Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-11-15
GHOSTS OF THE SEA.
sAiLoRs DREAD TO SEE THE stlIPs
 THAT NEVER SAILED.

DIG hurrfcAne Howls It Hides EAAily With An Sails Set.
 ''These tales of the ships that never came back are sad enough. but it's the ship that never went out, the ghosts of the sea, that give the sailor man a creepy feeling when he meets them out where the waves are rolling high and the winds are singing funeral songs"
 The speaker was Mate Bob Alling, who has followed the sea as boy and man for nearly 50 years. Surrounded by a group of interested listeners in the public room of the Sailors Happy home in South street, Mate Bob. as all the sailors call him. was telling stories of strange sights that he has witnessed at sea filling is now mate of coastwise fishing schooner, but in the old days he sailed in some of the largest trading ships and the strongest whalers that ever sailed out of an American port flying the stars and stripes
 ''As said, boys" the old man went on, tits the ships that never went out from any port that a sailor never forgets when he sees one of them We may re- member the ships that went out and never came back for q time if we had a shipmate aboard, but we can forget. But there's no forgetting n ghost of the sea.
 ''It was back in the early fifties that 1 saw my first sea ghost, and today I can shut my eyes and sec it just as plain as I could see it then. was a sailor on a fishing schooner, and we were catch ing cod off the coast of Newfoundland. We had been out ten days and were al- most ready to start for home with a full cargo when n nasty of shore breeze came on late one evening. We stood out to sea. for there was a heavy fog along with the wind. It was a stiff and steady blow, so we rode the waves under baps poles during the night. waiting for day light and the fog to lift before shaping our course for home.
 All through the night we sent up rockets at intervals and kept the ships bell going, because we could not see ten feet ahead at times on account of the fog. But it was nearly morning be- fore we heard or saw an answering sig nal to warn us that another vessel was near.
 ''I was on the early morning watch, and about half an hour before daylight made out a signal light short dis tance ahead on our port bow. It was O strange light, n pale blue in color, and it flashed up and down at irregular in- tervals. The fog was still thick, and il was impossible to tell how near We were to the vessel.
 ''I called the mate on deck and point ed to the strange signal light. He look. ed at it n long time, and. with n shake of his head, said he could not make il out at all. The lights showed that the vessel could not be far away, so we fired a gun. There was no answer. and We fired again and again with the same | result.
 By and by I saw that the mate Wa: very grave and queer looking He Wa: pacing back and forth on the deck, mol minding the cold. misty rain that wa: falling, and all the time he kept hi: l eyes fixed on that queer looking bluisf light that flashed up out of the fog anC darkness ahead. At last made so bolC | as to ask the mate what he thought o it.
 |" It's ghost' he said. looking q me with a pitying look.
 A ghost:' says l.
 "'Yes, q ghost of the sea Wait til the fog lifts. You may see it then
 "The fog lifted n bit when dayligh came, and then I saw the ghost. as tn, mate said I would.
 Rising grim and white out of tn fog and waves that were rolling high, saw Il full rigged ship of queer design The wind was blowing half a gale. bu not a mast or pole of the ghost shil bent an inch, and not one of the broa' white sails seemed to strain at the ropes
 "The phantom was close on our DOT bow, and as the fog cleared away w had . splendid view from her water lin to the top of her masts- With the wave pitching and rolling mountain high. an' the wind bowling around our poles. tn ghost ship was riding out the storm a steady as a painted ship on a painte' canvas ocean.
 Every man on board crowded o deck. and while they had to hold on [ the railing to keep from being washe' overheard they stood and gazed at th phantom ship as long as it was in sight Some of them that were a bit religious like made tho sign of the cross, and oth CTS tried to say a bit of a prayer. Tn fact is that every man on board though the phantom ship q warning of death
 ''The captain went below and dran hot grog till he was that reckless II ghost had any terrors for him. Then. a the wind went down n bit, he ordere us to make sail and bear down on tn phantom ship.
 up went our sail in n jiffy. and W flew along before the wind, but W could get no nearer the phantom shiT Suddenly we saw the white ghost shi lurch forward, her sails trembled for a instant, and then she seemed to sin straight down into the sea Ten second from the time we saw the first quiyer ( her sails the ship had vanished, and W never saw her again.
 During the day the storm wer down, and putting about we made pol in safety. But when that schooner saile for the fishing banks again it was wit an entirely new crew from the captai to cabin boy. Not n man who saw tf ghost ship from her deck would sail O that schooner again
 ''Such is the old sailor belief in th ghosts of the sea as warnings of dange | The men who see one of them will ney' sail again on the same ship if they liy to see port. New York Dispatch |