The times., 1899-03-16
LOST IN THE RED SEA.
The Interesting story of Nicholas
Weaver and His Yacht.

According to advices received at the
State Department from Consul Cunning
ham. at Alden. an American schooner
yacht. supposed to be the Norma. has dis
appeared in the Red Sea Consul Cum
ningham writes that the English warship
Brisko put into Alden on February last
and that her commander notified him that
he had run across a disabled schooner
yacht in the western part of the Red Sea
and had towed her nearly three hundred
miles, when the hawser broke and the
yacht and the Brisko parted. The com
mander of the Brisko did not know he
name Of the schooner. but said there was
an American named Weaver on board of
her. Later. Consul Cunningham received
n dispatch signed Perciyal from Colombo.
Ceylon. inquiring whether the Norma had
left Alden. AS the Norma had not been at
Alden at all, and nothing more had been
heard of the yacht by the Brisko. Consul
Cunningham wrote that he thought IL
would be good plan to have the friends
of those on the Norma notified of the Coin
cidence. Consul Cunningham's dispatch
I leaves little doubt that the yacht was the
Norma. owned by Nicholas j. Weaver. of
the Atlantic Yacht Club, who was resi-
dent OF New York city some years ago.
having gone there from Boston. Weaver
and his yacht have figured in the news
papers more than once. In 1896 Weaver
was arrested in New York, charged with
swindling. A year after that it was alleged
| in London that he was running a gambling
room on his yacht. The yacht was seized
for debt at that time, but was afterward
released. Weaver paying 4 large sum OF
| money TO the people who had attached
| her.
| Weaver and the Norma left New York
| early in October 1896 for three years
rttfa ~, fa-fg of tha TT
He announced that he was going to take
| n party Of scientific men along with him to
collect data and photographs of unknown
! tribes of sayages and strange lands which
| the historians and map makers had never
invaded. When he got back newspaper ar
! ticles and books were to be written and
| the sale of these was expected to pay the
| expenses of the trip. When the Norma
sailed it was stated that the scientific men
! who sailed with her were \. A. Hewlett,
naturalist and geologist: DIR. Theodore a.
Worrell, physician and botanist; D. W.
Smith, photographer: ". p. Newcomb, and
II. P. Tabor. of Buffalo. Besides these
men and Weaver there was crew OF six
teen men. When Weaver was arrested in
| New York in June. 1896. Captain O'Brien,
who was then chief of detectives, told
the following story about him:
| Weaver. he said. had first become known
| to the police in 1888. when. with man
| named Hardman, he was arrested for
swindling operation in Chicago Hardman
was convicted. but Weaver was discharged.
The pictures CT beth men were taken
however, and Weaver's is 1.797 in the New
York "Rogue's Gallery" After that, ac-
cording to Captain O'Brien. Weaver ran
a newspaper at Los Angeles. Then he went
to New York, took rooms at the Waldorf.
and announced himself as the representa-
tive OF a Boston newspaper which was GO
ing tc print an international edition in five
different languages. He engaged a lot of
artists and writer's, made contracts with
photographers, printers, and binders. and
disappeared. The Boston Herald sent
man to New York who denounced Weaver
| as imposter and declared that he had
collected nearly 1000 due the newspaper
for advertising. Detectives met him on the
street and arrested him. The prosecution
fell through and Weaver was discharged.
II was after his discharge that Weaver
told about the scientific exploring expe-
ditions around the world. that he had plan
ned. He said that he had offered Rudyard
Kipling $4,000 year to accompany him
on the trip in the capacity of historian.
and that Mr.. Kipling wanted to go, but was
unable TO. on account OF contracts for work
that he had entered into. Stephen Crane
and Frank r. Stockton were also invited 10
| be historians but declined on account of
plans made before he approached them,
Weaver said.
The Norma was sent TO Perth Amboy and
fitted for long cruise. After she sailed
from New York, nothing was heard of her
until August IS. 1887, when the arrest in
London. referred to above, occurred. Weav
er's friends may have heard from him
during the past year and a half. but moth
ing about the Norma nor Weaver has ap-
peared in the American newspapers since
the party left England.