The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1892-04-08
SPECTRES OF THE SEA.
oHosTLY TRAVELLERS ON THE
MIGHTY DEEP.
Chs Story OF the Flying Dutchman-The
spectre-shlp which Carried on q
Malden-GSrman Legends
OF Death-shlps.

Eng Dutchman" is told. An unbeliev-
ing Dutch captain had vainly tried to
round Cape Horn mot Good HOpe)
against a head gale He swOre he
would do it; and when the storm in
creased laughed at the fears OF his
crew. smoked his pipe and drank his
beer even throwing overheard some
0f the men who tried to make him put
the ship about. The Holy Ghost de.
acended on the deck; but he fired a
pistol at it, whereupon his arm be-
came paralyzed. Then he cursed
God; and was Immediately condemned
BY the apparltion to navigate always
without putting into port always on
the watch, and with nothing but gall
70 drink and red-hot iron to eat
He was to be the evil genius OF the
sea to torment and punish sailors
and to carry warning OF ill-fortune to
the luckless mariner. II is he who
sends the white squalls and sudden
tempests. II he visits q ship all the
wine and beer turns sour and all the
food becomes beans, which sailors
hate.
Nothing must be taken from his hand
for the person who touches anything
no has touched is lost His ship is
manned by all the old sinners OF the
sea thieves. murderers. pirates and
towards, who eternally toll aud suffer
and have little TO eat or drink. Thus
the relationship is the purgatory Of
the wicked mariner
A relationship is known to Baltic
sailors as the "Carmilhan. and the
captain OF her is called Klabotermann.
This ship also is always trying with
out success to double the cape; and
when sailors see her with Kiaboter-
mann sitting on the bowsprit dressed
I'm yellow, wearing a night cap and
smoking short pipe, they know that
their vessel Is doomed.
1t Is curious that almost all the
spectral heroes OF these legends-at
least OF the most popular OF them
arc Dutchmen. But the fact seems TO
be that the legend is German in its
origin, says the Saturday Evening
Post and has become attached in
aailor-yarns to Dutchmen either be-
Cause, to Jack, q Dutchman and q
DcUtscher are the same thing, or be-
cause the Dutch were the most famous
and daring OF navigators.
The German story is given by differ
snt authorities with variations; but
briefly, it is this A baron called
Ealkenburg murdered his brother and
his bride in fit OF passionate jeal-
Ousy, and went forth from his home
with the curse laundering In his ears,
that he should for eVermore wander
towards the North. At the sea. shore
no found boat awaiting him. with
one man in it. who simply said, "Ex-
pectamus to-" Falkenburg entered
the boat and was conveyed to spec
trail bark lying in the harbor He
boarded her. and she sailed away with
him against the wind.
On board that ship he still ploughs
the Northern seas, for ever playing
dice with the spectral crew for his
soul. The ship is painted gray, has
cOlored sails, white flag and flames
issue from her masthead at night-sc
that she is easily identified by any
vessel that may happen to speak
her! For six hundred years this spec
HrmI haul hos rOn,nad tho Hov,,,n E,
ocean. and is still, it Is said in the
German story, to be seen always head
Ing northward, without helm or helms.
man.
There is strong probability that the
German legend had Scandinavian
origin, for the old Vikings seem tC
have founded most OF our sea lore
aud favored all our sea superstitions
There Is a saga of one Stote, who stol,
q ring from the gods; and when the,
sought him to take vengeance, he wa
found clothed in sheet OF fire, seated
on the mainmast OF u black spectra
bark.
The story OF the ring again reap
pears in q curious way in an old We
netian legend, Once during a storm
In the Adriatic fisherman wa
cahed upon to row three men out t
sea- A huge spectral galley Dor
down upon them, with irightful de
mons on board; but the fisherman
bark ran it down; and the boatma
was then presented by his three pa &
sengers with ring. By that toxic
he knew them to be St. Nicholas
the medieval patron saint OF sailor
aud fishermen--St. Mark and s.
George; and 1t was because the CIT
was thus miraculously saved from d.
strNction that the Doges OF YeniC
went annually through the ceremon
OF wedding the Adrlatic with rlnt
An English version Of the phAnto
ship concerns a man OF war; Tn
crew had mutinied, and rugged her OF
70 resemble the spectre ship Of whiC
they had often heard and ,repeatt
yarns. Their object was to terri
che vessels they pursued, for thu
meant to be regular sea rovers. u
fortunately they encountered the re
spectre ship and were so terrified th
they put into port and gave themselv
ap to justice. Ifthis story Is not trl
It ought to be- for 1t is a proper o
ample Of the would-be bitter bit
There are great many more spe
tre-ships roaming the seas than tho