It started with a Russian named Lev Skryagin. In his childhood, like many children, the secrets of nature often fascinated him. Once, he read a story that at the end of 19, an English three-masted ship met a sailboat "Saint" in the Atlantic Ocean and found that no one was at the helm. The British boarded this strange ship, and there was no 1 person on board. The only thing alive is a black cat named Mimi. Strangely, the ship is intact, full of goods, charts and instruments are also on the captain's living table. In the lounge, the soup in the pot is still hot. But a bloody axe was found on the deck, and the British crew returned to the mother ship in horror and reported everything they saw to the captain. A few days later, the British towed the sailboat back to the home port. But people still don't understand what terrible things happened on the "Saint" ... This story deeply attracted the curious stone.
After that, he paid special attention to collecting articles in this field and read many books and reports with similar contents. Originally, I thought these were different events, but after watching more, I became suspicious: it may be the same thing, but it was arranged more and more strangely, and even the names of the ships became very different: "Maria", "Saint Mary", "Mary Sherista" and "Maria celeste". Some say it's an English ship, some say it's a Canadian ship, and some say it's an American ship. In a word, like all ancient legends, it is completely different after being handed down.
Shi is determined to find out the truth of the incident. Growing up, he collected a lot of information. When he grew up, he took the opportunity of 1963' s business trip to London and went to the British Museum Library for verification. It seems that all these mysterious nautical newspapers and books are kept there.
After verification, the above events are not fiction. This ship, whose real name is Maria Sherista, is a small wooden sailboat, but its reputation in the history of navigation is no less than Columbus' flagship "Saint Mary". Its mysterious story is as widespread as the Tunguska Big Bang in Siberia in the early 20th century. But the library staff told Mr. Shi with a smile: "Although there are many books about this ship for you to read, 99% of them are fiction."
Of course, Shi Keliang knew this, so he carefully identified it and finally found a valuable material-1an investigation report of the British Navy in 873. On this basis, he referred to the relevant research results of British and American historians and finally figured out the whole story. ……
Affected by the northwest wind, the British sloop "Jane Gracia" has approached the European coast. It is completing the task of transporting kerosene from new york to Genoa. 1872, 1872 At noon on February 4, the captain determined that the position of the ship was north latitude according to the height of the sun. 38 20' W,17 37'. From here to Bu Zhi.
There are less than 400 nautical miles left in the Camel Strait, which takes only two days to reach. The weather is fine and the ship is normal. Captain David Morejos is safely returning to his cabin. Just then, he heard the cry of the observation post in front, "There are sailboats in two directions on the port side (1 direction equals 1 15')! "
A few minutes later, I saw the side of the ship. It was a sloop. Captain Morejos looked at it with a monocle, puzzled: the ship walked strangely, how could it swing from side to side, and sometimes let its bow drill into the waves. How can the jib at the bow fall to the port side, while the jib at the back is biased to the starboard side, and the main mast is completely empty? How can it wriggle around? What is steering? If we go this way, we won't arrive in America in three months.
The ship is getting closer and closer. As usual, Jane Gracia raised two flags of "E" and "S" on the mast. This is a semaphore, asking, "What's your name?" But the other party said nothing. Captain Morejos raised his telescope again and realized that the ship was unmanned, so the rudder would swing from side to side.
"Jane Grazia" leaned towards the unknown ship, and when the distance was about 100 meters, the captain finally saw it clearly. Ah! That ship is Maria Sherista. What an adventure! What an adventure! The captain was very happy.
Because the two ships are traveling in opposite directions, if they are staggered, they will get farther and farther. When the two ships met, Morejos found that the ships were a little messy. The captain became more and more uneasy and decided to turn around and find out.
Soon, the "Jane Gracia" approached the "Maria Xie Resta" and kept parallel with it. But there is still no one on the Maria. So the captain raised his horn and shouted to the other side, but there was still no response. The sailors' mood suddenly became heavy and uneasy. Especially the captain, he and the captain "Maria"
American Briggs is an old friend. They have known each other since childhood, almost at the same time became the captain and got married in the same year. Their friendship is extraordinary. So Captain Morejos is always very happy when he sees Maria. But what happened this time?
