Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-12-24
TIE KISS 0f a sEA.GCLL.
4 Strange htory illustrating tne 81
perstftioDs Of sailors.
Iprn,Id 4. ttnn In1rnnll
Providence Journal

I'm the shipping news OF Friday morning.
IN this paper. was the ann0ucem 'ut 81 lic
death Of seaman JicOmO TaraoocchlI, OF
the Austrian bark Ukraine, Captain Mfc9'
yjch. Nv falling from the forrt0pgallnnt>ul-
ward when e bark wa, about 40 niles oil
the shore OF South Carolina. The bark came
10 this port from Italy with salt consigned
70 Stephen ID. Andrews. There is weird
tale told in regard to tie young sailors
dcaih-he was but twenty three year, old
by the sailors Of the Ukraine. All
OF them, from captain down, are rugged,
practical men. and Yet this voyage forced
many Of them to partial belief in omenS
aud The weird in life and death. The story
must be taken as tue, however much read
crs Of il are disinclincd towards the super.
,tiious. and even if it has had re>em-
dances in sea life. IL was Just before !
O'Clock on the morning Of saturday, De.
ccmber I'm, and, a had been said, the
bark was far oil the south Carolina shore.
TalabOcchla was at the . heel. The weather
was clear and quite cold, and 1t was still
IN the darker hours OF the night. strangely
enough, al this time, there appeare J
over The bark A sca-gull, and II llu'-
tered and settled slowly downward. II
Il W towards the sailor AZ the helm. and at
last lighted upon hi. shoulders, struggling
hard TO obtain fcothOld there. The
sailor reached UP and took the bird in hi,
hands. 1t was iull-fedgcd >et-gull, a.
white a. snow While he looked at II thus
Il stretched out It's taper neck an q pressed
it, beak up to his lips As II billing with It's
mate. The sailor caressed II, and finally
put IT into the bosom OF his blouse. IL lay
still there, the warmth OF the spot appa-
rently luling to quiet. When eight bells
struck, at 4 O'Clock, Taraboechia was re-
lieyed. Going forward to the foreca,tle he
clipped the CULTS wings, and then went
below. TIE bird nestled by him In his
| bt rth until it was time TO rise again.
That day tue gull played about the deck,
aud acted as fully domesticated as a chicken.
In the afternoon the bark cat and the gull
| quarrelled. and the quarrel closed in a ter
! rife battle. Tins resulted in both suffering
severe injuries, the cat the worst OF the
two. Tarabocchii laughed n them both.
! He said TO the eat as il it could under
/ stand:
"You're never going TO get well. You're
| hurt bad" And he told the gull that ii
| too would die lie guessed.
That night at II O'Clock precisely the
bark was far of the Chesapeake shore. 1t
Nae lUNi At iii' tuSt vi tue Ouli StItdll
suddenly Squal came up 10 westward,
and the order was given to furl sails. Tara
bocChia went up aud was at work on the
iorciopgallartSai.yard, when the bark
lurcLed heavily. He was about 13S feet
above the deck. The accident--iatal TO
him. now happened. Somehow he fell,
and his body. whirling through the air.
struck the rail heavily, and then slid of
it, - IL A
not seen afterwards, though every effort to
ind II was made.
As has been said, this took place at IL
O'Clock exactly. At IL O'Clock the injured
car quietly died, rs II lay on the vanished
sailors chest In the cabin. just one hour
later, at | o'clock, the sca-gull died. Ii
bad taken TO Tarabocchil's berth that eve
ning. and the sailors watched the end with
strange feelings, for from the first the ac-
tions Of the white bird had seemed oml-
nous TO the bark.