Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1862-02-14
The Foreign Ncws-HOw IL Is Ottained
off Cape Race.

off Cape Race.
Thousands of our readers have noticed
that our earliest Foreign News is always
received by Telegraph from Cape Race. But
| how the news is received from off that point
from the steamers, but very few can tell.
| The quotation below throws light on the
| subject
The general form Of Newfoundland is
that OF an Irregular triangle having the
| South coast as its base. At its Southeast
crn extremity Is Cape Race, (from the Por-
tugueSe, CAP El RaS, the - Captains
Cape which all the steamers running
from England to New York, Boston, or
Portland, endeayour to make, as 1t lies
directly in their rOute, or rather, in their
way,-as detOur has to be made from the
dir, ct lne-in order to clear 1t. The coast
at Cape Race is bold and rocky; the cliffs
rise in precipices out of the water, AMI their
strata are tossed and torn asunder, as if by
some great convulsion OF nature.-A huge
black rock lifts its head out OF the deep wa
ter Immediately in front OF the Cape. The
eternal swell Of the Atlantic has worn great
hollows in the cliffs; and in some places,
masses oi slaty rock stand out, isolated from
the huge wall that breaks the restless
Ocean ever laundering against It, and
throwing ITS flashing spray high up the pre-
cipices.
On the top Of the cliffs, a very short dis
tancc from the edge. stands a well-built
lighthouse, pamted-white, with red vertical
stripes. Little further inland is the tele-
graph station, small neat building, from
which the wire can be seen stretching away |
on tall poles. standing out clearly on the |
mo1Ts and blrrens which are the great |
features Of Newfoundland.
Two whale boats of the very best descrip- /
ion, are employed On bolFi the steamers /
siich pass Both these boats were built at |
New York one is =. whitehall boat, aud |
the other, said % Lc the bcstO of the two, was
built in Brooklyn. These boats are kept in
rcccscs of the rocks, one On each eide Of the /
Cape. 50 as % t-kc advantage Of that side /
which may De at the moment the most IA |
v0rabls for launching or landing,-bOth
operations being attended with considerable /
danger. The crew consists Of four Oarsmcn,
natives Of Newfoundland, and magnificent
men they are, equal To every emerg' ney.-
The fifth man is the sieeT-man-Alr. Murphy,
tie News Agent lie is SAID 10 be a native
Of Sydney, Cape Breton, and certainly the
way in which he manages q boat in all
weathcrs, and makes his way on boar! yes
.cls at times when the most daring would
,rembe. is something quite wonderful, and
scarcely to be credited 10 see him stand
ing up with foot on each gunwale, and
,teadyin. himself with the tiller ropes. ready
lr his sprin-, in boarding, Is enough to
make the Hood run cold while watching
him.
Ia the night, OF Ia unusually stormy
weather. when the boat cannot JTertake OF
get near the steamer, % tin canister Is thrown
ivar containing the htes: newspapers and
iasIItchcs. These cauistcrs are cylindrical.
bout Is inches 10 length and SIX inches in
liImeter. they are carefully s'ldered up.
md have a piece Of lead at one end to make
hem fiat upright in the water. while straps
,t the side carry a slight pine s;af, about
Ar1c Zee, long. bearing "a tiny f,s, which
ryl= 10 mark the POSITION Ui the canister
.ul render It more readily cen aud picked
lp.
Having obtained the news, the men pull
lr the shore with long and powerful stroke.
o. the boat goes dancing over the waves IN
i.ht gallant style. Murphy springs on the
aore al any AVAILABLE point, he Is next seen
laundering up the cliffs. and rushing along
1 tire Station House with the speed Of
sindcer. fIr be Is a. active on land as on the
ea. From thence It is sent of without an
n,tlnt's delay, by wires which stretch from
lat point 400 miles westwardly 20 Port al
Basque. oycr one OF the widest countries in
lac worll-mouuiain-, moors, ravines. roar
~ torrents and mad precipices following
ach other in quick succession.
Port an Basque is at the south western
xtr nifty Of Newfoundland, near Cape Ray.
rom this point a cable is submerged across
he main entrance to the Gulf of st. Law
guce-hcre 81 miles wiie-tO Aspy Bay, at
be north eastern extremity Of Cape Breton.
The Cape Race line follows the eastern coast
q Nova Scotia, % Amherst, and there iuter-
Gets the main telegraph with the whole
" estern world, terminating only with the
'acifc
Thus We got the last news from Cape Race.
hc steamer City Of Washington having been
.1aried off thar lonely mass OF orn-wlshed
ock, on sunday afternoon at 3 o'clocz. On
be same day. 10 all probability, it was pub
,shed at san Francisco. and doubtless caused
IS much sensation there, As 1t appears to
layo done in all the towns and cities on the T,
lthuuc sea5oarl
Co'oEia' EHg'rc, s., Joins. " q.
At q regular meeting Of Hook and Ladder
'Ymrauy NJ. l, held at their room on Tues
,,. rvs,.ir n ,ya.s tlDlnirtouslv