WEBVTT - S04 Episode 6: The Silence of the Sea 0:00:10.480 --> 0:00:14.160 It was sometime in the eighteen fifties when Joshua Jewis, 0:00:14.640 --> 0:00:18.120 a young aspiring shipbuilder, made his way from the small 0:00:18.200 --> 0:00:22.119 coastal village of Economy on Nova Scotia down to the 0:00:22.160 --> 0:00:26.360 shores of West Advocate, searching for a small tract of 0:00:26.440 --> 0:00:30.280 land to begin a shipbuilding business. He came across the sheltered, 0:00:30.400 --> 0:00:34.639 pine covered cove of Spencer's Island and knew immediately he 0:00:34.680 --> 0:00:38.920 had found the right place. Having succeeded in convincing a 0:00:38.920 --> 0:00:42.040 few relatives as well as two local merchants to join 0:00:42.159 --> 0:00:45.880 him in his venture, he purchased a thousand acres close 0:00:45.960 --> 0:00:50.760 to the shoreline and promptly got to work. Over the 0:00:50.800 --> 0:00:55.160 next year, trees were felled and land cleared away, and 0:00:55.320 --> 0:01:00.160 before long a boat yard had sprung up, Pulling down 0:01:00.000 --> 0:01:04.600 on the surrounding Birch Beach and the Maple. Jewis's team 0:01:04.680 --> 0:01:09.560 worked day and night, chopping, hammering, and planing as piece 0:01:09.640 --> 0:01:13.240 by piece the hull of a vessel began to take shape. 0:01:14.520 --> 0:01:18.280 By the fall of eighteen sixty, the hull was complete. 0:01:19.440 --> 0:01:23.400 Turning then to the local spruce and pine, they continued 0:01:23.520 --> 0:01:28.000 crafting away with chisel and lathe, making masts and cabins, 0:01:28.800 --> 0:01:34.280 until finally the ship was finished. By spring the following year, 0:01:34.880 --> 0:01:38.800 the vessel, a brigantine formed of two masts and measuring 0:01:38.800 --> 0:01:42.640 a hundred foot long by twenty five feet wide, was 0:01:42.720 --> 0:01:48.360 ready to launch. The company's very first ship, and its 0:01:48.440 --> 0:01:54.920 name was Amazon. The purpose of vessels like Amazon was 0:01:54.960 --> 0:01:59.000 to generate money for their owners. As cargo ships transporting 0:01:59.040 --> 0:02:03.320 goods from one place to another, Generally, the further the 0:02:03.360 --> 0:02:06.760 trip and the more precious the cargo, the more money 0:02:06.840 --> 0:02:11.600 could be made. Amazon's maiden trip was to be a 0:02:11.680 --> 0:02:15.800 relatively simple one, carrying a load of plaster down the 0:02:15.880 --> 0:02:20.839 coast to New York. On May eighteenth, eighteen sixty one, 0:02:21.720 --> 0:02:24.000 the ship took to the seas for the first time, 0:02:24.720 --> 0:02:28.840 captained by Robert McClellan, a young but well regarded captain 0:02:29.240 --> 0:02:33.760 who had just recently married. After making a short hop 0:02:33.880 --> 0:02:37.959 to Windsor, on an opposite coast of Nova Scotia, Amazon 0:02:38.080 --> 0:02:42.200 was successfully loaded before returning to the seas and continuing 0:02:42.240 --> 0:02:47.519 on its way toward the United States. However, after barely 0:02:47.520 --> 0:02:53.680 a hundred miles, Captain McClellan became suddenly unwell, suffering from 0:02:53.720 --> 0:02:57.240 a suspected bout of pneumonia. The captain was forced to 0:02:57.400 --> 0:03:02.239 order the ship back to Spencer's Island, where he promptly disembarked. 0:03:03.160 --> 0:03:08.920 A few days later, he died. The maiden voyage was 0:03:08.960 --> 0:03:13.880 eventually completed a few weeks after, but on returning Amazon 0:03:13.919 --> 0:03:18.880 inexplicably collided with another vessel, which was instantly sunk. As 0:03:18.880 --> 0:03:23.480 a result, For one of the most superstitious industries of 0:03:23.560 --> 0:03:27.040 the time, the omens could not have been much worse. 0:03:29.080 --> 0:03:32.320 For the next six years, however, Amazon made a number 0:03:32.320 --> 0:03:36.160 of successful trips, delivering cargo to as far away as 0:03:36.200 --> 0:03:41.760 the West Indies and even France. In eighteen sixty seven, 0:03:42.440 --> 0:03:45.880 the vessel's owners grew concerned about the capabilities of its 0:03:45.920 --> 0:03:49.880 then captain, William Thompson, and made the decision to have 0:03:50.000 --> 0:03:55.040 him replaced. On hearing of their plan, Thompson stole the 0:03:55.080 --> 0:03:59.040 ship and deliberately ran it aground in Nova Scotia's Cow Bay, 0:04:00.120 --> 0:04:04.280 drawing it for any immediate use, and so there the 0:04:04.360 --> 0:04:08.040 ship was abandoned and left for dead by its owners. 