The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1916-01-20
Derelict
There Was a Mystery
Connected With 1t.
BY DWIGHT NORWOOD

oy D"AOAAA NON"OOO
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
1t is many year since the United
States merchant marine was q 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 b
English and afterward largely to Ger
man ships. The trade then lost has
because other governments substitute
their ships. others that seamen may be
hired cheaper in foreign countries than
in America. One thing is certain-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 1t back to
us remains to be seen.
1t was In the fifies 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 romance of the sea.
when vessels were propelled by sails.
when they rode the pillows lightly
and there was no chug-chug of ma
chinery in their vitals. That is why
youngsters were continually running
away from home to go to sea.
Horace Graham made trips to and
from China on the same vessel as
ordinary seaman for three years, when
he was made third mate. One day.
on return voyage. derelict was
sighted. The captain stood on the aft
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 her
he ordered Graham to man a 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 q 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-
cepti0n was q man in Asiatic costume
1t was plain that the ship had been
boarded and captured by pirates. That
they had left in a hurry was also evil
dent. An auger had been left in the
side Of the ship below the water line.
indicating that an attempt to sink the
vessel had been interrupted. Then.
too. all the lifeboats except one had
been left In their places. There were
blocks for eight boats. all the blocks
being filled save one set, and at this
point the davits were swinging out, In
dicating that boat had been lowered.
There were two cabins astern, one
evidently the. captains. In the ether
women's clothing was found. In that
belonging to the captain from little
drawer In al0cker Graham took out a
daguerreotype-p photographs were not
at that time common-of q girl some
eighteen or twenty years old. There
was something very attractive In this
young and innocent face among such
frightful surroundings. Graham put
the picture In his pocket not only for
the purpose of identifying the ship.
but because he wished 1t for himself.
Before sinking the derelict Graham
returned to the Winfield Scott and re-
ported to the captain. Another boat
was sent to the derelict to make fur
Their examination. but the pirates had
taken care to possess themselves Of the
log and everything else by which the
vessel might be identified. Though
they had evidently left her In a hurry.
they had taken time for such removal
Nothing remained but to make a note
Of the latitude and longitude in which
the derelict was discovered. at that
time favorite region for pirates.
Il