Evening journal., 1921-06-21
PIRATE HUNT
OFF THECOAST
Soviet Raiders Suspected in
Disappearance of Carol
A. Deering
OTHER SHIPS
LOST AT SEA

WASHINGTON. June 22--Mys-
terious circumstances surrounding
the wreckage Of a sailing schooner
of the coast Of North Carolina, with
the disappearance OF her crew and
the apparent vanishing a few days
later Of a coastwise steamship ply
ing the same trade. has caused five
Governments departments to begin
investigation into what may prove
10 be the operation OF a pirate
raider off Americas shores.
Announcement that the Govern
ment is busying itself with a series
Of sensational developments in
coastwise shipping traffic was made
by Herbert Hoover, Secretary Of
Commerce. and the Navy. Treasury.
State and Justice departments have
been called in to help on the cases.
Suggestion has been made that the
wreck of the sailing vessel, the
Carol A. Deering. a 35o0-ton- FIVE
masted schooner out OF Portland.
Maine. for Rio on return, was
brought about by agents of the So
Wet government Of Russia or her
crew muuneed and later seized the
steamship Hewett, the vessel which
has utterly disappeared.
The Hewett. owned by the Union
Sulphur Co., has not not been heard
from since she left Sabine. Tex,
several months ago for Boston with
a cargo of sulphur. Reports that
several other ships disappeared at
the same time could not be verified
today by Secretary Hoover. but he
said that he understood there had
been several disappearances prob
ably in the vicinity Of Cape Hatteras.
where the Carol A. Deering was
wrecked and the pirate craft or the
mutineers seem TO be operating.
The Carol A. Deering, with a
general cargo. left Portland last
December for Rio and was on her
return voyage when the fates over
took her. The vessel, with her sails
fully set was sighted by the tug
Rescue OF the American Salvage Co.,
somewhere of the North Carolina
coast The tug. owing TO a heavy
sea- could not approach the
schooner The tug captain. how
ever. reported that the Deering's
boats were gone and there was no
sign OF life aboard. A few days
later tho schooner with her sails
set and her boats missing. came
ashore near Diamond Shoals.
Ffshermen along the shore ad-
vanced the theory of mutiny and
oven piracy An investigation by
cornpany officials and Miss Lulu
Worren. daughter OF the captain Of
the Deering. W. b. Woren, disclosed
note purporting to have been writ
ten by the mate of the Deering.
'An oil-burning tanker or sub
marine" ran the note. has boarded
us and placed our crew in irons. Get
word to the headquarters Of the
company at once"
In addition to Captain worell and
the mate, the Deering carried a
crew OF nine men. The facts in the
case were not made known to the
Government until May "a, when
Mrs. Worell and the Rev. Addison
b. Lorimer. Of the Central Square
Church OF Portland. acting for her,
saw Secretary Hoover at the request
OF Senator Hale. OF Maine.
The Government departments
which are cooperating with Secre-
tary Hoover in the investigation are
proceeding upon no definite theory,
It was stated today. but are using
every means at their command to
obtain information which will lead
to the running down Of the unusual
business. State Department officials
said today that consuls in various
atin-American ports have beer
asked to make inquiries and sources
of ocean-going information are be-
ing tapped in an effort to develop
the alleged existence OF a pirate oi
Bolshevist raider.
The most frequent and popular
theory is that those responsible foi
setting the Deering adrfft, either ths
crew or the company OF raider
which attacked her, were agents OF
Soviet Russia and were after the
cargoes for transportation to Rus.
sia- In the unconfirmed report re-
garding other ship disappearance
Is statement that two small sailing
vessels. laden with wheat. have not
been heard from since they left
their Gulf ports several months ago
The possibility that the Hewitt. the
sulphur ship, may have gone down
In the Gulf in heavy storm also Is
advanced, and so far as can be
learned the officials OF the Union
sulphur Company have made no at
tempt 10 link up her disappearance
with the peculiar circumstances un-
der which the Deering was wrecked