Arizona silver belt., 1895-05-04
SUNKEN SHIPS.
American Gunboats That Wont
 Down Forever.
Brief Review of Naval Losses During Cen tury Famous Men of . War That Have MysteriouSiy Disappeared
 from View.

Since the last grent storm swept across the Atlantic It has become req sonably certain that more than one yes scl has been swallowed mp in the waves In some instances the fate of the lost vessels has been learned from the wrcclSagc seen by passing ships; but it has happened, many times since men first began to go down into the deep in ships, that m apparently stout stanch vessel has set sail gayly from port only tU vansh as completely as if her voyage had been outside of the solar system Even the American navy has suffered such losses, that are to-day and perhaps always will be an unsolved mystery.
 The first important loss of this kind, says the Boston Advertiser, was the eightccn-gun man-of-war Saratoga, one of the few ships that composed the American navy 11G years ago. The loss of the Saratoga was in itself . story that might well attract the notice of writer of fiction, as it occurred at the close of what promised to be sig nally successful cruise. The Saratoga saled from Philadelphia early in the autumn of l7sO, and in October captured three vessels bound from Jamaica to New York Returning toward Phila- dGlphia with her prizes the Saratoga sighted the British Inan-of-war Intrepid, and being clearly out-matchcd escaped by putting oil to the east Her prizes were rccaptured by the British, and sho herself disappeared utterly from human ken.
 Just about twenty years later the United States frigate lnsurgcnt, carry ing thirty-six guns, sailed from the Chesapeake Capcs under orders to cruise between longitudcs sixty-six dc grces and sixty-cight degrees west and to go no farther south than thirty de- grccs north. IL is probably within that very tract of the ocean that the Saratoga was lost, and it was regarded as signiti- cant by some of the old salts of the American navy at the beginning of the present century that the InSurgcut, too, sailed of into the list of ships whose faith no man knows. For all one can say to tue contrary tue Iusurgent and the Suratoga lie side by side off the Chesapeake Capes.
 In the same year, the only year in which two of the American mcu-of-war myslcriously disappeared, the fourteen gun brig Pickering was ordered to Guadcloupc to cruise along the coast there. In September, 1900, heavy gale swept the ocean, and it was gcncr- ally believed at the time that ~. in- surgcnt and the Pickering went doyyn at about the sarLc lime and in practic- auy Inc same storm. The Pickering was not very seaworthy vessel when cquiPPcd with guns, and there is little question that she foundcred during a gale although there Is of course no cer- taiuty us to her fate
 When in lSs5 the United States de- cidcd to send ten gunboats to help in tho war against Tripoli one of these vessels. known as "GuubOat No 7,' met with mishap after leaving port and was forced to put back again. Per haps if Lieut.. James Lawrence, who commanded "Gunboat No G." had been assigned to the unlucliy No T." which Lieut.. ogclvie commanded, American naval history might have been different. As it was No G' arr rived safely, and Lawrence lived 10 de- feat the Peacock and to fight the shan non; but Lieut.. Ogelvie's gunboat went forth again after repairs and sailed into the mysterious waters of the un- known, and another missing ship was entered on the navy's rolls.
 The most famous of all the missing ships of the American navy was the Wasp. In it's brief history 1t had a brilliant record, having within pc. rlod of five months taken fifteen yes sels. valued at more than two hundred thousand dollars Its prowess as q terror uf the seas was so remarkable that its name had grown to be menace to British merchantmen. Late in the year lslI, less than six months after she bad left the Portsmouth navy yard for her career of victory the Wasp dis appeared completely. Perhaps some the enemy had weakened the sloops timbers so that she fell an easy prey to wind and water; but, whatever hap pcncd, she left no trace.
 The last Aruerican man-of-war to vanish was the brIg Eperyier, which sailed from Decaturs fleet to the United States 10 bear the treaty made with the Dey of Algiers. July l3 1915, the EpervIcr was last seen near the strait of Gibraltar. Since that time she, too, has joined the fleet of the missing. Where the vessels of that fleet lie and what became of the crews are matters that may never be known until the judgment day; but perhaps chance may yet throw some light on the ques- ton In the meantime the theme is one that may we'll invite the attention of the imaginative novelist