Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-02-29
Tales aud Sketehes.
TWENTY.TWO YEARS on MATINICUS
ROCK.

A correspondent of the Rockland( Me. }
Free Press, gives the following interest,"
ing sketch of the isolated life and heroic
iortltude of Maine girl whose home for
twenty-five years was on barren rock off
the coast of the Pine Tree State.
twenty-five miles out in the ocean from
main land--directly in the pathway OF the
ocean steamers plying from Boston and
Portland to Passport, St. John, Yarmouth,
and Halifax, OF the immense fleet ofcoast-
ing and fishing vessels trading between
the United States and the British Provin.
ces, and of more or less OF European COM
merce-lies Matinicus Rock, with an area
at low tide of but thirty Eine acres, broken
in its surface. with little or no vegetation,
inaccessible except under favorable con-
ditions of weather. and wholly so much o f
the time; without fresh water save that
supplied by the rainfall its shores pre-
senting jagged aud forbidding aspect,
with no spot to land except that formed
by the hand of man; fit for the habitation
only of the sea gull or the stormy petrol,
and around which the sportive waves of the
broad Atlantic dash, spending their force
in seething foam, occasionng an ever
ceaseless roar, as ifangered by resistance
This rock, now passed annually by
thousands OF vessels and steamers, for the
first half-cenlury from the birth of our
Government lifted it threalnng crags
with terror. There was nothing upon its
surface to guide the mariner, save in clear
weather and by daylight. When the dan
gers of its position could no longer be toll
Grated by the increasing commerce. the
Government, in 1927, to decrease il not
prevent the great liability of loss of prop
erty and life, established there a double
tower light. The structure consisted SIM
ply of cobble-stone dwelling, with wood
en- towers extending up from either end of
the roof. Above the lamp deck it was en-
closed with the common window glass
the lamps and reilectors were of the style
then in use, which would now be consid-
cred almost worthless. No warning for
signal was established until the year 1856,
previous To which but one keeper was ap-
pointed at the meagre salary of four hun
dred and fifty dollars per annum; so that
when necessarily absent to secure his sal
ary, provisions and fuel-the Government
supplying nothing but oil-his family or
some member must care for the lights.
This in many instances, owing to the UNI
certainty Of The keepers return, was Il
great hardship. In the year 1859, new
towers forty feet apart, eighty feet in
height, together with a dwelling connect
ing them, were constructed of granite.
The wooden towers were removed from
the old dwelling, which remained for use
as an out-building.
The spring OF 1858 found Samuel Bur-
CESS the successful asprant for the posi-
ton of keeper Of this light-for, strange
as it may seem, where there is one vacan-
cy there are many applicants for these po-
stions. Mr.. Burgess's family consisted
Of an invalid wife, four small daughters,
and son, who, though the rock was his
home, was much of his time away en-
gagged in fishing at the Bay Chaieur and
elsewhere. The eldest daughter, Abbic
E., then but fourteen years of age, was
his chief, ii not his only assistant She
was expected to care for the principal
part of the domestic affairs, also to aid in
the lighthouse work. She modestly says
81 took great deal of pride in doing the
lighthouse work, and tried to do my du-
ty." My duty-portentous words, where
a neglect OF it was to strand the ship and
sacrifice the lives of officers and men,
My duty-the performance of which gave
safely back to the wife her husband, to
the mother her son. At what sacrifice
did she so nobly perform that duty, in an
isolation of twenty-five years upon rock
in the ocean, where the s;ghing waves are
never still, and their ceasless notes her
only music. In the occasional absence of
Mr.. Burgess the whole care of the lights
devolved upon Abbe. With pride in
her work, she soon became very proficient
nj NIB nj f,,lf
competent to assume full charge. | will
pass over much of her thrilling experience
and confine myself to but two events
which will Illustrate some of the many ex-
posures and hard.hips incident to her sit
uation.
On the morning of the 10Th day of JAN
uary, 1886, Abbie then being seventeen
years of age and her father away. there
came one of those terrific gales to which
the Atlantic coast is frequently subject
The same gale destroyed Minot Ledge
Lighthouse, together with the lives of the
attendants. and is memorable from this
circumstance The situation in which
this brave girl was placed, with its terrors
and fearful responsibilities, can best be
portrayed by her own language in des-
cribing the scene to friend We copy
substantially from a letter written by her
after the storm:
"DEAR--:You have often expressed
desire to view the sea out upon the
ocean when angry Had yon been here
on the 10Th of January, | surmise you
would have been fully satisfied. Father
was away. Euly in the day. as the tide
arose, the sea made complete breach
over the I, ek, washing every movable
thing away. and of the old dwelling not
one stone was left upon another The
new dwelling was flooded. and the win
dows had to be secured to prevent the vi.
olencc of the spray from breaking them
in. AS the tide came, the sea rose high
er. till the only endurable places were the
light towers. If they stood we were
saved: Otherwise, our fate was only too
certain.
But for some reasons, know not why.
| had no misgiving. and went on with my
daily work as usual. For four weeks, ow-
ing to rough weather. no landing could be
effected OF the rock. During this time.
we were without the assistance. OF any
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