TIIE SCBANTON TRIBUNE SATURDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 10, 189.
PATHETIC TALE OF
THE MARY CELESTE
One of the Most Dramatic o( the Sea'a
Many Mysteries.
THE KEY TO IT NEVER DISCOVERED
Nlie Wn Found OH' the Azores Drill
lUly w ith Sail l'nrlly Set, but With
out Trut'R or Sign of Skipper or
I'riMV, Who Was .Sever Heard fro in
iu Any Wiiy.
From the Iloston Globe.
There Is many a true tale of the una
Hint Is Htramwr than llelinn, hut nutii
lew stranger narratives nf ships ami
ihi-ir crews nre rolibeil of their mys
tery nml romance after many ears,
iiml this Is utie uf them. For nearly
twenty ycum there has been no secret
of ileath in olil ocean's keeping more
written anil talked about than the
pt range ease of the abandonment of
tile American In limntine .Mary Celeste,
off the Island of St. .Wary, one of the
Azores group, and the disappearance
of the whole ship's company. The Mary
'elestf was found with her lower sails
set, with her etirso and rigging un
disturbed, the cabin just as it had
been when occupied, and the effects of
the captain, Ills wife, the mate, and the
crew Just as they were when all hands
were on hoard. No satisfactory ex
planation as to why the vessel was
abandoned and what became of the
people who sailed in tier has ever been
given. Through the kindness of a rela
tive of one of the otlicers of the vessel
the liioLic Is enabled to give III this
article a solution of what hus for near
ly two decades been known as one of
the strongest sea mysteries on record.
The Alary Celeste was a small vessel
for a square rigger, as tliey are built
nowadays, being ::h0 u;-.d -toil tons regis
ter. She was built as a litUr, l"it just
before her deoarture on the eventful
voyage with which this story has to do
her rig was changed to that of a brig
antlnc, her owner, Captain James Win
chester, of New Yoik. thinking her
sailing qualities would he Improved by
fore and alt lig on Hie malii-inast in
stead of square rig. The vessel was
also put In dry dock and overhauled,
so that wh-n ready for sea she was in
the best shape possible.
SA1LKI) FOlt ITALY.
After being loaded with a cargo of
alcohol In casks, the Jlnry Celesta
sailed from New York for llcnoa, Italy,
ct. 17. l7i. jcr captain was Jietija
mln Kilggs, a young man. but one 0f
ample experience as commander f a
vessel. He was accompanied bv his
young wife and their only child, a till,
about 2 years old. Captain llriggs ws
a native of Jlarion. .Mass. He had
been married but a few years bcfiir
his wil'o. being from the same town.
The (list mate of the brigiintlne was
Albert (i. Iiichardson, of Stockton
.HjglliKS, Me., a villiage on the Penob
scot river. It was ftom his sister, who
resides on Perkins street, Soim rvillo,
tinit the facts given here were obtained.
J lis father Is living in the old home
by the Penobscot, at the age of Ml.
William Head, of New York city, was
steward. He was unmarried, and mad.'
his home with his widowed mother.
The crew was picked tip In the ship
ping otllccH of South street. New Yolk,
and Included Turks. Italians, and Por
tuguese, as unpromising (l t as ever
swabbed down decks, n was the make
up of this crew which led to the theoiy,
when the vessel was found abandoned,
that the captain, his wife, the mate,
ami the conk had been made nwny
with by the men. The disappearance
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of the crew, as well ns the others, was
a circumstance that made the theory
untenable and the mystery ileeper.
A few days before sailing from New
York, Captain Hrigga met Captain
Morehouse of the Kngllsh br.fr Del
tiraeia, on the street, and, as they were
acquainted, the two men conversed
about their vessels and the voyage be
fore them, for the Del Giacla was also
bound for a Mediterranean port. The
two captains said good by, with mutual
wishes for good luck, and In due time
the Dei Oracia put to sea, sailing a
few days ahead of the Mary Celeste.
That meeting of the two captains was
their last, but the courses of their
vessels were destined to cross In a
strange way before the western ocean
was traversed.