0:04:09.440 --> 0:04:13.160 As Joshua Juwas's son would later note, it was as 0:04:13.200 --> 0:04:16.240 if the craft seemed possessed of the devil to begin 0:04:16.320 --> 0:04:21.440 with the following year, Having heard about the abandoned vessel, 0:04:21.960 --> 0:04:26.520 a small consortium of American shipowners, realizing it still had potential, 0:04:27.240 --> 0:04:30.840 decided to take it on. In order to do so, 0:04:31.279 --> 0:04:34.960 they were required to have its registration changed from Canada 0:04:35.240 --> 0:04:39.640 to the United States, which also necessitated a change of name, 0:04:41.080 --> 0:04:45.039 and so on December thirty first, eighteen sixty eight, the 0:04:45.120 --> 0:04:50.279 ship was formerly registered again, and Julie renamed to be 0:04:50.400 --> 0:04:56.600 known from then on as Mary Select You're listening to Unexplained, 0:04:57.279 --> 0:05:09.960 and I'm Richard McClane smith. By October eighteen seventy two, 0:05:10.600 --> 0:05:14.280 Mary Celeste was owned by four individuals, with the largest 0:05:14.279 --> 0:05:18.359 stake belonging to James Winchester, second to which was that 0:05:18.600 --> 0:05:24.400 belonging to its new captain, Benjamin Spooner Briggs. Briggs was 0:05:24.440 --> 0:05:27.200 fairly young for the role at thirty seven, but was 0:05:27.200 --> 0:05:30.560 a highly respected and skilled sailor, said by some to 0:05:30.600 --> 0:05:36.080 be of the highest character for seamanship and correctness. Briggs 0:05:36.160 --> 0:05:39.960 was an archetypal sea captain of the time, engineered from 0:05:39.960 --> 0:05:44.560 an early age for a life on the waves. Benjamin 0:05:44.680 --> 0:05:48.280 was born in ware Room, Massachusetts, in eighteen thirty five 0:05:48.880 --> 0:05:54.360 to Sophia Cobb and her husband, Captain Nathan Briggs. Together, 0:05:54.440 --> 0:05:58.640 they had seven children in total, including five sons, only 0:05:58.680 --> 0:06:01.680 one of which didn't end into the life of a Mariner. 0:06:03.160 --> 0:06:05.760 Life of the Briggs family could be difficult at times, 0:06:06.520 --> 0:06:09.760 especially for Sophia, who would regularly be left alone with 0:06:09.839 --> 0:06:13.640 the children as her husband went off to see, unsure 0:06:13.680 --> 0:06:19.719 when or if he would ever return. When Benjamin was four, 0:06:20.320 --> 0:06:23.719 a series of failed investments by his father left the 0:06:23.760 --> 0:06:28.480 family homeless, forcing them to move in temporarily with Benjamin's grandfather. 0:06:29.920 --> 0:06:32.360 It was in these formative years that the young boy 0:06:32.440 --> 0:06:35.919 grew especially close to his mother, as they bonded in 0:06:35.960 --> 0:06:40.919 the periodic absences of his father. Nathan Briggs's love for 0:06:41.000 --> 0:06:44.400 his family, however, was never in doubt, and when he 0:06:44.440 --> 0:06:48.039 did return, evenings would often be spent in a fantasy 0:06:48.080 --> 0:06:51.359 world of tales of distant lands and adventures on the 0:06:51.440 --> 0:06:56.000 high seas. As he talked, Benjamin and the others would 0:06:56.000 --> 0:07:02.280 sit wide eyed in awe at this burly, enigmatic man them. 0:07:02.440 --> 0:07:05.719 With the family's fortunes restored, a few years later, the 0:07:05.839 --> 0:07:09.720 Brigs moved to Sipikan Village, just outside the coastal town 0:07:09.760 --> 0:07:13.720 of Marion in Massachusetts, and it was here that Benjamin's 0:07:13.760 --> 0:07:19.080 love for the open water truly began to manifest. Marion 0:07:19.200 --> 0:07:21.840 was very much a sailing town, with most of the 0:07:21.880 --> 0:07:25.600 local industry revolving around the sea, and where from day 0:07:25.600 --> 0:07:29.160 and night the local homes and watering holes would ring 0:07:29.240 --> 0:07:34.760 with tales of exotic places, shipwrecks, and daring do As 0:07:34.760 --> 0:07:38.720 a young teenager, Benjamin would watch with jealousy as his 0:07:38.800 --> 0:07:42.240 father occasion to take his oldest child, Nathan, out