The times., 1897-08-29
The Black Ship mystery.
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south and behind her. when one day at
noon the breeze left her and there came
a dead calm. The sea soon went down
until there was only a CLASSY ground
swell, and when night came on there was
not a sail in sight. At midnight tina
moon rose, and SO bright was its light
that one could have read a book On deck
+, Half an hour after midnight, without
/ enough air stirring to move a fea ther q
strang. crafs suddenly came into view
( from the east, and when first seen was
about a mile away. She was bows ON
at first, but. coming down within half
/ mile of the Belle. she swung arouRd and
display yed her broadside. The second mate
had the watch. having come on at IL
O'Clock, and. after pazzliHg for a few
minutes, be called the captain. Captain
and mate united their voices in a hail,
which was not answered, and a muskes
I was brought up and fired three times,
I without eIicitiug any reply Capt Finch,
OF the Belle, was a haFd-headed fellow.
with no superstitutiOn In his Composition,
and when his halls We're unanswered ne
said to his mate.
AIR. bayis, that ia undoubtedly the black
| ship we have read and heard about, and
4 Icic II OuA 10 oDlSr TIE IA S-rE 1tiu
| perhaps do a nice thing in the way of
| salvage. You VIII take a boat ard pull
| off 20 her and see If she Is Abandoned
| The mate hesitated for moment and
then refused to go. The second mats was
| appealed TO, but sie likewise refused The
1 captain could have ordered them locked up
| in their staterooms, for the rest OF the
| voyage, but he could not sail his ship with
L 1sv
| them for COW ards, he declared that be
woalG go himself For time every man
| OF his crew refused 10 obey the order to
| lower boat. but when Capt. Finch set
| about it singIe-hauded. and said he woul,I
| pay tne visit at all hazards, two sailors
stepped forward To accompany him- The
/ Captain said OF his adventure:
When we had approached within few
\ fathoms of the strange craft | ordered the
/ men to cease rowing that I might LOOK
/ her oveT. She had no name painted on
| her stern or quarter. She was sadly
weather beaten aIoft aud there was mueh
rust on her black sides. Her model wss
| haIf-clipper, and any sailor could see that
she was easily handled and sailed ike
| witch. We rowed twice around the slip.
| hailing her several times, and then 1 or
y
| that 1 might climb up by her chains
| They hung in the wind and would have
| refused had 1 not menaced them with
the revolver brought in my pocket. ASH
| climbed up the chains ordered them to
| make the boat fast and one of them to
| follow me up. l counted ten objects ~
ing about W which verify believe were dead
| men wrapped up in blankets, though for
I
make sure OF this. The decks Were not
otherwise Uttered up though even in the
| moonlight l could see they had net been
cleaned for months.
81 was ready to go aft and was waiting
for the man when I heard the splash OF
oars and turned about to discover that the
towards were making OFF. at once
fired a shot over their heads and threat
ened To make targets Of them, but menacs
them as l would the most they would 10
was tG hold the boat at q distance OF about
forty feet from the ships side. To reach
it had to leap into the sea, nd on my
return 10 the Belief could motfnduce0thers
! to row me back to the dereIict. TIE
men did not SEEM 10 fear her as ghost
ship So much as a plague-ship- The
entire crew were on deck and looking
Autt ot AAAC DaoNA HtA4 u " men oAtc Su14c1Al
began moving away from US, headed to
the north There was not a breath OF
wiud, and II there had been a Current
We shogld also have moved, but yet shs
slowly ard gradually drew away from Us,
and In the Course OF an hour was entirely
out OF sight. Ny belief is that she was
plagus-ship, hut at the same time confess
IT. being greatly mystified by her strange
actiOns-"
The black ship was seen once more, and
for the last time about a month later. A
British man-of war was sent Quito look for
her, and after cruise Of two weeks back
and forth without sighting her, the gov
eminent craft found herself hecaImed one
night a bout midway bet " cen the Azores and
MADEIRA. At half past eleven o'clock the
black ship was discovered OF a sudden
she appeared within half mile of the N al
of-war. Ten minutes after sighting th7
mysterious ship Capt Crimnns. OF the
GIampus, had two boats in the water
aud the officer in command had orders u
! board the derelict and overtaH every fo5l
Of be-. Away went the boats, but they
. never reached her.
At a point about midway the black shiI
suddenly settled down, and two minute,
I
meath the sea Some bits OF wreckag,
were picked up and preserved, but nothins
l | that Gould identify her, and to this "a,
her name, port of hail, and the fate tha
: made her derehct are matters Of con
lecture / have always held that she wa
| a foreigner, and that her crew died to
> man OF some terrible epidemic. but rs 4
0 her mysterious appearance and disappear
I 49,.
i ! finally sent her to the bottom, have n,
t theory to advance For year or twt
4 afterward various ships reported as hav
t ing seen the strange craft here or there
l but these reports were not consider al au
G theutic and no further search was eve
. | made CHARLES B. LEWIS
l n Practical Test.