The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1889-03-09
SUNK BY A METEOR.
An Old Sailors Account of a Re-
markable Incident.
A Mysterious Ship Scuttled BY
a Fiery Aerolite.

Peter Werngrep, an ord sailor Of San
Francisco, who has cruissd in every
ocean on the face of the globe, but
whose seafaring days are nearly over.
because his joints are growing stiff and
his eyes weak with age, was asked by
New York Sun correspondent what
was tho strangcst thing he ever saw at
sea. The old man musod for few
moments. and then said:
I'VE were becalmed in the Pacific
about nine or ten degrees orth of tho
equator, and, if I recollsct right in
something like 1913 degrees west longi-
tude. The Antelope lay there like a
log. rolling on the swell fit to make q
man sick. The sails tapped against
the mast with dull booming sounds,
and the only draught OF air you could
feel was what they made. The water
was like molten lead, tapping heavily
against her sides. II you never wero
in any of those Gains, you can have no
idea how gloomy it makes a man.
1T was the second night in the calm,
and the port watch was on deck. The
moon was shining clear; everything was
still, but for the creaking noises always
about ship aAoat, and as there was
nothing to keep lookout for except
indications of breeze, which didn't
seem likely to come along, although
we had puckered our lips out Of shape
whistling for it, the men were drows-
ing under the bulwark', and the man at
the wheel was snoring.
II was leaning over the rail. looking
at brigantine becalmed about three
miles away on our starboard quarter.
We hadn't spoken her, and didn't know
what she was or where she was from. /
could tell by the taper of her masts
that she was American built, but that
was all. She was a trim little craft,
and it was enough to break a seaman's
heart the way she was wiped off the
face OF the earth that night. To be
sure, the Antelope wasn't treated much
better, a few months later, but fire is
one Of the things a sailor recko ns
amsng the chances OF his calling, and
many q gssd ship is burned ct sea.
But l don't suppose any other craft
ever met such q sui don and unnatural
fate in this world as that brigantina
Mind, / dent say ! know it never
happsasd before, because strange
things always are happening at sea,
aud some Of the strangest never get
tod. Because whyi Men don't 1.-Two to
tell en-.
"Well, I was leaning on the rail at
about six bells, with my cheek in my
palm, looking away where the bryan
tine lay In the moonlight. Tho motion
of the bark On the swell was slow and
kind Of soothing, and had got sort of
half dreaming with the lazy roll of her,
when I was startled broad awake By o
bright light in the sky. Looking up l
saw q great ball Of FIRE rushing down
through the air on q slant, and there
was . dark clsui above. BY tho time
had hauled in the slack Of my mind
enough to knew that it was shooting
star. the glare Of 1t got so bright that
the light Of tho moon was Of NO more
account than Q slush lamp, and the stars
were pat out altogether.
There vas a rushing, Kissing sound
In the air % the thing came down
Whss II get pretty near, the light al
mest blinded me aad I could sss moth
ing but the fiery CLEAN Of il "a
the water. II wasn't Q, long from the
time IL hove in sight until it struck Is
I've been telling how it locked. Il
must havo been travelling like q cannon
ball, or maybe a good many mere kn sts
. minute. In the glare lost sight of
the brigantine. heard q crashing
SQUAD, and tho ball Of fire disappeared,
leaving everything black before my
eyes fsr . moment.
when had blinked the right sight
back into my eyes and got used to the
moonlight, that seemed pale aad sick ~,
! glanced over the star board qaar Ter to