Every station within radio communication of her route and every ship
within call during the time of her passage, including foreign ships,
was asked for any fragment of information. The search was continued as
long as it seemed possible to gain news of her, but nothing definite
was ever heard. The only suggestion of how she may have been lost is
contained in a message to the Navy Department from the First Naval
District, received June 6, 1918:
"Mr. Freeman, now in Boston, telephone address held in this office,
states log of U.S.S. _Amalco_ shows that on night of March 9 U.S.S.
_Cyclops_ was about five miles distant. March 10 heavy gale damaged the
_Amalco_. Capt. C.E. Hilliard, of the _Amalco_, now at 2876 Woodbrook
Avenue, Baltimore, Md."
On April 22 the commander in chief of the Pacific fleet sent to the
Navy Department the following statement of her cargo:
"U.S.S. _Cyclops_ had by tally of bucket 10,604, by draft in feet
10,835 tons manganese, distributed number one hold 10,614; number two
hold 1,995; number three 2,250; number four 1,875; number five 2,870.
Cargo stowed direct on wood dunnage in bottom of hold. Reports differ
as to whether cargo was trimmed level or left somewhat higher in
middle. Incline to latter belief. Reported also vessel had 4,000 tons
of water, mostly in double bottoms. So far as ascertained, no steps
taken to prevent increasing of metacentric height, and this must have
been considerably increased."
What caused the catastrophe will probably never be known, but with one
of her engines reported out of order she was not in the best condition
to weather the storm reported by the _Amalco_, and it is not unlikely
that a sudden shifting of her cargo caused her to capsize and to be
instantly engulfed.
Exactly one hundred days from the date of her sailing the following
order was issued:
"From: Secretary of the Navy.
"To: Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
(via Bureau of Navigation).
"Subject: Re official declaration of death of men
on board the Navy collier _Cyclops_.
"I. The following named enlisted men in the U. S. Navy and Marine Corps
should be officially declared dead as of June 14, 1918, deaths having
occurred in the line of duty through no misconduct of their own:"
(Here followed a list of the crew and passengers of the Navy collier
_Cyclops_ at the time of disappearance.)
"(Signed) Franklin D. Roosevelt,
"_Acting_."
In his annual report for 1918 the Secretary of the Navy states
"_Cyclops_ was finally given up as lost and her name stricken from the
registry."
Causes of the Destruction of Lost Ships.
Since the veil that conceals the catastrophes that sent the missing
vessels to their doom can never be lifted, a wide field of surmise is
open. We can only guess at the causes of these losses by considering
what has taken place in the case of vessels which have received serious
injuries the nature of which is known. I quote Mr. Horner in giving
the following as the possible causes which may account for the total
disappearance of liners: "Capsizing; damage from within, as explosion,
breakdown of machinery, or fire; damage from without, as collision with
an iceberg or with a derelict hulk; and mysterious causes.
"In reference to explosions, there are two possible causes. One is due
to the steam boilers, the other to coal gas generated in the bunkers.
Accidents from both causes have frequently occurred; and though it
is not easy to see how the force could be sufficiently great to rend
a vessel asunder without affording time for the use of boats or
life-saving appliances, yet the possibility must be admitted. Boilers
are always in the bottom of the vessel, and it is quite conceivable
that one or more boiler explosions would rupture the sides and let
the water in in large volumes. In the case of a tug in the harbor at
Cardiff this actually happened. And although the loss of no big vessel
has been traced to this cause, it must be admitted that the cause would
be sufficient, and the end would be sudden.
"Explosions of coal gas have occurred; and in past years, when less
attention was paid to ventilation than at the present time and when
vessels were built of wood, it is within the bounds of possibility that
an explosion might have torn a hole or started planks, or might have
given rise to a fire of large extent. If to this is added the terror of
rough weather at night, when most of those on board would be asleep,
the chances of any vestige remaining would be slender.
"Breakdowns of machinery alone would hardly account for the loss of
vessels, but they might do so indirectly--first, by leaving a vessel
exposed to the mercy of rough weather; secondly, by damaging the hull
and letting the water in. Fractures of propeller shafts or of propeller
blades are not infrequent occurrences. Neither is damage to a rudder.
