The New York herald., 1922-03-26
Vanished Ships.
A Theory Of the Loss OF the Cycleps
and Other Sea Mysteries.


To THE NEW YonK HERALD: Recent
discussion of the case OF the Cyclops
and other mysterious disappearance at
sea suggests a plausible explanation.
The earliest of those disasters In the
nineteenth century was that Of the
United States sloop-of-war Wasp, which
after several successful encounters with
British ships in the Atlantic sailed on
INTO oblivion in 1914. Hope Of her re-
turn was long clung to. and DR.. Holmes
records that as boy of 6 years when
ever he heard the firing OF heavy guns
he shouted that the Wasp must be sail
ing into Boston harbor
In 1856 the Pacific Of the Collins
Line. wooden steamship left Liverpool
Tor New York and never was heard
FROM There were we'll known citizens
on board and the event caused much
discussion and was long remembered
Some years ago ! founded a story on
It, or course there had to be a love
tale; but the sinking of the Pacific
was the core OF the narrative, the dis
aster was accounted for and the scene
on board was described. 1t was neces-
sary to have one survivor TO tell the
tale, and a good reason was given for
the fact he had refrained from making
himself known.
red hot meteorite, said to be about
as large as stateroom," came down
perpendicularly, struck the steamship
amidships. went straight through 1t, and
on reaching the water under the ship
sent UP an enormous cloud OF steam.
1t set the vessel on fire. there was no
chance to launch any boats and she
soon sank, just after Father ORelily Il
kindly priest from Rochester--it is
known that he was on board-had given
absolution to all kneeing on the deck
That story was rejected succcssively
by three good editors--as editors go
and then laid 1t away in literary Law
ender in certain tin box, where it
has much company as good or bad as
itself
Now read the sequel About two
years after i laid away the manuscript
everybody on the deck of ship cross
ing the Atlantic saw large. brilliant
meteorite come down at the usual ter
| iihS speSu anu pluH6C lulO Tic .WatSI
not many rods from the vessel.
II those good editors thought my
splendid meteorte was incredible they
never studied under Henry A. Ward.
Met. Doc. In the Museum OF Natural
History may be seen two very large
stones from heaven--as they have been
called since the days OF Moses-and
many smaller ones. There Is much
larger one in Mexico not near enough
to a railroad to be moved. I have
photograph of it with Professor Ward
standing by. He is not as tall as the
part that is above ground.
Scientists tell us that great numbers
They are largely of iron and they come
down hot. When we remember that
three-quarters of the earth's surface is
covered with water and that much of the
land surface Is desert or uninhabitable
and yet SO many meteorites have been
found in accessible places we can readily
believe the scientists.
That one should occasionally strike a
ship appears to me no more impossible
than that two ships should collide when
each has a lookout and a man at the
helm Yet ships do collide occasionally
Meteorites have no lookout and no helm
and they come with such velocity that
no ship could be turned to avoid one
I conjecture that the Cyclops was struck
by meteorite. RosstTER JOHNSON.
New YORK, March rs.