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Many moons ago I boosted a book from the school library that was all about sea monster sightings, the Flying Dutchman and other maritime mysteries. This was one of the stories I remembered from it. It has become somewhat of a religious tale.
In October 1829, an Englishman named Peter Richley was on board the Australian schooner Mermaid when a storm battered the ship against some coral reefs and it broke apart. All 21 men abandoned the ship and clung to the rocks for 3 days until a ship called the Swiftsure rescued them.
5 days later the Swiftsure sank in a turbulent sea current forcing all aboard into lifeboats. A short time later a schooner called the Governor Ready passed by and rescued the men. Hours later a fire broke out on board and all 3 crews had to abandon ship.
An Australian cutter called the Comet was blown off course in a storm and came across the men in the lifeboats. All the men were rescued. 5 days later the overcrowded Comet was shipwrecked and most of the men had to cling to the wreckage because there was not enough room in the lifeboats.
18 days later a steamer called the Jupiter, operated by the postal service, spotted and rescued all the men. A short time later the Jupiter hit some rocks and was wrecked, but a nearby passenger ship called the City of Leeds took all the men aboard. The City of Leeds had left England headed for Australia.
The doctor on board came to Peter Richley and asked a favor of him. There was an older woman passenger on board who was gravely ill and was wanting to see her son in Australia before she died. She had a little portrait of him when he was a boy.
The doctor asked Peter if he would go with him to the old woman and pretend to be her son. She had been praying to see him and this might bring her peace in her final hours. The doctor told him her son's name is Peter. Peter replied, " That's funny, that's my name too."
He went into the infirmary to find his own mother there. She made a full recovery and the two lived out their lives in Australia.
Interesting thread, finn. This one in particular I think is the toughest to explain. I can certainly see why these people were already primed for nightmares given the real horrors of Vietnam. But beyond that - to die in their sleep, with nothing but blank autopsies? Bizarre.
On a side note, I've always wondered how Wes Craven can sleep. His mind comes up with some seriously demented stuff.
My husband and I were in Old San Juan one year, long time ago. Our luggage didn't make it, we were in our winter clothes from home, so we hit up a cheap store just to get a few basics until the luggage arrived. My husband got a t-shirt with an illustration of Chupacabra....neither of us had heard of it. He didn't pick the t-shirt specifically; there just weren't many shirts from which to choose.
The reactions he rcvd from locals both in town and on the beach was almost unsettling...pointing at him, shaking heads, running away from him. We sat at a tiki bar & the bartender asked him why on earth he would wear such a thing. We explained we didn't even know what it was & just bought the only thing available to get us by. The bartender said belief in the chupacabra was very strong among locals. He practically begged my husband to get it off as soon as possible.
Coincidentally (?) after that trip, the newspapers both in PR & NY were heavy on reported sightings of chupacabra. We saw it as a novelty, but respected the locals wishes & he didn't wear it again while we were in PR.
Many moons ago I boosted a book from the school library that was all about sea monster sightings, the Flying Dutchman and other maritime mysteries. This was one of the stories I remembered from it. It has become somewhat of a religious tale.
In October 1829, an Englishman named Peter Richley was on board the Australian schooner Mermaid when a storm battered the ship against some coral reefs and it broke apart. All 21 men abandoned the ship and clung to the rocks for 3 days until a ship called the Swiftsure rescued them.
5 days later the Swiftsure sank in a turbulent sea current forcing all aboard into lifeboats. A short time later a schooner called the Governor Ready passed by and rescued the men. Hours later a fire broke out on board and all 3 crews had to abandon ship.
An Australian cutter called the Comet was blown off course in a storm and came across the men in the lifeboats. All the men were rescued. 5 days later the overcrowded Comet was shipwrecked and most of the men had to cling to the wreckage because there was not enough room in the lifeboats.
18 days later a steamer called the Jupiter, operated by the postal service, spotted and rescued all the men. A short time later the Jupiter hit some rocks and was wrecked, but a nearby passenger ship called the City of Leeds took all the men aboard. The City of Leeds had left England headed for Australia.
The doctor on board came to Peter Richley and asked a favor of him. There was an older woman passenger on board who was gravely ill and was wanting to see her son in Australia before she died. She had a little portrait of him when he was a boy.
The doctor asked Peter if he would go with him to the old woman and pretend to be her son. She had been praying to see him and this might bring her peace in her final hours. The doctor told him her son's name is Peter. Peter replied, " That's funny, that's my name too."
He went into the infirmary to find his own mother there. She made a full recovery and the two lived out their lives in Australia.
Last edited by aliasfinn; 09-07-2022 at 04:30 AM..
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