SEAS GREAT MYSTERY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18813, 13 September 1924, Page 11

SEAS GREAT MYSTERY.

STORY OF MARIE CELESTE. BELATED SOLUTION OFFERED. COVER TO THEFT OF MONEY. By Telecraoli—Press Association—Copyright. (Received G. 35 p.m.) A. and N.Z : LONDON. Sept. 12. The Daily Express publishes a long story by Captain H. Lucy, who was wounded at tho Dardanelles, and who has arrived in London from India, purporting to give the solution of the classic sea mystery —tbe abandonment of the Marie Celeste, 52 years ago, when the ship was found drifting with all sails set and not a soul aboard. Captain Lucy says he learned the facts 42 years ago from a man named Triggs, under an oath not to reveal them until Triggs was dead. He believes he is now at liberty to speak.

Captain Lucy says he met Triggs at the Bay View Hotel, Melbourne, whero the latter had been living for five years. He had not been known to do any work. The captain discovered that Triggs had about £100 in a bank, and found him a job as boatswain.

Triggs told Captain Lucy he was boatswain on tho Marie Celeste. They sighted a derelict, on which they found a safe containing £5500 in gold and silver. The captain took £1200. tho mate £600, tho second mate £400, and Triggs £300, the remainder being shared among the crow. Tho captain ordered tho derelict to be sunk, as it was a danger to shipping. The question of tho legality of taking the money arose, and it was decided that they could not sink the Marie Celeste, as she had been spoken, so tho captain and crew quitted in three boats belonging to the derelict, which had been used to bring the money aboard. They painted the name of the London schooner on the boats, and on arriving at Cadiz reported the loss of the schooner by striking a submerged wreck. The party then separated. The object in abandoning the Mane Celeste was to make everything as mysterious as possible. Captain Lucy adds: "I saw Triggs* papers showing he had signed on at Boston aboard the Marie Celeste, but I confess he always covered his name. I believe Triggs knew the name of the derelict, but he said it had been obliterated."

The sailing vessel Marie Celeste left, an American port, in company with another vessel. They parted after clearing the port, but subsequently the second vessel sighted the Marie Celeste in the tropics. The latter,, which had all sails set, was yawing about in a very erratic manner, apparently under no control. A party from the other vessel, on boarding the Marie Celeste, found nobody on board. All the boats were in position, and there was no sign of any struggle or of any occurrence that would account for the disappearance of the ship's company. The galley fire was actually burning, and dinner was in the process of cooking. A further remarakble fact was that a number of reels of cotton were found on the sewing machine of the captain's wife in the cabin, thus indicating that the equilibrium of the vessel had not been in the least disturbed. The mystery has since remained unexplained, although various solutions have been put forward from time to time, some of a fantastic description.