UNFATHOMED MYSTERIES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XVIII, Issue 1857, 4 September 1923, Page 7

UNFATHOMED MYSTERIES.

SHIPS THAT NEVER RETURNED

WARATAH’S LAST “GOOD : BYE.” “Reported Missing.” What tragedy, what an aching sense of loss, is conveyed in these two words! They bring a vision of tears; of whitefaced women waiting for news, through days of interminable length; of troubled waters; of wreck and disaster, and of hope grown sick in unfulfilment. Since the very beginning of things, when Man launched his frail coracle on it in trembling, and after supplication to his crude gods, the sea has remained one of the great mysteries of Life. Behind it is sensed something tremendous—a primal force that vibrates in harmony with Destiny. So writes Mervyn O’Hara to the Sydney Daily Telegraph. In spite of the advances of science and the growth of man’s intellect, the sea still holds his soul in thrall. He is peculiarly sensitive to its moods. He laughs with it in the sunshine on its beaches and sports with its boisterous surf; he is sad with it when the sun goes, and the dusk steals down in grey, and he quails before its anger when the storm lashes the waves in madness, and stand-off signals are Hying from the stations all along the coast. CASE OF THE MARIE CELESTE. In the great story book of the sea there are many strange tales, and those that tell of missing ships are full of all the elements of. interest—romances, adventure, mystery and tragedy. The ending of some of these tales is known to us, but there are as many again whose finish must always be shrouded in mystery while the sea has its secrets. One of these is the strange story of the Marie Celeste. For half a century the mystery surrounding the fate ot the crew of the Marie Celeste has completely baffled all attempts at its solution. j n the autumn of 18 iM, the Marie Celeste, an American bug of about 000 tons, left New York with a cargo of spirits for Genoa. The ship’s company comprised 13 souls—another of those cases that apparently bolster up the old superstition based on the evil significance of this number. The names that occur in the story me those of Captain Briggs, the master of the ill-fated vessel; his wife, Mrs Briggs, who, with her little daughter, accompanied her husband; and Abel Fosdyk, a seaman. Weeks after the departure of the Marie Celeste, a British barque, the Dei Gratia, under Captain Boyce, was bowling along towards Gibraltar. The sea was as smooth as a mill pond. It was" December 5, 1872. At noon, the Dei Gratia was at a point 300 miles due west from Gibraltar, when two other vessels came in sight. One was a German tramp, holding a course for the West Indies. The tramp crossed the bows of the brig at a distance of about three miles. She signalled the brig, but there was no reply. Continuing her course, the tramp went straight on, but Captain Boyce, who had noticed the failure of the brig to reply to the tramp’s signal, decided to try himself. Again there was no response. Some peculiar instinct moved Captain Boyce to investigate. As the Dei Gratia drew closer, a more urgent message was signalled, but still there was no response. “This looks very funny,” said Captain Boyce to his mate. “I -think we had better get a boat out.” The order was given, and two sailors, the captain and the mate rowed off to the brig.

A DESERTED SHIP. As they drew nearer they could see no sign of life about her. There was no helmsman on deck. The ship was drifting, and the sails flapped idly against the mast. Not a sound greeted the party as each man climbed over the side.

“It might be plague,” said Captain Boyce. “It can’t be mutiny, "for there are no signs of a struggle on the deck.”

His voice sounded strange and unreal in the uncanny silence. The twosailors shivered in apprehension on the deck. “We’d better go down to the master’s cabin,” said Captain Boyce, when they bad searched the deck without making any discoveries. They (lid so, but, instead of finding a solution in the cabin, what they saw there only served to heighten the mystery. The table was set for a meal, and by the appearance of the food, four persons had arisen from it, with the meal half-eaten.

On the table stood a bottle of cough mixture, from which the cork had been removed and placed beside it. Close to the table, in a sewing machine, was a child’s pinafore. There were other evidences also that betrayed the presence of a woman.

“Let’s see if we can find the log,” said Captain Boyce. “If it’s there, that will give us something to start from.”

They found the ship’s log, the binnacle, and the compass, but the ship’s papers were missing. The log disclosed the fact that the captain’s wife and baby were aboard, and there were only two passengers, and that the ship’s name was Marie Celeste.

