The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-06-22

Washington, June 22.-Efforts TO
solve the mystery of the vanishing
ships" today We're centered on efforts
! 10 find the sea narauders who are
believed to have boarded the schooner
Carroll "A. Deering and made prison
ers of her crew.
Airplanes may be called upon to
solve the mystery of the vanished
fleet
Commerce officials want to know
what vessel followed the Deering past
the Cape Lookout lightship on the
night of January 20 and refused to
answer signals from the lightship.
This was only two days before the
Dcering drifted ashore with all sails
set and only a parrot on board.
To learn. if possible, the identity of
the mysterious ship, the department
has asked all ships that were near
Cape Hatteras between January 20
anu February l last to report their
pusition.
An explanation of the fate of the
Dcsring will furnish a clew to the dis
appearance of half dozen other YES
sells at the same spot where the Deer
ing was wrecked.
Officials of the department of COM
1QeEce tOUay were considering asking
the army or navy for planes to patrol
the little frequented stretches of coast
near Cape Hatteras for trace of the
merchant vessels which have mysteri-
ously vanished there.
Meanwhile, coast guard vessels were
slipping in and out of coves and inlets
near the cape in hope of picking up
some clew-a bit of wreckage or a
note which might have been left by
some of the crew of the vessels.
Twenty Vessels Have vanished.
Pirates raided the ships and muir
dered or captured the crews, as some
believe. they must have left some
trace along the shore. The disap-
pearances extend over several months
and a raiding vessel would have to
have some base for operations along
the shore.
A list of twenty vessels which have
disappeared in the last few months
was made up at the commerce depart
ment today.
1--WE might as well have searched a
painted ship upon a painted ocean for
sight of the vanished crew." said one
of the men in his report.
The mystery ship is filled with
sand. Sea gulls are using the beams
that supported the great ship cloch
as a roosting place. Not a bit of DRIFT
wood from the other vessels which
have Joined the phantom squadron
from the deep was discovered
Foreign Ships on List.
The ships are the Russian BARI
Albyn that sailed out of the Norfoll
capes into oblivion; the Spanish
steamer Yute, that wirelessed for hell
while north of Cape Hatteras anc
when nearby vessels rushed to the 10
cation given. they found nothing bu
ocean; the American steamer Hewitt
that vanished off the cape about th'
time the Deering drifted crewless t
shore, and the William O'Brien, which
disappeared north of the cape.
On the theory that if any of tbs
men are still alive, they will return
to their old haunts. detectives hav'
looked up every address given in th'
ships articles of two of the missing
vessels
Five of the vessels or possibly 81,
were near Cape Hatteras when the.
went down. While the number o
vessels which have vanished is no
unusual. the fact that no trace ha
been found of them and that so man.
were last heard from near the sam
spot is unusual. If they had blow
up, ran aground or even capsized
some bit of the wreckage would fioa
ashore which would explain their fate
The stranded schooner Carroll A
Deering, which beached on Hattera
with sails full set, was gone owe
again by government investigators.