The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-02-04
NEWFOUNDLAND WRECKS.
~ WAkY's BAY LON0 4 GRA'Ef'"D
ron OCHAN CONC VESSELS.
iI.h.rso,k Equally Ready 10 Risk Their
live. IA Rr.cuing the shipwrerh"d and I"
In, a vessel Aft-rward Judge Pro~ses
,,.,,.-Th, Ironbound Coast Line.

,.,d n, II Nary's BAY ON Jan 10 was only one
,tn,py arr,kSthatha ave occurred on this rugged
DANGEROUS coast The last halt century rec
aids a bong list ~ marine disasters, most "i them
attended With loss oflife, and the number o' ocean
xpng ships. arAr' from Cuhsiing vessels piled
M here iorms an eloquent proof OF The dhn
gers ol y s"aiaung h'e.
The lIelgolaud wf-rk was especially lfngir
however because uf The circumstances NurF"uhn
ing II the fact tina, four 81 her re" were NiSi
be for hours and could -" and b" seen by the
coas,folk. who wrrn p%uwrrlrSs To render then,
assistance. the further fact that for SIX days ana
nights the mystery - her identity was nns"lNaol"
o. stormy was the weather in the vicinity and me
fact tina, though WEEKS have no" elapsed II has
been impossible because ui IA" iempeStd"uS
weather Ia recover the bodies of the Seamen when
are seen in the hills 10 b" east ashore on the rocks
Thirty Ave human beings went T." their last a.
Coun, with her. and up +" tins time not a particle
Of evidence has been obtained looking IN the lden.
tihra'ion of any ~ hem
Ola cuaStllna notorious for DISASTERS st Nary's
Bav possesses thu worst repute \ rapid cur
rent. supposed 80 no par ~ he Gulf Stream runs
into II. y dangerous. 'reaCherous. uncharted cur
rent varying IN lis iorcc and direction with every
wind that blows. and IN almost every instance
hurryIng the iucautious mariner To- his doom
An tn" shipping TOSSING he Allanuc either way,
and sailing on n great uor'hvard circle. makes
Cape Race as y land fall OF objective, and round
A. centres NOR. marine tralfC Than around any
other North American signal station. except mat
Of Sandy Hook. ON 4 voyage from N" N'Ianuc
Coas, ports, with a current such A. has been de
ecribed II Is not strange that many q ship - set
westward fifteen "r twenty miles and with the
skipper thinking her well east 81 tare Rae" runs
up into he vide DNpausa ut ST Naty'S Bay and
dashpSh ers.lf to- piece, agalus'i's rocky coasts
Oi course. lo the one ship winch Is lost ten
escape manly through me umrpnS,loVs mS'r,-
mentality ut the fishing boats, wnIch during m"
summer and fine weather are y 'Hw miles ut IN"
shore. with Their horns gong Il 1t becomes ioEEN
and their riding lamps showing = irng" 81 lights
ryh, arpIui n. \Salun Peninsula from St
Johns tn PlacrniIa. after nlgh'tall. lsuailr
the first kuowlrdgr q snip master, unfamiliar
with the region. has ~ his proximity 10 the coast
is the presence ri ihes" boats. and when q storm
sweeps along and a heavy SeN makes fishing
impossible for some days and he t'hlnC boats
run ,o harh"r. the result often IS the running
ashore oi une ur more ocean steamers ON ono
occasion in 1895 three west bound ireigh'ers
went On he rocks north of CAPE Race. within =
few hours Of one another and within a distance
OF ton miles
you're welcome. SIT exclaimed an old fisher
man To the captain Of one Ut these ships, as he
pushed ha'leSs down he beach 10 gree, The sea
men rs they came ashore you. r"wrlcomo' We've
been waiting up Tor you these three nights
This was \ irsnk confession 81 the ruth Tn"
tshsrfolk knowing what was certain jo happen,
had been waiting for the wrecks As they
.-.ll Il. a-I,,,r g., ,,,,, tA, u,arl. ,Ia,-
were determined To- make the beSt # their oppor
,unity when they found he ships on the rocks
II is a remarkable 'art about, those people that
they think no rlsb toe Creat 10 undertake in the
endea vor to save the lives Of shipwrecked mariu
srs. and iheir hospitality Is prodlgal 10 the sur
>iyors Of disaster who may land on her shores
hi, they will then turn tu and loo, a ship on the
rocks with he deVterity and completeness only
horn of long experience ON" steamer which
went ashore IN the coast last summer had a lot
of champagne in her cargo, and she Vas ran
sacked from end 'u end by he cuaStfoIS. eager
10 enjoy a draught Of this much praised beverage
for the FIST time In their search hey came
upon a large quantity of mineral water bottled.
