The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-06-21
GOVERNMENT FEARS PIRATES.
CONTINUED from Page L.

1
lantic coast or the seizure of the vessels
for the benefit of Soviet Russia.
Investigations Under Way.
Five departments of the Washington
government are at work in the effort to
solve the mysteries. The state depart
meut has instructed its consular officers
at ports throughout the world to be on
che lookout for the missing vessels or the
members of the kidnapped crew The
| treasury department. through its coast
guard and lifesaving services, is making
a search of the Atlantic coast and adj
lacent waters. The navy department has
sent out vessels to assist i'm the search.
The department of commerce. through its
bureau of navigation. is also trying to
| lift the veil of mystery. The department
J OF justice has assigned some of its best
secret service agents to the ease, fer the
government is working on the theory that
| all these mysterious incidents are inter-
related
Find Deering Abandoned
Several months ago. the five-masted
schooner Carroll Deering of Portland.
Me, was found abandoned off Diamond
Shoals, n c., with all sails set and her
officers and crew missing. The Deering
went ashore near Diamond Shoals Light
ship. and when the men of the nearest
| llfeSaving station went aboard they found
evidence indicating that she had been
abandoned in a hurry for no conceivable
| reason. for the vessel was in good shape,
| with plenty of food. In fact it was ap-
parent that she had been abandoned when
| Il meal was about to be served. Her
small boats were gone, however.
y little later a bottle came ashore near
where the ship was found. and in it was
| by the mate of the schooner, which read
As follows.
An oil-hurning tanker or submarine
has boarded US and placed our crew in
| irons. Get word TO headquarters of com
| nany at once
No Trace of Crew.
The crew of the Decring. including the
| captain. numbered - men, and not a
| trace of them has been discovered The
| Deering left Portland last December for
! Rio de ianeiro with general cargo. Ii
was ON her return voyage with another
general cargo that she went ashore on
the boale has been compared with the
| renmanShp Of her missing mate and
| handwriting experts have declared that
| there is no question that the mate wrote
/ the message.
| Steamer Hewitt Missing for Months.
The steel steamer Hewitt of Portland.
Me. owned by the Union Sulphur com
pany Of New York. is also missing. She
sailed from Sabine. Tex. several months
ago. with a cargo of sulphur for Boston
and Portland. The government authori-
| ties have been unable 10 get any trace of
| her. Not a boat or spar from her has
come ashore or has been picked up. and
not a body of any member Of her crew has
| been found. She might have been off
| Diamond Shoals about the time the
! Deering went ashore. and the authorities
| believe that she is still ahoat. intact
At the department of commerce the
! statement was made that two other Amer
! lean steamers had disappeared under cir
cumstances that led officials Of the de-
| partment to believe that they had not
| f0undered. and ii was openly admitted
/ by these officials that they suspected that
the ships had been the victims of pirates.
perhaps Soviet Sympathizers who had
>ailcd away with them to ports of Soviet
! RuSsia.