Speaker 1: It was sometime in the eighteen fifties when Joshua Jewis,
Speaker 1: a young aspiring shipbuilder, made his way from the small
Speaker 1: coastal village of Economy on Nova Scotia down to the
Speaker 1: shores of West Advocate, searching for a small tract of
Speaker 1: land to begin a shipbuilding business. He came across the sheltered,
Speaker 1: pine covered cove of Spencer's Island and knew immediately he
Speaker 1: had found the right place. Having succeeded in convincing a
Speaker 1: few relatives as well as two local merchants to join
Speaker 1: him in his venture, he purchased a thousand acres close
Speaker 1: to the shoreline and promptly got to work. Over the
Speaker 1: next year, trees were felled and land cleared away, and
Speaker 1: before long a boat yard had sprung up, Pulling down
Speaker 1: on the surrounding Birch Beach and the Maple. Jewis's team
Speaker 1: worked day and night, chopping, hammering, and planing as piece
Speaker 1: by piece the hull of a vessel began to take shape.
Speaker 1: By the fall of eighteen sixty, the hull was complete.
Speaker 1: Turning then to the local spruce and pine, they continued
Speaker 1: crafting away with chisel and lathe, making masts and cabins,
Speaker 1: until finally the ship was finished. By spring the following year,
Speaker 1: the vessel, a brigantine formed of two masts and measuring
Speaker 1: a hundred foot long by twenty five feet wide, was
Speaker 1: ready to launch. The company's very first ship, and its
Speaker 1: name was Amazon. The purpose of vessels like Amazon was
Speaker 1: to generate money for their owners. As cargo ships transporting
Speaker 1: goods from one place to another, Generally, the further the
Speaker 1: trip and the more precious the cargo, the more money
Speaker 1: could be made. Amazon's maiden trip was to be a
Speaker 1: relatively simple one, carrying a load of plaster down the
Speaker 1: coast to New York. On May eighteenth, eighteen sixty one,
Speaker 1: the ship took to the seas for the first time,
Speaker 1: captained by Robert McClellan, a young but well regarded captain
Speaker 1: who had just recently married. After making a short hop
Speaker 1: to Windsor, on an opposite coast of Nova Scotia, Amazon
Speaker 1: was successfully loaded before returning to the seas and continuing
Speaker 1: on its way toward the United States. However, after barely
Speaker 1: a hundred miles, Captain McClellan became suddenly unwell, suffering from
Speaker 1: a suspected bout of pneumonia. The captain was forced to
Speaker 1: order the ship back to Spencer's Island, where he promptly disembarked.
Speaker 1: A few days later, he died. The maiden voyage was
Speaker 1: eventually completed a few weeks after, but on returning Amazon
Speaker 1: inexplicably collided with another vessel, which was instantly sunk. As
Speaker 1: a result, For one of the most superstitious industries of
Speaker 1: the time, the omens could not have been much worse.
Speaker 1: For the next six years, however, Amazon made a number
Speaker 1: of successful trips, delivering cargo to as far away as
Speaker 1: the West Indies and even France. In eighteen sixty seven,
Speaker 1: the vessel's owners grew concerned about the capabilities of its
Speaker 1: then captain, William Thompson, and made the decision to have
Speaker 1: him replaced. On hearing of their plan, Thompson stole the
Speaker 1: ship and deliberately ran it aground in Nova Scotia's Cow Bay,
Speaker 1: drawing it for any immediate use, and so there the
Speaker 1: ship was abandoned and left for dead by its owners.
