The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1921-06-23
To SEARCH SEAS
FOR SHIPS CREW
THEORY THAT FfRATES ARE
AFLOAT IN THE ATLAf.Tl
GAINS CREDENCF.

Washington. June pa world
wide search for the missing crew of
the schooner Carol A. Deering, of
Bath, Maine, which piled on the
North Carolina beach last January
with all sails set but not a living
soul abroad, has been started by the
state department through American
consuls.
The mystery is being investigated
by the department of justice and the
department of commerce as is also
the unexplained disappearance of
the American steel freighter, out of
Sabine Pass, Texas, for Boston. This
craft disappeared at about the same
time that the Deering came ashore.
The summary of the history of the
Deering case as sent to cOnsuls by
the state department disclOses that
when the Deering passed Cape Look
out lightship, North Carolina, on
January 20, while bound from Rio
de Janeiro for Norfolk, man other
than the master reported that the
NeSStl Hdu lUSJ DOlll dnCllOl anu oSh~
ed to be reported to its owners.
Five days later the vessel was
found on the beach in what the state
department describes as such con-
dtion that there is every suspicion
of foul play having occurred.
The departments summary also
SAYS that a short time after the
Deering passed the lightship
steamer, the name of which has not
been ascetrained passed the light YES
sci and was asked to stop and take
a message for forwarding but no
response was received to the num-
erous attempts on the part of the
master of the lightship to attract the
vessels attention"
The departments summary then
says that on April II the following
message was picked up in a bottle
near Cape Hatteras:
"Deering captured by oil burning
boat something like chaser taking
off everything. Handwriting crew.
Crew hiding all over the ship, No
chance to make escape. Finder
please notify headquarters of Deer
ing"
The schooner carried a motor
life boat and dory" the state de-
partments summary continues, but
neither of them has been picked up
and no wreckage from them has
been found. Most of the provisions,
clothing and supplies of the vessel
had been removed"
Government agents investigating
the Hewitt and Deering cases say
they are baffled and that thus far
they have not found single clue
that might lead to solution or the
mystery. Equally as battling they
saw. are the cases of the off the
Azores three months after she left
Europe in 1872 with all sails set, un-
damaged, in calm weather, but with
the crew missing.
A boarding party from the ship
which 9osighted the bark found the
table set for dinner with hot coffee
in the pot and everything aboard the
ship in the same condition it would
have been had the crew left only a
few minutes before. On a sewing
machine was a waist which the cap
tain's wife had been making while
toys used by the captains son were
on the floor In the forcastle was
a table with playing cards distribut-
ed around as though members OF
the crew had leisurely left a game
of cards.
Besides the captain, his wife and
son, there were 10 Ren in the ship s
crew. The vessel was taken TO port
and again put in service but about
six years later she disappeared com
pletely with her crew and no word
has ever come from her.
Portland, Me-, June 23.-The the
ory that pirates are afloat in the
north Atlantic has found credence
here. Belief in this explanation OF
the fate of recently missing ships
has grown with establishment or the
fact that the message in bottle
picked up two months ago north oi
Cape Hatteras purporting to explain
the disappearance of the crew of the
five-masted Bath schooner Carroll A
Deering. mystery ship of Diamond
Shaols, was written by Henry Bates
of Islesboro, Maine, member o.
the crew. Question of its genuine
ness was settled by handwriting ex
perts who compared it with letters
written by Bates.