The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-03-12
United States SIoop Wasp Last
Seen 800 Miles West of
Cape Verde Islands.

seen SUI Miles west OF
Cape Verde Islands.
There have been many mysteries
of the sea, but none more inscrutable
than that Of the United States slop-
of-war Wash. which, after short
and brilliant career In the summer
and fall of 1914, was spoken to on Oc-
tober 0 by the Swedish brig Adonis
about 500 miles west Of the Cape Verde
islands, and never more heard of
writes William 2. Simmons in the
New York World. Two contemporary
rumors are recorded by the novelist,
Cooper. but they serve less as solu-
ton of the mystery than stimulus
to the imagination.
According to one of these, shortly
after the meeting of the slo0p and
the brig, British frlgate, badly dam
aged. put into tho port Of Cadi2,
Spain. and reported that 1t had been
engaged in a night action with an
American vessel of war, which sud-
denly disappeared in the darkness.
There does not, however, seem to be
any record in British naval annals
of such an encounter.
The other rumor had 1t that two
British frigates were chasing an
American sloop-of-war in West In
dian waters about the end Of October
when they ran into violent squall,
during which the American was lost
to sight. While an incident OF the
kind was entirely probable. the dis
appearance Of the fleeing vessel would
not be conclusive evidence that IL
foundered. Yet the inference is ir-
resistible that the Wasp. whether pur-
sued conformity by British frlgates
and tempest, or by tempest alone. was
swallowed by the sea somewhere be-
tween the Cape Verde and the West
Indies. though neither flotsam not
jetsam was picked up to furnish a
clue.
There is superstition prevalent
among sailors that fatality follows
certain names when applied to ships
and members of the ills can cite the
Wasp as a striking confirmation of
their belief.
The United States had three war
vessels named Wasp during the War
Of 1912 and misfortune overlook every
one of them. The first, built at .Baltt-
more, was burned at Philadelphia.
The second, after beating and captur-
ing the British sloop Frolic in rat
thing fight. was taken with its prize
Immediately afterward by a British
ship-of -the-line and carried to ia
maIca. Then, after being RENTED and
manned by a British crew. it left port
never to return or again be heard OF.
Short but Brilliant Career.
The third Wasp was one of several
vessels built with the special object
OF combining strength and speed to
overmatch anything in the British
navy under the frigate class. 1t must
be borne in mind that the term sloop-
of-war does not imply the rig OF the
vessel, but the armament. A sloop-
of-war Is a vessel less powerfully
armed than frlgate and may be Of
any rig. Thus the last Wasp was a
bark rugged vessel, having three masts
the fore and main masts square rig
ged, with the third, or mizzen mast,
fore and aft rugged. 1t was built In
Portsmouth, N. a., and commissioned
in tho spring of 1914. Master Com
mandant-or, as we would now call
him, tombstone Blake
ly, OF Wilmington, N. c.. was assigned
| to its captaincy. Blakely was a young
officer who attracted the attention OF
the naval authorities by his training
of the crew of the Enterprise. which
he had commended UP to within a
month OF its capture of the Boxer of
the coast Of Maine. The efficiency
shown by the crew OF the Enterprise
was a conspicuous feature of that
\ spirited engagement. o.
Its First Prize.
Blakely ran the British blockade Of
Portsmouth on May i, 1914. under
orders to cruise for thirty days on
the approaches to the English chan.
mel. about $50 miles south of ireland
He carried a crew OF 173 men of hfs
own pick. mostly New Englanders. OF
the run across he made his first prize
on June 2, between 900 and 500 miles
west OF the Irish coast That was q
ship bound from Cork to Halifax
twelve days OUT. His second prize
bound from Limerick 10 BordeanS
lwas taken June Is. practlcally ON the