Show NAUTICAL NOVELTIES strange tales of the deep no story can ever compare combar e with the weird tale of the marie maric celesti Cc c el lesti esta if you can offer a solution to this m mystery you are a better man than any other person who has studied the case you belong in a museum there just any explanation thousands of theories ha have ve been advanced to explain the mystery of the he marie mane celeste every theory however is offered with apologies as there is always some circumstance which knock the theories for a cruise on the flying dutchman or the theory blandly ignores some inexplicable point in the story briefly the facts are on december 5 1873 the british ship dei gratia sighted the marie celeste beating an erratic course under partial sail in a stiff northerly wind the captain hailed the strange orange craft but received no response noting the queer yawing of the ship he took a prize crew with him and boarded her what the boarding detail saw made their hair stand on end it was no blood stai stained lied deck they found but a phantom ship riding the restless sea without a skipper or crew not a living soul was aboard not a dead body was found everything was in shipshape and in order but the strangest of all the ships boats were all in the davits nor was there a sign of strife aboard disorder or anything to indica ane unaccountable absence of officers and crew the ships log was examined it was found that the marie celeste was a yankee barque bacque under command of captain N S briggs who had a reputation for reliability and bLua steadiness diness she left new york on november 7 1873 and on november 20 she passed the azores fresh water and wholesome food supplies were aboard in abunda abundance abundant ne e the alcohol cargo was stored properly and had not shifted rough seas and fears of a storm could not have caused the abandonment by the crew for a boltre of medicine medici ci ne stood on the table and any excess rolling of the ship would have upset it the captains wife and two year old baby who had started the voyage with them were also strangely missing the cifes sewing was laid aside as if in a hurry the imbres son of the babas head on the pil low could still be seen the theory that the ship was a victim of pirates or mutiny was abandoned bando ned when it was found that the ships chests containing silver and money were untouched and the skippers watch still hung on a nail in the cabin had plague bro ken out in the crew the matter would have been recorded in the ships log yet nothing was said at the conclusion of the he routine entries ong tri es in t the h e log ran the following w words ord s F fanny anny my dear wife the sentence was never completed i A few minor clues Ler wards dis I 1 covered made the mystery more complete A bloodstain about th size size of a dime was discovered on the starboard top gallant rail and close to it was found a deep cut A cutlass in the captains cabin showed signs of having been smeared with blood and later wiped off on both sides of the bow near acar the water line fresh cuts three eighths of an inch deep six feet feel long and an inch wide were founie the cuts were made intentionally and lid quite recently that was all an ali abandoned ship at sea is not aci unusual there are many of them roaming the seas today sometimes the crew is never found but some clew has always been left to establish the reason for desertion and in what manner they deserted here there were none what is the ans iver or can youji you figure gure it out claunch was one of those southern boys who had to be lassoed la shoed to have shoes put on him forcibly when the navy got him when drawing his first outfit at the train ing station he was mighty proud ot of all of his new gear on the day following he was discovered shuttling along taking steps of about three inches the trouble rouble t asked the company compan y commander dont your shoes fit f it yoh they done fit it all right but that durn fool forgat to cut th the strings that tied them to geher replied the lad from dixie |