New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-07-27
A SUMMER RESORT.
MARTHA'S VINEYARD.


REPRESENTATIVES, OF HE INDIAN TRIBES - A |
srRAxGF MYTn-ExPLoITs or THE ATLANTIC |
NEW TELEGRAPH CABLE - ADVANTAGES OF |
rur ISLAND AS A SUMMER RESORT-TIIE BAPTIST |
cAMr-MEETING.
lFRou An OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT on THE TRIruNri
VINEYARD GROVE, July 24-WhilC Dcscartes
was boy spinning tops Al la Haye and Richeicu was
student at the College Of Navarro and Queen Elizabeth
SAT whimpering over the mtimely fate of Essex, and
Bacon's pen was busy blackening the Earls mem
ory aud Shakespeare had just finished Hamlet
and Cervantes hard at work ON the ilrst !
mart of Don Quxote." that adventurous navigator.
Bartholomew Gosnod, sSirting the coasts OF the
New World aud prying into every watery nook. in
the month Of May. 1902 Glanced 10 hight upon this
island OF Martha's Vineyard. vineyard" Those who
see only sand and the scruboak of the east end may
well wonder the name; hut ride through the interior
and westerly portions reveals acres on acres covered
with uxuriant grapevines The idea has even been sg
gcsed and is incredible that here Is the longost
"vineland" of the old scandinavian navg"tors Ger
tainy the vikings might have farther and Jared
worse.
The island about 90 miles long as the crow flies Its
average width is about four miles. The soil as you
go west becomes sandy deeper and richer till at the
very extremity slly equal in fertility to any in the
Valley Of the Connecticut. The island ends abruptly
with bold prOmontory 16O feet in hight juttng out into
the deep sea- which Is forever eating away its base The
steep hcadand is crowned with lighthouse, from the
on the Atlantic coast. Ninetyfvc thousand vessels
passed this point in the year 1872 From the masses and
cliffs Of colcred cays-red yellow gtcen. and black
which miles away look Ike painted rocks. the spot gets
its name Gayhcal The place is interesting as contain
Ing some scores of desceud ants OF the Indians who for
many years have been wards OF the State OF MaNs"chu
sets.
on every side the ia encroaching upon the land
Twice the Gayhead Lighthouse has had 10 he moved
back from the water. Cape Pogue Light used to he
quarter a mile away from the cOroding waves now
IL il only few rods the south shore The Atlantic
rolls over many which moved % years ago
On East Chop the gains about two feet year IN
less resisted by artificial means. the hungry ocean"
will al last have devourcd the whole island.
Tradition has 1t that the first Indian who came hither
was transported cake OF ice, aud az III the mag
inston of Pope his faithful dog alone &" bore him
company" However, il il only miles across 10 the
main aud and when Gosn0ld first came h. found here
a multitude OF copper-coored inhabitants. About
1913 Christian missionaries and chief among them
the Rev. Thomas Mayhem, ancestor Of DR..
Jonathan Mathew, began their labors. They csti-
mated the number OF adult natives III Martha's Vineyard
and Nantucket at 5000 In 1873 the famous King Philip
visited the island 10 induce its LOO braves to ION the
NaIrigan>etts in cxtcriAnang the whites hut the mis-
q naris aud the - ablbOdcd white men then on the
island successfully argued in favor of peace, and the
great achcn retired in disgust 10 his lair at Mount Hope.
In 1902 Cotton MathcT estimated the number OF CAIs-
tanned the island at 600 Here n else
where they have baca civilized to death Net even mo
name o. their tribe is known. few words, among them
the first numerals. all the relics Of their language
Perhaps 100 men, women, and children, either -ady
faded nterInxturc with the whites or darEencd by
the transmitted bacnes, Of Africa, tho sole repre-
eentativcs of these once formidable red men.
