St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-01-29
THE HEROINE OF
n ~ BIRD ROCK.
Kept the Light Burning Though Her
Heart Was Broken.

A WAY out on the waters of the At
lantie ocean, where the Gulf OF ST.
Lawrence opens its mouth the widest,
rises lonely isle from the lonely sea;
the Great Bird Rock. Its nearest in
habited neighbors are the Magdalen
islands, so miles to the southwest, and
it is equi-distant from Cape Race, in
Newfoundland. and Capt North, in Cape
Breton.
Like. Sable island. off the coast OF
Cape Breton, the Great Bird Rock is
rock of tragedy, but out of its tragedy
has sprung a rare heroism and devotion
to duty on the part of brave woman
If you were to take a journey on the
Canadian government lighthouse sup
ply steamer down the St Lawrence
river to the different stations in the
stormy gulf. you would reach, in its
turn. Great Bird Rock; massive pima
Gle of granite rising precipitously
from the sea, so precipitously that the
only means Of communicating with the
summit of the rock is by a steam hoist
ing apparatus, and in rough weathe
even this method is difficult and dan
gerous one Nature has provided nj
beach for this dome of stone. and it
storm-creased sides sink as perpel
dicularly into the deep sea as they ri
sheer from it.
Thousands of birds-gannets al
puffins and other wild sea fowl-ma
the Bird Rock their home. and althou
the lighthouse keeper fires of explos
signals of gun cotton every 20 minu
during stormy weather, the birds h4
become so accustomed to the noise
to frequent the cliffs in ever increas
numbers.
Since the Canadian government
tablished light there the Bird n
has achieved a very bad reputation
piled up long record of disaster
death. So isolated and lonely is
spot that the first keeper becam "a
madman and, with his assistant, Is
removed the next time the su y
steamer called. Imagine the horn pf
being imprisoned alone with a iu lc
on speck of a rock in the broad Cd p!
The next keeper, in company wit ls
son and assistant, left the islaI TO
hunt seals on the ice. A wind SUI ln-
" sprang up, the cakes of ice ire
broken into small pieces and cs ed
out to sea, and the father and SON IRE
never heard of again. They met er-
rible death through starvation, d en-
ing or freezing. The assistant ma Jed
to reach shore nearly frozen to de
Disaster also awaited the frd
keeper, for both he and his so1 ere
instantly killed by the explosid pf
keg of gunpowder near the fo PAN
non. The fourth keeper was prly
killed by the premature disch1 OF
the fog gun, and his nephew al two
rs.men died from exnosurd thile
hunting for seals during the &arly
winter Of Is96-97. 4f
Up to this time the Bird Roc ead
record of one case of insanity even
deaths and two narrow escape IRON
s..th Rnt the chief tragedy hains
to be recorded and along with taie
of heroic suffering and stead 1ness
to duty worthy of an epic. Id
On May 5. 1897, the Canadian5 vern-
ment steamer Aberdeen. Capt. l..
Knowlton, hove in sight of BID hock.
One can well picture the intel nter
est with which the occupan the
station would peer through ower,
full telescope, and how the he1 "o"ia
beat with eager hope as II 'essei
pointed her prov to the gre rowh
ing cliffs, and as eagerly, kn1 ng the
sad history Of the spot. did Il ap'ain
sirht the surface of the rock ABOVE
he ocean. He HAD three Haes preSi-
ously left behind him for .oneiy
v;pil of the late winter mon angus
Campbell, formerly coast saiior-
with him was his wife, a osome'
vouthful woman, in the pri Oh hIe,
srd two male assistants. n s,ohai
seal hunters. But to the s.
-. N.-.....t \. saw wan. -haired.
eo1's ..n-.1v old woman tanding
P..-,.- .,ora a., the led At last
the boat was within haili uie'ance
and the captain shouted:
4.Where's the old man?" III 'rein-
nlous tones the answer ~ -
frauKht with sorrow:
&Anrus il dead!" and, q pause'
ss.o are, Jim Duncan and rse Dry
son. p,.d D.. Id added
.tiIl another tragedy to ;ss a. s...s I
& sd sdded another trio - ~
q 0nce landed by means
- p6or woman told her C.nas.,l
- IS - h3s nredeceSs OonPsA