Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1898-08-26
OMENS ON WARSHIPS.
ajPERsTITloNs WHICH GOVERN OLD
SALTS OF THE NAVY.

aoodoos and Spells which Msy Wet An
Sorts Of Evils On Beard 80 WhlsAl
Must He Carsfslly osasasa AenlaG
The Tastooing Habit.
The most picturesque superatitone u
the seas are those which govern q nod.
ern man-o'-war. Every old salt II The
navy believes in hoodoos and spells
which may work all sorts Of evils On
his ship and must be carefully guarded
against:
The powers Of a ships hoodoos COM
mence before the ship has entered tho
water. It is q generally accepted super
stition that il the first blow which 10
struck the keel brings sparks the ship. -
destined to suffer from q raking AIo
from the enemy.
The old time practice Of stealing .
piece Of wood and imbedding Il in tho
PROV for good luck 10, Of course. impos-
sible in the case Of steel ships. though
1t Is considered lucky to have . piece Of
stolen wood ON board.
Another old superstition 10 satisfied
by placing a silver coin in some revice
of tho fighting top of the mainmast or
some place below decks where it touches
the steel mast. Originally it was asvery
common custom to i,nbed o silver coin,
and preferably u Spanish coin, In the
wooden steps near the mast.
Figureheads have been in high favor
with sailors from remote antiquity.
Originally they were carved to repre-
sent some god or saint. Even today .
sailor would hesitate to sail on ON iron
clad without such protection.
The ceremony Of launching q ship ID
merely u concession to an old supersti-
ton. The various formalities of ship
christening have been followed with
little variation for centuries.
In tho early days of shipbuilding II
was the custom for the captain and the
crew to eat their first meal slowed away
in the mold loft. Their meal invariably
consisted Of eggs and sulphur. From
this custom has come the present day
practice Of providing cakes and wine
for the crew. And the old libation
which tho priests used to pour over the
Prov of the ship as she slipped into the
water has been replaced by tho break
ing Of q bottle Of champagne.
The modern man Of war dashes into
tho water with flags waving from every
masthead. In order to crafty this old
superstition it has been necessary to ex.
pend hundreds Of dollars for the chris.
tening Of q single ship. But no one be.
grudRes this e~xtravaRance. In q Way II
is necessary.
Tho good or i'll luck Of certain dayt
IL still . belief among the sailors. Fri.
day is u day Of i'll omen, and Sunday Ii
usually u lucky day.
A superstition about women Ia a relic
of the old belief In witchcraft. 1t IL
thought that IL ONT by throwing sand
in the mir Oh shipboard ran produce
violent storms. Not many years ago
come women who Travelled ON English
warships were tortured during q storm
to make them quiet tho waves.
These barbaric beliefs, however. are
partially compensated Ly the supersti.
ton which sailors have held for centu.
rics that beautiful children bring q
blessing tc u ship. The Neck was q
handsome 10y with golden curls. It if
taid that lie il always accompanied by
IL black lamb and carries with him q
golden harp. Our old salts have especial
confidence in IL ship which is christened
by u child.
Tho average sailor is superstition
about the ringing CT the ships bells.
III olden times the bells were blessed
before they were used. At present, il q
mistake il made in striking the hour,
the sailors insist that tho bells ut once
be struck backwards to break the spell.
and if hy any chance the wind should
catch the bells and swing them all the
way around, or il they strike nine bells.
it is believed that it will be the last Of
that ship.
Allegood warships go to the ''shores
Of Fiddler's Green" as q final resting
place. Just where this mythical harbor
is situated no geographer has yet decid.
ed. 1t is in every way the antithesis Of
"Dnvy Jones locker" A warshir
which goes down in battle with her
flags flying, az occurred several times
during the civil war, goes to "Fiddlcr'f
Green"
The tattooing habit is, Of course, very
common in the navy. 1t is believed tina
al arm Or Il leg decorated with the Ge
sign Of Il gun or a sword or son:e such
design will never DO lost in battle
e. Is