The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1900-02-22
OCEAN GRAVEYARD.
MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE
ATLANTIC.
1t Lies About the Mouth of the Gulf
ofSt. La wrenee Cross Currents. Fogs,
Icebergs, Reefs and Other Shares to
Harnss Mariners.

If one prong Of pair Of eompasses
be placed about the center Of the Gnlf
OF ST. Lawrence. and the other de-
scribe semlclrcle from Labrador 10
the southernmost point of Nova Scotia.
the area circumscribed might well he
called the graveyard Of the Atlantic.
Not only Is this part OF the ocean sub
ject to all the gales of the roaring for
ties but every kind OF wafer snare TINT
entraps luckless sailors Is found In this
section OF the North Atlantic. The
dirty brownish fogs that lie across the
the most treacherous enemy for the
ocean liner They conceal the other
dangers, and the other dangers are
neither few nor far apart. What with
lcebergs ranging In size from few
hundred feet In circumference 10 mon
sters nine miles IN length lthe exact di-
mension of one measured by the New
foundland superintendent OF tisheriesl.
with naked rock walls rising vertically
700 feet out OF the sea, with crumbled
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
n piece OF water TO navigate as could
he found,
The perils Of Nova Scotan waters
can be and have been lessened. Light
houses now mark the most dangerous
points, aud long ago stop was put to
the nefarlous work OF the wreckers
who piled successful depredatlons
with Sable Island IA basis. Time
was, within the memory OF naNga tors
still living. when false lights above the
sands OF Sable Island lured passing
ships to their ruin, and when the gov
eminent cruisers would come to the
ships aid not 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 aud jewels, with the
ring finger cut of, and frequently the
cash Of wreckers weapon across the
forehead. signs plainly telling of a con-
fiict 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 barrier against
the fiinging tides; and when the baffied
current 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
full to all landsmen. The strength of
this inburstng current simply cannot
be calculated or counteracted by any
mariner In width the straits vary
from nine to forty miles; and when the
brownish fog never absent from the
northern horizon spreads southwark.
obscuring every landmark, 1t Is i'm
possible for any captain to keep up
speed and retain his bearings. He may
refer TO his chart as often as he pleases
and tell himself, Thus and thus have
we come. and here Is the place we
20. Inn hof.
him In spite OF his calculations, and he
may be at least a hundred miles out OF
his course.
Besides the danger from fog and tide
at the entrance to the Gulf OF St Law
renee, there Is the peril Of long sharp
lodges that furrow all parts of the
northern coast and are only visible by
the fretted line OF surface spray No
lighthouses mark these hidden reefs.
and many a schooner comes to grief
upon them during the night or In fog.
False Cape runs out from Newfound-
land In great, Jagged. towering rocks,
torn by the driving tide, and White Isl
and lies of the shore bare and lonely
as a tombstone. Affair, from other
rocky islands, comes the dull booming
OF the surf, which Indian legend of
Labrador describes as the shrieking of
demons over their prey. Roofiess
huts used as wind-breaks by the seal
ers in the spring add to the indescrib-
able loneliness of the tenantless coast;
and II some fisherman's dory comes
bounding over the waves Its sudden
disappearance behind some rocky emil
nence only accentuates the utter drear-
mess of the whole region.-New York
Evening Post.