on 0:07:42.320 --> 0:07:46.760 journeys with him. In the meantime, he could only dream, 0:07:46.800 --> 0:07:50.040 staring out from the shoreline in wonder at what grand 0:07:50.080 --> 0:07:56.119 wells and adventures might lie beyond. But soon Benjamin too 0:07:56.240 --> 0:07:59.920 was joining his father on short trips, being treated like 0:08:00.160 --> 0:08:03.000 any other mate on board, as he was taught to 0:08:03.040 --> 0:08:06.360 work hard and respect all those in the crew, no 0:08:06.400 --> 0:08:10.880 matter what their rank, but most of all, to respect 0:08:10.960 --> 0:08:24.160 the often unforgiving oceans upon which they sailed. If Benjamin 0:08:24.200 --> 0:08:27.120 needed any reminding of just how dangerous the life of 0:08:27.160 --> 0:08:30.760 a mariner could be in those days, evidence was not 0:08:30.880 --> 0:08:36.680 in short supply. By eighteen seventy, two brothers and his sister, Maria, 0:08:37.120 --> 0:08:40.719 who was married to a sailor, had been lost at sea. 0:08:41.640 --> 0:08:44.920 Then in June of that year, the family were left 0:08:45.000 --> 0:08:49.400 further devastated when Benjamin's father was struck by lightning while 0:08:49.480 --> 0:08:55.160 standing in a doorway. He was killed instantly. The litany 0:08:55.160 --> 0:08:58.559 of loss was hardest of all for Benjamin's mother, Sophia, 0:08:58.760 --> 0:09:03.040 who had little option to endure it. And yet, despite 0:09:03.080 --> 0:09:06.920 the many tragedies that had already befallen her, she determined 0:09:06.960 --> 0:09:10.400 to remain optimistic whenever her two remaining sons of the 0:09:10.480 --> 0:09:14.200 sea left on another voyage, praying it would only be 0:09:14.240 --> 0:09:19.640 a matter of time before they came back. By then, 0:09:19.960 --> 0:09:23.960 Benjamin had married, having met and fallen in love with 0:09:24.000 --> 0:09:29.520 Sarah Elizabeth Cobb, a skilled musician and seamstress. Having married 0:09:29.559 --> 0:09:33.800 in eighteen sixty two, Sarah gave birth to their first child, Arthur, 0:09:34.040 --> 0:09:38.120 three years later, and in October of eighteen seventy they 0:09:38.160 --> 0:09:43.000 welcomed their second, Sophia, named after Benjamin's mother, of whom 0:09:43.000 --> 0:09:47.000 he was so fond. Perhaps it was all those anxious 0:09:47.120 --> 0:09:49.600 nights spent as a child waiting for his father to 0:09:49.679 --> 0:09:53.560 return and watching his mother going through the same that 0:09:53.720 --> 0:09:59.520 convinced Benjamin not to travel alone either way. From early 0:09:59.559 --> 0:10:02.480 on in his his career, he often made the effort 0:10:02.640 --> 0:10:06.400 to take his family with him on his voyages. He 0:10:06.520 --> 0:10:10.080 and Sarah had even sailed together to the Mediterranean for 0:10:10.120 --> 0:10:14.440 their honeymoon, and so it was to be with his 0:10:14.559 --> 0:10:20.360 upcoming journey on Mary Celeste. Having been appointed captain in 0:10:20.440 --> 0:10:23.920 eighteen seventy two, Briggs wasted no time in having the 0:10:23.960 --> 0:10:27.520 ship refitted with a larger cabin to accommodate his wife 0:10:27.559 --> 0:10:32.480 and daughter, Sophia. On this occasion. With their son Arthur, 0:10:32.720 --> 0:10:36.800 now seven and attending school, they elected to leave him 0:10:36.840 --> 0:10:43.160 behind with his grandmother to continue his studies. On October nineteenth, 0:10:43.240 --> 0:10:46.679 Benjamin Briggs left home and set sail for New York, 0:10:47.480 --> 0:10:50.480 arriving soon after at Pier fifty on the East River, 0:10:50.920 --> 0:10:55.640 where Mary Celeste was now moored. Over the next few days, 0:10:56.160 --> 0:10:59.680 he studiously supervised the loading of the vessel and took 0:10:59.720 --> 0:11:02.560 time to reacquaint himself with the seven man crew he 0:11:02.679 --> 0:11:06.800 had selected to join him on the journey. This would 0:11:06.840 --> 0:11:10.000 be one of the longest trips Mary Celeste had made, 0:11:10.040 --> 0:11:13.040 delivering a cargo of one thousand, seven hundred and one 0:11:13.240 --> 0:11:17.160 barrels of dannatured alcohol to Genoa, where it would then 0:11:17.240 --> 0:11:19.600 take on a load of fruit to be delivered back 0:11:19.640 --> 