Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-08-07

On the Hudson river there is legend
OF spectral boat, manned by Ramhout
Van Dam, who after drinking til mid.
night one Saturday, sworc that hewould
row home although It took him month
OF Sundays He never reached home, hut
he Is heard at night desperately plying hi,
oars, which he is condemned to use TIL tho
day Of judgment,
The mate OF New Bedford whaer, a
man OF great intelligence, still tells and
firmly believes this growsome story;
we were off the month OF the Amazon,
with two whales we had killed alongside. /
had the midwatch, n dead calm prevailing.
when a large. square rugged ship came ca
reening ont Of the misty darkness with "A
bone ia her teeth She came swiftly, aud
stood by the after compnnlonwny incapable
Of motion. There was sumcthinghbuu the
ship that struck me with hurtur 81,
passed close TO our quarter, with the forms
OF tho crew plainly revealed, aud the figure
Of the captain, an elderly man. scanning IT,
closely through his night glass suddenly
she rounded TO, shortened sail aud disap
peared. The man at the wheel had seen IL
all and was nearly dend with terror.
"In the next watch both whales by some
means broke adrift and We're lost. We
stood up the coast, for the whales had sud
denly left MS, and had got nicely to work
with 40 barrel fellow when one Of the
watch, Mt II O'Clock at night, reported
| big ship close abeam Of us. As before II
was a dead calm, and the same scene was
enacted In presence Of the entire crow. cap
tain included. The crew were panic strck.
en-, but the cry Of There shc blowsh the
next morning served to rally the mems
l 4 1. 4 w.
whale stove the boat and killed two men.
That night the ghostly visitor appeared
| again Whales followed with sunrise Two
boats pulled In pursuit, the captain lend,
ing. They made fast and were run oil and
have never been heard Of since II was my
| job to bring tho old hooker home, bnt had
the spector appeared again there would
have been none left to tell the tnlen
In 1859 distressing occurred Just
off Block island, Rhode Island. The Dutch
vessel Polatine was wrecked. Wreckors
made short work OF her, terminating their
labOrs by setting fire TO the splintorcd and
strained hull As she drftcd senwi,rd with
the cbb tide the form Of female was seen
amid the flames, left there to perish by the
wreckers. So much Is painful truth but
many nm "old salt" will tell you with all
seriousness that many mariners have since
seen the polatine with battered hull aud
blazing spais, and on her deck the wrath Of
that foully murdered woman wringing her
hands and calling vaiuly for help. Down
To 1850 another mysterious vessel was often
seen on Sandy Hook. She made signals Of
distress and for pilot, but no boat could
ever reach her, 80 many old senncn testify,
But the strongest story is that OF the
wreck which driftcd on the coast Of Kerry
and was found TO he laden with gold and
silver, the richest silks and oriental laces,
wealth beyond the most gorgeous dreams
OF the Kerry constura But when they
crowded aboard, In dead calm, sudden
storm arose and swept the wreck oRea, and
every wrecker was drowned. The same
wreck appeared 1T other places " the Irish
coast, causing a like calamity, hnd IL Is
firmly believed to this day that the ship
was not Of earth, but phantom OF Trina
Noog, the land OF youth and eternal happl-
ness.
That Friday is an unlueky day is SUI
pcrtltion by no mems confined TO tho sea,
but seamen take II In worse form than
landsmen. us they do oil supcrstitions-
The noted attempt once made to destroy
this superstition only strengthened IL and
Is we'll remembered by sailors To demon