BELLE ISLE. 639 



Belle isle, lyiiio- 17 miles eastward of Castle island and directly 

 off the Atlantic entrance of the strait of Belleisle, is about 9^ miles 

 long north-northeastward and south-southwestward, and 3 miles 

 wide, and is made up of a range of hills, bare of trees, which rises to 

 the height of 680 feet. These hills are principally granite, alternat- 

 ing with clay and slate, and their sides form everywhere a steep coast, 

 except at the northern end of the island, where tAvo low points diverge 

 to form Black Joke cove, a narroAv creek which shelters very small 

 fishing vessels during the finest summer months. Shelter may be ob- 

 tained in Lark harbor, and in Valley cove at 2^ miles southward of 

 Lark island; but none of these coves are considered. safe early in 

 spring, or late in autumn, because of the heavy swell which rolls into 

 them from the northeastward. 



Black Joke cove, about 150 feet Avide, with 12 feet of water, is in- 

 side of an islet joined to Belle isle at low^ water, and only affords se- 

 cure shelter to two small vessels moored head and stern; but in hea\y 

 northeasterly gales, especially at high water of spring tides, the seas 

 break heavily over the ledge of rocks, and render the cove unsafe. 



Lark island. Avhich is narrow and about 1,200 yards long, and 200 

 feet high, lies off the middle of the western side of Belle isle. Lark 

 harbor, between Lark island and Belle isle, is only 400 yards Avide, 

 with deep water and indifferent holding ground ; it is much exposed 

 to northeasterly winds, but, as it has two entrances, vessels easily get 

 to sea. 



Valley cove affords fair anchorage and shelter during northeasterly 

 winds; the bottom is sand, and between the line of the points the 

 soundings are 17 fathoms, decreasing gradually to the shore. 



The eastern side of Belle isle affords no anchorage and there is 

 hardly a creek where a boat could find shelter. 



Belle isle is frequented by English and French fishermen. 



Rock. — A rock, with an estimated depth of 9 feet over it, and upon 

 which the sea has been seen to break heavily, lies with the south- 

 western end of Belle isle bearing 140°, distant ^ mile; this rock is 

 probably that reported by the Ontario, in 1881, to exist at about 1 

 mile northwest of the southwestern point of Belle isle. 



Light — Northeastern point. — A cylindrical red lighthouse, 55 

 feet high, on the northeastern point of Belle isle, exhibits, at 137 feet 

 above high water, a flashing wdiite light every eleven seconds, thus : 

 Flash, half a second ; eclipse, ten and a half seconds, which should be 

 seen from a distance of 17 miles in clear weather. 



Fog" signal. — A diaphone fog horn, situated in a building near the 

 edge of the cliff at about 67 yards northward of the light-house on the 

 northeastern point of Belle isle and worked by compressed air, gives 

 one blast of three and a half seconds duration every minute, during 

 thick or foggy weather. 



