What Caused a Ship's Crew to Scream Uncontrollably?

TL;DR

The surviving account does not reveal what caused the Perer’s crew to scream uncontrollably. In March 1907, a warm breeze crossed the Russian steamship before two rigid sailors began screaming in unison; after Nels Nelson confined them in the hold, screams erupted throughout the vessel. The transcript ends without identifying a supernatural, physical, or psychological cause, so read on for the precise warning signs and the crew’s disturbing behavior.

Transcript

today I'm going to tell you a story that has been told many many times with lots of variations over the past 100 years or so but the version of the story that I'm going to tell you is actually the original version that was published in 1907 in the Chicago Tribune newspaper now since its publication lots of people have taken this original story and ... Read More

Key Insights

• The account is presented as the original version of a frequently embellished story published by the Chicago Tribune in 1907, although the supplied transcript does not provide the article itself or complete the narrative.
• The Perer is described as a Russian steamship carrying hemp and machinery from Hong Kong to California, and it had recently passed Honolulu when the frightening events began during the middle of March 1907.
• Nels Nelson is portrayed as an experienced Swedish sailor and the longest-serving person aboard except for Captain Kavinsky, making them the only two current crew members who understood the ship's undisclosed dark secret.
• The previous crew's desertion in Hong Kong is linked to the secret, leaving Nels and the captain to recruit a replacement crew without warning its members about the danger associated with the vessel.
• A warm breeze is the immediate warning sign recognized by Nels, who becomes so frightened that he initially cannot explain the danger to the sailor accompanying him during the nighttime watch.
• The first visible victims are two rigid sailors who scream in perfect unison while staring blankly ahead, suggesting that they cannot control either their bodies or their voices.
• Quarantining the first two affected sailors does not contain the event, because almost everyone else aboard begins screaming immediately after Nels locks the pair inside the ship's hold.
• The outbreak affects Nels physically as pressure in his chest followed by an involuntary scream, while other crew members claw their faces, clutch their throats, run into walls, grab one another, and fight on deck.

Questions & Answers

Q: What caused the Perer’s crew to scream uncontrollably?

The transcript does not identify the cause. It describes a warm breeze, rigid victims, involuntary screaming, and violent confusion, but it ends before explaining whether the outbreak had a supernatural, physical, psychological, or other origin.

Q: What happened aboard the steamship Perer in March 1907?

After the Perer passed Honolulu on its voyage from Hong Kong to California, Nels Nelson felt an unusual warm breeze during his nighttime watch. Two sailors were then found rigid and screaming in unison, and an attempt to isolate them was followed by uncontrollable screaming and chaos throughout the ship.

Q: Why was Nels Nelson afraid of nightfall on the Perer?

Nels and Captain Kavinsky knew a dark secret about the ship that had caused the previous crew to desert in Hong Kong. The replacement sailors had not been warned, and Nels feared that the danger associated with that secret would return after sunset.

Q: What was the dark secret of the steamship Perer?

The transcript never reveals the nature of the Perer’s dark secret. It establishes only that Nels and Captain Kavinsky knew it, the previous crew deserted because of it, and Nels associated the warm breeze with the feared danger beginning again.

Q: Why did the Perer have a newly recruited crew?

The previous crew, except for Nels and Captain Kavinsky, deserted the vessel at its last port in Hong Kong because of the ship’s secret. Nels and the captain recruited a replacement crew for the voyage to California without disclosing that danger.

Q: How did the outbreak aboard the Perer begin?

A warm breeze crossed the deck during an otherwise cold night, and Nels immediately froze with fear. A guttural scream then came from the sleeping quarters, followed by more screams and the discovery of two rigid sailors staring ahead and screaming together.

Q: Did quarantining the first affected sailors stop the screaming?

No. Nels and another sailor dragged the first two screaming men into the hold and locked the door, but screams immediately erupted throughout the ship as the remaining crew rushed toward the upper deck.

Q: What symptoms did the affected sailors display?

The first two victims sat rigidly, stared blankly into the distance, and screamed in unison. Other sailors clawed their faces, clutched their throats, ran into walls, grabbed one another, and fought, while Nels felt pressure in his chest before screaming involuntarily.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• In March 1907, the Russian steamship Perer was crossing the Pacific from Hong Kong to California with hemp and machinery. After passing Honolulu, veteran sailor Nels Nelson became increasingly afraid of nightfall because he and Captain Kavinsky knew a dark secret about the vessel that the newly recruited crew had never been told.

• The previous crew, except for Nels and the captain, had deserted the Perer in Hong Kong because of its secret. Their replacements were recruited without being warned. During his nighttime watch, Nels felt an unusual warm breeze, froze with fear, and soon heard agonized screams coming from the sleeping quarters below deck.

• Two sailors were found sitting rigidly on a bunk, screaming together while staring blankly into the distance. Nels attempted to quarantine them in the hold, but nearly the entire crew immediately began screaming. The afflicted men rushed to the top deck, clawed their faces, clutched their throats, collided with walls, and fought one another.