Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1901-05-08
TREELESS QUESSANT.
1T oETS IT'S WOOD FROM AW-
Full FORESTS.
An Island on the French Coast That
L. One of the Most Deadly Traps for
Ships In All the wsrid-Trayeier's
Experiences.

Experiences.
Far out in the Atlantic ocean. off the
northern French coast, almost due
west from Brest, lies a 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 PEpouYante, the island of ter
ror. Bare, without tree to break
its monotony, it lies in the path of the
ships seeking the English Channel. II
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 its population. What
mysterious thing it is which attracts
that population and makes it cling?
The infrequent visitor sees funny
fiocks 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 prosecuted better from
/ the mainland, with less risk and
more convenient market What is the
mysterious attraction, then? So asked
/ Alexander. Shuette, the traveller, re-
Gently when he made his way from
/ the coast of Brittany to Quessant. Inc
! answer came, at least in part, one
evening when great storm swept in
from the Atlantic and beat at the
| shores with uneXampled fury. he
says THE daughter of my hostess
| led me up the narrow staircase to my
room. AS i assembled | noticed without
remarking the oddly of it at the time,
that the staircase was of shining OAK.
was ushered into my room, large,
low chamber. completely paneled from
top to bottom. Putting the lamp on
huge oak table that shone like mir
ror, she said
IF you should need more firewood
monsieur, you will find it in the next
room. Do not spare it. 1t is b.tteI
cold, and there will be more than
enough firewood in Quessant in two OF
three days. Goodnight | sat dow
before the blazing fire and prepared fol
a coy evening. The storm ragged in thu
narrow streets of the little village
, The surges Numbered against TN
granite breast of the coast like endles
! artillery fire. and sometimes ! imagln
ed that the very island trembled unde
the onslaught of the hundreds OF mil
, lions of tons of water. AS ! sat lis
tening ! gazed into the flames. Tn
. wood struck me as strange. And the
/ wondered. On the entire islam
: there is not a single tree. And yet
: had been told not to spare hrewooS
There will be more than enough |
two or three days / arose and oper
ed the door into the next room. Thf
! room was possibly twenty feet hig
J and was filled almost to the top wit
J timber. First with wonder, then wit
growing awe, ! gazed at the piles
wood. Truly, she was right, the lit
maid. when she said that one need M
: be economical with firewood on u
:, island of Quessant. There were TIN
:, hers of every shape-splintered mas
= and spars, planks from decks al
sides, remnants of a steering vines
i benches from the forecastle, yello'
Z black, brown, white and red WOOD
- even two figureheads; some bright,
if they were new: some crusted WI
:. shells and hung with seaweeds.
= the entire room there was not pie
{ of wood that did not come from sor
= wrecked ship. The heavy cary
chairs. the polished oaken table, ev
the bed in which | was to sleep,
came from shipwrecks. Now ] unde
: stood the meaning of the word 'stra
u rights In favor of this island,
- away from the world, and murdero
a. for the ships that tie the world
: gether, Aeolus with his Bride Of I
~ Winds is more fruitful than is Cel
:. to the mainlands with her harv
: moon and her Blessings of Fruit. I
! BLESSINGS of Quessant come from
., gale. The forests of Quessant! !
:, there such others in the entire wor
:. 50 unique. SO terrible? This fore
~ instead of trees, has the mighty ma
n of ships. In that tremendous Tor
r are the oaks and pines of Canada
i, Maine, the cypress of Florida. the b
i babs of Africa, the teak of Hindust
NJ the ebony and sandal woods of So
America. The awful forests of Gu
SAINT form the visible apex OF v
gn cemetery that stretches from !
lch York to Cape La Hague. Y
IN Press.