Speaker 1: As Joshua Juwas's son would later note, it was as
Speaker 1: if the craft seemed possessed of the devil to begin
Speaker 1: with the following year, Having heard about the abandoned vessel,
Speaker 1: a small consortium of American shipowners, realizing it still had potential,
Speaker 1: decided to take it on. In order to do so,
Speaker 1: they were required to have its registration changed from Canada
Speaker 1: to the United States, which also necessitated a change of name,
Speaker 1: and so on December thirty first, eighteen sixty eight, the
Speaker 1: ship was formerly registered again, and Julie renamed to be
Speaker 1: known from then on as Mary Select You're listening to Unexplained,
Speaker 1: and I'm Richard McClane smith. By October eighteen seventy two,
Speaker 1: Mary Celeste was owned by four individuals, with the largest
Speaker 1: stake belonging to James Winchester, second to which was that
Speaker 1: belonging to its new captain, Benjamin Spooner Briggs. Briggs was
Speaker 1: fairly young for the role at thirty seven, but was
Speaker 1: a highly respected and skilled sailor, said by some to
Speaker 1: be of the highest character for seamanship and correctness. Briggs
Speaker 1: was an archetypal sea captain of the time, engineered from
Speaker 1: an early age for a life on the waves. Benjamin
Speaker 1: was born in ware Room, Massachusetts, in eighteen thirty five
Speaker 1: to Sophia Cobb and her husband, Captain Nathan Briggs. Together,
Speaker 1: they had seven children in total, including five sons, only
Speaker 1: one of which didn't end into the life of a Mariner.
Speaker 1: Life of the Briggs family could be difficult at times,
Speaker 1: especially for Sophia, who would regularly be left alone with
Speaker 1: the children as her husband went off to see, unsure
Speaker 1: when or if he would ever return. When Benjamin was four,
Speaker 1: a series of failed investments by his father left the
Speaker 1: family homeless, forcing them to move in temporarily with Benjamin's grandfather.
Speaker 1: It was in these formative years that the young boy
Speaker 1: grew especially close to his mother, as they bonded in
Speaker 1: the periodic absences of his father. Nathan Briggs's love for
Speaker 1: his family, however, was never in doubt, and when he
Speaker 1: did return, evenings would often be spent in a fantasy
Speaker 1: world of tales of distant lands and adventures on the
Speaker 1: high seas. As he talked, Benjamin and the others would
Speaker 1: sit wide eyed in awe at this burly, enigmatic man them.
Speaker 1: With the family's fortunes restored, a few years later, the
Speaker 1: Brigs moved to Sipikan Village, just outside the coastal town
Speaker 1: of Marion in Massachusetts, and it was here that Benjamin's
Speaker 1: love for the open water truly began to manifest. Marion
Speaker 1: was very much a sailing town, with most of the
Speaker 1: local industry revolving around the sea, and where from day
Speaker 1: and night the local homes and watering holes would ring
Speaker 1: with tales of exotic places, shipwrecks, and daring do As
Speaker 1: a young teenager, Benjamin would watch with jealousy as his
Speaker 1: father occasion to take his oldest child, Nathan, out on
Speaker 1: journeys with him. In the meantime, he could only dream,
Speaker 1: staring out from the shoreline in wonder at what grand
Speaker 1: wells and adventures might lie beyond. But soon Benjamin too
Speaker 1: was joining his father on short trips, being treated like
Speaker 1: any other mate on board, as he was taught to
Speaker 1: work hard and respect all those in the crew, no
Speaker 1: matter what their rank, but most of all, to respect
Speaker 1: the often unforgiving oceans upon which they sailed. If Benjamin
Speaker 1: needed any reminding of just how dangerous the life of
Speaker 1: a mariner could be in those days, evidence was not
Speaker 1: in short supply. By eighteen seventy, two brothers and his sister, Maria,
Speaker 1: who was married to a sailor, had been lost at sea.
