Newspaper Clipping of the Day

Via Newspapers.com

The following tale, which appeared in the "North Nebraska Eagle," August 1, 1895, may well be one of those old newspapers stories that are colorful, but probably having only the barest acquaintance with reality.  Still, it's a nifty little sea mystery, so let's go for it:

One of the strangest stories about an abandoned ship comes from the Indian Ocean.  In 1822 the British corvette Lizard was cruising off Ceylon. A ship came in sight with all sail set, and making good speed through the water. The officers took a long look and one said:  "There is something wrong about that vessel. Her crojack is loose and flapping and there is no man at the wheel. We had better run down to her."

This was done, and when near it was seen that the ship had no crew, as there was no answer to the hail. When boarded there were no marks of trouble until on raising a nail that was spread over the main hatch the body of a man was found. He had been ironed to the lock-bars of the hatch-cover and had apparently been dead a week. 

On going into the cabin, the body of an elderly man was found. He had been stabbed to death. On examining the log-book it was on record that the ship was Spanish, from the Philippines, and named El Frey Antonio, but, strangely, the last entry was six weeks past and spoke of abandoning the ship at a point 1,000 miles away, bound for Malaga, Spain. She was left on the road to China. A pitcher of water on the table was intact. Could the vessel hare come this long journey without meeting a storm, and how had the dead men got here? They had not been dead six weeks and both were Lascars. 

The Frey Antonio was taken into Madras, the Spanish government notified, and their answer only made tho mystery deeper. The ship had sailed from Celebes more than a year before with six Roman Catholic priests as passengers, bound for Spain, and had no Lascars among her crew. And this was all.  And from that faraway time until now the story of El Frey Antonio is one of the secrets of the deep.

Newspaper Clipping of the Day

Via Newspapers.com

It occurred to me that this blog has been unaccountably light on “ghost ship” stories, so here’s a fine one from South Africa.  The “Lyttelton Times,” April 16, 1853:

Sir--Permit me to communicate to you the following account of a very singular phenomenon which was observed at Green Point on Tuesday last and which would seem to impart some degree of credibility to the popular legend of the "Flying Dutchman." 

About 2 o’clock on Tuesday afternoon as I was standing together with four other persons on the beach at Green Point, near the residence of Mr. Searight, our attention was attracted by the appearance of a large ship of an ancient shape with tall massive masts and snow white sails distinctly looming through a faint mist about half-a-mile from the shore. Her decks were crowded with people and so distinct and vivid was the appearance that one of us observing her through a telescope imagined he could recognise among those on board several familiar forms and faces.  She appeared to be tossing about much without making any great progress through the water and as with a strange mixture of curiosity and dread we stood looking at the singular apparition she suddenly vanished and was seen no more.

Upon subsequent inquiry we ascertained that three other persons besides ourselves witnessed the strange spectacle and were similarly struck with its singular appearance and unaccountable evanescence.  In the hope of eliciting some explanation of this mysterious phenomenon which I imagine--not being myself of a superstitious temperament--owes its origin to some property of light hitherto unexplained, although commonly referred to the effect of mirage, I have been induced to communicate to you the above particulars and trust you will not hesitate to give them publicity--OBSERVER.--Cape Town Mail.