The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-08-13
By S. BURTON HEATH

New York, Aug. 13 - (NEA) - The lookout on the Nova Sco- tian barque DeiGratia, 300 miles west of Gibraltar, spoke the tiny brigantine he saw off the port bow. Who are you?" asked the signal flags raised on the Dei Gratia
 There was no reply no &C., knowledgement. The brigantine reeled on, under almost full sail, as though her crew were incap- able or asleep.
 Chief Mate Devon took a small boat crew and boarded the brig antine. In a few minutes he sig nailed excitedly to the Dei Gratia and Captain Boyce joined him in another small boat. Thus began the mystery of the Mary Celeste, which has inspired fiction writers no less renowned than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and logicians, and amateur sleuths, but never yet, "A years later, has been solved.
 In Perfect Condition
 The Mary Celeste is the most famous derelict in maritime his tory, which has written many less such cases on it's books now than in the days of wooden sailing ships, before radio was invented. The abandonment of a modern C-2 freighter like the American Farmer even for a few hourS-makeS front page news, and the controversies arising out of salvage ambitions are fully exploited day by doy But back in the 1870's vessel could be aban- doned for weeks before anybody even began to wonder Weher it was.
 The Mary Celeste was i'll perfect condition. Minutest scrutiny never disclosed evidence of fire or threat of fire. strain or stress or passage through rough weather, mutiny or piracy or peStilence. Nobody ever has learned why she was abandoned by her master his wife and daugh- ter and flYe-man crew: or how they got of; or where they went, or what became of them
 The Mary Celeste was a Nova Seotia-built half-brig 98 feet long, 25 feet wide, of 2O6-ton deadweight smaller than present-day PC boat. Yet Captain Banjamin s. Briggs didn't hesitate about taking his wife and seven-year-ol daugh- ter along when he set sail from New York, Nov. ', 1872, carrying 1,700 barrels of alcohol to Genoa to for tify Italian wines.
 There are many differing yer cin oc +o 11F J1rJ,o of Devon did find aboard the Mary Celeste. The consensus seems to be that everything was in perfect con- dition except that there was no hu- man being aboard.
 Under Full Sail
 She was under full sail except that her top gallant yard was down on the cap and her gaff top-sail cleWed down, as though an attempt to shorten sail had been abandoned in it's midst.
 All hunks were made neatly, except that pillow in the captains cabin showed the impress of his daughters head. Remains of an breakfast were on the 1 table The captains watch hung l above his bunk His wife's sewing | machine was in the messroom. On | the mates desk was a half-Written | letter to Fanny, my dear wife
 There was plenty of food and wa !! ter JeWelry and valuable trinklets, | and the cash box, were untouched | The alcohol cargo appeared intact | Hull and mastS were unchanged. | The Seamen'S chests were dry and | underclothing hung on a drying line, razors weren't even rusted.
 It's up to you whether to be- lieVe the most common version = that the ships boat hung on it's davits unused and unsWung-or that the yaWl was gone and it's davits swung out with dangling ropes. (The only other small craft, the long boat, had been smashed when cargo was loading, and never replaced).
 Collected SS,500
 In any event, the Dei Gratia put a prize crew aboard sailed the Mary Celeste to Gibraltar, and after two investigations collected about S6,500 prize money on the ap- praised value of S5,700 for the brig antine and S3700O for hercargo.
 At least two old men, years after, claimed to have been mem oers of the Mary Celeste's crew and gave differing versions of what happened, both of which were so flshy-appearing, on known facts, that they seem unworthy of repetition. Beyond that, there never has been even the faintest hint other than attempts to build up a logical theory-as to what caused Captain Briggs, his family and his crew to disappear-or how they left the Mary Celeste-or whatever be- came of any of them.
 The Mary Celeste was a perfectly