md this was taken for tho sought after graIe
vintage and QuAfTed IN goble,fulS When the
real champagne was et last discovered they vera
So sickcned of these previous eVperimen's thai
they wouldn't touch H. and hey freely exchanged
two and thee quart bottles II 1t for = flask of
whiskey with the sailors who came M IN The
wreckinG tugs from ST John
Salvage from wrechS - universally recognized
in Newfoundland - a means OF supplemerung
the regular pursuits " the pc pie. ASau instance
cf this the following Story viii serve. II having
the special merit 81 being lrue
How will your people get on thl> winter"
asked the late Mgr Power Roman Catholic Bishop
Of ST Johns, o' Father IIcuneburg. the parish
priest Of 81 Mays, Who'll l. now dead
Very well my lo-u -epnel The father. with
the help n God AID a lew wrecks
Sometimes a wreck l. = bonaH7l. but often 1t
fails TO yield = dollars worth II property to the
venWresome SalvorN ltalI depends on where aud
when the ship strikes The caSr coast II ST
Mary's Bay, from st Sholis into Hriyrroi. is
Variable ocean graveyard. most II the caStbuu.d
ships going ashore ,hr-a and none ever coming
of again. stern, fn'biduIng roast It Is Iron
bound cliffs outstanding ~, hundreds of feet sheer
from the waters edge present Their baSalt faces
to the caaseless fretung Of the waves beneath.
For miles on q fine day the traveller passes
these natural ramparts, he"n NJ Y by giants and
unScalable by man or animal. They are topped
with green yerdurc and y fertile plateau extends
lIlAnu lut see lntm WnPn inP gales sweep
in from the Atlantic. Then IT Is = coast for ,
ship 10 steer wide Of
Unfortunately, however, they do not do So ana II
Is the lack Of caution and error in navigation which
has proved the ruin of many a fine ship Every
mile of the coast marks q wreck. Every foot of
the bottom. fathumS below, Is Strrwn with tho
rafle from tho battered hulls NJ the craft which
have piled themselves upon the rocks here Every
cove and Granny iS the bunal place 81 some vIcllm
81 the ocean, Every fisherman m the hamlels
up the hay has ms stories ~ disasters To relate
As tragic almost - thr wreck - he tislgulaud
IS the story # The loss Of the John kaoX She.
too. drove ashore on he rocky southern coast IN
the thick 81 4 midnight snow storm She STRUCK
the edge Of a reef within 200 yard, a. a fishing
hamlet and the curS ri the sailors awuke The
NIumberng iisheriolk Help they could not give.
no boat could live amid the waves which swept
the beach. and through he glare 4 4 distress
signal fixed IN the shlp., main rigging she could
10 lndl-tincuy seen. the huge cum5c's pounding
her to pieces and carrying ~ her crew one hv one.
" non daylight came nothing remained but the
uuprr works. II the ship. battered and slowly
golnE to pieces as the hun below aSdlsmembrTcd.
Another ship Whlch went down with al hands
wNsthe t%anians. 81 Vtrcu years Tco.HuI she Nirlch
within 200 yardS If where the Ilelgplaud was lus,
This was the only wreck on IN" coast during
the last generation which had any element .;