The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-08-12
HUNGRY FOR SHIPS
Goodwin Sands, In the North Sea,
Swallow Them PitiIessly.
SCENE OF MANY TRAGEDIES.

4 iH0o0 &TSoHJ SHu~iss tHat "UcN WAH
Efforts to Tame Thorn, Ones GuIped
Down Fleet Of War Vessels With
Over Thousand Officers and Men.
From the steep rough shore of Deal,
overlooking the ship swallowing Good
win sands. many of the pilgrim IA
| theirs embarked fer America, and
their descendants. In visiting or leaving
England. travel through the famous
downs from which their stern progeni-
tors set sail in search of perfect liberty.
| OF their evil reputation, and for I'M
numbered years they have been as
much the graveyard of the narrow seas
as Sable island is of the Atlantic ocean.
With fervent thankfulness the pilgrim
fathers saw the last Of those notorious
and farreaching shoals which break
the vicious seas in gales and make
them surge and roar Ike rapids and
which. faithful to their treacherous
character. appear on bright summer
days as restful as golden plains. with
blue and glorious rivers running
through the countless channels.
Ships OF battle, treasure ships. In.
diamen with precious cargoes and emf.
grant ships have sailed as far as the
Goodwins and there have been engulf-
ed Most travellers who skirt the coast
between the Forelands see the gaunt
remains Of melancholy wrecks.
The romantic tale is told that the
Goodwins were at one time beautiful
aud fruitful island. the estate OF Earl
Goodwin. but that In 1907 they be-
came vast shoal because of "a turbu-
lent rage of rain and an unheard of
rage Of the sea-" The island disap-
peared and became incredibly covered
with sand" That has been the tradi-
ton for many centuries. and less than
200 years ego there was an alehouse
keeper who declared that his oaken
Switchboard was made from tree
which grew on the Goodwins when
they were an island.
A clerical investigator, however. who
knew the publican, sorrowfully classed
him as lying fellow. Although the
tradition is generally credited. 1t seems
far more likely that the Goodwins are
formed by the strong run of the tide
down the North sea and the tide up the
strait of Dover. the two meeting of
the Kentish coast and sweeping vast
quantities of sand in whirlpool shoal.
In those days OF numbering sailing
craft, when vessels were completely at
the mercy Of the weather. there was
little hepe Of keeping clear of the
Goodwins unless the sands could be
discerned and wind and tide were IA
vorable. Every gale that blew gave
tribute of life and vessel to the shoals.
There have been memorable disasters
In recent years. even since steam be-
came almost universal for marine pro-
pulsion, but the most noted calamities
relate to the days of sail. OF all that
have been put on record none is more
terrible than the humiliation of an en-
tire feet of warships in the storm
which devastated England in 1908.
Thirteen warships anchored In the
downs were swept from their moor
lngs. Some were driven ashore. Five.
Including four sail of the line. were
hurled toward the Goodwins and DASH !
ed to pieces. Nearly 100 officers and
men persisted, yet handful were
saved and brought to shore by men Of
Deal and Ramsgate and the little ha-
vens of the coast.
Ills the hard gray weather breeds
hard Englishmen." The hardest and |
grayest British weather is that of the
North sea. The Goodwins are at the
part of the North sea,
and there on the coast line overlooking
the sands men battle ceaselessly with
one of the sailors most pitiless enc
mics. The Goodwins cannot be coaxed
Or engineered into submission.
They hout mastery and scorn domi'
nation and in their essentials remain
what they have been for centuries.
Man has tried repeatedly TO bride
them. TO find foothold on their stink
Ing bases. More than 800 years ago q
scheme was formed TO build beacon
or a lighthouse on the Goodwins. but
il came TO nothing. Long afterward
attempts were made to raise light
house, but the work was never I'm
Ished. In 1871 an old ship was scut'
tied and was made dead weight with
ballast. A mast was put in her and
bore a beacon. but only for time.
The greedy Goodwins swallowed all.
The only way 10 conquer the shoals
IS to grid them with buoys and light
ships. and that has been so well &C {,
that in fine weather the
lands are marked as clearly on the
waters as the hours are indicated on
the dial OF watch. But fogs make
oeacons useless. and so rapid is the
-un of the sea in the swashes or
channels OF the sands that even in
clear weather an experienced pilot
nay not get his vessel safely through
he indicated tracks.-Valter Wood In
aarper's Magazine.