Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1898-09-26
SINGULAR NAVAL MYSTERIES.
wsr Vessels That Nave Disappeared
Withcat LeayiB@ Any Ciew
10 Their Whereabouts.


Curious disappearances and acct
dents to our warships characterize the
early history of our navy, and, in spite
Of all the efforts OF the navy depart
ment TO explain the cause of the dis
asters. many of them are as abso-
Lutte mysteries to-day as when they
happened.
When the government built ten new
gunboats to prosecute the war against
Tripoli, in 1905. they were sent out as
soon as they were finished and be-
fore they were named. Each one was
given a number and dispatched TO the
scene of war. No. sailed from New
York June 20, 1905, under command OF
Lieut.. Ogelvie, and after she cleared
Sandy Hook light she was never heard
from again. She went down with all
on board before she had ever been
named.
A most extraordinary accident hap
pened TO the corvette Monongahela at
Santa Cruz in 1867. While at anchor in
the harbor tremendous tidal wave
lifted her upon its crest and carried
her clean over the town of Frederick
stadt and back again without injuring
the town or the boat TO any great ex-
tent. The receding wave landed her
on the beach instead of in the deep
waters of the harbor. and II cost our
government 100000 10 float her again.
Fully as strange was the fate of the
sloop-of-war Wateree.
She was anchored in the harbor OF
africa, Peru. in sos, when a huge tidal
wave swept inland and flooded the
whole city The wave carried the
sloop several miles inland and finally
landed her in the midst of a tropica.
forest. 1t was impossible to release
her from such peculiar position, and
the government sold her for n nominal
sum. The purchasers turned the vessel
into a hotel, and the remains of the
once formidable war vessel loom up in
the tropical forest to-day as a monu-
ment to the power Of tidalwaves.
Among other cases of disaster which
are attributed to the violence of the
waves or weather there is none mors
interesting than that of the strange
fate of the Saratoga. When she sailed
from Philadelphia in October. 1880, un-
der the command Of Capt. James
Young. there was no finer or hand
somer war vessel afloat. That she wa.
as formidable as she was attractive
she soon demonstrated in a practical
, way. After cruising around n shor'
( time she captured three British vessel'
in succession. and then with her prizes
; she started to return TO Philadelphia
q But OFF the Delaware capcs She encoun
: tered a British ship of line. As th'
s Saratoga carried only is guns and the
- Intrepid was Tl-gun ship, Capt
e. Young considered IL safer 60 run away
Ii The enemy did not chase her far, bu
o returned 20 protect and recapture th'
o British prizes. The Saratoga sailei
+ away in the very teeth of storm, ant
e she was never heard from again. Di'
Y she founder at sea in the gale, or wa
e she blown up by her own magazines
There were some peculiar accident
= 10 our naval vessels in the past tina
!. are accounted for, but, while the mys
. terry of their loss is removed and eN
? planned. the strangeness of their mis-
T haps is no less interesting. For in
n stance, there is the sinking o. tn
= United States sloop-of-war Oneida il
. 1862 She was bound home from Yoke
q hama. but when a short distance from
port the British steamer Bombay RAJ
! into her and cut off her stern. The In
q jury was so mortal that the Oneid
4 Immediately fired her gun of distress
but in the darkness the Bombay ere,
a crept away instead of returning L
:, assist her. In a short time the sloo
q went to the bottom, carrying all O
i her crew with her. When the new
reached Yokohama the captain of tn
!. British steamer was mobbed by tn
indignant populace and he was dis
: missed from the service in disgrace.
Hurricanes have been responsible
for the wreckage Of several Of on
naval vessels other than those at 81
Ie moa in 1889. The brig-of-war BAR
bridge was turned over by a hurr
cane off Cape Hatteras in 1863, an
everybody on board was.lost except
It colored cook. who managed t. clin
s to pieces Of The wreck until picked nj
e. Ninety-eight lives were lost by tn
r wrecking of the sloop-of-war Huro
n In 1877 A small hurricane blew he
y on the shore off Norfolk. and Sue wa
Of pounded 10 pieees by the violent sur
e, The Saginaw was wrecked in the yer
le middle Of the Pacific in 1s7o.-Georg
10 Ethelbert Walsh, in Leslie's Week.,
At
NJ The Medieval smith.
il The contemporaries of the medievi