The voyage of the Dei Oracia was
without incident until Dee. 7, though
unfavorable weather was encountered
that kept the vessel back and threat
ened a long voyage. On that day the
island of St. Mary, the southernmost
of the nine In the Azores group, was
sighted and almost at the same time a
sail was made out In the oiling. The
crew refreshed their sea-tiicd ey.s
with long looks at the verdant moun
tains of Santa Maria, but the sail was
not lost sight of. It was Mate lievon's
watch on deck, and after studying ths
sail, which the brig was steadily ap
proaching, he found it to be a brigan
tlne. Captain Morehouse took a. look
at the vessel, and the two men decided
that it was the Mary Celeste, which,
though she had left N. v York later
than Del (Iracia. might easily be in
that latitude, as she was a belter siiil
er than the Knglish vessel.
NO ONK ON JtOAItD.
It did not take the captain und mate
of the Dei (iracia long to see that some
thing wus wrong on the Mary Celeste.
The vessel v as yawning about as if
without a helmsman, tilling and lulling,
lirsl on one lack and then on another.
All her lower sails were set, but her
topsails were furled, and everything
was fiiiug aloft. A closer scrutiny of
the vessel showed that the boat was
missing from the davits of the stern.
The longboat's cradle on the forward
house was also empty. The Knglish
brig inn down alongside the Mary Ce
leste, a bout was lowered and manned,
and Male Devon went aboard the ap
parently abandoned briganline. Ho
i -limbed over the rail, fully expecting to
see evidence of murder or plague on the
silent deck. No such sight was in
store for him. The decks were ns (dean
as if recently washed down. Kvery
piece of rope was in its place. The
sheets were all made fast. The wheel
was not lashed, and. as the vessel
came up in the wind or tilled away, it
turned idly back and forth. The lash
ings of the boat at the stern had been
cut. and an itxe lay on deck near the
davits, just ns It had been dropped, evi
dently, by the man who cut the boat
free.
The nslouUhcd mate of the Del (Jra
cla looked about the deserted decks.
then descended to the cabin. He was
nervously apprehensive of finding evi
dences of murder there, but In this too
he failed. The cabin was just as it
would be If the ship's company were on
board. The captain's watch hung from
the bracket of the swinging lamp over
the table. On the table was a slate, on
which some notes for the logbook were
jotted down. The date of the entry
was Nov. 24, showing that the vessel
had been left to her own devices nearly
two weeks when found, l'nder the en
try of the slate, which recorded light
wind and fair weather, were the words,
"Fanny, my dear wife." This, it was
afterward learned, wns In the hand
writing of the mate, who probably
started this message to his wife while
Ills shipmates were lowering the boat,
anil did not have time to tlnish it.
Mate Devon, of the Dei (iracia, con
tinued his inspection of the cabin like
one who expects to see the dead before
him at every turn. He looked in the
Hats
I
For men and boys. We sell the celebrated
SALE
N
captain's room, and there saw the
clothes of the infant, and in one of the
berths the imprint of the little head on
the pillow, where the child's mother
had put it to sleep, and whence she hnd
taken It when called on to leave the
ship. The other berths were undis
turbed, showing that the abandonment
of the vessel must have taken place In
the evening. In the storeroom the
ship's provisions were undisturbed, ex
cept thai one drawer containing can
ned nieiris had been pulled out, and
pari of its contents apparently remov
ed. In the gallery everything was Just
as the cook had appflrently left them
when clearing up after supper. In one
of the sailor's chests was found a JC5
Knglish note, and several articles of
value left behind showed that the crew
must have left hastily.
WHY THK CREW LEFT.
Thoroughly mystified. Captain More
house decided, utter hearing the mute's
story and inspecting the vessel for
himself, to take the briuantlne to Oib
raltar. Mate Devon was put in charge
and wns given two men as crew to
navigate the ship. It was nearly 1.200
miles to "the rock," and the voyage
was not an easy one to make with only
two men us crew two superstitious
men who considered themselves on
board a fated ship in the bargain. In
nil that 1.2'i0 miles the two sailors
could not bp iVrsunded to go below
once. They preferred sleeping on deck
to seeking rest In the cabin, and they
would diink water from the butts on
dock lather than go Into the galley to
make coffee.
