Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-08-02
SHOT A PHANTOM SHIP.
Tale of the Sea That Brings to Light the
History of a Lost Vessel

a Tale of the Sea That Brings to Light the
History of Lost Vessel.
The members Of the Apanias Club were
Ply their fans vigorously, snd in Ian
gasxe quite emphatic were finding fault
with the weather. Serg ant Al Tsffs pass
ed his hsad YEARLY across his brow as lie
relnsrked: This, my lads, is the ami
versary of sn event 50 deeply burned
III M memory that 1t can never be ef-
faced"
"a story! Let's have IL" shouted the
club.
al! right, my hesrties," continued the
Ser eans, indicating that a tale of the sea
was in his mind. - will tell 1t to YOU,
and as | nave done thousand times, you
will wonder what it means. Forry-.wo
years ago | was in command of the brig
Three Jacks, IS st8u4ch Il craft as ever
plowed the raging main. We had crew
or forty meE, al experienced sailors who
had spent the greater part of their lives
on the deep. The Three Jacks was en-
gagged IN the Boston and Liverpoo! trade,
and 8 voyage in those days s. metimes oc-
cup1ad al entire month. Pirates were
not unknown then on the high seas, and
for protection We carried three six
ing mounted on the fo'csstIe. On the lst
of June We sailed from Boston with load
of merchandise for Johnny Bulls mar
ket, aud for the drst time in my life /
felt as if ought not to attempt TO make
the trip. VOC know, my lads, [ am not
chicken hearted, or given TO love poetry,
bat when saw the steeplss siuk away
and the hills grow smaller, and smaller,
until they oecame mere specks, and l
realized that was leaving the grsndest
country that ever lay oHt of doors, did
feel little blue, and som hing awful hard
to swallow came up in my throat. But
after week had gone by the squeanisn-
ness left me and felt ali right.
"One night Just forty years ago l WIS
lying in hammock swung on the deck
Two bells had Just struck ana the watch
had been changed. l WAS smoking my
pipe and gazing up at the stars, wonder
ing if dear ones b I'd left on the far-Uff
shores of America were looking at the
same stars and thinking of me. The wind
VAS just strong enough to fill the sails,
and Il sung low aud sweet through the
cordage as the ship rose and fell on the
~av8s-sOuuded like mother rocking
the cradle and singing to her babe. was
aroused bya sound of d voice that seemed
W SpL1O NISul lhE ONST bn6 WRISTS, peat
ing in rich baritone the words of nv
favorite song:
Il owe tin dollars to O. Brady,
And you'd think he had mortgage on me
life
Every day he come around TO see me,
And then he sent mis- wife.
II started u o in anna ement and gazed
around me. Only the rs al at the wheel
and the lookout we're to be seen, aud |
knew the voice did not belong to either
of them. Seeing nothing, concluded |
had heard the song while doing. Half
an boar later the lookout sang out:
"'Sail hov
"'Where a way?' l asked.
"'East of nOr'east by east
Gas of nor'east by east
AYE, aye, sir'
"'Can you speak herr
"ENo, sir
40 meet a ship in mid-ocean is moth
ing uncommon, and lay down again TO
draw pictures on the moon. But | had
not been long engaged in the pleasant
occupation when again the lookout
shouted:
"'Sail no! sal Aor
"'Where aRay?'
"'Hard on the lRrboard quarter, sir, and
bearing down on us
I'm an ns'aut | sptang from ny couch,
and with single bound was in the maiu
shrouds, trumpet 10 hand. Sure enough,
on the port quarter was a full rigged ship,
and beautiful 8 ght she was my lads.
Her sails were of silver and her rigging
was sllken ropes of II any hues and coiors.
The shrouds were strings of gold inter
woven, and her decks inlad with dla-
mond@. Her figure head-a golden statue
! of Mel pomene-with ruby eyes radiated
| in the moonlight, aud or her bow could
read the nam, Big Casino, OF Baltimore
| Stand on the fO'castle was a white-robed
| figure. Ia the main top, fore top and
| mIzz IN top wsre clustered lot of people
all clad in white, aud one whom 1 took to
| be the captain, sat astrids the bowsprit
| So clos. to US was she that | could hear
the swish of the waves as they fell away
| fr0mher bows.
"'5hip ahoyr 1 shouted through my
| trumpet.
"'Ahog! ahoyr was the response car
| ried back on the wind.
"'WhRt ship is that and where are YOU
bound?'
Big Casino of Baltimore, bound for
Baltimore, with artificial oysters. What
ship is thatY
with liver and tripe'
Hard apOrt there with your helm or
you will run into u.s. | shouted for the
strange vessel Was coming right at Us,
bows on, and was bat few hundred feet
away. A collision seemed certain, and
she was so much larger than the three
Jacks that ] knew we would get the worst
OF the smash.
"'Ahoy there! ahOy! ahoy! l shouted.
"'YOur names are Dennis
''Avast there, you lubbers,' I shrieked.
Bear away, or shiver my tOplig hrs if /
don't send you all to d Ivv jones' locker
"a low, hooking laugh Was the only re
Spouse | received, and | waited no longer,
for what | must do must be done quickly.
| droDped from the shrouds, ran for'ard
like lightning, unlashed the swivel gun
on the fo'castle, turned her upon the
strange ship-boom! bang! The night
air was thick with smoke; there were
screams of agony and cries of pain.
When the smoke lifted that strange ship
was gone. Not sign of her was left save
the spanker boom, which slowly descend
ed as if from the sky. Astride the boom
was one of the white robed figures. |
shall never forget it's look of agony or
the muornfUl words if sa As the water
clos d over it. The pitiful wall OF the
lone voyager on the dismantled SPEAKER
was:
In the daytime was Mary McGinnis,
And spent all my time rubbing clothes,
At night the stage / was the Countess
And they called me the Lady Montrose.
SIT was year after that l was at Balti
more and told the story of the psantom
ship to friend. We looked up the rec
ords and found that the Big Casino sailed
from Baltimore about 100 years ago, and
never Was heard of after she sailed. The
ship we met in mid ocean was her ghost
that had been trampiug over the Atlantic
for so many years.
One Hundred Yesrs kgo.
There was no gas for Lighting purpos-
es then. The attempt to use cOal-gas
for lighting vas not even made until 1892,
and the Lyceum thester, London, was
first lit with it ss an experiment In 1903.