The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-04-30

quarantine at Cape Haytien, and thu
body could not he buried on shore;
neither could they buy screws for tho
coffin, wien it was found that there
were none on board. Admiral Evans,
continues the narrative in "A Sailors
Log" published by D. Appleton IL
Company, as follows:
THE coffin had to be nailed up,
which was anything but a pleasant
performance. as the carpenter, a, little
nervous, L suppose, hit tho coffin iii
much oftener than he did the heads
of the nails. | never understood why
the captain insisted on buryng the
body in IL coffin, but he probably had
a reason of his own which he did NOS
contide TO lis.
Just before sundown two boats We're
called away and dropped to the gang
way--one for the body and the other
to tow it out to sea, where 1t was to he
buried. All hands We're called to bury
the dead. and | was ordered to take
charge of the boats when everything
was ready. The coffin was placed on
the quarterback. the officers and mcr
paraded, and the captain had pro-
nounced a few words of the burial ser
Nltt, NitIl Al ibuub eIoioiSS' StN""
was heard, and the lid of the coffin
slowly raised several inches. 1t was
the most terrifying sound l ever heard
in my life. and the effect was start
ling; most of the men bolted forward,
and the. officers were very pale. / was
standing near the head of the coffin.
and my legs We're only prevented from
CARRYING me away by the fact that
fin urint1inr thl
spokcs of the wheel. The trouble was
soon manifest: the gases formed in
the body had caused it to swell and
lift the lid of the coffin, and the nails
in drawing out had made the awful
noise that had, SO startled over three
hundrer men.
"rhere was some delay i'm gettinp
things ready again, and when finally
left the ship with a crew of petty off
Gers. towing the boat with the body in
il, the moon had risen, out over the
bar We went pitching into a rather
rough sea until | thought we had reach
ed the right spot, when the boat was
hauled up alongside and the body con,
signed to the deep. Then We started
back for the ship, We had gone only
a few hundred yards when the men tel
into d perfect panic; some of them ever
dropped their oars overheard, and al
hands stopped pulling, their faces white
and terror stricken. The stroke oar -
splendid specimen of manhood, fairly
shook as he said to me. He's coming,
sir,' | turned, and looking out to sea
VAS not surprised at the condition ol
the men, for | was Mortified myself al
what | saw. The coffin was standing
upright in the wlter, and as 1t ros'
on the seas it seemed, in the moon
light to be making great jumps after
us. II certainly WAS most nerve
shattering sight, especially after the
unpleasant scene ON board ship There
was only one thing Ia do. and after
quite a struggle with the men we pull
ed back, knocked the head of the coffin
i'm and allowed il to sink, 1t was the
most uncanny job ever did in my life
! think, and | was glad wher
we got back on board and the
boats hoisted up. No real dan
ger could have frightened any
one of the crew; they We're a splendid
manly lot, and showed great spirli
when in action; but just touch of the
supernatural, the least bit, and they
were ready to hide their heads in the
bottom of the boat"