0:11:24.760 to the United States of the men accompanying him. First mate, 0:11:25.040 --> 0:11:28.240 twenty eight year old Albert Richardson, was well known and 0:11:28.320 --> 0:11:33.240 respected by the captain, having sailed with him before. Second 0:11:33.280 --> 0:11:37.360 mate Andrew Gilling, at only twenty five, was young but 0:11:37.520 --> 0:11:41.920 also considered a safe pair of hands. Stewart and Cook 0:11:42.400 --> 0:11:46.280 Edward Head, who hailed from nearby Green Point in Brooklyn, 0:11:46.960 --> 0:11:49.800 was at twenty three, one of the youngest members of 0:11:49.840 --> 0:11:54.840 the team and had only recently been married. The other 0:11:54.880 --> 0:11:57.920 four were a small team from Germany who had often 0:11:58.000 --> 0:12:06.479 sailed together. Included two brothers, Volkert and boz Lawrenson. On Saturday, 0:12:06.559 --> 0:12:10.560 October twenty sixth, Sarah and Sophia took a ship bound 0:12:10.600 --> 0:12:15.839 for New York and arrived the following morning. That day, 0:12:16.000 --> 0:12:18.960 Captain Briggs took a horse and cap through the sprawling 0:12:19.040 --> 0:12:23.520 Klin Deutschland of Manhattan Island's lower east side across to 0:12:23.559 --> 0:12:27.800 the North River Pier, and there he stood watch with 0:12:27.840 --> 0:12:30.960 a warm smile at the sight of Sarah and Sophia 0:12:31.280 --> 0:12:34.040 waving to him from the deck of their approaching ship. 0:12:35.760 --> 0:12:39.079 After helping them unload, he led them to the ship 0:12:39.160 --> 0:12:41.680 that would become their home for the next few months. 0:12:43.440 --> 0:12:46.520 A few days later, Sarah took receipt of her much 0:12:46.559 --> 0:12:50.240 beloved Melodeon, with which she hoped to entertain her husband 0:12:50.280 --> 0:12:57.160 and daughter on their trip, installing it in the captain's quarters. Unfortunately, 0:12:57.400 --> 0:13:00.840 due to an outbreak of horse disease, they were confined 0:13:00.920 --> 0:13:05.400 to the immediate vicinity Appear fifty. On the thirty first, however, 0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:08.559 Benjamin and Sarah were met by his aunt and uncle, 0:13:09.200 --> 0:13:11.600 and together they were able to afford a cab ride 0:13:11.640 --> 0:13:14.440 up to Central Park, where they would spend the day 0:13:14.679 --> 0:13:22.320 joyfully celebrating Sophia's second birthday. Are you always taking care 0:13:22.320 --> 0:13:24.880 of your family? Do you often take care of others 0:13:24.880 --> 0:13:28.240 and not yourself? Now it's time to take care of yourself, 0:13:28.600 --> 0:13:32.400 to make time for you. You deserve it. Teledoc gives 0:13:32.400 --> 0:13:35.200 you access to a licensed therapist to help you get 0:13:35.200 --> 0:13:38.400 back to feeling your best to feeling like yourself again. 0:13:39.120 --> 0:13:42.320 With teledoc, you can speak to a licensed therapist by 0:13:42.360 --> 0:13:46.000 phone or video. Therapy appointments are available seven days a 0:13:46.040 --> 0:13:49.600 week from seven am to nine pm local time. If 0:13:49.600 --> 0:13:53.920 you feel overwhelmed sometimes maybe you feel stressed or anxious, 0:13:54.240 --> 0:13:57.240 depressed or lonely, or you might be struggling with a 0:13:57.320 --> 0:14:01.520 personal or family issue, tele Adoc can help. Teledoc is 0:14:01.559 --> 0:14:05.360 committed to facilitating great therapeutic matches, so they make it 0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:09.720 easy to change counselors if needed. For free. Teledoc Therapy 0:14:10.080 --> 0:14:14.040 is available through most insurance or employers. Download the app 0:14:14.280 --> 0:14:18.480 or visit teledoc dot com Forward slash Unexplained podcast Today 0:14:18.640 --> 0:14:25.040 to get started. That's teladoc dot com slash Unexplained Podcast. 