The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1906-12-25
THE GHOST SHIP
Of CAPE HORN

traditions has been struck by the ICON
nclasts of science. The United States
bvdrograp hic office has calmly de-
riared that the phantom ship seen in
the vicinity of Cape Horn, the ghost
shin of LIE Marie" is nothing more nor
less than a rock which under certain
atmospheric conditions bears de-
ceptive resemblance to ship.
Very often ships coming from Eu-
rome to the west by way of Cape Horn
have been startled to see what seemed
to be a derelict with the water wash
Ing over her decks. II the sailors
were of an imaginative turn OF mind
they would invest the unknown ship
With ghostly qualities and call her the
Ewing Dutchman or sometimes the
shost ship of LIE Marie, from the
strait of that name, where she was
usually seen.
One of the stories which have been
longest remembered is that OF the Ill
fated Crown of Italy, which sighted
the supposed derelict and subsequent
" went ashore. The Crown of Italy
was standing close to the jagged black
rocks at the entrance to the Strait of
lie Marie when she sighted what
seemed to be water>logged bark
drifting on the rocks Of the strait.
Many other ships rounding the Horn
have seen a similar apparition and the
photographic office has received many
reports to that effect.
Not long ago the Norwegian bark
seryia came into Seattle with the
tale of a phantom ship which almost
EXACTLY corresponds to that given by
The Crown of Italy. The second Of
ncer of the Norwegian vessel declared
that he had seen a derelict with sails
set and decks awash drifting in
through the strait. Tt was this re-
port which led the photographic Of
fee to make public the declaration
that the phantom ship was nothing but
a combination of rocks and shad-
ows.
It seems that the numerous reports
Of derelicts or ghost ships always APP
pearing in about the same place led
sven the Argentine government to be-
stir itself. A tender was sent out
from the nearby lighthouse with the
object Of making an investigation, and
1t was found that the apparition was
due to a strange freak of nature.
Among the black, jagged rocks that
lined both sides of the Strait Of LIE
Marie there was one in particular
which, under certain atmospheric con-
ditons, bore deceptive likeness to
ship The formation of the rocks
and the shadows they cast combined
to produce the effect of bark run
ming under short sails. At a distance
Of five miles the place will be marked
with the words Rock bearing the ap-
pearance of ship"
The passage through the Strait of
lie Marie is not often made. Steamers
shorten the route by going through
the Strait of Magellan, while sailing
vessels usually prefer to be entirely on
the safe side by going still further
south and rounding the Horn itself.
Only under the most favorable wealth
er conditions do they slip through the
going toward the southwest, but
never when bound for the north. For
this reason many old sailors haye
never met the ghost ship or the rock
ship. +,
Upon making inquiry among old,
sailors Of San Francisco, however, sew,
eral were found who could give mi
mute description of the rock and who
testified to its striking resemblance
to ship. It seems to be standing
head on, pointing to the south and
low In the water. The sails are short
ened as they would be in what sailors
call half gale. The whole forma-
ton Is very dark, as If the hull were
painted black and the sails weather
beaten. 1t has three masts and is
higher on the fore than on the main.
Upon coming on the side of the vessel
the illusion vanishes and the whole
thing resolves itself into a conglom-
GRAFTON of black rocks. The perpet-
ual log OF those regions Of course
helps to befuddle the vision.
The rock looking like a ship is by
no means a rare natural formation.
Almost every sailor has seen one in
some part of the world. In the Clip
perton islands there is great white
rock looking like a threemasted
schooner, leaning on the wind with
her royals set and the sun shining
on her white sails. About six or
seven miles west of Honolulu there ia
rock known as French Frigate
rock, because once upon a time a
French frigate went ashore on it.
The cliffs looked so much like ship
that the frigate was deceived and
thought she was meeting another ship.
st. Paul island in the middle Of the
Atlantic L. said To lnalx uor.r much