A singular myth. of a rather " ancicn; and fshIike
smell" Is recorded OF Noshup who preceded the In
dams and is represented have been "t gigantic size
and -uperhuman power; possibly tie inea descendant
of old Morse soaking His residence was Gay head
whore hc lad "a wife, four SOILS, ana da glitter. Tie
frst whale fisher lie may well have been the progentor
Of all the happening brotherhood Like ShaRcSpcme'a
Wosoy he had al uuboUudcd stomach which lie
loved 10 ill with "lrtiu food whales. sharks, Seei-
penis These ne would seize, slaughter haul ashore,
iro Of whole forests, and eat distributing the
Undiscovered portions among the Indians, whO, in the
course Of ages mad maryelousy mul. .licd. and who
worsiiped him as a god a chasm called The Devils
Den" bcsrewn with cinders and ashes and said to have
been the collar Of Ia, mon used to be pointed out at
Guyhcad and sharks teeth, of TIN, IN four inches
long are till found near the spot. ana attest the tlutl
of the legend! Near by too IN the sen, are the
ivory rocks which 1t placed ar steppinE-stoncs 10
AID in his fishing; for hc would not wade the sea
like old royphcuns hui was of like mind with The brute
in HeyWood'S Proverbs l3Gnj. IAr cat W0idr eat
nsie. h.t wodo NOT W, to her tot These rocks were
fohao iaorer b,for. ii, Walter Raleigh once lis de-
voices ihclcd an the Indian tobacco on the island and
eno % pip, .nob,d i, Eno.Scd Of lie ashes and
with thesa formed Nantucket According 10 Dr. VIM:
in i6i3 When ne Christian religion vas received in
the island Mosup told them n iSht had come alnon
them AMI he belonged 10 hc Kingdom OF darlny-s he
must take leave, which to their great sorrow. lac aC-
COrdiucly did, anC las never been beard OF Stree
PRIsLNV ASPECTS OF HE ISLAND.
Their are seven post-ofccs the island one in
private dwelling at head in Chilualk 0hc next
town east one in West Tiobury on, il Moth Tisbury
one in East Iislury Vineyard Haven, ALA, Holiness
Uolel one IN vineyard Grove ':or Oab Bll,, Vineyard
Highlands Camp Ground. ScJ and in EdgaItOWn
Village tthc county sclt.
Ten Years ago there was an extensive ard profitable
iornc fishery in Mlttakcc>ct Creek, which connected
81 large frcshwatcr pond with the Atlantic On the south
shore But one Stony Night Old ocoan seemed to get
excited. wrath, and put stop TO tins herring
lu,nc,s by choking the creek EoUelcs.ly with sanL
The Atlantic is capable of great exploits in tiat line
Some yeas Uncle having good deul Of loose
chang nling in his pockets set IL WORK 10 spoud by
channel trOr -i the narrow h, cA 1'0 opening
EdgaIt0wn harbor to the ocean the south. This Inc
thought. would mahc D current sufficient 10 proven. tae
filling oi TIE A1lh1 process lhAl >tclu- 10 d. slowly
going But the Government oiltorS reused 10 TAKE
advice from the lldctcil ~ NNttOIs al EuETto"h anu
undertook b. open channel ~ the wr"n- place Edgar
town looked amused aud dssuSted ~ the londeor;
and asinine efforts WIN steam aN4t"Is Ht'1 ana
scoping where it could d" no good llowcycr The Win
cipal object was accomplished the S2O'V' were tN-
Stroke he put the work up came Oid Neptune,
and precisely hour and baI he filled the canal 10
The bTu with clean sand!
This Il.artowu was an important whaling port 90
years Eighteen hae-Sln' were owned there ana
four OF live IN Vineyard Haven. Ihe elcHhtC game
was quite common III these w"oIS WITHIN the
memory of persons still living violent oOutheIy hio-m
stranded two Large whales on me SCUM "ti'h OF Nd-
tuckct. rccOcct seeing whales spOuing an the deep
sea south Newport 1871. But the growing scarcity
Of the animals ana The Introduction ~ petroleum. ana
other oils have degrees almost anuihatcd the bus-
ness. Early IN the some OF The EdgdrtOwn whale
ships purchased by The GOycrnm,n AT and dad equiv
ocal seryicc as q part Of the stone fleet " sunk
Charleston harbOr. Two OF them in the Ncw-Hed-
ford abandoned wears The Arctic ice
J. 1t