0:14:30.800 --> 0:14:35.400 With the day of disembarkation approaching, Benjamin took the opportunity 0:14:35.480 --> 0:14:38.720 to write a letter to his mother. In it, he 0:14:38.760 --> 0:14:42.560 expressed his joy at Sarah and Sophia's arrival and how 0:14:42.600 --> 0:14:46.120 homely they had made the ship feel, but also his 0:14:46.240 --> 0:14:49.640 regret at having decided not to bring their son Arthur 0:14:49.680 --> 0:14:53.800 with them after all. He also made note of how 0:14:53.840 --> 0:14:57.560 Sophia was disappointed that they hadn't yet included a picture 0:14:57.600 --> 0:15:00.480 of Arthur in the family photo album, which they had 0:15:00.480 --> 0:15:03.080 taken with them for their journey, since it was the 0:15:03.120 --> 0:15:08.960 young girl's favorite book. Briggs had been hoping to say 0:15:08.960 --> 0:15:12.280 a final farewell to his brother Oliver, who was due 0:15:12.280 --> 0:15:16.160 to arrive in New York imminently, but having waited as 0:15:16.200 --> 0:15:20.160 long as he could. On Tuesday, November fifth, the brigantine 0:15:20.280 --> 0:15:24.160 Mary Celeste pulled away from per fifty and meandered its 0:15:24.200 --> 0:15:28.120 way down the East River, moving on past the growing 0:15:28.160 --> 0:15:30.720 towers of the New York and Brooklyn Bridge, which was 0:15:30.800 --> 0:15:34.720 under construction at the time. It continued on beyond Governor's 0:15:34.720 --> 0:15:39.320 Island and out into the Upper Bay. They were not 0:15:39.400 --> 0:15:42.000 long out of the East River when a thick and 0:15:42.160 --> 0:15:46.000 nasty storm drew in and was soon beating and banging 0:15:46.040 --> 0:15:51.120 at the ship. Concerned by its increasing ferocity, Briggs was 0:15:51.160 --> 0:15:54.520 forced to take emergency action and ordered the crew to 0:15:54.560 --> 0:15:58.960 find shelter close to Staten Island, where they promptly dropped anchor. 0:16:00.600 --> 0:16:03.560 Over the next few days, the ship's passengers had no 0:16:03.680 --> 0:16:07.880 choice but to sit and wait it out. Sarah did 0:16:07.880 --> 0:16:11.320 her best to keep Sofia occupied as Captain Briggs and 0:16:11.320 --> 0:16:14.920 the crew went over their various charts again in preparation. 0:16:17.160 --> 0:16:20.520 At one point, Sarah wrote another letter to Benjamin's mother 0:16:21.160 --> 0:16:24.120 as Sofia played on the floor with her alphabet bricks. 0:16:25.760 --> 0:16:28.520 It was hard, she wrote, being so close to the shore, 0:16:29.360 --> 0:16:31.760 knowing that they probably had letters there from their loved 0:16:31.800 --> 0:16:35.000 ones waiting to be read, that they were unable to 0:16:35.080 --> 0:16:40.160 receive She signed off, sending her love to Arthur and 0:16:40.280 --> 0:16:43.320 the rest of the family, before having the letter delivered 0:16:43.320 --> 0:16:47.360 to shore by one of the crew. By the morning 0:16:47.360 --> 0:16:52.240 of November seventh, the storm had finally settled and Briggs 0:16:52.280 --> 0:16:56.160 gave the order to haul up the anchor. A short 0:16:56.200 --> 0:17:00.360 time later, Mary Celeste and her crew were edged out 0:17:00.440 --> 0:17:04.359 between the tip of Sandy Hook and the Rockaway Peninsula 0:17:04.440 --> 0:17:15.760 and onwards toward the deep Atlantic Ocean. Eight days after 0:17:15.800 --> 0:17:20.240 Mary Celeste left New York, the ship named day Gracia, 0:17:20.600 --> 0:17:24.040 captained by David Morehouse and laden with a cargo of 0:17:24.080 --> 0:17:28.439 petroleum bound for Gibraltar, also set sail from the city. 0:17:29.600 --> 0:17:33.639 Three weeks later, on December fourth, The ship was roughly 0:17:33.640 --> 0:17:36.280 two thirds of the way into its journey as it 0:17:36.359 --> 0:17:40.800 continued on in a southeasterly direction four hundred miles east 0:17:40.920 --> 0:17:45.680 of the Azores. After days of sailing through torrential storms 0:17:45.840 --> 0:17:49.520 and vast crashing waves, the sea and the air had 0:17:49.560 --> 0:17:55.080 grown calm again. It was sometime just after midday when 0:17:55.160 --> 0:17:59.680 the ship's pilot, John Johnson, spotted a vessel about six 0:17:59.720 --> 0:18:03.840 miles was off to their port side. Concerned by the 0:18:03.880 --> 0:18:07.840 manner of its movement, Johnson alerted the captain, who in 0:18:07.920 --> 0:18:12.520 turn grabbed his telescope to take a closer look. Though 0:18:12.560 --> 0:18:15.400 they were still some way off, he could see clearly 0:18:15.440 --> 0:18:18.960 that the ship was completely adrift, with no sign of 0:18:19.000 --> 0:18:25.080 the crew anywhere. Morehouse ordered Johnson to head toward the 0:18:25.119 --> 0:18:28.879 aimless vessel, and shouted out to his first mate, Oliver 0:18:29.040 --> 0:18:33.160 de Vaux, who was resting below, to join him on deck. 0:18:34.920 --> 0:18:38.240 Handing the telescope to d Vaux, the first mate took 0:18:38.240 --> 0:18:42.439 a look for himself. He noticed first that some of 0:18:42.480 --> 0:18:47.320 the ship's sails were damaged or missing entirely, and then, 0:18:47.680 --> 0:18:50.720 having by now drawn close enough to see it, he 0:18:50.840 --> 0:18:57.320 registered the vessel's name, Mary Celeste. The crew of Day 0:18:57.359 --> 0:19:01.080 Gracia attempted to signal it, but there received no reply. 