Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-07

-EiAy f-1IT nations sas ,,o.o .,
eS>~> ~ perstitionS of the sea
\>\y>> are of such long
~ standing that we of
the present cannot
trace their origin or argue their reason,
while others are easily accounted for by
the events of the last two three hun
dred years.
In the days when sails were the only mo-
tive power, and passages from distant port
to port occupied weeks and even months,
the sailor felt that he had something in
common with the birds that lowered
over his ship in the air or with the many
fish that surrounded it in the water; and
In watching their habits and customs he
thought he discovered signs that argued
good i'll for him. and these primary
superstitions and signs are simple, but in
teresting. To the sailor the beautiful sea
gulis that followed the ship for days and
weeks in search of food seemed to watch
over it and guide it safely to port; and
thus the gull became almost sacred to him,
and TO kill crime which was
punished to his mind. by certain disaster
to the ship and crew. This bit of sailor
lore has held its own among sailors and
almost any rough old tar will seriously OBJ
ject to any ones injuring sea gull. This
reverence is also extended by many sailors
to the little storm petrels, or Mother
Cary's Chickens" that follow in the wake
of ships, and an old legend of the sea
claims that the petrels foretell storm
long before anything is noticeable in sky
or weather. by great chattering and COM
motion among their fiocks in the wake of
the ship.
Bad Luck of II Shark.
The shark. 1.-The maneater of the deep"
comes in for his share of the bad omen. as
almost every sailor who has been on salt
in following skip for some time some one
is doomed to die on board; and although
you may point out dozens of examples to
] the contrary to the old tar he will persist
in his first belief.
| But let the sharks bad omen prove true,
! and some one of the crew die, and then
| another superstition as firmly believed as
| the first springs up, and it is bad luck
| to carry the dead body on board.
| So firmly is this believed by many sailors
| that men-owars men of good character
| ana established bravery in battle and
storm have deserted rather than go to sea
| in ship that carried dead body, even
| though it might be the body of distin-
| guished and revered commander on it's way
to burial at home from foreign station.
| Just why "whistlinS' at sea should be
! considered an i'll omen by Jackey is diff
cult to say. and yet it is an established
| fact, and many old captain of the sail
J ing ships of the merchant marine will put
| an immediate stop to whistling and often
| severely punish the man who persists in
offending in this regard.
| Weather Verses.
! OF sky and sea, and wind and weather
| there are enough old sayings and beliefs
| to FIJI a volume some of which may be
| well to follow, but oftcner they seem to be
| more of a convenient rhyme and doggerel
than anything else. Some of these rhymes
! which seem to be authenticated by long
81, 70
the Young sailors of our navy. and are real
" more than superstitions, but weather and
sea too uncertain quantities Tor any
fixed rule. One of the most popular of
! these beliefs in weather signs is embraced
in:
"a rainbow in the morning,
Sailors take warming;
A rainbow at night
! Is the sailors delight"
But the version of this which was given
| by the naval cadet of poor memory is equal
| ly prophetic, for he gave it:
Sunset in the morning,
| Sailors take warning;
| Sunset at night,
Sailors deliSSt."
| A few more doggerel verses which any
one may easily prove or dsprove by OBJ
serving the weather are:
1.-The evening red and morning gray
| Are sure signs of a fine day;
| But the evening gray and morning red
| Make the sailor shake his head
And.
with the rain before the wind
Your torsails you must mind;
But when the winds before the rain,
You may hoist your topsails up again..
Which any one may verify by observing a
few thunder storms.
Then again the old sailor will tell you:
when the sun sets in the clear,
An caSterly wind you need not fear.
And if you arise to verify his words it
may be to face a bowling easterly gale, at
least in the unsettled seas off our north
eastern coast.
But one old rhyme the sea captain who
sails the azure seas of our West India Is
lands generally keeps pasted up in his
memory, for to him it is invaluable. as 1t
relates to the terrible hurricanes that
sweep over these islands. 1t is:
I June, too soon;
July, stand by:
August, look out you must;
| September. remember;
October all over!'
| There are also many rhymes as to the
shifting and changing of winds which sea-
farng men pin their faith to, often to be
disappointed. OF all these the most GER
tain is, perhaps:
when the wind shifts against the sun,
Trust it not, for back it will rum
By shifting against the sun" they mean
changing from east to north, &c, instead
of vice versa. or with the SUM-.
The ancientJ saw sometimes at night dur
ing heavy weather glowing globes of light
on their mastheads and yard arms, ant
believing it to be divine manifestation
they called it 'St. Eimo's fire., name
which it has retained. together with the
belief that it was a promise of safety in the
storm.
The Flying DHtchman.
. OF all the supersttions of the sea the
weird story of the Flying Dutchman" is
! the most universal for in a dozen tongues
. and as many lands it has been told by
: seamen and fishermen TO their children fol
several hundred years; since the days Of
the Spanish treasure gallacns and tho
Spanish main; and still there are old sail
ors. truthful enough in other ways. thai
will swear they have seen the great ghos
, ship sail by them in a gale at night, witt