St. Paul daily globe., 1888-08-19
Fate of the Good Clipper-Ship
Farragut.

Farragut.
New York Tribune.
On the Goth of last January the good
clipper-ship Farragut, Capt. Hardwicke,
sailed from Calcutta hOmeward bound.
From that time nothing has been heard
of her, for the 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 like so many
staunch vessels before her, and the
probability is that her fate will never
be known. Already she has been struck
off the maratlme 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 well slowed, her Spars sound
and generally we'll found. After that
nothing is ever heard of her, and con-
lecture is vain. A sudden squall NAV
have taken her and sent her to the bot
tom stern foremost, or she may have
fOundered in gale after all her boats
had been destroyed, or her boats may
have got away and perished one by one
OH the wide ocean plains. Sometimes,
massacre, and the survivors may have
made their way to some tropical island,
there to live as "beach-cOmberS'' or
turn savage with the savages.
When tre occurs at sea on merchant
vessel, unless the weather is very bad
at the time, the crew generally succeed
in getting away. A mutiny may be fol-
lowed by the burning of the ship as
means of destroying eliminating evil
dence. In the China seas there are still
some pirates, and vessel becalmed in
the neighborhoOd 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 cases if there are no
| firearms on board it might 90 hard with
the ships company, but a good supply
of shOt-gunS or rifles in the hands
of white men is usually a guarantee
against Chinese pirates. Still, many
vessels have met their fate in that un-
| lucky region, and nothing has remained
to tell the story. Typhoons, too, are
doubtless responsible for not a few
mysterious disappearance of yes
sels, eI and taaeesnin+ once in a while while prob
ship and sinks her suddenly
| with all hands. In the Indian ocean
| furious squalls often come up at night
| wife swiftneSS very menacing to any
heavy-sparred clipper slipping along
with studdingsails set allow and aloft,
| and here again is possible cause of
| destruction, and one which might over
4 take the most cautious skipper if his
officers were less sedulous in consulting
! the glass.
Occasionally the mysteries are pre-
sented in the most bewildering 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 meal were in the galley
| copperS. the chrOnOmeterS, compaSseS,
charts and instruments were in the
cabin, but no ships papers. The name
| of the stern was painted out; nothing
had been left by which to ideutlfy her.
Yet all these precautions had been
taken deliberately, while the. final
evacuation seemed to have been effected
with suddenness suggesting mortal
panic. The mems things were in
the top-galIant forecastle; the cap
tain's and officers effects were all in
their respective cabins under the poop.
/ The whole appearance of the vessel in
dicated that her people had left her on
| the spur of the moment, driven by some
| overmastering impulse or fear. She
had encountered no bad weather sinc9
the desertiOn. Her yards were
| braced up as for trade wind, and there
| was no disorder on her decks or down
| below. No line of writing was found to
| give clew to this dark secret of the sea,
| and to this day it has remained an in
| soluble puzzle to every seaman acQuaint-