Omaha daily bee., 1910-08-20
ships WAKE OF PRAYERS
Oriental Crew Makes Offerings to
HaIley's Comet and Reach
Port.

For two months. while sailing down the
China Sea, the oriental crew of the British
freighter, Inveric, which locked at the
Bush stores, New York recently, burned
joss sticks and cast propitiatory offerings
CT rice, sweetmeats and vari-colored papers
into the sea to appease the wrath of Hal.
ley's comet. which kept company with the
ship from Hongkong to Singapore.
Below matches, among other items Of
cargo were thousands of long, silky queues
of Jet black hair. cropped from the heads
of dead Cinnamon and shipped to New
York to be made UP into switches for the
white devil" women of America. So tn,
sailors believed that the comet was 9
demon sent by the perturbed spirits Of theii
shorn countrymen to wreak vengeance or
the ship and all on board.
The Inveric left Hongkong the last OF
March, and for sixty days cruised along the
China coast, picking up at one port and
another the odds and ends OF curios and
other goods which go to make up the usual
cargo of a ship coming from the Far East.
The first night out from Hongkong at six
bells OF the middle watch, which would be
8 a. m, shore time, the comet made its APP
pearance above the horizon. The Chinese
sailors of the first officers watch caught
sight Of it and huddled in a terrified bunch
on the fo'csl head When the same thing
occurred the next morning at the same
hour, the watch below tumbled up at a
shrill call from the deck and Joined their
fellows In offering incense and paper pray
ers to ward off the demon.
Every night for two months we had a
fine view of the comet" said Chief Officer
McDougall today. THE body of the comet
tail. curving slightly, treiled down to the
edge Of the horizon, luminous streak ex-
banding toward the end like the arm OF a
windmill. The comet was travelling in q
southeasterly direction, and we were fol-
lowing it down the coast, so that every
morning, from o'clock until daylight,
about two hours. we had a good view OF 1t.
The last view we had of It was the morn
ing we reached Singapore.
Crossing the Red sea, we had another
comet for company, for three nights from
Alden to the Suez canal. This was a much
smaller affair. but 1t was brighter and was
more compaEionable than the big fellow,
for we had 1t In sight all night. The
Cinnamon took this for a companion to the
big demon, and throughout the rest OF the
voyage the watch on deck kept a sharp
lookout for temperance
IT don't knew what this second comet
was, but took it for the one named after
the Frenchman De Arrest. Some OF the
officers think 1t was Temples, and others
believe 1t was Peter comet. We couldn't
settle the dispute, for page six OF the
ships almanac. which contains descrip.
ton OF all the known comets and the dates
they are expected to reappear, had been
torn out OF the book.
I'VE encountered gale, or tornado force,
June 80. when in mid-Atlantic, which
headed the ship off and battered IL about
for forty-eight hours, keeping all hands
constantly on deck and forcing Captain
Howie TO slow down TO five knots an hour,
just enough 10 keep steerage way in the
seas that broke on deck and pounded the
ship until it's rivets seemed about TO start
The Chinese sailors looked on this storm
as the work Of sky devils and threw more
prayer papers and rice overheard. During
the storm several chickens intended for thC
table OF the officers mess disappeared. and
1t is current opinion that they went L
swell the votive offerings TO Joss for pro
lection from the avenging devils. That wa
because we had 1000 crates Of human hail
on our manifest, which We had shipped a
Hongkong and ShanghaI"-New York Post