The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-06-23

Ihe Seminole had left New York four
years before, trading along the South
American coast, Japan and other coun-
tries without hearing much. II any,
news from her sailing port. She was
slow going brgnuue and from
whose bottom the baruacles had not
been scraped since a month before her
departure on her Tong voyage
One summer evening she was lying
beealmed Off the west coast of Africa.
The captain WAS playing cards with
the first and second mate to kin time
when the lookout cried:
Vessel afre on port bow"
Now, ship IN a storm at sea may
not interest the crew Of another shlp,
especially ~ the latter Is breastlng the
same storm, but burning craft Is
very different matter. The game
ceased, and all hands from captain to
cabin boy strained their eyes IN the
direction indicated by the lookout. An
they could see was a faint trace Of
smoke.
There's wind there" remarked the
captain after making an examination
With glass. THAT smokes drifting
TO leeward"
"Itl help burn her" said the second
mate. but it's an III wind that blows
Uobody any good. Wen get 1t after
awhile"
Presently a dark speck marking the
bull appeared, but there was no flame,
nor could any oils be distinguished
The vessel see to be coming to-
ward the Seminole IN a southerly d.
rection, but the smoke instead Of NOV
ing with her was drifting IN her wake.
That beats anything [ ever see. re-
marked one Of the crew. "Is been a
sailor twenty years, and ] never see a
burnin' ship movin without sails and
the smoke BLOWN behind her without
any wind"
@Wot knocks me out" said another,
rs there bein no fame"
They've got the matches battened
down to keep the fire below decks"
said third "Nothin' but smoke can
gift out"
The ship, moving without sails, came
steadily on till to the crew Of the
Seminole she appeared larger. but was
growing faint ID the diminishing twi-
light. AS she drew near she was
pointed directly toward them A terror
spread through not only the seminole's
crew, but the officers. Here was
burning ship coming TO run them
down
Great gunsi" cried the captain.
"Am ! dreamin'7 say you Martini
addressing her first mate "Do you see
a smokin' vessel comm while we're In
the doldrumsg
'srhat / do. sir" replied the first
mate. "and don't understand her"
she's ghost shipw exclaimed a
sailor with blanched cheeks
Been burned at sea and haunts the I
place where she went up in smoker
added another
1T must a. been all smoke and no
famer cried third.
There is a light on her boww said /
the second mate, Some nm must a. I
KEEP his head pretty cool 70 put that \
out with the ship ahre"
How does she manage to keep SO
straight course without any wind to
steer by2'
These and many other comments on
the wonder continued q be made
While the hun Of the coming ship was
rowing larger and less distinct III the
growing darkness
Swing out the boatsp cried the cap
tain.
The crew ran to the boats. but were
so mad with terror that they tumbed
over one another lowering one end.
while the ropes holding the other to
the daYitg were left unfastened. FL
nally the boats were all swung out aud
some OF them In the water when there
was a fash Of light on the coming
ship. Every man stood stock still,
that the magazine or some
other combusdbs had exploded and
thar when the sound had time 70 cross
the distance between them and the
doomed ship they would hear roar,
followed BY the shrieks Of those who
had been blown skyward-
sstand By to save lifew cried the (.
captain
But the seconds passed, and there
was no sound either OF an explosion or
of shrieking people.
By this time both officers and crew
OF the Seminole were so bewildered
that they maanlied every appearance
OH Or about what they believed to be
q ghost ship. But one cause Of terror
was allayed. The smoking huk's Prov
was turned SO That II she kept her
course she would not run them down
Indeed. BY the time she came latitude
nally on the same plane With them and
they saw her broadside she was sew
eral hundred yards TO the starboard
If them Something like wheels was
her.
Then suddenly through an opening
in her side which looked like the
mouth Of hell opened a swarthy figure
to the waist appeared in the
glare shoveing 10 fuel.
"The devilw exclaimed the men on
ghe Seminole. crossing themselves,
while others dropped on their knees.
Several weeks later when the SEMI
nole reached her home port and her
crew told the marvellous tale Of the
ghost ship. they were laughed at
"since you sailed they we're In
formed, ''steEm has been applied to
nraap eraft.v