Rocky Ford enterprise., 1912-11-29

Superstition has 1T that the appearance of the
phantom ship leads to certain and swift misfor-
tune.
Old sailors will tell OF the ship of the Flying
Dutchman bowling along in the very teeth of
the wind. and of her overtaking their own ship
which beating to windwGrd. Some of them
say they have her sail clean through their
ship. the swirling films of her sails and rigging
leaving cold clammy feeling like the touch OF
death
Cornwall in the old days was remarkable for
its wreckers. and its rock-bound the
scene of many evil deeds. The Priests Cove
wrecker during his evil life idred many vessels
to their doom upon the cruel shore by means of
a false light hung round the neck of a hobbed
horse To this day the good Cornish folk will
tell you of the phantom OF the wrecker when
the winds howl and the rage high. carried
clingng to a log of wood upon the crests Of the
breaking seas and how 1t is sent crashing upon
the rocks, where In the seethng foam It disap-
pears from sight
The wide stretching sandchoked estuary of
the Solway has many a ghost story and
than one phantom ship.
The Spectral Shallop' is the ghost OF a ferry
boat which was wrecked by rival ferryman while
carrying bridal party the bay. The
ghostly. boat is rowed by the skeleton of the
cruel ferryman. and such ships are so un-
lucky as to encounter this ghastly pilot are
usually doomed to be wrecked upon the sands.
No money would tempt the Solway fishermen
TO go Oft to meet the two Danish searovers
whose ships. upon clear nights. seen gliding
dried-out sands the hgh-curved prows and rows
OF shields along the gunwale gltering in the
moonlight These two piratical ships 1t seems
ran into ;he Solway and dropped anchor there
when a sudden furious storm came up and the
ships, which were heavily laden with punder.
sank at their moorings with all the villains
which composed their crews
Among the rocks upon the rugged coast of
Kerry was found winter morning early in
the eighteenth century. large gaeon mastless
and deserted The Kerry wreckers crowded
aboard and wild their joy. for the ship was
laden with ingots of silver from the Spanish
Main. They gradually filled their boats until the
gunwales were almost down to the waters edge.
and hastily they pulled the shore in order that
they might return for further ingots before the
tide rose and hoated the ship away. Nearing the
shore huge tidal wave broke boats and
ship. and when the wave had passed. the horri-
naming OF boats men or ship
Wild horses would not get Kerry fisherman
to visit the scene OF this disaster upon the ami
versary of the day the grim tragedy took place
for only bad luck has to those who have
seen the re-enactment of the affair. which Kerry
folk believe takes place upon that day
The Newhaven ghost ship signihed her own
doom. ship built at Newhaven in January
1647, having sailed away upon her maiden voy.
age, was thought to have been lost at sea- when
one evening In June. during n furious thunder
storm. the wellknown ship sighted sailing
into the river mouth-but straight into the eve
of the wind-until she neared the town when
slowly she faded from the sight of tho people
who crowded on shore to watch her. The mp.