The L'Anse sentinel., 1921-07-01

New NOrk.-ln an lnterNie" EiNe"
to The World, Lieut.. James Nj. hays
who was navigating officer OF the
navy collier Cyclops until u few DAYS
before she put to sea on voyage
from which she never returned. sara
that when he went on the coliier
Orion over the Cyclops's course ne
learned enough from floating objects
and Inquiries made in Brazilian ports
To satisfy himself as TO the rate
OF the missing collier and her crew
From the bridge Of the Orion, on
which he also was navigating oihcer'
he saw buoy and what appeared 10
be life-raft such as the Cyc'ops
carried. The buoy was In LATITUDE
1881 north and, longitude 5S.27 west
or about $50 miles northeast OF Der
muda.
In Bahia, Brazil, he learned that
the Cyclops was loaded with lo,oV
tons of manganese ore for the Beih-
lehem Steel company. There were
D only two stationary cranes 10 loau
the ore with and they were 800 teet
apart. SO 1900 tons of the ore were
loaded forward In the collier and l.
800 tons aft.
His conclusion may he a divulgence
of the secret of one of the deepest sea
mysteries Of all times, which sailor
men have said was guarded by the
Southern Cross. The Southern Cross
looms up at night down where Po-
larIs, the North Star, which is often
used by mariners for adjusting com
passes, disappears from view.
mo Mystery In My Mind"
"There is no mystery in my mind
as to the fate of the Cyclops and her
crew." Lieut.. Hays said. Il believe
that perhaps on calm and sunny
day, when the sailors off watch were
doing or perhaps at midnight, when
all were asleep except the men on
watch, the great ship, without warn
ing, parted amidships, splitting her
aerials (she sent no wireless calD and
sank from sight.
"The current north Of Barbados
runs strong. If any objects floated
free from her they would have been
carried seaward, perhaps thousands
Of miles from where she sank. 1t Is
plausible that they were carried
across the Atlantic, where navy
wreckage from the war was so com
mon 1t was not all picked up. AS a
matter of fact, 1t was avoided by YES
sells as a warning of the proximity Of
submarines" s~7N
Just Escaped the Tragic Trip.
Lieut.. Hays remained In the navy
after the war, only leaving the service
on March 27 last. From the Orion he
went to England and was on cargo
transports that crossed the English
channel. After the war he was on
ine-sweeping duty in the North sea.
He went into the navy in the reserve
force as "gob" In Pittsburg. That
was on March II, 1917, few days
before we entered the war. When war
was declared he was assigned as a
coxswain on the destroyer Downes,
which was at Philadelphia. Three
months later ne was commissioned an
ensign and sent to the reserve Off
GERS training class in Annapolis.
After that he went TO Cape May as
an instructor in seamanship and from
there, in November, 1917, he was as
signed TO the Cyclops as lieutenant,
junior grade. The Cyclops was at
Norfolk. Lieutenant Hays was de-
tailed as navigating officer.
"On Christmas day / had lunch with
the officers Of the Orion, which was
lying In the same dock" Lieutenant
Hays said. "IIer officers asked how
liked the Cyclops. said did not
like the atmosphere on the ship. They
asked me why ] did not try for q
transfer to the Orion. did, and II
~as arranged through Captain Boescf
Ipf the Orion. Nering took my place
on the Cyclops.
.'Despite war time secrecy, every
b}fe in Norfolk knew the Cyclops was
TO take on cargo for South America
"On January /, 1913, / stood on tn,
Orion's quarter deck, near the sterI
rail, watching the Cyclops let 90 hel
lines and clear the dock under The
iOrion's stern. They let 60 forward
on the Cyclops, and the current car
ried her bow out in the river. The.
let go aft The cry All gone. sir
rang out, and the Cyclops swung on
into the stream.
"On April / we went to Lambert
Point, Hampton roads. to load 1900
tons of coal, and from there to tn
Norfolk navy yard to load steel plates
gasoline drums and depth charges
all of which gave us 1900 tons o
cargo on top of coal. The dei
onators Of the depth charges W
hung in the rigging for safety. o
April I reported to the skipper tina
we were secure for sea. We wer
going to South America.
Lost With All Hands"
THAT afternoon young ensigl
came down from the bureau of nav
CATION In Washington with some col
fidentIai code books to be dellvere
TO ships In South American ports. H
spent an hour in the captains cabil
After he went ashore the capital
came into the waroroom where "
were playing cards and listening
A. A. 4 .<-lxk I