Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-09-04
SHIPS WITH ODD NAMES.
VESSELS THAT SAIL UNDER
HIGH AND Low TITLES.

An Old Salts Yarn About Sailors super
Naturalization an Unluoky COgnomen
Ships of that Name that Have Been
Lost-Presidents that Have Namesakes
with y Keel.
els there any luck in a ships nameT'
said an old skipper yesterday, repeating
the reporters question. Il don't know as
can say. Some says there Is, and some
says there amt. i've been following the
sea for more'n thirty years in boats with
names from Aaron to Zephyr, and I've
never seen much difference in luck. Some
times it's hurricanes blowing a hundred
miles an hour, aud sometimes dead Gains
for two weeks. / mind one master l sailed
with ouce who | used to hear say he
wouldn't step foot on the deck Of any
thing named star.
Eyes, sir! superstition. But you PEG
pie on land won't commence a
thing on Friday, and you won't sit
down to a table where there's twelve
others. Me M my mates used to laugh
about that many a time. As a general
thing a sailor il as superstitious as most
people, but on a long trip, nigh on TO
twenty years ago, | was in Il ship with q
crew Ofthirteen, and, sir, we could not have
had "a better trip. From the time we lett
port till we got back We had nothing but
fair winds. There wasn't An Ugly gale or
Il calm in the whole two years. We saved
Two ships and gotblg salvage.
III there is anything in names" the
Old skipper went on TO say, Boston amt
among the lucky ones. ! remember three
or four schOoners. and barks and steam
ers, of that name that a Y been lost"
Il suppose you know some vessels With
very queer Names" the reporter re-
marked.
Most vessels are named after people
now a days" the old salt began.
"SOme owners though have mighty queer
tastes when il comes down 10 naming a
ship. Yankee Doodle end Bald Eagle
and Butcher Boy are odd enough tor a
ship, but when they call one Brigham
J Dung" it is too much. / reckon though
that was becausea sailor is believed to
have a wife in every port aud he is sup
posed TO be a sort Of Mormon. You
would be surprised out at sea at the num-
Der OF ships named after prominent men.
Mighty near all of the Presidents.
from George Washington to our Grover
has a namesake with a keel. There are
four George w a%shingtons that l know OF,
and five Gen. George WashingtOns. Ola
John Adams, and jefferson, Harrison,
Tyler, Taylor, Fillmore and Hayes have
one vessel apiece named for them. Frank
lin Pierce has three and so has James r..
Polk. Buchanan and Lincoln have only
two each. Old Andy Jackson and Andy
Johnson have 4 apiece. Madison, Munroe,
j. Q. Adams, Van Buren, and Arthur
haven't any, and 1 amt sure Cleveland
has yet, but he VIII have, and you can
gamble on it. Grant and Garfield lead
the procession of Presidents, Grant has
more than a dozen vessels named after
him and Garfield has seven. Tilden has
i've, while Hayes only has one. Blaine
has two more than Arthur, and Gen. Han
cock has four more nan Blaine.
Zone Of the oldest names l ever saw
was 'NI0US' for Extenuate. Women's
anne are mighty popular, and there must
be more than 200 AIMS and 'Annies.'
Taken all through. wOmen's anne are
more popular than any other kind, there
being almost twice as many vessels named
for them as for men,"