The evening times., 1896-08-12

The Navy Department has many inter
esting records Of its ships that have met
with sad endings, but none more so than
the brief accounts Of six different ones
summed up tersely i'll these words: Never
heard fron.''
This laconic expression Is familiar 10 all
sca followers, and it contains world OF
meaning il rightly understood. There have
been ships that have gone down In bat
tie with the flags flying defiantly at the
masthead, and others that have hattled
braveiy against the adverse elements until,
waterlogged, they have sunk within sight
of land; but to be lost at sea, with no mention
of the disaster because OF lack of all detail,
is 10 meet fate hardly deserved.
Early in the history Of our navy sucL a
mystery closed about one Of the first vessels
flying the new Stars and Stripes. The
Inflated Saratoga, and eighteen-gun ship,
after performing brilliant service on the
high seas, sailed forth upon the great
ocean and disappeared forever from all
is briefly summed up in few sentences.
LOSS OF THE SARATOGA.
After capturing three English prizes she
was intercepted on her way to Philadelphia
with them by the British seventy-four-gun
ship OF the line Intrepid, and after a long
ightsheescapedfro froInher rheavieradversary.
Nofurther word from the Saratoga was ever
received, and no signs OF her wreckage
were ever discovered. She probably fonn.
dered at sea i'll gale, but she never left
any one behind to tell the tale.
in JG2n n ho l0ee
or similar character occurred twenty
years later. The Begun frigate IDsur-
gent, ,conmaudedb by Capt, Patrick Fletcher,
was originally under the French flag, but
after she was captured by the Constella-
ton off the Island of Nevis she sailed
under the American flag until the end of
her short career.
She had sealed orders to sail from the
Chesapeake capes out to sea. but after
she started on ber easterly course no
word from any ship brought tidings of
the Insurgent. She disappeared COM
pIetely. No one on board Of her was
ever saved to give official Confirmation
OF the story of her loss.
The 14-gun brig Pickering met with
similar fate. She was cruising Off Quad
aloupe, with Master Commandant Benja-
min Hitler in charge, when severe storm
arose and swept the seas. 1t is generally
supposed that the vessel which was an
unseawortby tub, foundered with all on
board.
LEFT NO TRACE BEHIND.
Pieces OF wreckage were picked up
along the coast, but as SO many vessels
We're lost during this gale there was no
certainty ofidenufying them. tits thought
also That the same storm might have caused
the loss Of the Insurgent, although as to
this no trust worthy account can be found
The next yesseli In our navy to disappear
In this mysterious fashion was known as
gunboat No. Z, commanded by Lieut..
ogelvie. She sailed from New York May
II, 1908, 10 increase our naval force
then engaged in the war with Tripoh
She returned to this port after being out
for few days, and then she sailed on
June 90 the second time. But she never
reached ber destination. Although nine
other boats left about the same time for
the MEDITERRANEAN service and all reached
their points iu time, gunboat No. Z was
lost, and no word was ever received froin
any of her officers or crew.
The loss OF the Wasp followed this dis
aster. The mystery about this handsome
naval fighter is generally familiar to all
readers OF American history. Her exploits
on the water after her first launching until
the time of her strange disappearance were
so brilliant that every schoolboy knows
about them.
DISAPPEARANCE OF THE WASP.
took fifteen English merchantmen, valued
at nearly quarter of million OF dollars,
and fought several stubborn battles with
naval vessels of her own size and strength
On October /, 1914, the Wasp hailed the