Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-12

at distance in some awe. The spirit of this
northern region is mysterious anyway, and to
board a silent, nameless ship requires some
courage. There was nothing about her to in
dictate her name; for the grinding ice had worn
her sides smooth and destroyed every clue to her
| identity. Gaining nerve as they stared some OF
| them finally decided to go aboard. She had been
so wrecked as to be none too safe; but they
| moved carefully and made her decks The
matches were battened down. There was no
| answering shout to their thumps on the
boards. They pried open the hatch and
Silent and cold there as the grave. They
shouted once again down the ladder; but
| feeble echo was their only reply.
They drew lots to see who should be the
first to descend The unucky man lighted
bit of candle and disappeared from the sight
of his fellows. When they next saw him. his
face had paled and he babe them, for the
love of God. to come down there with him.
Mastering up their courage they finally ch;a al
the man with the candle, peered over his
| shoulder into the cabin In the dim light
they saw seated about table, their cheeks
| wan and sunken, their eyes fixed, eight men
some with their heads on their arms as though
| they had fallen asleep. some with their hands
| thrust deep into their pockets, as though
| shrinking from the cold, and one with prayer
| book before him. The whalemen did not stop
| to investigate further. Even as they stood
there they heard an ominouS cracking and
laundering and made for the open. They were
scarcely at safe distance before the hulk
lurched and settled lower on her side Soon
afterward, 1oosened mass OF the ice tower
| ing above crashed down on her
1t was not until the whaler at length re-
turned to San Francisco with her story that
| the boat and her crew were vaguely identified
as the lost Pioneer
A Disappearing Bride
|0F legend and story in connection with these
- lost ships, there is no end. There Is tale
| current of a certain Peter Martin who in the
early DAYS used to come into port at New
Orleans His reputation was none OF the best;
| for he had been connected with many enter
prises of a doubtful character at sea. There
were many times he could not tell very
clear story as to how he came into possession
of the goods he traded there. But tor all
that, no one dared modest him. for he was
| powerful fellow and best left alone. In time he
met and fell deeply in love with the daughter
of an old New Orleans family. She was
slight, pretty girl, with French blood in her
veins To her it was all romance; she
found pleasure in the society of this burly man
in spite of the stories told of him. Her parents
disapproved, and forbade her to see more OF
him. One day they ordered the man himself
never to come again to the door.
He laughed at this. Turning away, he
said 81 sail tomorrow; but when | come back,
it will be to take as my bride your daughter
The next day he put to sea. For weeks the
parents were at ease; but as the time neared
IctuIu ILcS gle" AhSJ
talked the matter over realizing that the girl
herself was still fond of the man. AS result.
| they resolved to send her to some friends IN
| England. Her goods were packed, and one
| night the girl in tears was bundled to the
| boat which was to sail at dawn. The very
morning that the ship pulled up anchor and
set sail, another boat bore in for anchorage.
| Martin came ashore, and had scarcely landed
| before he heard of what had been done With
an OATH he put back to his own ship and
sailed in pursuit. And that the last ever
heard of either of them.
Further interest, however, was given to the
story by the rumors which were brought to
New Orleans by foreign vessels. that Martin
had been seen abroad with his young wife.
1t was said that he was leading better life.
having accumulated fortune, and now
peaceful citizen. The parents spent all their
small fortune in trying to verify these reports
and to locate the girl. They never succeeded,
and died broken hearted.
There is little need, however to turn to un-
founded yarns about these lost ships. The
facts themselves are grim enough. Reports
from Lloyds reveal the astonishing statistics
| that on an average sixty ships with their
crews are annually SO blotted from sight In
1890 alone, seventy-nine ships and twenty
eight steamers disappeared. and to-day
registered, Fate unknown The stories of
~ L,,+ bo