New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-06-27
A MYSTERY OF THE SEA.
WRECKAGE SIGHTED AND TWO VESSELS
OVERDUE.
AND THE STEAMER VEGA HAVE
BEEN IN COLLISION.

BEEN IN COLLISION.
Wreckage sighted on June %, about $50 miles
east Of Sandy Hook, and the fact that two ves-
sells are greatly overdue, have led shipping men
TO fear that there is possibility that terrbln
ocean disaster has occurred somewhere of the
coast They do not like to give utterance to their
apprehensions for fear Of arousng useless alarm,
as it is hoped that at least one of the ships Will
arrive in the next few days to dspel their anxiety
But there is good reason for thinking that the
fate of one of the vessels the ful-rigged sup
Frederick b. Taylor, is scaled, and that the
wreckage seen on June 23 was the last mute
witness of an accident which sent her with her
crew Of txenty-three men to the bottom Of the
Atlantic Ocean. The other vessel which is over
DUE and which il is thought may have come In
collision with the Frederick b. Taylor, is the
Portuguese steamship Vega, six days overdue yes
terday, and having on board at least BIG steera9e
PASSENGERS whom she took at Gibraltar, and 1t 10
supposed that she took aboard 100 or 200 more
at Lisbon.
News Of both vessels has been vainly looked for
for some days, and on Saturday the anxiety re-
Qarding them was increased ahG shipping men
were set TO figuring by the report OF the tank
steamship Ocean, which arrived at this port on
that day from Amsterdam. When about $50 miles
east Of Sandy Hook on Tuesday morning, June
%, she sighted a strange iaTge object adrift In
the heavy swell. Captain Boge heaued for 1t, and
when the ship got near 10 1t he saw that IL was
the afterpart Of a large full-rgged ship. floating
on it's side, with part Of the stern submerged,
while the keel showed above the surface Tho
ship had evidently been cut in two and 50 sharply
that the indications were that vessel fn swim
motion had done the work She had been struck
lust forward Of the mizzen channels on the port
side, and the wreckage still so bright that 10
was evident the accident had not occurred more
than two or three days before the Ocean sighted
il. The wrecked vessel had large round stern
and was painted black. Owing TO the can't to
port the name Of the ship was under water, ana
though Captain Boge ran around the wreckage, he
could see only the words yarmouth, n. s." u
her stern.
When the report OF the captain of the Ocean
was made public. lie was at once visited by people
who have been anxious for some time about the
ship Frederick 3. Taylor. This ship was forty
four days out from liavre yesterday, and the iass
that was heard of her was when she was spoken
on June II about 900 miles east of Sandy HOOK
The ship was commanded by Captain E. T. Hurl-
bert. twenty-eight years old, had crew OF
twenty-five men, and was bound to New-fork in
ballast. being chartered by Paul Gerhardt Of the
Brazil Mail Line, load at this port for Buenos
Ayres The description OF the wreckase which was
giyen to the inquring visitors by Captain boge.
and the circumstance and place, have confirmed
their worst apprehc nsions, and they fear that the
wreckagc seen BY Captain Boge was part Of the
Frederick b. Taylor
The fact that the Portuguese steamship Vega
bound To- this port from Lisbon, is also six days
overdue. and that inquiries yesterday being
made about her by her agents. at once led to tho
thought that there might be a connection between
her non-appcarance in port and the mysterious
wreckage sighted by Captain Boge. The Vega.
commanded by Captain Rosa sailed from Gibraltar
with BIG stecrage passengers aboard, and then
touched at Lisbon where she took many more, the
exact number being unknown. But she usually
carried 800 10 500 passengers, and IL Is Deuevec
that she had at least that number when she sailed
from Lisbon on June ). The agent said yester-
day that she had been expected mere at tno
latest on Wednesday last week. She generally
required only fifteen days TO make the trip, ana
this time she was out twenty-one days up 10
naturally have been such as to bring them TO-
gether al somewhere between the points where
the ship Frederick b. Taylor was sighted on
June II. and the point where the wreckage was
seen on June %. No ship that came in lately
has brought tlngs of either vessel
The steamship Vega is thirteen years old, hav-
ing been built in Newcastle, England, In 1917
She is 36l feet long, and OF 1913 tons register.
She flies the Portuguese flag, aud plies between
this port and Lisbon and other Portuguese and
spanish ports. Her agents here are Amsinck *
Co., of 40. l4l Pearl-st She usually stops at
the Azores on the westward passage;
The Frederick b. Taylor IS iull-rigged Eng
sh ship and was built in 1888 at Tusket, \; >.
She is 231 feet long aud Of l,19s tons purden.
Her owners are William Law Il Co., OF Yarmouth,
\. s Captain IIurberts wife accompanied him
10 Havre on the eastward trip, but came back by
steamship. and is in this city, where she bore
a child last Wednesday. Captain Hurlbert is