The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-08-18

headed fellow. with no superstition i'll
his composition, and when his halls
were left unanswered he said to his
"Mr. Davis, that is undoubtedly the
| Lone Ship we nave read and heard
about, and here is the chance to solve
the mystery and perhaps do a nice
thing in the way of salvage You will
take a boat and pull off to her and
see if she is abandoned"
The mate hesitated for a moment ana
was appealed to, but he likewise re-
fused to go. The captain could have or
dered them off duty for the rest OF the
voyage, but he could not sail his ship
cursing them for towards he declared
that he would go himself.
For a time every man of the crew re-
fused to obey the order to lower a
boat. but when Captain Finch set about
it single-handed and said he would pay
the visit at all hazards, two Seamen
finally stepped forward to accompany
him. The log-book said of this adver-
ture:
when we had approached within a
few feet of the Lone Ship / ordered
the men to cease rowing that 1 might
look her over. She had no name paint
ed on her stern or quarter. She was
sadly weather-beaten aloft and there
was much rust on her sides. Her model
was half clipper. and any sailor could
see that she sailed like a witch.
I'VE rowed twice around her, hailing
several times without result, and then
ordered the men to row me under her
bows that 1 might climb up by her
chains. They hung in the wind and
would have refused had not menaced
them with the revolver 1 had brought
along in my pocket
las I climbed up I ordered one of
them to follow me. and was presently
taking a view of the strangers decks.
I counted ten objects lying about which
verify believe were dead men wrapped
up in blankets, though for reasons
shortly to be given / could not make
sure of this The decks were not badly
Uttered up, though in the moonlight I
could see that they had not been cared
for for months, and were beginning 10
rot in places
Il was ready to go aft and was waiting
for the man, when heard the splash of
ards were making Off. / rnenaced them
with the pistol, but they would return no
nearer than 50 feet. and had to leap into
the sea to swim that distance. The men
feared the strange craft both as ghost
own belief is that all the crew were dead
OF some fell disease. but yet I should
They had been too long dead for me to
and for the last time about q month later.
An English man-of-war was sent out to
weeks back and forth without sighting
her the government craft found herself
DGCdlneQ one nlSnI MIDWAY OSlWecu AAAS
Azores and the MadeiraS.
At half past II o'clock the Lone Ship
was discovered, appearing Of q sudden
within half mile of the man-of-war. Ten
minutes after sighting her the captain
had two boats in the water and the OFF,
Ger in command had orders to board the
derelict and overhaul every foot of her.
Away went the boats, but they never
reached her.
At a point about midway the men saw
the Lone Ship suddenly settle down.
beneath the surface. Some
bits Of wreckage were picked up and pre-
served, but nothing that could identify
her, and to this day her name, port of
hail and the fate that made her dere-
lict are matters OF conjecture.
l have always held that she was a for
eigner, and that her crew died to a man
of some terrible epidemic but as to her
appearance and disappear
ances and the nature of the accident that
finally sent her to the bottom I have no
theories to advance.-(Copyright, 1905, by
7. c. McClure.)