One Last Stitch to Make Sure That He's Dead

(Image: Bridgeman Art Library)

Before ships had refrigerated morgues, it was common to bury the dead at sea. A sailor's body and weights would be sewed up inside a hammock. His mates would finish the task by sewing the last stitch through the dead man's nose--to be certain that he was really dead.

Here's a description provided by one sailor from his experiences in the 1960s:

The mate sent me down to assist the bo'sun to prepare and stitch up the corpse, as he said I would be unlikely to witness such an occurrence again. The bo'sun, a North Sea Chinaman (ie, he hailed from the Orkney Isles), was in his sixties and had performed the task several times before. He was a deft hand with the palm [leather glove] and needle used to sew the heavy canvas into a shroud around the body, and when he came to the final stitches around the face he pushed the large triangular-shaped needle right through the nose. I winced, and he looked up at me and said, "That's the law of the sea, the last stitch through the nose, if that don't wake him up I know he's dead."

Apparently, it was not uncommon for sailors or passengers to be mistakenly pronounced dead. This was the final test.

Link -via The Oddment Emporium


Reminds me of the 911 operator who got a call from Bubba. He said, "Help! We're out here in the woods huntin' and my buddy Junior just all the sudden keeled over and died! What do I do?"

Operator: "Calm down sir. First, make sure he's dead."

(Bubba puts phone down. Operator hears a gun shot.)

Bubba: "Okay, now what?"
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Hm, i thought i once saw a hollywood movie where some prisoned/sailors on a ship escaped by pretending to be dead... cant't remeber the film... but with the stitch in the nose, it would not have worked..
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Login to comment.
Click here to access all of this post's 2 comments




Email This Post to a Friend
"One Last Stitch to Make Sure That He's Dead"

Separate multiple emails with a comma. Limit 5.

 

Success! Your email has been sent!

close window
X

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

I agree
 
Learn More