News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-06-19
ABOUT SEAMEN.
SOME STORIES ABOttT TH fEIR DIFFER
ENT SUPERSTITIONS.
Omens OF Good and Evil That Sailors are
Supposed to Believe In.

Omens OF Good and Evil That Sailors are
Supposed Believe In.
There is probably no class of people
IN the world so full of superstitious be-
lief as the average sailor. unless. indeed,
it be the negroes of the South. This
belief in omens of the sea is not confined
alone to forecastle men, but is to a
greater OF lesser extent shared by cap
tains and mates. In conYefs&tiou a few
days ago with grizzly bearded and
bronzed old mariner, who has trod the
quarter-decks of ships as master for up
ward OF q Quarter OF century, re-
p5rter brGached the sub 1eet of the super
stition bf sailors: "Do sailors believe in
omens 81 said the Captain; repeating
the reporters question, '1ewelf Jot San
bet yot:r starry topIights they do. They
are the crankiest lot OF f1en in the world,
and you would be astonished to know
what trifing matters sometimes causes
them to give up going on voyage.
have known sailors to predict the direct
calamity of ship because they happened
to sneeze while going on board. Then
again, if a vessel is delayed in port and
does not sail at the appointed time it is
bad omen, according to Jacks ideas!
They have good omens too. A fair day
when they ship is good sign. and if
the sun is shining brightly on the day
they sail it is sign that the vessel will
have speedy and prosperous Voyages
A battling head wind leads sailors to the
belief that there is Jonah on board
and they do all sorts of things, such as
burning piece of an old sail or rope
yarn and the throwing overheard of sea
biscuit to exercise the evil effects of his
presence, and when the wind does shift
and becomes fair they attribute it to
their sorcerism, their good spirits return
and all goes merry until something else
happens to disturb their fears.
II remember an old fellow I once
shipped at Liverpool for the voyage
home to New York, )" continued the cap
tain. ''He was veritable old sea dog
and the crew at once set him down as
Jonah: He was called Liverpool Jack,
and was the queerest chap l ever saw.
He wanted the voyage prolonged as
much as possible, and one day the men
caught him in the foretop whistling for
head wind, and, sure enough, the fol
lowing morning the wind shifted and
came dead from the head. This, of
course, necessitated the frequent tacking
OF the ship, and the curses of the crew
were loud and long. That wind stuck to
US for three days, and the crew decided
to chuck Jack overheard, and believe
they would have carried the threat into
execution had not the wind changed
Sailors also have an aversion to clergy
mems SONS, and if they know that one IS
on board a vessel they viii not ship I'M
der any consideration. Why they dis
ike vessel with minister's son on
board [ have never found out; but 1t is
considered as one of the worst 'hoodoos'
by the sailors. Out at sea if, as is fre-
Quentiy the case, a shark follows In the
| SOAAAS
one on board will soon die, but it is one
of the worst omens to kill it. OF all the
sea birds what are known as Mother
Cary's chicken, dark bird somewhat
resembling a gull, but about the size of
a chicken, is held most sacred by the
forecastle men. It's presence foretells
an approaching storm, and this sign hard
ly ever fails. A seaman would as soon
think of swimming across the Pacific
Ocean as to molest one of the chickens.
Then. again. it is bad luck, as sailors
saw, to kill these gulls that follow ships
out at sea, as they are considered the
harbingers of good luck. If dolphins
accompany the vessel, it is also consid-
cred good omen"
A singular incident happened some
years ago on board an American ship.
A few days out from New York, BOBBY
bird somewhat like a gull. but much
smaller, alghted in the foretop, and one
of the sailors went up and caught it.
The BOBBY was brought on deck, where
it was attacked by the ships dog. The
animal flew at the bird, which drove its
bill down the dogs throat, and thus the
two remained until separated. The
booby was thrown overheard and was
not seen for some time, when suddenly
it reappeared, perched in the foretop
again. A sailor went aloft and captured
it, and it was brought down and taken
into the forecastle where the sailors held
n trial and the bird was sentenced to
death. The executioner was the car
penter, and the unfortunate BOBBY was
beheaded. The dog disappeared after
the encounter, but Immediately after the
bird was killed it came on deck and began
running around in a circle. This was
continued for some time, when suddenly
it made dash for the stern of the ship
and jumped overheard. Even the cap
tain. a Boston man, was affected d-hy the
incident, and for several days the deepest
sort of gloom prevailed among those Oh
board, and a majority of the crew pre-
dicted some disaster before the end ol
the voyage, and none felt entirely easy
until the port was reached.
In addition to being superstitlous
sailors have queer names for things Oh
sbipboard. His bunk in the forcastle ht
terms his pew; he says ''aft" for ''abaf
and 'fornst" for "forward." The cap
> tain is known as the cold man" th'
carpenter as ''chips" and the cook is tn
only man abaft the foremost that has tn
distinction of having his office men
toned in connection with his name, an
he is referred to as Ben or Joe the COOK
l An old sailor is called ga whale"
drunken man is referred to as beln
"three sheets in the wind" no dout
because he staggers like a ship in
, storm under shortened sail. AS to tn
use of profanity, sailors are peculiar
They do most of their cursing in heav
e weather, when sails are being furled an
|. when the wind is bowling through tE
Il rigging with terrific force. Take him
fair weather, however, and he is a mi
9 sort of a person, seldom swears ar
l. cheerily braces the yards around to IL
tune of eye no, heave no, for to Hor
Kong we will CO."
a A YOUNG lady being asked by an a
n quaintance whether she had any origin
! poetry in her album, replied: 'No, b
some of my friends have favored n