by Stan Mason
Winchester: Captain Briggs bore a high character, the character of a courageous officer and good seaman who would not, I think, desert his ship except to save his life. I also knew the Mate, Richardson. I had done so for two years. He was an experienced and courageous officer in whom I had great confidence. I believe he had presence of mind. His three previous Captains spoke of him as fit to command any ship and I Believe he would not leave his ship except for life or death.
Cornwell: Do you believe the Mary Celeste was abandoned through the perils of the sea?
Winchester: From what I have seen of the state and condition of the vessel I cannot believe she was abandoned by her Master, officers and crew in consequence of stress of weather only. I had plenty of time to examine her thoroughly and feel very certain that she was not abandoned through perils of the sea.
Cornwell: Do you believe that both men would remain by their ship to the last?
Winchester: Neither would have deserted the ship unless forced to do so for fear of their lives.
Cornwell: You examined the vessel, I presume?
Winchester: Yes, I did.
Cornwell: Did you notice the words ‘Fanny, My Dear Wife, Frances N.R.’ scratched on the Log Slate?
Winchester: Yes.
Cornwell: Easily noticeable?
Winchester: Yes.
Cornwell: Is there any reason why Mr. Deveau, who brought her to Gibraltar would not have noticed that?
Winchester: He must have seen it - unless he did not use the slate at all, but that is unlikely.
Sir James: Is there any particular reason for that Question, Mr. Cornwell?
Cornwell: Just that Mr. Deveau never mentioned this fact which I felt may be of some importance.
He turned to the witness again,
What did you take that to be, Captain Winchester?
Winchester: The start of a letter scribbled by Mate Richardson to his wife.
Cornwell: A parting message he didn’t have time to finish?
Winchester: I wouldn’t know.
Cornwell: There was the mark of an axe on the rail. Do you recall this cut in the rail when the vessel was docked in New York?
Winchester: They were not there when she sailed from New York.
Cornwell: Are you sure?
Winchester: I am certain.
Cornwell: Did you ever see this sword before?
The sword found in Captain Briggs’ cabin was shown to him.
Winchester: I have never seen it before.
Cornwell: It has been suggested that this sword was in Captain Briggs’ possession.
Winchester: I have never seen it before.
Cornwell: Very well. Can you comment on the religious books found in the Captain’s cabin.
Winchester: I would expect them to be there as Captain Briggs was a religious man.
Cornwell: Was, Captain? In the past tense?
Winchester: I cannot accept the fact that he abandoned ship and is still alive.
Cornwell: Thank you, Captain Winchester.
The Judge wound up the proceedings without making a decision with regard to his verdict on the award, and he was unable to curb his comments on the absence of Deveau amd his crew. He adjourned the case until the fourth of March, 1873, requesting that Deveau should be recalled to testify again, especially as to the reason why he left Gibraltar while the salvage claim was still being considered by the Court. The First Mate had no alternative but to return. Failure to comply would have jeopardised his share of the salvage award and perhaps those shares of the rest of the crew of the Dei Gratia as well.
Consul Sprague kept the U.S. Department of State fully informed of the then current position by sending a letter the next day.
February 1st 1873
Gibraltar
Gentlemen,
This Court is now sitting since the she was begining of the week and matters are progressing for the early release of both vessel and cargo on bail being given, which will enable the Mary Celeste to proceed on her voyage to Genoa and earn her freight. A new Master brought out from New York, will take charge of the Brig, a new crew put on board, and the vessel be refitted with all possible despatch. I have notified the Court that I am ready to take charge of the effects of the missing Master and family and also of the crew, whenever the Judge should feel disposed to deliver them over. I have examined the sword to which the article in the Gibraltar Chronicle refers It was found on the floor in the cabin of the Mary Celeste by the Marshal of the Court. It is evidently of Italian make, and bears a cross of Savoy on the hilt; it remains in the custody of the Court. The chronometer and ship’s papers cannot be found.