The captain ordered the first mate to take two sailors up to have a look. The captain watched anxiously as the ship docked on the "Maria". He really worried about his friends.
The first mate and three others went on deck, but no one came out to ask questions. Because the mooring line has been broken, the sail swings with the wind, hitting the mast for a while, hitting the crossbar for a while, and slapping into the sky. A strange image caught their attention: the front cargo hold was open and the hatch cover was invalid facing the deck.
Because the forecastle is open, there is a lot of water in the bilge, which is about 1 m deep. A mess of ropes was scattered on the deck, and some were thrown overboard. In short, it was chaos and silence.
Damn it, are they playing us, hiding behind our backs? A sailor who accompanied him muttered in confusion.
Then I saw that the cargo hold was open, too, but the cover plate was not facing the sky, but was put aside normally, and a lot of water also entered it. Without taking a closer look, the first mate told the two sailors to check the cargo hold first to see if there were any defects, and then rushed to the back deck by themselves. What happened? Why is the tower at the stern closed? Windows and doors are either covered with canvas or nailed down.
He opened the hatch and hurried into the captain's cabin. The cabin is very bright, the porthole is inexplicably opened, and everything is wet. But the furniture is still good, the hammock is firmly tied, the clothes are still hanging on the bulkhead, and there are some rolled charts on the table. The first mate opened the first mate's cabin next door, where the porthole was closed, so it looked dry and everything was in good order. Strangely, the carpenter's toolbox is open on the carpet. Woodworking tools are usually put in the sailor's cabin in front! The first mate had no time to think about it, so he looked at the open log book on the table with rapt attention. The date on the last page above is1872165438+1October 24th, which means it has been 1 1 day. According to the log book, at noon that day, the positioning position was 36 57' north latitude and 27 20' west longitude. The first mate recorded this latitude and longitude in the notebook he carried with him and entered the rest cabin again. It seems that people just left here. There are soup and tableware on the dining table, a sewing machine beside the lamp holder and an unfinished child's clothes and toys on the floor. It seems that Captain Briggs is sailing with his wife and children.
The first mate saw a slate on the desk, which read,18: 00 am on October 25th, 1872 165438, and the ship was located 8 nautical miles south-southeast of Santa Maria (an island of Azores). In the top drawer of the desk, the first mate saw a bundle of letters and stationery. In the lower drawer, he found a jewel box inlaid with pearls. The box was unlocked and contained rings, bracelets, headdresses, pearl necklaces inlaid with precious stones and many small jewels. There is also a small wooden box next to it, in which there is a stack of pounds, each with a face value of 10, and under the pound is another stack of slightly thinner dollars, each with a face value of $20. This shows that the ship was not robbed by robbers. The first mate stopped looking and headed for the exit. But he suddenly stopped in the captain's room. What's going on here? He suddenly realized that the room was full of water stains and only a small box was dry. This shows that it was moved here after the cabin was flooded. Are there any living people on board?
The first mate quickly returned to the front deck. I saw two sailors standing in waist-deep water, counting the cargo in the cabin. Sailor's report: Sir, there are 1700 barrels, all pure alcohol, which seems to be the raw material of brandy. The last bucket has been opened, and 1/3 is missing.
"Very well! Come on up and follow me to the front cabin. " The first mate went to the bow and opened the door, which was also full of water. I couldn't see the door carefully, so I went down the stairs to the living room. This should be the crew's steerage. Nothing unusual was found except that there was water in the bilge. There are four hammocks and four big wooden cases, all of which are sailors' personal belongings. There are some beautiful shells on the big round table. But he suddenly found a hole in the shell, and the sailors couldn't let it go! Only in an emergency will they forget to take this beloved thing with them. Something terrible must have happened! Otherwise, people wouldn't abandon the ship in such a hurry. The first mate made up his mind.
Next to the steerage is a kitchen hut, where pots, spoons, plates and dishes are floating on the water. There are many foods in the storeroom: ham, bacon, dried fish, vegetables, flour and chunks of butter. The stock is enough for the whole ship to eat for half a year. There is a lot of fresh water in the bucket tied to the bow, and only one bucket rope is loose. The first mate thinks it's the result of the swaying waves.