Speaker 1: Then in June of that year, the family were left
Speaker 1: further devastated when Benjamin's father was struck by lightning while
Speaker 1: standing in a doorway. He was killed instantly. The litany
Speaker 1: of loss was hardest of all for Benjamin's mother, Sophia,
Speaker 1: who had little option to endure it. And yet, despite
Speaker 1: the many tragedies that had already befallen her, she determined
Speaker 1: to remain optimistic whenever her two remaining sons of the
Speaker 1: sea left on another voyage, praying it would only be
Speaker 1: a matter of time before they came back. By then,
Speaker 1: Benjamin had married, having met and fallen in love with
Speaker 1: Sarah Elizabeth Cobb, a skilled musician and seamstress. Having married
Speaker 1: in eighteen sixty two, Sarah gave birth to their first child, Arthur,
Speaker 1: three years later, and in October of eighteen seventy they
Speaker 1: welcomed their second, Sophia, named after Benjamin's mother, of whom
Speaker 1: he was so fond. Perhaps it was all those anxious
Speaker 1: nights spent as a child waiting for his father to
Speaker 1: return and watching his mother going through the same that
Speaker 1: convinced Benjamin not to travel alone either way. From early
Speaker 1: on in his his career, he often made the effort
Speaker 1: to take his family with him on his voyages. He
Speaker 1: and Sarah had even sailed together to the Mediterranean for
Speaker 1: their honeymoon, and so it was to be with his
Speaker 1: upcoming journey on Mary Celeste. Having been appointed captain in
Speaker 1: eighteen seventy two, Briggs wasted no time in having the
Speaker 1: ship refitted with a larger cabin to accommodate his wife
Speaker 1: and daughter, Sophia. On this occasion. With their son Arthur,
Speaker 1: now seven and attending school, they elected to leave him
Speaker 1: behind with his grandmother to continue his studies. On October nineteenth,
Speaker 1: Benjamin Briggs left home and set sail for New York,
Speaker 1: arriving soon after at Pier fifty on the East River,
Speaker 1: where Mary Celeste was now moored. Over the next few days,
Speaker 1: he studiously supervised the loading of the vessel and took
Speaker 1: time to reacquaint himself with the seven man crew he
Speaker 1: had selected to join him on the journey. This would
Speaker 1: be one of the longest trips Mary Celeste had made,
Speaker 1: delivering a cargo of one thousand, seven hundred and one
Speaker 1: barrels of dannatured alcohol to Genoa, where it would then
Speaker 1: take on a load of fruit to be delivered back
Speaker 1: to the United States of the men accompanying him. First mate,
Speaker 1: twenty eight year old Albert Richardson, was well known and
Speaker 1: respected by the captain, having sailed with him before. Second
Speaker 1: mate Andrew Gilling, at only twenty five, was young but
Speaker 1: also considered a safe pair of hands. Stewart and Cook
Speaker 1: Edward Head, who hailed from nearby Green Point in Brooklyn,
Speaker 1: was at twenty three, one of the youngest members of
Speaker 1: the team and had only recently been married. The other
Speaker 1: four were a small team from Germany who had often
Speaker 1: sailed together. Included two brothers, Volkert and boz Lawrenson. On Saturday,
Speaker 1: October twenty sixth, Sarah and Sophia took a ship bound
Speaker 1: for New York and arrived the following morning. That day,
Speaker 1: Captain Briggs took a horse and cap through the sprawling
Speaker 1: Klin Deutschland of Manhattan Island's lower east side across to
Speaker 1: the North River Pier, and there he stood watch with
Speaker 1: a warm smile at the sight of Sarah and Sophia
Speaker 1: waving to him from the deck of their approaching ship.
Speaker 1: After helping them unload, he led them to the ship
Speaker 1: that would become their home for the next few months.
Speaker 1: A few days later, Sarah took receipt of her much
Speaker 1: beloved Melodeon, with which she hoped to entertain her husband
Speaker 1: and daughter on their trip, installing it in the captain's quarters. Unfortunately,
Speaker 1: due to an outbreak of horse disease, they were confined
Speaker 1: to the immediate vicinity Appear fifty. On the thirty first, however,
Speaker 1: Benjamin and Sarah were met by his aunt and uncle,
Speaker 1: and together they were able to afford a cab ride
Speaker 1: up to Central Park, where they would spend the day
Speaker 1: joyfully celebrating Sophia's second birthday. Are you always taking care
Speaker 1: of your family? Do you often take care of others
Speaker 1: and not yourself? Now it's time to take care of yourself,
Speaker 1: to make time for you. You deserve it. Teledoc gives
Speaker 1: you access to a licensed therapist to help you get
Speaker 1: back to feeling your best to feeling like yourself again.
Speaker 1: With teledoc, you can speak to a licensed therapist by
Speaker 1: phone or video. Therapy appointments are available seven days a
Speaker 1: week from seven am to nine pm local time. If
Speaker 1: you feel overwhelmed sometimes maybe you feel stressed or anxious,
Speaker 1: depressed or lonely, or you might be struggling with a
Speaker 1: personal or family issue, tele Adoc can help. Teledoc is
Speaker 1: committed to facilitating great therapeutic matches, so they make it
Speaker 1: easy to change counselors if needed. For free. Teledoc Therapy
Speaker 1: is available through most insurance or employers. Download the app
Speaker 1: or visit teledoc dot com Forward slash Unexplained podcast Today
Speaker 1: to get started. That's teladoc dot com slash Unexplained Podcast.
