New-York tribune., 1921-06-21
81. S. Ships
Varnisl1 at Sea
With Crews
tconusv.d from paso cno

ary and watch must have been near
ashore near Cape Hatteras.
The finding of message purporting
to have been written by a member of
the Decrina's crew and dropped over
board when the ship was seized by
raiders led Miss Bauer to suggest to
the coast guard authorities that the
Bolsheviki, then reported TO be stirring
up trouble in Mexico, might have cap
turcd the Deering and the Hewitt.
On Foreign Paper
The mysterious message found near
Cape Hatteras bv =. C. Gray, life
saver, and forwarded &c this city was
believed to be a practical joke until
the appearance here two weeks ago of
Miss Lulu Wormell, of Portland, Me,
daughter of the behring's captain, who
was determined to run down every
clcw, no matter how faint, which might
lead to the clearing up Of the mystery
of the disappearance of her father and
his crew.
The bottle messace read as follows
"Deering captured By oil-burning 1oat
something like chaser. Taking off
everything. Handwriting crew. Crew
hiding all over ship. No chance to
make escape. Finder please notify
headquarters of the Deerng"
Miss Wormell doubted the authentic
ity Of the message until she had it
compared by handwriting experts with
the signatures of all the men who had
signed articles en- the Deering's last
voyage. The experts announced that
beyond doubt it was written by II.
Bates, engineer of the ship.
Practically certain then that the meg
sage was a genuine distress call. Miss
Wormell had the paper on which
the note was written examined and was
told it was not of American manufac-
ture. This seemed absolute proof that
no practical joker had been at work
Secretary Hoover was asked to in
vesjiccte.
Other singular circumstances con
nected with the disappearance Of the
Carroll A. Decring were noted By Miss
When the vessel spoke Lookout Light
Vessel few days before she was dis
covered aground and deserted, both
anchors were missing. Nor was the
voice of the man who spoke the light
vessel from the schooner that cf her
father. He always made a practice,
Miss Wormell says, Of speaking passing
vessels personally, giving orders to be
awakened if a ship was sighted when
he was asleep.
United States Investigates
His peculiar hail, Miss Wormell SAYS,
would be remembered by any one whom
the Deering spoke and the men on the
light vessel say that the voice which
came from the Deering does not an
swer the description Miss Wormell
gives of her fathers "Halloa."
Miss Wormell carried to Washington
the belief held by the girl in Texas
that Soviet emissaries, intent upon
piracy, were responsible for the dis
appearance of the schooner and many
other vessels which left American At
lantic ports during the latter part of
the winter and were never again heard
from. The evidence she collected here
ans; elsewhere regarding the loss OF
these ships resulted in q joint investi-
cation by three government depart
ments and the securing of additional
evidence which has not yet been made
public.
Miss Wormell, when she visited this
city, talked to all persons who had
been aboard the Deering when the YES
sci came ashore at Hatteras and is in
possession Of ali the data which seem
obtainable. If several missing Amer
lean vessels are discovered in Russian
ports, as intimated from Washington
as a possibility, and their crews repa-
triated, it will be largely due to her
persistent efforts in behalf of her
father.
Miss Bauer's interest in the fate of
the Hewitt lies in the disappearance
of the master, a former naval officer
and personal friend.