Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-11-29
DEMON SHIPS.
Vessels That Seemed to Be Moved by
the Spirit Of Destruction.


There is an old Cornish legend Of a
phantom ship which is seen in or Off
hurbor and which. unlike
most ghosts, has Il terrifying habit
Of pursuing any vessel which it sights
If it catches its victim there Is
collision but no roar of inrushinS
water. At the moment of contact the
ghost ship vaniSheS into thin air. and
the pllZZlctl crew If the other vessel
rub their eyes in terrified anaZement
TO any one who knows the legend
the vessel that saw the phantom ship
is. however, uuontd. Before the next
New Years day SHE will be sunk in
collision with another vessel or II rock.
One wonders whether the original Of
this phantom at all rrScInbled thar
notable and appropriately named yacht
Satunita. The S:,tnnita WAS II fine and
very powerful cutter. which originally
belonged to Mr.. &. ID. Clarke and after
ward to Sir Maurice Fitzgerald.
The Satanita was hard weather
craft. but let the breeze be the least
heavier than she liked and she would
be seized with what seemed more like
demoniacal possession than anything
else, and even with four men hanging
on her helm she would sometimes take
charge and rush right up into the
wind
She was the cause of several serious
accidents, the worst Of which hap
pened at the Mudhook clubs regatta
in 1894. On that occasion she was be-
having in the most perfect fashion when
suddenly and without the slightest
warning she flung all control, and. just
rs race horse will sometimes savage"
an opponent, she dashed in mad
fury at Valkyrie II. and sank her like
a stone. Well was the Satanita called
the demon" yacht.
But it is not only sailing ships that
act at times in strange and unar-
countable fashion. Some years ago the
British warships Pique. Mutine. R"-
sario and Britomart entered kiukianS
harbor and dropped anchor in single
file. Presently steamer which had
been disclrrging her cargo unan-
chored and began to steam out.
She was just abreast OF the war
ships when she suddenly made
straight for the i'ique. The war
ships officers and men saw the man
at the steamers wheel doing all he
knew to keep her Oft. but sue fatty
refused to answer her helm and went
crashing into the liquc. smashing her
boats and davits.
After clearing her she went for the
AIutine, but luckily did not strike her
full. However, she carried the Mu-
tines bowsprit clear away. Not yet
satisfied, she made a rush at the no
sario. but Ivy superhunan efforts on
both ships the mad steamer was pre-
vented from doing more than Craze
the third warship.
Something of the same kind was
seen in the Thames a few years ago
when the British steamship Poplar.
turning to enter her dock. was struck
and cut down to the water line by the
French vessel Cordilleras. She at
once began to fill, and the captain or
dered full speed ahead for the purpose
Of Bleaching her.
Instead of making for the beach the
POPLAR made a sudden rush in n great
circle out into the river. smashing into
everything she came across. Then, as
II filled with spirit of revenge. she
made for the vessel which had so ter
ribly damaged her.
The Cordilleras tried in vain to get
out of the way but the Poplar smash
ed into her, damaging her so severely
that she. too. had to be beached.-
Pearson's Weekly.