Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-09-08
SAILORS SUPERSTITION.
ODD FANcIes or THOSE WHO
LIVE ON THE OCEAN.

/ NDrWeSien b8kkOzss
Sailors believe that the spirits of the
\ departed. as in life. possess all their own
| peculiar ways Of warning or communi-
| eating to their friends on earth such in.
| formation as they deem essential to their
| welfare and happiness. 1t is not an un.
common occurrence for them to credit the
shades of some friend with many of those
triAng little changes in the flowing and
ebbing Of the sea rs indicative of some
prospective i'll luck or joy
Rarely does it happen that the etymol.
ogy of their superstition contains q pre-
cursor for joy. Such gloomy forebodings
as they are capable of interpreting are in
variably omens of misfortune. Truly
may it be said that superstition forms the
alphabet Of the seafaring man as one
ignorant of its varied branches is gener-
ally looked upon as green" and becomes
C butt Of his more fortunate and enlieht-
ened ''chums."
Their transformation into the ethereal
realms Of space does not, In the belief of
those whom they have left behind, alter
their ideas one iota, and hence It Is that
the several trifling mishaps and other cir.
cumstances incidental to q voyage are in
terpreted by the sailors into realities
which would ill volume In themselves
In justice TO them. however. be it said,
that such fatuitions conceptions are not
without foundation. as the loss of the
steamship Friday many years ago will
testify to.
FATE OF THE FRIDAY.
This vessel was huge ironclad, built
In Scotland regardless Of expense, and
named after the unlucky day. She was
manned and commanded by capable and
experienced officers, selected for their
capabilities, and altogether thoroughly
adapted for such task as the trial voy-
age Of an ocean steamer. She set sail on
Friday, and when nearing the Cape of Good
Hope few weeks sfterward on that very
same day. sank. drowning all her crew.
1t Is believed that owing to this disaster
seamen have considerable fear Of putting
to sea on Friday. and some go SO far IS to
say that their fears date from this sad
catastrophe. Captains Of small vessels
have always dreaded the prospect of sail
ing on Friday, while those of larger ones
look upon that day with the greatest nom
chalance and unconcern.
The sailor on land and on sea are two
distinct characters, each possessing his
own singular attributes. On land no
other being has more utter disregard Of
premature danger or mishaps, as his daily
actions and nocturnal orgies demonstrate,
SO when once on sea he blossoms out
again into smiles Of excessive obsequious-
ness. There when danger dogs his foot
steps at every track superstition Is his
idol; to it he sacrifices every selfish senti-
ment, and In it he trusts for those happy
presentiments which may afterward save
him from destruction.
Even while partAking Of their meals
sailors rarely lose an opportunity of dis
cussing and rehearsing stories which the
average man would regard as the product
of a maniac's brain. The days happen
inGs are interpreted by each and notes ex-
chmged. The most gifted romancer is
then looked upon with feelings Of rever-
once and respect. A visit to their sleeping
quarters will reveal q miscellaneous col
lection of horseshoes. nails. palmlike
leaves and numerous other articles. each
of which has q history Of its own. When
birds are swept aboard In storm they are
Invariably left untouched, as sailors eye
them with delight and satisfaction as the
spirits of some dear departed friend met
The birds of the sea,
nc:ably the petrol. immortalized by Proc
tor, and the sea gull. are held sacred in
of the latter apparently rest
ing on the surface of the sea after the
manner of the Saviour on the Lake of
Whenever this occurs In the immediate
vicinity Of ship calm is predicted, and
the jolly tars lose little or no time in
notifying the captain Of their glorious
vision. In sailors eyes the porpoises are
never pleasant objects to contemplate.
When they suddenly appear during calm
the sailors look for another wind from the
same quarter as that which was blown
out. and if they skip about 1t means that
q gale is coming.
IN AWE OF THE SHARK.
The common barnacle which adheres to
a ships side becomes. according to their
belief, later on in life goose. But among
all those signs nothing Is SO well calcu-
lated to fill them with awe as the appear
ance of shark. When this monster of
the deep is seen to follow q ship for
several days death is to occur on board,
and while clambering up the rigging
extra pains are adopted in making their
journey o safe and successful one. The
ship is then evidently haunted. and the
faces of her crew, but recently smiling,
are now decorated with expressions at
once thoughtful and lugpbrious.
The common mirage fills sailors with
dread. and betokens an early death to
some of it's observers. Carrying a corpse
or board appears to them to be inviting
disaster, and cases are on record where
the crew have become mutinous and re-
fractory until the distasteful freight was
lowered into the sea.
Norwegian sailors are inveterate slaves
to a form Of superstition exclusively their
own. They believe in the existence Of
heck or norman, sea animal represented
as having q fish body with the head Of Q
man and the flowing ringlets Of q boy.
The norman sits upon the waves, plays
the harp. and, following the example Of
many Of the Morse fishermen, wears red
cap. 1t is never seen more than once in
seven years, and no matter how many
vessels appear in its sight they all must
inevitably perish.
The crew, according to their belief, are
then transplanted in the merman's re-
gions, where. after brief stay, they go
to swell the shoal of hecks. and are then
in themselves as disastrous as the origi-
nal. The kraken, q sea monster whose
existence has been SO often attested by
the evidences of alleged eye witnesses
that one is at loss to know whether it Is
real or has q being only in the minds of
sailors, is constant source
of alarm to them.
Many assertions which have been made
at times regarding the existence Of this
leviathan, which occasions SO much dread
In the minds Of the Morse fishermen, have
been rejected IS mere superstition. Still
some authentic grounds for belief In its
existence are on record. The Norwegian
differs from his English brother only in
this particular belief, but In all other es-
sential respects sailors Of all ages and
nationalities worship the same supersti-
ii us creed.-James w. Gavan in New
York Press.