The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-10-23
THE FOE OF MYTHS

Is Stcam-Sailor superstitlonS Rapid.
Is disappearing From Memory.
,Luekless Friday has Lapsed Intoa
Tradition
Not the least OF the mighty changes
wrought by the advent of steam as a
motive power at sea is the alteration it
has made In the superstitlous notions
current among seamen from the earliest
days Of seafaring. In the hurry and
stress OF the misunderstanding life there
is little scope for the indulEehc- of any
fancIes whatever. and the old sea tradi.
lions have mostly died out for lack Of
suitable environment,
Perhaps the first old BELIEF to 30 was
that sailing on n Friday was to court
certain disasters. All old sailors dwell
with unholy gustc upon the legend or
the ship that wRs commenced on Fri
DIV, finished on a Friday. named the
Friday, commanded by Captain Friday
sailed on a Friday. Rnd-foundered on
the same luckless day with all hands
as warning to all reckless ship owners
and skipperS. But steam has changed
loading or dlRchArging began to be
reckoned not in days, but In hours, the
notion OF defining her in port for a
whole day in Difference TO an Idea be-
cnme too ridiculous for entertainment,
md Il almost Immediately died nat
urnl death, This, OF course. had Its
effect upon the less hastily worked snll-
inK vessels, although there are still to
he found in British sailing vessels mas
ters who would uGc a good deal Of ar
tjflce to avoid sailing on that day.
Among the Spanish, Italian, Aus
trnlIan. and Greek sailing vessels, how
ever, Friday Is still held In most super
stitlous awe. And on Good Friday
there Ia always a regular carnival on
board these vessels, the yards being a.
lowed to hang Mt all sorts OF angles, the
penr flung IIlsheveled and loose, while
an efIiEy OF Judas Is subjected to all the
ab,ise and indignlty that the lively Inn
npInatious OF the seaman can devise.
Finally tho efIgy Ia beEmearcd with
tnr. n rope is attached to It, which Is
tbon mn through a block at the main
ynrdnrm, It is set nlight, and, amid the
frantic wells and executions OF the seq
men. II IL slowly swung nloft to dhngle
and blnze. willie the excited mariners
uSe up their remaining energies In Il
wild dance. ,
Another supcTstitltIoh that still sur
wives in sailing vessels everywhere 49,
strangely enough. connected with the
rscaIcitTrnt prophet Jonah. II TO-,
boweyer confined TO his bringing mis-
Fortune upon the chip In which he sail
cd and seldom Is any ,alluslon made to
hIs miraculous cngulAng by the spe--
cITlly prepared great fish. II does not
take n long series Of nlsfortuncS over
taxing a ship Ia convince her crew
fhnt 4 linenl descendant Of Jonah ana
nm inheritor Of his dlEagrcenble dlHdunl-
ifcntIOn liz passenger SO deeply
rooted ia this idcn that when once It
hoE been aroused with respect to any
ynember of n ships company TINT per
gon ia In evil cnse, and, given hitting
onnortunity, would actually be In dam
geT nf Ills life. This tinge 81 religious
Snnnticlgm cropping up among n class
az men who, 10 put II Mildly. are NOT
rsrIn rkRblc for their knowledge OF
SoTinture. also shows itself IN connee,
lion with the paper upon which good
words" nre printed II IL an unhe1rd
Of 'rnlEgencGnor IN board snip 20 de-
stroy or put TO common use such pa