Speaker 1: With the day of disembarkation approaching, Benjamin took the opportunity
Speaker 1: to write a letter to his mother. In it, he
Speaker 1: expressed his joy at Sarah and Sophia's arrival and how
Speaker 1: homely they had made the ship feel, but also his
Speaker 1: regret at having decided not to bring their son Arthur
Speaker 1: with them after all. He also made note of how
Speaker 1: Sophia was disappointed that they hadn't yet included a picture
Speaker 1: of Arthur in the family photo album, which they had
Speaker 1: taken with them for their journey, since it was the
Speaker 1: young girl's favorite book. Briggs had been hoping to say
Speaker 1: a final farewell to his brother Oliver, who was due
Speaker 1: to arrive in New York imminently, but having waited as
Speaker 1: long as he could. On Tuesday, November fifth, the brigantine
Speaker 1: Mary Celeste pulled away from per fifty and meandered its
Speaker 1: way down the East River, moving on past the growing
Speaker 1: towers of the New York and Brooklyn Bridge, which was
Speaker 1: under construction at the time. It continued on beyond Governor's
Speaker 1: Island and out into the Upper Bay. They were not
Speaker 1: long out of the East River when a thick and
Speaker 1: nasty storm drew in and was soon beating and banging
Speaker 1: at the ship. Concerned by its increasing ferocity, Briggs was
Speaker 1: forced to take emergency action and ordered the crew to
Speaker 1: find shelter close to Staten Island, where they promptly dropped anchor.
Speaker 1: Over the next few days, the ship's passengers had no
Speaker 1: choice but to sit and wait it out. Sarah did
Speaker 1: her best to keep Sofia occupied as Captain Briggs and
Speaker 1: the crew went over their various charts again in preparation.
Speaker 1: At one point, Sarah wrote another letter to Benjamin's mother
Speaker 1: as Sofia played on the floor with her alphabet bricks.
Speaker 1: It was hard, she wrote, being so close to the shore,
Speaker 1: knowing that they probably had letters there from their loved
Speaker 1: ones waiting to be read, that they were unable to
Speaker 1: receive She signed off, sending her love to Arthur and
Speaker 1: the rest of the family, before having the letter delivered
Speaker 1: to shore by one of the crew. By the morning
Speaker 1: of November seventh, the storm had finally settled and Briggs
Speaker 1: gave the order to haul up the anchor. A short
Speaker 1: time later, Mary Celeste and her crew were edged out
Speaker 1: between the tip of Sandy Hook and the Rockaway Peninsula
Speaker 1: and onwards toward the deep Atlantic Ocean. Eight days after
Speaker 1: Mary Celeste left New York, the ship named day Gracia,
Speaker 1: captained by David Morehouse and laden with a cargo of
Speaker 1: petroleum bound for Gibraltar, also set sail from the city.
Speaker 1: Three weeks later, on December fourth, The ship was roughly
Speaker 1: two thirds of the way into its journey as it
Speaker 1: continued on in a southeasterly direction four hundred miles east
Speaker 1: of the Azores. After days of sailing through torrential storms
Speaker 1: and vast crashing waves, the sea and the air had
Speaker 1: grown calm again. It was sometime just after midday when
Speaker 1: the ship's pilot, John Johnson, spotted a vessel about six
Speaker 1: miles was off to their port side. Concerned by the
Speaker 1: manner of its movement, Johnson alerted the captain, who in
Speaker 1: turn grabbed his telescope to take a closer look. Though
Speaker 1: they were still some way off, he could see clearly
Speaker 1: that the ship was completely adrift, with no sign of
Speaker 1: the crew anywhere. Morehouse ordered Johnson to head toward the
Speaker 1: aimless vessel, and shouted out to his first mate, Oliver
Speaker 1: de Vaux, who was resting below, to join him on deck.
Speaker 1: Handing the telescope to d Vaux, the first mate took
Speaker 1: a look for himself. He noticed first that some of
Speaker 1: the ship's sails were damaged or missing entirely, and then,
Speaker 1: having by now drawn close enough to see it, he
Speaker 1: registered the vessel's name, Mary Celeste. The crew of Day
Speaker 1: Gracia attempted to signal it, but there received no reply.
