Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-06-21
MISSING VESSELS
BATTLE OFFICIALS
Worldwide Search Begun
for Crew of Schooner
Deering.

Combing Of land and sea the world
over today was instituted by govern
mental investigating agencies In an
effort to solve the mysterious ground
ing last January, and the disappear
ance Of the crew of the schooner Car
roll A Deering, and the disappearance
later of the Steamer Hewitt of the
Union Sulphur Company.
Not since the disappearance OF the
collier Cyclops during the war have
the government agencies been faced
with a case so mysterious as that sur
rounding these two vessels. while
saying that the investigation would
require months in efforts to rach
solution, the governmental opera,
tives say thta the sea probably VIII
hold this unsolved mystery along with
many others.
Although so far Department Of Jus
tice Investigators say that they nave
interviewed every one who might
throw a ray of light on the ground
ing of the Deering. they are as much
baffied as on the day it was reported.
Piracy Idea Secuted.
While scouting the idea Of piracy
along the Atlantic coast, they never
theless said that anybody's guess was
good until the agents had an oppor-
tunity to cover every bit OF ground.
The State Department today for
warded to its representatives the
world over directions to be on the
lookout for the missing steamer
Hewitt and any member of the crew
of the Deering, not one OF whom has
been accounted for.
Department Of Justice agents. by the
process of elimination, are trying to
ascertain the identity of the mystery
steamer which passed Diamond Shoals
lightship about the time the Deering is
which either failed or refused to an
swer a signal of the lightship. 1t
passed close aboard the lightship. but
flew no colors, and was Of the freighter
type, according to Department of JUS
tice secret service agents.
When the vessel was discovered all
sails were set, running lights burning
and two red distress lights burning
in her rigging. This was out of the
ordinary, it was pointed out, and indi-
Gated that no seafaring man was
aboard when the vessel grounded.
The captain of the lightship report
/ ed that he spoke to the captain Of
graph of Capt. Wormell. asserted
that he was not the man whom he
\ hailed, and that no person with a
likeness such as that in the picture was
seen around the deck when the vessel
passed.
DeerinE Case Detailed.
The description of the case Of the
Deering sent to consular AMI diplo-
pmatic agents all over the world says:
"On January 20. 1921, the American
schooner Carroll A. Deering, sailing
at the rate of about five miles per
hour, passed Cape Lookout lightship.
n. c.. and on January 81. 1921. it was
found a few miles north Of that point
in such condition that there is every
suspicion of foul play having ac-
CURED. The vessel cleared for Nor
folk. Va, from Rio de Janeiro and
put into Barbados for orders, but, re-
ceiving no different orders, proceeded
on its voyage to Norfolk. After pass
ing. Cape Lookout ightship. the YES
found as wreck and nothing has
been heard from the members Of the
crew. The master of the vessel, Capt.
Wormell. is reported to have been
experienced as a navigator and thor.
oughly reliable.
At the time the Carroll A. Deerine
passed the Cape Lookout lightshfp a
man on board. other than the captain.
hailed the. lightship and reported that
the vessel had lost both anchors. and
asked to be reported to his owners.
otnerw1se the vessel appeared to be in
Wy 6Oo0 SouOltlOH. "A snort time after
tne schooner passed the lightship a
steamer, the name of which cannot
be ascertained. which was passing.
was asked to stop and take message
for forwarding, and in spite of numer-
Gus attempts on the part of the mast or
OF the hghtShip to attract the vessels
attention no response to his efforts
was received.
Messnge I'm Bottle.
'On April II, 1921, the following
message was picked up in a bottle
near Cape Hatteras:
Deering captured by of1-burnfnp
boat something like chaser, taking
on everything. Handwriting crew hid
ing all over ship. No chance to make
quarters of Deering.'
The Carroll A. Deerfng carried a
motor lifeboat and dory, but neither
of them has been picked up and no
wreckage from them has been found.
Most of the provisions, clothing and
supplies Of the vessel had been re-
While relatives Of Capt. wormell
assert that the message which floated
ashore in the bottle was in the hand
writing of the engineer Of the yes
sci. Department of Justice agents
say that they have not satisfied
themselves that It was such.
OtHcT banning CaSS0s
Equally as battling, government
agents say, are the cases of tho Brit
ish steamer Abyn and the Russian
bark Yute, which disappeared last fall
of the North Carolina coast
The Albyn sailed from Norfolk last
October and never was heard from
again, while the Yute when of Cape
.Hatteras, sent a radio message asking
for aid, but when steamers reached
the position given in the message an
hour later no trace Of the vessel was
found, and, it is said, she has never
been heard from since. Reports to
the government are that the weather
was perfectly calm.
After the Hewitt disappeared and
the Deering came ashore without q
crew, British insurance company
suggested that the two vessels prob
ably had collided and that the Deer
ings crew went down with the Hew-
it'll An investigation by coast guard
officers, however. convinced them that
the Deering was not damaged suffi-
GENTLY to warrant a conclusion that
she had been in a collision with any
other craft.
Likely VIII BE UnsOfved.
Inclined to the opinion that the two
cases will go down in history with
other unsolved mysteries of the sea,
the greatest of which on record, they
declare, is that Of the American bark
Marie Celeste. which was found off
the Azores three months after she
left Europe in 1872, with all sails set,
unchanged, in calm weather, but
with the crew missing.
A boarding party from the ship
which sighted the bark found the ia