The Weiser semi-weekly signal. (Weiser, Washington Co., Idaho) 1904-1911, 1904-10-12
LEGENDS OF THE SEA
WEIRD SPECTRAL SHIPS DOOMED 70
ENDLESS VOYAGES.
The Flying Dutchman OF Evil Fame
Appears In Many Kinds of Sen Lore
Block Islands Fiery Reminder OF
the Wreckers of Colonial Days.

lions to which the sea has given Dlrtn
not the least interesting are those con-
corning weird spectral ships doomed
by some irrevocable decree of fate to
sail the wide seas over till eternity,
without hope of ever once entering
harbor of safety. Conspicuous among
these is the Flying Dutchman, or, rath-
er. Flying Dutchmen, for there are In
Vulnerable versions of this legend,
which have been colored and designed
to concur with the various fancies and
ideas of different nationalities.
1t is not improbable that the original
Flying Dutchman was that described
In the old Morse tradition Of viking
who had sacrilegiously stolen a ring
from the gods, and whose skeleton was
ever afterward seen seated on the
mainmast of black spectral ship en-
veloped in fire, to behold which fore
bodied wreck and disaster. A later Dan
ish variation of this story no doubt In
spired Longfellow's lines describing
ship of the dead that sails the sea
49, In tempests she appears
without helmsman steers.
Tradition says of this ship that hid
eous faced goblin invariably sat on the
bowsprit smoking horrid pipe filed
with more pernicious weed than to-
bacco, and i'll betide the luckless vessel
that encountered her, for
= q
She must go down into the deep
And perish mouse and man.
The most generally accepted version
Of the Flying Dutchman, however, Is
that of the pigheaded Dutch captain
who swore he would round the Cape Of
Storms In the teeth of terrific hur-
ricane His fatuous determination
scared the crew out of their wits and
eliminated in threats of mutiny.
Eventually they became obstreperous,
but tie bold skipper, not daunted,
clinched matters by throwing a few Of
them overheard and, terrifying the re-
malnder, reiterated his oath with
treble violence. Then an apparition
endeavored to turn him from his pur
pose, to receive most impolite, not to
say irreverent, reception. 1t doggedly
persisted and so enraged the captain
that he fired at 1t with his revolver
But instead OF hurting the ghost the
ball lodged in his own arm, at which
misfortune he, not unnaturally for a
sailor and Dutchman, became even
more sacrilegious in his expressions
de was forthwith condemned to navi-
gate his vessel forever and ever, with
gall to assuage his thirst. redhot iron
tor his hunger, forever sleepless and
without hope of arriving at port BY
The aid Of his friend Satan he was able
10 bring about disasters and tempests,
and his ship was 1.-THE harbinger of
wreck and woe" alluded to by Scott in
-Rokeby."
The French equivalent of this ship
was the Courier Hollendais, which was
said to sail around the world in twelve
hours, with terrible disasters follow
ing in her wake.
German tradition is rich in phantom
ships and tells Of one on board Of
which was a nobleman who had been
forced to leave his fatherland because
Ut a great crime and who was alleged
10 toss dice with the devil for his own
soul, while another Teutonic creation
was death ship which was supposed
10 be chock full Of murderers and Grim
jnals Of the lowest order. A skeleton
holding an hourglass stood In con-
spicuous position, and
$50 The ship was black, her masts were
black,
And her sails coal black ar death.
And the evil one steered at the helm and
laughed
And Knocked at their failing breath,
which undoubtedly must have been
most grewsome spectacle to run
against and something akin to the ap-
pearance on All Saints day of the souls
Of sailors drowned during the year, a
belief which was prevalent In this
country. 1t was saA that in the dark
ness of the night the watchmen on the
wharfs would observe a boat within
hail, and, fastening to cast it line, it
would disappear, and simultaneously
frightful shrieks would rend the air.
Block island. on the Atlantic coast
of the United States, was alleged to
have its ghostly ship, which, rising in
three pyramidal flames into the repre-
sentation Of ship, was supposed to
be perpetual reminder of the wicked
ness of its former inhabitants, who in
the colonial days cruelty lured an i'm
migrant ship on to the rocks. with
great loss Of life and then looted and
burned IL.
Another phantom ship, so the story
goes, appears occasionally off Cape
GEspoir, In the bay Of Gaspe, IN the
gulf OF st. Lawrence. She is crowded
with soldiers, conspicuous among
whom Is an officer pointing shoreward
with one hand and supporting . won.
an With the other. Suddenly he lights
10 out, there Is a sbflll cry, aud tie
slip sinks. This Is supposed 10 be fhs
ghost of . British transport which was
lost ~ tbe time " fhe Anglo, French
MaIE III Canada $780, onla. nIl.l.a