The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1880-09-10
A NORMANDY TEMPEST.
NIIILET's GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF sHIT
WRECK on THE COAST

NIIILET's GRAPHIC DEsCRTPTIOS OF SHIP
WRECK on THE COAST
In the opening pages Of the life Of Jean
Francois MilIet, Peasant and Painter" " be-
gun in ScriJBer for September, occurs the
following simple and graphic description by
Mflet himself ola series Of shipwrecks on the
coast of Normandy, which formed one of the
most striking memories of his childhood
There are not many records Of calamities, or
series of calamities so extraordinary.
''It was All Saints Day. In the morning
We saw that the sea was very rough and ev-
cry one said there would be trouble. All the
parish was in church. In the middle Of Mass
we saw man come dripping wet, an old
sailor. well known for his bravery. He i'm
mediately said that aS he came along shore
he saw several ships which, driven by fear
full wind, would certainly shipwreck on the
coast. We must 90 TO their assistance said
he louder, and have come TO say to an who
are willing that we have only Just time to put
to sea to thy and help them And about fif-
ty men offered themselves and without speak
ing, followed the old sailor. We got to the
shore by going down the cliff and there we
soon saw terrible sight-Several vessels, one
behind the other, driving at frightful speed
against the rocks.
"Our men put their boats 20 sea, but they
had hardly made ten strokes when one boat
filled with water and sunk, the second over
turned withthe breakers and the third thrown
up on shore Happily no one was drowned,
and all reached the shore. Il was easy TO
see that our boats would be no use to the
poor people on the ships.
Meantime the vessels came nearer and
were only a few fathOms from our black
cliffs, which were covered with cOTmOrants.
The first, whose masts were gone came like
a great mass. Every one on shore saw &c
coming: no one dared speak. l. seemed to
me child, as if death was playing with a
handful Of men, whom it intended to crush
and drown. An immense wave lifted itself
like an angry mountain and wrapping the
vessel brought her near, and a still higher
one threw her upon rock level with the wa
ter. a fTightful cracking SOund-the next
instant the vessel was filled with water. The
sea was covered with wreckage-planks,
maSts and poor drowning creatures Many
swan andthen disappeared. Ourmen threw
themselves into the water, and, with the old
sailor at their head, made tremendous efforts
to save them. Several were brought back,
but they were either drowned OF broken on
the rocks.
''The sea threw up several hundred, and
. with them merchandise and food
"a second ship approached The masts
were gone. Every one was on deck, which
was full we ssw them all on their knees and
a man IN black seemed to bless them A
wave as big as our cliff carried her toward us
We thought we heard shock ike the first
but she held Stanch and did not move. The
waves beat against her hut she did not bulge
L 1
one put to sea, for il was only two gun shots
from shore. a boat was made fast alongside;
our boat was filled instantly, one of the boats
of the ship put of, threw out planks and
boxes, and in half an hour every one was on
shore. The ship had been saved by a rare
accident her bOwspTit and fOTepart had got
wedged in between two rocks. The waves
which had thrown her on the reefs had pre-
served her as il By miracle. She was En-
glish, and the man who blessed his compan-
| ions was bishop. They We're taken to the
village, and soon after to GherbOurg.
I'VE all went back again to the shore -
The third ship was thrown on the breakers,
lashed into little bits, and no one could be
saved. ThebOdies of the unhappy crew were
thrown up on the sand.
"a fourth, fifth and sixth were lOst-ship
and caTgO-On the rocks. The tempest was
terrific. The wind was so violent that it was
useless to try to oppose it. It carried of the
roofs and the thatch. 1t whirled so that birds
were killed-even the Culls, which are accus-
toned, one would think, to storms. The
night was passed in defending the houses,
Some covered the roofs with heavy stones
some carried ladders and poles and made
them fast 20 the roofs. The trees bent to the
ground and cracked and split. The fields
were covered with branches and leaves 1t
was a fearful ScOurge. The next dav-AU
Souls Day-the men returned to the shore !;
il was covered with dead bodies and wreck
age. They were taken up and placed in lows
along the foot Of the cliffs. Several other
vessels came IN SlghI every one was lost on
+ our coast 1t was a desOlation ike the end
of the world. Not one could be saved. The
rocks smashed them like glass and threw
them in atoms to the ellis.
Passing a hollow place, / saw a great sail
covering what looked ike pile of merchan-
T disc. / lifted the corner and saw a heap of
dead bodies / was so frightcnd that ran
all the way home. where ! found mother and
grandmother praying for the drowned men.
The third day another vessel came. OF this
I one they found poSsiblp To SAW mart Of ff,a
/ crew, about ten men, whom they got off the
rocks. They were all torn and bruised
They were taken to Gruchy, cared for a
month and sent to CheTbourT But the poor
wIetches were not nd of the sea. They en-
barked on a vessel going 10 Havre: a storm
! took them and they were all lost. As for the
dead, all the heaIses were employed for a
week in carrying them to the cemetery
/ They were buried in unconsecrated ground /:
people said they were not good Christians. -