The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1906-10-25
JACK TAR'S SUPERSTTTIONs.
Influenced i'm His Under takings BY
Sea Signs and On ens.

Sea Signs and on ems.
Although the advances OF steam
has changed thousands of sailors into
6remen and deckhands. yet the SAIL
ing tonnage of the world IL still
great. and there arc still sailors Of
the odd bluewater typo afioat.
The dislike Of the real sailor to
sail on a Friday is we'll known. Onee,
down in Connecticut, they built 4
ship to combat this superstition.
Her keel was laid on Friday, she was
launched on Friday, was named the
Friday and sailed on her first voyage
on Friday. Unfortunately for the
success of the experiment the FIRST
voyage of the Friday was her last.
After she had passed out by Montauk
she was never heard of more. The
ocean and hoodoo blotted her out
forever. !.
/ 1t is mighty unlucky thing to
paint a vessel blue, Now and then
one sees a coasting schooner which
defies the hoodOo. but rarely. If you
ever see blue painted schooner in
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. r.
There is the schooner Donna T.
Briggs of 'Stonington, which went
or ,iyc
expedition to Cuba until her owners
painted her blue. She was captured
on. the very next trip by United
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 for rain. the
Donna T. Briggs is in port" And
then it rains.
Real sailors, if such there be, on a
transatlantic liner are so accustomed
to: having clergymen as passengers
tney do not mind it; but deep
sea sailor on a blue water wind
| TANNER" would be mighty uneasy If
| a 'sky-pilot" went along as a passen-
ger. If the ship reached port with
OC- severe storm and disaster he
would ascribe the fact tC 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 Green
land to Cape Horn. But a black cat
is an exception. A black cat is
hoodoo of the worst sort. Some
times bold and venturesome ships
officer or an abandoned sailor who
likes to tempt fate will bring a black
cat on board--and then there is
trouble
Once, in war time, Captain Stuart
of the British navy was cruising off
the Italian coast looking for prizes.
Not sail did he sight for days. The
men knew what was the MATTER
There was a black cat on board. Nat
urally they mutinied and demanded
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 ship is unfortunate with a black
cat as a passenger it goes to sudden
and sure destruction if the pesky
beast is killed
We'll, what shall be done with the
cat?" asked the captain, willing to
Oblige in any way.
The spokesman 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.