It is quite conceivable that a vessel disabled thus for several days
and encountering exceptionally heavy weather, might be overwhelmed
by the sheer force of the waves. In rough weather the chance of a
disabled vessel being seen in mid-Atlantic if she drifts out of the
regular routes is very slender. Steamers for many years past have been
entirely dependent on their machinery, having no sails to fall back on.
Only in recent years have the most modern and best liners been fitted
with twin screws and double sets of engines, one of which remains
available if the other is damaged. A disabled vessel might, therefore,
in the past have suffered badly if she drifted out of the trade routes,
and might have gone down in bad weather.
"Damage to machinery may also be sufficient to explain the loss of a
vessel by causing her to sink at once. The _City of Paris_, of the
Inman Line, had a big smash in one of her engine rooms on the 25th of
March, 1890. She was coming home in fine weather, and when she was near
the Irish coast the starboard engines broke down in consequence of
the fracture of the starboard propeller shaft, and the sea filled the
engine room. Then the massive fragments of the wrecked engine hammering
against the bulkhead smashed that and allowed the water to flow into
the engine room, completely filling that also. In about ten minutes
both engine rooms were filled with water, adding 3,000 tons to the
vessel's weight. Yet she still floated securely, and the outer skin
was not damaged in the least. The water-tight compartments kept the
_City of Paris_ afloat for three days until help came to tow her into
Queenstown. At Queenstown the openings in the sea connections of the
vessel were closed with the assistance of divers. The water was pumped
out of the engine rooms, and with her port engines and one screw the
vessel renewed her voyage and went on safely and quietly to Liverpool
without harm to anyone. In the case of the P. and O. steamer _Delhi_,
which stranded on December 12, 1911, off Cape Spartel, on the Morocco
coast, all the passengers were rescued, including the Duke of Fife and
the Princess Royal and her daughters.
"Capsizing is not so likely a cause as some others, but it is possible.
The _Captain_ capsized, with the loss of hundreds of lives. The type
was, however, very different from that of the liner. But the draught
of a vessel diminishes toward the close of her voyage, as coal is
reduced. Some vessels are unsteady, and it is conceivable that heavy
weather, shifting cargo, and insufficient ballast may cause a vessel
to roll over on her beam ends and capsize. There is little doubt that
the _Wartah_ capsized by reason of top-heaviness. One of her life buoys
was reported as being found (December, 1911) at Waiuku, New Zealand.
"But the most probable cause of unexplained losses of ships at sea
is fire, or it is one, at least, which divides probabilities with
explosions and icebergs. Even on the supposition of an explosion, it
seems almost inexplicable that no trace of a sunken vessel should ever
afterwards be seen. A missing liner or other large vessel is a source
of interest to all seafaring men, and a keen outlook is kept on the
track which the vessel was known to have taken. Any stray spar or belt
or bit of wreckage, therefore, could scarcely escape observation. If
a vessel sinks in mid-ocean some portions float. But if a vessel is
burned everything would probably be consumed, as the vessel would burn
to the water's edge. Boats might or might not be launched, according to
the rapidity of the rush of the flames, the state of the weather, etc.
If boats are launched, say, a thousand miles from land, the chances of
rescue or of making land are remote. Fire, therefore, seems adequate
enough to account for the loss of some of the numerous vessels which
have never been heard from after leaving port.
"Considering other possible external causes of the total disappearance
of liners, heavy weather must be regarded as a probable reason in some
instances. Although we do not admit that the roughest weather would
harm a modern liner, we must remember that the older vessels were not
as large and powerful as those of the present time. The _Pacific_, for
example, which disappeared in 1856, was not nearly half the length
of the latest vessels. Bulkheads had not been brought to the perfect
condition of security which they have now attained. Not infrequently
even now steamers become water-logged and reach a sinking condition
and their crews are happy if rescued. It may well have happened that
vessels have foundered in mid-ocean in consequence of not being able
to receive assistance, while the sailors could not take to their boats
with any hope of living in the tempest.
"Uncharted rocks also cause the loss of vessels, as in the case of the
_Pericles_. But her captain was a man of resource and no lives were
lost.
"Icebergs are a probable cause for the loss of some vessels, especially
of liners running to Canadian ports. The damage to the _Arizona_ may
be instanced, and many other vessels have had hairbreadth escapes. A
vessel insufficiently secured by bulkheads would stand a poor chance in
collision with an iceberg.
"Tidal waves are probably accountable for some unexplained losses.
