Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-10-03
A BEWIICnED SHIP.

friend, Capt. Green, l. went ds SeC
ond mate of ship named the Ocean
King. Shed been am old Indiaman in
her time, and had a poop and top gal
liant forecastle, though alterations had
knocked some Of the dignity out OF
her. Her channels mad been changed
into plates with dead eyes above the
rail. and the eve mi ssed the spread OF
the lower rigging that It naturally
sought in looking at craft with a
square stern and windows in it, and
check0red sides reaching out into
curves that made complete tub OF
the old hooker. Yet, in spite of changes,
the old-fashioned grace would break
through. She looked like lady who
had seen better days, who has got u
do work which servants did for her III
the times when she was we'll off, but
who, let her set her hand To what she
will. makes YOU see that the breeding
and tho instincts are still there, and
that she's as little to be vulgarized by
poverty and It's course struggles as she
could be made truer lady than she
is by money. Ships, like human be
ings, have their careers, and the close
of some OF them IS strange, and some
times hard think the Ocean KING
had been turned into "a collier and
went second mate of her when she
was fall up with coal for South
African port Yet this ship, that was
now carrying one of the dlrtiest Car.
goes you could name, barring phos
phate manure, had been reckoned IN
her day fine passenger vessel, "A
noble Indiamau, inderd-her tonnage
was something over eleven hundred
with cuddy fitted up royalty. Many
freight Ct soldiers had she carried
round the Cape, many an old nabob
had she conveved-aye, and the In
dian potentates, who smoked out of
ieweled hookahs, and who were wait
ed upon by crowds Of black servants
in turbans and slippers. used to
moralize over her. just rs would over
a tomb, when | had the watch, and
was alone, and could let my thoughts
run loose. The sumptuous cabin trap
pings were all gone, and | seemed t.
smell coal in the wind, even when my
head WAS over on the weather side,
and the breeze that blew along came
fresh across q thousand miles of sea,
hut there was good deal of the fit
tings left, fittings which | doat doubt
made the newspape give long ac
count OF this fine. great ship, when
she was launched, quite enough of
them To enable a man 10 construct a
picture of the cuddy of the Ocean
King rs it was in the DAYS of her
glory, when the soft oil lamps shone
bright on the draped tables aud spark
led on silver and glass, when the old
skipper, sitting with the mzzenmast
behind him, would look, with his red
face and white hair down the rows
of ladies aud eentlemen eating and
drinking, stewards running about,
trays hanging from the deck, and
globes full of gold fish swimming 10
the roll of the vessel as she swung
stately, with her stunsarls hangiur
out over tae long blue swell wrinkled
by the wind The ship is still atloat
Where are the people she carrledl
The crews who nave worked herr The
captains who have commanded here
There is nothing that should be fuller
OF ghosts than an old ship; aud | very
well remember that when | first visit
ed the Victory, at Portsmouth and de-
scended into her cockpit, what | saw
was not y well preserved aud clcanly
length of massive deck, but groups OF
wounded and bleeding and dying men
httsring the dark floor, and the hatch
way Swallowed by grooming figures
handed below, while the smell of Eu
gliSh, French, and Spanish guupow-
der, even down there, was SO strong
phew | could have spat the flavor
out
well, the old Ocean King had
once upon time been said to bs
haunted Sh q had certainly been
long enough ahoat TO own hundred
stories, and she was so stanch and true
that il evera superstition got into her
there was no chance of its getting out
again. only remember ono of these
yarns; it was told to me by the dock
master, who has been at sea for many
years, was an old man, aud knew the
history OF all such crafts as the Ocean
King. lie said that, in 81, | think 1t
was, there had been row among the
crew; an Italian sailor stabbed an
EngliShman, who bled To death To
avenge the Eughshman'S deatE the
rest of the crew, who were chiefly
English, thrust the ltaliaN into the
forepeak and let him lie there in dark
ness. When he was asked for they
reported that he had fallen ever
board. aud thus seems To have bssn
believed. Whether the crew meant
to starve him or not is not certain :,
but after he had been in the forepeak
three or four days, fellow gong be-
hind the galley out of the way of the
wind to light his plpe-it being then
four bells in the first watch--came
running into the fCrecaStle with hair
on end, and the sweat pouring off his
face. swearing he had seen the
Italians ghost. This frightened the
men pretuly; some OF them went
down into the forepeak, and found
the Italian lying there dead, with a
scors of ratsupou him, which bundled
Oft when The men dropped below.
During all the rest of the voyage his
ghost WAS constantly seen, sometimes
astride of the flying jibboom. What
was the end of i'll mean, whether
the men confessed the murder, aud.
il so, what became of then.-the dock
master said he didn't know. Be- that
as it may, | discovered shortly after
we had begun our voyage that the
crew had got to hear of this story,
and the chief mate said it had been
brought aboard by the carpenter, who
had picked 1t up from some Of the
dockyard laborerS.
II well recollect two uncomfortable
circumstances we sailed or Friday,
and the able and ordinary sesmeR
were thirteen in number. the idlers
and ourselves aft bringing up the
ships company To nineteen souls
nineteen soulsl when. suppose, in
her prime the Ocean King never left
port short of seventy or eighty sea,
men, not to mention stewards, cooks,
cooks mates, butcher, butchers mate,
baker, and the rest of them. But
double topsail-yai were now in;
besides, understood that the vessel's
masts had been reduced and her yards
shortened, and we carried stump fore
and mizzen topgallantmasts. All be.
ing ready, a tug got hold of our tow
rope, and away we went down the
river, and out to sea- don't believe
myself that any stories which had
been told the men about the ship i'm