Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-04-07
THE CITIZEN
The Mystery OF the ANaronic.

J
disheartening one, and has awakened the
attention of the maritime nations to the
possibilities of ocean accidents and to the
responsibilities these impose. Not only in
transatlantic waters, but wherever in the
northern hemisphere tide-waters reach, the
season was filled with hardships for sea- 60
ing people, and was bitter with anxieties
for many ashore. The waters were harried
by gale and hurricane; accidents of the
most variant, most unexpected character
swelled the list of unpreventable causes OF
disaster, and from every ocean came tales
of mishsps which proved the futility OF
hoping that modern genius had achieved
the mastery of the sea. Neither profes-
sional skill nor the best construction
seemed on occasion to be of the least
avail; and though fortunately the loss of
life was below the average, yet in several
notable in tances this was due not to hu-
man energy and capacity, but to a good
fortune-callit it what you will-which in
terposed at tie moment when it was most
needed.
Justly or unjustly, one effect of these
numerous accidents has been the deepening
ofthe distrust which possesses so many in
telligent people who otherwise would be
enrolled among the foreign travelling
classes. Public confidence in the security
of the ocean ferrisge was in the beginning
| greatly disturbed by the difficulties which
L haSat savaral of tho hast Enovrn and staunh
est steamers, and now the mystery en-
| shrouding the Naronic has intensified this
dread to degree which will materially af-
feet the shipping interest. Nor is this dis
| quietude confined to laymen, for seafaring
/ persons rated the Naronic so highly that
an accident of character which so far
leaves her fate unknown shows of how
little value, after all, are the highest as
l sumed standards. For this vessel was
hardly year afoat, and was built of steel
l in the strongest manner, and upon lines
and scantlings which did not call for the
| fineness and ightness demanded by racers.
| She had transverse and longitudinal bulk
| heads which would localize the effect OF
| collisions, was fitted with triple expansion
| engines and twin screws, was of displace-
| mant-6594 tons-suficient to cope with
| any sea gale, and was equipped with every
| appliance found in the most modern
| freight steamer. And yet she leaves port,
| encounters one heavy storm-and that is
| all known of her.
Forty days after she had left Liverpool
she sailed on the 11th of February, and
| should have arrived on the 23d-Captain
Wilson, of the British steamer Coventry, ar
| rived at Brennan, and reported he had sight
| ed two of her life-boats. His log showed
that at O'Clock on the morning of March
4th when in latitude 400 north and longi-
tude 46o west, the Coventry passed life
| boat floating kneel upward, painted white
escutcheoned Naronic. Twelve hours later
| another life-boat from the Naronic was
sighted. This one appeared to have met
| heavy weather, was filled half to the gun
wales with water, and was riding to an
improvised sea-anchor, made of the oars
and spars lashed and wooded together,
and attached to the boat by the long drift
# a payed out painter. Here were two
facts, susceptible OF various solutions, but
| tending to show that the Naronic had been
| in such drift tress that her crew had taken
to the boats. The first, standing alone, was
| worth little, for it must be a sharp sea-
mans eyes which at two in the morning,
in mid atlantic, just in the neck of Devil S
| Hole, could read the name stencilled on a
derelict ships boat. Indeed, Captain
Wilson realized this, for he stated that
| W bile he had no doubt the name was Mar
onic, still the boat was capsized, and the
reversed letters could be seen only when
| the ends of the craft were thrown clear of
| the sea. OF the second boat there is no
question, and the sea- anchor, that trusty
| device which has been godsend to sailors
the world over, proved that the boat had
not been washed overheard. but had been
| launched, manned, and managed by some
| of the crew of the Naronic' Neither boat
seemed to have been long adrift and as
they were only little way out of the
track of shipping, is is all Lombard Street
to Seville orange that the ships company
of the second boat has been picked up.
The point where the Coventry sighted
them was about 1870 miles from Liverpool
and 1880 from New York, aud about 14O
miles to the southwark of sthe position
which the Naronic should have reached
on the ninth day out. Six life-boat were
carried, ample for all hands, as, despite
| the earlier rumors, the clew of the Naron-
ic did not muster more than ffty-five, and
| the passengers-cattle- care takers return
| ing for stock-numbered fifteen, or seven
| ty all told.
Of the ship nothing can be said, though
the chances of her still being afoat are
very slight for so many possibilities exist
against this. As to the cause of the dis
aster, who may tellf By the English Mer-
chants Shipping Act of 1854 it was assum.
that vessel might be lost by any of thir
teen causes, the list beginning with the
act of God. running through culpable inef
ficiencies, and ending by the act of the
Queens enemies. At present the causes
are relegated to four classes: first, acci
dents, ETC.; second, errors, ignorance, neg
lect, etc.; third, defective material; and
fourth, perils of the sea. From an exami
nation of Is, ,S2S English and 1867 Ameri
can casualties it was found that for the to
tai number of wrecks, excluding collisions
As per cent. were due to preventable caus
es. These facts show how idle it is t.
speculate upon the subject, for stats
tics further claim that as many as 450'
wrecks occur in year, and that the aver
age loss of life by shipwreck is over 100
What is more, the number of ships which
like the Naronic, leave port and are neve
again reported is startling; for how many
sailors know that of 10 900 vessels lost in
given number of years nearly $50 wer,
never heard of from the day their pilot a
discharged or some sister wanderer on tn,
sea saw them dip below the vergei
J. d. JBRRoLD KELLEY.
In HdrDer'S Ucekly