FROM "THE JOURNAL OF OCCULTISM"

MID-JANUARY, 1907.

A strange story comes from the Adriatic. It appears that on the night of

the 9th, as the Italia Steamship Company's vessel "Victorine" was passing

a little before midnight the point known as "the Spear of Ivan," on the

coast of the Blue Mountains, the attention of the Captain, then on the

bridge, was called by the look-out man to a tiny floating light close

inshore. It is the custom of some South-going ships to run close to the

Spear of Ivan in fine weather, as the water is deep, and there is no

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settled current; also there are no outlying rocks. Indeed, some years

ago the local steamers had become accustomed to hug the shore here so

closely that an intimation was sent from Lloyd's that any mischance under

the circumstances would not be included in ordinary sea risks.

Captain Mirolani is one of those who insist on a wholesome distance from the

promontory being kept; but on his attention having been called to the

circumstance reported, he thought it well to investigate it, as it might

be some case of personal distress. Accordingly, he had the engines

slowed down, and edged cautiously in towards shore. He was joined on the

bridge by two of his officers, Signori Falamano and Destilia, and by one

passenger on board, Mr. Peter Caulfield, whose reports of Spiritual

Phenomena in remote places are well known to the readers of "The Journal

of Occultism." The following account of the strange occurrence written

by him, and attested by the signatures of Captain Mirolani and the other

gentleman named, has been sent to us.

" . . . It was eleven minutes before twelve midnight on Saturday, the 9th

day of January, 1907, when I saw the strange sight off the headland known

as the Spear of Ivan on the coast of the Land of the Blue Mountains. It

was a fine night, and I stood right on the bows of the ship, where there

was nothing to obstruct my view. We were some distance from the Spear of

Ivan, passing from northern to southern point of the wide bay into which

it projects. Captain Mirolani, the Master, is a very careful seaman, and

gives on his journeys a wide berth to the bay which is tabooed by

Lloyd's. But when he saw in the moonlight, though far off, a tiny white

figure of a woman drifting on some strange current in a small boat, on

the prow of which rested a faint light (to me it looked like a

corpse-candle!), he thought it might be some person in distress, and

began to cautiously edge towards it. Two of his officers were with him

on the bridge--Signori Falamano and Destilia. All these three, as well

as myself, saw It. The rest of the crew and passengers were below. As

we got close the true inwardness of It became apparent to me; but the

mariners did not seem to realize till the very last. This is, after all,

not strange, for none of them had either knowledge or experience in

Occult matters, whereas for over thirty years I have made a special study

of this subject, and have gone to and fro over the earth investigating to

the nth all records of Spiritual Phenomena. As I could see from their

movements that the officers did not comprehend that which was so apparent

to myself, I took care not to enlighten them, lest such should result in

the changing of the vessel's course before I should be near enough to

make accurate observation. All turned out as I wished--at least, nearly

so--as shall be seen.




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