I am Sir,
Your obedient serv’t
Horatio J. Sprague
U.S. Consul
The reference to the Gibraltar Chronicle concerned the item published by the Gibraltar Chronicle and Commercial Intelligencer on the thirty-first of January, 1873, which ran the following item:
“In the Chronicle of the 13th December last appeared a short paragraph announcing the arrival of the vessels Dei Gratia and Mary Celeste, the latter of which was found abandoned at sea by the former. An inquiry into the case was at once instituted and has been going on ever since. As the circumstances of the case are very extraordinary, a summary of the facts elicited may be of interest. The facts are as follows:
‘On the 13th December last a report was made by the Master and crew of the British ship Dei Gratia that on the 5th of that month they found in Lat. 38.20 N., Long. 17.15 W, a derelict ship which they made out to be the American brigantine Mary Celeste . They further stated that at the time when they fell with the derelict, their own ship, the Dei Gratia, was on the port tack, the wind being from the North, while the Mary Celeste with her jib and foremast staysail set, was on starboard tack: and also the derelict was perfectly sound and that there was not the least apparent cause for her having been abandoned.’
This latter statement was in itself so extra-ordinary that ordinary that the Queen’s Proctor in the Admiralty Court, F. Solly Flood, Esq., ordered a special survey of the vessel in the first instance on the 23rd December last by Mr. Austin, Surveyor of Shipping, and Ricardo Portunato, diver, accompanied by the Marshal of the Court, Mr. T. Vecchio. The result of this, and a subsequent survey was, in brief, as follows:
1. As regards the cargo - it consisted of barrels marked as containing alcohol, all of which were well stowed and in good order and condition, except one which had been started.
2. As regards the exterior of the hull below the water line - it did not in any part exhibit the slightest trace of damage, nor was there any appearance that the vessel had come into collision with any other ship, nor that she had struck on any ground or rock, nor, in short, that she had sustained any injury whatever, the hull, the copper with which it was covered, the stem, the sternpost, and rudder being all in good order and condition.
3. As regards the interior of the ship - a very minute survey showed most clearly that not only had the vessel not sustained any accident, but that she could not have encoun tered any seriously heavy weather. The whole of the hull, masts, and yards were in good condition, and the pitch in the water-ways had not started, which must have been the case had any bad weather been experienced. The deck house, made of thin planking and six feet in height above the deck was perfect, there not being a crack in the planking nor even the paint. The seamens’ chests and the clothing found on board were perfectly dry, some razors even being quite free from rust. Moreover, a small phial containing oil for use with a sewing machine was found in a perpendicular position which, together with a thimble and a reel of cotton discovered near it, had not been upset, as must have been the case if the ship had been subject to any stress of weather. Spare panes of glass were also found stowed away and unbroken. All the articles of
furniture in the Captain’s cabin, including a harmonium, were in their proper places and uninjured by water, the music and other books being also dry. Finally, the conclusion arrived at by the surveyor, Mr. Austin, is that there exists no apparent reason why the vessel should have been abandoned.
