Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1914-04-10
Ships and Passengers That Are
Lost Forever.
fhelr Uneanny Disappearance Fur
nIshes Battling Puzzles Which Can
not 6e Determined by Man
Only Vague Theories.

has the ship that rides it, and which
furnishes the more hafflng puzzles
would be difficult to determine.
SHIPS leave ports and are never seen
nor heard of again, and-in some re
spects more inexplicable still-pas
sengers board vessels and suddenly
forever vanish from human ken.
The strange disappearance Of Doctor
Diesel, the famous inventor, Is a case
in point which must be fresh in every.
5ody's mind. s.....- .... .-.
One day short time ago. 1t will be
remembered, Doctor Diesel left Ant.
werp on board one Of the Great East
srn Railway company's steamers for
Harwich, whence he proposed hurry
ing to London to keep an important
business engagement. On board the
steamer the doctor appeared to be in
the best OF health and spirits and at
ten o'clock p. m. retired to his cabin
for the night. 20 ... a
Next morning he was nowhere to be
found, and the mystery Of his disap-
pearance remains still unsolved.
Again, not many months ago the
steamship Baldor, on arrival in the
Firth of Forth from Gothenburg. had a
queer story to unfold through the
mouth of her skipper. 80
1t concerned the uncanny disappear
ance of a second-class lady passenger.
The last seen of her was late at night,
when one Of the stewardesses noticed
her pacing the deck The vessel was
then in the North sea.
Afterward the passengers berth was
found to be unoccupied, and, not only
the lady, but her baggage, consisting
of bag, had vanished. Where and
how no one knows.
Could anything be more battling than
the following? 1t occurred on board a
steamer between Leith and Orkney.
Among the passengers were two Sis
tiers, who were travelling to attend the
funeral of third sister.
When off Bell lighthouse one o: the
women retired to her bunk, the other,
as the night was fine, preferring to re-
main little longer on deck. That
was the last seen Of her.
Another amazing incident was that
reported by the captain of Dutch
steamer, the Van MORT, on his ar
rival at Singapore. The parties imme-
diately concerned we're three sisters
of German nationality who were pas
sengers aboard, and had been touring
in Java.
After having spent the evening on
deck. chatting and reading, they were
seen one night going to their cabin
about ten O'Clock. Next morning the
could get no answer to his
knocks at the cabin door, and. on an
entry being made, the room was found
empty. Mt. ~
On the table was a note addressed
to the captain, which briefly stated
that he was to have their luggage, and
on a desk was bottle containing a
few drops of chloroform. From this 1t
was conjectured that the three sisters
had each taken chlorOform, and then
through the portfolio into the
sea!
As a final example may be men
toned the case of vivacious young
woman who disappeared from q
steamer while crossing from Belfast
to Fleetwood.
AT II o'clock p. m. the young woman
was seen by the stewardess, whom
she asked to bring her cup Of tea at
seven o'clock next morning, as she
wished to catch an early train to Man
chester. At the hour named the
took in the tea as desired,
but was amazed to find the cabin
empty.
It was surmised the girl had fallen
overheard while walking in her sleep,
or climbed through the portfolio into
the sea-two theories which had not
much Of the element OF probability to
them.