The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-09-25
UNFATHONED MYSTERY.
The Loss of the City Of Haverhill
Off Barnegat Light.
THE OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION.
II Docs Not Confirm the Contention Of
Mrs. watrous, Widow OF the HaverhiIi's
Captain, That the Vessel Was Destroyed
by Agents of the Spanish Government.

Mrs. watrous, Widow of the Haverhili's
Captain, That the Vessel Was Destroyed
by Agents of the Spanish Government.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 25.-General Du-
mont, supervising inspector Of steam ves-
sells, has just completed an Investigation,
covering several months, of the loss off
Barncgat light, fifty miles south Of New
York, OF the steamer City of Haverhill,
with all on board, on tho night of March
rs last. The report of the investigation
indicates that the wreck of the City of
Haverhill will go down In marino annals
as one Of the unfathomed mysteries.
Thoinvestigation was one Of more than
usual Importance because of certain claims
that might have resulted in an interna-
tional complication with Spain. These
arose from the theory, deeply lodged In the
breast of the widow Of the captain Of the
City Of Haverhill, and persistently nd
hered to by her, that the vessel was under
suspicion by the Spanish authorities Of
being intended for the use of Cuban fill
busters, and had been destroyed by Span
iah agencies
General Dumont from the first secuted
this theory, and refused to believe that the
Spanish authorities would destroy either
by dynamite concealed on board or by the
use OF a submarine torpedo from Span
ish cruiser at that time reported to be
cruising along the Atlantic coast, a steamer
flying the American flag almost within
sight of New York. But there were other
features Of the wreck which he agreed to
thoroughly investigate.
The City of Haverhill was stern wheel
steamer built at Newburyport in 1880. She
was 15O feet long of very light draft (four
feet when light), Of 174 tons displacement
and was valued at s15,U00. She had been
purchased in New York by the Key West
Steamship company for carrying passen-
gers from the main land Of Florida along
the Keys to Key West, and Captain War
rem z. Watrous formerly of Washington,
ID. G., and Key West, Fla. had been sent
to New York to bring her to her destina-
tion. On the morning Of March 27 she
sailed from New York with Captain Wat
rous, his SON, a nephew of Edgar H. Luck
enback, for Norfolk, Va, in tow of the
ocean tug w. A. Luclcnback, intending to
proceed thence by the inland passage to
Key West under her own steam.
Shortly before midnight when off Bar
negat light the tow line was cast off by
the City Of Haverhill, the captain of the
tug claims. The next day the pilot boat
James Gordon Bennett found some Of the
wreckage of the City Of Haverhill and the
body of Captain Watrous, encircled by
life buoy. The press at the time reported
that she had probably foundered in a
storm, but 1t was subsequently established
that the wreckage was seen before the
storm came up early the next morning.
Captain Redmond, In letter to Mrs.
Grace S. Watrous, the widow of the mas
ter Of the Haverhill, stated as his opinion
that the vessel had been blown up.
Captain William, of the tug Luoken.
back, claimed that he was not under con
tract to tow the Haverbill to Norfolk, but
had simply "hitched" on to two barges he
was towing, and that he thought nothing
wrong when he found the Haverhill had
cast off. Mrs. Watrous, however, main
tains that she received letter from her
husband, written before he sailed, saying
he would leave in an hour in tow for Nor
folk. Captain Watrous' sister has also
made affidavit that she was present on the
Haverhill when the contract was dis
oussed, and she understood the sum to be
paid was s100.
The official report does not deal with
any of the theories advanced by Mrs
Watrous as to the cause Of the steamers
loss, but is confined to the statements of
Captain Williams of the tug, Captains
Wolfe and Nelson, of the barges San Joa-
quin and Coal King, respectively, which
were in tow of the Luoken back, and Ed
gar #. Luekenback, the owner of the tug.
Captains Williams, Wolfe and Nelson all
agree in the statement that the City of
Haverhill left the wharf at Brooklyn un-
der her own steam, and did not take the
tow line until off Bedloes Island. At IL
o'clock that night they testify that she
cast off when northeast of Barnegat light
without warning.
The captain of the tug swears that Cap
tain Watrous, of the Haverhill, told him
Mr.. Luckenback had said he could ''hitch
on" as far as he desired, but fatty contra
dicted the affidavit OF Watrous' sister that
any contract was made. He therefore, he
swears, thought nothing of it when he
found the Hayerhill cast off and presumed
that she was making for an inlet Edgar
Luckenback confirms the statement that
he told Watrous he could tow as far as he
desired. The latter's nephew was on
board, and was lost with the rest. Mrs.
Watrous is now residing in this city.