Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-18
SHIPS THAT VANISH
MANY VESSELS START ON voY-
AGES AND ARE NEVER HEARD OF.
Mystery in Their Wrecks-Crews, Too,
Disappear and Various Are the
Reasons Assigned.
From the New York Herald.

From the New York Herald
There are few things which are so full OF
mystery or which make such a powerful APP
peal to the Imagination as the stories of
ships that sail CALAMITY out TO sea and of
which nothing is ever heard or seen after
the mssts have dipped below the horizon. AT
present the papers full OF the records
of these marine tragedies. Today Il is the
Claverdale, which left Hong Kong for
Nladivostok. and OF which no trace has been
found; yesterday it was the Royaiist. which
cleared from Singapore to Hong Kong and
never reached her destination: the day be-
fore il was the Idum. from Norway. who
vanished from human view. ard so on,
through the long list OF ships that have
sailed and disappeared.
What are the secrets of these mysterious
vanishings OF stately ships with their crews
and cargoes? In nineteen cases out OF
twenty the secrets lie with the ships many
fathoms deep. and will, perhaps. never leap
10 light. To this day no one knows what be-
came of the City OF Glasgow, which set her
sails CALAMITY in the Mersey half cen
fury ago, bound for Philadelphia. nor was
she seen again after the hills of Wales were
lost to view.
The Burvie Castle left London some years
ago on a long voyage to Australia. She
should have made a final call at Plymouth,
but she never came within sight of the Hoe.
nor has human eye ever seen her from the
DAY she dropped down the channel. IL WAS
on May 10. 1854, that the Lady Nugent
spread her sails at Madras with 1877 OF the
Twenty-fifth Madras Light Infantry and
other passengers on board. Her destina-
ton was Rangoon. but half century has
gone and neither Rangoon nor any other
port has sighted her.
Fate of the Pacific.
Nearly two years later the Collins liner
Pacific dropped down the Mersey with $50
souls on board. She was accounted one OF
the stoutest and swiftest vessels OF her
time. and so. no doubt. she was. But she
went the way the City of Glasgow had gone
couple of years earlier, and for forty
nine years has been lying at the bottom OF
the sea. but where none may know till all
secrets are revealed. The trading vessel
Atlanta started a quarter of century ago
for a short cruise in Bermudan waters. and
from that day to this no one knows what
became of her and the 80 souls she car
rled.
On January 20, 1870 the City OF Boston
sailed from Halifax for England with I9I
souls on board. She Indian liner,
fine ship. splendidly equipped and han
died; but she, too, was destined to vanish
from the face of the waters.
The victim OF another still remembered
ocean mystery was expected at Liverpool
in March, 1S4l. March passed and Liver
pool saw nothing of her. The long delay
In her arrival caused great anxiety, and
the widest rumors began to be circulated.
oh -tpTil 10 news came tn1t ner engines ana
rudder had been disabled in heavy weather
and that she had put into Madeira for re-
pairs. and there naturally followed a reac-
ton from gloomy forebodings to transports
Of joy. The vessel was expected at Liver
pool on a certain day. and her arrival was
awaited by hundreds of people who had
friends aboard; but she never came, and 1t
was found that the story of her arrival at
Madeira was heartless hoax. All the time
the Inflated vessel was at the bottom OF
the sea.
On November 30, 1888. a large vessel was
seen from the beach at Deal sailing toward
the Goodwin sands. She was fair picture to
look on, as she moved over the waters with
her stately spread of sails. But as the eyes
OF the watchers followed her she was seen
to pause, and within few seconds she van
lshed utterly from their view. What caus-
ed this tragically sudden disappearance OF
a stately ship? That is another of the
countless secrets which the ocean has in
its jealous keeping.