The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1901-08-06
AN OCEAN CEMETERY.
THE MOST DEADLY TRAP Fer SHIPS
IN ALL THE WORLD.

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Dare, bleak and Trcclcss Quessant,
the Notorious Island of Terror. and
the Awful Forests That supply IL
With wood In Plenty. , e,islg
Far out in the Atlantic ocean, Off the
northern French coast, almost due west
from Brest lies n great rocky island
that is one of the most deadly traps
for ships in all the world. 1t is the
island Of Quessant, the notorious lie
de rEpouvantc, the island of terror.
Bare, without tree TO break its mo-
notony, 1t lies in the path of the ships
seeking the English channel If they
steer too far north, the hundred shoals
and reefs of the British coast open
their jaws for them. If they sail too
far south, Quessant reaches for their
bones.
Bleak and far away from any other
land as the island of terror is, 1t stlll
has its population. What mysterious
thing Is it which attracts that popula-
tion and makes IL cling? The infre-
quent visitor sees funny flocks of little
sheep, scarcely twice as large as hares.
He sees small herds of rough coated
ponies almost as tiny as the sheep.
These are the only signs of productive
industry 20 be seen. There is fishing.
of course but fishing can be prosecut-
ed better from the mainland, with less
risk and more convenient market.
What is the mysterious attraction,
thepI So asked Alexander Shuette, the
| traveller, when he made his way from
the coast Of Brittany TO Qucssnnt. The
answer came, at least in part, one even
ing when a great storm swept in from
the Atlantic and beat at the shores
with uncXampled fury.
lie says. "The daughter Of my host
ess led me up the narrow staircase to
my room. As ! ascended | noticed,
without remarking the oddity of It ut
the time, that the staircase was OF
shining oak. | was ushercd into my
room, n large, low chamber, complete
ly pancled from top TO bottom. Put
ting the lamp on huge oak table that
shone like a mirror, she said:
eff you should need more nrewood,
monsieur, you viii find it in the next
| room. DO not spare H. 1t is bitter
cold, and there will be more than
enough frewood in Quessant in two or
| three days. Good night
81 sat down before the blazing fire
and prepared for a coy evening The
storm ragged in the narrow streets Of
| the little village. The surges thunder
ed against the granite breast of the
coast like endless artillery fire, and
sometimes | imagined that the very
island trembled under the onslaught
of the hundreds of millions of tons OF
water.
"As | sat listening | gazed into the
| flames. The wood struck me as strange,
And then | wondered. On the entire
island there Is not n single tree, and
yet | had been told not to spare fire
wood. There will be more than enough
in two or three days
81 arose and opened the door into the
next room. That room was possibly
20 feet high and was filled almost t
the top with timber. First with won
der, then with growing awe, | gazed
at the piles of wood. Truly she was
| right, the little maid, when she said
that one need not be economical with
| frewOod on the island of Quessant
| There were timbers of every shape
! splintered masts and spars, planks
from decks and sides, remnants of Q
steering wheel, benches from the fore
castle, yellow, black, brown, white anC
red woods, even two figureheads, som(
bright, as If they were new, some crust
ed with shells and hung with seaweeds
| In the entire room there was not {
piece of wood that did not come from
some wrecked ship.
when returned to my room, tool
the lamp and examined the place close
ly. | noticed a strange. delicate, ye
very insistent ragrance-sandalwo
Thick wooden pillars supported tn
ceiling. They were of a beautiful dul
black-ebony. as | lived. The panel
were rosewood. mahogany and cedar
Even an unpracticed eye could see tha
all these precious woods once had orna
mented the cabins of noble ships. TIL
neaVy carved chairs, the poliShed oakel
table, even the bed In which l was {
sleep. all came from shipwrecks.
''Now | understood the meaning o
the words stand rights In favor o
this island, far away from the worl
and murderous for the ships that ii
the world together. Eolus, with hi
bride OF the winds, is more fruitfu
than is Ceres to the mainlands, wit
her harvest moon and her blessings o
fruit The blessings of Quessant com
from the gale.