why did Captain Hadrop not report such an important matter to the proper authorities immediately upon his arrival in England. instead of waiting for nearly ten vears* The Shaw, Savill Co. instituted inquiries in New Zealand, but no trace of such a ship as the British Isles having visited these shore during the year mentioned could be found. From the result of the controversy which took place in the Press after the above storv was published, another solution of the mvstery was forthcoming, and one which was proved in all the essential facts to be correct. Captain T. S. BurJey. a pilot at ScatUe, tells the story. "On July 23. 1890. I was wrecked on Tierra d*.l Fuego in the barqu« Cordova. The crew su'.-c-.-eJed in reaching the shore, landing in Thetis Bay. After -■tending two wc-eks Uier«_-, the second mate took the boat and seven of our ere*- with the intention of reuhing Staten Island and procuring as=;*ta'ice. L nfortunately the boat capsized in the breakers and all were drowned. This left the captain and for others, iucludins: myself. Someone suggested that we might hire a chance of "succour from the whaleis who made a rendezvous in Good Bay. As two of our party were nearly gone one other and myself endeavoured to rea'h this bay by walking overland. We left next morning at daylight, and at nightfall reached the wreck of the bat que Goiiva of Greenock. We rested th-re during the r'ght, and the following t* '•ruing we made our way along the bcacb. About four miles from the wreck we found a ship's gig pulled up high oa the beach. The name, 'Marlborough. Glasgow.' was painted on the stern. Up above the boat, in a sheltered part of the rocks we found a tattered tent, made from a square sail. I am inclined to think that the canvas was procured from the wreck of the Godiva, In the tent were seven skeletons and outside was a large pile of mussel shells, which the dead people had evidently subsisted on. They had evidently perished from exposure. All of the skeletons were attired in seafarers' clothes and several bad old remnants of oilskins hanging to them. One of the skeletons was kneeling in the attitude of prayer. Right below the cliff from the camp there wore signs of the wreck of a big iron shin, and along the beach were numerous bones as if from the carcases of small animals."