Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1920-11-18
PHANTOM SHIPS STILL HArNT
THE SEVEN SEAS

muses. churchyards. and appearing
al bedsides. or coming when hidden
at the seance. but less often do we
LONDON Answers. Yet there are scores
or well authenticated cases OF the ap-
pearance OF phantom ships and boats
and these accounts often related nv
persons Of unimpeachabie Integrity
are so strangely consistent as to detail
that one must rerforce hesitate before
c:smissing the subject as moonshine.
The best known Of oil ocean spec-
ters Is the phantom ship known as the
Flying Dutchman. which has been
nh'hy. many times seen in the I'u-
ciiH ocean. and occasionally in tns
southern parts Of the Atlantic.
The origin OF the Flying Dutrhman
goes u3ck to the 10th century, when
Dutch captain. notorious for his
profanity. swore during terrible
gale that he would round Cape Horn
III spite OF all the powers OF good or
evil could do to prevent him even II
he had to sail till Judgment day.
In vain his crew implored him to
give up his mad pr ject, and the first
:ate was Violently assaulted ey tho
skipper and thrown overheard.
But terrific fash Of lightning
struck the ship, killing the captain
on the spot. and very soon the ship
went down with all on board. But
the VOW the captain had made still
held good and forever he and his ship
are doomed to continue the hopeless
struggle OF rounding the cape in the
teeth of terrific storm
Today may be met a large number
or sailors who have seen the phantom
snip, and all agree as to certain de-
talis. Wherever the Flying Dutch
man is seen. she Is always rolling and
pitching as though a fierce storm
ragged. and this I'm spite OF the fact
that all around Is calm and stIu
Around her topmast plays fash of
blue lightning.
Her phantom crew are always
dressed az We're the sailors OF the pc
riod in striped jerseys, and wearing
rcd woolen caps. and are seen rush.
ing feverishly hither and thither to
carry out the commands OF the ehe.
ltric giant of captain,
All the reports, tao. agree as to tho
style OF the ship all wood, very high
In the poop. and other 'detils In per-
rect accord with the ships Of the late
10th century,
The Flying putohman was seen
during the great war by tho entire
crew OF British ship about a hun
dred miles east OF the cape.
We were homeward hound" said
one OF the eyewitnesses, "and the sea
was perfectly calm, and we were
fainly trying to pick up a breeze. 1t
was towards evening when daylight
was giving place to dusk. Almost
suddenly on the bow side appeared
large wooden ship with the hind
most part OF her hull very high, OF
the build Of bygone century.
But the weirdest part OF it was
mat she was being tossed up and
down like n cork. straining her every
timber to make Roadway. and plung,
ing rs though in the teeth of u aeroo
gale. We could see the crew ia n
perfect frenzy carrying out the orders
or huge man who was evidently
the captain.
There was no sound. hut suddenly
vivid flash of blue lightning seem.
cd to play around her topmast, and
at the same instant the vessel It snp-
peared as though II had heen wi:.nt
from the surface OF the oceun. The
next day our ship was torpeduci and
most OF the Grow drowned"
1t is said that the Flying Dutch
man appears only to the crew OF q
vessel that Is doomed.
The crew OF a Dutch shin, the Lily.
told tale very similar to the above,
she having encountered the phantom
snip near the cape. and the next day
the Lilly was wrecked In a terrible
storm and all aboard. save four OF
the crew. were drowned.
The east coast OF England Is haunt
ed by the apparltion Of a ship totally
different from the Flying Dutchman.
She has been seen off CrOmer and the
Yorkshire coast.
She is quite modern vessel, but
her masts. rigging. sails and hull are
encrusted with Ice and frost. long
icicles hang from her rigging. and she
plows her way through a mass Of Ice
floes.
Many phantom ships. too. have been
seen off the coast OF Cornwall and
the east coast OF Scotland The Black
Lugger Is weird and terrible appa-
rition that haunts the Scottish coast
AS her name implies, she is a lug
ger. though her hull and masts are
or the ordinary kind. all her sails are
made of Grape. black as SCOT.
She sails slowly and steadily straight
ahead and without the slightest sound
or divergence from her course and
passes through any other vessel that
may be In her way. To see the SOM
Der Black Lugger. as in the case OF
the Flying Dutchman. means disaster
and bad luck. often death. overtakes
those who encounter the weird ghost
Of the ocean.