Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1902-02-20
OFF CAPE HORN
Lcopyrlght, 1891, by c. B. Lewis.l


the whaling ship Beacon Light when
one morning we sighted a brig which
was sailing such an eccentric course
that we knew there must be trouble
aboard. She was under plain sail only,
and we ran down to her to discover
that she was abandoned and taking
care of herself. was one of the four
men sent off in the mates boat to
board her, and when we had brought
her to the wind our captain came
aboard for a personal inspection. The
brig was the Princess of London, out
ward bound, and new craft and a
fine one. We could find nothing wrong
with her. She was as dry as bone,
all right aloft, with water and provi-
sions in plenty. She had carried a
crew of twelve, and there had been
no sickness or mutiny. The crew had
simply provisioned the boats and
showed off, leaving a stanch craft to
drive about until some gale sent her
to the bottom or current carried her
ashore on a rockbound coast Her
log was written up to three days be-
fore we found her, and it had nothing
to say of any trouble aboard.
Here was knotty problem to solve.
That good ship loaded with a valu-
able cargo should be abandoned by
full crew in midocean without SEEM
Ing excuse was puzzle beyond our
ken. After search lasting for three
hours and with nothing new coming
to the surface the mate and eight men
were put aboard as crew, and it was
decided to sail her into a Chilean port.
The salvage would pay better than
looking after whales. When. we got
SAL on her, she was found to be very
fast, ana those of us who made I'D the
crew felicitated ourselves on having
regular picnic in taking her up the
coast. All day long we kept sharp
lookout for the boats which had left
her but darkness fell without our hav-
Ing caught sight Of them. OF course
there had been talk and argument and
speculation all day long, but never
man had limited at anything SUPER
natural Sailors will tell you of haunt
ed ships, but they are always old
cfaft. With her paint hardly dry and
her rigging not yet fully stretched it
was impossible to connect the Princess
with anything uncanny A landsman
would have as soon looked for a ghost
IN new corner cottage. There was
surprise in store for us, however.
The watches had been chosen, supper
finished and the off watch sent below
when the alarm came. The four men of
the Off watch suddenly rushed on deck
from the forecastle and cried out that
murder was being done in the hold of
the ship. The matches had been taken
OF during the captains visit in the
morning and men sent down to inspect
the storage of the cargo, and the idea
that anybody could be below had not
occurred to any one. The watch re-
ported cries of distress and groans of
agony, and all of us except the steers
man made our way into the forecastle
neard the cr1es anu gro;,,ts, r S mu
tell you that they We're of a nature to
take the pluck out of man. The cap
tain at once ordered the fore hatch re-
moved, and l was ordered to take a
lantern and go down among the cargo
with him. We spent half an hour down
there, climbing about and calling out,
and during this time not groan or a
cry was heard from the unknown. No
sooner had we given up the search,
however, than they recommended, and
sail was shortened to allow the whaler
to come up. Her captain came aboard
and listened to the cries, and then we
spent two hours hosting out cargo un-
til the hold could be thoroughly rum
mayed. 1t was given such close in
Spection that not dead rat would have
been overlooked, but no human being
was found. Then the cargo was replac-
ed and the hatch put on, and the cap
tain gave us a piece of his mind. He
was yet blasting our eyes for lot OF
towards when a man who had skulked
below reported the cries again. 1t was
q knockout for the captain and an up
set for us. We stood right up and re-
| fused to stay another hour aboard the
brig. In this emergency we We're sent
off to the whaler, the second mate and
eight new men We're transferred, and
the craft made sail. Two hours later
the brig lay to and signaled, and it was
| the same thing over again.
l don't believe that sailors are more
supcrstitious than landsmen. Had this
been haunted house in city the re-
suit would have been the same The
cries and groans brought shivers to
every listener, and the new crew not
only refused duty, but not another
man would leave the whaler for the
brig. Captain and mates affected great
Indignation and We're brutal in their
language but nevertheless we knew
that they We're also under the spell.
| When daylight came, the brig was
searched from end to end, but even as
we searched we heard the strange
noises. The final result was that she
was abandoned again, and as she was
| never seen afterward she must have
! foundered in gale. We reported her