Speaker 1: It is hard to comprehend the sheer eeriness of approaching
Speaker 1: a ghost ship listing gently on the open water with
Speaker 1: no sign of land anywhere, and there were doubtless a
Speaker 1: few nervous glances shared by the crew of the Day
Speaker 1: Gracia as they approached the seemingly vacant vessel. After getting
Speaker 1: close enough to board it, Moorhouse ordered d Vaux to
Speaker 1: take two men across to investigate. Minutes later, du Vaux,
Speaker 1: along with Johnson and second mate John Wright, took to
Speaker 1: the ship's lifeboat before being lowered into the water. As
Speaker 1: the men rowed their way across, only the sound of
Speaker 1: the oars splashing in the water and the creaking of
Speaker 1: the two ships could be heard as they contemplated what
Speaker 1: they might find on board. Having made it to marry Celeste,
Speaker 1: d Vaux called out a final time to no reply,
Speaker 1: before taking a deep breath and pulling himself onto the deck.
Speaker 1: He was followed soon after by Right, and together the
Speaker 1: two of them began their search. D Vaux noted first
Speaker 1: that two of the four sails had blown away completely,
Speaker 1: while another was left hanging by its corners. The mainsail
Speaker 1: had fallen or been pulled down onto the deck. Also
Speaker 1: left on deck was the ship's sounding rod, which was
Speaker 1: used to test for flooding below, perhaps a clue as
Speaker 1: to why the vessel had been abandoned. D Vaux picked
Speaker 1: it up and dropped it down one of the pumps,
Speaker 1: bringing it up a moment later. He was surprised to
Speaker 1: find that although there was some flood water, at only
Speaker 1: three and a half feet deep, it wouldn't have been
Speaker 1: any cause for concern. The pumps, too, were in perfect
Speaker 1: working order. Second mate Right meanwhile had established that the
Speaker 1: ship had only been equipped with one lifeboat, which was
Speaker 1: now missing. So too was the leading sail rope, perhaps
Speaker 1: having been used to tie the lifeboat to the main
Speaker 1: ship at some point. Looking up, Devox noticed also that
Speaker 1: the ship's binnacle, a wooden pillar that housed navigational equipment,
Speaker 1: had been knocked over and its compass smashed. In silence,
Speaker 1: the men proceeded together into the main cabin, finding no
Speaker 1: sign of a chronometer or a sextant, presumably having been
Speaker 1: taken by the crew or whoever else had been there.
Speaker 1: The captain's navigation book had also gone. In the kitchen
Speaker 1: area and pantry, they found no sign of anything having
Speaker 1: been eaten recently. But in the storeroom they were amazed
Speaker 1: to discover at least six months worth of provisions left untouched,
Speaker 1: and more than enough drinking water for a crew on
Speaker 1: They continued now into the captain's quarters. Here they found
Speaker 1: the skylight had been left open, which may have accounted
Speaker 1: for why almost everything in the room was soaking wet. Strangely,
Speaker 1: all of it had been seemingly left as if its
Speaker 1: previous inhabitants had just completely vanished. On the spot. There
Speaker 1: were boxes full of clothing presumably belonging to the captain
Speaker 1: and what they assumed to be his family. Various pieces
Speaker 1: of furniture were all left in place, including a melodeon
Speaker 1: and a sewing machine. De Vaux also noticed a small
Speaker 1: impression in the bed, as if a young child had
Speaker 1: only very recently been lying there. Then he noticed the
Speaker 1: baby's toys scattered about the room, strewn over the bed.
