Show Prize Riddle of the Sea Has Been Beena a Mystery Mystery eight for Thirty eight Years Tho Th finding of tho the British bark layer layer- at nt anchor and abandoned al although ni- ni though shipshape an and In perfect trim oft otT the thc Falkland Islands In June litt t. t and anti tho time mysterious disappearance of nil eli h her r company recall to seafaring men the only similar case care on record record the tho riddle of the tho sea o of thirty eight years years' lar What nerl to tim the New few York brig Mary Mar Celeste anti and what became of her crew The mystery of the tho Mary Celeste has always deeply Interested Maine because her mate Albert G. G Richardson was s a S Stockton man niami and amid his lila entries In Inthe the brigs brIK Jo lop log furnish the tho on ony onty clue duo as to conditions prevailing on hoard board just t previous pre pro Iou to her abandonment Th Tho Mary Man sailed 1 from New York on cli November o 7 7 1872 for Genoa with u a cargo of petroleum um and alcohol Her master master mas nias- ter was CaptAIn Benjamin S S. S Briggs of Marlon Marion Mass Mans first officer Albeit G. G Richardson of Stockton Mo Ma and second officer Andrew of nf New NOW York Her lIer crew trew Included Edward Head Hend of New York Volkert Lorenzer Arien liar Har- hens n n. Lorenzer and Gottlieb nI of Germany Th Tho captains captain's wife and little littlechild littlechild littlechild child were aboard Tho The whip ship was tIght und and clean c The crew was contented and til's skipper was honest From rom tho the day 1130 that she hc passed out Sandy Hook Hoole none nono of oC the Mary Celes Celeste's Celestes elS company com corn pan pany has has' ever Or b been n seen dead or 01 alive The Mary Celeste Celeste- sighted I St. St Mary's Marys In Inthe inthe the Azores on November r 7 7 ISn and according lo tu h liar r log found afterward sIms she sighted that thal place on In November ember 21 Th The Fhi lop loic book entry rends reads Vo Wo sighted St. St Marys Mary's toda today That Is the last laRt entry In tho the boo book Ie No human hand ever touched louche l that pa page paio o with Jm ro after arter these wor words s Wf WOK WOK- I written In Iii sight ht of land with a tight ship and a 1 willing crow crew the tho mysterious mysterious mys mys- tra tragedy od occurred What hat happened after arrer that entry of November ember 21 I nobody has hus over ever been able to say any I Seven days behind the theIr Mary r I Celeste Celete out of New York sailed tho tim brig Del DelGratia DelGratia Gratia for fOI the Mediterranean Her master mas mas- ter was wa named She had good weather and put straight across the ocean for Gibraltar In latitude 36 de degrees degrees de- de grees Jrees north lon longitude 27 7 de degrees the officers of oC the Gratia sighted a brig ahead Sh Shin She acted strangle and tho the Gratia put her helm holm over a bit to como come alongside tIme the stranger whose head sails Mils were set while her main canvas was down her hull hail commanded Captain On board loard tho the brig brigl called one of tIm the mates as the tho Del Gratia came up astern of th the other r craft Thero There was no answer r neither was there nn any sign of life aboard the tho brig As the Gratia Gratin came clune up under the tho stern of or the tIme brig the officers read the tile latter's name and port U Mary lary Iary Celeste New ew Yorke York Ve We will send a boat aboard the brig said the master of tho the Gratia The mato mate got the boat bont away aWRY and wont alongside While the hands held the tho boat he climbed over o tho the main chains onto the tho deck of the Mary Iao Celeste Everything E was In perfect cl order Rigging Rig fig ging In was properly set ct and secured decks were orderly and clean dean The cabin doors doom were open and every ery appearance o of life lIfo Invested In the outer works o of tho tIm tran strange e craft The mate kj Iced at the cabin door No Xo answer O Kito to him I lb Ho To went down unbidden t to R only a duplicate of or the tho scene above e above he cabins were In perfect order The little or organ an sat pat In a corner with half turned music on Its rack Playthings of a a. child were scattered about the floor noor In the tho captains captain's stateroom his gold old watch hung at tho the head of his berth In hI his wife's bedroom the tIme iHlow on the berth erth was Indented with the tin tiny Impress of the Infants Infant's head In tho time mates mate's cabin his lo logs log's s 's slate lay on hI hH his desk made up properly describing weather weRther temperature and thin the quotations from the time quadrant Here on only was a single hint of a forecast of o of a n. horrible tragedy On tho limo slate at the end of the tho official record were tho the wor words s Fanny my dear ear wife wire Were ere the they penned by a II poor sailor about to abandon ship or simply Imply b by an affectionate husband thinking of 0 the time loved one ones at fit home Nobody knows Yet those words seem to but deepen the iho mystery mys- mys t tery ry ry for had ul Mate Mato Richardson wished d to leave lea a message mc for or hl his wife wire In the baro hope nope that she ehe might read It when he was Under time the sea sea ho he could have hao easily written writ writ- ton ten a few words telling nor her of hI his hopes for safety anti and how they were ere lo to attempt an un escape from whatever evil beset et them The mate mato of or the Gratia Gralla proceeded with hi his hiM