The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-12-17

niFh seaF after shutdown ard the trum-
prt-toncd wind drove the snow into our
faces like nintstones OUr bridge was
fringed with The frozen spray. and tie
decks rcscmblpd glass. % was a terrible
PLIGHT 90 he In. with nftS miles OF snake
around az 10 lccward. Writaing, coiiins
sea serpent Of the horned variety chose
abcam, swailowing shark after che lat
ter hal killed an alligator, gigundc
octopus on Our port quarter and the No
Pity Reefs ahead. DO you wonder iha,
my hair Is gray! Man alive, marvel
that survived a."
cruise OF the striker.
Give somebody else chance. Hawse
Fpc." bawlct Carrck Bend Let Reef
Tackle eel the gent about The cruise 90
the Dolphin Striker. Make saugwaN
there for r. r."
"ICs q short story. said Reef Tackle
kittenishly. eve was .allug along as
quietly as yer please with the Mind ahaft
OF the beam. and everything drawing ano
Lake Michigan never looked uuct. ON
cabin boy. who happened 70 he sittiug 40
the heel Of the b0wsprit. saw D. ufsi aud
the next thiue We ran plumb into o. She
simply pulled our obi hulk to pieces, and
while We were struggling in the water
looking Tor p4cces 81 wrcckugc trom the
poor Dolphin Striker We had ample cline
20 see what the monster looked Ike. Per-
I sonally I am sure that this sea serpent
hal a sau in. which he showed up AMI
down like "A disappearing target IL had
a head llhc a monkey. coat like seal.
skin like notified soap and a back tnai
shone like silver. lie chcwed up the end
OF the plank that I Was clingnE 90 JUS
a. a dog would chaw up bone Delay
ing Pin. the cabin boy. Says tnai thc body
was bent up and down Ia several curves
about six feej iu derSh. The head was
concealed ia the water, all save an
eye which nNed rs gaze on HIM
The scrpens was quietly on the sur
face summing Itself aud Belayins Fin is
sure that nobody but the serpent VAS
| lying II closed It's port optic and slowly
opened "a again. This q did half dozen
times. winking like a good fellow. single
whip. out skipper who was also among
che saved. said when We landed that the
animals head was as big as "A steamer 3
funnel with eyes a. large as wash tubs,
and IL had a sort OF name ana scales.
I Ii opened its mouth several times ana
permitted the skipper 20 gaze a. "a seven
I fashom smile. Timber Hilton, our mat"
/ saw that it carried "A horn above its eye.
/ / don't know which eye. There were
I peculiar FMS At the base 81 the horn and
/ these fine Nere about as long as man
/ finger. and seemed 10 have the power 81
! motion It's neck was ~ fee through. We
I we're ln the water about nNc hours when
I the monster disappeared. The most Of us
\ clung 10 pieces Of wrecknge for ave days
before We were picked up. You see. that
sea monster had broken us nap into such
small bits chat one man only could trust
] himself 20 each plank. We held on 60
the wreckage with one hand and that
we hight NOT get separated We each
I grabbed the other fellows plank aud thus
keps together We suffered horribly with
thirst during those i've days. and 50 was
not until We got up the morning after
/ landing on shore tha' we read IN the news
raper that We We're a pack Of looms ln nos
I drinking the water that We were swim
ming in for those 1--WE long days. BY the
/ great yardarm burton. u makes me- gro"l
/ even now 20 think Of u. dare say shat
/ several Of our mates died believing tnat
/ IL was salt water"
The spook ship.
That's right. growlr rejoined Par
buckle. Everybody here has his growl
| pa ] ever tell You about the time we
were chased by a spook Ehip2 Well us
/ worth repeating. specially as the gent
has never heard H. / was second mate la
I the shecpshank at the time ana we were
gcinE home % Portland. First. OF all
we got stranded on some seawecds and the
wind failed us. Some OF our men were
! half-frightened 20 death because they
! had heard tell OF a vessel that ran into
"a bed OF seaweeds and all hands starved
! 10 death and were found there hy q
/ steamer A slant OF wind got uH out Of
ibis scrape. however. and we went along
smoothly for nineteen DAYS. when We
met a whale circus travelling 90 tho
southwark and doing a series Of giant
acrobatics as they went along.
I'VE hadn't gone moro than htteen
along and ate up the tanrall log. ana
then We knew for certain Ne were 20
nave hard luck. Well. Il came AT last
| We were soaring la a gale that clasped
hands under our keel and lifted her clear
OF the mad waters only 20 send as down
/ with hatch combings under We struck
Z something that afternoon ana found 90
10 be miles 81 porposes, and We huns
aground on them for several hours or
until the sea got roughcr and started
! them on la leap-frOg fashion Most OF
the port watch was standing under che
break OF the poop that night when We
gaw the spook ship Tor the first time
/ She VAS heading straight for us. I have
been cast away among cannlhals ana iu
the Jaws Of a shark almost. but the ap-
pcarance OF this phantom ship frightened
me more than anything In my experience
| Everybody peercd into the darkness to
/ see the NNNAilfN AttlNE NNttAH AAAtAhf anu
| everything from forecourHc 90 mizzen-
skysan and from ibtopsail TO spanker
appeared 10 be full and drawing. She
| crossed our hawse a. n We were stand
/ irg still. but came 50 close that BY run
ming forward we could see her decks
| There wasn't a soul on them. The next
day we fell Ia with q jolly boat that
vas being pulled for dear life. When We
overlook her we saw that her crew were
/ only naked skeletons. They had hldeous
/ grlns. and their eyes were ablaze with
q horrld tire. not Of earth. No mistak.
about them being dead men, with rotten
cars stnl Rripped IN their bony hands
/ We always believed that this phantom
| Jolly boat belonged 90 the spectral ship
I that we saw the night before a."
Met Veteran.
The marine editor WIS coming along tho
gates TO rci0in bis hackman. that thc
| trolley cars had spared when he ran
afoul OF the Oldest shellback OF them all
fIe looked a thorough sailorman from
keel TO truck. lie had nautical instru-
ment in his hand and his face was scar
red with storm ana age
when were YOU shipwreckodg' the
editor asked.
But the veteran mariner stared into
space and made no reply
''TeH me about the octopus that came
near ending your days. and the water
srout chat almost engulfed your craft"
he begged.
No reply from the stopped figure before
him.