Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-04-15
]. s. COLLIER
IN SEA MYSTERY
Steamship Manned With
Naval Crew Completely
Disappears.
Vessel Three Weeks Overdue and No
Trace Can be Found-Theory Most
Widely Accepted is That Enemies on
Board May Have Destroyed Her
Search Being Continued.

Washington April 15,-Orders for
greater efforts to find the missing nav
al collier Cyclops overdue from South
American waters for more than a
month, went out today to America n
ships. In addition allied naval craft
on patrol duty in the south also will
aid. So far not one word has come to
clear up the mystery of the GOLFERS
disappearance.
Secretary Daniels said today that he
still clung to the hope the vessel would
report, as many other vessels had done
after being given up for lost.
The Cyclops, carrying 81 passengers,
Is officers and 221 in it's crew, has been
overdue at an Atlantic port since
March 13. The navy department an
nounced that the ship was last report
ed at a West Indies nsland March 4,
and that extreme anxiety is entertained
as to it's safety. The vessel was bring
ing a cargo of manganese from Brazil.
Alfred L. Moreau Gottschalk, United
States consul general at Rio de Janiero.
was the only civilian among the pass
engers on the collier the others being
two naval lieutenants and fifty-four
naval enlisted men returning to the
United States. The Cyclops was COM
manded by Lieutenant Commander F.
w. Worley, United States naval re-
serve force.
Many Theories Advanced.
Naval officials were no nearer today
to solution of the disappearance of
the Cyciops than they were three
weeks ago, when anxiety over the safe
ty of the ship first developed. The
big carrier has simply vanished from
the sea.
No possible theory was rejected by
officials in seeking an explanation
Suggestions heard freely were that
German agents had boarded the ship
in port and captured her at sea, that
she had been overtaken by subma-
rine and sunk without trace" or that
an eastern explosion had sent her
down.
/ All of these Suggestions had flaws
in them. it was said. Since the ship
failed to appear naval vessels have
patrolled the coast in the vicinity or
her route looking for wreckage or
survivors. Nothing has been found.
Every vessel known to have been
anywhere in the region at the time
has been communicated with. None
saw or heard anything CT the collier.
Reports from all sources showed
nothing to warrant a storm theory.
Explosion improbable.
The ship had aboard an Insufficient
quantity of coal for journey to the
nearest German port had she been
captured. Some officers think that IL
the ship was captured her captors
NAV be holding her out OF trade
routes waiting for a chance steamer
to secure coal.
The explosion theory is exploded by
the fact that there was little muni-
tions on board The ships cargo OF
manganese ore was not explosive.
Secretary Daniels said the depart
ment had no word that would indicate
the presence in southern waters OF a
German raider. The sea lanes are
busy with shipping, but-no raiders
have been sighted. The absolute 81
lence of the radio makes the case one
OF great mysteriousness. That fact
alone inclined the officials to the be-
lief that the ship may have been cap
tured by persons on board. One of the
sCyclops' engines was damaged but It
was not believed that engine trouble
had anything to do with the disap-
pearance.