The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1914-01-30

long voyages tnat theSs
tales are usually forthcoming. The
bark Annie NJ. Reid of New York is
the last vessel to bring in tale OF
mystery.
We we're standing by the mizzen
topsail halliards when the shackle
broke and the yards crashed down, "
said the sailor who told The story.
We came up into the wind and
hove 10. and it was at that moment
that We saw the strange trader-at
least We thought it was a trader. prob
ably TO the Western islands, off which
we were We signaled for help, for
We did not know how we were coming
out OF the squall. The strange steam
shlp-a tramp we took her to be
was not more than an eighth of a
mile away, but she made no reply
whatever and kept right on her
course. IL there had been anybody
alive on the tramp he certainly would
nave seen us, as there was no fog to.
interfere. There are only two things
10 think OF, either every soul on board
was dead or we had seen one of those
phantom ships they tell about 1t
couldn't have been a warning of
death, however, for we came out of it
all right"
"A ship that sails by in the moon
light and does not answer when spok-
en-, nor show any light or sign of life
on board, Is an even stranger appari-
ton of the deep than those many
phantom vessels which have loomed
upon the sight of sailor men from out
the fog or darkness. The crew of
the Hengist, out of Liverpool, Captain
Thearston of Liverpool in command,
once saw such a specter. Capt. J. c.
Norton, who was first officer of the
bark Hengist. when the phantom ship
passed her by, tells the story of the
weird vision:
1T was in the Indian ocean that
we saw her-the strange ship that
have never forgotten" said Captain
Norton. I'VE were out Of Calcutta,
bound for New York. and although
there was haze the moon shone and
the haze was SO light that we could
see perfectly we'll across the water.
The haze was just enough to make a
nice. pretty silver veil that made
everything look sort of mysterious
and Interesting without closing us In
at all
There were no lights on the vessel
and We couldn't see a soul on board
We spoke to her, but she didn't an
swer. She passed right under our
stern about biscuits toss away. and
we thought she was going to foul us. !
She was so near that we could feel
the wind of her sails as she passed. |
but not sign did she make to all |
our signaling-just sailed away into
the hay moonlight. Next day we |
had q terrible gale, one Of the worst |
that i remember while I was at sea. |
and everybody thought the phantom
ship had come to give warming Way |
We should have been favored l don't
know; but. of course, there is always
a reason why those ships are seen by
one vessel and not by others Some
times they mean harm for everybody
On board, and sometimes they come
simply to give a friendly warning.
There was one man on board who
believed that our phantom ship came
to warn US of the gale because her
captain had been a friend of our own
captain. and when his ship went down
with all on board be continued to
haunt the sea. Naturally as he felt
friendly, he would show himself or
lis ship before a storm. can't say
believed all that myself. All that |
'now was that the phantom ship did
ome just as I've described it."
One of the most thrilling tales of
he fateful appearance of phantom
hips is told by retired first mate.
Who in his youth sailed under Capt.
ohm Stebbins on the steel tramp Ma
ie1ta. bound from Madeira to Brazil
Captain Stebbins was a bluff. di.
ect. matter-of-fact person. said the
nate, and he had little tolerance for
that he declared was merely super
tition, so the crew were not apt to ,
peak over loud of their supernatural ,
Experiences. That they had them. ,
o"S'Si' was Suio ShouSu, anu as
as bit more approachable than ,
lost men in my position, they were r
cry wont TO tell their stories TO me. ;
There was one fellow among them !
AIMED Gould. whom | could not help ,
atching because of the strained and =
'most hunted slook on his face. p
ade friends with him on purpose to I
Fl st the reason for his queer look $
ID one day when | caught him white I
I'd shuddering on the forward deck a
got il out Of him. =
1T seemed that a couple OF years &
fore he had been on the bridge of +
passenger vessel running between
ingston and New York when they I,