The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-02-02
Mystery Of The Flying
DutChman Is Solved

The mystery which has surrounded
the phantom ship of THE Flying
Dutchman" has just been solved in a
thoroughly practical and essentially
characteristic Notwithstanding me
thod.
To give the solution briny, the phan-
tom ship, which has sent numerous
ships to Davy Jones's locker, has been
found to be rock off Cape Horn
Those who are familiar with the old
legend must be aware that all YER
sions assign the region sailed by
the ominous Flying Dutchman to the
waters off the Cape of Good Hope.
Notwithstanding this locale of the
phantom ship, it is probable that the
discovery off the southern coast of
Patagonia-or rather Terra del Fueg
of "a genuine modern ghostly ship,
which has made Cape Horn one of the
most dreaded passages to mariners,
may serve to explain how the legend
of Vanderdecken, the Flying Dutch
man, originated.
ORIGIN OF THE LEGEND.
AS the origin of the legend has new
er been very clearly assigned to any
particular circumstance, and, in fact,
has usually been regarded by folllloT-
lists as the Middle Ages, there is rea-
son to believe that the superstition had
it's rise from some such isolated rock
as has been just discovered. For some
reason, which may not be given off
hand, sailors, especially the men who
still handle and manipulate sailing
ships, are more or less prone to see
ing things" at sea. They do see many
remarkable manifestations of nature,
and as their tales are usually told to
persons who have never had expert
ence on the great oceans off the tracks
of ocean greyhounds," the mariner
is seldom, if ever, believed.
There are, indeed, Two great govern
mental departments which accept the
sailors "yarn'-that is, if it is set
down in the logbook and is vouched
for by the master of n ship. These
departments are the United States Hy
geographic Office and the Survey Of
flee of the British Admiralty. I'M
proof of this the curious can see in
the photographic Office immense
charts on which various data, supplied
by mariners, are written. After a
while, if the data have not been de-
clared fallacious by some other mari
ner, they become permanent part of
the next printed map. In this way
many previously unknown islands are
charted. and some of these subse-
uuently have to be erased from the
chart because another shipmaster
sailing over the same course declares
the island is not there.
PHANTOMS OF THE DEEP.
The Pacific Ocean is fairly well dot
ted with phantom Islands," 1t isl
not unlikely that real islands, under
certain atmospheric conditions and
the play of the light upon them, fire.
quently figure in the logs as passing
ships, or as derelicts. These are the
phantom ships, and when they lie in
such a dangerous course as that of
Cape Horn, which is a veritable port
of missing ships" it is not remarkably
that the sailor, who has the supersti-
ton of his class, breads the passage
and begins to think there may be
truth in the story of the Flying Dutch
man.
All of the versions of the Flying
agree The best-known versions are
Wagner's "Fliegende Hollander;"
Wills's drama, in which the late Sir
Henry Irving played the titular role,
and in which the hero is named Van
derdecken; Captain Marryat's novel,
1.-THE Phantom Ship" and Sir Walter
Scott's brief explanation. 1t is Ger
man legend and an English legend as
well. Owing to the British interest
in South Africa, where the Dutch
had settled, the Cape of Good Houe
very naturally becomes the scene Of
Vanderdecken's amending labors.
SPECTRE OF THE CAPES.
1t was only during the storms off
the Cape that the Flying Dutchman
was visible to sailors. The spectral
vessel was distinguished from earthly
ships by bearing a press of sail when
all others were unable, from stress
of weather, to show an inch of canvas.
While they were being plunged ahead
under bare poles, the Flying Dutch
man was forging through tremendous
seas, with every sail set.
According ~ one legend, Dutch
captain, bound home from the Indies,
met with long-continued head winds
and heavy weather off the Cape of
Good Hope, and refused to put back,
as he was advised to do, swearing a
profane oath, such as only the prof.
cient mariner is able, that he would
beat round the Cape, if he had to
beat there till the Day of Judgment,
He was taken at his word, and doom
ed to beat against head winds all his
days. His sails were belived to have
become thin and sere, his ships sides
white with age, and himself and crew
reduced almost to shadows. He could
not heave to nor lower a boat, but at
times hailed ships through his trum-
pet and requested them to take let
fnra homo for him