The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-07-27
A NIGHT IN LABRADOR.
A Perilous Experience in q Storm
A Memorable Scene.

| o''"hSc sCcHoIy, inc VIII men, the
hardships, the sea, the rocks, and
storms all beckoned to me with half
command and half fascination. So
loaded the Allegro at New York on
the 9th of May, 1884, and started up
The Hudson with full cargo of food
and anticipations. went up the
canal to Whitehall, down Lake Cham
plain, the tichelieu, the st. Lawrence,
aud past Quebec and the Saguemay,
and at last INTO the Gulf OF st. Law
renee. The north shore of the guilt for
about 400 miles below Point de Monts
offers bnt little shelter from rough
water, and as the season was stormy, |
made rather slow progress. became
anxious lest my journey to Belle Isle
should be cut short by the coming on
OF fall, with snow storms and ice; for
certainly did not wish to winter OH
these wild shores. But at last the
island of Anticosti dropped out of sight
| astern, anC my route now became more
sheltered among countless islands OF
bare or mossy rocks. After passing
the open waters off ashsheecootai
and Olomanosheebo, or Romaine,
Bays, L felt for time less anxiety
about being delayed by heavy seas.
Ii the weather had been fine, my prog
ress would have been more rapid, and [
| could have tarried for few days for
trout or salmon fishing-the enjoyment
OF some sport, the exemption from
SO much forced travel, and more
tranquil state of mind would have
given Inc more cheerful and common
place experiences. But these would
not have revealed the most character
lstic features OF Labradorian life. |
| should have stopped in this region to
| examine its minerals, tor it is said to
be rich in Labradorite and some prec-
| lous stones, copper, iron, and other
metals. A company of Quebec cap
| ltalists have begun to develop these
mines. Natures It'd bit here IS a rock.
| Geoiogists would have much to tell
about the GRANTEES, gneiss, traps, ba-
salts, and porphyries that generally
compose the coast. but the general
reader needs chiefly 10 imagine all
these rocks heaved up along the sea,
in high cliffs deeply cloven, in gentle
slopes, in islands often Jagged and pic
turesque, in bold headlands, i'm the
shores of deep, narrow, shadowy bays,
| and in the banks of winding channels.
Then these varied forms lin some places
| are set off by veins and strata of 81 fong
| colors-sno W white, red, rich purple,
brown, gray, deep green, black--the
whole either bare or covered with
moss; ponds of beer colored rain water
| lie i'll the hollows of the rock. A
| river now and then comes into the
clear sea with current of dark water,
and once i'll great while few trees
| stand at the mouth of river. With
these features in mind he sees Lab.
rador.
| Camp-grounds are rare in such re-
gion. Late one afternoon, when | was
running along in a fog and wonder
| ing where | should find landing
place, heavy swell all at once came
rolling in under the mist, aud the wind
began to blow from the south-soulh-
west. One of the troubles attending
dense fog is that you cannot see far
enough to realize the state of the
weather windward to see the water off
exposed points or in strong currents !;
thus YOU may be caught unawares by
formidable chop-seas or by breakers.
On this occasion the mist Obliged me to
sail close to land, and ye: was unable
to distinguish anything but now and
then point of rocks looming out of
the clouds. | knew not where to seek
shelter, but | kept on northeast ward.
AS the wind and seas increased now
very fast, l took in a reef and then ex-
amined the chart before closing the
apron and preparing for heavy wealth.
er. AS well as could reckon the dis
lance run since noon L must have been
near Wolf Bay; at all events it was a
| help to believe that shelter was not far
off, and TO work accordingly inward.
The chart showed many reefs and
small rocks in that region -
not an assuring circumstance in a
stormy, ioggy twilight. Meanwhile,
with the wind on the beam, the Ale
gro skipped along at lively rate-but
whittier? How soon would the swells
begin to comb? Just then point of
rock jutted out of the fog head and had
TO haul close up to the wind to weather
it. On doubling this with the help of
a smart current, l was all at once
swept into turmoil of chop-seas re-
ilected from the base of a smooth wall
OF granite. Their sharp and aggressive
tongues leaping upward tossed the
canoe almost off the wafer, and then
| iSb hOi Win 4uiNOlkhS ulo" iuIo
the hollow. Sometimes leaping in
strong spouts of water horizontally,
they jerked her right and left with
alarming suddenness, land now and then
one Of these columns of water falling
across the deck made her crack and
trembie as if she must be crushed. The
greatest difficulty, however, was TO
keep her from capsizing. In the mean
time breakers began to sound loud just
ahead; the air was perfectly impen-
etrable beyond the bow; but | knew
that matters would soon come to "a
crisis. Although the sail drove me
ahead, yet it had to be taken down to
keep her from going over. Then |
held the canoe still few moments to
study the situation by the sounds. To
leeward still existed the wall of rock,
where the waves dashed and fell back
and straight ahead the seas broke with
the smooth, even rush peculiar to a
shoal. The mist seemed TO shut Inc
out of the world; it was never so chill
ing and hateful Meanwhile the wind
was rising more and more, the swells
were beginning TO break about ME,
aud [ must move. But where? L could
not venture further out to sea at night
TO 20 around the shoal OF unknown eX-
tent. could not drift ashore there al
the foot of those cliffs. To turn back
was not more encouraging than to go
ahead. just then lull in the breakers
at the shore enabled me to hear better
the sounds from the shoal. This seem
ed to be of limited eXtent-a point off
til eseaboard bow, and there was IA
mere chance that a quieter channel ex-
listed between the shoal and the foot of
the cliffs. AS the only possible chance
of salvation. struck out with all my
might for this supposed passlge AS
drew nearer the shoal the swells be-
came shorter and more crested, and
the chop seas, reflected from the cliffs,
became more treacherous, until it
seemed impossible to keep the canoe
from capsizing. How many times
threw my weight to port or to starboard
by mere impulse, without any belief
that she would obey it, or thrust tEe
paddle deep into the water to steady
her, without any hope that she would
feel it. But at last we were blown and
tossed and drifted and padded into
the quieter lee of the shoal. Now if
the worst came, could possibly hold
her there all .ght by padding. But
on listening again to the hidden points
OF roaring, decided that the wors.
was over; that could advance inland
aud possibly reach some bay or the
shelter of an island-I dare not hope
! for so much as landing place. But