Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1860-08-31
Gig bt Reaoi ING.
From the Boston Journal.
The Flying Dutchlnan.

s'Did you ever see the Flying Dutch
man off the Cape of Good Hope % said Je-
seph bradshaw to his watchman one night
on board the ship Jewsharp, as that ship
was drawing up with Cape Horn on the
passage to Chill.
/ ''No;" exclaimed Allen Simpson, 'snor
nobody else The whole story is hum
bug from beginning to end. There never
was such vessel as the Flying Dutchman,
and only fools could believe otherwise
''You talk at random, old fellow" said
grave and solid-looking sailor, named
Daniel Cromarty. Because you never
had the bad luck to meet with the spectre
ship yourself, in the course of your voya-
ges, it does not follow that others have
not been more unlucky. | know the Fly
ing Dutchman is off the Cape. I've seen
the ship to my sorrow"
This announcement caused quite a sens
alton, and volley of questions was pour
ed in upon Daniel Cromarty. '.What
Seen the Flying Dutchman? How did the
old hulk look? Did you speak her? Was
it blowing gale at the time? Was your
ship wrecked on the rocks afterwards and
all hands drowned? Give US all the facts
Daniel Aye, my good fellow, spin US the
whole yarn.
Thus adiured the weather beaten, grave
old fellow, albeit unused to the talking
mood. hauled aboard his gossipping tacks
and related to his admiring watchmates
the particulars of bis encounter with the
phantom ship off the Cape of Good Hope.
ss In my younger days / once belonged
to the ship Floribel, of Salem. bound to
| Sumat,a. The ship was commanded by
captain Fanwick, worthy man and a
smart sailor. He was real driver and
would not suffer the grass to grow upon
the ships bottom. In carrying sail he
went ahead of all the ships ever boarded.
! Sometimes when the wind was on the
quarter, blowing almost gale. he would
walk the deck for hours in all his glory
and while the ship, under whole topsails
was walking off ten and half fknots, throw
the log himself, and, 10th to shorten sail,
| chuckle as he announced the result, while
the spars were cracking and the timbers
straining, and the ship plunging and wal
lowing until every hair on every mans
! head stood on end.
On our passage home with full cargo
of pepper, we had crossed the Lagullus
Bank and was off the pitch of the Cape
when the westerly winds began to pipe,
and the clouds and mists to gather to wind
ward. Any sailor might have seen with
half an eye that a furious tempest was
brewing. As the wind was ahead and the
gale increasing, and nothing to be gained
by carrying sail, captain Fanwck ordered
/ the canvass to be reduced, until at last the
| ship was laid to under close reefed main
topsail. There was a heavy sea running,
but the Floribel laid to like duck The
| captain swore like ii pirate at his hard
luck, as he called it, of meeting gale a.
head, off the cape Of Good Hope; but
there was nothing to be douc but to make
the best of it.
Well, we were lying to as much as
couple of hours, when about six bells in
the forenoon the mist suddenly swept away
from under the lee quarter, and ship ap
peared in sight hull down in that direction.
'sSail ho! p shouted the chief mate.
"Whereaway?' exclaimed the captain,
rushing on deck, spy glass in hand.
Captain Fanwick directed his glass to-
wards the ship in the distance and com
menced uttering ordinations of surprise.
''Torpedoes and catamaraus p exclaim-
ed he That ship is under whole topsails
and courses, and on the same tack with
ourselves, while we like lazy lubbers are
/ lying to under a closereefed main topsail
/ This will never do, Mr.. Dobbs," said he,
addressing the mate, ''the gale must be
moderatlng, and we never suspected it.
Rouse up all hands to make sail
'Aye, aye, sir, was the response OF
| Mr.. Dobbs ''Call all hands there to make
sail"
The men tumbled up at once, and stared
wildly aud suspiciously at the stranger I'M
der the lee quarter, which was rapidly
nearing the Floribel with a whole topsail
breeze, while it was evident to every man
in his senses excepting captain Fanwlck,
/ that the wind with US so far from dying
away, was blowing harder than ever,
regular hurricane.
sLoose the fore-topsail!" /" exclaimed
captain Fanwick, ''and let out one of the
reefs If carrying sail is the order of the
day, let us see who can carry sail the hard
est Shake couple of reefs out of the
main topsail. Hoist up the fore topmast
stay sail, the main stay sail, and mizzen
stay sail, and haul out the mizzen. When
we get that canvas on the ship" he con-
tinued, turning to the mate, 'we shall see
how the old craft behaves before we make
more SAIL" saEa boss
The men thought the skipper must be
crazy to pack on so much canvass in a
heavy gale, but as in duty bound made no
remonstrances or remarks, and went cheer
ily to work under the direction of the
mates. and in good time, after much pull
ing and hauling and struggling, and slat-
ting, the orders were executed; and owing
to the strength of the canvass and the
soundness of the rigging, the sail were set
without receiving any considerable injury,
and an experienced seaman was stationed
at the helm.
The ship now made head way Trough
the water and plunged into the sea with a
violence that threatened to strain every
timber, or perhaps start butt. The
pumps were kept gong but it was hard
work to keep her free; and every few min
utes huge sea would come in slap dash
over the bow and sweep the whole length
of the deck. Meantime the captain stood