It has been more than 1 hour, and still no one has been found, whether alive or dead. The first mate wanted to go back first, but then came the cry of Mohos.
The first mate came to the captain's cabin and began to report what he had seen: the lifeboat on the back deck was gone, and the four-person boat was gone. The handrail of the left gangway has been removed, and Captain Briggs' cabin and lounge are full of water. I don't know who left the ramp open this season. The diary of the last voyage of the ship was written as165438+124 October, and the note board was moved to the rest cabin for some reason, which read165438+125 October.
On the 24th, they were still at the position of 36 57' north latitude and 27 20' west longitude. The next day, they were just east of Santa Maria Island, that is to say, 10 days ago, Maria was still 6 nautical miles east-southeast of the island.
In other words, "Maria" sailed eastward for nearly 400 nautical miles without being manipulated. And 1 half an hour ago, when I saw it, it was sailing west, and it was coming straight at us! This is nonsense.
It can only be assumed that, for some reason, Captain Briggs and others abandoned the ship and took the lifeboat and left in a hurry. The sextant on the ship is gone, so is the navigation clock, and all the documents except the navigation log are gone. The compass on the ship fell to the ground, and the base moved and was damaged. But without a compass, how could Briggs escape to the boat?
Pirates did this? But the ship is full of alcohol, which is pirates' favorite thing. Besides, the captain's valuables are in their original places, and he didn't take his money and jewelry with him.
Moss knew Captain Briggs, and he would never joke about the lives of his wife and little daughter.
Captain Morejos looked at the list in his hand, stared at the first mate for a while, and said firmly, Take the Maria to Gibraltar.
2. Official investigation begins
On the night of February 7th, the "Jane Gracia" broke down at the anchorage of Gibraltar. The next morning, the "Maria Sheresta" also arrived smoothly. The first mate was very impressed by Maria's performance: the boat was light, fast and steady, and it could sail well even if the wind was not stable.
On the second day after arriving in Gibraltar, the captain of "Jane Grazia" officially declared to the local government that they had rescued "Maria Sheresta" in the Atlantic Ocean. The local American consul informed Maria's owner and the ship's registered company in new york through the transatlantic cable.
Gibraltar is under British jurisdiction. Therefore, the Crown Counsel and the local attorney general Charlie Froot set up a special committee to investigate the cause of the incident. Members of the Committee include admiralty officials, some experienced British naval captains, shipbuilding engineers and lawyers. The Committee instructed Captain Morejos to write a detailed report within three days. After the Fruit prosecutor got the report, the Committee examined Maria. They inquired about the condition of the ship, examined the evidence listed in the Morehoss report, and read the information in the logbook and bulletin board.
Admiralty officials made various speculations about the disappearance of the captain, his family and crew of the wrecked ship. It is believed that the missing people must have been rescued by ships sailing between Europe and America. It seems that the investigation team, including the inspector himself, is not so worried about the fate of the crew of Maria.
Another week passed and there was still no news of Captain Briggs. On February 18 and 20, naval officials specially heard the testimony of the first mate Jane Grazia and two other sailors aboard the Maria. With the deepening of the investigation, the situation of Maria and its crew became more and more clear.
Maria Sheresta was launched in Skye in 1862, designed by george davis, a famous shipbuilding expert. The ship has a load of 282 tons, a length of 30 meters, a width of 7.6 meters and a draft of 3.5 meters. The original British shipowner named it Amazon. The ship has been sailing for less than 1 year and is well-known in Europe and America for its good performance. Its beautiful decoration has aroused the envy of many British and American shipbuilders and captains. But once, due to the captain's mistake, the Amazon ran aground and had to be overhauled in the factory and then sold to Americans. The new owner didn't like the original name of the ship. Maybe the owner believes in God, so he named it "Santa Maria". The new owner didn't like the bow decoration that originally symbolized Amazon aborigines-a half-naked statue of a woman with a bow and sword, and replaced it with the Madonna. Since then, Maria has successfully completed many transatlantic voyages and became a famous ship on the east coast of North America at that time because of its good performance. Since then, the ship has changed hands several times and changed its captain. When it was finally renamed "Maria Sherista", it was time for a major overhaul. "Maria" has been completely transformed by the latest technology, and its performance is stronger than before. The US Maritime Bureau even gave the new owner the certificate of "the highest class ship" without hesitation.
