Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-07-27
A NIGHT In LABRADOR.

tons. The perlls oil the coast, the strang
scenery, the wild men, the hardships, tn
sea, rocks and storms all beckoned to m
with half command and half fascination
So / loaded the Allegro at New York OF
the 9th of May, 1884, and started up tn
Hudson with full cargo of food and an
ticipations. went up the canal to White
hall, down to Champlain, the Richelieu
the st. Lawrence, and past Quebec and tn
Saguenay, and at last into the Gulf of 81
Lawrence.
The north shore of the gulf for abou
400 miles below Point de Monts offers bu
little shelter from rough water, and as tn
season was stormy, made rather SLOW
progress. l became anxious lest my jour
ney to Belle Isle should be cut short b,
the coming on of fall, with snow-storm
and ice; for / certainly did not wish tt
winter on these wild shores But at las
the Island of Antieosti dropped out o
sight asterp, and my route now BEGAN,
more sheltered among countless islands 0
bare and messy rocks.
After passing the open waters of Wash
sheecootal and Olomanosheebo, or Roman,
bays, l felt for time less anxiety abou
being delayed by heavy seas. If tn,
weather had been fine, my progress woulc
have been more rapid, and | could have
tarried for a few days for trout or salmon
tishing-the enjoyment of some sport, the
exemption from so much forced travel, anc
more tranquil state of mind would have
given me more cheerful and commonplace
experiences. But these would not have
revealed the most characteristic features Of
Labradorian life. ! should have stopped
in this region to examine its minerals, foI
1t is SAID to be rich in Labradorite and
some precious stones, copper, iron and
other metals. A company of Que bee CAPT.
talists have begun to develop these mines
Natures tid-bit here is a rock. Geolo,
gists would have much to tell about the
GRANTEES, gneiss, traps, basalts and por-
phyries that generally compose the coast,
but the general reader needs chiefly to
imagine all these rocks heaved up along
the sea, in high cliffs deeply cIoyen, in
gentle slopes, in islands often Jagged and
picturesque, in bold headlands, in the
shores of deep, narrow, shadowy bays, and
in the banks of winding channels. Then
these varied forms in some places are set
of by veins and strata of strong colors-
snow-white, red, rich purple, brown, gray,
deep green, black-the whole either bare
or covered with moss; ponds of beer-col-
ored rain-water lie in the hollows of the
rock. A river now and then comes into
the clear sea with current of dark water
and once IN great while a few trees stand
at the mouth of the river With these
features in mind he sees Labrador.
Camp-grounds are rare in such 4 region
Late one afternoon, when | was running
along in fog and wondering where
should find a landing place, a heavy swell
all at once came rolling in under the mist
and the wind began to blow from the
seuth-southwest. One of the troubles at
tending dense fog is that you cannot see
far enough to realize the state of the
weather windward to see the water off ex-
posed 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 the land, and yet was unable
to distinguish anything but now and theI
point of rocks looming out of the clouds.
knew not where to seek shelter, but |
kept on northeastward. As the winds and
seas increased very fast, l took in reef
and then examined the chart before clos
ing the apron and preparing for heavy
weather. As we'll as l could reckon the
distance run since noon | must be 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
rochs In that region-not an assuring cir
cumstance in stormy, foggy twilight.
Meanwhile, with the wind on the beam.
the Allegro skipped along at lively rate
but whittier? blew 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 smart
current, ] was all at once swept into tur-
mol of chop-seas reflected from the base
of a smooth wall of granite Their sharp
and aggressive tongues leaping upward
tossed the canoe almost off the water. and
then let her fall with a quivering blow
into the hollow. Sometimes. leaping in
strong sp0uts of water horizontally, they
jerked her right and left with alarming
suddenness, and now and then one of these
columns Of water falling across the deck
made her crack and tremble as il she must
be crushed.
The greatest difficulty however, was to
keep her from capsizing In the mean
time breakers began TO sound loud lust
ahead; the air was perfectly impenetrable
beyond the bow; but knew that matters
would soon come to q crisif. Although
the sail drove me ahead, yet it had to be
taken down to keep her from going over
Then | held the canoe still a 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 me out Of the world
1t was never before so chilling and bate.
ful.
Meanwhile the wind was rising more
and more, the swells were beginning tc
break about me, and | must move. But
where / could not venture further out
to sea at night to go around the shoal OF
unknown extent. | could not drift ashore
there at the foot Of those cliffs. To turn
back was not more encouraging than to &c
ahead. just then lull in the breakers al
the shore enabled me to hear better the
sounds from the shoal. This seemed to be
of limited extent-a point off the seaboard
bow, and there was mere chance that a
quieter channel existed between the shoal
and the foot of the cliffs. AS the only
possible chance Of salvation, struck ont
with all my might for this supposed passage
As drew nearer the sloal the swells be.
came shorter and more crested, and the
chop-seas, reflected from the cliffs. became
more treacherous, until it seemed impossi.
bic to keep the canoe from capsizing.
How many times | threw nv weight Il
port or to starboard by mere impulse
withou. any belief that She wonld obey II
or thrust the paddle deep into the water tc
steady her, without any hope that She
would feel IT, But at last we were blown
and tossed and driited and padded int
the onieter lea of the shoal. Now if tht