The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-07-13
SECRETS OF SEA
Vessels That Sail Out
Never to Return.
Some of the able Historical lnstarceS-
Several Lost on Fery
Short Cruises.

It seems passing strange, consider
ing the enormous amount o. ocean
traffic carried on nowadays, that it
should be possible for a vessel to put
out TO sea in fit condition, only to
vanish from the face Of the waters and
leave no indication Of their fate, says
the London Mail True, there are nun
dreds of unidentified dereliCts floating
about the seas, and some OF them may
be the vessels which have so myster-
iously disappeared. L IS appalling TO
think of such mysteries as the fates OF
these vessels, which, setting sail with
hundreds of passengers, 70 whom the
voyage perhaps promises happiness,
wealth and all the joys Of life, never
reach their Estimation and aIs never
again heard of.
Take the case of the SuTYis Castle
as a striking example. She vanished
not in mid-ocean, but between the
ports of London and Plymouth. into
the latter port she should have put on
her way to Australia. But she never
reached Plymouth, and not living
soul knows how or where sDS van
ished. 1t is most extraordinary that
she should have been lost 50 near to
the land without SO much IS a spar
being washed ashore 10 tell Ct n" fear
full fate.
Equally mysterious Is the fate Oi the
ATLANTA. This famous training vessel
was stationed off Bermuda with more
than $50 souls aboard. Early in 1880
she set sail for a short cruise and from
hoo.
heard of.
A very considerable percentage Of
the vessels which disappeared forever
in this mysterious manner we're run
ming between England and America at
the time 1t might De Thought that
the terrific seas or the vast Atlantic
were responsible, but il mas been
proved that many vessels were lost
when the ocean was almost It dead
calm.
A large sailing ship left NsW Orleans
some years ago for London. Thrice
she was spoken and reported al well,
and she was facing exquisite Weather
and "a smooth sea At the third time.
Yet it is known she was lost with ali
hands within 24 hours. and TO this day
10 trace of her has been discovered.
In the early part OF 1892 = fiVe-mast-
ed bark, the Maria, a newly-constEuct-
ed vessel, and at that time the third
largest in the mercantile marine, set
sail, in beautiful weather, from one oil
the biggest ports in COchin-China for
Hamburg, with every promise OF a tar
voyage But she never reached Ger
many. She vanished shortly after be
ing spoken off the west coast OF Africa,
and nothing has been found since To
indicate the fate that beten her.
Another vessel running between
England and America which met an
end of kind none but those who
shared it ever knew. was the first class
steamship President. She sailed iron,
New York for journey 20 Liverpool,
in the spring of 1871, having on board
a full crew of experienced hands and
officers and a distinguished company
of passengers. She left New York III
fine weather, in splendid condition, and
with no reason for fearing anything
she was likely TO meet. But she was
never spoken and never heard Of again,
and. although 80 years have passed,
no one yet knows TO what dire caiam-
! ity her end was due.