The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-03-09
SHIPS, ON MAINE COAST.
..,men Who Claim That they
The Phantom Vessels.

4. ..,men Who Claim That 'ney
.,.. Seen the Phantom Vessels
go are still living in Harpsweil'
Nv .sed men who believe in the
y. "a ship picturesque tradition
ss n:,- 10 them from childhood and
ad,lv accepted as truth by these old
un tho sea. who share the super
.s,ous of all sailors and whose
s..ies lean to the romantic and pc
uesque. .,o or1v locality
=. - numbers a phantom ship amons
~ .-editional and misty belongings,
hsr nhantom has been immortal
- tho verse Of Lonsfellow and IS
- - distinguished from the common
=. If ghost ships that are tod q
! ship chandlesss all along shofe
,ron s- Eastport to<tery. LongfelloV
~ the story Of y Xasrpswell ap-
n =. from old saituT OF HarpsWeA
r.r Who we're full Of snperstitious
,.rs and believed in their romances OF
$. sea as much as they did IN the
.ries Of John Paul Jones or the 1lgAI
= Mahegan between the Enterprise
| nd the Boxer. .,,.
Mo Harpswell people declared that
:. dead ship came often TO their
so,ec although she never reached
:. harbor. She came always at dusk
IA generally in stormy weather. ap-
,..ring in the ofting and coming
s,ieht on, with all sail set, only TO
u. avay like a mist when close IN.
- ouly the Harpswell folk, but the
sAermen Of the islands OF Casco Bay,
kieyed in the phantom, and IN the
| a omen Of her coming-that her APP
rarance of shore was sure sl5A
| ut within a month Grape would aahs
IN the door Of one Of those Who
II ceen her. Longfallow. who mad
a,ut much time in the company oI
Nss sailor-fshermen, heard and vas
hniisr with all their tales, and se-
kting the most picturesque q thss1
l u voye them into the poem that Is 50
| hniiar TO readers OF his works.
The aIarpswell tars r9id the rect a-l
Is details of the ghost ships Sp-
,nran,e-how she seemed always 90
rme IN a fog or mist, although tie
yathe, at the time might IL perfectly
In. No crew was 10 lie seen upon
ig desks. no hand st Lcr helm and
a zane on with neither flap Of sail
s. weak of block-lihe a Teri,a5le
prit ship. She was much Ike the
uebrated Flying Dutchman Or the
1kantom vessel OF Coleridge's Ancient
lhriner."
III the days when LCnsfelloU formed
n friendship ct Harp5well there were
Aiu living upon the Neck o,d men who
hew the name that WAS borne by the
lhlatom ship when s1e was . reality
n oak and iron and sailed the seas
viii sturdy Yankee crew. The
lhermen affirmed that they had been
PERSONALITY acquainted with her cap
~ and with members Of her crew,
dlM whom were lost when the ship
Hat down on the reefs off the Neck
M thus became a phantom; and the
ped tells us that in his day there
It u the shipyards of Freeport aged
n who had hewed the heavy Oaken
uAhers that made her frame. From
j. this the belief of early Harpsweu
II II the phantom ship seems natural
@oush, and their belief has been
handed down in the present genera
um, although no one claims to have
~ the phantom in recent years. Her
- appearance, it is said, was about
year 1878, at which time she was
- BY four or five persons, some Of
nam we're positive as to the arpan-
20 looming up of Haryswell Netk
~ November dusk --TbomastM
1sald.