But, in addition to the a over facts, a sword was discovered which on its being drawn from its scabbard, exhibited signs of having been smeared with blood and afterwards wiped: further the topgallant rail had marks on it apparently of blood and both bows of the vessel had been cut, to all appearance, intentionally, with some sharp instrument. No bills of lading nor manifest were found on board. The effects found in the Captain’s cabin were of considerable value and proved that a lady and a child had been on board. The ship’s log which was found on board, showed that the last day’s work of the ship was on the 24th November, sea time, when the weather allowed and observation to be taken which placed the vessel in lat 36.56N, long 27.20W. The entries on the slate log, however, carried on up to 8am on the 25tth at which time the vessel passed from W to E to the north of the island of St. Mary’s (Azores), the eastern point of which at 8 am bore SSW six miles distant. The distance of the longitude of the place where the Mary Celeste was found from that of the island of St. Mary’s is 7.54 and the corrected distance of the latitude from the position last indicated in the log is 1.18 N., so that the vessel apparently had held on her due course for 10 days after the 25th November, the wheel being loose all the time. But the log of the Dei Gratia shows that during time from the 25th November to the day when she met the Mary Celeste, the 5th of December, the wind was more or less from the north, and that she was on the port tack during the whole of that period. It appears, therefore, almost impossible that the derelict should have compassed within the same time a distance of 7.54 E., at all events on the star- board tack, upon which she was met by the Dei Gratia, and the obvious inference is that not abandoned until some days after the last entry made in the log. Naturally, various theories are set up to account for this extraordinary series of facts, and the finding of the sword and the blood stains are held to point to some deed of violence. Be this as it may, the fact remains that up to the present date not a word had been heard, nor a trace discovered of the Captain, or the crew, or the lady and her child. The Captain, B.S. Briggs by name, is well known in Gibraltar, and bore the highest character. It can only be hoped that by giving the utmost publicity to the circumstances some light may be thrown upon this, at present, most mysterious case.”
The newspaper expressed the facts clearly and concisely, recording the details which then became available to any writer willing to undertake worthwhile research. Strangely enough, many points of relevance relative to those involved at the Inquiry seem to have been ignored. There were so many questions which should have been asked of Deveau and Morehouse, but the inquisitors became bogged down miscellaneous marine details which caused them to become overwhelmed with frustration as they veered sharply away from the direction of the truth. Ultimately, they were forced to give up reluctantly with the mystery unsolved.
The Home Run
On the fifth of February, 1873, the USS Plymouth, under the command of Captain R.W. Shufeldt, arrived at Gibraltar. He discussed the matter of the Mary Celeste with Consul Sprague and, at the request of the latter, made an examination of the vessel. He wrote a report on the following day to the Consul, before sailing from Gibraltar on the USS Plymouth on the seventh of February. His visit was brief but no less effective, as typified by his report.
U.S.S. Plymouth
Gibraltar Feb’y. 6, 1873
Horatio Sprague, Esq., U.S. Consul
My dear Sir:
At your request, I visited the American Brig Mary Celeste found derelict at sea, Dec. 5, 1872, and brought into this port. After a cursory examination of the vessel and a somewhat imperfect knowledge of the circumstances, I am of the opinion that she was abandoned by the Master and crew in a moment of panic and for no sufficient reason. She may have strained in the gale through which she was passing and for the time leaked so much as to alarm the Master and it is possible that, at this moment, another vessel in sight, induced him (having his wife and child on board) to abandon thus hastily. In this event, he may not be heard from for some time to come, as the ship which rescued him may have been found to a distant port. I reject the idea of mutiny from the fact that there is no evidence of violence about the decks or in the cabins; besides the force aft and forward was so equally divided that a mutiny could hardly have had such a result. The damage about the bows of the Brig appears to me to amount to nothing more than splinters made in the bending of the planks - which were afterwards forced off by the action of the sea, without hurting the ship, nor by any possible chance, and the result of an intention to do so. The vessel at the present moment appears staunch and seaworthy - Some day, I hope and expect to hear from the crew. If surviving, the Master will regret his hasty action. But if we should never hear of them again, I shall nevertheless think they were lost in the boat in which both Master and crew abandoned the Mary Celeste and I shall remember with interest this sad and silent mystery of the sea.
I am very faithfully, Your friend and obdt. servt.
R.W. Shufeldt. Captain.
There was clearly a sharp divergence of opinion between the observations made by Captain Shufeldt and those of John Austin, the Surveyor of Shipping, concerning the damage to the bows, but the Captain was merely offering an opinion on a brief visit and a cursory examination. On the day the Captain sailed, Consul Sprague sent another letter to the U.S. Department of State, attaching the report for their consideration. He wrote:
“In continuation to my last communication, dated 1st instance, on the subject of the derelict Mary Celeste, I have to report that by direction of the Vice-Admiralty Court, the marks or stains which appeared on the sword found on board the vessel, as well as on some of the woodwork on board have under-gone an analysis, the result of which is considered to negative anything like blood existing thereon. I now have much pleasure in forwarding the report of Captain Shufeldt of our Navy on the subject of the Mary Celeste’s situation, the perusal of which may prove interesting to your Department. Captain Shufeldt arrived at this port in command of the U.S. Ship Plymouth on the 5th instant from Villefranche, homeward bound from Lisbon, and the Coast of Africa. The Plymouth left this morning for her destination.”