Finally anchor was dropped in flu
bine waters under the shadow of the
mighty rock of (Sihrpltar. and from the
little white-walleii city clinging to the
base of th rock word was cabled to
New York of the arrival. Captain
Winchester was oldrj-ed to go across
to claim the vessel and settle the
claim for salvage, which was linally
tlxed by the English adinlralily court
at $.",11.1111(1. This was paid by Captain
.Morehouse of the Die (iracia, and after
lying three months in the harbor of
(iibraltar the Mary Celeste was put In
charge of a'new captain and proceeded
to her port of destination.
When the news of the findim; of the
Mary Celeste became known there was
one very ini'iortanl point in the case
which was not made public, according
to the sister of Mate Iiichardson. Mate
Devon of the Del Cararia knew of it.
Some time after the incidents related
here Captain Lyman T. Iiichardson of
the brig Valencia, n brother of Mate
Hifhuruson of the Mary Celeste, soughi
out the mate of the Del I limit la, and
from him learned the story of the Had
ing of the abandoned brigantlne. Mate
Devon said that while on the vessel he
took off the main hatch to inspect the
cargo, and found that, the head of one
cask of the alcohol was out. He made
a careful examination of the cask, nnd
cume to the conclusion that the burrel
of spirits had exploded, as everything
about It indicated that an exnloslon
hnd taken place. This, In the minds of
Mate Devon and Captain Ulehardson,
explained the whole mystery of the
hasty departure of the ship's company,
who, fearing that the whole cargo
might blow up, had taken to the boat
with the intention of standing by ile
velojements. NEVKP, HEARD FiiOM.
11 was learned by Captain Iiichard
son that the .Mary Celeste's long boat
had been crushed while the vessel was
loading, nnd as Captain Hriggs did not
want to wait for a new boat to ho built,
or the old one repaired, he had sailed
with only one boat, the one at the
stern davits. Into this small boat then
the people on the brigantino must have
hurried when the explosion took plnc
In the cargo. In the vicinity of the
Azores there is n short, lively chop to
the sea, caused by the strong current.!
nnd the breaking up of the ocean swell,
and In this chop the overloaded jolly
boat must have filled, having the oc
cupants to the mercy of the sea. It,
may have been the purpose of the
1
and Fiirnishin
OF UNDERWEAR
220 LACKAWANNA
captain to tow astern In the boat, hut
an nccident to the painter would have
been enough to cast the boat adrift,
while in the darkness there would be
little chance of finding their runaway
vessel.
For a long time after the finding of
the Mary Celeste the anxious relatives
of the captain, mate and cook clung
to the hope that they might have been
picked up. The secretary of the navy
Issued a request that all vessels pass
ing the latitude and longitude where
the brigantine was abandoned should
Jog in the vicinity twenty-four hours
before proceeding. This did no go.'d,
however, for not the slightest clue to
the fate of the ship's company was ev.r
obtained, and after Captain Richard;
son saw Mate Devon and talked witn
him, the widow of Mate Richardson,
and his mother, as well as the widowed
mother of the cook, put on mourning
for their loved ones, whom they gave
up as dead. They accepted the theoiy
advanced by Mate Devon as the only
tenable one as to the abandonment of
the vessel, and they held the mystery
of the Mary Celeste as no mystery at
all, in spile of the ninny tales that
have been woven out of the facts hi
the case, with more or less imagina
tive embroidery thrown In.
One theory advanced was that the
civw of the Del Oracia mpile away
with the crew of the Mary Celeste by
throwing them overboard, for the pur
pose of securing the ship and the sal
vage that would be paid after she was
taken Into port. Owing to the char
acter of the captain and male of the
Del niacin this theory fell flat.
scmii: sol tiii'rx schools.
