The new North-west., 1890-03-21
WRECK OF TIE ATLANTIC.
OLD JACK WATTS TELLS HOW SHE
WAS LOST ON "DEvIl'S CRADLE"

Scotia Fifteen Years Ago-Out OIL the
bluff III the Black Night-1ow Jamie
Came to His Home.
1t was during holiday week about fifteen
years ago that the i'll fated steamship Atlantic
WAS wrecked upon the reefs on Devils Cra-
de-" within forty feet Of the lofty rock
bound west coast Of Nova Scotia It was
one of the most disastrous of ocean horrors
on record. The oldest resident of that vicin.
ity is venerable, silver haired Jack Watts
who has just turned his s2d year. He is a
stalwart, hardy, rough, weather beaten fish
erman, and has brilliant record there
abouts for not few deeds of life risking and
life saving valor. With muscles like wire
ropes and sinews like steel, his strength, too,
"Do remember that night! Do II You
wouldn't ask that question, my boy, if you
had been here, for if you lived ever so many
lives you would not forget that awful night
through all eternity" said he, and the sturdy
old mans voice quvered as he paused to clear
his throat, and his eyes gistened as though
they smarted with the salty moisture of
gathering tear.
"Well, sir" he continued, ''you remarked
that this was q stormy night when you came
in. Pshaw this is nothing. Sure there is a
bit of a storm brewing and rather stiff
out a bit" And as he opened the door
gust of wind extinguished the lamp on the
table, leaving the room i'll total darkness
THAT DARK STREAK.
we walked out toward the bluff. The air
was murky, raw, and growing bitter cold.
Eighty feet below the waves dashed against
the rocks pounding like some enormous
sledge hammer, with a noise like distant thun-
der, and causing the ledge under our feet to
vibrate with each blow.
has been famous,
Far away in the distance there was now
and then visible tiny point of light-ot some
vessel so far that it would wholly disappear
for awhile, and then again come into view.
THAT light is about sixty miles away, and
steamship, likely one of the English or
French liners" he said We had reached
near the very edge of the buf-as far as it
was safe to go-when my companion pressed
my arm and paused. Stretching out his arm
and pointing with his long, bony fingers, he
exclaimed: Down there, just beyond us-it is
only eighty feet from dry land-you see that
dark streak in the sea1 That is the Devils
Cradle and is under water at very high tide
1t is called that name because the reef is like
set Of big saws; the sharp rocks hold res-
sci that runs on them, and sometimes the sea
has beaten and pounded and shook the
wrecks, very much as a cradle is rocked,
until they are torn to pieces. "o......s-- ..---@
Mine have been lost there during my time
But that was not the luck Of the Atlantic,
which was too firmly set in tho rocks to be
moved, and the waves pounded and broke her
III two, and after awhile tore her to pieces
But that night set i'll hard. 1t was cold-bit-
ter cold-nnd the sun went down in a blind
ing snow storm, and the wind blew every
way with a force that was awful; then came
sleet and hail that cut your very clothes and
drew blood wherever it struck your flesh
All the time the wind was rising and the air
was getting more bitterly cold 1t was SO
cold that the air seemed to sting you, and the
wind would whirl you around almost Off
your feet; it whistled and howed and
screeched with frightful noise. | says to
my pious old woman: Mary Ann, it does
seem as though hell itself had been let loose
tonight And says she to me: Jimmie, l
believe it -Jimmle-hark and she
and ran to the window and looked out and
listened. .e3 o5 =#@
We'll, with all that unearthly uproar of the
tempest you could not hear much else, yet
we did hear faint BOOM like the sound of
q cannon; iu a minute or TWO saw streak
OF fire shooting up through the snow and
hail and then we knew that the Devils Cra-
die had, or would have, another wreck.
God helpthe poor soulsn cried, and Mary
Ann went down on her knees and prayed Tor
them and the poor lad Of ours-our boy
Jame-wiio We thought was on an East In
da merchantmen, But-he WASH t. thought
And the old mans voice was chohed INTO
silence
JAMIE suhfh4sE-
Mell' s'r ho resumed, tue WIG PuI Oh
ooief ol water anu pu. "ooo 10 the il'e'
We ALWAYS do when we think we NAV have
good use lor IT, IL some arc rescued. ihen
ran out III the storm. was good DIT OF u
strong man then, SIR, OUT l cou!a hafuly
se11'lo up ~ tna' sae' - oieH "'t.' ""lui
iofce, ai'u one cou!a i'o' see zen iee' u" y
yet poshea on % JUST about "here We are
stahuliS. Another foehe1 SNOW up aiio It's
track o. nre olscloseo aE a"i VI s'snt
u was aii III q minute, ana nao 70 s'taiil
iS eses anu iopA u!iuei ti'e Fean n, u 't's u"
tnlousn 'i'e oli,.!iis stoii'' ins'e "as
eieul, D's' ap'e'stio oSee', 7ssn.tt',p ~ @ -
1sTi tho ou.e' Guss VI ."e 1..' sAs 80 ~ =
iot'Ae'' ,'s 'nous'' ". % "io,0 no..o'i' - .no
oce6in 'at ,io,.h1is nca seu lno',' up' ny
we're ueeou'iy 'Ae i''ouii' 1is' a',u ''!es - 80
.hs1s huse stelu!sulp up a"u iet =. az a.
ouiiip'ns over ehoso 9astlen poti'e' u A'A'9
tovn, .t,,,
lhei III was Pltcny ua' Anese 1saih, aiu
eyes ~ lne same oileclio"' IL leM niinuVs ~ 's
al'o.uef foekes sio1 up, anu ueaAi "a sat's
hoote Vessel Aleeu up aili'os. oue - .ne "a,e.
.sns5 Na.e' ISL :. see,neu .s'uSn
ano p'So"7o ", QUE u sAt poAle ~ 1oeA' enei'
It was wheeled around ana as the waters re-
ceded the bare, rough rocks seemed Ike a
huge jaw, down into and upon which the
steamship dropped with crashing noise of
broken iron rass. tacklinp and machinerv
,o,11 ahe,a ,rh;nh r oonld ha,r tho sn,otberod
,oua s'oos. Wn,In 80, eou'a .ea. VIZ u.s;.I.1
| and the shouts of men-one loud, hideously
piercing pandemonlum OF anguish and de
spair.
Then oil was inky black darkness, and the
waves and winds seemed to vie with each
| other in transcending their tiendlsh parts OF
the horrid elemental orgy. had hard work
to hold my balance-keep my feet and get tc
our little home.