Speaker 1: They also found a series of loose charts and books,
Speaker 1: as well as the log book and slate log, a
Speaker 1: record of the ship's most recent location. It was dated
Speaker 1: November twenty fifth, from almost two weeks before, stating the
Speaker 1: ship's position as having been just to the north of
Speaker 1: the island of Saint Maria in the Azores, roughly four
Speaker 1: hundred miles away. Below deck, having found no sign of
Speaker 1: any other crew, they also discovered the hundreds of barrels
Speaker 1: full of alcohol that had been left completely untouched. Making
Speaker 1: their way back onto the deck, Right and de Vaux
Speaker 1: stood for a moment in quiet contemplation, neither able to
Speaker 1: quite shake the feeling that whatever had happened, something very
Speaker 1: peculiar had taken place, or so, at least that was
Speaker 1: the story they gave to the Vice Admiralty Court in
Speaker 1: Gibraltar two weeks later. Having discovered the ghost ship Marries Celeste,
Speaker 1: the crew of the Day Gracia claimed to have debated
Speaker 1: what to do next before finally deciding that they would
Speaker 1: bring it with them to Gibraltar. Though Captain Moorehouse had
Speaker 1: been reluctant, it was first made de Vaux who convinced
Speaker 1: him to bring the abandoned ship with them in the
Speaker 1: hope of securing some salvage compensation. Though the ship was
Speaker 1: still owned and the cargo would not be handed to them,
Speaker 1: the crew of the Day Gracia would be entitled to
Speaker 1: claim significant compensation for having rescued it. Such a fee
Speaker 1: would often be well worth the effort. Over the next
Speaker 1: few weeks, the two vessels made their way together, only
Speaker 1: losing sight of each other on the final approach to Gibraltar,
Speaker 1: when a heavy storm momentarily separated them in a twist
Speaker 1: of fate that seems fitting for the moment. This separation
Speaker 1: saw Mary Celeste arriving into port a day later than
Speaker 1: Day Gracia. On the morning of Friday the thirteenth, the
Speaker 1: following day, a telegram was sent to the major shareholder,
Speaker 1: Thomas Winchester, to inform him of the abandoned vessel's discovery
Speaker 1: and that it had been taken into custody by the
Speaker 1: Marshal of the Vice Admiralty. Incredibly, there seems to have
Speaker 1: been little interest in discovering the whereabouts of Mary Celeste's passengers. Instead,
Speaker 1: all official interest turned immediately to business concerns. The following week,
Speaker 1: on December eighteenth, a case was opened to decide what
Speaker 1: selfish compensation should be granted to Captain Moorehouse and his crew.
Speaker 1: Over the next few days, Gibraltar's Vice Admiralty Court, presided
Speaker 1: over by Judge Sir James Cochrane, with Frederick's Solly Flood
Speaker 1: acting as the advocate on behalf of the Crown, grilled
Speaker 1: the crew of the Day Gracia about the circumstances under
Speaker 1: which they found Mary Celeste. Clearly, pirates were not to blame,
Speaker 1: since the ship and all its cargo, not to mention,
Speaker 1: the possessions of its passengers, had been found intact, which
Speaker 1: left only the frankly incomprehensible explanation that Captain Briggs, a
Speaker 1: highly skilled, experienced and trustworthy sea captain had abandoned his
Speaker 1: ship when there was absolutely no evident reason to do so.
Speaker 1: And there was one other thing that bothered Judge Cochrane
Speaker 1: and Solly Flood. How was it exactly that, if, as
Speaker 1: the day Gracia's crew maintained they were sailing with the
Speaker 1: wind behind them, that the deserted Mary Celeste was able
Speaker 1: to approached them coming the other way. After hearing Captain
Speaker 1: Moorehouse and Oliver de Vaux's unlikely testimony, Solly Flood became
Speaker 1: convinced that some form of foul play had taken place
Speaker 1: and ordered a further inspection of the vessel in question.
Speaker 1: The investigation was carried out on December twenty third. Later
Speaker 1: that day, adding to Solly Flood's suspicions and much to
Speaker 1: the disdain of the judge, Oliver de Vaux unexpectedly removed
Speaker 1: himself from the investigation in order to complete the De
Speaker 1: Gracia's original mission. And then the results of the latest
Speaker 1: inspection came in. After making a detailed study of both
Speaker 1: the outside and inside of the vessel, the investigators found
Speaker 1: two deep gashes cut out of each side of the
Speaker 1: ship's bow. It was suggested the marks had been created
Speaker 1: artificially to make it look like the ship had accidentally
Speaker 1: run aground, which could then be used as a reason
Speaker 1: for claiming it had been abandoned. But that wasn't all.
Speaker 1: The investigators also found what appeared to be blood spatters
Speaker 1: on one of the sails, and a deep cut in
Speaker 1: one of the rails that ran down the side of
Speaker 1: the ship, which they presumed to have been made by
Speaker 1: an axe. And in the captain's quarters a sword was
Speaker 1: discovered that appeared to be covered in spots of blood.
