Connecticut western news., 1888-08-08
SECRETS OF THE SEA.
The Mystery Surrounding the
 Fate of Certain Vessels.

rate OI Cerlaln VeSSelS. Many Dangers to Which Ocean
 Travellers Are Subjected.
 g O. tue 26th of last January the good clipper ship Farragut, Captain Hard wicke, sailed from Calcutta homeward bound. From that time nothing has been heard of her, for tho report that her wreck had been seen some twelve hundred miles from Calcutta does not appear to have any solid foundation. She passed away into the ocean l;ke so many staunch vessels before her, and the probability is that her fate will never Le known. Already she has been struck off the maritime list, which means that she is definitely given up as lost. The records of marine disaster contain many more cases of this kind than landsmen would be apt to suppose. A ship leaves port apparently in good condition, her cargo we'll slowed, her spars sound, and generally we'll found. After that nothing is ever heard of her, and conjecture is vain. A sudden squall may havo taken her aback and sent her to the bottom stern foremost, or she may have foun- dered in gale after all her boats hal been destroyed, or her boats may have got away and perished one by one on the wide ocean plains. Sometimes, but rarely, there has been mutiny and massacre. and the survivors may have made their way to some tropical island, thore to live as "beach com bers" or turn savage with the savages.
 When fife occurs at sea on Q amer chant vessel, unless the weather is very bad at tho timc, the crew generally succeed in getting away. A mutiny may be fol- lowed by the turning of the ship as a means of destroying eliminating evil dence. In the China seas thero are still some pirates, and vessel becalmed in the neighbour ooi of some of the islands scattered in groups there might incur the danger of attack by the wicked looking junks that are usually concealed in the passages between the islets. In such case if there were no firearms on board it might go hard with the ships company, but good supply of shot, guns or rifles in the hands of white men is usually guarantee against Chinese pirates. Still, many vessels have met their fate in that unlucky region, and nothing has remained to tell the story. Typhoons, too, are doubtless responsible for not a few mysterious disappearan ces of vessels, and once in while proba- ply waterspout bursts over ship and sinks her suddenly with all hands.
 Occasion lily the mysteries arc pre-. sented in tho most bewilderiug way. Such case was that of vessel, which, several years ago, was found drifting with all sail set and not soul on board. All her boats were on the davits, the materials for a meal were in the galley coppers, the chronometers, compasses, charts and instruments were in the cab in but no ships papers. The name on the stern was painted out; nothing had been left by which to identify her. Yet all these precautions had been taken deliberately, while the final evacuation seemed to have been effected with a suddenness suggesting mortal panic. The mems things were all in tho top. gallant forecastle; the captains and off, fcer's effects wero all in their respective cabins'under the poop. The whole ap- pearance of the vessel indicated that :, her people had left her on the spur of tho moment, driv- en by somo overmastering impulse or fear. She had encountered no bad weather since tho desertion. Her yards were braced up as for trade wind, and there was no disorder on her decks or down below. No line of writ ing was found to give clcw to this dark secret of tho sea, and to this day 1t has remained aa insoluble puzzle tc every seaman acquain ted with the facts. Sad and mysterious as arc disappear. ances such as that of the Farragut, ii must be admitted that there is some. thing even more perplexiug in the dis covery of derelicts aband oned SO incom prehensibly as was the vessel hero re ferred to. It should be added that sht was not leaking, nor were her spar' sprung or strained, and no reason could be perceived in anything about her fol the disappearance of her crew and off
 cers. -[New York Tribune.