There was nothing else to be seen in the cabin, so they went to the forecastle, where they found the lire alight in the galley stove and breakfast ready cooked. Some of the men’s clothing was also hung out to dry. In the mate’s cabin they found on the table two watches, and that was all. Both watches were going. There, as in the forecastle and the master’s cabin, there were no signs of preparations for abandoning the ship. It was clear that all hands had left in too great a hurry to collect any valuables. The sailors had even left their pipes and tobacco behind.

The theory of piracy Was also found to be groundless ; neither the ship’s money box nor any of the valuable cargo had been disturbed. The only story of fact in connection with the uncanny disappearance of the crew comes from Abel Fosdyk, said to have been one of the ship’s company.

REMARKABLE STORY

According to Fosdyk’s story, Captain Briggs bad been suffering from a nervous break-down, and was clearly not in a fit state to have charge of the vessel. But the crew were free from anxiety. They knew the mate was capable, and had confidence in him.

Apparently, there was some ill-feel-ing Between the mate and the captain, for Fosdyk says the captain used to taunt the mate with cowardice in not rroing to the rescue of a drowning comrade. The mate’s defence was that he could not swim with his clothes on. The captain, it appears, insisted that this made no difference, and declared his intention of demonstrating . the fact. ... Fosdyk’s account is so disjointed and fragmentary that it is practically impossible to present a clear account of the events which followed this declaration by Captain Briggs. Apparently, the crew knew that the captain was going into the sea in his clothes, rtnd they endeavoured to prevent him without precipitating a quarrel. But as it was impossible to induce him to change his mind, to watch for his safety, two black hoys in the crew who were good swimmers, were deputed to go with him into the water. Now comes the mystery. Fosdyk says: “Those on board the Marie Celeste were watching the finish of the swimming, when a shriek rent the air, and, without a word of warning, they found themselves in the water.” Fosdyk was hit by a spar, and apparently lost his sanity. How long it was after the catastrophe when Fosdyk was found on the north-west coast of Africa cannot be said, for his account makes no mention of time in this respect. He says he was cared for by three blacks, a‘dark European and his wife, then a small sailing vessel arrived, which took him to Algiers. It should be added, however, that Fosdyk said a huge shark was manoeuvring round the brig when the crew disappeared. WAR AT AH’S LAST GOOD-BYE, Ranking next in importance to the case of the Marie Celeste is the mystery of the Waratah. Who can forget the thrill of horror that ran round the world when the news came through from Cape Town that the Waratah was missing? , , , .. On June 26, 1909, the Waratah sailed out of Sydney on her second and last voyage to London. Durban was reached on July 25. Round for Cape Town, the Waratah loft there the next day with 200 passengers. She was expected at Cape Town on Friday, July 29. Ten hours after leaving Durban, on July 27, a signal from the Waratah was picked up by the steamer Clan Macintvre, which signalled: “Goodbye. A pleasant passage,” aiM the Waratah sent back the message “Same to you.” That was the last that was hea id of the Waratah. On July 28 there was a fierce gale, and on the 30th great anxiety was felt in Cape Town for the Waratah, for no news of any kind had been received. The storm was still raging when, on Sunday,-' the T. E. Fuller, equipped for salvage work, left the Cape Town Docks to search for the missing Waratah, , Hundreds of people, impelled either by fear for the safety or those they loved or through curiosity, came down to wish the T. E. Fuller God-speed and success in its mission. “I shall never forget the sight, said my friend. “The tears of the women mingled with the rain that beat on their wan faces. Oilskin clad, the men stood by, spmbrc-eyed and with heavy hearts. Knowing the coast as they did, they could not hope; they could only wait.” On Monday the tug returned, battered by the waves and weather. Its mission had Been fruitless,. No news, either good or bad, could it bring of the Waratah to her friends in Cape Town.

LID THE WARATAH STRIKE EX-

PLOSIVES?

While the Waratah was between Durban and Cape Town the Borkum, of the Nordeutacher Lloyd Line, was in difficulties in the same latitude. A fire had broken out on board, .and high explosives were in the cargo. To save his ship- from being blown up, the captain decided to jettison the explosives. So violent was the weather that there was no change of touching off the explosives -in the water, so it had to be abandoned. It is contended by many whose opinions are worthy of note that the Waratah struck some of the floating explosive, and was so badly damaged as a result that she could not weather the storm. And yet, if this is the true explanation, it is strange that no wreckage was found. Die explosion would scatter timbers and spars, which would eventually be thrown up along tlio coast. Not even the search of warships discovered any wreckage from the Waratah. It was as il the sea had opened and swallowed up the vessel and her complement.