The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1911-11-02
IHAUNTS THE HORN
The Phantom Ship That Shows
Itself Near the Cape.
IT IS REALLY A. HUGE ROCK.

But to Vessels Passing Through tho
Strait Of lie Maire Il Appears to 81
q Bark Running Under Short Sail.
Other Rock Ship Formations.
The phantom ship seen in the vi.
cinity Of Cape Horn Is. as has been
proved by the investigation Of various
4 photographic bureaus. nothing more
tain atmospheric conditions bears a
deceptive resemblance to a ship.
Very often vessels coming from Eu-
rope to the west by way of Cape
Horn have been startled to see what
appeared to be derelict with the
water washing over her deck. II the
sailors were of an imaginative turn
they would invest the unknown ship
with ghostlyu qualities and call her the
Flying Dutchman or sometimes the
| '.ghost Ship Of LIE Marie. from tho
strait Of that name. where she was
usually seen.
One Of the stories which have been
longest remembered Is that Of the III
fated Crown of Italy, which sighted
the supposed derelict and subsequently
went ashore. The Crown Of Italy was
standing close to the jagged black
rocks at the entrance to the strait Of
Lee Mare when she sighted what
seemed to be a. waterloggsds bark
drifting on the rocks Of the strait.
Many other ships rounding the Horn
have seen similar apparition, and the
variousTs photographic Offices Of the
world have received many reports to
that effect.
Some years ago the Norwegian bark
sSfviaF got into Seattle with the tale
Of a phantom ship that almost exactly
cOtresponded to that given by the
Crown of Italy. The second officer Of
the Norwegian vessel declared that he
had seen a derelict with sails set and
decks awash drifting in through the
strait. 1t was this report that led our
government officers to make public the
declarationsthat the phantom ship was
nothing butsa combination. of rocks
and shadows.
The numerous reports Of derelicts or
ghost ships always appearing in the
same place led even the Argentine
government to look into the matter.
A tender was sent out from the near.
by lighthouse with the object of max
ing an Investigation, and 1t was found
that the apparition was due to q
strange freak of nature Among the
black jagged rocks that line both
sides Of the strait of LIE Marie there
IL one in particular which, under Ger
tain atmospheric conditions, bears q
deceptive likeness to ship. The
formation Of the rocks and the shad-
ows they cast combine to produce the
effect Of a bark running under short
sall.
The passage through the strait Of
LIE Marie il not often made. Steamers
shorten the route by going through
the strait Of Magellan, while sailing
vessels usually prefer to be entirely ON
the safe side by going still farther
south and rounding the Horn itself.
Only under the most favorable condi-
tons Of weather do they slip through
the strait Of LIE Marie on the outward
trip, going toward the southwest. but
never when bound for the north. For
this reason many old sailors have
never met the ghost ship or the rock
ship.
Those who have seen 1t give a mi
mute description of the rock and testify
TO its striking resemblance to q ship.
1t seems to be standing head on, point
Ing to the south and low In the water.
The sails are shortened as they would
be In what sailors call half a gale.
The whole formation IL very dark, az
II the huh were painted black and the
sails weather beaten. It has three
masts and II higher on the fore than
On the main Upon coming on the side
Of the vessel the Illusion vanishes and
the whole thing resolves itself into a
congiomeration Of black rocks. The
perpetual fog Of these regions helps.
Of course. to befuddle the vision.
The rock looking like a ship IL by no
means a rare natural formation. Al
most every sailor has seen one In some
part Of the world. In the Clipperton
islands there il a great white rock
looking Ike a three masted schooner
leaning on the wind with her royals
set and the sun shining on her white
sails.
About six or seven miles west Of
Honolulu there is a rock known AZ
French Frigate rock because once
upon a time q French frigate went
ashore on It. The cliffs looked so
much like a ship that the frigate was
deceived and thought she was meeting
another vessel.
st. Paul island. In the middle Of the
Atlantic. Is said to look very much like
ship when approached from a certain
direction. but II Is a place that mari
nefs prefer to give wide berth.-Har-
per's Weekly.
Her Unaitsrsbis Decision.
TO the naw cook Mrs. Cross elako-
vSfo1v nvsxla f0as1 n rorfafn u1ofhoH iOf