Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-07-21
Correspondence of the Spy.
LETTER FROM EDGART0WN.

the lie or activity which it has enjoyed for the
last half century, directly or indirectly, to its
connection with the whale fishery. This con-
nection is twofold; primarily, in the direct
participation by the citizens in the business of
whaling, and, secondarily, by being place at
which considerable portion of the whale
ships of Nantucket are fitted out, and at which,
on their return from sea- they discharge their
cargoes. The water is so shoal at the mouth
of Nantucket harbor, that no vessel drawing
more than six or eight feet of water can safely
pass in or out The consequence is, that dur
ing four or five of the mildest months in the
year, their ships which are fitting for sea an
Choir outside the bar, and there take in their
outfits, which are brought alongside in ligh-
ers and, during the same season, vessels thai
arrive anchor at the same place and are dis
charged by lighters. But, during the stormy
months OF the autumn, winter, and spring, such
anchorage would be unsafe, and the ships then
proceed to Edgartown, where the harbor is
deep and easy Of access, and there take in their
outfits or discharge their cargoes, as the case
may be.
SO long, therefore, as the whaling business
was prosperous, Edgartown shared more or
less in the general prosperity of the whaling
ports. But those times are past, for the pres
ent, the business makes inadequate returns,
and general dizziness peryades New Bedford
Nantucket, New London, and all the whaling
towns. The expenses of outfit for such voy-
ages, for a few years past, are much greater
than formerly, and it takes nearly twice as long
to fill up a ship as it used to. Many of the
voyages, now, last from five to six years, and
when the ships arrive, it is often with an al
most entire change of the hands on board. So
long time exhausts the original outfits, and
the vessels require repairs The repairs must
be made and the supplies obtained at ports in
the Pacific Ocean, where all such things
are enormously dear, and the heavy drafts
for these expenses made by the captains on
the owners at home, eat up the profits, and
often run the voyage heavily in debt Many
of the voyages brought to close within the
last year or two have been losing ones, and
the vessels are often either sold, put into other
business, or suffered to lie idly at The wharves,
rather than incur the risk Of further loss by
fitting them out again. Those who do fit out
again are endeavoring to curtail the expenses
by a most rigid economy in every part of the
outfit, and reducing the lay allowed to the Of
ficers, who are the only parties concerned that
now make money by the business.
These voyages are sometimes so protraeted
that those who make them, and their friends
at home, become so changed i'll the time, that,
were they to meet accidentally and uneXpect-
eddy, they would not recognize each other
Many romantic stories connected Herewith are
told some revealing human nature in its
brightest and loveliest hues, while Others are
of more sad and sorrowfu cast. Touching
tales of youthful love, fidelity, and constancy,
are related, and others, in which young men,
on their return, find those to whom they were
atfianced when they left, married to others,
and already the mothers Of families of chill
dren.
After remaining two days in Edgartown, l
took horse and carriage for the great attrac-
ton of the island-Gay Head. And, in SO do
ing, | met with an adventure which afforded
abundant proof that |, at least, could not say
of the Edgartown people, Il was a stranger,
and ye took me not in" The road for the
first ten miles is generally quite level, but in
tersected with occasional valleys. The horse
seemed to have quite a knack at stumbling,
and i'll descending a little declivity about five
miles from town, he tumbled headlong to the
earth, casting himself so that he could not get
up, and breaking both shafts of the buggy.
Here, then, was predicament proceeded
forthwith to farm house for assistance, which
l obtained, and soon had the carriage rugged
some two miles further on. When the man
who assisted me came up, "Ah - he exclaim-
ed; that horse is an old acquaintance; VIC
used to own him on this farm, and put him off
ON account of his stumbling He tumbled
down nearly every time we had him i'll har-
ness" The first man | met on arriving at
the village of West Tisbury, seeing how the
shafts were rugged up, Inquired what was the
matter On being told, he said, "That horse
Is an old stumbler, he used to be owned in
this neighborhood" As the last part OF the
way is hilly and broken, did not dare trust
myself with such beast, so | hired another
team and left him behind. On IN arrival at
Gay Head, [ recounted my adventure to
man at the light house, who inquired whose
horse had. told him it was John Pease's
OF Edgartown, ooh, yes" says he, cit
is the Daniel Butler Horse, he is al
ways stumbling" So | found his character
was well established throughout the island.
On my RETURN the smooth faced -, who had
practiced such an imposition on me, had the
assurance to exact from me So for the seven
miles that travelled with his stumbling beast,
allowing nothing for the dollar and half
which paid for the repairing Of his carriage,
or for the amount | paid for two nights keep
ing OF the horse while | was gone with the
other team to Gay Head So my seven miles
NaSN VI
besides the chance-no small one either-of
having my neck broken into the bargain.
have seen many wonderful sights in my
day. have seen the White Mountains and
scaled the Alleghanies; have crossed the vast
prairies of the West, and perched myself on
rock overhanging the brow of Niagara,
at midnight of moonlight night L have
seen some of the greatest men of the country
and the age; | thought l had seen some
mighty mean men, too, but, for real buqgy
PeaSe, Edgartown will bear away the palm of
the world
Now, my dear Editors of the Spy, | could
have spared you the inhiction of this sublime
specimen of bathos but, other travellers are
to follow me, and it is but fair that they should
know what perils they have to encounter, and
what sights they may be privileged to see, if
they are wide awake, and "keep ltheir eyes
peeled"
Gay Head, in its enlarged sense, is a nearly
circular peninsula Of about three miles dame
Ter, separated from the rest of the island by
Menemsha Pond on one side and Squipnocket
Fond on the other, leaving narrow isthmus
between them, which connects it to Nashaquit-
sa, another peninsula on the east. 1t is termi-
mated at the northwestern extremity by the
remarkable promontory or headland that gives
the name of Gay Head to the whole peninsula
iieeS pieCipllously from tne
shore for the distance of half a mile or so, to a
perpendicular height of near one hundred and
fifty feet above the leve, of the sea. AS meas
ured by the slope it makes, it would probably
approach nearly to two hundred feet. 1t is
composed of pure while sand, of Ignite, and
of plastic clays of various coors. The coors
are generally very vivid and usually each col
or appears in large mass, by itself, unmixed
with any other. Thus, the whole front pre-
sents curious mosaic appearance, here mass
OF bright blood red, then another of almost
pure white, then dark blue, hardly distin-
guishable, at n little distance from black