Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1901-08-08
AN OCEAN CEMETERY.
THE MOST DEADLY TRAP FOR SHIPS
IN ALL THE WORLD.

|
Bare, Bleak and Treeless Quessant,
the Notorious Island of Terror, and
the Awful Forests That Supply 1t
With Wood In Plenty.
Far out in the Atlantic ocean, off the
northern French coast, almost due west
from Brest, lies 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 PEpouvante, the island of terror.
Bare, without a tree to break it's mo-
notony, it 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, it still
has it's population. What mysterious
thing is it which attracts that popula-
ton and makes it cling? The infre-
| quent visitor sees funny hocks 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 to 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,
then? So asked Alexander Shuette, the
traveller when he made his way from
the coast of Brittany to Quessant. The
answer came, at least in part, one even
ing when great storm swept in from
the Atlantic and beat at the shores
with uneXampled fury.
He says: The daughter of my host
ess led me up the narrow staircase to
my room. As aScended | noticed,
without reIlarking the oddity of it at
the time. that the staircase was of
shining oak. was ushered into my
room. Il large. low chamber. complete
ly paneled from top to bottom. Put
ting the lamp on Il huge oak table that
| shone like Il mirror. she said:
If you should need more firewood,
monsieur, you will find it in the next
room. Do not spare 1t. 1t is bitter
cold. and there will be more than
enough firewood in Quessant in two or
three days. Good night
II sat down before the blazing fire
and prepared for cozy 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 l imagined that the very
island trembled under the onslaught
of the hundreds of millions of tons of
water
GAS l sat listening l gazed into the
flames. The wood struck me as strange
And then ! wondered. On the entire
island there is not a single tree, and
yet l had been told not to spare fire
wood. There will be more than enough
in two or three days.
II arose and opened the door into the
next room. That room was possibly
20 feet high and was filled almost to
the top with timber. First with Won
der, then with growing awe, l gazed
at the piles Of wood. Truly she was
right, the little maid. when she said
that one need not be economical with
firewood on the island of Quessant.
There were timbers of every shape
splintered masts and spars, planks
from decks and sides. remnants of a
steering wheel, benches from the fore
castle, yellow. black, brown. white and
red woods. even two figureheads. some
bright. as if they were new, some crust
ed with shells and hung with seaweeds.
In the entire room there was not Il
piece of wood that did not come from
some wrecked ship.
when returned to my room, took
the lamp and examined the place close
ly. l noticed a strange. delicate. yet
very insstent fragrance-sandalwoo
Thick wooden pillars supported the
ceiling. They were of beautiful dull
black-ebony, as lived. The panels
We're rosewood, mahogany and cedar.
Even an Impractical eye could see that
all these precious woods once had orna-
mented the cabins of noble ships. The
heavy carved chairs, the polished oaken
table, even the bed in which was to
sleep. all came from shipwrecks.
Now l understood the meaning Of
the words stand rights In favor of
this island. far away from the world
and murderous for the ships that tie
the world together. Nolus. with his
bride of the winds. is more fruitful
than is Ceres to the .mainlands, with
her harvest moon and her blessings of
fruit. The blessings of Quessant come
from the gale.
''The forests Of Quessant! Are there
such others in the entire world. so
unique, so terrible? This forest. instead
of trees. has the mighty masts of ships.
In that tremendous forest are the oaks
and pines Of Canada and Maine, the
cypress of Florida. the baobabs Of
Africa, the teak of Hindustan, the
ebony and sandalwood of South Amer
lea. The awful forests of Quessant
form fhn visible anay of a vact oomo