The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-11-08
Wreckage of Mysterious Graft Refuses to Give up Mys-
 tery of Her Identity
Submerged Hull Examined Today Is that of Expen- sively Rigged Pleasure Vessel - Absolutely No Trace of Occupants, Who May Have Perished in Explosion and Flames.

Caught in a terrific explosion of her gasoline tank, the occupants of a hand some yawl lying in the channel of the outer basin of Bridgeport harbor are believed to have perished at an early hour today.
 Absence of all inquiry for the sal- wage of the hundreds of dollars worth of wreckage. and the lack of any in formation as to the people who were aboard the yawl when she first ap- peared here at 8 o'clock last night. have led to the conclusion that all on board were victims of an explosion of gasoline.
 This belief was strengthened this af- ternoon when an investigation by Far mer reporters of the submerged hull, the deck of which was about 2 feet below water. showed a great gaping hole, which is taken to indicate that the gasoline tank blew up, spreading death and destruction to all on board.
 The wreckage of the yawl is likely to lead eventually to the disclosure of the identity of the occupants. It was a handsomely rigged craft. worth sev- eral thousand dollars, with a white hull with gold stripe and painted green below the water line. It was equipped with three cylinder gaso- line engine. part of which was visible early this morning to the men at work on dredgers in the outer harbor.
 It was about midnight when the flames were seen shooting up from ths hull. Night Watchman John Farrell of the Locomobile Go. was the first to discover the flames. Through him word was communicated to Harbor Master Charles H. Morris, who set out for the wreck in the Idler, his launch, accompanied by Patrolman John Mc- Govern. Engineer Harold Hoffman, and the hull as the flames were reaching {. the water line. Shouting at the tops of their voices as they approached the craft, they hoped to elicit a response from any who might be clinging to life preservers in the vicinity. but their cries were without result.
 Satisfied that they could be of no aid to the doomed vessel or its oc- cupants, the harbormaster and his party returned to the city. At day. break today the hull was firmly grounded in a sand bar projecting from the breakwater off Steeplechase Island towards the channel. and the channel, with the mast and rigging SwaSh near the deck.
 The wreck is not so situated as to be menace to shipping, save for the
 
 do not follow the channel
 After sending word to Harbarmoster Morris of the discovery of the blaz- ing vessel Farrell, the night watch man, made his way to the shore near est the blazing vessel and waited for a long time for any signs of survivors but none were seen. He expected they might head for the lights of the Le- comobile Co.,, many of which were blazing brightly at the time, but though he remained out in the dark ness for more than an hour and fre- quently called out, he received no re- sponse. s1
 Men aboard the two mud dredgers at work in the outer harbor said to- day that they noticed the lights o1 the unknown vessel about o'clock They believe today that the vesse ran aground on the sand bar SIS they planned to come into the harbor tc escape the approaching storm. They could not distinguish the outlines of the vessel, and thought nothing more of her until their watchmen abou, midnight saw her in flames Both Farrell and the watchmen aboard the barges agree that when their at- tention was attracted the craft seem ed to be enveloped in a huge sheet of flames, and they are convinced that an explosion must have started the blaze.
 If the vessel ran aground at 8 o'clock ir was 2 hours before low tide. The bottom is such however that experienced mariners would have no fear of retiring and awaiting the turn of the tide. The rigging of the craft is such as to mediate that she was we'll furnished throughout, and of a sort that her occupants, on pleas ure bent, would have lived aboard her.
 Part of the bow where the name might have been painted was visible through the water when a Farmer reporter visited the scene this after noon, but as if blown out the boards were broken off short near the stern The stern was deeper in the water and if there was a name on it, the lettering was not visible
 Not less than three men could have sailed a vessel of the type of the destroyed yawl. It could easily have carried a dozen and provided sleeping quarters for that number for its length was probably so feet. If the yachtsmen were sleeping when the tank blew up, it is likely that every one perished instantly.
 The mast. floating near the wreck age and still entangled in the rigging bore no flag, or if there had been one it was destroyed by fire.