New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-01
M1D-OCEAN MYSTERIES.
COMMENT PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIsAP-
FEARED AND NEVER BEEN
HEARD OF AGAIN.

,. the mysteries OF the ocean there
-. ,eu TIM, appeal more powerfully to the
,naetnation than do those strange and unac-
.orntabIe disappearances Of people from ship
.oard without any clew as TO why and how they
,.yo vanished from human ken. In some in
.,o,ces they may be attributed 70 accident. such
os ,s believed 10 be the case with the NewYork
banker Adolf Ladenburg who is credited with
having been pitched over the bulwark during the
night by a sudden urch Of the ship Niagara. on
which he was coming up from the West Indies
IN this CITY, In other instances they are ascr!bed
n sudden and temporary alteration Of mind,
while In many there IS absolutely no motive
cause that can be discovered. even the very
method Of disappearance remaining matter FOR
mere conjecture and speculation.
OF the latter kind the disappearance at
sea Of Prince Frederick William. Landgrave Of
Hesse the chief Of the non-reigning branch Of
his house Being threatened with the blindness
which is the hereditary scourge Of his family. he
started or a voyage round the We rid attended by
a large suite OF officers. MISUNDERSTANDING
and servants. Everywhere in India, IN Australia
and in Cochin-China he was received with the
greatest distinction. and had apparently recov-
cred health and spirits keenly enjoying his
trip But on the voyage from Batavia up 10
Singapore he left his companions one evening i'm
medately after dinner. saying that he felt
drowsy and going below to lie down No
one saw him after that. He was observed
70 enter his cabin and TO close the door. When
the valet came that night at 10 O'Clock TO undress
his master the cabin empty. and search In
every nook and Granny Of the steamer revealed
no trace Of him. The general belief is that. dur
ing a moment Of temporary insanity he must
have squeezed himself through the large port
tora XIV I2,,t he her "
and all the passengers were on deck. 1t seems
almost incredible that no one should have heard
the splash that must have been caused by the
fall Of his body into the water
Lady Brassey first wife Of the peer OF that
name who is now Governor-General OF the
Australian colony Of Victoria. disappeared IN
almost identically the same fashion and In almost
the same latitude and longitude. while on Voy-
age from Bombay 10 Melbourne. OF very I'M
questionable character. the gifted If somewhat
cratic author Of The Voyage OF the Sun
beam had been greatly upset by the sudden
death on board Of young Englishman whom she
had picked up at Benares and attached 10 her
suite In the capacity of private secretary. Three
DAYS after he had been buried az sea she COM
planned Of feeling i'll and remained in her cabin
But when her daughter Muriel. row Countess OF
De]an@rr went below 10 see how she was getting
n.
Lady Brassey had vanished. and nothing more
was ever heard Of her, the presumption being. OF
course. that she either had fallen or jumped
overheard.
The late Earl Of Aberdeen elder brother Of the
peer who is now Viceroy and Overwhelmed
OF Canada. disappeared III most mysterious
fashion years ago or voyage from New-York
10 Brazil from a sailing vessel on board which
he was serving before the mast, and which
reached port in safety but without HIM he
was very eccentric and had been roaming around
the world for years without letting his relatives
know Of his movements; hence 1t is not beyond
the bounds Of possibility that he may be still
alive somewhere other. Notwithstanding all
efforts 10 discover traces Of his fate and OF the
manner In which he quilted the ship while at
sea no cew has ever been obtained thereto. nor is
there any absolute certainty Of his death. In
deed he Is just likely 10 turn up some day as
Archduke John Of Austria.
The Archduke. after having In the most roman
tic fashion divested himself Of all his honors
and titles as a prince Of the reigning house OF
Austria Hungary, and assumed the name OF
"John Ortiz" sailed some four years ago on
board his good ship the Marguerite. from La
Plata for Valparaiso. His vessel vas freighted
with merchandise and he had on board crew
thoroughly devoted to him. The Marguerite was
epoken halfway between La Plata and Cape
Horn but after that passed out Of human sight
forever and never heard OF again all the
efforts made by the Austrian the Gillian and
other South American Governments 10 find some
trace Of the Archdukes fate proving futile. That
there exist doubts as 10 the death Of this mar
liner prince who Is acknowledged 10 have been
far and away the most brilliant member OF his
house. is apparent from the fact that while the
hoC =
mitted the claim Of the insurance for the loss
Of his vessel. it has for reasons withheld from
the public ordered the policies 70 be paid, not TO
the executors OF his estate. but 10 lawyer hold
ing his power Of attorney Moreover. the heavy
insurance policies upon his life have never yet
been paid by the companies while the pre-
n1iums are still regularly met by this same law
yer who acts as the Archdukes representative
in Europe.
Nor is the Earl Of Aberdeen the only English
peer who stands In danger Of being divested OF
his title and estates at any moment by an ap-
pearance Of the rightful lord. There Is for In
stance. the present Lord Belhaven. who sue
ceeded TO a peerage only in consequence OF the
late lords younger brother having disappeared
while on trip from San Francisco to New
Zealand The last holder Of the title had no
son. but seven daughters. and spent large
sum Of money IN placing the ancestral castles
and estates in proper repair relying upon MS
brother and heir presumptive 70 provide for his
girls. whose annuities he left charges upon
the estates owing to the disappearance OF this
brother the peerage and property have passed
TO distant cousin. who has decl ned to do any
thing whatsoever for the girls, the latter being
consequently left in stratened circumstances
Legal proceedings have already been Instituted
by the widow and her daughters. and matters
threaten to be still further complicated by the
recent appearance upon the scene OF couple
OF claimants TO the peerage. one hailing from
India and the other from NewZeaand. each