Spirits Guiding a Vessel.
By James White
THE following singular account of a sailing vessel being guided by an invisible, intelligent power, we clip from a Wisconsin paper. The individuals who subscribe to the document, are said to be persons well known in Stockbridge, and of strict veracity and honor. "We, the undersigned, left Oshkosh in a small sail-boat for Stockbridge, at twenty minutes past four on Friday afternoon, July 17th. A gentle wind was blowing from the south-west at the time, but at about nine o'clock in the evening, and when about half way across, it became intensely dark. At the same time a terrible gale of wind blew up from the south-east, threatening us with immediate destruction, and rapidly drifting us to the north-west. The sails were immediately furled, but the boat became unmanageable—the waves rolled high. We knew not what to do—it was so dark we could not see each other, except by an occasional flash of lightning which only served to make our inevitable doom more apparent. Suddenly, and while we were expecting every moment to go to the bottom, a brilliant ball of light, from four to six inches in diameter, appeared at the mast-head, and simultaneously several small lights appeared on the pole in the hands of one of the party, which he was using to steer the boat, (as we could not guide it with the rudder,) also one upon each shoulder. He at the same time cried out, "Never fear, our guardian spirits are with us!" The light at the mast-head moved toward the eastern shore. We steered for it, and with nothing to propel ourselves with, as we had no oars on board, the boat moved rapidly along toward the light, against wind and waves. At half-past eleven we landed, having run into a little harbor, nearly in a south-east direction from the place where the gale first struck us, having proceeded about eight miles, (for we had drifted back about a mile and a half,) propelled by an invisible power, in about two hours and thirty minutes.
Jos. W. Schooley,
Amelia Schooley,
Mrs. Isa. Schooley,
John Denslow,
Wm. C. Cook,
Miss E. A. Cool.
Stockbridge, July 26th, 1857."