Morning journal and courier., 1880-08-05
Life on the Islands.

Handsome New Residence.
 The beauty of the Thimble Islands and
 surroundings has made them far-famed. Peo-
 pie residing on or near them are not insensl- ble to the picturesqueness of the location,
 and visitors from distance and from other
 States, of whom there are many-more every
 year-hardly find words sufficient to express
 their admiration of their great natural beau
 ty. Whoever attempts to count the Thimble
 Islands soon abandons the task or defers it
 till another time, as no one situation seems to
 afford a glimpse of them all. Tradition has it
 that there are 365 of them, little and big. How
 ever this may be, there are many of them,
 and scores of them are large enough to be in
 habited, as habitations upon them amply at
 test, and large enough to bear name. Many
 of them are unknown to fame, not being dig
 nified with name. Some are quite exten-
 sive. Pot Island famous for it's Captain
 Kidd's punch bowl, " is one of the largest,
 covering several acres, and Money Island is
 another of good size, and there are several
 others equally noticeable for size and attrac-
 tions. Whether the bold rover Kidd ever
 drank out of that punch bowl or not, the tra-
 dition that he did SO is old. So likewise
 with regard to his planting" treasure on
 Money Island. Let those who ask if
 life is worth Iiving'' listen to glowing accounts of health regained at these islands
 given by the islanders some of whom re- turn each year to recuperate, and they will see new hope for the future and credit as- sertions made that Kidd's treasures are not
 Al. found at the islands. Ladies may be found
 who were puny but now are strong, and
 boast of their muscle and even glory in sum- Drowned arms and faces They are borne
 out in their assertions by their blooming con- dition They pay court to the fresh air, and rowing is daily pastime, and some of them can swim like ducks. The habitations on the island vary much in appearance. There IS the little, poky, painted frame building Though so small that it is hardly big enough to hold an ordinary beIle's Saratoga trunk, happiness is enjoyed there. They are so small, especially for family of half dozen, that an enforced residence in them, even in the summer, if they were in the city, would be deemed simply 'Ehorrible,' but many lady fair who has dwelt therein has had 8 'lovely time" By the way, Dr. Tanners fasting would be simply impossible with such capacities as these islanders are declared to be possessed of daily. Children are necessarily hungry, and fastidious ladies develop appe- tites not to be reported in public. There are lots of cosy little frame houses on Money Island, all neatly kept. With most of them tho 1it+1o oto1 of T17.o1Jpd oho ic made to bloom and blossom more or less, and some of the cottagers attempt to raise few vegetables but what the islands grow mostly is rocks or huge rock boulders, many of which are as bare of vegetation as the top of a bald mans head. Pot Island has considerable ground upon it that is under cultivation, or capable of it, and can boast of quite grove of trees. But on both islands there are spots monopo ized by big boulders, which look as ancient as the hills, " and between which soil enough has accumulated, perhaps, to permit of the growth of 0 .stunted, dwarfed cedar or pine. All this, however, is picturesque and roman tic and with the cool breezes from off the bosom of the Sound, the islands are 'Flovely' III Guo ou1uLlSL OfSA are moderately peaeeable. Many Meriden as well as various New Haven people have cottages on Money Island, which is by far the most extensively populated of all the Thimbles. They spend their time in sailing, rowing, bathing, visiting, entertain ing visitors, going down to the wharf when the steamer Ivernia comes in or departs, or looking for arrivals by the steamer in catch ing the willy lobster and the clumsy blackfish the latter are scarce now, it being hot weather-and in evening sociables, and many other ways. Many yachting parties visit the islands, and of course the young ladies look over their fans ready to see who the arrivals are and perhaps grow very much interested over the result
 On Governors Island there are few cot tages. MT. Brown, formerly at Winchester's, has built a new one on the island this season. Mr. J. A. Robinson, librarian of the Yale Law School, has been cottage owner and resident on the island for a number of years. Mir. Beckley, the lumber merchant residing on Orange street, is also an annual dweller on Money Island, and the list might be ex- tended much further. Turning to the main land at Stony Creek there are many attrac- tions, but we have time to notice but few
 The most noticeable permanent accession to summer society at Flying Point, very pretty point of land with very pretty bay on the left and a dozen islands dotting the water in front, is found in the domiciIing of MT. w. J. Clark, of Southington, of himself and family, preceded by his erection of summer residence which, in point of size, finish and beauty, strikes the eye at once as surpassing by far anything in the landscape as far as summer residences are concerned, there are in the vicinity quite number of very pretty and cosy small cot tages, gay with tasteful ornamentation, bright paint and illuminated blinds. MT. Clark's compares with the other cottages as Mir. Caleb S. Maltby's exceeds at West Haven shore it's companion cottages, in style and size, and by coincidence worthy of mention shore houses is New Haven man, Harry Aus tin, Esq, whose fine taste is conspicuously seen in both. MT. Clark's has many rooms and is nearly the size of MT. Maltby's, and has fine tower, the height of which is sixty feet, and as the hill on which the residence stands is forty feet above the level of the sea (which lies spread out like map just before it say 400 feet away), it towers up 100 feet high. may be imagined, the view from the up per windows is commanding and beautiful, taking in wide extent of the Sound, from Milford Point to Gull Island or Horton's Point, near Greenport, L. l., and fairy like view before it of the many romantic islands, while to the sides and rear are seen wide diversified and lovely landscape east, west and north. The scenery brought into view extends northward, taking in on the remote | horizon long line of blue hay hills and 1 'undry intervening and irregular lines of hill | ops, all very fine. The house is most ad- l nirably situated and built in the most sub | 'tantial and finished manner. It was erected | oy New Haven builders, who had corps of l nen engaged upon the house and the fine 1 barn of MT. Clark's since spring some of the | number residing in this city and going down | y the Ivernia Monday mornings and return | ng Saturday nights, and the party boarding 1 n the meantime at some one of the lodging | houses until these became filled with summer | 7isitors, when they found fine quarters in the | lew barn. Mir. Clark is a well known and | eading Southington man, who established the | ,olt business in Southington in 1850 (retiring in 1871), now carried on by the l