The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-10-06
JACK TARs sUPERsT1r1oNs.

Although the advance of steam
has changed thousands of sailors into
firemen and deckhands, yet the sail
ing tonnage of the world is still great,
and there are still sailors of the old
bluewater type afoat.
The dislike of the real sailor to
sail on Friday is we'll known. Once,
down in Connecticut, they built a
ship to combat this superstition.
Her keel was laid on Friday, she was
launched on Friday, was namsd
Friday and sailed on her f., sor.. s.
On Friday. Uufortuflels
success of the experine q.
voyage of the Friday w
After she had passed out b
she was never heard of mo
ocean and hoodoo blotted her
ever.
1t is mighty unlucky thiny
paint vessel blue. Now aud the-
one sees eoasting schooner which
defes the hoodoo, but rarely. If you
ever see a blue painted schooner in
port just watch out. 1t will rain
within twenty-four hours and there
will in all probability be long spell
of wet weather. At sea the blue
painted schooner brings storms and
other misfortunes as in port she
brings rain.
There is the schooner Donna 7.
Briggs of Stonington, which went
successfully on many a flbustering
expedition to Cuba until her owners
painted her blue. She was captured
on the very next trip by Uuited
States gunboat. She is still painted
blue and goes up and down the coast
but at every port she puts into the
people say: Look out 70. rain
the Donna T. Briggs is in port.''
And then it raius.
Real sailors, if such there be, on a
transatlantic liner are so accustomed
to having clergymen as passengers
they do not mind it; but deepsea
sailor on blue water wind -jammer"
would be mighty uneasy if ''sky-
pilot" went along as a passenger.
If the ship reached port without Sc
we're storm and disaster he would as
cribe the fact to the efficacy of some
approved talisman which he carried
about him. Likewise a dead body
on board is the terror of your real
sailor, and he never feels safe until
the corpse is put ashore. Even on a
transatlantic liner when dead BODY
is shipped over the fact is kept as
quiet as possible for the sake of the
feelings of the crew.
Most animals on board ship bring
luck. Ships mascots are scattered
over the seas in the shape of live
stock of various sorts from Greenland
10 Cape Horn. But black cat is an
exception. A black cat is a hoodoo
OF the worst sort. Sometimes bold
ana vensuresome ships officer or an
Abandoned sailor who likes to tempt
fate will bring black cat on boar
and then there is trouble.
Once, in war time, Captain ssn...
OF the British navy was cruisine a
the Italian coast looking for prizes
Not sail did he sight for days. The
men knew what was the matter
There was black cat on board.
Naturally they mutinied and de-
manded that the beast be removed.
"All right" said Captain Stuart,
overheard with the black cat.'
But the sailors protested that to
throw the black cat overheard would
be worse than having it on board, for
if a ship is unfortunate with black
cat as passenger it goes to sudden
and sure destruction if the pesky
beast is killed.
"Well, what shall be done with the
catl" asked the captain, willing to
oblige in any way.
The spokesmen for the mutineers
replied that the ship must be run
close to the shore, boat lowered
away and the sable feline Of male
violent influence left on the beach.
This was done and that same night
they took the richest prize ever cap
tured in the Mediterranean.