The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1921-06-17

navy coillcr tyclOpS until Il lew udsS
before she put to sea on a voyage
from which she never returned, said
that when he went ON the collier
Orion over the Cyclops's course he
learned enough from floating objects
and inquiries made in Brazilian ports
to satisfy himself as to the fate
Of the missing collier and her crew.
From the bridge of the Orion, on
which he also was navigating officer.
he saw a buoy and what appeared to
be a life-raft such as the Cyclops
carried. The buoy was in latitude
1881 north and longitude 1927 west,
or about $50 miles northeast of Ber-
muda.
In Bahia, Brazil, he learned that
the Cyclops was loaded with 10000
tons of manganese ore for the Beth
lehem Steel company. There were
only two stationary cranes to load
the ore with and they were 300 feet
apart. So 1900 tons of the ore were
loaded forward In the collier and T.
500 tons aft
His conclusion may be a divulgence
of the secret of one of the deepest sea
mysteries of all times, which sailor
men have said was guarded by the
Southern Cross. The Southern Cross
looms up at night down where Po-
laris, the North Star, which is often
used by mariners for adjusting COM
passes, disappears from view.
mo Mystery in My Mind"
"There Is no mystery in my mind
as to the fate of the Cyclops and her
crew." Lieut.. Hays said. II believe
that perhaps on calm and sunny
day, when the sailors off watch were
doing or perhaps at midnight, when
all were asleep except the men on
watch, the great ship, without warn
Ing, parted amidships, splitting her
aerials (she sent no wireless calD and
sank from sight.
"The current north Of Barbados
runs strong. If any objects floated
free from her they would have been
carried seward, perhaps thousands
of miles from where she sank. 1t is
plausible that they were carried
across the Atlantic, where navy
wreckage from the war was so com
mon 1t was not all picked up. AS a
sells as warning Of the proximity Of
submarines"
Just Escaped the Tragic Trip.
Lieut.. Hays remained in the navy
after the war, only leaving the service
on March 81 last. From the Orion he
went to England and was on cargo
transports that crossed the Englisl
channel. After the war he was or
mine-sweeping duty in the North sea
He went into the navy in the reserve
force as "gob" in Pittsburg. Tha
was on March II, 1917, few day
before we entered the war. When wa
was declared he was assigned as
cOxswain on the destroyer Downes
which was at Philadelphia. Tire
months later he was commissioned al
ensign and sent to the reserve off
GERS training class in Annapolis
After that he went to Cape May a
an instructor In seamanship, and froT
there, in November, 1917, he was as
signed to the Cyclops as lieutenan,
junior grade The Cyclops was a
Norfolk. Lieutenant Hays was d.
tailed as navigating officer.
ION Christmas day had lunch wit
the officers of the Orion, which wa
lying in the same dock" Lieutenar
g Hays said. "Her officers asked ho
n I liked the Cyclops. said | did nc
Ii like the atmosphere on the ship. The
. asked me why l did not try for
!. transfer to the Orion. did, and
was arranged through Captain BoesC
Of the Orion. Nering took my pla(
on the Cyclops.
despite war time secrecy, ever
one in Norfolk knew the Cyclops Wa
to take on a cargo for South Americ
ION January l. 1913. stood on II
Orion's quarter deck, near the stel
rail, watching the Cyclops let go h,
lines and clear the dock under Il
Orion's stern. They let go forward
en- the Cyclops. and the current ca
ried her bc'S out In the river. Thu
let go aft! The cry All gone sir
rang out, and the Cyclops swung o.
into the stream.
ION April l we went to Lambert
Point Hampton roads. to load 12,0t
tons of coal. and from there to Il
Norfolk navy yard to load steel plate
gasoline drums and depth charges
oil of which gave us 1000 tons
cargo on top of coal. The dt
orators of the depth charges Y
hung in the rigging for safety. {
al April reported to the skipper tn
n. we were secure for sea. We we
going to South America.
"lost With All Hands,"
a.. THAT afternoon a young ensig
" came down from the bureau Of ma
CATION in Washington with some &C
:, 6dential code books tofbe deliver
to ships In South American ports. |
spent an hour In the captains cab
After he went ashore the CAPITA
= came into the waroroom where
a. we're playing cards and listening
Q victroM and said to me I ought
AA~Ak y<~N 4 mae tho.c srn,c r.k