The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-04-06
the facilities they extend to the modern pc.
litical craft Of pipe layers" whose expe-
rience in the art of tubular interments
would enable them quickly to complete the
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would enable them quickly to complete the
work.
o,ra.t Cape Race.
Cape Race, where the steamship Hunga~
rian was lost, leaving no one to tell the sad
tale of the disaster, is one of the most dan
gerous headlands upon the coast, and many
gallant ship has there found watery
grave. Could the stories which mariners
have told of the hair-breadth escapes from
this headland be collected, they would fill a
volume. In connectian with the mysterious
disaster which has overwhelmed the steamer
Hungarian, the following graphic and beau
tiful passage from EvERErT's address at the
Inauguration of the Dudley Observatory has
a peculiar and almost prophetic interest
That no further improvement is desira-
BILE in the means and methods of ascertain>
ing the ships place at sea, no one, think,
will from experience be disposed to assert.
The last time 1 crossed the Atlantic 1
walked the quarter deck with the officer in
charge of the noble vessel on one occasion
when we were driving along before lead.
ing breeze under head of steam, beneath
starless sky, at midnight, at the rate GER
tainly of ten or twelve miles an hour.
There is something sublime, but approach
ing the terrible, in such scene the rayless
gloom-the midnight chll-the awful swell
of the deep-the dismal moan of the wind
through the rigging-the all but volcanic
fires within the hold of the ship-I scarce
know an occasion in ordinary life ip which
rejecting mind feels more heavily its
hopeless dependence on irrational forces
beyond its own control.
asked my companion how nearly he
could determine his ships place at sea under
favorable circumstances Theoretically
he answered, I think within mile prac-
tically and Usually, within three or four.
My next question was = How near do you
think we may be to Cape Race, that dan.
gerous headland which pushes its from
bound, unlighted bastions from the shore of
Newfoundland far into the Atlantic-the
first landfall to the homeward bound Amer
lean vessel We must said he by our
last observations and reckoning, be within
three or four miles of Cape Race A COM
parison of these two remarks, under the
circumstances in which we were placed at
that moment, brought my mind to the con-
clusion that it is greatly to be wished that
the me5as should be discovered of finding
the sn1p's place more accurately, or that
navigatOrs would give Cape Race wider
BERTH"
The distance of Cape Race from Halifax
would appear to make it possible, by proper
precaution, to avoid it under any circum
stances, but requires the observance of rules
for looking out woich are not to be triAed
with. A correspondent gives the following
account of narrow escape of one of the
Cunard steamship, several years since, in
which he was passenger:
"Mr. Everett's description of the obser.
vations, the night at sea, the dangers of ap
proach to Cape Race, brings forcibly to my
mind the following circumstance: In 1848
on board one of the regular steamers, We
found a pleasant party of friends, and an ac-
quaintance who was Incorporate, but with
manners, good, even in his cups.
GAS we left Halifax German asked our
captain when we should reach Cape Race
and further, if there was notsome difficulty
on account of the variation of the currents.
The captain replied in rather an Indifferent
manner, which naturally is the way most of
the foolish questions are answered, Yes,
there is sometimes difference of about
twenty miles, from the change of currents.
We shall get to Cape Race tomorrow night
at about ten O'clock The manner of put
ting the question, evidently in fear, and the
manner Of answering so grave question
with Indifference, struck me in contrast, and
began to calculate that ship going ten
miles an Our, if the current varied taUenty
miles, might reach Cape Race eight o'clock
instead of ten. I determined to be on the
look out, and the weather being somewhat
misty on the next day, (Sanday,) made me
more anxious. AS eight o'clock approached,
was talking to lady of fears and courage
at sea, particularly of presence of mind, when
heard screamed, in most alarming man
ner, Hard a portp whats that-may 1
60 on deck?' Get your shawl was said in
second, and was on deck with Cape Race
eighty feet above our heads. The captain,
one of the most noble of them all, (since
deadly it seems, left the wheel house to light
q cigar, and was held in one of the Offices by
my Incorporate friend to hear story, when
one of the passengers, walking the deck,
discovered land and gave the alarm, but not
before, as the captain acknowledged, we
were within three lengths of the ship
though the passengers said within half
length of the ship-from shore.
"a kind Providence saved us but the
engineer remarked to met will not be
long before some vessel will leave her skele-
| ton on Cape Race, for the want of a proper
lookout"
AN English woman, writing to the Lon.
don Times in respect to the efforts made to
reclaim abandoned women by midnight tea
parties, says, pertinently, might venture
| to suggest that meetings should be called for
the other sex, that they may be lectured and
prayed with about the awful sin and misery
that lie at their door. will bear my share
of the necessary tea and toast. When the
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