The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-08-21
ALONG LABRAD0R'S COAST.
Mr.. wAKEMAN's FAR NORTH LETTER.
How a Garden Was Blown Away-Through
Mares OF Islands and Rocky Channels
An Iceberg Under the Northern
notwithstanding Notes.

and beautiful Chateau bay, our course
now lay within the Atlantic along the
Labrador coast, whose general bearing is
10 the northwest for 500 miles, until Hud-
sons strait is passed, and the almost
measureless shores OF Hudson's bay turn
squarely to the south at the mighty head
land of Cape Wolstenheime. Out to the
southeast stood grim Belle Isle, the first
land which Europen steamers make along
these turbulent shores. This, with Qufri-
pom island. were known as the isles
OF Demons" in ancient times, and
in the old prints, they are repre-
scented as being covered with rampant
devils with wings, horns and tails. Ger
tainly no other creatures could subslst
upon Belle Isle. 1t is here that the
chroniclers locate the scene OF the pathetic
tale of LADY Margaret, niece of Roberval.
viceroy of New France, and her impetuous
though devoted lover. We sailed near
the southwestern edge of the island, close
enough to we'll observe its formation. 1t
Is simply tremendous monolith of stone
nine miles long and three broad, rising
precipitously from the sea at the outer en-
trance of the strait, with not an iota of
verdure upon its iron like sides and top.
We got fine glimpse OF its lighthouse
perched high upon a southern headland,
ats guys and anchorings for preventing it's
being blown away giving it the appearance
OF some colossal Arctic aux poised In
readiness for fight.
Yes" said Captain Deschamps, rumin-
atively, "only once year any vessel lands
there; and the storms are so terrible that
every time we sailors pass we dread TO
look up there, fearing the light'u III be
blown away. How hard does the wind
blow? Well. / can't rightly give We the
v'locity. but ! can furnish facts. Twenty
years ago-'n' l we'll remember him-a
keeper named Vaughn had charge of the
light. He got sort o hankerin' arter green
things. Awful foolish; but twus hard to
git anybody TO stay there at all, and they
lowed his scheme for a garding. They
took hull boat loads of soil up there an
made him garding n acre big. Nothin'
would grow on il, but he liked to dig in it,
probrly. One evenin' a whirlin' sort of
storm riz, n sorter kept risin' all night.
When Vaughn pokeG his head out
in the morniu', he couldn't see
the garden nowhere. He didn't
know at fust but he was
leetle confused hisself, an climbed back
in an took his bearin's; but there was no
garden nowhere certain. That tornader
A1d jest yanked up the hull sile an spilled
- all over the 'Lantic. Vaughn bad sper-
1t, be did. He wouldn't stand that. So
he threw up the job an took to shown
seals"
Our captain had sailed out OF st. Johns
for many years, and knew every island,
cove and inlet between Belle Isle and
Hudson's bay. Dangerous a voyage as it
always Is, ours was fearlessly made
through maZes of islands and rocky chan
nels which lined the coast. We success
lively passed the many headlands and
islets OF st. Louis sound, the wonderful
mountain ribbed expanse OF Alexis river
mouth, the inconceivably grand and awful
barren peaks of Occasional harbor and st.
NichaePs bay, the black and frowning
lodges and crags of Dead, Barren, Hawk
and Seal islands, and passing Round Hill
island, the eastern land of Labrador, to our
right, rounded the great Isle of Ponds,
crept through the noted Indian tickle
channel and sped out into the ocean again.
past Cannot islands to the Esquimaux
islands at the north of the vast Hamilton
inlet, the IUUtoke OF the Esquimaux, and
made our first anchorage among perhaps
300 vessels, sloops, schooners, brigs and
brigantines, and indeed every manner of
sailing craft that follows the sea for fish.
There are no more impressive scenes
OF desolation on earth than are to be found
along the coast; and yet one will hardly
fad anywhere upon the sea- away from
the great ports of the continents such
swarms and bevies of vessels. In every
cove or bay we passed could be seen their
sails or masts looming behind blackened
crags, or their rocking bulls moored to
sloping shelves of stone. We met them
hourly returning to the south with full
~ feb IN
must have been 1000 boats; and at In
dian Tickle we were informed that more
than 1000 vessels had passed to the north
through that channel this season.
go far as a landsman might Judge, our
dangers, If any, lay not so much IN the
jutting barbs of the steely coast, as in col
lsion with other craft and the constant
menace OF those silent and dreadful Arctic
travellers. the icebergs. They were never
out of sight day or night. BY day they
are dreadful enough, but when at night
they confront you, ghost-like and weird
IN the gale light of the stars, there is a
sense OF inexpressibiy awful danger in
the first chill OF their icy breath. was
at sea in 1882 when our steamer in a fog
ran with slackened speed squarely into
one OF these monsters, crunchlng and
climbing upon its hidden base with
her iron prov. 1t was thought that
the mass would topple over upon
US, but we finally slowly slid CULVER
ingly back into the sea. In that five min
utes' nearness to an unsteady iceberg,
several hundred of us experienced more
than it is said men feel when they die
But on our way 10 Indian harbor we had
a stranger experience still. The English
tourist and my friend the timber-hunter
were sitting beside me on the deck
about 10 o'clock at night, watching a
tremendous iceberg lying abouta mile and
half TO the east. Capt. Deschamps as
sured Us it was the largest he had ever
seen in these waters and he estimated its
length 10 be fully three-fourths OF a mile
and its hight above water at nearly three
hundred feet. Our special amazement at
the time was in its wonderful appearance
under the dazzling effect of the brilliant
northern lights. Presenting APP
parently 10 US a solid wall of the
softest opalescent light, now and then the
stupendous mass would glow with ex-
quisitely beautiful pulsations, from pale
and shimmering sheen TO the intensity of
fame at white heat. But this thrilling
scene was the least of the wonderful phe-
nonena Suddenly with a crash so APP
palling that our schoonermasts quivered
ike wind-whipped tree tops, the whole
vast island of ice exploded into millions
of fragments. Nothing else save the sud-
dan frruption of some marina volcano