The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1893-11-01
"DERELICTS."
VESSELS DRIFrn;G
OFF THE ATLANTIC COAST.
Dangers To Navigation--St and
Weird Stories Of Their Object
less Voyagcs-Burning
For a Year.

Amc~yA. In thesame region
and period 9bkherelicts-i. O., floating
and abandoned craft--were reported.
The worst derelicts arc cosl-laden and
lumber-laden ships. Tho latter float
the longest, while the former are
particularly dangerous because they
are so heavy and solid. The average
dereliot floats thirty days.
Two years ago the Navy Depart.
ment sent the Yantic TO destroy twelve
wrecks which lay along the Atlantic
coast. Sho found them oil and blew
them into kindling wood. The usual
method is to approach water-logged
hulk in steam launch, drop over the
stump of p mast hoop of iron with
torpedoes attached and then fire the
torpedoes from safe distance by
electricity.
The North Atlantic is the chosen
drifting ground of such floating perils.
Timber traders bound from this coast
TO Europe encounter cyclones on the
way and are deserted by dozens. The
vessels used IN that traffic are com.
monty of Oh antiquated type and so
rotten that only good luck keeps them
on top of the water. Happy are tho
crews to be taken of when they meet
with disaster, before they are drowned
or forced to cannibaism, as in the
case of the Thekla, of Philadelphia,
reported few months ago.
Now and then it happens that some.
body finds derelict with q valuable
cargo and tows her into port, netting
large sum in salvage. The most re-
markable instance OF this sort was that
of British ship called the Resolute,
which was one of three vessels sent to
find Sir John Franklin. During the
winter Of 1851 she was nipped in the
ice of Melville; ;Bay-- tho great sheet
of water crossed tho other day by
Peary-and was abandoned Four
years later she was found by New
England whaler, frozen in q foe and
practically uninIured. She was brought
to New London and Congress bought
her for 5000, 900 from the salvors.
After being thoroughly repaired she
was sent to England as q gift and
token OF amity to her Majesty. Years
later, when she was finally condemned
and broken up, the Queen had desk
made from her timbers and made il q
present TO the President Of the United
States Mr.. Cleveland uses it for his
work every day at the White House.
When ship strikes a derelict the
occurrence is not reported, usually,
because no witnesses are left alive to
tell the tale. But there have been
Gases where vest els have had the luck
to hit such hulks and to escape de.
struction. Only las year the deserted
sFred B. Taylor" was cut squarely
in two by the North German Lloyd
steamship "Trave.' For many months
the bow and stern of the abandoned
craft foated about separately in the
track of commerce, tho former pre-
senting an extraordinary appearance
with bowsprit standing almost perpen.
dicular. Thus two derslicts were made
out of one. InApril, 1889, the steamer
"Cuban," Of Liverpool, ran into
water-logged hulk, cutting into it
thirteen feet. Happily, she escaped
with small damage.
More than three. fourths Of all dere.
licts along the Atlantic coast of the
United States are created by storms of
Cape Hatteras, and from that neigh.
borhood most Of them start on their
strange and obiectless voyage. Usually
they drift eastward until they get
about half way across the ocean, when
they pause and SWING aimlessly abont
In circles. Out in the middle of TIE
wide seas ii is everybody's business to.
destroy them, and therefore nobody's.
So they float about until they sict..
Many Of them ind their way into the
Sargasso Sea. which has been described
as graveyard Of ships" That vast
field of growing marine plants. in
which many queer species Of fishes and
other animals dwell. lies in a sort OF
eddy made by the great revolving
ocean current. Finding their way in
to this vorteT, the wrecks 20 round
sud round until they no longer have
sufficient buoyancy to keep them on
the surface. Then they disappear.
Nobody can tell how many of the
great numbers OF gsod ships which
have sailed sway, never to be heari
from again, have been victims of dere-
licts. For several months during the
early part Of this year an abandoned
hulk called the Agnes Manning lay in
the very track of the trans oceanic
flyers. She was a four .mastcd schooner
| from Philadelphia carving $40 tons