The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-09-16
Yarns OH Il Steamer.

table III his room, ana with him halt a
dozen men It, smoking and spinning yarns.
Many were the stories related that night
upon the Sound The conversation finally
turned on sea-serpents, end Il wcathcrbca-
ten old sea dog, who had spent most of his
life upon the water, declared his believe in
the existence of such monsters. lie spoke
from experience and didn't care to have
any one doubt his word when he said that
it had been his fortune to see these big
water snakes more than once. lie first met
the serpent in the China Seas. That was
when he was little more than Il boy.
Again when he was captain of the ship
Georges, u vessel which hailed from New
York and was finally condemned in Il South
American port for unseaworthincss, he ran
across the serpent OH the Pacific coast. The
last time the monster came under his notice
was right here in the sound, "and," he
said. as he looked ut his watch and calcu-
lated the steamers distance from New
York, st must have been ut about this
spot" 1t was in July of last year--so the
old sea dogs story ran-and he was taking
New York yacht around to Newport. AT
noon the sun poured down hot enough al
most to open the seams Of the deck planks.
There was a thrce-knot breeze blowing and
it was dead ahead lie had taken in his
when beating to northumberland was max
ing himself as comfortable rs possible on
the quarter deck. lie had spy-gluss in
his hand trying to discover some familiar
sail. Suddenly his eye caught a strange
movement in the water. 1t looked, half q
mile distant, like Il huge bunch Of scawccd
in motion. The yacht was Oh the sarboard
tack and the curious object off the starb0ard
bow. The captain went forward with his
glass and looked. AZ the yacht approached
nearer the icct he saw that it was alive,
and knew from his past experiences that ii
was sea serpent. The yacht kept on UNI
til within hundred yard of the monster,
when the serpent lifted its head for Il mo-
ment. The head was an immense affair,
the size Of barrel 1t was shaped some
thing like horses. II was visible for on
ly one moment. The serpent blew some.
thing like whale and then settled into the
water, only the back being visible. All
aboard the yacht were SO excited that the
little vessel was close abord the monster be
fore they were aware nf it. The yacht
was thrown into the wind. but too late. She
struck the serpent square upon the back, al
though the shock was not Il heavy one.
The monster threw its inil out of water,
lashcd the waves for a moment, throwing
the spray high in the air, and then dsap
peared. The yacht went about on the
other tack, and ten minutes later the mons
ter again appeared right alongside, and moi
twenty feet away. The thing was going Il,
the rate of five knots nn hour. The head
and shoulders went by, and then came the
long, slimy-loollng body, rs large round as
a good-sized log. In Il few minutes the
monster was out OF sight. The men on the
yacht calculated that it must have been at
least hundred feet long. This was the only
time the old sea dog had ever seen Il ser
pcnt in Long Island Sound, but that it was
genuine one he had no doubt whatever.
No one else in the captains room had ever
seen tho monster.
The captain of the steamer listened for
while to the stories in silence. lie pulled
his pipe compacently and his eyes twink
led mcrrly. Finally he Knocked the ashes
from his pipe, htchcd his chair around in
way which was as much us to say. OTIS
my turn now," and began: at was III the
night of the 25th of October five years ago
remember the date we'll The weather
had been threatening all the afternoon, and
when we swung out from the pier knew
we were going to have a nasty night of it.
We hadn't any more than got through the
Gate when the rain came down. 1t wasn't
hard, driving rain, but the fine, misty sort
of stuff that generally comes with fog
The great fog banks rolled in from the sea
and shut out the land completely. We
went along very slow and blowing our
whistle nj short intervals. The Sound
just seemed alive with vessels. First tug
would blow right under our bow and then
some little fisherman would toot his horn
under our quarter. l don't think ever
heard the horns and bells make such a fuss
before. 1t was Just about midnight, and
we had got out of the crowd of vessels
An occasional horn told us that some few
were still abroad, however. was in the
pilot-house, pecring out of the window into
the darkness. Suddenly something white
loomed up right in front of us. 1t was II
schooner and she was right in our path.
shouted, and the pilots made the wheel
spin as it hevcr had turned before. But i,
was too late. There was a shock. We
struck the schooner nmidships and cut her
to the waters edge. Two or three men
run over the deck, and for an instant
caught sight OF a woman. She was dressed
in white. The light on the steamers side
shonc her. She gave an agonizing scream,
the vessel sank and all was over The
whole thing had transpircd almost as quick
as thought. We swung a boat or two into
the water, but the search was in vain. Not
life was saved. The despair pictured in
that womans face shall never forget to
my dying day. Occasionally at night when
on deck it is pictured wildly to my imagi-
nation. 1t is singular, but it affected the
pilot in the same way. Just one year
after the accident, at the same hour, the
piolot called nc to the wheel house. He
was trembling like leaf He had seen a
phantom vessel The steamer had struck
1t in just the same manner, he had seen the
same men running over the deck and the
woman again appeared with her dcspairing
face" The captain stopped for moment
and then went on: 81 tried to reason with
him, but 1t was no nsc, and for week
after the occurrence he talked of the phan-
tom vessel and its ghostly crew. Well, sir,
will yon bclivc it3 on the sccoud annivcrsa-
ry OF the accident was called to the wheel
house in tho same way. Again had the
pilot had the some experience. On the