Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-15
0MENS ON THE DEEP.
Some Of the Abiding Superstitions
of the American Sailor
GLIMPSES OF THE SEA SERPENT.
The Enormous White Whale That Girdles
the Globe in q Second.
BAD LUCK IN LAWYERS AND PARSONS
WRITTEN ron THE DIsPArcH.1


is usually represented as very credulous
being, but such writers have not been fair to
the sailor, who is not more superstitlous,
perhaps, than those OF his class on shore.
1t would be strange, however, If he were
not so. The great mystery and solitude OF
the sea; his isolated and conservative life;
the impressive and awe-inspiring scenes
with which he Is surrounded, and his re-
ligious nature, all conspire 10 make the
sailor superstitious. But students of folk
lore are beginning to find out that super
stition is universal, and that credulity has
its votaries even among the highly educated.
American sailors being, as class, supe-
rior to those of most other nations in educa-
ton and general intelligence, may reason
ably be supposed to be less superstitious
than others; but they are, nevertheless, not
without many credulous notions and be-
liefs. These are, as far as they go,
similar to those current among sailors
elsewhere, although some of the grosser
forms of superstition are wanting entirely.
There are ideas about the sea, its currents,
etc., almost unknown here, and some which
are peculiar to our sailors. Fishermen on
the Atlantic coast believe that the swell OF
the sea during fog is caused by it. and
call it fog swell. All along the New En-
gland coast it is believed that sick man
cannot die until the ebb tide begins to run,
and some people think no task should be
commenced after this time. Similarly,
many fishermen choose certain time of the
moon for certain tasks. Hslos and lunar
rainbows are thought omens of bad weather.
When the lunar crescent Is "horns up" or
Lo dru
weather. They also say the moon "eats up
the Clouds" and that moon in mist means
wet weather.
WITCHES AND CATS.
Witches have lost their power over the
winds and waves in these days of steam, but
American tars were not behind their fellows
abroad in the belief that these uncanny hags
controlled the elements in former days.
Certain animals are reputed weather
makers, and some were unlucky to have on
board. The cat has always had a bad repu-
tation. A Block Island skipper is said to
have shut cat up in q barrel to prevent a
rival from sailing. and no wind came until
puss was liberated. Provoking q cat
brings a gale, and, in fact.
every one carries a gale in her tail. !"
Birds were especially credited with fur
nishing omens as to the weather. Our sail
ors were no exception to the rule in their
notions as to the indications furnished by
the Mother Carey's chicken. They hesi-
tated to kill an albatross, and I have
known one to be liberated by the captain
out of deierence to the mems wishes. Land
birds are not unwelcon,e at sea, and are not
particularly ominous, except when they act
peculiarly. A Captain johnson, of the
Norwegian bark Ellen, claimed that he
changed his course when off New York, in
1857, because of the strange actions OF q
bird. Shortly afterward he picked up 40 of
the wrecked crew of the steamer America.
At Fort Fisher, cock on board of one of
the vessels of the attacking feet crowed
loud and long, and the men received it as
sure omen of victory.
Dolphins and porpoises tumbling about
the ship are an augury of fine weather.
Some sailors have not become reconciled to
the carrying of corpse on board ship, or
even of skeleton or coffin. One of our
naval vessels was driven to sea unexpect-
edly some years since with the cofined body
of man ready for interment on board.
The body was committed to the deep, but
the men were not satisfied until the coffin
had been cut up and the pieces thrown
overheard.
Sometimes 1t is desirable to raise breeze.
Old sailors have not yet forgotten to scratch
the mast with q pin, or to stick an open
knife in the mast. with the handle pointing
in the direction from which a breeze is
wanted. Others whistle for it, believing in
the adage that "Whistles rash bid tempests
roar"
GHOSTS ON sHIPBoARD.
Ghosts are occasionally seen at sea. An
officer OF the United States ship Columbus
relates that in 1912 she was belieyed to be
haunted by the ghosts of u woman and
child, who had been murdered on board.
The child's cries were, it was said, fire.
quently heard on the dimly lighted deck,
and it became difficult to get
marine sentry to walk beat there.
A fireman was said to have been killed by
brutal engineer on board of a New Orleans
vessel, and it wass asserted that his ghost
haunted the vessel, opening and shutting
the furnace doors, heaving coal, etc. Spec
tres appear at many points on the Eastern
coast. Whittier celebrates the story of the
"Shrieking Woman" at Marblehead. Many
have asserted in recent times that they saw
and heard this apparitiou.
= St. Elmo's lights are feared or welcomed
according to their numbers and behavior.
Whalers believed them to be the spirits of
sailors who had died on board.
Sailors often have stories of mysterious
islands which sometimes disappear from
view, and the names. "Cape Flyaway,"
"Betterland" and "No Mans Land" are
given to such apparitions. Such an island
is said to have appeared off Boston in colo
NAL days. The first settlers tried in vain to
reach it by sail, but a storm would invaria-
bly, arise when the anchor was lifted for this
purpose. 1t was named the Flying Island.
Finally an Indian brave, the last of his
tribe, put off in his canoe to visit the island,
which he averred was the home of departed
souls. A violent tempest arose and the
island disappeared, never more to be seen
by man.
Our sailors have, in general, too good
knowledge of the natural history of the sea
to place much faith in the appearance OF
the mermaid. That redoubtable traveller of
early colonial days, Captain John Smith
records that he saw one near one OF the West
woman and her motions were graceful.
Occasional accounts are still given in the
papers of the capture of veritable mer-
maid, but sailors are rarely credited with
such reports.
FAITH IN THE SEA SERPENT.
But the sailor is more credulous about
the sea serpent. This renowned monster
of the deep appears oftener on our coast
than elsewhere. and many sailors and
fishermen firmly assert that they
have seen him. From 1859, when Josselyn
records his appearance on the coast of
Maine, to the present year, accounts of the
sea serpent have been frequent. Some Of
these appearances are supported by abun-
dant testimony, frequently from seamen,
whose eyes are sharper than others, and
have caused some persons to insist that
there is a veritabIe monster sea snake. Au-
thnritian nn nhln No tho late r A Proctor