Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1902-09-04


ried him into dangerous proximity
to the sand bars, During the last
year an experiment was trisd which
If successful Will tend TO minimize
this danger. Seventy thousand
small trees Of hardy varieties have
been planted with the hope that GOV.
ering the island with verdure will
render Ii visible at a greater dis
lance, and also help to bind togeth-
er its ever shifting sands. The
greatest menace 70 ships lies In the
presence Of the sub-aqneous fats
and bars by which the island Is
surrounded. The northeast bar in
smooth weather shows dry Tor about
four miles from tlfs.aless. This II
followed by nine miles Of roaring
breakers, and then comes shoaI wa
ter, gradually deepening for two
miles. The length Of the northwest
bar IS nineteen miles, beyond which
the water dcepens abruptly Thus
Sable Island forms, with its sub.
merged bars, IN rough weather a
continuous line, over fifty miles in
length, Of seething breakers. mag.
pificcnt 70 view, but fatal 10 the ship
caught Ia their tolls,
As one approaches the surface
shows a succession OF sand dunes,
covered in some places with rank
grass in the interior lies valley
whorccrauberries Of a superior quail
ity grow abundauuy Here also is
a small lake fringed with reeds and
Wild towers
when the elements are mastering
Tor strife, the sight ut Sable Island
is wcirdly grand Even before the
disturbance reaches the vicinity It's
coming Is ioretold by the action Of
Che waves, which swing slowly in,
in long. luugourous MASSES, and
break with q peculiar moan, on the
beach, Darkness lights the phos
pborcscenl drrs cleaning Gordon
around the island and a. the storm
increases, SO does The fury Of the
water giants green beaded, snow
capped warriors lighting their Nigh.
o. way up ON the sabds with o force
that tcrriiirs. Wind. rain aud sea
unite Ia wild harmony.
Tbceoniinualshiftiug o. the sands
often results in the uncovcriug Of
what has been buried Collins are
sometimes uucarthcd skulls and
huffman bones cast up for rcbnrial,
The story u animal life here is
curious First Ia Importance are
Use wild horses Tor which Sable Is
land rs f5mcd Small, shaggy and
possessing wonderful endurance.
they roam over the sandy wastes iu
hundreds aud feed on ihe coarse
grass there produced Through
generations Of exposure they have
become Injured To the rigorS OF this
northern climate, and do not suffer
any %. effects from the cold They
procure water by seraping pitb
their 'ureicet la lhe sand Singular
is may scem, but II is a fact, that the
and absorbs aud holds the rain
water Hike q sponge. Fresh water
can always be- had Oh this queer is
.and hy digging about q foot below
the surface 4 number of ponies
are annually lassocd placed ON the
steamer and conveyed 10 the main
land, where they are sold atauctiou.
Authorities disagree as TO the origin
Of these horses II is asserted that
Baron dc l.ery, while on voyage
90 colonization, landed horses, cattle
and hogs on Sable Island, IN 1918.
Dthcrreeords tend toshow that they
we're landed from a Spanish wreck
As late as 1914. wild hogs roamed
over the island They were cxtir.
pated by order Of the authorities,
because Of their propensity to hunt
for bodies ia the sand and 10 mangle
those thrown up by the sea. Eng
ish rabbits were brought here, but
as their number increased, they be
came troublesome through their ten
dency TO burrow holes Ia the sand,
which proved disastrous TO the POI
MES feet. There came ON daya Nor
wegian ship, fated 10 leave her bones
on the sands A number OF rats
landed from the wreck, and in d
short time eXterminated the rabbits,
but in turn became so numerous and
destructive thata small army OF cats
was imported to hunt them Again
the result was the survival Of the
ittest, and a rapid increase in their
numbers. The cats became so nu.
merous, wild, aud dangerous that
shotguns were used to end their ca