The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-09-10
TALES or THE SEA.

On January 20, 1870. the City of Bos-
ton sailed from Halifax for England
with 191 souls on board. She was a
fine ship. splendidly equipped, but she
disappeared without leaving clue to
her fate.
The Burvfe Castle left London some
time age, bound on voyage to AUS
tralia. She should have made
final call at Plymouth, but she never
came within sight of the Hoe, nor has
human eye ever seen her from that
day she dropped down the Channel
1t was on May 1, 1850, that the Lady
with 3G7 OF the Twenty-hfth Madras
light infantry on board, bound for Ran
COON. With the regimental band play
ing, with the friends of the passengers
on the shore shouting farewell, with a
clear sea before her, she left port but
she has never reached Rangocn or any
other port known 10 man.
Two years later the Collins liner Pa-
cific dropped down the Mersey with $50
people on board. She went the way of
the City Of Glasgow and the others
What strange port they found no one
knows.
The ship President left New York for
London early in 1S41 with many distin-
guished passengers. among them a son
Of the Duke of Ri chmond and the come
dian, Tyrone Power. She was expected
at Liverpool in March, but April 13
came the news that she had put into
Madeira for repairs to her engine. She
never reached Liverpool or any other
port.
1t was as late as 1904 that the ship
DamOrna sailed from Tacoma. carry
ing cargo of wheat for Queenstown
Following close upon the departure
came a fierce gale. Wreckage was
found and the report was circulated
that the ship had been battered to
pieces on Cape Flattery. But
hardly had this report been spread
when a coasting schooner reported
having seen the ship off Coos Bay. bat
tered, but apparently we'll able to with
stand the seas.
1t was soon generally believed that
it was true that she had weathered the
gale and was sailing about somewhere.
But where? Weeks passed and she was
not again heard from. Ships were asked
to be on the lookout for her, and news
was anXiously awaited
1t WIS a long time after this that the
German ship Artemis sighted derelict
far out al sea, steering about wildly.
beating against head winds and yet re-
fusing to display signals of any kind
- lilllc lstltI the uIlhIOWll Threw 0er
head to the east and executed q series
Of freak maneuvers. 1t looked for all
the world as though the ship was man
aged by crazy men who were trying to
puzzle the Artems
The captain of the Artemis was mys-
titled. He steered nearer the strange
craft, and with the aid of the spyglass
made out the name LamOrna. Consult
! ing his shipping records he discovered
Z Nl,sn
overdue. But that hardly accounted for
her queer actions
When within few hundred wards of
the ship (the captain cons dered It dan
| Serous TO get very near) he set signals.
but received no response. For several
hours the weird bark remained within
sight, but neither siren nor rocket pro-
voked response.
The Captain swept the decks OF the
craft but did not see living soul. II
was apparently a ship without crew
running at her own free viii. The Ar
tennis followed it in IT'S wild course as
! long as possible. but suddenly the bulk
turned and made straight for the Opea
/ sea. 1t sailed a straight course, as
though bound on some important mis-
! sion, and so proceeded until lost to view
below the horizon line
What had become Of the crew? Were
| there IN reality some of them left on
board. gone mad under the strain.
guiding the ship they knew not where?
/ No one will ever know. Certain il is
that not 4 man of them was ever heard
| from, nor has the ship Itself ever been
| sighted again.
On an average, according 20 reports
! from Lloyds, some sixty ships. with
their crews, are so blotted from sight
every year. II the year 1899 alone
lsevcnty-nine ships and twentY-foUr
! steamers disappeared ard their fate is
today unknown. A conservative esti-
mate would place the number Of people
so lost during the last fifty years at
over 10000 The size or the stanchness
Of the ship seems to make no difference;
| Dig modern steamships have disap-
| Feared as easily 2s the numberless lit
/, tie sailing craft.