It is believed that this ill-fated vessel, which called at South American ports, lost her propellor and drifted south out of the track of shipping.

This theory is now confirmed.

Apparently the ship struck an iceberg on December 23rd and foundered with all aboard save a few men who were able to launch a boat and who were picked up by the Cyprus.

The following is the passenger list." John Lexman ran down the list until he came upon the name which was evidently underlined in ink by T.X.That name was George Gathercole and after it in brackets (Explorer).
"If that were true, then, Gathercole could not have come to London." "He may have taken another boat," said T.X., "and I cabled to the Steamship Company without any great success.

Apparently Gathercole was an eccentric sort of man and lived in terror of being overcrowded.
It was a habit of his to make provisional bookings by every available steamer.