Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1860-08-31

Il don't know. We have filled dozen
logbooks and used up all our paper long
ago, and have been drifting about and beat
ing to the windward until we have lost all
reckoning about time or lace p
Well, WELL, acknowledgement Fanwick,
as the ship was shooting ahead, out of
hail when get into port, I'll tell them
you're coming !"
Thank you" replied the venerable
and disconsolate Dutchman. but won't
you take my letter p
No. | tell you NO"
The Drachenfsch ranged swiftly ahead,
AID was soon lost sight of in the mist, leav-
ing the officers and crew of the Floribel
astounded and bewildered at the extraor-
dinary incidents that had just taken
place
But the remarkable events of that day
were not completed The moment we lost
sight of the phantom ship, the wind return
ed with force more furious than ever, blow
ing a straight-out blast regular typhon,
and while the Captain was giving the or
der, Take in all sail, and be handy about
it," the fore and main mast, unable to bear
the tremendous pressure, were both broken
off close to the hounds, carrying with them
all three of the topmasts and all the tor
hamper away over the leeward
and tough tedious time we had Of it
shipmates, before We could cut away the
wreck and week passed away before the
tempest lulled, and we could get up any
thing to answer the purpose Of jury top
masts, When the weather became mod
crate, We managed to get some sail on the
ship, so that in strong breeze and fair
wind we could drive her some three or four
knots an hour. But six weeks passed
away before, in a most woe-begone and
crippled condition we let go our anchor in
Capetown harbor at the Cape of Good
Hope. t
As in duty bound our captain reported
the ship Drachenfsch, of Rotterdam, Capt
Vanderdecker, off the Cape Of Good Hope
The stolia Dutch merchants shook their
heads and winked knowingly to each other
when they heard this piece of intelligence.
"Ah! mynheer, said one shrewd old
fellow to the captain, ''that accounts for
the loss of your spars and other misshaps
You were lucky to get off SO well. 1t is
not every one who falls in with the Flying
Dutchman and escapes so easily That
ship sailed from Amboyna on the 18th Of
June. in the year 1919, more than 200
years ago, and has been beating to wind
ward off the Cape ever since, sometimes un-
der whole topsails, and sometimes under
! topgalant sails and royals, and she will
have to beat there till the world comes to
an end, without ever being able to get
round the Cape" !"
A survey was held on the ship Floribel,
and upon examination she was found to be
so strained and weakened by carrying can
vass in the foolish attempt to outsail the
FLYING Dutchman that with the loss also
of her spars, it would cost more to repair
| her than she was worth, and she was con-
! demned as unseaworthy.
I worked my passage homo in the brig
| Clam or Providence. That was tWenty-one
years ago. | have followed the sea ever
since and have witnessed many strange
scenes in the course of my voyages. [ have
been shipwrecked on a rock-bound coast
have been obliged during a whole voyage
to make use of provisions not fit for a
Christian to eat | have sailed in leaky
ships, have sometimes met with inhuman
treatment from unreasonable or unfeeling
officers, and was once becalmed for six
weeks on stretch between Buena Vista
and Sierra Leone But would willingly
put up with all these troubles, shipmates,
and others besides, provided | could be as
sured that should never again fall in with
the flying Dutchman. -- %