The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-19
A MYSTERY EXPLAINED
HOW THE UNITED STATES SECURED
THE SHIP SCIPIO.
Picked Up as "a DereIict Near New
Powder and Guns for the Navy.
New York Press.

ship which came out of the sea mysteri-
ously without crew while the war with
Spain was on, bringing to the United States
navy English ammunition and guns, which
we needed badly, but could not buy because
of the neutrality laws. The ship is lying
at the Brooklyn navy yard now with the
name Scipio painted in large white letters
over another name. Yesterday the story of
the vessel and her strange and providentiaI
arrival off this coast leaked out in the yard,
where it has been official secret for
months. In many respects 1t is the kind of
a story no writer of fiction would care to
invent because it is little bit too daring
to happen except in real life, in which, after
all, the most remarkable things befall.
1t is limited that without the ammunition
which was found in the hold of the crew.
less ship the New Orleans, the cruiser
which was bought in England before the
war, could not have done the excellent
work which she did off Santiago. There
were English guns which the United States
government had been bending every effort
to obtain before war was declared, and
which, it was announced dolorously in
Washington after hostilities began, could
not be shipped from England because it
would have been a breach of neutrality,
and England would not permit it, Just
how it happened that the guns got here
after all is a story that cannot be told con-
secutively, because things did not happen
as consecutively in this case as they do in
an ordinary business transaction
The story requires first, Jump over the
sea to Antwerp. Time. early in May short
ly after war had started merrily. Just then
there was an Englishman in Antwerp. For
that matter there We're many. and this par
ticular one was, If anything rather more
commonplace than the rest. He cannot be
introduced as the mysterious stranger who
al no on ITo he
contrary. dreadfully prosaic and business
like, looking around, as he said for a
fon t TO turn thr an h91est penny in
werp there sailed from England as usual
great East Indian steamer of a regular
a eastern and line tine of the oeci
She had arrived in London in MAY and
sailed thence with the companys flag fly
But this time, instead of plying south, she
sailed across the channel, and day or two
later the commonplace young Englishman
went aboard the Ravenna at Antwerp. She
still was flying the British flag but no one
recollects having seen the company's flag
over her. Perhaps it was lost on the way.
The ship took on lot of ballast-ballast
that was packed neatly in large boxes,
which We're slowed carefully as ballast
should be slowed. Then she steamed away
bound for Canadian port, with crew and
machinery in apple-pie order The weather
was fine when she, started and it continued
so for many weeks. Yet the British ship
Ravenna never made her Canadian port
A PRECIOUS DERELICT.
Here this inconsecutive tale jumps back
to the coast of the United States; to be pre-
else, the Brooklyn navy yard, harbor of
New York. At that time the yard was
sealed to prying eyes and listening ears. All
kinds of things might and did happen there
which were not shouted from the house,
tops. One of these things happened one
morning a short time after the merchant
ship Ravenna had sailed for Canada This
particular happening was not, apparently,
an important one. Orders simply went to an
American war ship (some in the yard say
that it was the United States cruiser Co
lumbia, others that it was an auxiliary
cruiSer) to put to sea-
Scout duty along the coast was what the
published official orders said. That was
nothing uncommon, and none of the crew of
this ship noticed anything out Of the ordi-
nary. She did not scout idly and aimlessly.
She steered straight out to sea as fast as
she could go. And it was a lucky hand
that steered her, for what should she sight,
about two hundred miles east of Sandy
Hook but big black ship evidently we'll
laden, but motionless and without a soul on
board. The cruiser sent small boat to her,
and when the sailors boarded her the Won
ger grew. for none could see why she had
been deserted She was in perfect shape,
her bunkerS were full of coal, and she was
fit to hold the seas for any length of time.
1t seemed to be another mystery ike that
OF the bark Marie Celeste, famous in nauti-
cal history, whose strange story never was
lean cruiser was surprised as much as was
his crew. But then many inexplicable
things happen when at sea, and it is better
for the health of an honest sailor not to
wonder and speculate too much. At any
rate. his. duty was plain. He took the big
dereict IN tow and she was pulled into the
About that time American war ships were
not open to visitors, and the cruiser did not
hang out a sign telling about this peaceful
capture. In fact, the finding and salvage of
the derelict was not, reported at the ship
NEVIS station bd r at o all shorty after the
navy tugs, the Narkeeta and the Nina,
came steaming up the bay with a fine, big
collier, that was sitting rather lower in the
She was flying the American flag aud the
name on her was Scipio. Just plain, sim
deal of old truck aboard of ter. Her bold
was full Of ballast-balast that was packed
neatly in large boxes. which were slowed
There is splendid system in cur navy yards
So the ballast was taken out with exceed
an unduly inquiring turn Of mind been there
at the time they might have wondered why
ballast should be conveyed to the arsenal,
of all places, and there locked up so care
fully as this ballast was
A day or two later they might have
noticed some new English guns and then
they would have wondered again, because
as everybody knew, England had been so
careful not to let the United States have
those guns But, then there was nobody
around with an unduly inouirinp turn of
mind and, of course, there was no possible
connection between the picking up of a
derelict, the arrival of a collier, and the
sudden abundance of ammunition for the
English guns on the cruiser New Orleans
the only American war ship, by the way,
which used smokeless powder in the war.
AS the Ravenna disappeared, as the dere-
lict disappeared, so. Immediately after be-
ing unloaded the Scpio disappeared At
least, she disappeared from that part Of
the yard where the able ships of the United
States navy lie. But the navy yard has been
open to the public again lately and per-
sons of an inquiring turn of mind found
the Scipio yesterday. She was lying snugly
in an inlet near the "boneyard'' where the
old and useless ships of the navy molder
ingloriously. And-under the white letters
that spell ''Spicio'' on her. there are, family
another name. And that name is Raven
NONE TO CLAIM HER
1t is a remarkable fact that nobody ever
has reported the loss of a fine vessel. No
crew has been reported missing, yet no
crew has turned up anywhere to report
that they deserted their ship off the Amer
lean coast. Nobody ever has claimed the
valuable derelict. Indeed. it is rumoreu that
the American authorities cabled to those
who according to the papers found on her
We're the owners and that nobody could
find such persons bearing the names shown
on the ships papers. The young English
man, who was last seen in Antwerp ac-
cording to general report spent much
generally do, buying ammunition and other
material Of war. If he shipped il on the
Ravenna. and the Ravenna has any conrec-
ton with the derelict and that again with