Speaker 1: When Solly Flood examines the item, he suspects the blade
Speaker 1: may have been wiped clean before being placed back into
Speaker 1: its scabbard. Writing in a letter to the Board of
Speaker 1: Trade on the twenty second of January, Flood requests that
Speaker 1: immediate action be taken to discover the fate of the
Speaker 1: ship's crew, and instructs a doctor to test the sail
Speaker 1: and sword for blood. Meanwhile, as the ghost ship's discovery
Speaker 1: hits the news in homes and imports across the world,
Speaker 1: speculation mounts as to what could possibly account for the mystery,
Speaker 1: and soon the letters are mounting up on the desk
Speaker 1: of the US consul in Gibraltar, messages from the parents, siblings,
Speaker 1: and wives of the missing crew, demanding to know of
Speaker 1: any word from their loved ones. The following week, the
Speaker 1: examination into the potential blood spatterings is carried out by
Speaker 1: a doctor patron. After taking scrapings from both the sword
Speaker 1: and the sale, as well as some other areas of interest,
Speaker 1: the doctor concludes, much to Solly flood surprise, that the
Speaker 1: material is not blood after all, but rust. In early March,
Speaker 1: first made to the day grass, Oliver de Vaux is
Speaker 1: called back for further interrogation. However, after finding his original
Speaker 1: story unchanged and with no other evidence to the contrary,
Speaker 1: the Vice Admiralty have no choice but to accept his
Speaker 1: version of events, and thus concluded their case. In the
Speaker 1: weeks that followed, Frederick's Solly Flood remained convinced that some
Speaker 1: form of foul play had occurred, if not by the
Speaker 1: hands of De Gracia's crew, then by that of some
Speaker 1: aboard Marry Celeste. When it is discovered that one of
Speaker 1: the ship's barrels of alcohol had been tampered with, deposits
Speaker 1: the theory that some of the crew had got into
Speaker 1: it and, in a drunken fury, murdered Captain Briggs, along
Speaker 1: with his wife and child and his chief mate before
Speaker 1: making their escape. This theory, however, has been roundly dismissed
Speaker 1: by many subsequent investigators, since not only were the crew
Speaker 1: all considered decent, hard working individuals, their evident respect for
Speaker 1: their captain and his family has also been well accounted for.
Speaker 1: In the end, the crew of De Gracia, perhaps as
Speaker 1: a result of still being held under some considerable suspicion,
Speaker 1: were rewarded the unusually low sum of eight thousand, three
Speaker 1: hundred dollars around one hundred and fifty thousand in today's
Speaker 1: money for their troubles. In early March, a new captain
Speaker 1: was instated on Mary Celeste, and on March tenth the
Speaker 1: vessel set sail from Gibraltar, before soon after completing its
Speaker 1: original journey to Genoa in Italy. Whatever fate befell Captain Briggs,
Speaker 1: his wife Sarah and daughter Sophia, and the rest of
Speaker 1: his crew Albert Richardson, Andrew Gilling, Edward head Volkert and
Speaker 1: Boz Lawrenson, Aaron Martin's and Gottlieb Gondeschal remains to this
Speaker 1: day unexplained. I'd like to thank Gordon in Glasgow for
Speaker 1: suggesting this week's episode. If you enjoy listening to Unexplained
Speaker 1: and would like to help support us, you can now
Speaker 1: go to Unexplained Podcast dot com Forward Slash Support. All donations,
Speaker 1: no matter how large or small, are massively appreciated. All
Speaker 1: elements of Unexplained are produced by me Richard McClain smith.
Speaker 1: Please subscribe and rate the show on iTunes, and feel
Speaker 1: free to get in touch with any thoughts or ideas
Speaker 1: regarding the stories you've heard on the show. Perhaps you
Speaker 1: have an explanation of your own you'd like to share.
Speaker 1: You can reach us online at Unexplained podcast dot com,
Speaker 1: or Twitter at Unexplained Pod and Facebook at Facebook dot com.
Speaker 1: Forward Slash Unexplained. Now, it's time to take care of yourself.
Speaker 1: To make time for you. Teledoc gives you access to
Speaker 1: a licensed therapist to help you get back to feeling
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