The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1922-11-09
HIST1RY,S|
MYSTERIES
SHIP THAT NEVER CAME BACK

THE see has rs full quota o; mys-
= teries-ranging al the way from
the depredadons OF Captain Kidd
through the strange affair Of the
Marie Celeste. and Up 10 the disap-
pearancs Of the collier Cyclops during
the World war-but none Of these
contain elements any more remark
able than the vanishing Of the Pres
ident one Of the first OF the steam
lsyiathans 10 cross the ocean.
Eighty years ago, Englishmen and
Americans alike. were rejoicing In the
fact that steamers had succeeded In
regularly crossing the Atlantic. that
voyage could be made in as short
time as two weeks, and that the FIRST
OF the Cunarders, the side wheeler
Britannia. had come safely into the
harbor at Boston after the quickest
passage on record Steam, II was
freely predicted. had conquered the
sea, and men who had gone 10 LOns
don, spent nearly a week In England
and returned within 80 days. were
regarded as wonderful examples OF
the new-found marvels OF trans
Atlantic travel.
Que OF the vessels which had been
launched only short time before,
and which the Engllsh-speaking world
hailed as the latest word I'm luxurious
oceanic comfort. was the President.
Two hundred and slxty-eight feet in
length. 81 feet wide, and with dis
placement Of 1880 tons, this liner
was not as large as many Of the ships
which ply the inland waterways to.
day-but she was the marvel OF tha
hour in 1910, and when she sailed
from New York on her Inflated voy,
age In March, 1871, every craft in tha
harbor paid tribute 10 her size and
her superior ability.
In April, however, reports began 10
filter in from Liverpool that the Pres.
ident was overdue, and throughout
the spring and far into the summer
there was an agony Of suspense in
England as well as in the Uni,ef
States-particularly as the passenger
list Of the missing ship contained the
names Of many prominent in public
life, including Tyrone Power, hailed
as the prince Of American comedians,
and George Glugston Goodman, whose
eloquence was claimed 10 be superior
TO that Of Henry Clay or Daniel Web.
ster. The latter carried with him the
first dispatch which Webster. as see.
rotary of state had written to Eng.
land, and the superstltlous Of both
sides Of the Atlantic claimed to see
a strange omen IN the coincidence that
the first President Of the United
States to die in the White House
William Henry Harrison had passed
away at the Time when the ship
which bore the name OF his office be-
gan 10 be missed
The fate Of Power, ana Goodman,
as well as that Of the duke Of Devon
shire. and a hundred other paSsen-
gers, has never been settled The only
ray Of light that was shed upon the
mystery was that a Portuguese brig
had reported sighting a large steamer
moving slowly under SAIL but. as the
steamer did not hail the brig nor dis.
play any signal TO indicate that she
was In distress, no assistance was of.
fered As a memorial, stone bear
ing the name Of Capt Richard Rob
erts, commanding the President, APP
pears In little churchyard' near
Queenstown, concentrating "the first
officer under whose command a steam
vessel ever crossed the Atlantic
ocean" SO far as Great Britain is
concerned, this honor belongs prop
erly TO Captain Roberts, but ahead Of
him by 10 years, was an American,
Capt Moses Rogers Of. the Savannah. |
Whether the President foundered In
some violent gale-a theory which |
hardly appears 10 be tenable. as no
other vessel reported trouble al this /
time-was crushed and sunk by an
iceberg IN the same manner that the
Titanic came 10 her fate some seventy
years later or was utterly destroyed
by flre-no man 10 this day has been
able 70 tell for not even a splinter |
Or vreckage or q llfehoat was ever
found
The President sailed from New
York
She failed to arrive IN Liverpool.