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  The Comet of 16641676 Storm and Shipwreck  
THE winter of 1666-67 was unseasonably warm. The ground was but slightly frozen, and very little snow fell in any portion of New England. It was one of those winters that gave the inhabitants the notion that the climate was changing, and that they would not again experience such severe seasons as they had passed through since the settlement of the country, Each mild winter has brought into men's minds the same thoughts, which would be dissipated when the succeeding winter with its cold and snow came upon them.

Toward the close of the month of February a singular and undefinable object appeared in the southwestern section of the sky. It. sometimes resembled the tail of a comet without the star; and, again, in the imagination of the beholder, seemed like a spear, thicker in the- middle than at either end. Its position was not perpendicular, but it leaned to the east, the lower end pointing to the place of the sun's exit. It was quite bright and of a whitish color. It appeared in the evening about an hour after darkness came on and slowly descended until it vanished. beneath the horizon. It was seen only four or five., nights in all and those successively.

Whether or not it was a lingering beam of the sun's rays we cannot of course tell. The people of that time believed it to be a sign of some impending calamity. Some writers have called it a comet, but it certainly was not. Morton calls it a sign and exclaimed after he had seen it, "God awaken us that we be not heedless spectators of his wonderful works." Those who thought it was a sign, and imagined that it resembled a spear, concluded that it gave warning of an impending massacre by the Indians, and that it had special reference to the war with King Philip in 1675 and 1676.

Several ministers and magistrates, who had been prominent in New England, died the following year, and Rev. Simon Bradstreet of New London, Conn., wrote in his diary kept at the time, that "Possibly the death of these precious servants of Christ might not be the least thing signified by that blaze or beam."

The strange visitor was not without its moral influence upon the people. A writer says, "it excited the magistrates to promote a reformation of manners;" though the Universal History observes that "the only thing of that kind that happened was a renewal of the persecution against the Baptists and Quakers."

At Lynn, Mass., one evening in 1682, after the sun had set, and darkness had begun to throw its pall over the land, a man by the name of Handford went out of doors to ascertain if the new moon had risen. In the western sky lay a black cloud of strange appearance, and after looking at it a short time he discovered that it contained the figure of a man completely armed, standing with his legs apart, and holding a pike in his hands across his breast. Mrs. Handford also came out and saw the apparition. After awhile the figure vanished, and in its place appeared a large ship, fully rigged and with all sails set, apparently in motion, though retaining the same position. It was seen as plainly as a ship was ever seen in the harbor, and was to their imagination, the handsomest craft that they ever saw. It had a high majestic bow, heading southwardly, with a black hull, white sails, and a long and beautiful streamer floating from the top of the mainmast. This was plainly visible for some time. After awhile the people went into their houses though the image still remained in the cloud. On coming out again after a short time it was not to be seen, the cloud had also gone and the sky was clear. Many reliable people in the town saw the apparition, and all agree that the above statement is true; but what it was, and how it can be accounted for is still unknown. We merely record the facts, believing we ought to do so whether we can account for the strange appearance or not.

This brings to the mind of the writer a tradition in his family of a similar, but more astounding exhibition in the clouds. There appeared in the heavens two magnificent men-of-war, which slowly and steadily approached until they came comparatively near each other when flames simultaneously burst from their port-holes, and the sound of cannon was heard. The bright flashes followed by sharp reports continued for several minutes, and the vessels vanished. We believe it was said that this battle in the clouds occurred just before one of the wars of this country, but which one we have forgotten. The incident might be explained by the presence of heat or flash lightning accompanied by distant thunder and clouds containing forms like ships.

Source: Historic Storms of New England by Sidney Perley, 1891
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