arch Boarch In the tho galleys tho tim COIo were ro on the tim stove StO and meat was In process process pro pro- cess 8 of preparation for or the table There Thero was no confusion here Forward all nil was the same Kame Every sign was thero of a n perfectly or ordered red ship suddenly deserted eS by a crew crew who stopped only long enough to get Iel over the sIde A peep Into the tho chests cheats of the crew showed no preparation for No Clothing was wan gone one Money Ilone had hall been hren fr freely freely free free- o ly Iy left Below d deck ck hut but ono one sign was s seen lIeen nn nil open drawer r from which n a f few rew w canned goods good had It may be be been n taken Above e the thc mate pointed significantly to toa toa toa a a pair of empty davits Its on one of which was waR broken ot oft off short th time the Mary ry Celente Celeste Ce- Ce lente leste was In complete order Had Harl It il not noth h been en for the dato dab In her lo log November 24 the tho mato mate of the Gratia could auld havo worn that her crow ow had hail been awn away from the tho brig no more than twenty minutes Now on December I f 1 ten days after the lie thelast last entry In the time log loj of tho the Celeste the Gratia found her In latitude 36 36 27 rou rough h estimate I St St. Marys Mary's Azores IK is In latitude longitude 2513 and tho time distance b between the time two reckonings s Is IR In miles not more moro than thirty five Thus In t ten n days Ins If the tho reasoning be correct tho the Mary Celesto had drifted only thirty five mUe miles Tho The mate male e of the th D Del I Gratia went ent back to his vessel clel and reported Captain Moore Moore- house sent ont nt a crew aboard with time tho mato mate and nine nino days later tho time Cele Celeste Celesto to was brought Into Gibraltar amid tUrn turned d over o to 10 tho the admiralty courts Her owner Mr J J. J Winchester of or New York received Cd a de demand demand de- de mand for in iii salvage alvage and that being more by far than the value of or time tile brig ho he refu refused d to allow it and turned her over o to time the rescuers The Tho personal effects of the officers were sent home All sorts of yarns arns ha have e been printed about the Mary Celeste none of them thern true It w was s reported In 1877 that Mate Richard Richardson on had been seen In Ju hiding In the West Vest Indies and that he and others of or time the crow had killed time the c captain and had stolen many thousands of dollars which were being carried b by the brig but bul tho the brig carried no mone money San Francisco papers published In 1807 1817 what purported to be the deathbed confession confession con con- of the tho mate male of or tho the brig D Del DelGratia I Gratia Gratis Jacob Home Hamel As h ho was doln dying In the tho story tory ran Hamad declared that when ho he boarded the tho Mar Mary Celeste he found everybody dead of smallpox but the cook th the captain and the latter's letters wife Th The mate mat Richardson had a R. bl big sum aura of or money with which he Wa was going oln Into business In Africa Hamel throw the three survivors survivor overboard took In cash and went back to the Gratia with the In Information Information information In- In formation that the stran strange o brig was abandoned That there rc was no sickness on board tho the Mary Celesto was vas evident ent from the fact that no nothing had hall been used from the time medicine chest The bottles had hadnot hadnot hadnot not been touched What Is regarded e here as ai tho the only reasonable rea ros- explanation of time the mystery Is this rho Tho cargo cano of the Celeste was petroleum petro petro- laura leum and alcohol Ever since o of that na nature ure were carried In ships hIps seamen have ha contended that rough weather causes 1 th the collection of gas In the bolds bold of ships loaded with such fluids and nd have ha ar argued that unless s a vent i 11 Is round found an explosion will folio follow I Sailors sa say a ship thus loaded will In rough weather give forth rumblings from I the hold where the gases lire are clo closely clY confined under battered hatches Many skippers kIppers open their hatch hatchs for a day or I two after heavy weather with liquid be below below ho- ho low deck Now No on the lo log hog of Richardson time the mato mate eu on tho the Nary Mary Celt Mr there were up to lie tho very vory da day o of abandonment nt man l many references to rumbling and rolling below deck The log Jog seems to lo Indicate a a. general gen en era eral fear among officers and crew of or an explosion It Is likely that a I landing was wall attempted on th the Azores near St St. Marys At that i however the surf Is IB very heavy and can cnn only be penetrated safely In sur surf boats If Captain Brigga approached the time shore with his heavily loaded boat he lie mU must t have havo perished rl Some believe tho time captain took his compan company com cern pan pany off orr intending to stand by hy the thc brig and that she drifted awa away and escaped him It Is said anchors will not nol servo serve off SL St Marys Some Sorno skippers have havo r I argued ud that perhaps the ship was WR going on a Ice lee shore with tho time undertow at that point and that tha Captain Brigga getting off oft In a fL calm culm sea Bea th the wind came up nm and took tho the brig away awn while lio ho In the surf No 0 bodies were over mind found there but the tho shore chore Is precipitous New NewYork York Herald I |