The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1909-09-10
BELIEFS OF SAILORS
PECULIAR SUPERSTITIONS OF THOSE
WHO FOLLOW THE SEA
Their Actions Largely Influenced b.
Signs and OmenS

pcopte IN tue Worius salu an OLD man
who was diseoursing from his seat
upon rusty anchor
Anything they can't understand"
went on the speaker, they explain by
magic or something supernatural.
And the life too, makes men supersti-
tious. Let young fellow who would
poohpooh the Idea OF putting of any
thing until Saturday or next week
because Friday Is an unlucky dHy,
ship before the mast, and inside OF
six months he'll be like all the rest,
full Of signs and superstitions about
this and that
Il think that one OF the beliefs most
common among seamen OF ali
classes" went on the speaker, is the
Idea that a cat on board ship will
cause her to meet with gales The
old saying Is that a cat carries a gale
In her taiI,' and the sailors believe
that when a cat frisks about the deck
she Is raising q storm The belief
that one can whistle up a wind Ia al
30 pretty generally found amonf sea-
men, although those Of the younger
sort do not believe these things 80
firmly as do most OF the older tars.
/ In my younger days I remember boys
having their ears boxed by the cap
/ tain or the mate who caught them
whistling about their duties
1T IL curious how sailors dislike
cat and how the name Is associated
with 30 many things that are un-
pleasant 90 The sailor. The cato mine
/ tails u weli-known enough, and no
sailor has any love for the gear used
In raising the anchor, such AZ the
cathead. the catfall Nthe eathook and
the catback The pig seems only to
I be second TO the cat In the bad repu-
tation Il has on Board ship. and there
are some other things which are
unlncky TO have on The water. All
I luck IN supposed 10 desert vessel
that carries dead body
II know OF but one thing that u
considered 10 bring good fortune TO
the vessel, and that IL a child The
presence OF \ child during a voyage
IL always thought 10 be a good omen.
and II II believed that no ship which
/ has q child on board Will sink On
the other hand. women are thought
ugiueky | cannot tell the reason for
this unless Il Ii that a ship II The
/ least comfortable place for 4 woman
~ the world, and the least suitable
Certain classes of people fall un-
der the sailor taboo Ministers are
sure to bring misfortune 70 any ship
that carries one out Of sight Of land. al
though the presence OF priest Il
not considered 10 be unlucky BY
! Catholic sailors. but OF all people
whom the sailor detrsts. the lawyer
II looked al with the greatest dislike.
Lawyers are particularly uniucky 10
Z have on hoard
These are some Of tho uniucky
Z things which sniioFa believe" went on
TIRE man Of the sea. reilEhtlng his
pipe. hut IN addition to these things
there nre many others In which they
1 place more or iess faith. have seen
many old tafH who believed that
Firms OF iaplanders had magic pow
era The Firms are strange. silent
people and have come 70 have the
reputation ~ being wiSsrdA Il IL
thought that they can uae this power
for either good oF bsd and they are
somewhat feared by the average sail
or II IL sometimes believed that 4
Finn can make all the rata leave =
ship II he Wishes. aud that Films have
q great deal III control over the winds.
They can raise storm by spells. and
II Il nnwise 70 anger them
= have heard old sailors toll Of ccr-
tain Firms who we're members III the
same ships company with themselves
IN past voyages who could send mes
sages 10 absent friends on shore b.
EnilH, which would light upoH the rig
ging ~ their call and repeat To the
relatives OF the iRplander The muR-
Haga that he whispered 20 them They
also told OF Finn who had a bottle
OF liquor from which ne could drink
several timeE every day without low
ering the contents. II always re-
mained just 40 full dag after dag and
week after week. There are also men
Of some other nations who are thought
70 have more than ordinary powers.
Some Of the older sailors believe
that II IL possible 10 buy a wind. as
they call Il, and by this Is meant get
ting the favor Of certain persons who
have control over the elements. There
are not many sailors now alive who
pa, much faith In this. although
have heard Of q Commodore IN the
British navy who not over twenty
years ago said that he knew where
be could buy wind II be needed one
This belief IS fast dying out among
younger men
SUNDAY has always been thought
Fortunate day 10 commence voyage.
and Friday an unlucky one This iB
belief ihat Is firnily fixed IN the
mind OF the average sailor and there
are captains who would heRitate to
leave port on Friday on account OF
TO make On the ether hand the
changes from sails TO steam are alter
Ing this rapidly and In these days
there are many vessels that cannot
AFFORD 70 lose day on account Of
superstition.
There are many creatures met
with at sea toward which sailors have
a fixed dislike They detest sharks.
which follow a ship for days, and Il
10 thought that some one on board
~ doomed TO die shortly when one or
more Of these creatures dog vessel.
The little Mother carey's chickens
which fly so far from land that they
sometimes perch upon the rigging IN
order to rest themselves are believed
TO be the messengers OF storm, and
for this reason they are aften called
tempest birds DolphinR or porpoises
are unfayorable II seen during a calm.
II have known sailors 10 hang the
end OF a rope over the side OF ship
upon leaving port. The belief Is that
absent friends or wives draw upon
this rope, causing the vessel to come
safely to home port. ! have known
men who believed that ship has a
voice, and many who think that a
ship makes her moan just az hui