Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-05-12
EVIL NAUTICAL OMSNS.
Things That Sailors Dread = Nfermaids, See
serpents, sharks. and Phantoms.

Things That Sailors Dread = sfermaids, ses
serpents, sharks. and Phantorns.
About Vineyard Sound there are
numerous legends of famous Indian
giant. 1t Is said that the rocks at
Seaconnet are the reina ms of his wife,
whom he threw into the sea there.
lie turned his children into fishes,
and, emptying out his pipe one day,
formed nantucket out of the ashes.
This latter story, says the Boston
Transcript, of Nantuckets source
must account likewise for the we'll
known story of that old Nantucket
Captain who was accustomed to make
his reckonings by tasting the earth
brought up on sounding One day
the lead was dipped in some earth
brought on board shi p from the island,
and the captain, after tasting, leaped
from his berth In great excitement
exclaiming: "Nantucket's sunk, and
here we arc right over old Marin
.Hacketts garden" Naturally he
wOu d recognize the taste OF tobacco
ashes.
Mermaids work dire mischief,
whether In the shape OF the famous
LOrelet OF the Rhine or as frequently
seen by sailors, and are sometimes
regarded as the sign Of coming dis.
aster Naturally, many terrible &C.
cidents have followed the discovery
Of one of these beautiful creatures,
and as people are always waiting to
put cause and effect together the
result has been this belief. Tales
about the sea serpent are growing
too common, but together with every.
thing else of a kindred nature the
appearance OF this monster Is asso.
ciated with impending disaster In the
mind OF q sailor
A sailor always regards the pres.
ence OF a shark about q ship q most
fatal omen to the sick on board. The
highest eXultation ever witnessed on
man.Of.war was OccasiOned by har.
pooning a shark that was hanging
about while a favorite was sick; but
the appearance Of q shark Is often
fatal to the lie Of q bather In the
ocean as we'll as a sailor upon IL, and
Is quite as much to be dreaded.
Ghosts Of oil sorts and kinds pre-.
fer travelling by water to almost any
other mode, and our own Cotton
Mather tells US OF a spectator that
visited colonial ship, carrying or in
o ghostly canoe seven Of the crew at
\ time. lie also says: MANY per.
sons who have died ut sea have been
seen. within day Of their death, by
friends at home" AS late us the
seven, zenith century they tell a story
Of a ship about to sail for England
that had as passengers u strange man
aud q girl Of great beauty. So mys.
FERROUS were their actions that they
were supposed to be demons, and
many feared to sail In the ship The
vessel sailed on Friday and never
reached her destination. but appeared
as narrated after storm that lasted
three days
Near and more near the ship came on
With Hll her broad sails a. read;
Iss a nisat h grew Thick but phantom light
AMI the wa,eis .hudA.r.d Us on the came.
For against tho Wind she sped.
Longfcllow also tells a similar story
In his "Phantom Ship" while all
lovers OF God music will remember
the story OF the opera The Flying
Dutchman."
There Is q superstition that o ship
no longer seaworthy, just before
breaking up between the strains Of
wind and wave, has been known to
give forth wailing sounds Ike moan.
ing. The sailor cannot account TOR
this, but he knows too well its i'm.
port, and loses heart at the melan.
choly sound. This Is also noticed BY
Cooper In his "Red Rover" where
one Of the characters is made to say
"A ship which Is about to sink makes
her lamentations Just like any other
human being"