0:19:03.640 --> 0:19:06.879 It is hard to comprehend the sheer eeriness of approaching 0:19:06.920 --> 0:19:11.120 a ghost ship listing gently on the open water with 0:19:11.160 --> 0:19:15.000 no sign of land anywhere, and there were doubtless a 0:19:15.040 --> 0:19:18.000 few nervous glances shared by the crew of the Day 0:19:18.000 --> 0:19:23.840 Gracia as they approached the seemingly vacant vessel. After getting 0:19:23.880 --> 0:19:27.360 close enough to board it, Moorhouse ordered d Vaux to 0:19:27.359 --> 0:19:32.960 take two men across to investigate. Minutes later, du Vaux, 0:19:33.280 --> 0:19:36.960 along with Johnson and second mate John Wright, took to 0:19:37.000 --> 0:19:41.800 the ship's lifeboat before being lowered into the water. As 0:19:41.840 --> 0:19:44.760 the men rowed their way across, only the sound of 0:19:44.800 --> 0:19:47.679 the oars splashing in the water and the creaking of 0:19:47.720 --> 0:19:51.159 the two ships could be heard as they contemplated what 0:19:51.240 --> 0:19:56.119 they might find on board. Having made it to marry Celeste, 0:19:56.760 --> 0:19:59.840 d Vaux called out a final time to no reply, 0:20:00.920 --> 0:20:04.280 before taking a deep breath and pulling himself onto the deck. 0:20:05.280 --> 0:20:09.040 He was followed soon after by Right, and together the 0:20:09.119 --> 0:20:20.280 two of them began their search. D Vaux noted first 0:20:20.760 --> 0:20:23.439 that two of the four sails had blown away completely, 0:20:24.119 --> 0:20:28.879 while another was left hanging by its corners. The mainsail 0:20:28.960 --> 0:20:34.439 had fallen or been pulled down onto the deck. Also 0:20:34.560 --> 0:20:37.760 left on deck was the ship's sounding rod, which was 0:20:37.880 --> 0:20:41.640 used to test for flooding below, perhaps a clue as 0:20:41.680 --> 0:20:46.080 to why the vessel had been abandoned. D Vaux picked 0:20:46.080 --> 0:20:48.440 it up and dropped it down one of the pumps, 0:20:49.080 --> 0:20:52.159 bringing it up a moment later. He was surprised to 0:20:52.200 --> 0:20:56.000 find that although there was some flood water, at only 0:20:56.040 --> 0:20:58.680 three and a half feet deep, it wouldn't have been 0:20:58.720 --> 0:21:03.080 any cause for concern. The pumps, too, were in perfect 0:21:03.200 --> 0:21:09.040 working order. Second mate Right meanwhile had established that the 0:21:09.080 --> 0:21:12.520 ship had only been equipped with one lifeboat, which was 0:21:12.560 --> 0:21:17.000 now missing. So too was the leading sail rope, perhaps 0:21:17.040 --> 0:21:19.560 having been used to tie the lifeboat to the main 0:21:19.680 --> 0:21:25.520 ship at some point. Looking up, Devox noticed also that 0:21:25.600 --> 0:21:29.960 the ship's binnacle, a wooden pillar that housed navigational equipment, 0:21:30.320 --> 0:21:36.160 had been knocked over and its compass smashed. In silence, 0:21:36.480 --> 0:21:40.600 the men proceeded together into the main cabin, finding no 0:21:40.640 --> 0:21:44.800 sign of a chronometer or a sextant, presumably having been 0:21:44.840 --> 0:21:48.280 taken by the crew or whoever else had been there. 