Faces In the Water

James Courtney and Michael Meehan, crew members of the S.S. Watertown, were cleaning a cargo tank of the oil tanker as it sailed toward the Panama Canal from New York City in December of 1924. Through a freak accident, the two men were overcome by gas fumes and killed. As was the custom of the time, the sailors were buried at sea. But this was not the last the remaining crew members were to see of their unfortunate shipmates. The next day, and for several days thereafter, the phantom-like faces of the sailors were seen in the water following the ship. This tale might be easy to dismiss as maritime legend if it weren't for the photographic evidence. When the ship's captain, Keith Tracy, reported the strange events to his employers, the Cities Service Company, they suggested he try to photograph the eerie faces - which he did. One of those photos is shown here.

How to Hear a Ghost

For decades, paranormal researchers have been recording enigmatic voices on audiotape. Called electronic voice phenomena - or EVP - these strange-sounding voices have been captured using ordinary tape recorders and cassette tapes. Often these researchers venture out into cemeteries or allegedly haunted houses. Sometimes the voices seem to respond to questions asked by the researchers, but often they are unprompted. In every case, however, the voices are not heard at the time they are recorded. Oddly, it is not until later when the researchers play the tape back - often with amplification or filtering - that the voices can be distinguished.

Are they ghosts? Voices from another dimension? Something else? What they are exactly is a matter of debate, but there's little denying that they are there - and completely unexplained.

If you'd like to experiment with EVP, all you need is a portable cassette tape recorder and some new high-quality cassette tapes. Make sure you use new tapes because you want to avoid any possibility of having voices or noises previously recorded on the tape.

World ITC offers these tips for successful EVP:

* Use an audiocassette recorder with an external microphone and a source of mild white noise, such as a radio tuned between stations. (Or, as other researcher have done, you can also experiment with the quiet of a cemetery or house; just be sure it is far from traffic noises that might interfere with the recording.)
* Place the microphone a few feet from the radio.
* Turn on the tape recorder and introduce the session. For example: "Good morning. It's Tuesday October 31, 11:59 p.m. I welcome all spirits." Then ask three or four questions.
* Replay the taped sequence and listen closely. A set of earphones can help make the short, faint voices more audible.

While some people are lucky enough to get a clear EVP on their first try, others might find that it takes several weeks or even months of experimenting to achieve success. World ITC says, "As you conduct voice experiments on a regular basis, the voices might get louder and clearer as your contact field (the field of thoughts, feelings and life energies between you and your spirit friends) grows stronger. It requires a clear mind, focused intent, positive thoughts, and a balanced temperament to ensure the best possible results." The World ITC website also provides information for capturing EVPs on computers and minidisc recorders.

Freddy Jackson

This intriguing photo, taken in 1919, was first published in 1975 by Sir Victor Goddard, a retired R.A.F. officer. The photo is a group portrait of Goddard's squadron, which had served in World War I at the HMS Daedalus training facility. An extra ghostly face appears in the photo. In back of the airman positioned on the top row, fourth from the left, can clearly be seen the face of another man. It is said to be the face of Freddy Jackson, an air mechanic who had been accidentally killed by an airplane propeller two days earlier. His funeral had taken place on the day this photograph was snapped. Members of the squadron easily recognized the face as Jackson's. It has been suggested that Jackson, unaware of his death, decided to show up for the group photo.

Interesting side note: In 1935, Sir Victor Goddard, now a Wing Commander, had another brush with the unexplained. While on a flight from Edinburgh, Scotland to his home base in Andover, England, he encountered a strange storm that seemed to transport him through time into the future. You can read more about his experience in the article "Time Travelers" under the section "Flight Into the Future.

Research : A Useful Tool

One of the most useful tools that a investigator can have at their disposal is the ability to do good research. Without research your investigation can become a ineffective endeavor to construct an coherent report on your findings. You will also find that you will expend most of your time following fragments of information, that you would have discovered had been researched by another investigator or researcher. So research is a fundamental tool that is useful in many circumstances. Good researched information, will give you unequivocal evident about your investigations that will be hard to contradict and as a whole will give creditability to your work.

One of the ways that you will find the use of research useful, is in the area of background history of an address, plot of land or even the history of a former resident when needed. To start the research of an address the researcher must first establish the owner of the residence, don't make the mistake of taking for granted that the owner of the residence is the person who is residing at the address. But ask questions of neighbors and anyone else of whom could be of help.

After you have established the ownership, of the resident our next step is to look for the deed or title to the property . This is done by a trip to the County Recorder to do your research . After this is completed you should have a wealth of information to work from . I should warn you at this point that you should be ready to pay for service fees and the cost of copies of the deeds or titles . The cost, for this should be somewhere between $ 25. 00 and $35.00 dollars it will depending the individual fees rendered. You now have information about the residence, you will have in most cases information about who may have a lien on the property and depending on how far back you have searched you will have knowledge on how the property was obtain and all the owners who have bought it though the years.

Now with the information you have you can find Marriages, Deaths, Births and a score of other things to help you along with your investigation. Some of the other resources that you will find useful are the Public Library, Local and State Historical Societies, Cemetery Systems and Voting Records. The list go on and on.

Remember the more cross referencing you do the stronger, your investigations will be come and the stronger the investigation is the better your creditability will become with your peers and other individuals interested in your field of research. A last moment thought! Your research will seem to be very time consuming but in the long run you will be rewarded.

Lord Combermere

This photograph of the Combermere Abbey library was taken in 1891 by Sybell Corbet. The figure of a man can faintly be seen sitting in the chair to the left. His head, collar and right arm on the armrest are clearly discernable. It is believed to be the ghost of Lord Combermere.

Lord Combermere was a British cavalry commander in the early 1800s, who distinguished himself in several military campaigns. Combermere Abbey, located in Cheshire, England, was founded by Benedictine monks in 1133. In 1540, King Henry VII kicked out the Benedictines, and the Abbey later became the Seat of Sir George Cotton KT, Vice Chamberlain to the household of Prince Edward, son of Henry VIII. In 1814, Sir Stapleton Cotton, a descendent of Sir George, took the title "Lord Combermere" and in 1817 became became the Governor of Barbados. Today the Abbey is a tourist attraction and hotel.

Lord Combermere died in 1891, having been struck and killed by a horse-drawn carriage. At the time Sybell Corbet took the above photo, Combermere's funeral was taking place some four miles away. The photographic exposure, Corbet recorded, took about an hour. It is thought by some that during that time a servant might have come into the room and sat briefly in the chair, creating the transparent image. This idea was refuted by members of the household, however, testifying that all were attending Lord Combermere's funeral.

Interesting side note: Lord Combermere is connected to another well-known paranormal story: the famous "Moving Coffins" of Barbados. The coffins inside the sealed vault of the Chase family are said to have been moved about by unnatural forces. The heavy coffins were repeatedly put in proper order, but often when a new coffin was added to the vault, the coffins were found strewn about. Lord Combermere, while governor of Barbados, had ordered a professional investigation of the mystery.