National Republican., 1883-07-13
SAILORS SUPERSTITIONS.
FCrecaStlo Reasons For Thinking Certain
Things UnluCky
Carrying n Corpse, killing "A Cat, Friday
Folly, Mother CSrcy's Chickens,
and the Unyyelcome Dolphin.
Ne,B Yorl TTibuns

Tho prevalent idea that superstition exists
only among the very ignorant is far from
true; yet, with the sailor, superstition seems
to bo inborn. Let one attempt to deny Jacks
theory about "Davy Jones's locker" in the
bottom of the sea, and he will meet with
strong, If not convincing argument that he is
mistaken. Davy Jones is credited with hav-
ing many set laws which, though they may
be unwritten, must be rigidly observed. To
go to sea on Friday, the carrying of dead
bodies at sea- the killing of a cat, the harm
ing of one of Mother Carey's Chickens" the
dropping of a water bucket overheard while
washing down decks are believed TO be of
fcnses for which Davy Jones will demand
satisfaction either by the sacrifice of one man,
or the pulling of ship and its entire crew
in to his locker.
The carrying of corpse on the ocean
longer than is necessary to sew it up in can
vas with heavy weights TO insure its sinking
below tho depths which fishes frequent, will
cause panic among ships crew. The kill
ing of a cat on board a vessel is thought ex-
tremely uulucky, and woe to the person who
should be found guilty of such an act. A
naval vessel on voyage from Peru to Now
York, by way of the straits of Magellan, had
an ill-tempered and generally disreputable
imal mysteriously disappeared one night
after the vessel left Valparaiso, and though
one OF the firemen was suspected, the proof
could not be obtained For the remainder
of the voyage the captain and several of
the other officers rs well as all of
the sailors predicted that the vessel would
surely be lost. They daily watched
for the king of the mighty deep to appear
and demand satisfaction for the crime; yet
the vessel reached the New York navy yard
after remarkably pleasant voyage through
out. In this case the wives and sweethearts,
who had longingly waited for three years for
the ships return, were given the credit of
hauling on her Imaginary line and bring
ing hor safely past Davy Jones's minions.
There is scarcely II sailor who does not verify
believe thar it is unlucky to go 10 sea ON Fri
day, yet it has been assert ed that the masters
of some Ef our big steamships would as soon
bill On FrirSy as on any other day. Yet the
records of FIR lays do not support the asser-
tion, and this can be seen by anybody who
will pcro3e the ship-news column of the Sat
urday papers. Let one go around among the
officers of the many steamship lines and
see if he will find any whose vessels
regularly sail on Friday. Only two weeks
ago one of the large ocean steamships
steamed away from her pier on Friday
and anchored N Gravesend bay until the
following day before she went to sea. 1t was
|
repairs" but il came from good authority
that he had strong aversion to starting on a
voyage on Friday. The ocean tramp -
steamship Rhimindda, which was wrecked on
| the Nova Scotian coast on Tuesday, sailed
from this port on the previous Friday. This
superstition seems to prevail in yachting
circles as WELL and the question was asked a
few days ago: When was there ever yacht
regatta on Friday" Regattas do sometimes
occur on that day, however but it is seldom
For instance, of the many yachting contests
for this season Friday ha been religiously
avoided for all excepting by the Chicago and
New Haven yacht clubs, which will suil Their
annual regattas on Aug. 3, and the Quincy
(Mass.) Yacht club, which has appointed Aug
10. A well known story is told of Il ca ptair
Il who, tried to prove that Friday was not al
unlucky day. He laid he keel of new shiI
at Hyannis Cape Cod, on Friday, Launched
her onyBriday, named her Friday, and set sal
OH Friday. Her record was made com plett
when she was wrecked on Friday and every
body on board lost
1 Jack has many curious ideas. For instance
If themoon has sharp horns it betokens fine
weather. and if it is lying on its back with
both horns up, bad weather is at hand
Again:
When the sun sets in a silver bell,
| An eastcrly wind is rs sure as -.
When one of Mother Carey's chickens, oil
stormy petrels, is seen near the ship, storm,
| is approaching, for these birds are rarely seen
in fair weather. 1t is ia forecastle notion that
the petrol is SO named from st. Peter, on nc,
count of its running with closed wings over
the surface of the waves. This brought tC
mind the walking ofSt Peter upon the water
and the sailors think the bird was therefore
called "petrel as a sort of diminutive of tho
apostles name. These binds have been known
to follow vessel during a storm for many
days, apparently with neither food nor rest
and without Tapping their wings. If one o
these Girds should be swept aboard in great
storm, as is frequently the case, no sailor will
touch it, The dolphin and pOrpoise are un,
welcome to the sailor when they suddenly ap
pear during calm, and, if they skip about
a severe gale is expected. If sharks
follow ship for several days it meant
that a death is to occur. Any one
who has seen the haddock must have noticed
mark on each side of the gills. This, sail
ors assert was made by St. Peter with his
finger and thumb when he took the tribut,
money out of the mouth of the fish. Thit
perhaps accounts for the belief of Scotchmer
that it is the "rchest" fish that was ever put
on the table. The most superstitious sailors
are the Scandinavians, who believe in the eX
istente of Neck, a norman, having the head
of man and the flowing rnglets of girl
Neck, wearing red cap, sits upon the waves
and plays upon the harp. His melody is Sc
attractive that sailors become charmed by 1t
and in this way many have perished. Th,
Norwegians are firm believers in the" "kraken,
a monster devil-fsh, whose body is over mil,
long, only t. be found in the deepest waters
1t feeds upon fishes and devours whole schools
at time. Fishermen who have mistaken /
for an leland and taken refuge on its back
have been drowned in the whirlpool made by
the sudden sinking of the monster