Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-09-06
GHOSTS OF THE GULF.
A PhOntOm Ship and Crew Seen by
the St. Lawrence Fishermen.

Ph0ntOm Ship and Crew Seen by
the ST. Lawrence Fishermen.
Ger. New York WOrld.l
QUEBEC. August q, 1877.
The Westport and Ballina fish.
ermen have been for centuries
ready to make oath that the wild
Oonnaught coast thereabouts is
haunted by lights not of this earth.
In the days Of old,
When Scots came laundering from the Irish
And the sea foamed. struck with hostile
oars"
or, in other words, when the Irish
squadrons invaded the seas of
Britain, great fleet left the Con-
naught shore, and the legend runs
that many of the galleys were lost
off the mouth Of the Moy, or Mua-
das, and that their signal lights are
the identical lights which to this
day warn the western fishermen,
and are visible even to pilgrims on
the top of Minbrea, Mount Nephin
and Croaghpatrick. The old men
say that on that night in August,
'98, when Humbert and the three
French fngates sailed into Killala,
these phantom lights lit up the
coast for miles, as though honor
ing the bold invaders.
1t is probable that ships of that
Irish Armada were driven across
the main into the Gulf of st. Law
renee, for phantom lights are
thicker here O nights than on the
Mayo coast. The most singular of
these phenomena in the st. Law
renee waters is that which appears
in the Bale des Ohaleurs. 1t has
been seen by the French fishermen
these hundred years and more, and
there are scores Of witnesses now
living who will swear to it. The
best description of it ever given
was that by the editor of the Mira
MICH Times, Of the 18th Novem-
Der, 1861, who saw it clearly. He
says:
Con the night of Monday, the
18th ult., while in Caraquette, a
fine settlement about forty miles
below Bathurst, in the county of
Gloucester, we saw the famous
light, apparently a short distance
below Point Mizzenet, but far out in
the bay. 1t appeared as if the hull
Of some little craft was on fire, and
The devouring element was sweep
ing through the rigging and con
suming everything within its reach,
Such, Of course, we're the first eff
forts of the imagination in endeav-
oring to give outline or shape to
an indefinite something that was
far beyond the power of closer in
vestigatioD, 1t was pointed out to
us by John Mcintosh, of that
place, in whose company we were
at the time Of its appearance. The
light in its appearance and move
ments is totally different from the
ignus fatuus, or will-o'- -the-wisp. 1t
precedes northerly storm, and is
sure forerunner Of it. 1t is not
confined to one locality, but it is
seen from time to time at different
places by the inhabitants of Cara
quette, Grauance, New Bandon,
Salmon Beach; in fact, by the
whole population between Miscou
and Bathurst. 1t is not confined
to summer nor to the open water,
but is as frequently seen on the ice
during the frost Of winter. In the
summer season parties have gone
out to examine it in the boats, but
as they approach it it disappears,
and after they have passed the
place where it had been to some
distance, it reappears behind them,
giving the curious but little chance
Of a close investigation"
Some say that they have seen the
illuminated craft so distinctly that
they could even see sailors Of wild
aspect moving to and fro on board,
and distinguish the rowers; while
others declare they have heard
voices speaking the old Irish
tongue How do they know it was
the Irish tongue2 Because in 1s4S
and 1S49 hundreds of fugitiyes
from the plague and famine came
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