Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-07-12
A Ghost Ship
By GRACE ETHEL WEEKS
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.

pSAOiV. diOtS SOuID
American coast. japan and other coun-
tries without hearing much. IL any,
news from her sailing port. She was
slow going brignutiuc aud FROM
whose bottom the barnaclcs had not
been scraped since a month before her
departure on her long voyage
One summer evening she was lying
becalmed OF the west coist Of Africa.
The captain was playing cards with
the first and second mate 80 kill time
when the lookout cried:
Vessel attire on port bow"
Now. ship In n storm at sea may
not interest the crew Of another ship.
especially as the latter Is breasting the
same storm. but burning craft Is
a very different matter. The game
| ceased and all hands from captain to
cabin boy strained their eyes in the
direction indicated by the lookout. All
they could see was a faint trace of
smoke
There's wind there" remarked the
captain after making an examination
with glass. THAT smoke's drifting
TO leeward.'
"ltll help burn her." said the second
mate. but it's an III wind that blows
nobody any good. Wen get II after
awhile"
Presently a dark speck marking the
hull appeared, but there was no flame,
nor could any sails be distinguished.
The vessel seemed to be coming to
ward the Seminole I'm southeriy 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, as been a
sailor twenty years, and never see a
burnin' ship movin' without sails and
the smoke blowin' behind her without
any wind"
"Wot knocks me out said another,
lis there bein no flame"
They've got the matches battened
down to keep the fire below decks"
said third. "Nothin' but smoke can
cit out"
The ship. moving without sails. came
.;tendily on till to the crew Of the
seminole she appeared larger. but was
growing faint In the diminishing twi-
tight. AZ she drew near she was
pointed directly toward them. A terror
spread through not only the Seminoie's
crew. but the officers. Here was a
burning ship coming to run them
| down
Great guns!" cried the captain.
Am dreamin'? Say. you Martini
addressing her first mate. do you see
the doldrums%
THAT / do. sir" replied the first
mate. land / don't understand her.
She's a ghost shipr, exclaimed
sailor with bianched checks, -
Been burned at sen and haunts tho
place where she went up I'm smoker
added another.
ut must "a been all smoke and no
f1amer cried q third.
There is light OIL her bow" said
the\second mate. Some 'un must "a
KEEP his head pretty cool to put that
out with the ship afire."
How does she manage to keep so
straight a course without any wind to
| steer by"
These and many other comments on
the wonder continued to be made
while the hull OF the coming ship was
growing larger and less distinct In the
growing darkness.
Swing out the boatsr cried the cap
tain
The crew ran to the boats, but were
so mad with terror that they tumbled
over one another lowering one end,
while the ropes holding tho other to
the dav1ts were left unfastened. hi
nally the boats were all swung out and
some Of them I'm the water when there
was flash of light on the coming
ship. Every map stood stock still.
thinking that the magazine or some
! other combustible had exploded and
that when the sound had time TO cross
tho distance between them and the
doomed ship they would hear roar.
followed by the shrieks OF those who
had been blown skyward
Stand by to save llfeg 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 magnifed every appearance
on or about what they believed TO be
a ghost ship. But one cause OF terror
was allGyed. The smoking hulk's prov
was turned so that II she kept her
course she would not run them down
Indeed. by the time she came latitudi-
nally on the same plane with them and
they saw her broadside she was sew
eral hundred yards to the starboard
Of them. Something like wheels was
J propelling her.
Then suddenly through an opening
I'm her side which looked like the
mouth OF hell opened a swarthy figure
stripped to the waist appeared I'm the
glare shovellDg In fuel.
THE devilw exclaimed the men on
/ Cnrnlr,nIn Al.nr.anoI....