Ghost of a Japanese Sailor

A maritime tale for Halloween…

Wilder Steamship Company’s Helene (1897), built by Union Iron Works, San Francisco, California. (“HELENE HAS COME,” The Pacific Commercial Advertiser, 2 March 1897, p. 1)

The Evening Bulletin published the story ”THINK SHE’S HAUNTED” on 22 September 1902. It was an account of claims made by crew members of the steamer Helene that the ship was haunted by the ghost of a Japanese shipmate who had been critically injured while working on board.

Transcript:
THINK SHE’S HAUNTED
The steamer Helene is now, according to the Japanese sailors and Chinese stewards, a very unpleasant ship to live in owing to the visits of the ghost of Matsumoto, a Japanese sailor, who was killed on board the steamer a week ago Sunday.
The Helene was lying off Papaikou on the Hilo coast unloading some heavy pieces of timber over the stern. One of these pieces swung around in falling and hit the unfortunate sailor a terrific blow on the head. The injured man was immediately taken to Hilo, where he was sent to the hospital, but he died about an hour and a half after his arrival there.
Now the Orientals employed on the steamer are much disturbed by the visits of the ghost of the dead man, which they say is persistently haunting the vessel. The clothes of the dead man were lying in the saloon, but were removed by the Chinese stewards, who said that they had seen the ghost coming into the saloon to get his clothes. The Japanese sailors also had seen the ghost, which they say came into the fo-c’sle one night and wanted to play cards. They did naturally not all feel quite as sociably inclined, and all scooted on deck very quickly.
The ghost was also seen on other occasions, but his visits are now getting rarer, and it is expected that the ghost will soon leave the vessel for other spheres.