St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-26
A MYSTERY OF THE SEA.
Clark Russell's Tale of the Ocean Star
Founded Upon Fact.
LOST IN A BINDING FOG.
Bow the Brig Mary Celeste Was Aban-
doned in Midocean and Sailed Fer
Days Without a Crew.

In his latest collection of sea sketches,
Clark Russell tells story which he
calls The Mystery of the Ocean Star"
1t is an interesting yarn, and sounds
like ''twister' spun in the forecaste.
The steamer Guide, on Aug. %, 1887, in
latitude IL deg. north and longitude 81
deg. west, runs out of fog and en-
counters the bark Ocean Star, which
was drifting about with some of her
sails set and the rest in disorder. as
though the yards had been hurriedly
lowered and the canvas not clewed up.
The mate of the Guide boards the bark,
but finds nobody aboard, although the
galley fire is alight and fowl is boiling
III saucepan on the stove. Everything
is in good order above and below decks,
the well is dry, and no reason appears
why the crew should have abandoned
the vessel. The last entry in the log is
dated ten days before, but it gives no
clew to the mystery. The absence of
one of the boats shows how the crew
left, but they must have left long before
the bark was sighted by the Guide. And
yet the fresh galley fire shows that
somebody was aboard when the bark
was first seen.
A salvage crew is put aboard and the
vessels part company. The next day
the Ocean Star picks up the missing
crew drifting in small boat. and part
of the mystery is explained. Ry acct
dents and disease the crew had been re-
duced to five men, commanded by the
second mate. The mate fell overheard
and four Of the men got into the boat to
pick him up, leaving young fellow to
take care of the bark. They were lost
in fog, the wind freshened and the
Ocean Star sailed away from them.
The author accounts for the galley fire
by supposing that the young seaman
was aboard when the steamer hove in
sight, and accounts for his absence
when the mate of the Guide boarded the
bark by supposiDg that he sprang upon
the rail to watch the steamer, tripped
and fell overheard and was drowned.
BIZ this reads like pure fiction, and is
seemingly an invention Of Mr.. RusselFs
lively Imagination, but it founded on
fact and is intended as fancied solu-
ton of q real sea mystery. In 1888 the
following dispatch was printed in the
Boston Globe:
SHE HAILED FROM BOSTON.
WHO CAN IxPLIN WHY AND HOW THE MARY
CELELTE WAS ABANDONED.
NEW YORK. MAY ZS.-1nc American Drl1
Mary Celeste, 26S tons register, under the
command of Capt 81 Fleming, sailed from
this port last week Zen years ago British
merchantmen sailing the Mediterranean saw
the Mary Celeste a few miles to the leeward
with all sail set vet behaving i'll such man.
ner that sailor could see that something
was wrong Receiving no answer to their
hail, they boarded her. The sight that greeted
them there excited u feeling of intense curl
osity.
Every sail was set, the tiller was dashed
fast and not rope was out Of place. Every
thing allow and aloft were in perfect order.
The fire was burning quietly i'll the galley:
The dinner was standing untasted and
scarcely cold. The cargo in the hold was in
tact. The pumps were dry
No one, living or dead. was on board. The
sailors searched vainly for an explanation of
the sudden disappearance Of the captain, his
wife, his child and the crew
The log, written up 10 the hour OF djscov-
cry. showed that she hailed from Boston.
There was nota drop of blood lock of
hair. disoIdered room or anything TO show
the sign OF a struggle.
The boats were in their places. There was
not the slightest clue by which reasonable
hypothesis could be advanced TO explain
where the crew had gone,
From that day to this not the slightest cleW
has been obtained by the owners. nor have
they ever been able to frame an explanation
OF how she was abandoned, or hazard guess
as TO why she was abandoned.
Capt Flemming says that she has been
lucky ship ever since, and that never ghost
or spook of those who vanished have ever
appeared on her since. In the cabin child
toys were scattered around, and piece Of a
womans dress was still under the needle OF
the sewing machine.
Clark Russell's story is an attempt to
answer the question asked in the headi-
ness of the dispatch, but, while it is
ingenious. it is far from the true answer.
The dispatch itself is somewhat mac
curate statement of the case, and lit
tie more picturesque in detail than the
facts warrant.
THE MYSTERY OF THE MARY CELESTE.
On Dec. !. 1873. the British brigantne
Del Gratia, in latitude IS deg. 20 min.
north. longitude IL deg. so min. west,
found the MaryCeleste abandoned at sea.
She was running under topSails, fore
sail, jib and foretopmast staySail, with
yards squared, and, of course, was steer
ing wild.
The gangway was unshipped and the
fOrehatch was lying bottom upward on
the deck. The long boat was gone and
the chr onometer and ships papers
missing. Not soul was on board and
It was evident that she had been hastily
abandoned. The log book was left be-
hind and the last entry was under date
of Nov. -, when the brigantinc was in
latitude % deg. 2 min. north, longitude
p deg. 81 min. west. indicating that she
had been cruising without crew for
eight or nine days.
A drawn sword was lying on the
cabin floor, and some spots resembling
blood stains on the blade gave rise to
suspicious of mutiny before the aban-
donment, but there were no other indi-
cations of strife. Every thing was in
its place, and even vial of medicine
on the cabin table had not been upset.
On the table were some pieces of cloth,
showing that n woman had been sewing
there Just before she had been called TO
go in the boat
The Mary Celeste was loaded with al
cohOl in red oak bprreS. and had sailed
from New York five days ahead of the
Del Gratia. Both vessels were bound
to Genoa. The captain of the Del
Gratia put three men on board the Mary
Celeste, and the two vessels separated
in the night and did not meet again
until they had both arrived in the pOIt
of Gibraltar, the Mary Celeste getting
in ahead.
The brgantine was libeled for sal
wage. and Capt. j. ii. Winchester, of
New York. one of the owners, went to
Gibraltar to Get her released. Capt.
Winchester did not believe the mutiny
theory, and diSproved 1t by having the
snots on the sword blade examined 10y
chemist. The spots were found to be
nothing but rust. Capt. B. S. Briggs,
of New Bedford was master and one
eighth owner of the Mary Celeste. and
he had his wife and child with him on
the voyage. The mate, Richardson. was
man of excellent character, the cook
was respectable white man. and the
ten sailors were Germans. 4 mutiny
in such 4 ships company was highly
improbable.
WHY THE BRIG WAS ABANDONED.
Capt. WincheSter's investigations
brought out several facts which made
l.,