In the British Admiralty, there are detailed information about "Maria Xie Resta". The part about the captain is written as follows: The captain, Peng Cha Min Briggs, is 38 years old, American (a British joke on Americans), born in Massachusetts, and has nearly 20 years of sailing experience. He is an experienced captain. He is polite, sincere and friendly, and is highly respected in Gibraltar.
During the investigation, the Attorney General learned from Captain Morejos that a few days before Maria left new york, Briggs took over as Captain 10. Before he took over, the ship was commanded by Abel Richardson, Briggs' current first mate. This man is from Maine. He likes adventure. He once set a fast sailing record on the route from Boston to Australia. He is an expert in fast sailing. It is widely rumored in the shipping industry that "he knows all the secrets of the wind". But the owner of Maria didn't like Richardson's brave character, so he hired Briggs as the captain instead. But Richardson loves Maria very much, and even if he is only a deputy, he will stay on the boat.
In addition, the investigation Committee also learned that in addition to the captain and the first mate Richardson, there were also the second mate Andre Zielinger, the chef Atwald Hite, the captain's wife Sarah Elizabeth and their 2-year-old daughter Sophie.
This is all we know. More than a month has passed, and there is still no news of the whereabouts of the crew of the Maria. According to the regulations at that time, David Morejos demanded payment for rescuing the wrecked ship. But the prosecutor, Charlie Froot, still has doubts about the incident, and he is not in a hurry to draw a conclusion, nor does he want to reward the captain immediately.
Maria's owner, Jimmy Winchester, was originally a captain. 1866, when he accumulated enough capital, he and four other captains established Jimmy Winchester Shipping Co., Ltd. ... our company has 15 Xiao Mu pliers. This time, Winchester appointed his first partner, Peng Cha Min Briggs, as his most proud captain of "Maria". Francesca, Winchester's youngest daughter, married Richardson, the first mate, shortly before the voyage.
1873 1 At the end of the year, Winchester arrived in Gibraltar by cruise from new york and announced to the Royal Counsel that he was going to pay the bonus to Captain Morejos through the local bank in accordance with the prescribed proportion. However, the Attorney General's Office rejected this proposal. He neither agreed to pay the bonus nor to return the ship to the owner on the grounds that the investigation was not over yet. Chester was in a hurry because he had brought the new captain and crew to Gibraltar. He hoped that this matter could be settled as soon as possible, so as to transport the alcohol raw materials to the brandy distillery in Genoa according to the contract. So, I'm angry with the British for their loose style.
Every two days, Vincent angrily boarded the original cruise ship and returned to new york. Despite the skepticism of the Naval Investigation Committee, there is no evidence to prove that the crew of "Jane Grey Ya" is missing. There is no reason to detain Jane Gracia from Hongkong now. Captain Morejos also thinks it's not that easy to get the bonus. It is best to go to Italy first. With the departure of "Jane Gracia", the investigation of "Maria" incident was temporarily suspended.
3. The first mate's negligence
Before Jane Gracia left for Italy, the Gibraltar Commission of Inquiry held a hearing.
Attorney General: I have read your report very carefully. Frankly speaking, this incident embarrassed me, because some parts of your report are not quite consistent with the findings of this Committee on the wrecked ship. Things are much more complicated than you think. I'll show you the difference now. Chief Geoff, please come here. Please explain some problems to the Committee. What forced Captain Briggs to abandon the ship and flee? Can you tell me your opinion?
Chief Officer Jawa: In my opinion, my Lord, only irresistible natural forces can cause such a result. I can't think of any reasonable reason to force them to do so. Attorney General: Do you think the storm forced Captain Maria to escape by lifeboat?
Chief mate Jeva, yes, my Lord. After we set out from new york, we probably encountered two strong winds of magnitude 9 at sea. Briggs' sailboat may have encountered a stronger storm. I have reported to the Committee that almost all the canvas on board was torn to pieces by the wind and a lot of seawater was put in the cabin.
Attorney General's Office: Yes, sir. Now please reconsider-don't you think there may have been riots on board? Please imagine, maybe a group of sailors went to the bottom of the water, stole wine, got as drunk as a fiddler, and then killed the officers, including the captain and his family?