There are three classes of such waves--those due to submarine seismical
disturbances, solitary waves occurring in an otherwise calm sea
(the origin of which is obscure), and cyclonic waves. Each is very
dangerous, the first and last chiefly in the vicinity of coasts, the
second out at sea. It was a seismic wave which wrought such havoc at
Lisbon in 1755 and in Japan in 1896, when 30,000 people were killed.
But the effects of these do not usually extend far out to sea, as do
those of solitary waves. Many records of the latter have been given
where the decks of vessels have been swept of all hands and of all
deck erections. In 1881 all hands were washed off the decks of the
_Rosario_. In 1882 the master and half the crew of the _Loch Torridon_
were swept off the deck by a tidal wave. In 1887 the _Umbria_ was
flooded by two great waves. In 1894 the _Normania_ was struck by a
solid wall of water reaching as high as the bridge, smashing the
cabin on the promenade deck, and carrying away the music room and
the officers' quarters. The height of tidal waves ranges from forty
to eighty feet. The Cunarder _Etruria_ was struck by a tidal wave on
the 10th of October, 1903, when a Canadian gentleman was killed and
several wounded. The captain's port bridge and stanchions were carried
away. Though such waves would not greatly endanger the huge modern
liners, they might have swamped their predecessors by breaking through
the decks or rushing down hatchways and skylights. Many vessels have
been lost by being pooped by vast storm waves, which are not as high as
many tidal waves.
"In reference to mysterious agencies, these can be dismissed in
the present state of knowledge. The secrets of the sea have been
investigated so well that no destructive agent is likely to exist that
is not known to science. Collision with a whale would not damage a
liner, though it would be bad for the whale. The sea serpent may be
dismissed without comment. The eruption of submarine volcanoes may be
dangerous to small vessels, but the idea of harm from them can not be
entertained in connection with the Atlantic service. So that, after
all, we are driven back for the solution of these disappearances to
the same causes which are known to have wrecked so many vessels. Among
these must be included collision with derelict wrecks, which have
been known to drift about in the Atlantic for over a twelvemonth, and
unhappily the malicious placing of explosives among the cargoes of
liners, as was done at Bremerhaven in 1875."
During the War between the States, on the 24th of August, 1864, the
writer was captured after bombardment for five hours while serving as
purser of the Confederate steamer _Lilian_, engaged in running the
Federal blockade off Wilmington, N.C., and made a prisoner of war.
Subsequently he escaped to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and reported to a
prominent citizen of that town who was acting as the Confederate States
representative. He was one of the most popular Southern sympathizers;
a man of fine presence, good business qualifications, courteous and
amiable to a degree. He was trusted by all, and he acted as banker for
nearly every Southerner who came his way. Halifax was then the center
of large Confederate interests. Several Confederate war steamers were
there, among them the _Chickamauga_ and the _Tallahassee_. It was the
rendezvous of blockade runners who had escaped from confinement or who
had been discharged after detention by the Federals for several months.
K---- was attentive to all of them. When the war ended K---- suddenly
disappeared with the cash entrusted to him by confiding Confederates.
Several years after, there was a great explosion upon the dock where
a German mail steamer was loading for sea which produced a sensation
throughout the world. An infernal machine intended to wreck the liner
had prematurely exploded on the quay and killed and maimed a large
number of persons, among whom was the shipper, under an assumed name.
This man, mortally wounded, was eagerly questioned by the police
as to his diabolical plans and his accomplices; the only clue they
obtained from his incoherent ravings was an intimation that he had
been connected in some way with the Confederacy, and strangely enough
he said something about Captain Maffitt and my ship the _Lilian_. The
authorities took photographs of him, which were imperfect because
of the reclining position of the dying man. Further investigation
after his death revealed one of the most fiendish plots in commercial
history; large shipments of bogus goods had been made by the liner,
and heavily insured by this stranger, who had designed a clock machine
intended, it was said, to explode three days after the sailing of the
steamer, and sink her with all on board. For many months the secret
service detectives were working on this case; at length one of them
came to Wilmington and questioned me about the man, whose picture was
exhibited. Neither I nor any of the pilots at Smithville could identify
him, although his face was strangely familiar to me. The detective
went away, but returned in a few weeks and asked me if I had known a
man named K----. "Yes," I at once replied, "and he was the author of
this awful crime." Such proved to be the case. It was the old story of
depraved associates and the downward road to ruin.