The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-25

1911 sails twice every month from
I0Ef9eI Novia Scotia. and furnishes the
- only regular communication be-
twneen the outside world and the islands
OF ST. Pierre and Miquelon. the last remain
ing possession OF France in the waters of
North America But the Pro Patria (for
such is its patriotic name) is stanch be-
ycnG itself and many are the stories of how.
I'm years past, she has crushed into the
wharvss OF Cape Breton island, scraped
the rocks under the waters of ST. Pierre,
with great damage to the wharves. and
possibly, II the truth were known, to the
rocks wen. but without the slightest
injury to herself. She was built to pillow
through the ice which is prevalent here
abouts during much OF the year, and an ice
foe or rock or wharf are all one TO her;
she Will do her duty equally well in any
emergency.
It Is no easy task she has before her every
two weeks to enter the narrow harbor Of
Saint Pierre, not only beset with rocks,
but often so crowded with fishing schooners
that the water in many places becomes in
visible 1t is especially hard to enter this
port when the fog has settled down so
thick that you cannot see one end of the
vessel from the other and there are inter-
between the captain and the man at the
wheel as to the best way of getting in.
1t Is not the mere monosyllabic command
OF the English captain and the silent
obedience of his subordinate, but rather the
proceedings of an informal debating society.
"Baberdr' porD cries the captain. 'Mais
Il y a des rochers Ia" "But there are rocks
there" answers the man at the wheel.
well, II you know so much better you
ought to be captain" is the reply, and so
the argument goes on until the right reason
at last prevails and the vessel is safely
guided to the quay. We were warned
against committing our lives to French
seamanship, and indeed the loss of some
five and twenty schooners of the fishing
feet during the present summer, mostly in
good weather, would seem to justify the
base doubts which arise in the Anglo-Saxon
mind; but 1t must be remembered that in
all these cases but one of the crews escaped
safe and sound with their belongings; that
the season was bad and that the vessels
were fully insured. AS the chief justice of
San Pierre expressed it, "Since they couldn't
find the cod they had to find the bottom"
Undismayed, therefore, by sinister predic-
lions OF disaster, we boldly ventured forth
on the Pro Patria. and have suffered Moth
ing more serious than the evil smells,
which so infected the ship that even the
Btiff winds OF the Gulf OF ST. Lawrence
could not drive them away. For II must be
said that the love OF that virtue which
comes next TO goodness is not predominant
in the makeup Of the Gallo character, and
that a ship devoted mainly to the carrying
Of Goals and Goldfish is not the most at
tractive abode for human beings.
In the long dark winters OF the north the
two islands OF Miquelon and st. Pierre
must be melancholy places for habitation.
Miquelon. the larger OF the two is some
twenty-seven miles in length and is COM
posed Of what seems to be two precipitous
rocky islands. Grande Miquelon on the
north and Longlade on the south, connected
by a narrow sand dune several miles long
and SO low that the sea lashes across it
during the heavy storms. There used to
be channel between these two sections
OF the island, which Is shown In the old
charts. and the sand beach is invisible until
you come quite near. MisIed. either by the
chart or by appearances, a great number
Of ships have tried to pass between Grande
Miauelon and Longlade and have gone to
pieces In the sand. so that the beach is
strewn with cercasses OF the several hun
dred vessels which at one time or another
have been wrecked in this unhappy spot
There are not more than five hundred in
habitants on the island and these are mostly
congregated in the little hamlet Of MiqueIon.
near the north end.
The island OF St. Pierre, lying southeast
Of Miqueion. although 1t Is much smaller
being only six miles long and perhaps half
as broad. is the more important of the
two. as it contains the harbor and the town.
q place Of some six thousand inhabitants
exclusive of the dogs, which seem to me
not only a very numerous but a very i'm
portant part OF the population. / saw an
OK cart yesterday filed with barrels Of
-four surrounded and followed by a cortege
OF ten dogs who seemed much more inter-
ested I'm the successful transportation Of
the -four than was the man who drove the
oxen These dogs are or every variety
mostly mongrel. with the Newfoundland
stock predominat.ng. for Newfoundland it,
self Is In full sight on clear day. These
dogs are harnessed TO little carts. and IL
you walk along the highway to Savoyard.
q fishing village about a league distant Won
will meet more dog teams than carriages.
the dogs running down hill at fun jump
and sometimes tumbling all together with
the cart and the driver at the bottom.
We reached San Pierre on a bright after
noon when even the naked rocks and the
town at their feet seemed beautiful The
place Is wholly devoted to the cod fishing
industry and its accessories. The town Ia
so remote from the rest Of mankind that the
advent of the steamer Is a matter of pub
Lilo interest and there Is always a large
throng on the wharf when 1t arrives The
small boys not over ten years old offer to
take our trunks to the boarding house
where we are to stay. They lift it, with
the help OF the custom house officer, into
q wheelbsrrow and then take turns with
the wheelbarrow. a square at a time, until
they reach their destination, putting hard
but pleased with their prowess and the
quarter which rewards their efforts.
There Is a tug which goes twice a week
20 Miquelon and I boarded II on the fol-
lowing morning In order TO have a look at
the large island. One old gentleman on
board who went to spend the day trout
fishing at Longlade, was very communi-
cative. and showed me the points of inter-
est. He was engaged In the cheerful busi-
ness OF buying up the wreckage OF vessels
lost In this neighborhood. business which
IS at times extremely active and, have no
doubt, profitable. The Monterey. a large
81 osH<