The daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 190?-1908, 1907-04-03
The GHOST SHIP
OF CAPE HORN

traditions has been struck by the Icon
oclasts Of science The United States
photographic office has calmly de-
clared that the phantom ship seen in
the vicinity of Cape Horn. the ghost
ship of lie Marie" is nothing more nor
less than rock which under certain
atmospheric conditions bears de-
cepuve resemblance to ship.
Very often ships coming from Eu-
rope to the west by way Of Cape Horn
have been startled 10 see what seemed
to be derClict with the water wash
ing over her decks II the sailors
We're of an imaginative turn Of mind
they would invest the unknown ship
with ghostly qualities and call her the
Flying Dutchman or sometimes the
ghost 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 i'll
fated Crown Of Italy, which sighted
the supposed derellct and subsoquent-
ly 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
Servla came into Seattle with the
tale OF phantom ship which almost
exactly corresponds to that given by
the Crown of Italy. The second Of
flcer OF the Norwegian vessel declared
that he had seen a derelict with sails
set and decks awash drifting in
through the strait IL was this re-
port which led the photographic Of
fee to make public the declaration
that the phantom ship was nothing but
combination Of rocks and shad-
ows.
IL seems that the numerous reports
OF derelicts or ghost ships always ap-
pearing IN about the same place led
even 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 I'm particular
which, under certain atmospheric con-
! ditions, bore deceptive likeness to
a ship. The formation of the rocks
and the shadows they cast combined
! to produce the effect of a bark rum
ming under short sails. At a distance
OF five miles the place will be marked
with the words Rock bearing the ap-
| pearance of a 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 stll further
south and rounding the Horn Itself.
Only under the most favorable wealth.
er conditions do they slip through the
Strait OF lie Maire on the outward trip,
going toward the southwest. but
never when bound for the north. For
this reason many old sailors have
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 a mi.
mute description of the rock and who
testified to its striking resemblance
to a ship. 1t 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 a gale. The whole forma.
tion is very dark. as II the hull were
painted black and the sails weather
beaten. IL 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 conglom-
Grafton OF black rocks. The perpet.
ual fog 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 a great white
rock looking like three-masted
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 is
4 rock known as French Fiigate
rock, because once upon a time a
French frigate went ashore on Il.
The cliffs looked so much like a shin
that the frigate was deceived and
thought she was meeting another ship.
st. Paul island in the middle Of the
Atlantic is said to look very much
like a ship when approached from a
certain direction, but II is a place
which mariners prefer to give a wide
berth.