An (Kiltie ntioniil Controversy Dis
pleasing to Urorgin .Men.
From the Sun.
The ratio of illiteracy Is highest, 4I.S
per cent., in Xew .Mexico, a territory,
nnd lowest. 3.1 per cent., in Nebraska.
The disbursements In all the slates for
educational expenses amounts to near
ly SJiHt.Oim.tKio a year. Toward this
total New York state contributes $2.
liiiii.nrtii, and of this the city of New
York $ti.(ion.(Ki. The appropriations of
other states for school purposes vary
considerably, being S I il.0oii.uil in Penn
sylvania, $h;.noo,imo in Illinois, $12.ui0.
OMi in Ohio, and JilO.OOO.ooO in Massachu
setts. North Carolina spends in a year
on education less than $mhi.ihhi, nnd
South Carolina only $,i"iii.nnii. (icorgla's
expenditures for school purposes are
by no means liberal, and the sparse
ness of the appropriation has given
rise, latterly, to considerable local con
flict in the Cracker State.
Hy the census of lv.ni the population
of Cieoigla was. in round ligures, 1,
'iiiO.win, and the population of West Vir
ginia by the same census was 77n.ui").
or considerably less than half. P.ut
while West Yliglnln expends in a year
Si.ilnii.OOil mi education, Coorgia expends
only $l.iis.i,nuO for the same purpose,
with the result that the ratio of illit
eracy in (ieorgia Is very much higher
and the school acconiinod itiotis are
very much inferior. There are "i'iO.ihiO
children of school ag- in the state of
(leotgla, and the average school at
tendance Is less than :n.iti i'. The coun
try schoolhotises are so poorly built us
to be uninhabitable in winter, when the
farmers do not neeed the assistance of
their children nnd when they would be
at liberty to attend school. The state
tax now levied does not provide nearly
ns much money as is needed, ami the
school criinmissioner will ask the legis
lature to levy a school tax in each
ccainty. He estimates that a tax of
one-qimrter of one per cent, would en
nble the authorities in nil of the rural
counties to build good schoollionses.
emidoy competent teachers, and keep
schools open nine month In the year.
Several counties have alreay voluntar
ily tried the system of levying such a
special tax us the commissioner ile
um tula. "
The publication of these facts is dis
"Hopkins' Hat" at
pleasing to many patriotic Georgia
men, ho are not slow In declaring
that the luck of school accommodations
Is by no means limited to their state,
some of them going so far as to add
that they have read the same charge
against the city of New York, the opu
lent condition of the finances of which,
they declare, ought to be a guarantee
against such lack of accommodation.
They further say that the average dur
ation of the school year in (ieorgia Is
114 days, uguinst 97 in Florida, K7 in
Tennessee, S6 in South Caroline, 75 in
Alabama, and 63 In North Carolina
the lowest of nil the states. The ratio
of illiteracy in North Carolina Is 43 per
cent, of the whole population over the
age of 10, and is nearly ns large as In
the territory of New Mexico. There
are S.300 school teachers In North Caro
lina, a larger 'number than in any New
England stute wiih the singls excep
tion of Massachusetts; but for some
reason, which does not appear to be en
tirely plain, 4,MH) of the school teachers
of North Carolina are men, whereas in
most of the staters of the country, und
notably so in New England nnd the
i west, the great majority of school
teachers ure women. The salaries paid
to male tenchers ure usually larger
than those pnld to female tenchers, and
it may be due to this fact that North
Carolina stands so poorly in respect to
school instruction. JiiW.Oofl of the school
fund going for teachers' salaries and
only Si .a.tion for all otlvr expenses. In
Pennsylvania, for Instance, the salaries
of teacher.1! of schools amount collec
tively to less than one-half of the total
school expenditures. (Ieorgia is an
other state In w hich, though in a small
er ratio, male teachers predominate.
Neatly tin; entire school fund of (Ieor
gia goes for teachers' salaries: there Is
very little left for anything else.
.MIXKl) MYTHOI.OUY.
