Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1907-03-13
MANY DANGEROUS
DERELICTS FLOAT
ABOUT THE OCEAN
ARE GREAT MENACE AND CAN
NOT BE AVOIDED BY THE
MOST CAREFUL NANIGA-
TORS.

The most dangerous derelicts are
those floating with decks awash. or
bottom up. and not visible to an APP
preaching steamer until Il is too late
TO avoid collision. The records OF
the photographic Office show that
there were about 90 such collisions
i'm seven years, and OF these about
One-fourth were fatal to the collid-
ing vessel. The same records show
us that in seven years 1928 dera-
liets We're reported I'm the North At
lantic, of which but little more than
one-fourth were identified IL is
shown that there is an average of
about 20 of these perils to naviga-
ton afoat in the track OF our ocean
steamers, and that after great cy-
clone storm the number is sometimes
as high as so.
Many OF these remain a6oat but
few days or weeks. but some of
them drift for months or even years,
sweeping in a great circle across the
Atlantic, down the eastern coast, in
TO the region Of the trade winds and
back again to the point of starting
So the three-master Fannie II. VOLS
ton, abandoned off Hatteras in 1891.
drifted in great circles for three
years and six days, was reported in
widely distant places by more than
40 vessels, and finally ended her ca
reer on the New Jersey coast not
very far from the point of starting,
having traversed the seas for 5000
or 10000 miles
The story of the wooden ship Fred
b. TayloE is remarkable The steam
ship Trave struck this abandoned yes
sci, cut her in twain, and instead of
one derelict there were two. The
after part of The Taylor travelled
north and drifted ashore at Wells
Beach. Me The forward part went
South and was finally destroyed off
the Carolinas.
The derelict is an especial peril
because it cannot be charted like "A
rock or shoal, and so be avoided by
careful navigation II is here today
and miles away tomorrow, and no
one can tell where il may turn up
the next day. Government vessels
have done something in the way Of
hunting up derelicts and destroying
them, and last May Congress autho-
rized the building of a $25O,OOO
steamer as derelict destroyer, a
truly maritime d. d.
A dercict is always pathetic
sight, telling often of human suffer
ing carried o The limit of human en-
durance A lumberladen bark is
caught in a Caribbean hurricane and
left wreck with bulwarks stove
deck-house crushed. and only splin-
tered stumps of her 3 masts stand
ing. The crew of II, including the
captains young wife, are dashed to
the broken masts, and when he
storm abates they find no shelter in
cabin or forecastle, for the ship is
full of water. Most of their food is
ruined Jury masts are rugged dis
tress signals are displayed by day and
night After four weeks Of slow star
walton, they take to the only boat
left undcstroyc1 by the storm, and
with a scaut supply Of bread and
water make their way i'm II days Of
intolerable suffering nearly 400
miles to Grenada i'm the Windward
islands Such, i'm brief, was the story
Of the Florence II Edge't i'm the fan
of 1902 Much like it is the story
Of marr of her kind
The history OF he dorelict often
involve an insoluble mystery Last
winter % Boston-bound steamer the
Ontario sighted an abandoned bark
entinc ut sea. the JanUe. and as she
had suffered only he loss of bow
spirit and had but little water I'm the
hold, was preparing To- take posses
sion and tow her into port when
another bark came along with The
Jantjcs crew vino had abandoned
their ship in panic after collision
with 70 steamship had been picked
up. and were now ready TO come back
and sail into port
But often the crew of an abandon
cd ship completely disappears from
history The most extraordinary
story of the kind ia chat Of the ship
Marie Celeste She sailed from New
York for Europe 60 1887 with a