Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-11-25
sUPERsTITIoUS SAILORS.
Children Bring Good Luck, But Wo'
men, Cats and Pigs Are Hoodoos.

Children Bring Good Luck, But Wo'
men, Cats and Pigs Are Hoodoos.
Sailors are the most superstitiouE
people in the world" said an old salt
who was discoursing from his seat
Iupon a rusty anchor to those Of the
wharf habitues who happened to be
labout.
Anything they can't understand
went on the speaker, after haVlne
lit his pipe in the face Of stifi
breeze. they explain by magic, OF
something supernatural. Now, at sea
there are many things that no mar
can understand, and the life, too
makes men superstitious. Let young
lfellow who would pooh-pooh the idea
of putting off anything until Satur-
day or next week because Friday is ar
lunlucky day ship before the mast and
inside of six months he'll be like all
the rest of the old salts, full of signs
and superstition about this and
that. 1t must be the influence of the
sea: it changes a man, l don't know
lust how, but it makes him ready to
believe in almost anything.
Il think that one Of the beliefs most
common among Seamen OF all classes,
went on the speaker, "is the idea that
|
meet with gales. The old saying Is
that "a cat carries gale in her tail,
| and the average sailor believes that
when a cat frisks about the deck she
is raising a storm. The belief that one
can whistle up a wind is also pretty
generally found among seamen, al
though those Of the younger sort do
not believe these things so firmly as
do most of the older tars. In my
lyounger days I remember boys having
their ears boxed by the captain or the
mate who caught them whistling
about their duties, and these men
thought that if the youngsters whis-
tied long enough and loud enough
rough weather would result.
1T is curious how sailors dislike
a cat and how the name is associated
with so many things that are unpleas-
ant to a sailor. The cat-o-nine-talls
lis we'll known enough, and no sailor
| has any love for the gear used in
raising the anchor such as the cat
head, the cat-fall, the cat-hook, and
| the cat-back. The pig seems to be
only second to the cat in the bad repu-
tation it has on board ship, and there
are some other things which are un.
lucky to have on the water. All
luck is supposed to desert a vessel
that carries a dead body.
Among sailors l know Of but one
thing that is considered to bring good
fortune to the vessel, and that is
child. The presence of a child dur
ling a voyage is always thought to be
a good omen; and 1t is believed that
no ship which has a child on board
will sink. On the other hand, women
are thought unlucky. 1 cannot tell
the reason for this unless it Is that
ship is the least comfortable place
for woman in the world and the least
suitable. Certain classes OF people
fall under the sailors taboo. Minis
ters are sure to bring misfortune to
any ship that carries one out of sight
of land, although the presence or a
priest is not considered to be unlucky
by Catholic sailors. But of all people
whom the sailors detest the lawyer
is looked at with the greatest dislike
THE name 'sea-lawyer' is the worst
term that one sailor can use toward
lanother, and is bitterly resented
Lawyers are particularly unlucky to
have on board.
"These are some Of the unlucky
things which sailors believe" went
on the man of the sea, relighting his
pipe, but in addition to these things
There are many others in which they
place more or less faith. 1 have seen
lmany old tars who believed that
Firms, or Laplanders, had magic pow
ers. The Firms are strange, silent
people, and have come to have the
Reputation of being wizards. 1t Is
Thought that they can use this power
for either good or bad, and as they
are somewhat feared by the average
sailor he takes pains to be on good
terms with them. 1t is generally be-
Il hot In Dnn
rats leave ship if he wishes and that
Firms have a great deal Of control
over the winds. They can raise a
storm by spells and it is unwise to
anger them. / have heard old sail
orS tell of certain Firms who were
members of the same ships company
with themselves in past voyages, WhC
could send messages to absent friends
on shore by gulls which would ligh,
upon the rigging at their call. They
also told of a Finn who had bottle
of liquor from which he could drinR
Iseveral times every day without low
lering the contents. 1t always remain
ed just so full, day after day, and
week after week. There are also mer
of some other nations who are though1
, Ito have more than ordinary powers.
Some of the older sailors believe
that it is possible to buy wind as
!. they call il, and by this is meant get
: ting the favor of certain persons who
lhave control over the elements. There
!. lare not many sailors now alive who
; put much faith in this. although
: have heard of a commodore in the
, British navy who not over twenty
Years ago said that he knew where
} he could buy wind if he needed one
| This belief is fast dying out among
younger men.
Sunday has always been thought
a fortunate day to commence a Voy'
; Iage. and Friday an unlucky one. Thi:
is Il belief that is firmly fixed in the
mind of the average sailor, and there
are many captains who, although they
put no faith in this, would hesitate tC
: leave port on Friday on account Of
the objections that the men would bt
sure to make. On the other hand, the
changes from sails to steam are alter
t ing this rapidly, and in these day:
there are many vessels that cannon
| afford to lose a day OH accoun. of {
superstition, although most old sail
Ors would tell that greater los:
would result before the voyage wa:
done.
There are some creatures met witt
at sea toward which sailors have {
: fixed dislike. They detest shark:
| which follow ship for days, and i
5 is thought that some one on board i!
doomed to die shortly when one ol
/ more of these creatures "do" a vessel
The little Mother Carey's chickens
: which fly so far from land that the!
$ sometimes perch upon the rigging il
r order to rest themselves. are believed
: to be the messengers of Il storm. anC
flor this reason they are often called
s tempest birds. Dolphins or porpoise
are unfavOrable Omens if seen during
, q calm.
5 Il have known sailors to hang th
end of rope over the side Of a shil
upon leaving port. The belief is tina
absent friends or wives draw upol
this rope. causing the vessel to COM
+ safely back to homo port. L haV'
p known men who believed that a shil
has voice. and many who think tina
a ship makes her moan just as doe
2 a human being. before she is abou
e to break up. Tales of speaking ships
are common. and 1 have known on
20 fn1l tn h