The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #68540   Message #1157307
Posted By: InOBU
08-Apr-04 - 06:34 AM
Thread Name: BS: Histories Mysteries
Subject: RE: BS: Histories Mysteries
What Happened aboard the Mary Celeste ?

Ah one of my favorite not to hard mysteries. Her cargo contained de-natured alcohol. Though it was not drinkable, her crew may not have known that. Often crews tapped kegs at sea. Above one of the kegs, which had been tapped, there was a burn mark on the overhead. There was also a deap gouge in one gunnel between the cutter falls. Most likely, during a calm, someone in the crew took a lantern below to tap a keg and set off a flash of alcohol fumes. This caused the crew to believe the vessel was about to explode, they quickly launched their cutter, without provisions or navigational tools, causing the gauge in the rail - evidence of extreem haste , meaning to sit off and see if the vessle was indeep about to blow, a wind came up and the ship went off faster than they could row... they were lost... bob's yer uncle.
That was one of the most plausable theories I have run accross. For me, (sorry) mystery solved.
Larry