Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1897-01-01
THE PASSING [,
Sailors Reconciled to the Presence of 3
Dead Body Aboard Shin.

Sailors Reconciled to the Presence of q
Dead Body Aboard Ship.
One of the most popular superstitions
of sailormen used to be against having
a dead body aboard ship, but it 10
longer holds goCd-on pa scnger ships
at least-for most Of them II" pow pro-
vidcd with the means Of vresoW 20 the
body of person who dies I'll the Y, yagc
until port is reached. This is generally
done by incasing the body in an alright
metallic coffin, enc or moro icing ca
ried by every first class passenger vessel
and there is seldom II murmur from
Jack. Steam and other modern i'm
provements have worked as many
changes in sailormCn as they have Il
the vessels they man. ana in consequence
the old time salt, with his supcrstitions,
his foihles and Lis notions, is fast dis
appearing fore the advance of his les
romantic and no more efficient brother
"Going TO sea amt what it used I,
be- )" SAID an cid sea captain, with
sigh, 10 the writer, TO whom he ha,
tCen bemoaning the dccadcnCc CT sailing
vessels, which he aScriECd 10 the rapidly
growing habit G building enormous
steam freight carriers. "Thc fire OLD
ships, barls and other sailing craft az,
going, and in place of real sailcrmen
yen see lot of paint scruLlers and
iron Founders that hl-dly knows how
70 srlicc ii rope and !&sn't as much SUI
rC.Hliiol rs II goat. They cont care
iauch v EcthCr the ca1So is dead bodic'
on pig non. "
III the cid days the presence Of
CORPSE aboalD was considered bound tC
l.iTg stern ana other bad luck. anf
Cyon NOW on sizing vessels an immedi-
ate burial over the side is the proper
thing VIXEN n death occurs if the skipper
cares 10 keep the forecastle in good hu
NOR. On the big steamships, carrying
hunGreas of passengers each trip, l.
death is no uncommon thing, and il
there iIc friends of the dead person
aboard they are likely TO have the body
brought to port. 1t has become com
mon custom, too, 10 ship the bodies o.
persons W ho have died abroad home b,
steamships, and on several occasion
small mCrtua1y chapcls have been con
structed aboard. Otherwise the coffin
are carried as if they were an ordinar,
part of the ships cargo
The skipper already quoted told O
one Of the many examples Of the sailor
superstition on the subject that hat
come under his observation. A frient
Of his was a few years ago commanding
big clipper ship engaged III the Soutl
American trade. He was kindly man
and sailorS Were always glad to shil
with him, not only because of his MOI
being hard taskmastcr, but also be
cause his ship was known as "a good
feeder, which is the highest encomium
Jack can pronounce upon skipper or yes
sci. On his last voyage the captain was
bound from Callao for Antwerp with a
cargo of fertilizer. He fell sick and dice
soon after passing the Horn. His body
was prepared and boxed and placed be
low in the depths of the cargo.
The first mate, who succeeded TO the
command, was not the best of sailors or
popular with the crew. Head winds and
gales were encountered in rapid success
sion, aud the grumbling of the men
soon broke out into almost open mutiny
1t was the presence OF that body in the
hold of the ship that was causing all
the trouble, and it must be got rid of
The men went aft and so informed the
mate and then without ceremony heaveG
the body Of their late captain over the
side. Whether the weather improved
then the skipper couldn't say. But he
was certain of one thing, and that was
that seamanship and superstition, which
always 20 together, would be things OF
the past when the paint scrubbers and
iron FOUNDERS have crowded the real sail
ormen off the seas. New York Tribune