The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-02-02
HOODOOS OF THE SEA.


War Resaca and Her Unfortunat
Experiences with Feline Pets.
Men who go down to the sea in ship
may not be more superstitious by ma
ture than their fellows, but in that won
derful eXpanse of sky and water tn
smallest incident of mysterious ma
ture is magnified into an omen. Tha
sea with supernatural powers and mis-
understood it's messages is not surpris
ing, since modern science and the mos
enlightened understanding fail to &C
count for its battling vagaries. Tha
is why a strange bird settles on the
masthead Of ship at sea causes a
panic among the crew, not man OF
whom would dare to harm the stranger
guest for fear of shipwreck and death.
But the worst hoodoo of ship is a
cat. Stories Of the i'll luck brought on
ehipboard by q. cat have become nisto-
~. The cats Of the steam sloop Of war,
the Resaoa. the boat detailed for spec
tal duty in the survey of the isthmus of
Panama, made themselves famous by
the perslstoncy with which they caused
disaster. The first one was washing
her face on deck when she suddenly
disappeared as If she had been an as
trail body and two days later the sailor
whose pet she was fell overheard and
was drowned.
Six months later the Resaca anchored
off the coast of Callao, and new cat
was found. But one day an American
who was I'll and homesick came on
board to see his countrymen, and the
cat jumped on the ships rail as soon as
she saw him, scratching and mewing as
/ if possessed. She would have gone
overheard, but the men jumped to the
rescue and locked up their second pet
for safe keeping. But the vigilance Of
pussy's guard relaxed, and she was on
deck when the American stranger came
the next day and this time the cat
jumped into the water and was
drawned, and the American visitor died
on the ship before daylight the next
morning. Nothing would persuade the
crew into belief that the one disaster
was not the cause of the other.
But the end was not yet After long
cruise the Resaca put into the harbor
of Talcahuano, and here one of the men,
who was less superstitious than the
rest, obtained fine kitten, which took
kindly to all on board and grew to be
great pet, being NoA3 of the ships cats
and an improvement upon it's predeces-
eors
p,,t I'll i
herself in mad race after rat. The
men got together and predicted bad
luck. when the captain of the starboard
watch of the after guard said, Boys, 1
feel bad" and staggered against the
bulwarks. Before he could be helped
he died, holding his throat with both
hands and saying with his last breath,
"All throttled here" There was never
naother cat taken on board of the Re-
SAGA.
Spanish sailors on certain days of the
week or month Law aloft at sunset and
beat the sheaves and pins of the blocks
to drive the devil out of the gear, and
the noise they make Is a horris din.
This is said to have originated in an
order given which resulted In disaster.
A certain Spanish squadron that had
been anchored some time was sur
prised by the enemy and could not
make sail and escape, as all the blocks
were rusted and useless.
The Spanish sailor has no prejudice
against starting out on voyage on
Friday, that being the day on which
Columbus started on his voyage Of dis
covery English and American sailors
Will not sail on that day If they can
help it. They would consider the whole
trip hoodooed by such beginning.
A sneeze at sea would hoodoo the ship
unless it happened to turn to the right,
when it brings good luck. Sailors have
faith in odd numbers and naval gun
ners carry out this belief in the num-
Der of times they fire a salute.
Whistling for wind is another favor
lite superstition of the man before the
mast. This is a trick when ships are
becalmed, as whistles rash bid tenn
pests roar" A "capful of wind" or "a
bagful' usually defines the quantity.
The phantom ship so often seen by
1avigators is not purely the apparition
VI romance, but mirage, something
almost as wonderful, but not of the SUI
Oefnatural order.
The horseshoe is still popular con-
by sailors to the fetch of good
uck. distinguished precedent is
given for this. Lord Nelson believed
n the luck of the horseshoe and had
me nailed to the mast of his ship
A peculiar superstition is that If wo-
men are taken on board voyaging
hip some disaster will follow This /
nay be the reason why no government
hip is allowed to carry women passen-
ers. Sailors, too, prefer a ship that
as masculine name or is called after :
ONE man or is geographical. A line
f steamers will often employ a certain
election Of names TO the exclusion of
II Others The Cunard steamers end
III their names with ia Captains
re quite as superstitious as their
rews, though of better education, and
hat may account for the names of
ailing vessels being identical with that
wife or sweetheart. Certain names
re known in the history Of nautical
as hoodoos. They have
cen painted over and other names
but bad luck attended the
nip, and not even reconstruction saved
Then, if the name must be fenni-
inc, the crew want something they