0:21:49.600 --> 0:21:55.359 The captain's navigation book had also gone. In the kitchen 0:21:55.400 --> 0:21:58.879 area and pantry, they found no sign of anything having 0:21:58.960 --> 0:22:02.760 been eaten recently. But in the storeroom they were amazed 0:22:02.800 --> 0:22:06.679 to discover at least six months worth of provisions left untouched, 0:22:07.359 --> 0:22:12.199 and more than enough drinking water for a crew on 0:22:12.359 --> 0:22:17.320 They continued now into the captain's quarters. Here they found 0:22:17.359 --> 0:22:20.760 the skylight had been left open, which may have accounted 0:22:20.800 --> 0:22:25.800 for why almost everything in the room was soaking wet. Strangely, 0:22:26.160 --> 0:22:28.960 all of it had been seemingly left as if its 0:22:28.960 --> 0:22:33.680 previous inhabitants had just completely vanished. On the spot. There 0:22:33.680 --> 0:22:37.320 were boxes full of clothing presumably belonging to the captain 0:22:37.600 --> 0:22:41.760 and what they assumed to be his family. Various pieces 0:22:41.760 --> 0:22:45.480 of furniture were all left in place, including a melodeon 0:22:45.680 --> 0:22:50.000 and a sewing machine. De Vaux also noticed a small 0:22:50.040 --> 0:22:53.240 impression in the bed, as if a young child had 0:22:53.280 --> 0:22:57.800 only very recently been lying there. Then he noticed the 0:22:57.840 --> 0:23:03.920 baby's toys scattered about the room, strewn over the bed. 0:23:04.280 --> 0:23:07.280 They also found a series of loose charts and books, 0:23:07.720 --> 0:23:10.520 as well as the log book and slate log, a 0:23:10.640 --> 0:23:14.840 record of the ship's most recent location. It was dated 0:23:14.920 --> 0:23:19.879 November twenty fifth, from almost two weeks before, stating the 0:23:19.880 --> 0:23:22.960 ship's position as having been just to the north of 0:23:23.000 --> 0:23:26.920 the island of Saint Maria in the Azores, roughly four 0:23:27.000 --> 0:23:32.280 hundred miles away. Below deck, having found no sign of 0:23:32.320 --> 0:23:36.160 any other crew, they also discovered the hundreds of barrels 0:23:36.160 --> 0:23:42.879 full of alcohol that had been left completely untouched. Making 0:23:42.880 --> 0:23:45.920 their way back onto the deck, Right and de Vaux 0:23:46.359 --> 0:23:50.359 stood for a moment in quiet contemplation, neither able to 0:23:50.440 --> 0:23:54.840 quite shake the feeling that whatever had happened, something very 0:23:54.920 --> 0:24:00.440 peculiar had taken place, or so, at least that was 0:24:00.480 --> 0:24:04.080 the story they gave to the Vice Admiralty Court in 0:24:04.160 --> 0:24:16.639 Gibraltar two weeks later. Having discovered the ghost ship Marries Celeste, 0:24:17.119 --> 0:24:19.880 the crew of the Day Gracia claimed to have debated 0:24:19.960 --> 0:24:23.240 what to do next before finally deciding that they would 0:24:23.240 --> 0:24:27.439 bring it with them to Gibraltar. Though Captain Moorehouse had 0:24:27.480 --> 0:24:31.080 been reluctant, it was first made de Vaux who convinced 0:24:31.119 --> 0:24:33.760 him to bring the abandoned ship with them in the 0:24:33.840 --> 0:24:38.600 hope of securing some salvage compensation. Though the ship was 0:24:38.640 --> 0:24:42.000 still owned and the cargo would not be handed to them, 0:24:42.080 --> 0:24:44.520 the crew of the Day Gracia would be entitled to 0:24:44.520 --> 0:24:49.160 claim significant compensation for having rescued it. Such a fee 0:24:49.240 --> 0:24:53.160 would often be well worth the effort. Over the next 0:24:53.240 --> 0:24:57.119 few weeks, the two vessels made their way together, only 0:24:57.160 --> 0:25:00.000 losing sight of each other on the final approach to Gibraltar, 0:25:00.720 --> 0:25:05.240 when a heavy storm momentarily separated them in a twist 0:25:05.240 --> 0:25:08.720 of fate that seems fitting for the moment. This separation 0:25:08.880 --> 0:25:12.720 saw Mary Celeste arriving into port a day later than 0:25:12.840 --> 0:25:18.719 Day Gracia. On the morning of Friday the thirteenth, the 0:25:18.760 --> 0:25:22.520 following day, a telegram was sent to the major shareholder, 0:25:22.640 --> 0:25:26.840 Thomas Winchester, to inform him of the abandoned vessel's discovery 0:25:27.480 --> 0:25:29.959 and that it had been taken into custody by the 0:25:30.040 --> 0:25:34.760 Marshal of the Vice Admiralty. Incredibly, there seems to have 0:25:34.760 --> 0:25:40.399 been little interest in discovering the whereabouts of Mary Celeste's passengers. Instead, 0:25:40.960 --> 0:25:48.160 all official interest turned immediately to business concerns. The following week, 0:25:48.480 --> 0:25:52.320 on December eighteenth, a case was opened to decide what 0:25:52.440 --> 0:25:56.359 selfish compensation