The Portland daily press., 1895-07-06
SHIPS WHICH SAILORS sHIRK.
Some of Jacks Superstitions and His Rea-
For Them.

Jack Tar is VIGOROUSLY as brave as
lion. Strangely enough, he is at the same
time perhaps the most superstitious
creature under the sun. In my employ
ment as shipping agents clerk in
large port have come across some pecu-
liar instances of this. In almost every
port in the kingdom you will find one or
two vessels which sailors, acquainted
with their history, give a wide berth to.
These are not necessarily craft with bad
reputation as to sea worthiness. They
may be as fine as any afoat-but Jack
looks askance at them as "unlucky."
In the month of June four years ago,
vessel was launched from ship build
ingEyard on the Tyne, built to the order
of a Liverpool shipping firm. A finer
craft for her tonnage never cut the water,
and she was named after the senior part
ner's second daughter. She was lost on
her first voyage to the West Indies, the
captain, second. mate and eight of the
crew losing their lives. She was quick
ly replaced by an exactly similar vessel,
receiving the same name as the former
one What became of this ship is mys-
terry. She never arrived at her destination
on her fourth voyage out, and was event
ually given up as lost, with all hands.
When third vessel bearing the same
name was launched Jack regarded her
with an evil eye and refused to sail in
her. She had to be re-christened before
her owners could get a crew.
One Of the finest car go vessels sailing
between London and the west coast of
Africa had, five years back, attained
quite phenomenal record as death
Ship from the number of men lost by
disease and accident upon each. voyage.
At length, so serious an obstacle did
her history present in getting men to join
her that her name was altered. Under
her new one, too, she is rapidly becoming
known as a ship to be avoided That
the strange mishaps which befall her
helpless crew are not the fanlt of thase
in command is proved from the fact that
she had no fewer than four chief officers
in nine years. She will in all probability
have soon to be re- named again.
A vessel which has played part in some
great sea disaster is at once Stunned by
Jack as far as he has choice. If she
has figured in a collision resulting in
wreck and loss of life, he is apt to regard
her as unlucky. If the mishap has been
caused by the fault of those aboard her
and a whisper spreads that all that could
have been done was not done for saving
those on the ship she ran down, the sailor
views her as a guilty thing, sailing the
seas with track Of blood behind her,
and doomed to disaster. So general is
this feeling that upon such an occurrence
the offending ship is most often renamed
at once, the owners seeking thus to dis
connect her with the event.
There is ship at the present time at
tached to the port of London which, Willie
sailing under her former name one Wilt
night, ran down a vessel in the chane.,
causing her to sink with all those ab,st j
her. Such an evil reputation ;ittacaeS to
her that, on her identity becoming
known among some of the men engaged
to serve on her, nine of them recently de-
serted in a.body, prcferring the almost
| inevitable penalty of fine or imprison-
ment to sailing in her.
also unfortunate captains. These, how
ever are more scarce, for very good
reason. You cannot get rid of an unlucky
vessel very well, representing as it does
some thousands of pounds, but the I'M
fortunate captain is most frequently put
on the shelf as soon as he gets that repu-
tation with his owners. If they don't do
so, however, Jack shirks him. One of
those unfortunate indiyiduals-as able,
I f,fNI II foil
| trod deck acquired this fatal reputation
by promptly losing the two very first
vessels he was placed in command of. He
would doubtless have been shelved by his
employers, one of the biggest grain carry
ing firms, had he not been relative of
| one OF the senior partners. When he
| received third appointment out, how
ever, Jack shrank from risking getting
| the salt water in his mouth by sailin 8
under so unlucky an individual. Such
| difficulty was there in obtaining crew,
| that he had to resign and seek q COM
mand under another firm.
1t Is by no means uncommon for there
| to reside in some dirty and foul-smelling
dwelling in the neighborhood of the
| docks in a large port an old and wlthered
beldame who lays claim to and is reck-
oned by the sailors to possess some queer
| power OF pre-seeing whether ships yoy-
| age will be prosperous or the reverse.
/
one of the chief ports on the west cast,
and who died two years ago-her death
being caused by her, while intoxicated,
trying to replenish lighted parafine lamp
with whisky, which she mistook for oil
was found on her decease to be worth
no less than 723 sovereigns kept in box
under her bed. These did not wholly
| represent the money given to her by
poor jack when consulting her as to
how his voyage would turn out Many q
captain had helped to swell that pile
| for so great was "Tar Meg's' influence
over hands with her good or bad predic-
lions, that captains found it better to
avoid trouble by propitiating her with =, q
present to secure favorable foresight
| for their voyage. In one case which
came under my own observation, Meg,
| being offended with certain captain, seq
abroad such effective curses and dismal
predictions regarding the fate of the yes.
sci and all it's occupants that he at
length, as the shortest way to paelfy his
hands, dispatched pounds to the old
lady, who promptly appeared on the quay
to ''take off the curses and to bless and
pronounce decree of prosperity over the
shin