The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1926-07-22
Disasters Of Sea in Early
Days Gave Isle Grue-
some Name.


Toronto, Ont.-Athwart the Gulf of
st. Lawrence, like mighty gunboat
guarding the portals of Canada, lies
the Island of Anticosti, as large as
Porto Rico, and four times as large
as the province of Prince Edward is
land.
Thirty-one years ago the late Henri
Menier, the Chocolate king" of
France, bought the island empire for
Sl6O,OO0. The other day his brother,
Senator Castor Menier, sold 1t to the
Wayagamac Pulp and Paper company
for $6,000,000- 100000 francs-a
substantial profit for the Menier es-
tate but yet a trifiing sum for a king
dom as big as the state of Connecti-
cut.
The isle of Shipwreclzs'' they call
Anticosti in memory of the disasters
that piled up on its rockbound coasts
before the days of range lights and
wireless. Countless tales that are sim
lister are associated with the island
but the sweetening influences of the
Menier regime have banished most of
them to the limbo of tradition.
When NJ. Menier, one of the wealth
lest men in the world, bought the is
land in 1895 his purpose was to estab-
lish shooting lodge that would be
the talk of the Paris boulevards. He
planned a game preserve that would
be magnificent, as well it might be
with an acreage of $3.50 square miles
and two or three million acres of
woods already naturally stocked with
game.
But the commercial possibilities of
the island which previous generations
had left almost as an outcast of the
sea soon forced themselves on his at
tention. Fishing industries were es-
tablished. A pulp mill was erected
Fishing and hunting camps for Ameri-
can tourists were built and leased
with salmon and trout rights. Silver
fox ranching was established, produc-
ing 1900 pelts in a season.
thousand farm settlers we're
brought from France and the Cana
dian mainland and given land ION
shares" Every department had it's
own manager. A lobster fisherman
from Nova Scotia, taking refuge from
a storm In an Anticosti cove, was
promptly arrested for trespassing, but
the next morning, when his trade had
been discovered, he was invited to
visit M. Menier in his palace in
France and ultimately became man
ager of Anticosti's lobster fishing de-
partment.
And so it comes about that Anti
cost, bought as plaything, now adds
substantially to the Menier millions
and is helping the patriotic senator
to make a handsome contribution to
the "Save the franc fund.
Deer Roam on Golf Course.
AnticOsti remains a magnificent
game preserve. Everywhere one turns
In Anticosti it is to see, nibbling in
the fields, by the roadside, deer-wild
deer so tame that the approach of
human seems rather an event to in
terest than to fear. Fifty or sixty
may be counted on the golf course.
There are said to be 100000 on the
island. Not a single dog is allowed
on Anticosti. Even the wild foxes are
to be seen roaming unmolested along
the village street.
Bears originally made Anticosti IA
nous. "Natis-cotee," the place of
bear hunts" was the Indian name, and
the best the euphonious French-Cana-
dian could do with the name was
@Anticosti." Bears still abound. Bears
In the New York and Paris geological
gardens boast Anticosti as their home.
The sea whereabouts teens with cod
fish, haddock, Holsters (Which in the
tradition of habitants thrived on the
victims of shipwrecks) and halibut,
some reaching a weight of 400 pounds.
Scores of streams abound with salmon
and trout. Wild duck, wild geese,
gamuts, cormorants and sea pigeon
fill the air.
Recently Senator Menier plannedNto
bring musk oxen from the Arctic and
wild ponies from Isle aux Stables, the
lost. island of the Atlantic, to Anti
costi Generations ago settlers and
horses were landed on Sable. The
settlers died and the horses survived
in atavlstic form. Menier wanted to
see if they could be redeemed.