44 THE OCEAN 



menace is proved by the fact that during a 

 period of six years sixty-one collisions with 

 derelicts were reported in the North Atlantic, 

 of which ten resulted in a total loss of the 

 vessel, twenty-three in serious damage, eleven 

 vessels were damaged slightly, and the dam- 

 age to the rest was unknown. 



All mariners dread derelicts, for they can 

 never tell where they may run against one, 

 even with the frequently published pilot- 

 charts and reports. Derelicts cannot be de- 

 pended upon to remain in any one place, but 

 have most remarkable ways of drifting hither 

 and thither, sometimes disappearing for 

 months at a time and suddenly reappearing 

 hundreds of miles from the spot where they 

 were last seen. 



It is interesting to study the drift of these 

 ocean waifs, many of which sail rudderless 

 and unguided for such great distances. In fact 

 the Government charts show that in six years 

 twenty-five derelicts were reported which 

 drifted one thousand miles or more, eleven 

 drifted over two thousand miles, and three 

 travelled over five thousand miles. The 



