West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1879-08-30
Yarn ON a Steamer.

steamer was recently seated around the
table in his room, and with him half a
dozen men sat, smoking and spinning yarns
Many were the stories related that night
upon the Sound The conversation finally
turned ON sea-serpents, and "a weathcr-bca-
ten old sea dog, who had spent most of his
life upon the water, declared his believe i'm
the existence of such monsters. He spoke
from experience, and didn't care To have
any one doubt his word when he said that
it had been his fortune 10 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 boy
Again when he was captain of the shin
Georges, a vessel which hailed from New
York and was finally condemned i'm South
American port for unseaworthiness, he ran
across the serpent ON the Pacific coast. The
last time the monster came under his notice
was right here in the sound, "and." he
said, as he looked AT his watch and Calcu-
lated the steamers distance from New
1Ork, ut must have been at about this
spot. IL was I'm July of last year-so the
old sea dogs story ran-and ne was taking
New \ Ork yacht around 10 Newport. Al
noon the sun poured down hot enough al
most to open the seams of the deck blanks.
There was "a three-knot breeze blowing and
il was dead ahead. He had taken i'm his
topsais-for he didn't believe i'm topsails
when beating to windward-and was max
ing himself as comfortable as possible ON
the quarter deck. He had a spv-glass in
his hand, trying TO discover some familiar
sail. Suddenly his eve caught a strange
movement in the water Ii looked, half a
mile distant, like huge bunch Of seaweed
in motion. The yacht was on the starboard
tack and the curious object OIL the starboard
bow. The captain went forward with his
glass and looked. AS the yacht approached
nearer the object he saw that it was alive.
and knew from his past experiences that il
was sea serpent. The yacht kept on un-
til within hundred yard of the monster.
when the serpent lifted its head for mo
ment. The head was an immense affair.
the size OF barrel IL was shaped some
thing like a horses. II was visible for on
~ one moment The serpent blew some
thing like a 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 of 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 a heavy one.
The monster threw its tail out of water.
dashed the waves for moment throwing
the spray high in the air, and then disaD-
peared The yacht went about on the
other tack, and ten minutes later the mons
ter again appeared right alongside, and not
twenty feet away. The thing was going nj
The rate OF five knots an hour The head
ana shoulders went by, and then came the
long, slimy-lookIng body, as large round as
"a gOod-slZed log. In "a 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 "A ser
pent in Long Island Sound, but that il was
genuine one he had no doubt whatever.
No one else in the captains room had ever
seen the monster.
The captain of the steamer listened for
"A while To the stories i'm silence. He pufTed
his pipe complacently and his eyes twink
led merrily. Finally he knocked the ashes
from his pipe, hitched his chair around i'm a
way which was as much as TO say cts
my turn now, )" and began at was IN the
night OF the Both of October five wears aro.
| remember the date well. 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 il.
we hadn any more than got through the
Gate when the rain came down 1t wasn't
hard, driving rain, but the fine, misty sort
OF stun that generally comes with fog.
The great fog banks rolled i'm from the sen
and shut out the land completely. We
went along very slow and blowing our
whistle at short intervals The Sound
just seemed alive with vessels. First tho
would blow right under our bow and then
some little fisherman would toot his horn
under our quarter. ! don't think ever
heard the horns and bells make such fuss
before. Ii 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, peering out Of the window into
the darkness. Suddenly something white
loOmed up right in front of us Ii was "A
schooner and she was right in our path
shouted, and the pilots made the wheel
spin as II newer had turned before But If
was too late. There was a shock We
struck the schooner amidships and cut her
70 the waters edge. Two or three men
run over the deck and for AN instant
caught sight Of woman She was dressed
m white. The light on the steamers side
shone her. She gave an agonizing scream.
the vessel sank and all was over Tho
whole thing had transpired almost AS qiicl,
as thought We swung "A boat or two into
the water, but the search was I'm vain. Not
life was saved. The despair pictured In
that woman's face ! shall never forget 10
my dying day. Occasionally al night when
ON deck 10 is pictured wildly To- INV imagi-
nation il is singular, but 30 affected Inc
pilot IN the same way. just one wear
after the accident at inc same hour. the
plolot called me % the wheel house. lie
was trembling like "a leaf He had seen "a
phantom vessel The steamer had struck
Do I'D just the same manner, he had seen Tine
same men running over the deck and the
woman again appeared with her dcspairing
lace The captain stopped for moment
ana then went on ~ tried 90 reason with
him, but 30 was mo- nsc, and for week
after the occurrence Doe talked of tine pban
tom vessel and its ghostly crew We'll SIR
VIII yon bclive b.; Ou the sccoud anniycrsa
ry OF the accident was called to- the wheel
house DO The same way Again had the
pilot had the some experience. On tho
'hird year b was repeated and Ju the fourth
year The piOIOt could stand 10 rY LONGER
De phantom seemed tD hauuf Dim and br
went Oft the line ] never believed in
much myself. continued fhr CAPTAIN
"roHng his chin, "buf tlcu never spent
iIe night boo thc whcc-house, Perhaps