The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1901-07-31
AN OCEAN CEMETERY.
THE MOST DEADLY TRAP FOR SHIPS
IN ALL THE WORLD.

Bare, Bleak and TrccIrss Quessnnt,
the Notorious Island Of Terror, and
the Awful Forests That supply II
With Wood In Plenty.
Far out IN the Atlantic ocean, Off the
northern French coast, almost due west
from Brest lies u great rocky island
that IS enc of the most deadly traps
for ships in all the world. 1t Is the
island of Quessant, the notorious lie
de fEpouvante, the island of terror
Bare, without n tree to break Its mo-
notony, it lies in the path of the ships
seeking the English channel. If they
steer too fnr north, the hundred shoals
and reefs of the British coast open
their jaws for them. II they sail too
fur south, Quessant reaches for their
bones
Bleak and far away from any other
land rs the island of terror is, It stu
has its population. What ".vsta''.>"'
thing is It which attracts that popula-
ton and makes 1t cling? The infre-
quent visitor sees funny focks of little
sheep scarcely twice as large as hares.
He sees small herds of rough coated
ponies almost us tiny rs the sheep.
These are che only signs of productive
industry to he seen. There Is fishing,
of course but fishing can be prosecut-
Cd better from the mainland, with less
risk and a 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 I'm part, one even
ing when a great storm swept In from
the Atlantic and beat mt the shores
with uneyamplcd fury,
lie says The daughter of my host
css led me up the narrow staircase to
my room AZ | assembled noticed,
without remarlllng the oddly of It ut
the time, that the staircase was of
shining oak ! was ushercd into my
room, large. low chamber, complete
ly paneled from top to bottom. Put
ting the lamp on huge oak table that
shoue like Il mirror she snid:
III YOU should need moro fireWood,
monsieur. you Will find 1t In the next
room DO not spare IT, IT Is bitter
cold. and there Will be more than
enough frewood In Quessant In two or
three days, Good night
II sat down before the blazing fire
and prepared For a coy evening The
storm ragged In the narrow streets Of
the little village. The surgcs thunder
ed against the granite breast of the
coast Ike endless artillery fire, and
sometimes | imagined TINT 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. en- the entire
island there is not Il single tree, and
yet | had been told not to spare fire
wood There viii he more than enough
In two or three days
Il arose and opened the door into The
next room. That room WIS possibly
90 feet high and WAS filled almost to
the top With timber First with won
der then with growing awe, | Gazcd
at the piles Of wood Truly she was
that ono mood not ho ocouoI,icnI vim
arerood an thc island az o,nssont
Tboro war. tfnhors az oycrv sh,nc
eullut.rod n,sts ana sn,ra ulanl,s
from decks aud sides remnants of
otoc,,In, vbeel bouchaa from tl,a fore.
c,sllc ypllow HACK bro,vn ,yI,ito md
rod ,ynnds oven two tignrnha,ds eo,no
bricht MS IF fbev=vere nov some crust.
nd vim shnIla and huuo, vim s.a,yoeds
In tha entire room there WINS nat II
nice. or wood TINT dl1 nat come froin
sotor wrecked shIp
"Wben returned 70 my room took
The luIup and examined thn Mace close
" noticed n strange. delicate. vet
very inslstont fragrnncp= gaudulwood
Thief, wooden pillars supportcd the
ceiling They were of n beautiful dull
black- ebony. aq / lived. Tbe paneIs
were rosewood. mahogany md cedar.
Even an uunructicnd eve could seq that
=, q,