From the nioomimrton Kye.
The musical manager ulio protested
when he found a performer in hi. orches
tra holding his b.,w during u rest, ray-
lug to In in, "I don t pay you to rest ;
wns superintending the nrrmiK'-'incnt of j
Mini? performer who wre representing I
alii Korle:it eliai nr ters.
"Here In front," said Hie author of the
piece which w;is to be givi n, "v will put
iu nine muses."
"Nine muses:" ex l iiined the manager,
coiiit mptuoiisly. "Nine muses would look
well in thai great space, wouldn't they?
e will have thirty-six mines."
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American Plan $4 Upwards.
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I. D. CRAWFORD, Manager.
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A-C
A13 Lackawanna Ave.
Conservatism
.. , In our fulvertisnupnlg and the avoidance of all
that is sensat ional are the elements by which we have von the confidence of
the public. This confidence we hold stead tost as adamant by wiling only
such goods as we know to bo reliable front evcrv standpoint and at prU
that are assuredly correct or your money cheerfully refunded
Today We Offer
Stylish Trimmed Hats.
dvet covered flats trimmed
wPn Inrm Ostrich I'eal hers.
Minis and Aigrettes, ll tret
bf st material, worth $m.u0, to
go at
Imported IVeneh felt lints In
largo Oaliishorough shapes
or small round Hats or Tur
bans, trimmed with Osirt.-h
Plumes, Birds. Wings. Ai
grettes anil Itlbbons, nil he.it
materials nml worth s.i to
go at
Hevt ifuallty Knglish and
Vienna felt Hdts iu all the
new shapes, trimmed in the
height of style with "Kili
bon.H. Feathery, Birds ami Ai
grettes, north ?i.'A. to go at..
Today
$4.98
Today
$3.98
Today
$2.98
Children's Trimmed Hat.
Vreneh felt, Vienna felt, Knglish felt,
fully trimmed in the latest styles.
98c, $1.48 and $1.98
Ribbons,
We have the largest stock and greatest
a.ortnient or the newest Itlbbons in Kan
cien, Velvet Itlbbons nnd Hutin Uibbons in
thin city, ut almost half the usual prices.
The Leading Millinery Store,
412 LACKAWANNA AVEME.
CALL UP 3S32,
OFFICE AND WAREHOUSE,
Ml TO 151 MERIDIAN STREET.
M. W. COLLINS, Manager.
the market for $3.00.
THIS
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ILGIT Oil MD WOFlCrORINC
CO.
Oil? lofinr Piflor
uiio, iiuuyui uiubi
Untrimmed Felt Hats.
English nnd Vienna JI.iU, silk
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regular prico fc, today
Camels hair felt Hats, the latest,
out. In hundreds of shapes, reu
ulur 51.O11 quality, to go at
Best Imported French felts In nil
the new I'arls shapes, never sold
under Jfl.Oi), to go ut
42c
59c
98c
Children's felt Huts In a large va- Iflc
riety of styles from OVV
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Ostrich and Fancy feathers.
Large bunches of Coque Feathers
in the new double curl effects, Jft
oilKht to bo 2.V., to go ut Iw
Kxtra large double Cocpie Plumes,
newest styles, ought to be !iSe tOr1
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Largo hunches of Paradise Ai
grettes, worth IMc., to go ut
Imported black birds, very fash
ionable this season, worth 23e.
and 350. euch, to go at
25c
12c
New Paris Veils.
No out-door costume is complete wlthont
n veil. We have just received from Dur
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We are sure they will he particularly In
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MT. PLEASANT
COAL
AT RETAIL..
Coal of the best quality for domestlo us
and of all sizes. Including Buckwheat and
Birdseye. delivered in any part of ins city,
at the lowest price.
Orders received at th Office, first floor.
Commonwealth building, room No. t;
telephone No. Ifi24, or at the mine, tele
phone No, Zi2. will be promptly attended
to. Dealers supplied at the mine.
WP.T. SMITH.
CS.5'.'iZa
1 k j
IS,
WEEK