The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1907-05-02
JACK TAR'S SUPERSTITIONS.
Influenced in His Undertakings by
Sea Signs and Omens.


Sea Signs and Omens.
Although the advance Of steam
has changed thousands Of sailors int,
/ f1remen and deckhands, yet the sail
! ing tonnage of the world Is still
great, and there are still sailors O.
the old bluewater type afloat.
The dislike of the real sailor t.
sail on a Friday is we'll known. Once
down in Connecticut, they built 6
| 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 a 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 a blue painted schooner in
port just watch out. 1t will rain
within twenty-four hours and there
VIII 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 T.
Briggs of Stonington, which went
successfully on many a filbustering
expedition to Cuba until her owners
painted her blue She was captured
on the very next trip by a 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
they do not mind it; but a deep
sea sailor on a blue water wind
jammer' would be mighty uneasy II
a 'sky-pilot" went along as a passen-
ger. If the ship reached port with
out severe storm and disaster he
would. ascribe 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 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 u bold and venturesome ships /
officer or an abandoned sailor who |
likes to tempt fate will bring 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 /
IISA hAON WllcL vas luc uldIltpT.
There was black cat on board Nat /
urally they mutinied and demanded .
hat 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
De worse than having it on board, for
f ship is unfortunate with a black
'at as a passenger it goes to sudden
md sure destruction if the pesky
)east is killed.
We'll, what shall be done with the
'at?" asked the captain, willing to
,blige in any way.
The spokesman for the mutineers
'eplied that the ship must be run
lose to the shore. a boat lowered
way and the sable feline of male
Tolent influence left on the beach.
This was done and that same night
hey took the richest prize ever cap
ured in the Mediterranean