Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1888-09-22
OLD ACADIA AND BEYOND.
or for sable Island-A Monster OF the
Deep-Ths History of the 1sland-Kts
Dangers-Wrecks, Wrecks. Wrecks.


Deep-Ths History of the 1sIand-Its
Dangers-wrecks, Wrecks, Wrecks.
ST. JOHNS, Newfoundland, Sept. IA.
Tothe Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
gentle breeze from the northeast piled
plume like patches of fog along the irregu-
lar shores of the once cannon studded har-
Dor of the American military depot of Louis
XIV, in bunohes and banks, shutting out
here and there the land, the sea and the
night light itself, as boarded our staunch
craft at nearly midnight and awakened jolly
old Captain Ballast with most unwelcome
news. Crawling from the little ''cuddy"
with many roaring sea wise objurgation,
his face fell as I flung him huge package of
recent newspapers, old magazines and second
hand book all sorts with the remark that,
"The folks over at Sable Island will keep US
a six month for that bundle of reading"
''Sable Islandl Sable IslandI Why man,
we's got no charts an ye might as well pint
fur Davy Jones lockeri"
"All right" answered chesrily. "Well
find the locker then. Lively now, Captain.
Well head her straight south and by supper
time tomorrow be among the Sable Island
wrecks and ponies"
The old man awoke Tom with kick, got
the anchor aboard and we stood out to sea
quickly. Like a ghostly sail our craft cut
into and emerged from the almost palpable
punches of fog Well out of the weird old
harbor of Louisburg, never was there more
beautiful nights sailing; but the grewsome
grumbling, the hair raising tales, the yarns
of wreck and death and unlaid ghosts that
narrowed my ears that night were something
frighttul. Moaning, groaning, cursing, pro-
testing, round bellied Captain Ballast re-
venged himself upon me for the uncanny
trip to the t1ostest, 1onesomest, hurtingest
place as ever cussed sailor or salt water
thumped," as the good man put it. Tom
WINGED open mouthed and pale as countless
prophecies of our utter destruction came
faster and more furious more than once I
wished myself back on solid ground where
the mighty bulwarks of old Louisburg once
stood; but 1--WE sailed and sailed" with a
good stiff breeze behind us, good stout
/ craft beneath us, all of ten spanking knots
| an hour over land lubber's smiling sea; and
l before three O'Clock the next afternoon my
| glass showed me triumph over my half mutt
| nous crew, and the far outlines of Sable Is
land, where the eternal roar of the surf has
| stilled the agonized cries of countless help
| less ones for more than a quarter thousand
years.
At distance the outline of Sable Island
| is merely long series of dark hummocks, al
If some great monster of the deep were push
ing towards American shores to devour the
land. Monster 1t is still, as these gloomy
ridges melt into undulations of sward anc
sand, and the great lighthouses, like lofty
head and tail, show to the west and east
their crystal domes one hundred and THIRTY
feet above the surf, as when the intrepid Si
Humphrey Gilbert, in 1888, perishing on 1T
cruel coast, gave those memorable words O
| exalted faith, Heaven is as near by sea a
by land" monster through all the interven
ing years wherein its hated yellow face ha
glowered and threatened the silent, scare,
lookout of every vessel bound from the east
ern to the western hemisphere; monster t
} all craft wherever bound, q days distanc
, from its sunken shoals outreaching beneat
| the sea for wreck and death; monster ever
the brave 6sher-folk that battle for brsa
{ | upon the Banks, and homeward bound, leav
} eargoes and lives the sport of its surfs, Will
, pale faces lean far and farther seaward Owe
the rotting bulkheads of old Gloucester towr
peering and praying for fathers, brother
: lovers, who nevermore will come.
After all there may be something 'onhr
| man an temptin' on Providence" as sturd
. Captain Ballast remarked quite heatedly,
- braying the ordinary terrors of Sable Island
treacherous sea environs to merely visit O
< old Acadia's coast this most famous of a
the oceans graveyards. But when, as v
D rounded the western extremity of the islant
o and neared the circling fringe of silvery sur
and I.saw the picturesque lot Of humanit
who exist here making preparations
launch the great life boat, and as gallant
bring us to dry land as though driven upc
their mercies by awful storm, and then n,
. ticed the pride of my brave, If grumbIin
d old sailor friend rising to the needed r
d quirement of taking our sloop to anchor
sand far out of fretting brine, was prot
of the good American timber beneath m
}, my really intrepid companions and the ye
l. focihasdiness OF my adventure. We aWe