New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-03-12
FRS AND LIFE SAVERS

FRS AND LIFE SAVERS.
,o, n The steamer Moravia, which
.-.csed in the carly morning Of February
,,e northeast bar Of sable Island, en-
o., escape from death granted 10 com
..-.,ivelv few who are ever cast upon the
-. - that terrible mass of sand Though
ely more than a dot Of land IN the vast
| ,o,alv oeean space Sable Island has
| II If shipwreck and loss Of life unequalled
| l. any other island in the world. It's name car
=. s-esd to every sailor whose voyages carry
- .,o- if FOR he knows how we'll it has proved
I. .,,b, 20 be called the Graveyard Of the At
ante"
seated as IL u.s. abOu, ninety miles east OF
| ~. .,.s. NJ Nova Scotia in the region OF the
..,,nv forties" it is directly in the line OF
...,lsntic travel. according to the courses
~, bv vessels sailing between Europe and
Oh. r,r,hern ports Of this country. This posi-
"a, ,ogetber with the fact that it is enveloped
-,,, n the time in dense fogs, and that 1t
..a. rs boundaries with astonishing and puz-
,-,g rapldity. gives the island dangerous
-,o-,ance out Of all proportion to its size
=. ,e,y,h il measures twenty-five miles from
n, 20 ,ip and scarcely mile in breadth at its
x.
..s.osn, living with its concave side to the
r',,b and its ends directly east and west
THE DANGEROUS SHOALS.
Although the conflicting currents and the fire.
,rs,, ,ogs and storms which beset the island
s-e perilous enough TO ships. they are not nearly
:, ,-,su,,lye Or disaster as are the wide-reach-
i,, shadows into which the coastline runs
p,- mile. beyord The line where The sea and
sand NEE, the water is not deep enough 10
aoat even q small schooner From the north
cas-, end where a., Moravia was wrecked, an
observer can see, when the wind is hish, elgh'
Or zine niles Of roaring. foamiuS breakers be
f-e depth Of SIX fathoms is found. LVen De-
y,pi his there are violent cross-seas for some
nnss further out before the depth sinks 20 as
rgeb IS Twelve fathoms The bar on the north
vest end projects after much the same iashioh'
and for a, least as great distance. so mat
akns no length Of the island and It's slightly
rsrsl bars together. there Is 4 line OF nfty
-rss upon which the waves in storm Doll
l,i break with frshtful fury.
L Is only on a fine clear day with a south
vni hat q vessel can land with any safety a.
ass Island The one good place for TINS Is on
3. north side. and even there the Govern
-sn. steamer Aberdeen (Which brought the crew
Z he Morav.a 10 The mainland can come 10
.s,-sr han about mile and must watch care
Ally AZ that distance. ready 70 put 10 open sea
| . once in case Of charge in the wind. The
r.sther conditions Of the region may be mag
I'd from he fact that not more than five fine
laws have sometimes been recorded in a period
| t,0gr months and that the steamer has some
mas spent week in trying o make Landing.
Sarch broad oelred surfDoats bear the pas
sagers from the steamer 10 the shore. and II
rough trip seldom free from danger
JEWELLERS or THE ISLAND
On the island With a superintendent at their
lad live eighteen OF twenty men. whose Dusl-
rs il is to maintain the two fine lighthouses
III he life-saving station. II is nearly cen
i.y Tow since the first step was taken toward
-akng some provision for the numerous wrecks
vAch occurred m the island In l>O2 Nova
soaa voted s. 900 a year for the purpose. TINS
s-2l sum Was supplemented twenty-five years
2-s' By an equal allowance from the Imperial
Government Then In 1851 when the provinces
Canada wera united the island came under
as chargr % tho Federal Government ana
',cs that time has had hundreds Of thousands
dollars speat upon IT, The lfe-saVing sta
-'a IS particularly we'll equipped. not only
tn boats bu, with rocket apparatus Tor sig
Aing and there is telephone connection oe-
Esen all the principal buildings on the island
The rch grass. which somehow draws It's nour-
'ainent from the sand. affords fine pasturage FOR
seep and COWS so that the inhabitants have no
Aek Of fresh meat 10 vary their stores Of pro-
'Soas from the mainland.
IL the wreck register kept on Sable Island are
. names Of nearly TWO hundred vessels that
ave eft their shattered fragments upon the
"a sands. An interesting chart was made
''4f'een or fifteen years ago at Halifax, indl-
~Ag the locality and date OF each OF the
'eeks known up TO that time. as well as the
Ia o. vessel lost in each case. There are