The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-06-22
2 IS GULF COAST SVVEPT BY HURRIc AMI
MISSING Ships
ARE SOUGHT BY
COAST GUARD
British Belieue Ves-
sells Taken 81 Irish
Gam RuJp,eTs.

WesnAuBSon, June y. z.- (U0tf9d
Press )-E6orts to solve the mys-
terry Of the vanishing ships" to-
day wsrs 1'centsred on efforts to
nnd the sea marauders who are
believed to have boarded the
schooner Deering and made pris-
oners Of her crew.
Commerce oflicials want to know
what vessel followed the Deering
past the Cape Lookout lightship
on the night Of Jan. - and refus-
ed to answer signals from the
lightship. This was only two days
before the Deering drifted ashore
with all sails set and only q par
rot ON board.
To learn, II possible, the iden-
tity Of the mysterious ship, the de-
partment has asked all ships that
were near Cape Hatteras between
Jan. 20 and Feb. ! to report their
position. n
A note signed with the name Of
. mate Of the Deering and found
in q bottle also may furnish q
clue. The note said that the Deer
ing had been captured by an -oil
burning chaser"
The attempt to locate ships, to-
gether with q combing Of the coast
near Hatteras, constitute the ac-
tive steps being taken by the COM
merce department.
May Csc Airplanes.
Airplanes may be used to search
the coast II the coast guard yes
sells now doing the work show no
results.
An explanation of the fate of the
Deering will furnish . clue to the
disappearance OF half q dozen 9th
er vessels at the same spot where
the Deering was wrecked.
The reason for the interests of
British officials in the search for
the vanishing ships was revealed
today. Their theory is that the
ships may have been captured by
Irish sympathizers and used for
gun running.
II pirates raided the ships and
murdered or captured the crews,
as some officials believe. they must
have left some trace along the
shore. As the disappeararces ex-
tend over several months. raid
ing vessel would have to have
some base for operations aiong the
shore.
A list Of 20 vessels which have
disappeared in the last few months
was made up at the commerce de-
partment today.
No Wreckage Found.
Five OF the vessels, or possibly
six, were near Cape Hatteras wheK
they went down. While the mum.
ber Of vessels which have vanish
ed Is not unusual. the fact that M
trace has been found Of them ani
that so many were last heard from
near the same spot, is unusual. Il
they had blown up, ran aground
or even capsized, some bit o.
wreckage would float ashore which
would disclose their fate.
The stranded schooner Carroll
A. Deering, which beached on Hat
teras with sails full set. was gont
over again by government investi
gators.
1--WE might as well have searched
a painted ship upon . painted Sc.
for sight of the vanished crew,
said one Of the men IN his report
The mystery ship is filled will
sand. Sea gulls are using. th'
beams that supported the grea
ship clock as roosting place, h
reported.
i Not an oar, not a bit Of driftwoot
from the other vessels which hav'
Joined the phantom squadron o
the deep was discovered.
These ships are the Russian
bark Albyn that sailed out Of thu
Norfolk capes into oblivion: th'
Spanish ship that wirelessed TO
help north Of Cape Hatteras, ant
when nearby vessels rushed to thu
location they found nothing bu
ocean, and the Hewitt which van
ished off the cape about the SAM
j time the Deering drifted crewles
ashore.