The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-09-10
STEAMER sTEERED By GHOST.
Crew saw Spook at the Wheel and
Swear TO the Story.

Just twenty-six years ago this month
left Glasgow in full-rigged ship
Of the City Line. being midshipman
of the company. We were bound
around the Cape of Good Hope to
Calcutta.
We made a record run to the line in
| eighteen days. and. missing the dol
| drums, got fair wind from the west
ward.
When the locality of the De Verde
Islands the captain set the course for
the night leaving the chart on the
cabin table, with penciled course for
the second officers guidance.
In the middle watch. while was on
deck on the opposite side of the roof
| deck from the officer. the captain call
ed for me and inquired who had tam
pered with the chart. I replied that
mad seen no one go down below
through the companion way.
He then called the officer and in
quired of him; he also denied any
knowledge of the same.
He retired after changing the oen-
c1l-marked course again to the correct
course. 1t had been changed to an
other>course by some unknown person.
In about an hour the captain, in a
rage called the officer down and called
the first officer and steward out of
their cabins. and demanded who had
been playing the fool with him by
tampering with the chart Nobody
knew of the occurrence.
Disbelievtng and in a passion he
again changed the course to the cor
rect bearings. and warning the officer
lookout he went to his berth. but lay
down with the door of his cabin open,
commanding view of the saloon
table with chart in sight.
In about twenty minutes. while all
were watching, man dressed in an
ordinary black gentleman's suit came
from the fore part of the saloon. out
of the companionway and approach
fr7r he - hl Ia
course back again the third time, head
ing US out of our course
The captain. dumfounded at first at
a stranger on a merchant vessel when
three weeks out of port. said nothing,
but recovering himself he sprang out
of his bunk. roaring: who are you -
The person. pointing to the chart.
started toward the companionway. the
captain springing after him.
In the cOmpanionway he vanished
No one ever came on deck, where
We were waiting TO catch him. having
seen all. and thinking possibly 1t was
stowaway, though how he could
have lived and where hidden himself
was incomprehensible-
All hands were then called, and
complete search of the ship made, the
must have slipped past US on deck.
doubling the possibility of the van
fshing being no believer in spiritutl
manifestations until then No trace of
anybody was found
Then the ca ptain. after comforting
with the officers. changed the orders
and we followed the course given by
the appariticn. The next morning
at about we came UP to a boat load
of people who had taken to the boat
from a burning ship
on the boat approaching the rail.
man cried out. There is the man I
saw in my dream pointing to the
canptain- He claimed to have seen the
captain and to know that he would be
saved by him in dream the previous
night
Yet the man was not dressed like the
apparition. nor did he look like him.
Four parties saw the appariIion, the
second officer. captain. man at the
wheel and myself. This account was
logged and can be verifed--New
York World.