Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1853-06-24
Tho E!Nterious Disappearance of American
iuIScr>.

Iho E!steriouS Disappearance of American
iuiIer>.
4 cores spondcut OF the Portland .idreriyscy
gives the following interesting "reminiscences
Of vessels OF the American navy. that have
from time to time disappeared, leaving no clue
to their fate. Vessels of war are, of course
subjected to certain risks from the rmarnzines.
not shlred III bY the mercantile marine, as
oopcr has suggested, II is prob ihle that some
which suddenly disappear have been blown
up at SEA. \ stroke of lightning reaching the
Int"aZ!ur, "A sudden squlil, or il heavy guc,
WcnHlleej from preceding encounters with an
,n-.J, ru,ldo, .,.,i ,-i..,,s t nnutii.t ,,5su
at sca, IN which both perish, are the several
tatn> by which these disapparanccS can only
be accounted for.
The fist on the lis, is the Saratoga. IL,
Captlln Young, which vessel disappeared in
October, i7cU. In that month and Y, a., after
capturing a shin ana two briIs, two ui them
well armed, the Sirn'oLa made sail to convey
her lrZes To the Capcs Of the Delaware. The
following day the pri2'S were re.Cap;ured hy
the Inrep!l, H. enI rh,u,n the Safpto5t es-
clpcd, i was only t. net wore tlte, us She
was never hrn,d ol more
In July, 1850. tIe irgate Insurgcnte IS,
Capt Patrlca Fletcher, recentiy captured from
!
OF lrglnin. with instructions to keep between
onLItude Gj deg. and 6-. aud to run as far
south as - dag north latitude, and to return
within eight weeks 10 Annapolis A higher
power orIa;nGd sa1 should never return: as
with the exception OF "a few private letters t r.
wlrded by vessels spoken with, she was never
seen Or heard o.! after.
In Angus, of the same year, the Pickering,
II, Capt. B.ul. IilIiar, sailed for the GLuda-
loupe station, never 10 return, as in the case of
the ln4mrgentr, all ON bolrd parshed-" not
one was left TO tell the tale" Vague rumours
were set aholt at the time, that the two vessels
run atoul Of each other IN gale-a tale, now
eyer unsuUstantlated, US tle Pickering was
sent to a station winch the lnsurgenle woulc
be llitc likely to vi-, or seek.
The next loss Of tins kIud which tiud re,
coraed is that Of Cum Boat, No5. Sne sailed
from New-lo logk, commanded by Lieuienau
Oglylc, May 4, lo05, for the Mediterranean
but sprnging her mast returned to relit unC
salad IA second time, June 2O;h, after whicl
she was never heard from. TINS vessel WA
sloop rugged and carried TWO heavy BIS.
In lcll, the United States Sloop. of-w
Wasp, l., Capt. B.lkely, after capturing til,
Reindeer and Avon, both ls's, in TWO scplrat,
engagements, the last on the first Of Septem-
pcI, CbHtlHNcu NcE HlOTIouS CIulLS ulll III
2iSt of the same m1nth, when she put the pre-
sent Commodore GClsenger and crew OF
men on board a prize brig, intending to con
tlnue her own cruize to the Islands Of tn
Azores. This, for years after, was all tina
was known Of her fate, though various rumor
got atlout respecting II. 1t was sIld that Il
English frlgate went into Cadlz, very muc
shattered aul crippled from an engagement
with an American corvette, which sudden
disappeared III the night, and 1t was though
sunk. Another story prevailed, that the GREY
were prisoners 10 the Arabs, the ship haviu
been lost on the African coast.
Several years after, the melancholy ineres
in the fate o. the Wasp and her brave detent
ers was revived by an examination of the 10
book Of the Swedish brig Adonls, from whic
It appeurs that having Lieut. Mcknight an
VI. Lyman, late of the Essex, on board, as pa,
sengers, on October oh following, being the
III lat. Is 35 north, long. 30 10 west, I'll
Adons spoke with the Wasp and transtere
these passengers at their request to her, whlc
Is the last account Ct hlr being seen,
that was ever known of her fate, or Of Il
two gentlemen who embarked Oh board. /
THIS meeting the officers of the Wasp Teporte
her recent action with he Reindeer. and pl'
that they had sunk another vessel, without b'
- ing able to save single person, or even leai
her name.
This was 900 miles further south, aud &C
o west cf where Mr. Gelsenger had LETT her
y days before; and it is presumed Capt B. il
s. tended running down the Spanish NJ in, al
. through the " est Indies, in obedience to h
orders. There is only one other rumor respec
ing this ship that has any plauslbiity. IL
At that two English fngates chased an Amer
can sloop of war off the southern coast, abo
lhe nme the WEED should arrive, and I'M u