The Republican journal., 1874-08-06
The Marblehead Fishermen.

| Marblehead. Mass, wa, once 4 %rr,t'
fishing port. In this line lis glory ht~
departed. A writer in limperS Magazine,
! referring t. the "olden time saws that
when the season opened there wa the
hustle Of preparation, the getting in o1
wood and salt and stores. The schooner
generally went to Boston tor her salt. and
then we youngsters had 4 fine time ot it.
going with her to 1.-The dim rich CITY.
and sleeping in the cabin or the ''tplr-
kistle, and making friends with the cook
| Or was it better when a great Ship came
| to Marblchead with a whole load of salt,
and we were permitted to 90 on board OF
ner, and to row at night under her bow,
| and feel their awful shadow. and wonder
if her stern Went down till it touched the
heart of the world? Then there was the
home preparations, the washing and
mending Of the great pea-iackcts ant
trowsers that smelled so of the sea. the
packing of the chest, the making of "Iiar-
rison cake" and hard gingerbread When
The day came for sailing it was a very
silent morning in the house. There wa,
no talk at breaktast-time The handsome
thing for the skipper to do was to sail
round the harbor an hour or two with the
company that had collected on board. with
a long string OF ''Moses boats and dorip-
dragging at the stern Sometimes there
was treat all round from q certain little
keg, which the more prudent skipper,
regarded with unmiXcd aversion When
at length the skipper shouted, "Alt
ashore the last boats We're alwav, loaded
TO the gunncl. Then We went TAP cu
'Bartols Head and watched the white
sails lessen more and more. till they made
only a little CLEAN on the horizon From
that time the ''Spoken'' in the new -papel.~
was narrowly watched, but with LITTLE
satisfaction. until the first Of thc fleet rr
turned, bringing news of nearly all ill.,.
resi-, and how many thousand fish they
had on such 2 day. They used to counl
thousands, but now they guess quntal~
1t was n great day when some gocG
neighbor came to the door or window
saying, Mrs. -, Your husbands comm.
up the harbOr1 Sometimes there wa~ n
rich brown face in the doorway without .
word of warning; sometimes well
known step in the night upon the grave
There was one coming back that wa.
different from all others within the
memory OF the present generation !!
was after the September gale oi 'iu
After the first news OF the disaster hat
Decn Drought u tpNII iutIt were llIUN
weeks of terrible anxiety, OF altcrnat,
hope and fear. From every hcadland. AMI
from the "Old North Stceplp. eyes Wer..
straining into the distance to catch til.
first hint OF q returning sail And when
one was deserted. the word went from
house to house all through the town. ana
hundreds crowded TO the wharf to see
what vessel it might be. and what news If
brought of kindred or of friends Only
- fishermen'S wives staid very quietly IN
home. waiting for the sign Of hope on
widowhood. Sometimes bad news Wa.
contradicted, and women received Then
dead raised to life again. and others wcr..
tortured, not accepting deliyerancc" /
well remember one of these return,
The wharf was packed with an expcctan
crowd of men and women. A. the veesr
came up the harbor there was none of tho
usual hilaritv. There We're no cheer,
shouts and answers. There was 10 talA
about show deep she was, No bram thai
she had 'wet her salt" When the crew
landed, the crowd parted silently to let
them through The crowd broke up A.
the crew separated, and followed them 1n
their various homes remember walkjDo
home with my hand held in the skipper
very tight indeed, his monstrous fishinr
boots clumping along with what then
seemed to me very solemn sound For
myself, was not superior to a feeling OF
qualification at being escorted home by So
many people, though was but fly upon
| the wheel Then followed snch da(
The house was thronged with people
anxiously inquiring for their friends
| Children came to hear that they were
fatherless. and wives to learn that thr,
were widows. And little by little I'M,
story of the storm was told. and the story
of what followed, when the sea wa
strewn with proofs of terrible disaster
with wood and spars and seamen's chests
and bedding. In one place the maSts ot
two vessels We're found hopelesslv en-
tangled; in another vessel ying on her
beam ends, and with every mighty surge
lifting her masts high up ont of The
melancholy waste, and then plungin@
them down again in sad, hopeless way
that almost broke the hearts OF those who
witnessed it. TO a stranger in the town
the monument on the "Old Hill'' means
little, but no monument that have ever
seen is so vocal for me with
"Thr still sad music of humanity"