Chief Officer Jeva: My Lord, I never thought about it. Captain Briggs is deeply loved by sailors, who regard him as their father. How did he get killed? And on February 4th of 12, I carefully inspected the whole ship and found no traces of violence.
Attorney General: Please answer now. Have you read the words on the log and message board carefully? Do you think all this is true?
First mate Jawa: Yes, I think it was written by the captain's deputy.
Attorney General: (turning to Mr. Morejos) Now, I'm going to read something you don't know yet, which may be the fact that your experienced first mate deliberately concealed. Jeva, the first mate of "Jane Gracia", decided that the storm was the reason why Captain Briggs decided to abandon the ship with his family and crew. However, the investigation Committee learned that in the last week of 1 1. There have never been any storms in the Azores. We say this on the basis that at least 15 ships have sailed in the same sea area during this period, which is consistent with their logbooks. In addition, the Committee denied the claim that the ship was caught in a storm based on the following facts. There is a sewing machine in the rest cabin. On its polished platen, there are thread blocks, needles and oil. If the wind and waves are too strong for the ship to sail, the severity of the swing can be imagined. Why can these things stay on a smooth platform and not fall to the ground? Similarly, there are plates on the table in the lounge that have never slipped, and even a teacup has not been broken. As for the water in the bilge, it is entirely possible that the cracks in the hull plate or the unsealed surface of the outer metal shell leaked in. Later, under the immersion of water, the board swelled the crack to death again, and no water entered again. In the captain's cabin, everything became damp because the porthole was not closed. You just heard the first mate say that he didn't see anything suspicious on the bulletin board and thought that the words on it were written by one of Captain Briggs' deputies. We can be sure that the information on the message board is not the handwriting of the captain or any deputy, which has been confirmed by handwriting identification and owner Winchester. Not only that, but also found another message under the message board, Francesca, my dearest wife! "These words are carved on the slate with sharp objects. Gentlemen, let me make it clear here that Francesca is Mrs. Richardson's name, that is, the wife of Maria, the first mate, and the daughter of the shipowner. Handwriting identification proves that this is indeed the handwriting of the first mate Richardson. (Probably surprised, there was a low buzz in the hall, and the attorney general had to pause for a while before continuing his statement. Mr. Jeva denied that there might be riots and murders on the Maria, and his argument was that there seemed to be no traces of violence on board. The prosecutor walked unhurriedly to the front of the filing cabinet, took out an object carefully wrapped in canvas from the lower drawer, took off the canvas and held up a saber in his hand. Due to the age, the handle is not very shiny, and it is also decorated with the badge of the Knights of Marta. Judging from the curved shape of the blade, this is an Italian army knife. At this time, the hall was silent again.
Attorney General's Palace: This knife was found under Briggs' bed. There are many brown stains on the knife. I believe this is the blood of the victims in the riot. The gentlemen of the investigation Committee also found many such stains in different corners of the deck, as well as on the handrail on the starboard side. In addition, several deep cuts were found on these handrails, which were probably cut with an axe.
Ask the London police for help
As time goes by, the fate of the crew of Maria Shelesta is still unknown, and the truth of the incident is completely covered up by the sea. But the news spread quickly, and the story was discussed in the streets, teahouses and restaurants in America, Europe and even Asia.
Because it involves the interests of American citizens, the US Treasury Department sent a special notice to all ports on the east coast on March 24th, 1873. The original text of the notice is as follows:
Attention all customs officers: On February 4th last year, an abandoned sloop was found in the Atlantic Ocean on No.65438.. Location of discovery, 38 20' N and17 37' W. This ship has been towed to the port of Gibraltar by the British ship "Jane Gracia", claiming that they have found it. According to the log book of the wrecked ship, this is an American ship named "Maria Sheresta", under the command of Captain Peng Cha Min Briggs, who was carrying out a transportation mission from new york to the Italian port of Genoa. If you get any information about this ship, please report it to the Ministry of Finance immediately.
The Ministry of Finance also has a lot of other information about this incident. If someone is asked to investigate this matter, the Ministry can provide it at any time.
