Great Disappearances

[Graham]

Hello Graham,

The paranormal case dramatized in "The Philadelphia Experiment" is the only thing which sounds vaguely similar to this, but I have heard it took place off the coast of New York. Supposedly it was an attempt to make the entire ship invisible, but things went seriously wrong. Surviving sailors who were there that day described seeing other men actually stuck in the deck and superstructure of the ship, when it "re materialized" around them. There is also a strange story of bar patrons hundreds of miles away seeing three sailors emerge from a back room, look around in a daze, and then vanish away.

This is all from my memory, admittedly imperfect, based on what I've seen on TV and in the film (I think the earlier film is better, actually)-- let me browse a bit and get you some citations.

Hi PC Dunn,

Yes, that's it - The Philadelphia Experiment! I don't know why I thought it was in a Gulf state. But never mind. The reason I asked is that in the early 1960's my dad was working in the Midwest installing a new British-made electric furnace in a large cable mill. He told me that one of the Americans had a drop too much in the bar one evening and started talking about the experiment of trying to make a ship disappear. He said he worked on the project during WW2 as a representative of the cable factory that supplied some of the hardware. My dad thought the whole tale was a pile of poop, but I know I've read something about it, long time ago. I have to admit it does sound a bit far-fetched, in the same realms as Nazi flying-saucers, but as with a lot of these 'maybe' stories there is sometimes a grain of truth in them....

....now for some Googling!

Graham

[Pcdunn]

Hello Graham,

The paranormal case dramatized in "The Philadelphia Experiment" is the only thing which sounds vaguely similar to this, but I have heard it took place off the coast of New York. Supposedly it was an attempt to make the entire ship invisible, but things went seriously wrong. Surviving sailors who were there that day described seeing other men actually stuck in the deck and superstructure of the ship, when it "re materialized" around them. There is also a strange story of bar patrons hundreds of miles away seeing three sailors emerge from a back room, look around in a daze, and then vanish away.

This is all from my memory, admittedly imperfect, based on what I've seen on TV and in the film (I think the earlier film is better, actually)-- let me browse a bit and get you some citations.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Experiment

Try searching for keywords "USS Eldredge" and "Carlos Allende" as well as the book titles given in the Wikipedia article, which I see with interest says it is "now widely believed to be a hoax". Also look up "The Philadelphia Experiment" at the IMDB, as it will likely have details on both motion pictures about this case, but also perhaps TV documentaries mentioning.

One oddity that sticks in my mind is this being linked to the disappearance of the papers of Nikolai Tesla following his death, but maybe that is more paranormal sensationalism.
Anyway, hope this helps... Let me know if this is not the case you had in mind.

[Graham]

Does anyone have any details regarding the 'disappearance' during WW2 of a US Navy ship at a dock in one of the Gulf states? This I believe was something to do with experiments using very powerful magnetic fields - not, I should add, anything to do with the de-Gaussing of ships to render them less susceptible to magnetic mines.

The chances are that the story is totally fictional, but there's a reason I'd like more information, if possible.

Graham

[Harry D]

Has anyone else ever looked into the disappearance of Zebb Quinn?

Zebb Quinn (20), disappeared January 2, 2000 in Asheville, North Carolina after receiving a page from his aunt's phone number. She denies paging him, but told police that her home was broken into during that time frame. Nothing was stolen from her home, but items were moved around. His car resurfaced two weeks after his disappearance when it was mysteriously parked in front of his mother's workplace with a live puppy inside and a large set of lips drawn on the window.

There's definitely more to this case than meets the eye. Some have theorized that the puppy left in the car and the lipstick on the car window is some kind of taunt left by those responsible for Zebb's disappearance. I disagree, I think what's more likely is that Zebb was driving with the girl at the centre of all this. He probably bought her the puppy as a gift and she drew the lips on the window. As for what happened after that, I have no idea. The girl's boyfriend would be the obvious suspect but there's nothing to connect him to Zebb's disappearance.

Then we have Zebb's friend, Owens, who was the last person purportedly to see Zebb before he vanished. The one who called Zebb's workplace pretending to be him to say he won't be into work the day he disappeared. He told authorities that Zebb had asked him to do this as a favour because he had plans that day. This doesn't ring true to me. If you were going to pull a sicky at work, why not call in yourself? Phone up, put on a raspy voice. I mean, we've all done it before.

