Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-11-13
JACK TAR'S BELIEFS.
BE HAS A HEAD FULL OF ODD
sUPERsTITIoNs.
Jonahs on Board Fishing smacks
Rules for Fisherman's Luck
Some weather Observations.

Some Weather Observations.
Jack Tar is one of the most supersti-
stious.beings on legs. The smackman who
combines the craft of the sailor with the
occupation of the fisherman, and who
seeks his livelihood on the narrow fishing
banks of the Atlantic coast, is a striking
Illustration of this His odd beliefs are
numerous, while the field of his work is
contracted and dreary. Every detail of
his work has its forerunner of failure or
success. To the smackman's belief in
luck is due the term 'Jonah," now so
generally used Of person who lends
himself to others bad luck. The term,
however, among smackmen is applied to
things rs well as persons. An indication
of "Jonahn is carrying black bag of
nuts. In fact, black articles are regard
ed as so infallible signs of bad luck that
many smack captains positively refuse to
shipa man who has them or to allow him
ON their vessels. Some men from hav-
ing been on unfortunate voyages arc re-
garded as forerunners of bad luck, and
often find great difficulty in shipping.
No matter how lucky the man may have
been, two or three bad voyages are sure
to make him "Jonah." An unusually
small catch of fish is sometimes thought
to reveal the presence of a Jonah on board,
and various expedients are resorted to, to
discover his identity.
One of the most common devices is for
the cook to put in the bread a small
piece of charcoal, wood or straw and
place the loaf whole before the crew at
some meal. The man who gets the char
coal is the "Jonah, and no matter how
good fisherman he may be his reputa-
tion is smirched and not iRfrequently he
is discharged by the captain on the spot.
The more superstitious sailors often
resort to fumigation to remove the bad
luck which has branded them. Such a
one will carry his bedding on deck and
after arranging it so that it can be safely
burned will apply flame to it and
thoroughly fumigate himself with the
smoke until he thinks his evil genius has
taken his departure
A vessel once regarded as "Jonah"
is past all hope, for fishermen would
almost as soon think of shipping on a
plague ship. So hard is it to get crew
for "Jonahn smack that the crafts
name is either changed or she is with
drawn from the business. On the other
hand, vessel is sometimes known as a
lucky ship and is said to give good for
tune to all on board of her.
The superstitlous usagcs and customs
of the smackmen are many. Some will
cut their hair only when the moon is
full, because they believe that cutting
it at any other time engcnders badness
A custom now almost extinct is the wear
ing of earrings to improve the eyesight
Carrying potatoes, horse-chestnuts or
nutmegs in their pockets to ward off
rheumatism, and the wearing of amulets
and charms about the neck to prevent
or heal scrofula are common. Some of
the smackmen, when they stick a hook
into their flesh, firmly believe that the
healing of the wound can be very mate
rally hastened by running the hook
afterwards into pine wood and leaving
it there until the wound is healed. The
custom of saving the largest fish to clean
last, in order that the next catch may be
of large fish, is quite generally practised.
The strangest superstition is probably
that which relates to the killing of the
larger fishes. If the. person who has the
body notices signs OF life in it after the
head has been cut off, he will strike the
head sharp blow 1t is claimed that
the body Immediately becomes STILL
The weather and natural phenomena
are under Jacks constant observation,
and the results are to be found in host
of queer deeds and odd sayings. For
example, he will whistle for wind or
stick his knife into the aft side of the
vessels masts, observe shooting stars and
judge the quarter the wind will come
from the course the meteors take. The
floodtide to a smackman is the precursor
of fair wind, while calm, he thinks,
generally begins with the ebb. Rain is
always more abundant during the ebb.
Deaths are more frequent on the ebb and
births ON the food tide. When the sun
draws water on the ebb or in the morn.
ieg, the professional follower of Izaak
Walton keeps his eye open for fair
weather and also looks out for sun-dogs.
When the wind backens against the sun,
Trust it not for back it'll run,
is an old adage that means when the
wind backs or changes from right to left
or in an opposite direction to the sun it
will not be steady.
Cracks in the water or the peculiar APP
pearance seen in calm weather are indi-
cative of the approach of an easterly
gale.
Then, too, the old well-known rhymes
are forever jingling through the smack
mans head:
Mackercl sky and mares tails
Make lofty ships carry low sails.
Rainbow in the morning,
Sailors, take warning;
Rainbow at night,
Sailors delight.
Evening red and morning gray
Is sure sign of q pleasant day;
But evening gray, morning red,
Will bring rain down upon your head.
If the morning is marked by an easterly
glin,
The evening will bring rain to wet your
skin.
If in the southwest you see smurry sky,
Douse your flying kites, for storm is
nigh.
Glin, in sailors parlance, expresses a
very clear east sky and generally precedes
an approaching storm from the west,