Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1921-06-16
Former Navigating Officer Of u s. Collier Who Went Over Her
Course Later Convinced She Broke Two Under Strain Of
Badly Slowed Cargo Passed Buoy He
Believed Hers

New York.-1n an interview given
20 The World, Lieut.. James M. Hays
who was navigating officer Of the
navy collier Cyclops until few days
before she put to sea on voyage
from which she never returned. said
that when he went on the collier
Orion over the Cyclops's course he
learned enough from floating objects
and inquiries made in Brazilian ports
to satisfy himself as to the fate
Of the missing collier and her crew.
From the bridge Of the Orion, on
which he also was navigating officer.
he saw buoy and what appeared to
be life-raft such as the Cyclops
carried. The buoy was in latitude
1881 north and longitude 1927 west,
or about $50 miles northeast Of Ber-
muda.
In Bahia, Brazil, he learned that
the Cyclops was loaded with $4,000
lehem Steel company. There were
only two stationary cranes to load
the ore with and they were 300 feet
apart. So 1900 tons of the ore were
loaded forward in the collier and T.
900 tons aft.
His conclusion may be 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. II 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 foated
carried seward, perhaps thousands
Of miles from where she sank. It Is
plausible that they were carried
across the Atlantic, where navy
wreckage from the war was so COM
mon it was not all picked up. AS q
matter Of fact, 1t was avoided Nv YES
sells as warning of the proximity of
submarines"
Just Escaped the Tragic Trip.
Lieut.. Hays remained in the navy
after the war, only leaving the service
on March 81 last. From the Onion he
went to England and was on cargo
transports that crossed the English
channel. After the war he was on
mine-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 he 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, 1877, he was as
signed to the Cyclops as lieutenant,
junior grade. The Cyclops was at
Norfolk. Lieutenant Hays was de-
tailed as navigating officer.
ION Christmas day had lunch with
the officers Of the Orion, which was
lying in the same DOCK" Lieutenant
Hays said. "Her officers asked how
I liked the Cyclops. said did not
like the atmosphere on the ship. They
asked me why did not try for a
transfer to the Orion. / did, and 1t
was arranged through Captain Boesch
of the Orion. Nering took my place
on the Cyclops.
despite war time secrecy, every
one in Norfolk knew the Cyclops was
to take on cargo for South America.
ION January 1, 1918, stood ON the
OriOn's quarter deck, near the stern
rail, watching the Cyclops let go her
lines and clear the dock under the
OrtOn's stern. They let go forward 7
on the Cyclops, and the current car
ried her bow out in the river. They
Z let go aft! The cry All gone, sir +
rang out, and the Cyclops swung out
into the stream.
ION April we went to Lambert's
Point, Hampton roads, to load 10000
tons of coal, and from there to the
Norfolk navy yard to load steel plates,
gasoline drums and depth charges
all of which gave US 1000 tons OF
cargo on top of coal. The det-
orators of the depth charges we
hung in the rigging for safety. On
April reported to the skipper that
we were secure for sea. We were
going to South America.
"Lost With All Hands,"
"That afternoon young ensign
came down from the bureau of navi-
cation in Washington with some con.
fidential code books to .be delivered
to ships in South American ports. He