Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-02-03

lowed sluggishly, the forgotten relict of once brave and slightly ship, pos
 sibly the sphinx of some untold ocean tragedy, she lay black and forbiddine in the ordered procession of waves
 Half a mile to the east of the derelict lowered ships cutter, the turn of he1 crew's heads speaking expectancy. As far again beyond, the United States cruiser Wolverine outlined her severe and trim silhouette against the hori. zon. In all the spread of wave and sky no other thing was visible. Fol this was one of the desert parts of the Pacific, 300 miles north of the steam ship route from Yokohama to Honolu. lu, 800 miles from the nearest land Gardner island, and more than TOO northwest of the Hawaiian group.
 On the cruisers quarter deck the of f1cers lined the starboard rail. Their interest was focused on the derelict.
 Looks like heavy job," said Ives, one of the junior lieutenants. These Heaters that lie with deck almost awash will stand more hammering than mud fort"
 wish they'd let US put some six inch shells into her." said Billy Ed wards, the ensign, wistful expres- sion on his big. round, cheerful face. 'I'd like to see what they would do."
 Nothing but waste few hundred dollars of your Uncle Sam's money" observed Carter, the officer of the deck. Tt takes placed charges inside and out for that kind of work"
 Barnett is the man for her then" said Ives Hes no economist when it comes to getting results. There she goesw
 Without any particular haste, as it seemed to the watchers, the hulk was shouldered out of the water as by some hidden leviathan. Its outlines melted into black, outshowerlng mist, and from that mist leaped a giant. Up, up, he lowered, tossed whirling arms a hundred feet abranch, shivered and dissolved into wide spread cataract. The water below was lashed into fury, in the midst of which mighty death agony beat back the troubled waves of the trade wind. Only then did the muffied double boom of the explosion reach the ears of the spectators, presently to be followed by whispering. swift skimming wavelet that swept irresistibly across the big ger surges and lapped the ships side. as for a message that the work was done.
 Here and there in the sea a glint of silver, a patch of purple or dull red or a glistening apparition of black show ed where the unintended victims of the explosion, the gay hued open sea fish of the warm waters, had sue cumbed to the force of the shock. Of the intended. victim there was no sign save few fragments of wood bobbing in a swirl of water.
 When Barnett, the ordnance officer in charge of the destruction, returned to the ship Carter complimented him.
 Good clean job. Barnett. She was tough customer too"
 What was sheT' asked Ives.
 "The Caroline Lemp. three masted schooner. Any one know about her?'
 Ives turned to the ships surgeon, Trendon, a grizzled and brief spoken veteran, who had at his fingers tips all the lore of all the waters under the reign of the moon. -
 What does the information bureau of the seven seas know about it?'
 Host three years ago-spring of 1901 got into ice field or the tip of the Aleutians. Some of the crew froze Others got ashore. Part of survivors accounted for. Others not Say they've turned native. Don't know myself"
 "The Aleutiansr' exclaimed Billy Ed wards. Great cats! What & drift! How many thousand miles would that be-"
 Not as far as many another derelict has wandered in her time, son." said Barnett.
 The talk washed back and forth across the hulks of classic sea mys- teries, new and old: of the City of Boston, which went down with all hands. leaving for record only a mel ancholy scrawi on a bit of board to meet the wondering eyes of a fisher man on the far Cornish coast: of the Great Queensland, which set out with 5G9 souls aboard. bound by a route unknown to a tragic end; of the Ma ronic. with her silent and empty life boats alone left. drifting about the open sea. to hint at the story of her fate: Of the Huronian. which ten years later. on the same day and date and hailing from the same port as the Ma ronic. went out into the void, leaving no trace: of Newfoundland captains who sailed, roaring with drink. under the arches of cathedral bergs. only to be prisoned. buried and embalmed in the one Icy embrace: of craft asSailed by the terrible one stroke lightning clouds of the Indian ocean. found days after. stone blind. with their crews madly hauling at useless sheets. while the officers clawed the compass and shriesed: of burnings and piracies. Of pest ships and slave ships and ships mad for want of water. of whelmIns earthquake waves and mysterious sue tions. drawing frresixtibly against wind and steam power upon unknown currents: of stout huIks deserted in panic. although sound and seaworthy. and of others 90 swiftly dr1gged down that there was 10 time for any to save hgrspsf aud of a hun.sred athar