Meanwhile, the investigation into Gibraltar is still going on. According to the dispatch of the prosecutor's office, the three-masted ship "Vulture" went to Santa Maria Island and asked the local residents if they had seen Captain Briggs and his crew.
At this time, London sent two Scottish inspectors to Gibraltar.
After detailed investigation, people found many doubts, some of which are even mysterious: why is the cargo compartment cover on the ship open? Why is the cover plate of the first cabin facing the sky again? Why are the windows of the upper compartment on the back deck covered with boards or simply nailed down? Why is there a 1 light porthole open in the back cabin? Why is the woodworking toolbox in sheriff Richardson's cabin? Why are all the sails on the second mast down? Why can't you find all the documents on board, leaving only the log book? Why is the alcohol barrel open? Why didn't the captain or the first mate write the last message on the note board? Why did Richardson write "Francesca, my dearest wife!" Why did an old saber be found under Captain Briggs' bed? Why is there a deep axe mark on the starboard handrail of the deck?
12 "why" No one can give a convincing explanation for these problems. Although the detectives disagreed, the representative of the United States in Gibraltar did agree with the inspector general's inference about the riots and included it in his report to the US Treasury. As a result, this view has also influenced the tendency of American officials. The police stations in the port cities on the east coast of the United States have been instructed to pay special attention to the appearance of suspicious persons related to the "Maria" riots.
The Gibraltar Commission of Inquiry is anxiously awaiting the chemical identification results of the spots extracted from the engine, deck and canvas. But no one expected that 13 "Why" appeared again.
5.No. 13 "Why"
In these contradictory doubts, there was hardly any sign of getting out of the maze, so the investigation Committee decided to see if there would be any abnormality in the underwater part of the ship. The divers they invited found that the bow, keel and rudder of the ship were well preserved, indicating that the ship was neither laid too shallow nor collided with other ships.
Divers surfaced, glanced at the bow hull and found a 2-meter-long scratch about half a meter above the water. He touched it with his hand, and the scratch was as deep as 1 inch and as wide as 1 inch. From the appearance, this line was not caused by the collision between the ship's rail and the dock, but more like someone deliberately scratched it with a sharp weapon. So the diver dived into the water again and floated up from the other side of the boat. Strange, I also saw such scratches in the same position, which is not accidental! The diver reported this important doubt to the experts of the investigation Committee.
Who should make such scratches on both sides of the bow near the water? Why? Detectives from London confirmed by professional means that these two scratches were three months ago, that is, when the ship was abandoned-65438+ 1 1 in 872.
Did the boatmen rub against the dock? But everyone knows that such scratches can only be produced on one side of the ship. Has there ever been a collision? But there was no sign of impact on the bow of the Maria. Is it that someone deliberately rowed to destroy the firmness of the ship? If the previous 12 "why" can still make people imagine some guesses, then 13 "doubt" simply leads all imaginations into a dead end.
The identification result of brown spot finally came out. It's not blood on the knife, and it's been a long time. The spots on the deck and canvas are a mixture of rust, olives and some soup. These are all common things on the ship, which may have been poured out of an old iron bucket.
With the help of the new york Police Department, British detectives obtained the materials of the crew of Maria and learned that there were four Norwegian first-class sailors in the team. Judging from the materials, they are not only technically excellent, but also virtuous. It seems unlikely that these sailors will cause a riot.
At this time, the Attorney General had to agree with the analysis of non-riots and told the Committee that he had received a letter from Norway 1873 in early March. On behalf of the mothers and their wives of the two sailors aboard the Maria, the author asked the chairman of the investigation Committee to find out the reasons for the disappearance of their relatives. Between the lines, their inner extreme anxiety and sadness are everywhere. The prosecutor said he was very sad because he couldn't write back to comfort these poor women so far.
1873 March 12, the incident investigation was temporarily terminated and the investigation Committee was dissolved. Two days later, the Gibraltarian court determined the amount of prize money awarded to Captain Morehoss-65,438+0,700. /kloc-in March of 0/5, the court telegraphed Winchester, the owner of new york, that Maria had set sail from Gibraltar for Genoa by new crew members, and the personal belongings of the captain's family and other crew members had been handed over to the American representative in Hong Kong. That autumn, the representative moved these items to new york and returned them to the relatives of the missing persons.