Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1893-11-11
"DEREI.ICS."
ABANDONED VESSELS DRIFTING
OFF THE ATLANTIC COAST.
Dangers to Navigation Strange AMI
Weird stories of Their object
less Voyages HurEin.
For IA Near.

vessels were wrecked or the
- Atlantic coast os North
America. II the same region
nnd period o. derellc,s Il. e, floating
ara ahandonel crst, wera reported. Il
The worst derelic:s ar cosl-latien aud
lumher-lalen ships. The latter float
the longest, While IL fora,rr are
particularly dang rous because they
are so heavy and solid The average
dcrelict floats thirty davs
Two wears ago the Navy Depart.
nent sent the Yantic T. lestfov twelve
wrecks which lav along the Atlantic
coast. she found them all and blew
them into kinlln4 wood. The usual
method is to approach waterl logged
hulk III steam launch. drop over the
stump OF a mast q hoop Of iron with
torpedocs attached and then fire the
torpedoes from II 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 hv dozens. The
vessels used in that traffic are com
monty Of an antlquated type and so
rotten that only good luck keeps them
on top of the water. Happy are the
crews to be taken off when they meet
with disaster, before they are drowned
Or forced to cannibalism. rs III the
case of the Thehla. Of Philadelphia,
reported n few months ago
Now and then 1t happens that some.
body finds derelict with n valuable
cargo and tows her into port, netting
n large sum III salvage. The most re-
markablc instance Of this sort was that
Of British ship called the Resoute,
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 th. great sheet
| OF water crossed the other tlav bv
| Peary-and was Abandoned -Four
| years later she was found bv New
| England whaler. frozen in a foe and
! practically hnlnjurel She was brought
| TO New London and Congress bought
her for s200,0O0 from the salvors.
| After being thoroughly repairc7l she
WAS sent 70 England as 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 tlmbers and made II n
| present to the President Of the United
States. Mr.. Cleveland uses il cor lis
work every day at the White House
When a ship str kes dcrelict the
occurrence Is not ported, usually,
because no witnesses -c left alive to
tell tho tale. Bat here have been
cases where vessels have had the luck
to hit such hulks ana to- escape de-
struction Only last wear the deserted
"Fred 3. Taylor was cut s1uarelv
in two hv the North German Lloyd
steamship "Travc- For many months
the bow and stern of the abandoned
craft foated about separately IN the
track OF commerce. the former pre-
Een.ing an extraordinary appearance
with bowSprit standing almost perpen
dicular Thus ,wo derelic,s aere male
out Of one In April. 1-sa. the 4tesIr4.r
''CubaE.," # Liverpool. ran INTO o
water-lo2-ol hulk. cut,in- into i,
thirteen feet Happily, she escaped
with small damage
More than taree-io -ioarths 81 all iere-
l;ct- along the Atlantic coast ci the
United States are created By storms 81
Cape Ha,tera~. anei from tina. neigh
borL0od mos; II thcra start on sheu
strange ani objectles4 vovage Usually
;hey drif, eazt~ari NATL they &c:
\ about nal. wav across the ocean, when
Il .hev raus- aai s~inS airnlcssly aboo:
vide seas i IS evervtcdv's business 20
destroy them. sa1 therefore nopody's
- the- aoat ahont until they sick
Many q them @ai tael, say in:o tbs