Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1921-06-21
Three Vessels Vanish on At
lantic-Crew of Another
Disappears
SOME SURMISE RAIDER
Other Reports Lead to Belief YES
sells Were Taken to Soviet Ports
Bottle Furnishes Clue.

! Washington, June 2l.-A mystery
of missing ships is hanging over the
md atlantic Coast, which, it was dis
| closed Today, five departments of the
Federal Government are inVestiga.
pg
One vessel, sailing snip. was
stranded on Diamond Shoals, off the
Hatseras coast, without any sign of
its crew having been discovered. Gil
cumstances indicating piracy were
strengthened by the subsequent find
ing of a bottle containing message
from the mate.
Three small steamers have disap-
peared, it is learned, within recent
weeks. While those familiar with the
case of the schooners are inclined tc
the opinion that the steamers als2
were victims of some strange p:ratlcal
raider, Secretary of Commerce Hocv'
er was in possession of information
which raised the possibility that there
is BoIshevism afloat and that the
tliree ships may have been taken over
by their crews and diverted to ports
of Soviet Russia. All four vessels. i
seems, were in the coast wise trade.
The facts, so far as they have be-
come known ir each case, h;:':e been
brought to the attention of the De
partnlents of State, Navy, Commerce
Justice and Treasury. Secretary
Hughes has given orders to all Ame-
rican consular officers to keep sharp
lockout for the arrival of any OF the
vessels or members of thei, crews.
Tie navy is assisting the Coast
Guard cf the Treasury Department II
patrclling the coast, 1t is stated. the
Department Of Commerce, through III
Bureau of Navigation, is n touch
with the deep-sca mystery, and 1t
was stated at the Department. of JUS
tce this afternoon that the Attorney
General had assigned "some OF his
best men" to make an investigation
of the cases that have arisen.
So far there is nothing but theories
as to the fate Of the three steamers,
while such facts as are known regard
ing the schooner comprise story
rivaifing any sea tale of imaginative
fiction.
This vessel, the Carroll A. Deering.
four-master, of Portland, Maine,
bound north from Rio Janerio, W; 5
sighted by TIE Diamond Shoals light
ship late one afternoon in January.
The two vessels exchanged greetings
and all seemed to be we'll aboard.
The following morning the schooH-
er, all sails set was discovered ashore
on Diamond Shoals, the qu!cksard
beach off Hatteras, known t naviga
tors as the graveyard of the .Atiah
tic" The schooner was boarded py
Coast Guarlsmen from neighoor-
ing life saving station, but not the
slightest sign of life was found Food
was on the table in the galley aid
the officers mess, but officers and
crew had disappeared without leav-
| ing any token to show what had be-
come of them.
A revenue cutter was dispatched t.
| the schooner and an attempt made to
tow her into deep water. but sns
broke to pieces and the attempt Was
abandoned. Meanwhile general
alarm vert forth to all l:ve-saver;
on the Hatteras coast to watch foi
| bodies. None has ever been found. no!
has any lifeboat, life preservers OF
4 articles of clothing been washed
| ashore to indicate that the crew NIGH
have persisted. Coast Guard officials
discussing the cast last n!g..t. salt
that It was not unusual for a ship K
| disappear as did the Cyclops dur:,.q
the war, or fer ship 20 SO dowi
with the crew afloat in small BOATS
But they said it was a rare occur:
renee for ship to survive in this fas7
:on and the crew to disappear: =
No clue to the mystery wis i'ount
until April, when a fishernasn 46Hh's
les north of Hstteras 'fished out g
| the water corked bottle 1aal .ins:t:'
/ Was paper with d message signed
With the name of the mate of 'tll'
Deering. The message read: - S