The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1892-03-21


, himself 4 suit of canvas ciofaeS. He
had heard and seen nothing of the mys-
terious conflict on deck and laughed at
us as we described it. After drinking
our coffee we turned in, having had
enough fishing for that night.
At dawn next morning ! had occasion
to go aft on the quarter deck, which
was raised about three feet from the
main deck. AT Gloucester the decks.
which had become covered with slime
while the derelict was wallowing dis
masted in the trough of the sea, had
been planed smooth. The skipper tool,
great pride in his little quarter deck,
and it had been holystoned> until it
shone like i hounds tooth. No fish were
allowed in that part of the ship, and the
sailors were made to wipe off their sea
boots whenever they took their trick at
| the tiller or went aft to haul in the
mainsheet. Imagine my surprise when
saw deep crimson circular stain Just
abaft the cabin skylight. 1t was about
three feet in diameter and it seemed to
have been made by pool of blood that
had soaked into the snowy deck planks
| At this moment the skipper came up
the companion ladder. The first thing
that attracted his attention was the stain
on the deck.
$50 some of those internal Portuguese
sons of guns have been cutting fish on
my quarter deck, have they? By the
great horn spoon, I'll teach the yellow
belhed lubbers lesson YETI
Then up and told the skipper what l
had seen the night before, and con-
WINGED him. it was no blood of a Goldfish
that had dyed his quarter deck. He was
superstitious man. and turned white
as shroud.
| That morning all the crew came aft
and told the skipper they would fish no
more. The schooner was haunted, they
declared, and they insisted on heaving
up anchor and putting back to Glouces-
| ter.
1t is my private opinion that he was
glad of the chance to go back. He was
an excellent seaman and an expert fish
erman, but he came of an old seafaring
| family and of course belief in the su-
pernatural was hereditary
Well, we manned the windlass, hove
up anchor and made sail ON the Albicore
and pointed her nose for Gloucester
! We n,;,de an unusually smart passage
ard our arrival in the old fishing port
created much excitement. eve hadn't
been troubled with ghosts during the
run back.) Everybody thought we had
come back laden with cod. The old
owner came aboard as merry and light
hearted as three-year-old He went
ashore in doleful dumps the most dis
gusted man in Gloucester We landed
what few fish we had and then all
hands left her. Mr.. Fish tried his hard
est to ship another crew. but those dagos
had spun such yarns about the schooner
| l,s,%, <111<
her. &c &c tl.o .l sails were unbent and she
was laid up.
kept logbook in those days. The
date OF the mysterious apparition was
April 13, 1857.
Five years afterward happened to be
in Boston. The sharks and crianps had
left me stranded. having got every dol
lar out of me that lcwas paid off with
from a bark that brought hides and cop
per ore from Iquique. | was wander
ing around the docks in search of a
chance when | came across the Albicore
fitting ont fGT a cruise to the banks. A
Boston firm had bought her and had put
Captain Bayliss in charge He was
built on different lines from Captain
Ogden, caring nothing for man nor
devil shipped aboard of her, never
mentioning anything of my past ex-
perience on her. We sailed for the
banks. having good luck on our passage.
We anchored and began our fishing
operations. being fairly successful.
One evening, when putting off in my
dory to fish, happened to remember
that the date was April Is. 1862. My
dory mate hailed from Canso, Nova
Scotia. and had as much intelligence as
clod of clay. We hauled in the cod
fish hand over flipper About II o'clock
, "a thick fog came up suddenly. | didn't
mind this a bit. as | had "a pocket com
, pass with me and had the Albicore'.
, bearings carefully noted She wasn't
more than 800 yards off anyhow. so we
kept on fishing without the slightest
alarm. 1t was within few minutes
of midnight when we heard the blast OF
a steamers whistle, hoarse. yet strident
1t seemed to penetrate the fog and was
certainly quite close. The next thing
, we heard was a crash of timbers, and
, an instant afterward an,enor1nous blacl
/, hull glided by swiftly. Her propeller
churned up the water and we heard the
throh of her engines.
The Nova Scotian took the oars and
steered the dory to our schooner. Wher
! we got aboard we found all hands OF
, deck in state of terror. The steamer
had run into her aft. cutting off a por
ton of her long overhanging stern The
well was sounded and no water wa.
found Her stanch construction had
saved her. The steamer went on regard
less whether she had sunk the schooner OF
|, not. Next morning the captain go
aboard my dory and padded him round
under the stern SO that he might see wha
damage had been done. The steamers
l cutwater had shaved clean slice of
!, the stern. Jamned under the transomi