Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1890-03-06
WRECK OF THE ATLANTIC.
OLD JACK WATTS TELLS HOW SIZE
WAS LOST ON "DEVlL'S CRADLE"

4 Terrible Storm on the Coast of Nova
Scotia Fifteen Years Aso-Out tho
FLUFF IN the Black Nlght-Iiow jamie
Came to Iii, Home.
1t was during holiday week about fifteen
years ago that the i'll la.cl steamship Atlantic
was wrecked upon the reef ON Devils Cra-
de-" within forty feet Of the lofty rock
bound west coast OF Nova Sco'a It was
ono Of the most disastrous of o.ear horrors
on record The oldest resident OF that vicin-
ity Is venerable, silver haired Jack Watts,
who has Just turned Eis s!;l year. He is q
stalwArt, hardy, rough, weather beaten fish
ernlan, and has n brilliant record there
abouts for not few deeds of life risking md
life saving vnlor. With muscles like wiro
ropes and sincws like steel, his strv,gth, too,
'Do remember ,hat night1 Do II Yon
wouldn't ask that question, my boy, If you
had been here, for If you livod ever SO many
lives you would not forget that awful night
through all eternity" sljd he, ard the sturdy
Old man voice urivcrei rs ha paused to clear
his throat, and his eyes yli>;etpd rs though
they slnartel with the salty moisture Of q
gathering tear.
"Well, sir, he continued, ''you remarked
'
in. Pshaw! this is no.EnG. Sure there Is u
bit of a storm brewing and rather stiif
breeze, but nothing worth noticing. Look
out Il bit" And as he opened the door a
gust Of wind extingu~bcd the lamp on tho
table, leaving the room In t0t&l darkness.
THAT DARK STREAK.
We walked ont toward the h!UG. The air
was murky, raw, and growing bitter cold.
Eighty feet below the waves dashed against
the rocks. pounding like some enormous
slesge hammer, with Il noise like distant thun-
der, and causing the ledge under our feet to
vibratc with each blow
he's been famous.
Far away in the distance tGrre was now
and then visible u tiny point of H. -nt--of some
vessel; so far tina, it would wholly disappear
for awhile, and then again COLI" into view.
That light is about sixty miles away, and
a steamship, likely one Of the English or
French liners he sad. We had reached
near the very edge Of the bluff as far as 1t
was safe to go-whcn my companion pressed
my arm and paused Stretching out his arm
and pointing with his long, bonr fingers, he
exclaimed: "Down there just be. ond us-it is
only eighty foct from dry land-you see that
dark streak in the sea' That is the Devils
Cradle and is under wator at very high tide.
1t is called that name because the reef is like
a set of big saws; the sharp rocks hold YES
sci that runs on them, and sometimes the sea
has beaten and pounded and shook vhe
wrecks, very much as Il cradle Is rocked,
until they are torn to pieces.
''Nine have been lost there during my time.
But that was MT the luck Of the Atlantic,
which was too firmly Sc. III the ro:is to be
nI md broke E9r
in two and after awhile tore her to pieces.
But that night set in hari 1t was cold-bit-
ter col,l-and the sun went down in blind
ing snow storm, and the wind blew every
way with a force that wHs awful; then came
slcet and hail that cut 7our 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 seem ii to sting you, and the
wind would whirl you around almost off
your feet: it whlstled and howled and
screeched with a frlghtful mise. says to
my pious old woman: Mary Ann, it docs
seem as though hell itself had been let loose
tonight And says she TO me: Jimmie,
believe it iS--but -JmEiIe--harkn and she
and ran to the window and looked out and
listened.
"Well, with all that unearthly uproar OF the
tempest you could not h"1r much else, yet
we lid hear s. faint boom like the sound OF
q cannon; in a Inlruto or ;yo we saw streak
Of fire shooting up through the snow and
hail and then We knew tha, the Devils Cra-
die had, or would lave, GuOch"r wreck.
God hclplhe poe. soG.sn | cried, and Mary
Ann went down on he. knees and prayed for
them and the poor lad of ours-our boy
Janie-who we lhon-ht was On an East In
da merc!lantman i>Gt-h4 wasn't, thought
And the old mans voice was choked into
silence.
JAMES SURPRISE.
"Well, sir, he resumed, tine wife put on
a boiler Of water and put wood to the fire.
We always do Wien we think we may have
good Use for it, if some are rescued Then l
ran out in the storm. was good bit OF a
strong man then, sir, but l cohl hardly
stand up il that gale. 1t blew with awful
force, and one could not See ten feet away,
yet pushed on to just about where we are
standing. AEoth,r rocket shot up, aud Its
track of fire disclosed IN awful sight.
1t was all in minute, ard had to strain
my eyes and look under .he peak of my hat
through the blinding storm. There was
great, big, splendid OCEAN steamship driven
over the outer edge of tie reef; the waves
looked as though the whole bottom of the
ocean had violently hfAved them up; they
were actually like n,ounta;ns, u they lifted
that huge steamship up aid let 1t down,
humping over those jagged points Of finty
rock.
"Then all was pitchv darkness again, and
although | could not see anything kept my
eyes in the same direction In !, few minutes
another rocket shot uo, and a.1,n saw that
noble vessel lifted VI. almost out OF the water
by mighty wave; as ern it seemed caught
and pivoted Oh one great point OF rock; then
it was wheeled around, and a. the waters re-
ceded the bare, rough rocks seemed like
huge jaw, down Into ana upon which the
steamship dropped with Ii crit,hing noise OF
broken iron, glass, tackling and machinery;
loud above which | cuald hear the smothered
but unmistakable sound OF women's shrieks
and the shouts &C men-one loud, hideouiiy
piercing pandemoni":n Of anguish and de-
spair
Then all was inky black darkness and tho
waves and winds seemed to vie witt! each
other in transcent!int" thc.. tiendish parts OF
the horrid elemental rgy. had hard work
to hold my balance-Aoep my feet, lnd get to
our little home.
I'VE were up soon after daybreak, and as
the storm had somewhat ADated Jome1
some neighbors and went down to the base OF
the cliffs There we saw the noble steamship
Atlantic hard fast on the rocks, split i'll the
center and strain.u all over. The waves were
yet furiously breaking over her, ice hal
formed on varion. parts of the deck, hul-
warks and rigeing; bodies were frozen stark
and stiff. All wcs as silent a ne grave-not
living soul in sight cn board. But few
Il. tl~n,, ID.
aud one had been thrown up near where l
L ,laI,l EA..I. .n..1 4