should be granted to Captain Moorehouse and his crew. 0:25:58.440 --> 0:26:03.240 Over the next few days, Gibraltar's Vice Admiralty Court, presided 0:26:03.280 --> 0:26:07.320 over by Judge Sir James Cochrane, with Frederick's Solly Flood 0:26:07.480 --> 0:26:10.919 acting as the advocate on behalf of the Crown, grilled 0:26:11.000 --> 0:26:14.760 the crew of the Day Gracia about the circumstances under 0:26:14.760 --> 0:26:20.119 which they found Mary Celeste. Clearly, pirates were not to blame, 0:26:20.760 --> 0:26:23.840 since the ship and all its cargo, not to mention, 0:26:23.880 --> 0:26:28.800 the possessions of its passengers, had been found intact, which 0:26:28.880 --> 0:26:33.840 left only the frankly incomprehensible explanation that Captain Briggs, a 0:26:33.960 --> 0:26:38.800 highly skilled, experienced and trustworthy sea captain had abandoned his 0:26:38.880 --> 0:26:42.880 ship when there was absolutely no evident reason to do so. 0:26:44.359 --> 0:26:47.280 And there was one other thing that bothered Judge Cochrane 0:26:47.280 --> 0:26:51.960 and Solly Flood. How was it exactly that, if, as 0:26:52.000 --> 0:26:55.520 the day Gracia's crew maintained they were sailing with the 0:26:55.560 --> 0:26:59.720 wind behind them, that the deserted Mary Celeste was able 0:26:59.720 --> 0:27:05.159 to approached them coming the other way. After hearing Captain 0:27:05.240 --> 0:27:09.520 Moorehouse and Oliver de Vaux's unlikely testimony, Solly Flood became 0:27:09.560 --> 0:27:12.840 convinced that some form of foul play had taken place 0:27:13.440 --> 0:27:16.720 and ordered a further inspection of the vessel in question. 0:27:19.000 --> 0:27:23.359 The investigation was carried out on December twenty third. Later 0:27:23.400 --> 0:27:27.159 that day, adding to Solly Flood's suspicions and much to 0:27:27.240 --> 0:27:31.600 the disdain of the judge, Oliver de Vaux unexpectedly removed 0:27:31.680 --> 0:27:35.040 himself from the investigation in order to complete the De 0:27:35.200 --> 0:27:40.919 Gracia's original mission. And then the results of the latest 0:27:40.960 --> 0:27:46.600 inspection came in. After making a detailed study of both 0:27:46.640 --> 0:27:50.760 the outside and inside of the vessel, the investigators found 0:27:50.880 --> 0:27:54.040 two deep gashes cut out of each side of the 0:27:54.080 --> 0:27:58.560 ship's bow. It was suggested the marks had been created 0:27:58.680 --> 0:28:02.400 artificially to make it look like the ship had accidentally 0:28:02.480 --> 0:28:05.639 run aground, which could then be used as a reason 0:28:05.960 --> 0:28:10.160 for claiming it had been abandoned. But that wasn't all. 0:28:12.280 --> 0:28:16.600 The investigators also found what appeared to be blood spatters 0:28:16.600 --> 0:28:19.520 on one of the sails, and a deep cut in 0:28:19.600 --> 0:28:21.680 one of the rails that ran down the side of 0:28:21.720 --> 0:28:25.080 the ship, which they presumed to have been made by 0:28:25.119 --> 0:28:30.760 an axe. And in the captain's quarters a sword was 0:28:30.800 --> 0:28:34.520 discovered that appeared to be covered in spots of blood. 0:28:35.760 --> 0:28:39.200 When Solly Flood examines the item, he suspects the blade 0:28:39.520 --> 0:28:42.880 may have been wiped clean before being placed back into 0:28:42.880 --> 0:28:47.480 its scabbard. Writing in a letter to the Board of 0:28:47.480 --> 0:28:51.240 Trade on the twenty second of January, Flood requests that 0:28:51.320 --> 0:28:54.520 immediate action be taken to discover the fate of the 0:28:54.560 --> 0:28:58.440 ship's crew, and instructs a doctor to test the sail 0:28:58.520 --> 0:29:05.640 and sword for blood. Meanwhile, as the ghost ship's discovery 0:29:05.840 --> 0:29:09.640 hits the news in homes and imports across the world, 0:29:10.360 --> 0:29:13.880 speculation mounts as to what could possibly account for the mystery, 0:29:14.960 --> 0:29:17.400 and soon the letters are mounting up on the desk 0:29:17.440 --> 0:29:22.200 of the US consul in Gibraltar, messages from the parents, siblings, 0:29:22.240 --> 0:29:25.480 and wives of the missing crew, demanding to know of 0:29:25.560 --> 0:29:36.400 any word from their loved ones. The following week, the 0:29:36.480 --> 0:29:40.160