The Grit-advocate., 1901-08-02
SHIvERINC TALES TOLD OF OLD
OCEANS MYSTERIES.
Haunted HuIks Which PlOw the Great
Trsck'es Main-strange Forms Which
startls superstitious Sea- mon Tho
Flying Dutohman Seen or Cape Horn.

in country graveyards at midnight.
But there's not house. no matter
how black and dismal and how far
back from the public road it may be
sitting, nor how many murders may
have been committed within its walls
years ago, that can compare in super
natural terrors with the haunted ships
with their crews of dead men that
haunt the trackless waves Of the
ocean. And there's not ghost on
land. no matter how many grave
yards he may prowl around. nor how
many old mansions he may rattle
chains in and groan and disport him
self. that can hold up his head for one
minute in the presence OF one of the
grisly. grinning matted dark ghosts
tnat ships as A. B. on 4 ghost ship.
acre is an air OF vagueuess and
unreality anyhow about the ocean that
place for ghosts than the prosaic
shore. The great tcackless. uufath-
omed. mysterious deep. With its cen
turtles of nameless horrors still locked
firmly in it's silent BOSOM is the
proper place for ghosts. AID so it is
no wonder that they who 90 down to
the sea in ships believe As firmly in
spirits and spirit ships and rowing
hulks with crews Of men dead CEN
turtles agoEe as they believe in their
own existence. One OF the spectral
ships best known to lanismen gener-
ally is the Flying Dutchman, with
which Capt. Marryat made his readers
acquainted. The Flying Dutchman was
trying to round the Horn some time
The ship was repeatedly driven back
by contrary wind and tides until the
ships captain, Vanderdecken. swora
fearful oath he would round it if it
took till judgment day. Vanderdecken
was taken at his word. and now for
three centuries he and his worn crew
have been battling to round the cape.
Sailors watch with fear and trembling
when their shipA are rounding the
Horn, afraid that every moment may
bring into view the spectral Flying
Dutchman. 1t is believed that every
appearance of the Flying DutChman will
be followed by death or misfortune to
some of the crew Of the ship that sees
it. Off the stern. rock bound coast Of
New England is not inf-aquently seen
the ghost of the ship Palatine. whose
appearance scudding in the teeth OF
gale is always supposed to betOken dis
aster. The Palatine was Dutch trad
ing vessel which was wrecked on Block
Island in 1852. The wreckers. who by
means of false beacons along the shore
had lured the ship to its doom. made
short work of the vessel. They stripped
the ship of everything movable and
then set fire to the hall to conceal the
traces of their work AS the boat lift
ed up by the tide noated away down
the channel a piercing scream was
suddenly heard from the cabin and =
woman clad in white. but wreathed
around in red flames. was seen stand
ing in front of the mainmast She
had been passenger on the ship and
had hidden below to escape the wreck
ers. She burned to death in sight of
the people along the shore, and since
that time the ghost of the Palatine
with the figure of a woman in white
standing in front of the mainmast has
been seen hundreds of times by sail
ors cruising in those waters. The dead
ship of Salem is well known off the
Massachusetts shore. Just 90 years ago
the ship was ready to sail to England
when two mysterious people. whom
none in the village had ever seen be-
fore, came hurriedly aboard and Sc