The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1907-04-20
OCEAN IS HAUNTED
GHOSTS OFTEN SEEN AT sEA.
SAYS A SAILOR.
Come Aboard, Seemingly, to Visit, and
Not to Do Harm-Their Appear
ance Looked Upon as q
Warning.

IAN old sailor told me that ghosts
are common enough at sea-, says .
writer in the Manchester Guardian.
HE says that some parts of the
ocean are full of spirits, and that
others have none.
They are not often seen Only
common ghosts are seen, according to
the old sailor. He says that they
often come aboard ships. but not to
do harm; that the early morning is
the best time to see them, a little
before turn-to time, before the ships
cook has the coffee ready.
There is an old story of ship
which carried an extra hand who had
never signed articles. The crew dis
covered, when they were in blue wa
ter, that one watch had q man too
many.
Il once knew. q sailor who had
sailed in a haunted passenger steam
er. She was one of the ships plying
between the Plate and Liverpool, but
I cannot mention her name, as she ID
still afoat. She has one popularity,
q poop as big as the poop of an East
lndiaman.
This poop is haunted. The sailor
who told me of the ghosts was one
If the ships Quartermasters. On one
passage, when the ship was in the
tropics, he had the middle watch be-
ow. The fo'c's1e (which happened to
be aft, under the poop) was 30 hot
that he could not sleep.
"At last he turned out Of his bunk.
took a blanket and pillow and went
on deck to sleep. He made up his
bed on the poop to leewerd of one Of
the boats, and settled down to rest
at about three in the morning, just
as the dawn had begun to change the
color of the sky.
He did not know how long he
slept; but he woke up with q start
to see line of men grooming down
the poop toward him with a boatswaiz
In front of them. swilling buckets OF
water on to the deck as they worked
aft. He saw them as plainly as I see
my dinner on my plate, some three
or four yards away, all working hard.
They were so near that he sprang to
his feet at once, grabbing up mis- gear
lest 1t should be wet.
He had hardly taken his gear In
his hand when he thought with Z
shock that he had oversight himself
at least an hour and q half; that 1t
was now half past i've, since they
were washing decks; that he hadn't
been to muster and that he would get
q bee in his ear, II nothing worse. for
going on deck to sleep without leav-
ing word where he could be found.
As he got up he saw that the boat
swain and the hands took no notice OF
him, though one of the sweepers
looked in his direction.
HE was a red-headed fellow said
the quartermaster. and he'd got a
scar across one cheek like he'd been
hit by club; an ugly looking lad he
was. So knew at once he wasn't
one of our crowd.
And saw him as plain as stand
here, and he looked at me; and saw
the boatswain as plain, too; saw
him tell the red-hezded fellow to
heave round on his broom and not 60
dreaming like God send Sunday fel-
low. No. didn't hear him say that
! only seen him.
"'And the fellow, he went on
hrorunsnO doxuu ds~ock1xy 7 -oc~ A.
get told. felt queer all over: 1t was
SO natural. wasn't dreaming. was
awake all right. It was a vision. Or
If 1t wasn't vision I'll tell you what
It vast was sent
1T was sent as a warning. That
red-headed fellow was a warning.
Some time l shall meet that red
headed fellow, and you mari my
words. he'll give me queer push,
sure.
SO shall stand from under when
/ come alongside of him. I'd know
him again II saw him. all right.
Some day shall see him.
The vision or warning, or what
ever it was, kept him awake for the
rest Of the watch. He went below to
the fo'c's'le, having had enough of
the poop. and found that he had been
asleep hardly more than 20 minutes.
There is something wrong with
that poop. 1t is not a canny place.
Il know of another queer thing
which happened there. and Of man
-
q boat to prophesy of what should
happen to him in a years time. The
prophecy seemed to every one the
most crack-brained nonsense; but 1t
was fulfilled exactly. almost to day.
certainly within week of the time
predicted"
One Method Of Praetlclnq Law.
When Grover Cleveland was prac-
a IL