Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-08-06
SUPERsTITlONs OF THE SEA.
Bugaboos that AppaI Hardy NavIga-
tors of the Deep.
Sunday Star.


shell craft, and braved the dangers of
the deep, mankind has regarded the
ocean with sUperstitious awe and
dread. Long centuries OF Familiarity
have net effaced these traits. Super
stitions connected with the sea have
been q fertile source Of mystery to the
credulous from the earliest times.
The monks of the middle ages were
the chroniclers of sanity interposi-
ton at sea, and took care to reap a
goodly harvest from the credulity of
the Ignorant. Ignorance is the par
ent OF superstition, as it often is OF a
disaster, for the want of q nautical
kno Wedge is to often the cause of
shipwrccks. Landsmen, however
as well as sailors. have their strange
beliefs and their vulgar pejudices.
The fav0rite doctrine of luck, good
and bad auguries. inauspicious days,
fortune telling and host Of similar
absurdities are still current through
out the length and breadth of many
land. One of the most ancient and
deepiy-rooted superstitions of sea-
men is that Friday is most unlucky
day for leaving port on voyage. No
reason Is assigned for this. except
that q ship sailing On Friday filings
down the gauntlet Of defiance to
storms and evil influences, and will
be almost sure to meet with serious if
not fatal accidents. Another old and
wide spread superstition, yet believed
IN by thousands of the most ignorant
seanaea, IS the very romantic legend
of Vanderdecken, the Flying Dutch
man." It is asserted that some three
centuries ago large Dutch Indiaman
commanded by Mynheer Wander
decken, attempted 10 double the Cape
of Storms (now Good Hoppe in
the teeth of head wind The obstin~
acy Of Dutchmen is proverbial, and
although the adverse wind long cons
tinued, VaRderdecken doggedly con>
tended against it, and at length he
impioUsly declared that ne would
double the cape even If he sailed till
the day of Judgement! The appr8pri>
ate punishment of this daring impiety
is, according to the nautical legend,
that to this day the doomed ship,
manned by her wicked skipper and
crew, is continually sailing in the
Latitude of the cape, but never can
double it. Sailors are still found to
affirm that, at midnight, ia a gale OF
wind, the phantom ship often is seen,
with her antique build and rig, and
the figure of Vanderdecken on the
poop giving orders to his CHASTITY
crew. This legend, however absurd
as an object of belief, Is most pictur~
esque in point of conception, Wheth-
e. 1t originally was mere fiction of
the brain or IN some measure founded
on fact it is difficult to say.
In other times prudent mariners
seldom set sail without consulting
some notorious witch as to the prog
nostics of a lucky voyage, and they
also paid her to procure them a favor
able wind. It was also thought, es~
peciallY among British sailors, that if
a child's caul hung IN the cabin the
ship would not sink, whatever else
befel her, and consequently these
curious membranes found ready pur-
chasers. Even to this day, mariners
of the old school will buy child's
caul. 1t was, moreover, believed that
the presence of any one born with a
caul would save a ship from sinking,
A piece Of shark skin suspended Ia the
ca0ln is thought to afford indications
of an approaching tempest, and one
may not be quite skePticaI on This
point, for it is very possible that the
skin may be SO susceptible of atmos~
pheric influences that it sOftens and
becomes moist even before there is
aEy sign OF q coming storm in the as
pect of sky and sea.
Sailors think that the presence OF g
woman or child on shipboard is de-
cidedly lucky, but they have a mortal
hatred Of the presence of a lawyer Cor
'1andshark," as they call him), and,
what is remarkable, they also have in
some cases a great objection for .
clergyman to be on board, unless he
is a regular ships chaplain, in which
case they think him one OF them
selves. Neither can they bear to have
"JOhan"-that is, a man who has
committed some fearful crime and
who hitherto has eluded human JUS
tice-on board, for they believe that
an angry Providence Will raise up
tepapests to engulf Lhe ship that shel>
ters him, and, consequently, that they
will be made to suffer on his account
It is singular that some seamen have
a dread of sailing in ship when a
Fin (native of Finland is one OF the
crew. They say the Fins are leagued
with the evil one, and thatif any body
offend them they revenge themselves
by causing adverse winds or accidents
to happen. Dogs are hot liked on
board, and there are many captains
who absolutely refuse 10 permit pas
sengers to take their dogs with them
Tor either love or money. Cats, how.
ever, are general fav0rites, and are
half sacred. The man who dares to
toss poor pussy overheard must look
out for squalls from his incensed
messmates. It is held exceedingly
wrong and unlucky to shoot either
the albatross or Mother Carey's chick
en- Qhe Storm PetreD, and when the
familiar creature takes refuge on
board in storm it is never injured by
the men. They also very rarely kill
or capture any other bird that settles