[Mayerling]

Benjamin Bathurst, the man who was said to have "walked around the horses" and simply vanished. It made an impression on me when I first read of it years ago, but it is likely the explanation is less supernatural.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benja...(disappearance)

In 1809, English diplomat Benjamin Bathurst and a traveling companion paused at an inn for a change of horses. Their departure was delayed, and when word came that the carriage was now ready, Bathurst immediately left his room, followed closely by the other man, who was puzzled to reach the team and chaise a few minutes later to find not a trace of Bathurst

Thanks for the cite in Wikipedia Pc. I refreshed my memory about the story rereading it. It most likely is just a murder, but because he was on a highly important diplomatic mission his killing by Napoleon would not be unusual. I know the Emperor denied responsibility, but this is the same Napoleon who was willing to grab the Duc de Enghien from neutral territory, and try him in a stacked military style court, find him guilty of plotting the assassination of Napoleon, and having him judicially murdered by firing squad. That was in 1804, just five years before this. I would take any denial by Napoleon with a degree of salt.

There was an article in the Cornhill Magazine of 1888 about this case. And the Scottish writer Andrew Lang wrote of it in one of his books of "Historical Mysteries". I think the title was "A Mystery of Tilsit" referring to Napoleon's brief "non-aggression treaty" with Tsar Alexander I of Russia in 1809.

Jeff

[Rosella]

Thank you so much for your trouble, Mayerling. (By the way, Mayerling was another famous mystery, wasn't it?) I'll certainly look up those books.

[Mayerling]

I've not read either of the books on the Waratah you've both recommended, but thanks, I will look out for them.

Many years ago, when I first came to Australia, I bought a book about Australian legends and strange occurrences. The strange tale of the warning figure rising three times out of the sea to the passenger in the Waratah was one of them. As I'm a lover of mysteries of all kinds the disappearance of the Waratah remained in my mind.

I bought 'The Lost Ship SS Waratah' by PJ Smith a few months ago but that does concentrate a good deal on the aftermath, the search for the ship, etc.

I do think the warning dreams of the sole survivor of this disaster were a symbol of his daytime certainties that 'this ship is not stable'! Strange how the mind works.

Hi Rosella,

I have three titles of books that contain accounts of the Waratah. I'm giving the full bibliographic cite for each.

Garrett, Richard VOYAGE INTO MYSTERY: REPORTS FROM THE SINISTER SIDE OF THE SEA (London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1987) ISBN 0 297 79103 6; Ch. 2 "Gone Missing", p. 23-27.

Harris, John WITHOUT A TRACE: A FRESH INVESTIGATION OF EIGHT LOST SHIPS AND THEIR FATES (New York: Atheneum, 1981) Library of Congress Card Catalogue Number 80 - 20934, ISBN 0-689-11120-7; Chapter IV "SS Waratah (+1909), The Liner that Vanished", p. 115-150.

Villiers, Alan POSTED MISSING: THE LOSS OF SHIPS WITHOUT A TRACE IN RECENT YEARS (New York: Charles Scribners' Sons, 1956) Library of Congress Card Catalogue Number 56 - 9473 (no ISBN Number); Section V: Passenger Ship - map, p. 156, Ch. 9 "Mystery of the Waratah", p. 157 - 171, Ch. 10. "The Inquiry" p. 172-183.

I cannot find it but I had another account in a book by A.A. Hoehling, "Lost At Sea" I will have to search for that book. Hoehling is as interesting a writer on sea tragedies as Walter Lord, in Hoehling's case making the Lusitania more of his boat for study.

The name of the individual who had the peculiar dream three times, and left the ship at the first port of call in South Africa (thus living to tell his story) was an engineer and businessman named Claude G. Sawyer. He testified at the inquiry. Richard Garrett in his brief but interesting account of the Waratah makes this interesting comment to ponder about Sawyer:

"At this point, one wonders what was so singular about Claude G. Sawyer that he, of all the 211 souls aboard the Waratah, was singled out for survival. But that is how it was." (bottom, p. 25).

Jeff

[Pcdunn]

Benjamin Bathurst, the man who was said to have "walked around the horses" and simply vanished. It made an impression on me when I first read of it years ago, but it is likely the explanation is less supernatural.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benja...(disappearance)

In 1809, English diplomat Benjamin Bathurst and a traveling companion paused at an inn for a change of horses. Their departure was delayed, and when word came that the carriage was now ready, Bathurst immediately left his room, followed closely by the other man, who was puzzled to reach the team and chaise a few minutes later to find not a trace of Bathurst

[Pcdunn]

All I recall Chris was that Tom Baker was Dr. Who at the time, and the plot dealt with the survivors of a wrecked yacht and the lighthouse crew. It was some time ago (about 1990) when I saw the episode - and I haven't been following the series much in recent years (and through several new versions of the good "Doctor". I don't think the invaders were Daleks.

