The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1914-03-14

I'VE were standing by the mizzer
topsail halliards when the shackle
broke and the yards crashed down.
said the sailor who told the story.
I'VE came up into the wind and
hove to, and 1t was at that moment
that we saw the strange trader-at
least we thought it was 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.
ship-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. If there had been anybody
alive on the tramp he certainly would
have seen us, as there was no fog to
interfere. There are only two things
to 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 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. ]. 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 well across the water.
The haze was just enough to make a
nice. pretty silvery 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 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 hazy moonlight. Next day we
had a terrible gale, one Of the worst
that I remember while / was at sea,
and everybody thought the phantom
ship had come to give warning. Why
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 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 he continued to
haunt the sea. Naturally, as he felt
friendly. he would show himself or
his ship before storm. l can't say
! believed all that myself All that l
know was that the phantom ship did
come just as I've described It."
One Of the most thrilling tales Of
the fateful appearance Of phantom
ships is told by retired first mate,
who in his youth sailed under Capt
John Stebbins on the steel tramp Ma
rietta, bound from Madeira to Brazil.
Captain Stebbins was a bluff, d.
rect. matter-of-fact person." said the
mate. land he had little tolerance for
what he declared was merely super
stition. 30 the crew were not apt to
speak over loud Of their supernatural
experiences. That they had them.
however, was sure enough, and a. I
was. a bit more approachable than
most men in my position, they were
very wont to tell their stories to me.
There was one fellow among them
named Gould. whom I could not help
watching because Of the strained and
almost hunted look on his face. /
made friends with him on purpose to
get at the reason for his queer look
and one day when caught him white
and shuddering on the forward deck
l got It out of him.
1T seemed that couple of years
before lie had been on the bridge of
passenger vessel running between
Kingston and New York when they