The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-10-01
IT'S A PRANk|SH GHOST.
Otherwise Panic Stricken 0flCerS and
Sailors Might Quit the Mianto-
nOmOh In a Body.
QUEER DOINGS ON THE Big MONITOR.
Electric Lights Flashed, Fire-Alarm Gongs
Sounded and Ships Bells Rung by
Unseen Hands.

The crew OF the monitor Miantonomoh
which Is moored close to the Cob Dock
in the Brooklyn Navy-Yard allege that
there Is a ghost on the ship. The man
ifestations of the spook. according to
the sailors. have been going on for some
time, in fact since she was made ready
for active service at the time of the
threatened Gillian war. three years ago.
The ghost first began to play FRANKS
with the engine-room bells. A machinist
heard one night, or thought he heard, the
clangor OF the signal bells below. He sat
bolt upright, at the risk OF being spilled
out Of his hammock. and then heard the
signal to back at full speed
The machinist rubbed his eyes; he must
have been dreaming. But there 1t was
again! A senseless jangle that meant
nothing save that something had gone
wrong somewhere, and, springing from
his hammock. the man rushed down to
the engine-room. The bells had ceased
to ring; the standing lights were burn
ing steadily. There was no one in the
room.
He went back to his hammock growl-
ing that some one was too full OF monkey
pranks, and 1t was only when he awoke
In the morning that he remembered thai
the electric current had been shut on
from, the system. and he wondered who
could have set those bells going.
Ships Writer George Turner was thu
hero of the next adventure, He sat in
his office reading one night between L
and l O'clock. The door was closed and
he was deeply interested in his book
when there came tapping on the door
Come in." he said. The door did no
open, but Mr.. Turner did not notice 1t
and he was surprised when the rappint
was repeated.
Come inr' he exclaimed again. some
what testify. Only the knocking at thu
| door answered him With an impreca
turber Turner walked to the door anS
| flung 1t open. There was no one In sight
| Only the quartermaster was on deck
and he had not been near the door Sew
| eral other men, during the weeks tina
| followed. had similar experiences.
| The Miantoromoh is fitted out with al
| automatic fire alarm, operated by cleo
trcity, While the vessel lay Mt anct o
the fire alarm rang cut. Every ma
was startled from his slumber Ham
mocks were dashed and slowed, hose wa
run out, and In a few minutes each ma
| was at his station.
Then the search for the fire was be
gun. Nearly two hours passed before
was discovered that there vas no fire
An investiga lion developed nothing.
Several times after that fire alarm
were rung for no reason A man wa
put ON guard to watch the alarm bel
but 1t rang just the same.
The Mi9ntonomoh being now tied u
to her dock, the current Is shut Off froi
the thirty-t three incandescent signl
lamps. Nevertheless these lamps haN
been flashing night after night. Som'
times they begin on the port side; som,
times they commence on the starbcar
side. Sometimes the light is stead!
at other times it goes pickering aero.
from "hard-a-port" to "hard-a-sta
board"
The story of the ghost has passed fro
} n outh to mouth, and each man in Il
, Yard considers himself the possessor
an important secret. The officers OF II
ship are reticent and cannot be Il
, d. ced to discuss the 'ha'nt." With Il
, men II is different. They have no hesit
ton in telling OF the pranks OF Il
ships nocturnal visitor.