Connecticut western news., 1889-05-01
Three Marine Mysteries.

Isuppose that a hundred ships come and go where one is lost, but when one reflects on the dangers to which they gre exposed he must marvel that so many escape. saw list of thirty-six miss Ing ships the other day, missing from American, English and French ports, md the fate of each was unknown or guessed at. Say that half of them foundered in mid d-ocean, five were run down in collision, five more were wrecked on capes or shoals where all hands perished, and what became of the rest7 Say that three of the remainder were destroyed by fire, and what fate shall we attach to the other five2 From he moment vessel leaves port to begin her voyage she is exposed to danger, md though sailor may be ever so brave aud hardy, he cannot shake off The knowledge that he lives on the verge ,f the grave. There are gales, and fogs, md collisions, and fire, and hidden rocks, and powerful currents; and so I repeat that it is a marvel more sailing craft are not added to the lones ome list of missing which is recorded year by year.
 In the year 1885, as the British bark Lord Oldham, of which I was second mate, was approaching the Canary Islands, and when about 180 miles dis tant, we were caught in the tail end of a cyclone and badly knocked about. We got out with some slight loss and a great leal of discomfort, and were bearing up again to our course when great calam- ity happened. Half an hour before midnight, while the bark was doing her best under fresh breeze, a sudden and great shock was felt. Her masts went by the board, and, as I reached the deck, minute after the shock, the hull seemed to split open from stem to stern. I had gone below to get glass of bit ters, leaving the deck only thirty sec onds before the shock came. I was knocked down and confused, but it could not have been over sixty seconds before I regained the deck. It was just in time to be carried overheard. went with lot of raffle from the decks, and amid the fright ened cries of the men, and quarter o1 an hour later, when had lashed myself in the crosstrees of the mainmast, could not get an answer to any of my calls to the rest of the crew. How ii was that all were lost I never could make out. There was raffle enough to have aoated 500 men, and my watch certainly all wide awake at the moment of the collision. The only explanation can give is that they were somehow caught and crushed. I drifted during the rest of the night, and was picked up in the morning by vessel bound in. By that time the wreckage had drifted apart until nothing could be found Nothing whatever was picked up or cas upon any shore, and had I not beer saved, the fate of the bark could onl, have been guessed at.
 What did she collide with2 Tn, lookouts were on the low, and alert and the night so clear that ship could have been seen mile away. The char showed clear water for hundred mile about, and VIC must have run full til upon some vessel which had been dis masted and bilged in the hurricane. I loaded with timber, her decks would have been awash, and she would hay. been as bad as rock to collide with | There was only one shock, and tn, whole bows of the bark were crushed jl by it.
 Three years later, while off the Bank of Brazil in small English ship calle, the White Cloud, another strange thin, happened. was first mate of this ship and about 10 o'clock in, the forenoon the weather being very fine and the win light, had all the men on deck settin up the rigging, some Of which ha slackened away. A man aloft suddenl hailed the deck with the informatio that large whale was bearing down O the ship head on. We were mer chant vessel, and the sight of whal had no interest for us We went O. with our work for three or four minutes when the man again hailed me with:
 ssIf that fellow holds his course h will be dead on to us. He's big fel low, and coming like an iron steamer. ] Iran forward to get look, and th