The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1913-02-04
WEDGED IN ICE AND THEIR PRO
VISIONS GONE SHIPS CREW
TURN CANNIBALS.
A TRAGIC STORY OF THE SEA

On Each Anniversary Oh tIle I1oIIIpie
Experience One of the Participants
Has Vision of Victims Fate. The
Strange Influence of the Arctic.
KANSAS CITY.-To J. r. John
son. veteran of the high seas, hunter
of ratIesnakes, globe trotter and ad-
yenturer, November 20 is a dreaded
anniversary. Before November 20,
1912. Johnson did not especially fear
the recurrence of that date, but with
the repetition of a gruesome dream
this November 20 Johnson declares
the ghost of Hans Eisenbach, a sail
or, induces the dream Eisenbach
died in 1891. Seven years passed and
Johnson had forsaken the ocean-go-
ing life that used to know him, when
on November 20, 1898, he had a
dream in which he lived again the
tragic circumstances that accOmpa-
MED the death of Eisenbach with
whom he had sailed the far North
seas in 1897 aboard wind TANNER.
On November 90, 1905, he dreamed
the same dream, and seven years lat
er, November 90, last, the dream, or
as Johnson chooses TO call it, the Wis
ion of Eisenbach's fate, was vouch-
safed him again. Whether the
dreams recurrence only each sew
enth year has significance is, john
son declares, a question of which sci
entists may judge. The fact that the
vision appears is what troubles John
son, and he wonders whether others
who figured in the circumstances sur
rounding the slaughter of Eisenbach
sees the vision as he sees it each sew
en- years on the night of November |
goth.
1t is the story of a schooner ice
bound in the far North, of the bitter |
cold, of desperate straits and of |
dice game-it's Johnson's own story
of his vision and here it is:
"On November 90, 1891, I was
sailor aboard 'wind-jammer. One
of the crew was Hans Eisenbach, who
hailed from Hamburg. These were
better days for fishing boats than
now, for the lads got more out of
the VOYAGE mean more in the
catch and more in the pay-and they
didn't dock so heavy and have big
prices for clothes a man, maybe, had
to buy after shipping from New
York. Now-well, it's all changed.
/ was East last summer and knocked
about a bit in New York. Maybe
you've heard the saying that the sea
once claiming a man calls him back,
no matter how far he goes. I'd been
far enough what with handling a
big contract to snare rattlers in
Death Valley, out in the Yuma des-
ert in California, and living among
the Indians in New Mexico and the
but there wasn't the least
haM2ering by me to get back before
the mast, can tell you, When man
experiences what l have of the sea
oe has enough and plenty.
Was Chummy With Hans.
Hans Eisenbach and 1 got chum-
my from the start of that cruise.
Somehow we fell into each others
ways right off. I'd never seen him be-
fore signing, and he'd never known
me. If he was alive today he would
be called a good old scout, but he's
not alive; he's dead"
Johnson fingered the leaves of a
much worn diary as he talked. In
that book were recorded his doings
in the year 1891. Each year since
1884 he has kept a more or less
complete diary. Lapses in it was
caused by illness alone, he declares.
1.-THE death of Hans by itself
would be something man scarcely
could be expected ever to forget" he
continued, because of the way it
happened and I am pretty sure I
never would have forgotten it, but
something more happened. Seven
years after Hans died l had vision
and saw every detail of it. 1t was
the night of November 20, 1898. l
woke up in the early morning be-
fore daylight. Cold sweat poured off |
me. The thing was so plain l turned !
on a light in my room in New Or