The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-01-31
WRECK OF THE ATLANTIC.
OLD JACK WATTS TELLS no" she
WAS LOST ON DEVILS CRADLE"
A Terrible Storm on the Coas' Oh
scotia Fifteen Years Ago-out on the
Ruff I'm the Black Nlght-How 'a"'''
Game to Ills Home.

Came to Ills Home.
II was during holiday week aoou. 49,
years ago that the IN fated steamship A''','.'N
was Wrecked upon the reefs on 'De'lis Oia-
dlen within forty feet 81 inc iot'f 'o'A
honna vast coast OF Nota Scotia IL was
one of the most disastrous Of ocean horrors
an record The oldest resident OF that yicih
Nv 4 venerable. silver haired JACK watts
,vho has inst turned his s2d year. He IS a
stat,yart hardy. rough, weather beaten FISH
80, and has a brilliant record there
a,-.,,. for not a few deeds Of life riskiDs ana
t,, s,vin.- valor. With muscles like wire
~1roe and sinews like steel, his strength, 700
aDo | remember that night Do II You
Soiii.int ask that question my boy, II you
had been here. for if You lived ever 80 many
Iives Won would not forget that awful nisn'
through an eternity" said be, and the STURDY
Iii mans voice auivered as he paused 70 clear
~ throat and his eyes glis.encd as though
,h.v .,narted with the salty moisture OF
gathering tear. d.. .,.-,,o5
thu. this was a stormy night when you came
i'm pshawl this is nothing. sure there Is a
bit of n storm brewing and a rather sum
breeze but nothing worth noticing LOOK
ont n btu And az be opened the door
ou.t Of wind oxtlnguished the lamp on the
table leaving the room in total darkness.
THAT DARK STREAK.
Wc 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
sle,lge hammer, with a noise like distant tnuh-
der. aud causing the ledge under our ieet 10
vibrate with each blow
has been famous.
Far owav in the distance there was now
and then visible tiny point Of ight-ot some
vessel: so far that il would wholly disappear
FOR awhile. and then again come into view.
THAT light is about sixty miles away, ana
steamship. likely one Of the English or
French liners" be said. We had reached
near the very edge Of the bluif-as far as II
was safe 70 go-when my companion pressed
mv arm and paused. Stretching out bis 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 seat That Is the Devils
Cradle and is under water at very high TIDE
II is called that name because the reef is Ike
n set OF big saws: the sharp rocks hold YES
81 that runs on them, and sometimes the sea
has beaten and pounded and shook the
wrecks. very much rs cradle Is rocket
until they are torn % pieces.
"Nine have been lost there during my time
But that was not the luck Of the Atlantic
which was too firmly set IN the rocks TO be
moved. and the waves pounded and broke her
in two and after awhile tore her 70 pieces.
put that night set i'm hard II was c0ld-bit-
fercold-and the sun went down in blind
in. snow storm. and the wind blew every
way with force that was awful, then came
/ .leet and hail that cut your very clothes and
drew blood wherever 10 struck your flesh
| All the time the wind was rising and the air
vas getting moro bitterly cold. 10 was 50
cold that the air seemed 10 sting you, and the
wind would whil you around almost of
ro,,r feet: 10 whistled and howled and
.,.re..ched with q frightful noise / says %
INV Nous old woman: Mary Ann il does
.aenl rs though hell itself had been let loose
.o-night' And SAYS she 10 me: Jimmie,
believe IL is-but Northumberland. and She
and / ran to the window and looked out and
listened
"WeI. with all that unearthly uproar OF the
/ tempest YOU could not hear much else, yet
we did hear a faint boom, like the sound OF
n cannon. in a minute or two we saw streak
ri fire shooting up through the snow aud
/ hail and then we knew that the Devils era
de had. or would have, another wreck
God help the POOR soulsr cried, and Mary
| Ann went down on her knees and prayed for
them and the poor lad OF ours-our boy
.lamie-who we thought was on an East In
iia merchantmen But-he wasn't, thought
/ And the OLD mans voice was choked into
silence.
JANIS SURPRISE.
"Wen. SIR he resumed, ''the wife put on
n boiler OF water and put wood 20 the fire.
We ALWAYS do when we think we may have
GOOD use for it, If some are rescued. Then
ram out in the storm. was good bit OF
strong man then, sir, but could hardly
stand up in that gale. IL blew with awful
force, and one could not see ten feet away,
vet pushed on TO just about where we are
standing. Another rocket shot up, and Its
track of fire disclosed an awful sight.
Il wos AL ia a minute, and l had % strain
my ewes and look under the peak OK my hat
through the binding storm. There was a
great. big. splendid ocean steamship driven
over the outer edge Of the reef; the waves
looked a. though the whole bottom OF the
ocean had violently heaved them up; they
were actually like mountains, and they lifted
that huge steamship up and let It down,
humping over those jagged points Of hinty
rock.
Then all was pitchy darkness again. and
although could not zee anything kept my
ewes in the same direction. In few minutes
another rocket shot up, and again saw that
noble vessel lifted up almost out Of the water
bv mighty wave: astern il seemed caught
and pivoted on one great point Of rock; then
IL was wheeled around, and as the waters re-
ceded the bare, rough rocks seemed Ike
huge Jaw, down into and upon which the
steamship dropped with a crashing noise OF
broken iron, glass tackling and machinery;
loud above which | could hear the smothered
but unmistakabls sound Of women's shrieks
and the shouts OF men-one loud, hideousiy
MERGING pandemonium OF anguish and de-
,pair
Then all was inky black darkness, and the
waves and winds seemed 10 vie with each
other in transcsndng their fiendish parts OF
the horrid elemental orgy. had hard work
20 hold my balance-keep my feet, and get 70
our little home.
eve we're up soon after daybreak, and as
the storm had somewhat abated joined
some neighbors and went down ID the base Of
the cliffs. There we saw the noble steamship
Atlantic hard fast on the rocks, split IN the
center and strained all over. Tho waves were
set furiously breaking over her. ice had
formed on various parts OF the deck, bul-
warks and rigging; bodies were frozen stark
and stiff. An was as silent as the grave-not
living soul in sight on board. But few
bodies were washed ashore until the neNtday,
aud one had been thrown up near where
stood / leaned and reached forward and
drew it in. It was the body Of a man; his
overcoat had been twisted over bis face and
was stiff with a casing Of ice. We turned the
corpse over. loosened the garment and drew
IL down. disclosing the face. Merclful God!
il was our boy Jamie. As we were after
ward informed by a shipmate Of his, Inc had
planned it % come home and surprise US New
Years day. Chicago Mail
Lullaby.
by A REALfsT.
Baby, darling hush byei