Oxford Democrat., 1916-01-18

ADerelict|
There Was a Mystery
Connected With II. ::
By DWIGHT NORWOOD
.s-s.s.s.s.s.;.,-;.,.s.s-l-a-3-l-l-i.i-3-f

It is many a year since the United
States merchant marine was thing
to be proud of. Some persons living
remember the clipper ships Of the mid
die of the last century, with their tall
masts and skyscraping sails. Con-
federate privateers rendered shipping
goods ON them so dangerous that they
all disappeared, their trade passing to
English and afterward largely to Ger
man ships. The trade then lost has
never been recovered. Some say It e
because other governments subsidise
their ships, others that seamen may be
hired cheaper In foreign countries than
In America. One thing is certafn-the
American merchant marine since the
war between the states has been little
or nothing. Whether the great Euro
pean war will give any OF It back to
us remains to be seen.
II was In the fifties that Horace
Graham, sixteen years old, ran away
from home and shipped on one Of
the famous "Blackball line" sail ships,
the Winfield Scott Those were days
when there was a romance Of the sea,
when vessels were propelled by sails,
when they rode the billows lightly
and there wns no chug-chug OF ma
chinery in their vitals. That = why
youngsters were continually running
away from home to go to sea.
Horace Graham made trips to and
from China OIL the same vessel as
ordinary seaman for three years, when
he was made third mate. One day,
on return voyage, a derelict was
sighted. The captain stood on the ait.
er deck examining her, rising and fall
Ing with the waves, and when he had
made UP his mind that there was no
living thing to be seen aboard OF hef
he ordered Graham to man boat,
pull to the ship, make an examination
and, II there seemed to be no reason
to the contrary, to sink her. When
eight stalwart sailors were In the boat,
which was provided with sufficient
gunpowder to blow up the vessel. sew
eral augers and some food In case
persons starving were found, she was
lowered and pulled to the wreck.
On approaching her Graham, who
was at the tiller, had a full view Of
her stern, on which her name had
been painted and from which some Of
the letters had been washed or worn
OF. Ordering his men to rest on their
oars, he took out pencil and paper and
made a record Of the letters remain
ing, giving the proper spaces for those
that had been erased, as follows:
NJ G. RE UR ON
Having transferred the letters to pa
per, the officer gave an order to give
way" and the boat moved forward,
passing close under the ships stern.
1t was then that Graham noticed, upon
q closer view, that an attempt had
been made to eliminate the remaining
letters, but the attempt had failed
Some one had evidently tried to scrape
them of with sharp instrument, But
probably had not sufficient time to
complete the work.
On reaching the ship rope with an
iron hook was thrown up, caught on
the gunwale, and Graham climbed It,
leaving his men In the boat. A terri
BILE scene greeted him There had been
q fight on the decks and In the cabins.
Corpses Of men, with their weapons
In their hands, lay here and there, and
all except one wore the clothes Of sail,
ors Of civilized countries. The one ex.
ception was q man In Asiatic costume
1t was plain that the ship had been