He followed this with a communication dated the twelfth of February regarding the attitude of the Court, as follows:
“For the information of your Department, I beg to state that, yesterday, the Vice-Admiralty Court sat, and the Queen’s Proctor declines to allow any restitution of the Mary Celeste to her owners, unless they are prepared to give bail to the Court, to answer for any claims that may be set up either by Captain Briggs (the missing master who is part owner of the vessel) or his representatives, or by the mortgagee, a Mr. Hart, or any other latent demand on the vessel of which there is now no notice. The Court would call for two sureties in double the value of the vessel (probably some 15,000 dollars to answer those claims as also the salvage claim and expenses; but Mr. Winchester’s agent here has cabled to New York not only Mr. Winchester’s return to the United States but also his unwillingness to stand security for the parties interested. The Queen’s Proctor also intimated that the signature of Mr. Winchester to this bail-bond would be desirable. The suggested course now, is to take out and send on the cargo to its destination and allow the vessel to remain as she is, until the above bail is duly given.”
The Consul’s efforts to take the steam out of the situation involved him in a great deal of discussion with the parties concerned. Above all, he wanted to persuade the authorities to release the Mary Celeste and had to contend with the fiery Queen’s Proctor in order to succeed. The details of these discussions were not recorded and some time-consuming wrangling ensued. At the same time, pressure mounted on the Consul by Captain Winchester, and
the underwriters who had insured the vessel, freight and cargo. Nevertheless, he succeeded in the end to satisfy everyone, to some degree at least, and reported to his superiors the latest development on the twenty-fifth of February, 1873, as follows:
“Since my last communication dated the 12th instant, on the subject of the Mary Celeste case, I have conferred with the Queen’s Proctor in the Vice-Admiralty Court regarding the formalities required by him for the restitution of the vessel to her original owners, and I am happy to add that I have succeeded in prevailing upon this law officer of the Crown, the abandonment of his pretensions to have the said vessel bailed against any latent or other demands, beyond those of meeting the salvage claims and Court expenses. This formality has just been gone through, and the Mary Celeste has this evening been restored to her original owners, and she will now be in a position to proceed on her voyage to Genoa with her cargo of alcohol taken in at New York, thereby enabling her to earn her freight, and spare to the parties concerned much time and extra expenses. Of the missing Master and crew, nothing continues to be heard of them.”
The Consul was quite proud of his success, and there is little doubt that his influence swayed the issue. Yet it was aided by financial assistance rendered by Captain Appleby who entered the scene at this particular period. His involvement began shortly after Captain Winchester left the Court, disillusioned with the result and sufficiently angry to show his unwillingness to agree to the terms laid down by the Judge and Solly Flood. He was also at a disadvantage concerning documentation, for his departure from New York had been so sudden that he had not brought with him all the necessary papers. After the Inquiry at the end of January, 1873, he decided to sail to Cadiz - about seventy-five miles from Gibraltar - to seek a ship-broker named Bensusan with whom he was acquainted, but on arrival there discovered the man had died. While he was still there, he met another friend, Captain Henry O. Appleby, a young man of only twenty-two years of age who was Master of the brigantine Daisy Boynton. Appleby had arrived at Cadiz on the twenty-eighth of January, discharged the cargo and accepted the freight money. After Captain Winchester had related his story and outlined his problems, Appleby agreed to lend him the freight money he had just received, in the hope that his father, Samuel Appleby - part-owner of the Daisy Boynton - would concur with his wishes.