There are many strange stories about things, which happen on the sea. Some of these are not true; but one of the strangest is the true story of a ship, which was called the Mary Celeste.
About a hundred years ago, this ship left New York and another ship also left New York at about the same time. The name of the second ship was the Dei Gratia, and is captain’s name was Morehouse.
This second ship, the Dei Gratia, crossed the sea for some days, and nothing unusual happened. But then Morehouse and his men saw another ship far away over the water. For a long time they were unable to read the name on the other ship’s side. But when they were nearer they were able to read it. The name was the Mary Celeste.
Many people know this name now, because something very strange happened in the Mary Celeste.
Morehouse and his men watched the ship for some time. They did not feel very happy about it, because the Mary Celeste was moving very strangely on the water. Something unusual was happening. Something was wrong, and they could not understand it.
Morehouse began to worry. He knew the captain of the Mary Celeste. The two men were friends, and they had dinner together in New York before their ships left America. Morehouse began to worry more and more as he watched his friend’s ship. He and his men began to think that all the people in the Mary Celeste were ill.
At last, when they came closer to the Mary Celeste, Morehouse called one of his officers and sent him in a small boat with some men to the other ship.
When they were near the Mary Celeste, the men in the boat called out over the water. But no one answered. No one looked over the side of the ship. They could see no one.
They went to all parts of the ship, but they found no one in it. There was not one man in the Mary Celeste. The officer was very much surprised, and he sent some men in the boat to bring Captain Morehouse from the Dei Gratia.
When the captain came, he and his men again examined all parts of the ship. They found no one.
They could not understand it at all. Where were the men of the Mary Celeste? Why did they leave their ship?
Morehouse and his men found a lot of food and water, and the ship was in very good order.
They found many things, which they could not understand. They found a five-pound banknote. Why was it left there? They found some clothes. These were good clean clothes, but they were left in the ship like many other things. Why did a man wash his clothes and then go away without them?
They also found a letter. It was not finished.
One of them found another piece of paper with some writing on it. The writing showed a date and a place. The date was ten days before the found the ship; the place was 750 miles away over the sea. What did this mean?
Morehouse understood the paper very well. The Mary Celeste was in that place ten days before. The ship was 750 miles away ten days before. It went 750 miles in ten days, and it did this alone, with no men in it.
Morehouse could not leave this ship on the sea with no one in it. So he left some of his own men in it, and took the others back to the Dei Gratia. Then the two ships went across the sea together until they came to their port.
Soon a lot of people knew the strange story. But the men of that time were unable to find out the truth about the Mary Celeste. It left New York full of men, but no one ever saw one of these men again.
What happened to them? They all left their ship. They took few things with them. One of them began to write a letter, and he left the ship before he finished the letter. Another man left five pounds in the ship. Everything in it was in good order. The men left food, water and clothes when they went away; and no one ever saw them again. Why did they leave their ship, and where did they go? No one knows the answers to these questions.
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