Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-09-01
H0ODOO OF I'LL LUCK
xTRANGE FATE WHICH PURSUED
CAPTAIN WILLIAM n. BATES.
Three Times Burncd Ont NJ Sen
While Coal Carry Ing Around the
ucrr-&u Three ships Lost within
a. Many Months.


has never appeared In print.
The Captain. a sioutiy-built man. in
his asa year. who had sailed the seas for
half a century. was in Boston last week,
being on trip east to see some Of HIS
old friends. lie is a native Of Kingston,
near Plymouth. has doubled Cape Horn
several times. ana three times faced
death on as many burning ships.
Having read recently Of some strange
experiences at sea, where great ships
were consumed by fire. or tossed TO de-
etruction on some rock-ribbed shore. he
thought the Globe readers might Ike 10
hear Of the strange fate that pursued him
In the summer and fall Of forty-nve years
ago.
Captain Bates Is not Of the kind who
would refuse to sail because rats were
seen TO desert ship; neither does lie
harbor any prejudice against the skin
day Of the week. Many time has he
left port on "a Friday, and had good-luck
and favorable winds TIL the voyage was
at an end.
Just what day OF the week he sailed
when the long string of 81 luck came
his way he does not remember but he
has a faint recollection that X wasn't
Friday. Listen 10 his story:
1T was early I'm the month or August,
1850. when j. as master OF the snip NO
Bantum. a stout. seaworthy vessel butt
In South Boston. sailed from Baltimore
for San Francisco. The lower hold of the
vessel was packed with soft coal, Of the
Cumberland variety. for the Pacific
steamers. and between-decks We carried
a supply of steamers stores. In those
days the vessels for ,he coai-carryinS
trade were not properly constructed FOR
that dangerous cargo. and frs from spon-
famous combustion were of frequent &C.
CCrrcnce.
Fair winds and smooth scas favored
us TIL we were well down on the south
American coast. Early one morning, when
not a stir of air was to be felt, and the
sea was glass-emooth. one of the men
forward thought he detected the smell
of coal-gas a snff of which on coal
laden vessel at sea Is enough 10 stop the
blood ia a mans veins. lie communicates
his suspicious TO his companions, ana,
as the pungent odor became more APP
parent word was sent 10 the cabin, and
ordered an investigation.
AGLOW WITH RED GOALS.
ut didn't take long TO find the source
OF the gas. for on lifting the main hatch'
we found the lower hold all agiow with
Ttl Goals, from tl' Atl'AS Va hbAN" '.N~
and reddish yellow spears OF gaseous
flame shot ftfully forth. You may be
sure that no time was lost in battening
everything down.
I'VE were then off the river Platte. on
the coast OF Brazil. The aim in tightening
everything was to keep the air away from
the fire. but 1t seemed IA forlorn hope 10
think of rounding the Horn ana reach-
ing San Francisco. The pitch in the
1.I nj gssaff
tiny bubbles. which burst and spiuttered
as the heat grew in intensity. AS fast
az q seam became boiled out the men
filled IL UP with fresh pitch, and water
was dashed over the deck. TO keep IL cOoi.
Sleeping in cabin or f0c'sle was out
Of the question. Either place was like the
stoke-rOom Of great steamer. Fear toO
kept the men wide awake. The boats were
stocked with provisions. and everything
made ready to leave the snip at mo-
ment's notice. We feared an explosion,
bu; none came. Three days We sailed,
when a trem ndOus storm came up. Inc
vessel rolled and pitched feariully. open
ing some OF her seams. iii the feariui
smell Of gas again warned US that the in
road OF fresh air was giving new HE
t. the sleeping hell beneath us.
From that time none of US slept. an
being kept busy IN pitching seams ana
dousing the deck with water ON the
morning OF the eighth day. seeing ii was
useless 10 run further ia our condition
we made for one OF the Falkland Islands,
east of Patagonia. I'm latitude 81 degrees.
u minutes, III seconds. south, longitude 81
degrees - minutes. % seconds. west. Ihere
We took a survey. and, IndinE mat the
cargo was absolutely lost. we scuttled the
ship, to put out the fire. and. II possible,
save some OF the between-decks cargo.
This We did. but everything was damaged
more or less by the effects Of smoke ana
water.
HARD LUCK.
Now, that alone was hard enough
hard luck 10 last any healthy sea mas
ter year. but 1t seemed as If some
vicious hoodoo had fastened upon me.
We stayed at Stanley, in the Falkland
Islands. for month. when We were
taken of by Scotch ship. the Huma-
yoon. Captain David Mckenzie. His
cargo was the same as we carried. coal
He had loaded at Liverpool and was
bound for Valparaiso. but he had only
Just got around the point Of the Horn
when his cargo was discovered aiire
!, must have been burning for some
time without Captain Mckenzie's know
ledge. for when discovered IL was
raging nercely. and threatened quick de-
struct.on TO the ship.
II had been telling Captain Mckenzie
about my shipwreck. and I'll never for
Yet the look he gave me when word
came to him that his own vessel was
bfire. l think he must have been a bit
Euperstitlous. and no doubt thought that
my crew and brought with us III luck.
All hands went TO work lively TO tighten
everything. boats were prepared. but had
not another vessel hove I'm sight just as
We finished battening matches every one
OF US would have been lost.
1T was bitter cold. ana a tremendous
yea Was running, when an English ship.
whose name l do not now recall, but
whose captain was John Thompson, came
along on her way from Liverpool 10 AGA
rulco, and took us OF. We were hardly
away when the whole deck OF the HUI
mayoOn went into the air with "A boom
like signal gun. Then The flames be
gan 10 make way. shooting above her
bulwarks. running 10 the musts and
tsrred rigging, and epreading out on the
yardarms tn the ship booked Ike
great piece OF fireworks. There she
burned and tossed within sight OF US.
IN finally she settled aft and dsap-
oeared.
zone might think that twice burntd
out at sea within as many months VA
something smacklng OF the supernatural.
We'll, | thought 80. and 1 hardly blamed
some OF the poor devils who though,
me an especially selected person for
the abode Of some spirit OF ill-uck. V
stayed with Captain Thompson two
weeks. when we fen in with the ship Fan
chon. OF NcwburyIoIt. Acap'ain George
Lunt. who left BALTIMORE for san Fran
cisco, with coal consigned 10 the same
parties. some time after my departure
from that port. lie took us aboard. and
\ no. a.. tf1l