Jeff

Not Daleks, I can assure you. I'm an American fan of "Doctor Who" since the late Seventies, and I believe the Fang Rock aliens were some sort of jellyfish-looking things which were able to impersonate and control the humans (along the lines of the alien in John Campbell's short story "Who Goes There?", which was later filmed as "The Thing"). The Fourth Doctor's companion was Leela (Louise Jameson).

[Rosella]

I've not read either of the books on the Waratah you've both recommended, but thanks, I will look out for them.

Many years ago, when I first came to Australia, I bought a book about Australian legends and strange occurrences. The strange tale of the warning figure rising three times out of the sea to the passenger in the Waratah was one of them. As I'm a lover of mysteries of all kinds the disappearance of the Waratah remained in my mind.

I bought 'The Lost Ship SS Waratah' by PJ Smith a few months ago but that does concentrate a good deal on the aftermath, the search for the ship, etc.

I do think the warning dreams of the sole survivor of this disaster were a symbol of his daytime certainties that 'this ship is not stable'! Strange how the mind works.

[Cogidubnus]

Scend of the Sea

With regard to the Waratah, there's a pretty good fictional novel by Geoffrey Jenkins, "Scend of the Sea" which includes this disaster...actually if you're a fan of the Nevil Shute/Alastair McLean/Desmond Bagley school then you'll love all his stuff...

All the best

Dave

[Ginger]

Just read a story about a young guy who went missing after responding to a job advert on Craigslist for a caregiver:

http://www.kgw.com/story/news/local/...t-ad/17602387/

He seems to have been found, I'm pleased to see. There have been a series of murders here in the States in which Craigslist offers of jobs have been used as bait to lure a victim. I'm honestly a bit surprised that the media haven't tried to build a popular panic around it.

[Mayerling]

The disappearance of SS Waratah, the Titanic of the South as she was known, was a tragic occurrence. Most of the passengers were Australians sailing to Europe via South Africa, and there was widespread mourning in Australia when it became apparent that the ship was lost.

The Waratah was carrying 1,300 tons of lead in her hold, lead and lead concentrate. There was talk at the time that in certain conditions the friction created by the lead moving might summon up enough heat to make the ship turn turtle. There were also piles of untrimmed coal kept on her decks.

However, I think it was a freak wave that did for the Waratah. Huge walls of water of up to 20 metres in height are not uncommon along the coastline in question. There's a deep continental shelf there and the Algulhas current combined with severe gales can cause a buildup of treacherous seas.

The freak wave is a distinct possibility. Sometimes, in reading of a ship mystery or disaster one gets the sad feeling that from the day construction was planned it was a disaster just waiting for it's moment. The few surviving shots of "Waratah" show it's bridge is rather highly set up for a ship of it's dimensions. Incredibly the "Blue Anchor Line" was about to start building a second ship along the same design when the disappearance occurred. Within a few years the line itself was liquidated and disappeared.

May I suggest an old but useful book, "Posted Missing" by Alan Villiers - it was written in the 1950s - which has some interesting chapters on the "Waratah", as well as other missing ship stories.

Jeff

[Harry D]

Just read a story about a young guy who went missing after responding to a job advert on Craigslist for a caregiver:

http://www.kgw.com/story/news/local/2014/10/20/portland-man-missing-after-responding-to-craigslist-ad/17602387/

[Rosella]

The disappearance of SS Waratah, the Titanic of the South as she was known, was a tragic occurrence. Most of the passengers were Australians sailing to Europe via South Africa, and there was widespread mourning in Australia when it became apparent that the ship was lost.

The Waratah was carrying 1,300 tons of lead in her hold, lead and lead concentrate. There was talk at the time that in certain conditions the friction created by the lead moving might summon up enough heat to make the ship turn turtle. There were also piles of untrimmed coal kept on her decks.

However, I think it was a freak wave that did for the Waratah. Huge walls of water of up to 20 metres in height are not uncommon along the coastline in question. There's a deep continental shelf there and the Algulhas current combined with severe gales can cause a buildup of treacherous seas.