Read Online Maritime Mysteries by Bill Jessome - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Bill Jessome
Ads: Link
nowhere, the woman in white appeared before him. The young man, half scared out of his wits, ran. When he got home he collapsed.â That encounter sent the young man to the hospital in Dartmouth with what Ernie Rankin described as a complete mental breakdown.
There are also fishermen who claim to have seen this spectre of the night. While sailing by the island, some claim to have seen her in her flowing white dress with outstretched arms, standing on those high cliffs. Other fishermen tell a more compelling story of their encounter with the apparition. While tending their nets on the shore, they saw a tall, young woman in an ankle-length white dress coming toward them. They stood silently watching as she walked past them and into the Northumberland Strait and before the men could reach her, she disappeared beneath the water. The fishermen stood there dumbfounded, when suddenly, a bright light appeared over the water where the woman had vanished.
As if hypnotized, the fishermen then watched as a great and flaming ship rose up out of the turbulent waters and sailed in an easterly direction. As quickly as it appeared, the ship sank below the waves.
The Maritime Mystery question to ponder: Does the woman in white have anything to do with the burning ship? I asked Ernie Rankin that question. He sat there, rocking in his favorite chair, looked at me, and smiled. Then he turned his head toward the waters of Northumberland Strait. Waiting, watching, and smiling.
The Ghost of Petpeswick
T his is a spirited tale of a British soldier who wanted to go home in the worst way. Unfortunately for him his posting was Halifax, Nova Scotia. In the summer of 1835, a convoy of British troop ships en route to Halifax was caught in a violent storm. Most of the ships were driven off course. One waited out the storm in Petpeswick Harbour. The homesick soldier who stood in the late afternoon shadows of the vessel slipped over the side and began the long swim to shore. It was not to be. He was spotted and was ordered to return to the ship. When he refused, the young deserter was shot. A boat was lowered and four soldiers rowed to where the body was floating. On orders from their superiors, they buried the body in an unmarked grave. That evening, the troopship pulled anchor for Halifax.
Many years later, the Young family decided to build their home on land overlooking Petpeswick Harbour, where the body of the British soldier was buried in an unmarked grave. Unknown to the family was the fact that the property, the woods behind their home and the waters of Petpeswick Harbour were haunted by the spirit of the young British soldier.
Not long after the home was finished, and the family had settled in, they became aware that things were not normal. Doors were being opened and closed on their own, and heavy booted sounds could be heard coming in the backdoor, going through the hall, and out the front door. What the family didnât realize was that the ghost of the young British soldier was walking through the house from his unmarked grave to the waters of Petpeswick Harbour.
There were other incidents in days to come that would convince the family that their home was haunted. If tools were not locked away, they would disappear. And then, one day, a new sound was heard. The Young family and neighbours were awakened by chopping sounds in the woods. When they investigated, no one was found, but they did hear heavy breathing and the familiar sounds of a tree being felled.
As suddenly as the ghostly activities started, they just as suddenly stopped. The family were relieved, but couldnât help but wonder what had happened to the ghost. When the Youngs turned to their wise old grandmother, she smiled and said, âHeâs gone back to England. Thatâs why the haunting and the chopping in the woods stopped.â When they asked what she meant by that, she said, âDonât you see, the chopping stopped because he finished building his
There are also fishermen who claim to have seen this spectre of the night. While sailing by the island, some claim to have seen her in her flowing white dress with outstretched arms, standing on those high cliffs. Other fishermen tell a more compelling story of their encounter with the apparition. While tending their nets on the shore, they saw a tall, young woman in an ankle-length white dress coming toward them. They stood silently watching as she walked past them and into the Northumberland Strait and before the men could reach her, she disappeared beneath the water. The fishermen stood there dumbfounded, when suddenly, a bright light appeared over the water where the woman had vanished.
As if hypnotized, the fishermen then watched as a great and flaming ship rose up out of the turbulent waters and sailed in an easterly direction. As quickly as it appeared, the ship sank below the waves.
The Maritime Mystery question to ponder: Does the woman in white have anything to do with the burning ship? I asked Ernie Rankin that question. He sat there, rocking in his favorite chair, looked at me, and smiled. Then he turned his head toward the waters of Northumberland Strait. Waiting, watching, and smiling.
The Ghost of Petpeswick
T his is a spirited tale of a British soldier who wanted to go home in the worst way. Unfortunately for him his posting was Halifax, Nova Scotia. In the summer of 1835, a convoy of British troop ships en route to Halifax was caught in a violent storm. Most of the ships were driven off course. One waited out the storm in Petpeswick Harbour. The homesick soldier who stood in the late afternoon shadows of the vessel slipped over the side and began the long swim to shore. It was not to be. He was spotted and was ordered to return to the ship. When he refused, the young deserter was shot. A boat was lowered and four soldiers rowed to where the body was floating. On orders from their superiors, they buried the body in an unmarked grave. That evening, the troopship pulled anchor for Halifax.
Many years later, the Young family decided to build their home on land overlooking Petpeswick Harbour, where the body of the British soldier was buried in an unmarked grave. Unknown to the family was the fact that the property, the woods behind their home and the waters of Petpeswick Harbour were haunted by the spirit of the young British soldier.
Not long after the home was finished, and the family had settled in, they became aware that things were not normal. Doors were being opened and closed on their own, and heavy booted sounds could be heard coming in the backdoor, going through the hall, and out the front door. What the family didnât realize was that the ghost of the young British soldier was walking through the house from his unmarked grave to the waters of Petpeswick Harbour.
There were other incidents in days to come that would convince the family that their home was haunted. If tools were not locked away, they would disappear. And then, one day, a new sound was heard. The Young family and neighbours were awakened by chopping sounds in the woods. When they investigated, no one was found, but they did hear heavy breathing and the familiar sounds of a tree being felled.
As suddenly as the ghostly activities started, they just as suddenly stopped. The family were relieved, but couldnât help but wonder what had happened to the ghost. When the Youngs turned to their wise old grandmother, she smiled and said, âHeâs gone back to England. Thatâs why the haunting and the chopping in the woods stopped.â When they asked what she meant by that, she said, âDonât you see, the chopping stopped because he finished building his