The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-02-06

She was sighted off the Bahamas. but
from that day to this nothing more was
heard of her. In 1850 the Southern
Cross disappeared in the same manner.
A few years later an emgrant steamer
the Nomad. | think-went down with
eight hundrer souls, and the cause of
the disaster was never known. Between
1860 and 1870, no less than eighteen ves-
sells disappeared in the same myster-
ious way. Coming down to later date
we have the Crusader-the old Crusader
| mean,-the Cleptic, the White Slave,
the Ontario, an American liner, and a
host of others. In 1890 we have the
Erin, of the National line, the Italian
bark Silvio, which sailed from Holy
head in January of that year and was
subsequently spoken in the North At
lantic, the Thanemore. British steam
er, and the Roman Empire, a splendid
iron ship which was passed on the 11th
of June by homeward bound vessel
and reported all Well But, perhaps
the strangest case OF all was that of the
German ship. the Maria Rickmers,
about which there has been so much
talk lately in the shipping world"
Il remember hearing of her." said
Capt. LortOn. she was five-masted
bark, think, and said to be the largest
sailing ship ailoat."
We'll, this magnificent vessel. fully
manned, and in charge of experienced
officers sailed from Saigon for Bremen
on the 18th of July, 1882. 1t was only
her second voyage, mind you. She was
sighted in the Atlantic. about three
hundred miles west of the Azores. and
the total disappearance of such u ship,
in comparatively fine weather is one Of
the most remarkable Of these ocean
mysteries. From all those vessels. not
one soul escaped to tell of the disaster
and save in one or two instances, not
even a boat or life buoy belonging to
them was picked up. How did they
disappear? You will say they foun-
dered in a gale; possibly some of them
might have done so, but not all. How
do you account for the fact that dozens
of other vessels crossed the Atlantic in
safety at the very same time, often
without encOuntering unusually bad
weather."
1T seems strange. certainly" re-
marked Moxly.
"It just comes to this" continued the
skipper in rather excited way. for he
was now thoroughly warmed into the
subject. at just comes to this: An un-
known danger lay in the path of those
vessels-or some of them, at any rate
they came upon 1t suddenly, perhaps III
the dead of night when they We're least
| prepared. and the result was an appall-
| ing disaster"
But ] don't see how all this proves
the existence of a mid-Atantic rock,
said Capt. Lorton.
"Wait a minute; I'm coming to that
| presently" replied Linklater. "In '76
was bound from Pensacola, in Florida
| to Falmouth, with a cargo of grain.
My vessel-.the bark st. Kilda, of Suth-
| erland-afterward wrecked, you may
remember. off Cape Hatteras-was what
you might call a clipper, though good,
safe boat in a heavy sea. Her qualities
| werc well tested on that voyage, at any
rate; we came in for one of the stiffest
| gales | ever encountered In the Allan
| tic. After trying to hold her on her
course for some hours, / had to give it
| up as a bad job. and let her drive. We
| ran away before the wind for the best
part of two days in a westerly di-
| recton.
"When the gale slackened bit, I
got the vessel round, and commenced to
| beat back to our former course. 1t was
still blowing fresh enough, the sea
running high, and the clouds showing
signs of more wind, so we had to be
sparlng with our canvas One night
just as / was about to go below and
turn in, the man in the bows suddenly
| sung out: