Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1900-01-18
OCEAN GRAVEYARD.
MOST DANGEROUS PART or THE
ATLANTIC.

e I.ies About the Mouth OF tho Gdii
ofst. Cross Currents, FoEe,
Iceberss, Reefs and other snares 10
Aarass Mariners.
-. SssT wssS
II ono prong OF pair Of compasses
be placed about the center OF tho Gulf
OF st Lawrence. and the other de-
scribe q semicircle from Labrador to
the southcrnmost point OF Nova Scotia.
the urea circumscribed might well be
called the graveyard OF the Atlantic.
Not only is this part OF the ocean sub
tect to all the gales Of the roaring for
ties, but every kind OF water snare that
entraps luckless sailors Is found In this
section OF the North Atlantic. The
dirty brownlsh fogs that lie across tho
horizon above Belle Isle are. of course.
the most treachcrous enemy for the
ocean liner. They conceal the other
dangers, and the other dangers are
neither few nor far apart What with
icebergs ranging In size from a few
hundred feet In circumference to mon
sters nine miles In length (the exact d.
mension Of one measured by the New
foundland superintendent Of fisherics),
with naked rock walls rising vertically
200 feet out OF the sea, with crumbled
ledges whose saw-tooth edge stands up
In pinnacles or slopes down to white
capped reef, and with the submerged
shoals OF the Sable and Magdalene ISL
and districts, the pilot has as difficult
a piece OF water to navigate as could
be found.
The perlls Of Nova Scotlan waters
can be and have been lessened. Light
houses now mark the most dangerous
points. and long ago stop was put to
the nefarious work Of the wreckers
who piled successful depredations
with Sable Island as a basis. Time
was. within the memory Of navigators
still living. when false lights above the
sands Of Sable Island lured passing
ships to their ruin. and when the gov
ernment cruisers would come TO the
ships aid not a thing would be found
but the stripped hull. Though passen-
gers might have waded ashore In some
places, the dead used to be found strip
ped OF all clothing and jewels, with the
ring finger cut of. and frequently the
cash Of wrecker's weapon across the
forehead. signs plainly telling Of a con-
fllct between the passengers struggling
ashore through beating surf and the
murderous men who awaited them.
But all this is q thing Of the past on
Sable Island. Not only were wreck
ers driven OF, but live stock was
placed on the long stretch of grass
grown sand, so that castaways could
have some means Of subsistence until
help came.
Belle Isle strait Is by far the most
treacherous part Of the North Atlantic
route. The coast Of Labrador projects
Into the ocean like a barrier against
the flinging tides; and when the bafiied
finds resistance suddenly re-
moved, when the narrow straits open
between Newfoundland and Labrador,
the waters toss In with the Siding mo-
ton that creates the beam sea so hate
ful to all landsmen. The strength Of
this inbursting current simply cannot
be calculated or counteracted by any
In width the straits vary
from nine to forty miles; and when the
Drownish fog never absent from the
northern horizon spreads southwark,
every landmark, 1t is i'm
possible for any captain to keep up
speed and retain his bearings. He may
-efer to his chart as often as he pleases
md tell himself, 'Thus and thus have
we come, and here is the place we
lre." Tide and fog may have betrayed
aim in spite Of his calculations, and he
nay be at least hundred miles out Of
lis course.
Besides the danger from fog and tide
It the entrance to the Gulf Of St Law
'ence. there Is the peril of long, sharp
edges that furrow all parts Of the
lorthern coast and are only visible by
he fretted line OF surface spray. No
lighthouses mark these hidden reefs,
md many a schooner comes to grief |
lpon them during the night or in fog.
false Cape runs out from Newfound-
and in great Jagged, towering rocks.
orn by the driving tide, and White ISL
nd lies or the shore bare and lonely
s tombstone. Afar, from other
ocky islands, comes the dull booming
I the surf. which Indian legend of
.abrador describes as the shrieking of
emons over their prey. RooHess
uts used as wind-breaks by the seal
RS in the spring add to the indescrib-
BILE loneliness Of the tenantless coast;
nd II some fisherman's dory comes
ounding over the waves its sudden
behind some rocky emf
ence only accentuates the utter drear-
ness Of the whole region York
,vening Post.