Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1904-11-02
CEMETERY OF THE SEA.
Haven of DereliCts at Barnegat-SoU-
Yenirs of Ocean Wrecks

Haven of Derelicts at Barnegat-SoU-i
venirs of Ocean Wrecks
Down at Barnegat. where the heavy
Atlantic breakers roar perpetual thuu-i
der. and where the great Dimes givei
testimony to the force Of the Nr1ds that
everlasting sweep the barren, low lyiugi
coast, is an ocean graveyard.
In a well kept garden, whose greenl
lawns are hordcred like Contrary
are set mp like so many tombstones & 81
namebOardS OF many a tall ship that hasl
pounded herself 80 pieces on the treacheT-i
Gus shoals. Here, too. stand like silent!
sentinels tall 6gurehcads. An day long,
they gaze Seaward with their dead eyes,
If they could only speak!
But as the next best thing, the ownerI
Of this heaven of de- clicts is not at all
unwilling to tell what he knows of the
history OF each of his collection. OF
some tho story can never be told. Iiisl
name is James lladdock. Several years.
ago Mr. HaddOck, who was originally a.
wcsterncr made his pile" and started
out TO see the world. in the course of
his Wauderiugs he came 10 Barnegat.I
Just why the place appealed 10 hiDe heI
can't exactly put into words himself. But
there was something IN the great sweep
Of the sea and sand and marsh that att
tracled him, and close by The famous.
lighthouse be Quiz nm house upon
the sand.
That year the Hiram Wills, a schooner
bound south with Maine lumber bun.
dared ashore one Wild night, and tho
next morning the beach was strewn with.
wreckasc Among the ietsam was nj
great tgurehead. long bearded ana grlm,i
presumably counterpart presentment of
Mr.. Wills in the flesh, However that
might be. there was something in the
II InyE tFa.tE
that attracted him. and when the surf
YivorS Of the wreck turned their faces,
to the north. LOOKING for another shjp.l
Hiram Wills was planted in James Had
docks garden. ms face, with IT'S eagcri
eyes turned toward the sea, and close
beside ii was set mp the board that bore
the name Of the i'll fated craft.
That winter was a wild one, Small,
Schooners. big tramp steamers, tail deep,
water craft were driven ashore ali along
the coast and where their bones lay was
james IIaddock searching for fresh
monuments for his ocean graveyard. HcI
was interchangeable in his quest. Fifty, Al
hundred, two hundred miles, il made moi
difference There seemed to be some
strange affinity between HIM and the bat-I
tered careasses that had given up their
xistcnces in the Wild music Of lie STORM
on rock or treachcrOus shoal.
So as the years went by "t0mbst0nes',
began To stand thick in the garden that
James Haddocl battlcd for with the
drifting sand. He, too, began 70 store up,
q great mass OF ocean lore. On winter
nights when the driftw0ati FIRE reared I'M
the open fireplace and lighted uD iitfBilyi
the sea things With which the r0otn
was hung and fitted it was good Ia SIT,
with the owner Of the place, and white.
the wind shrieked and the hail beat
among the sea gravestones outside to-
listen TO his tales of the Barncgat coast.
Perhaps your host will open a tall
cabinet in one corner Of the room, and
If lie does you are ia luck. The freight
is flashed back by a score of odd ana
curious things that rep0se on IFS shelves.
Knives there arc there that have beenl
clutched by desperate men IN an effort
to free themselves Of the wreckagc that.
was dragging them to death. A little
Crucitix that was fOund in one hand OF.
a woman drowned in the wreck of al
Spanish bark; her other arm held child.
| They are buried together in the lHtle
graveyard back Of the sand dunes. Then.
thpre is a great glass That was before
| man he found in the cabin Of the PicO-
tied Bcbi He had toasted death as id
came. Then. too, there Is rusted pistol
of foreign make That scattered the
brains Of the captain Of the Argentine
ship Ramon PasCucl, as his ship ham
mercd her life out below Beach Haven.
u shah leave them 10 museum when
/ die" says Mr., liadd0ch. But in the
mean time every year adds fresh
gravest0ue 10 the gar,iea and something
fraEght with strange interest to tho
cabinet by the FIRE. 1t is Pandora y
Box Of sea tragedies Washington Post.