The Butler weekly times., 1918-04-18
DID GERMANS CAPTURE
AMERICAN SHIP!
Washington Authorities Think Cy.
clops May Have Fallen Victim
to the Germans.

Washington. April I5.-Orders for
greater efforts to find the missing ma
val collier Cyclops. overdue from
South American waters for more
than a month, went out today to
American ships. In addition allied
naval craft on patrol duty in the
South are aiding in the search.
So. far not one word has come to
clear up the mystery of the GOLFERS
disappearance. Secretary Daniels
said today, however. that he still
chung to the hope that the vessel
would report as many other navy
ships have done after they had been
given up for lost.
Naval officials were no nearer to-
day to a solution OF the disappear
ance than they were three weeks ago
when anxiety over the safety OF. the
ship first developed. There is abso-
lutely nothing on which to found an
explanation. The big carrier has
simply vanished from the sea.
No possible theory was rejected by
officials in seeking an explanation.
Suggestions heard most frequently
were that German agents had board
ed the ship in port and captured her
from her people at sea; that she had
broken in two and gone down in a
sudden squall; that she had been
overtaken by submarine and sunk
without trace and that an internal
explosion had sent her down. All OF
these suggestions had flaws in them,
it was said
\ theory that she had been cap
tured by a group OF German agents
aboard appeared to be the only ex-
PLANTATION that would account for the
silence OF her radio equipment.
Since the ship tailed to appear ma
val vessels have patrolled all coasts
in the vicinity OF her route, looking
for wreckagt 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
OF the collier. Reports from every
source showed nothing to warrant
the storm story. 1t is the r,ild sea-
SON of the year in those waters. The
route the Cyclops would have fol-
lowed was somewhat sheltered
The ship had aboard an insuffi-
cient quantity OF coal for a journey
to the nearest Gs rman port, had She
been captured. Some Officers think
that ii the ship was captured her cap
tors rray be holding her out OF trade
routes waiting for a chance steamer
from which TO secure cNaal.
Secretary Daniels satl the depart
mcnt had no word that ssnuld indicate
the presence in Southern waters OF a
German raider. The sea lanc- are
busy with shipping. yet no vessrl lras
sighted any suspicious craft.
1t is the absolute silence ot the
radio than makes the r;rse one oi the
most my sterous III naval annals.
That fact alone sncliDes officials to
the belief that the SKIP might have
been captured by persons aboard, for
in no other way would it have seen
possible uo silence cats for aid In
case of d storm or an attack by ene-
nrly craft. or even If the ship wcEt tor
pcdocd. there would gAve been ;lme
FOR such calls.
One oi the Cyelops' engines was
damaged, but it is no1 believed the
engine trouble had anything to do
with the disappearance. Construct
ers said 1he Cyclops WAS one oi the
stanches1 craft OF the auxiliary Fleet
OF the navy. They could not be'aeve
,2rat sunall OF such intensity as to
owerwhelnl her hail- been encountered.
The possibility WAS suggested ihat
explosives might have been 7ut
aboard MIXED in large quant'a'es
wKh the manganese ore end a ur''t
bomb set 40 explode the mass. in
u 4 ~