History Mysteries

I pretty buch believe what's been told about the Titanic. I think that whoever designed the ship made some major mistakes though. Can't think of any mysteries at the moment, but I'll think on it and let you know if I think of something.

Hey, Montana. Would you believe that I read somewhere that the unsinkable ship was the victim of a u-boat attack? Intriguing, no?

That's very interesting because I was just thinking about that. I wonder if there was some kind of coverup somewhere.

So - we don't think that sometimes an iceberg is just an iceberg?

Well, it sounded right to me, except that the Titanic was suppose to be unsinkable. It probably was just an iceberg though.

Montana, Deb. At first those who reconstructed the event thought that there was a big gash in the hull. Wrong..just a hole eventually blamed on popping rivets. There was even a theory that the White Star Line scuttled the ship for the insurance....but what do I know..I just read that Russel Crowe was an Aussie

There is no question that the HMS Titanic struck an iceberg, tearing a long gash in her starboard side. The water rose above the watertight compartments, progressively causing her to go down by the bow. Not long ago a deepsea exploration team conducted a number of visits to the wreck and made many photos of her. I see above the assertion that the hole was not long, but relatively small. That is not my recollection, but it may be so.

Perhaps you are thinking about the Lousitania. However, there is no real mystery there either. The Lousitania was sailing from New York to Britain and was torpedoed off the west coast of Ireland. The Kaiser's government had warned that unrestricted submarine warfare had commenced and cautioned civilians not to sail in the Lousitania. The sinking came as quite a shock to Americans, especially those of pacifist belief. At least partially as a result the United States entered the war on the British side. Actually, later evidence was produced to demonstrate that the Lousitania was not as innocent as she appeared. Lousitania was carrying munitions, which made her a legitimate target even by the rules which generally condemned torpedoing a passenger vessel.

O.K., heres one for you. What happened to Judge Crater? Judge Crater was a popular, successful Judge in New York when he stepped aboard a luxury liner bound for Europe. The Judge was by all accounts in high spirits and had everything in the world to look forward to. Each evening he ate at the Captain's table where he was noted for his wittism, and good nature. He enjoyed his food and drink, though was moderate in the amounts of wine he consumed. About mid-voyage, Judge Crater got up from his dinner and announced his intention to return to his cabin. He could reach his cabin by inside passage ways, and was observed heading in that direction when last seen. The next morning when the Judge failed to appear for breakfast, a steward was sent to check his cabin. The cabin was empty, the bed still made up and unslept in. A search of the ship failed to find the Judge and an extensive search of the quiet seas through which the ship passed was conducted. Nothing was ever heard about, or from the Judge from that day to this. What happened to Judge Crater?

This little puzzle seems almost quaint today, but caused quite a stir during the 1920's. Probably the Judge ended up with Neptune, but how did that happen? There were no signs of foul play. The Judge wasn't given to prowlinig about the decks at night, and the seas were calm. There was no reason for the Judge to commit suicide, and no note nor anything to suggest suicide was ever found.

Some have suggested that Judge Crater joined the crew of the Marie Celeste, and that ultimately is probably true.

Asherman
That's quite a story. I bet someone threw him overboard.

I know that you are probably unfamiliar with the story, so the following are not truly fair questions of you.

Who, and why? The Judge had few enemies anywhere, and none aboard the ship. He was something of a star, consorting mostly with other first-class passengers and the Captain. He wasn't involved in any arguements, or disputes. On the contrary, everyone agreed that he was a delightful companion.

No motive and no suspects were ever turned up.

er, Asherman. That should be RMS..Royal Mail Ship.

Judge Crater? Sheeze. How about Ambrose Bierce?

Love it...Keep it going.

I thought of that, but jealousy could be a motive, or maybe he was drunk and just fell overboard since he indulged so much in his wine. That would explain why there was no sign of a struggle.

See above. The Judge was a moderate drinker, and wasn't in his cups the night of his disappearance. He was a happily married man, and wasn't known to flirt or philander.

Now I'm really pretty much at the end of what I think I know about Judge Crater. You will need to do some personal research if you want to pursue the mystery.

Then I think someone did him in.

Who, and why? No suspects, and no motives. Really, you should look into the details for yourself. The case was covered extensively in the newspapers of the time, and there have been many efforts to explain away this mystery ever since. There will probably never be a definitive answer as to what happened. Aliens probably didn't abduct him, and I doubt that he simply vanished. But no one can say ... that's why it's called a mystery.

I'll check it out when I'm wide awake. Thanks Asherman. I love a good mystery.

Another mystery which will probably never be explained is the identity of Jack the Ripper. Some theories claim that he was a member of the royal family and thus protected from detection. Recently, one writer postulated that he was a psychotic painter.

As to the Lusitania, I read an article some time back, that proposed Winston Churchill knew full well that she was carrying contraband and used that ploy to get the U.S. into WWI.

How about the mystery of who really killed Nichole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman?

Some people keep ships in bottles and put them on the mantlepiece. If they had had the foresight to put the Titanic and Lucitania into bottles before they set sail, they might not of sunk.

Frank, Don't believe that's much of a mystery.

John, It's always been a mystery to me how them riggers get them boats in that little bottle neck.