Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-03

broken wilderness from the central treeless
stone and ice tablelands of Labrador; while
part way along its valley runs the centuries
old wide Indian trail to the great lake OF
st. john 1900 miles to the southwest.
The coast line from Seven Islands and
Bay would doubtless measure 150.miles to
the next trading-post and village behind the
noble group of Mingan Islands which stud
the Labrador coast for . distance of 40
miles; but the sailing distance is not half
so much. In delicious weather and with
out trace of fog we sped eastward past huge
ocean steamers, Government cutters and
scores of fishing smacks, changing our
course somewhat to the south, for at least a
glimpse of that loneliest and most grew
some Of all spots within these northern
seas, the Island of Anticosti, the North
Point and the lighthouse of which are about
IA miles distant from the Labrador shore.
There is little in the island save horror
and desolation. 1t lies diagonally across
the northern portion of the gulf, its north
western extremity set squarely into the 80
miles wide mouth of the st. Lawrence river
and its extreme southeastern point lies about
100 miles directly north of the center of the
gulf 1t is 122 miles long, 80 broad, has
circumference of 270 miles, and contains
about 1000. 900 acres of land, or, more prop
erly speaking, surface; for land it has not.
Its northern shores are lofty, and present to
the eye noble terraces of mountainous rock
with spruce-covered escarpments of green,
blending into purple, mist-covered indenta-
tions, or black and forbidding crags.
A FoRBIDDING SPOT.
No one can describe, or justly conceive,
the desolation and dangerous character of
this great Gulf island. Canadian geologic
and geographic surveys have been repeatedly
used to foist it into notice and invite popu-
lation. But its history is one of death to
mariners, ruin to capital, and starvation
and death to emigrants, who, to further
some dastardly stock scheme of, plunder,
have from time to time been left to die
alone upon it. Its entire interior Is one vast
utterly lrreclaimable wilderness of rock,
swamp and bog. The stunted spruce is in
manv places so matted, dense and storm
broken, that wild animals cannot penetrate
it, and shipwrecked men have walked on
top of the murderous mass for miles. There
are no safe harbors. In every direction ex-
tend into the Gulf limestone reefs to entrap
and wreck.
The only humans existing upon it are the
keepers of the lighthouses and wrecking sta
tions, warily supplied with supplies in fair
weather; half dozen trappers and hunters
who are set down on its shores from venture
some sloops; an occasional "egger' who
here pursues his contraband vocation unmo-
Tested through fear of approaching his
haunts; or downright outlaws who consign
themselves to an Incopceivably more
wretched prisonment than any known gov
'ernment can provide. I'uffins and sea-gulls
shrek around it; few wild animals devour
each other upon it; its deadly shores are
strewn with ever bleaching wrecks; every
hoarse song of the sea beating against its
crags is dirge for the dead whose skeletons
rot beneath; but curiously enough, as if in
keeping with that seeming law of compen-
sation which holds danger and sacrifice as
the price of all attainment of value, its cruel
coves and impenetrable bays swarm with
mackerel, cod, seals and whales in a profu-
sion not elsewhere known of men.
BEAUTIFUL MINGAN.
But it is more pleasant thing to turn
ones sight from such accursed shores to the
beauteous Mingan Islands to the north.
Emerald, amethyst and onyx, set in ieathery
surf, they are, and all day the sunlight and
and the vagrant mists play over their win
some sea face wondrously indeed. ALI the
way eastward toward the Atlantic the great
Laurentian range Of mountains gradually
lessons in altitude, breaking into rounded
and softened elevations, with here and there
a lowering cliff to hint of the Sahara of stone
upright like fierce outpost toward the sea.
Over and above the Mingan isles it lifts its
cloudy head, midway between the Magpie
and St. John rivers. This is grim old
Mount st. JOHN, and the river of that name
in which countless salmon play, is one of
the noblest of the northern coast. But there
is no escaping tale and sight of the wreck.
The westernmost islets of the Mingans are
called the Perroquets. They are the high
est and scenicaIly the most admirable of the
group. Here Captain Deschamps pointed
out the spots where the great steamers, the
Clyde and the North Briton, were totally
wrecked in September, 1857, and Novem-
Der, 1861; while on the shore of every one of
these great outliers of the Silurian basin,
marking the boundaries of the old-time
Silurian seas, is half embedded wreck, or
shore-strewn hotsam of vessels nevermore to
sail.
In and out of Mingan harbor, around
whose shores cling remnant of the BAN
ished Acadiians of Nova Scotia, intermin-
gled with French half breeds and Nasqua-
pee Indians, all of whom receive ministra-
tiorfs from the Oblate Fathers at quaint
old mission; before the modern fishing viii
lage OF Long Point behind the Perroquets;
and between and about most of these
splendid islands; we sailed at will for three
idyllic days-idyllic at least to the English
tourist and myself, and our captain bold
chatted away merrily of the many things he
knew, which all men SO love to tell. But
our Yankee timber explorer could see no
place for mills, no trees for. cutting, no
money to make, and legend and tale were
barren of interest to him.
EDGAR L. WAKEMAN.