St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-08-26
Peake'S Island.

Bay, three miles distant from
the city of Portland, to which it be-
longs, being i'll the first Ward. 1t has
Il population of 400 regular inhabitants.
They get ii living by doing little at
farming and considerable at fishing for
Holsters, mackeral, Goldfish, herring,
swOrdtish, CLANS, etc. But they prin-
cipally get living at keeping board
ers. The citizens are very sociable and
orderly. The city of Portland furnish
es them with two police, but during
our stay we saw nothing for them to
do. Liquor the great disturber of
peace, we do not think is sold on the
Island. They have an excellent brick
school house and Methodist church.
This Island, history says, was the
first settled land in this section, being
il grant by Sir Ferdinardo Georges to
marrying his daughter, and was then
called Pond Island from small pond.
Afterwards the Island passed into the
hands of Michael Milton and was
called MiltOn's Island, and then after
wards Palmer's, and lastly Peake's,
probably for some one living on it by
that name. 1t contains 720 acres and
is II miles long, and II miles wide.
There is some good farming land on it,
hnt n frnnI s,hnra nf - Ier ra.Iyx- aud
possible to cultivate, that part being
covered mostly with small growth of
timber. The view from the Island is
most beautiful the city of Portland
i'll full view across the Bay, also Fort
Georges less than one mile distant,
rising with its lofty granite walls above
the water also Fort Scammell on
House Island and Fort Preble on Cape
Elizabeth, all in plain view from the
Island. A journey to each of them
will well repay any one. We believe
that Fort Preble is the only one occu-
pied ut present, owing to the peaceful
state of our country. Often in the
morning the bay is almost completely
covered with fishing vessels and
schOoners loaded with lumber, which
come i'll during the night the bay af-
fOrds them protection from the storm,
and there they wait for fair weather
and wind to take them to their desti-
nation. When you ascend to the high
est elevation of the Island and look to
the east, you look far away on the At
lantic ocean, with nothing to be seen
but the sail of some fishing vessel or
the smoke of some steamer crossing
the ocean, while the waves dash their
angry waters against the rocky coast,
sending the spray high in the air. TO
those not accustomed to seeing the
ocean, the sight is grand and sublime.
Cushing's Island, Little Hogg and Big
HOgg, and Little Chebeague are all in
sight.
There are a number of good boarding
houses on the Island, of which the fol-
lowing are some of them: Union
House, Bay View House, Greenwood
House, Central Cottage, Montreal
House, Oceanic House, Toronto Cot
tage, Sea Side House, Summer Re
treat, Willow Cottage, Summit House,
Avenue House, and various others,
with prices varing from 800 to
$1,000 per week, according to rooms.
Some hire cottages all furnished and
board themselves. There are five diff
ferent steamboats, that come to this
Island, of which the Gazelle is the lar
gest, which can carry 800 passengers,
and which is used mostly for excur-
siOns, going down the Bay to Long Is
land, fare for the round trip being 2j
cents. This a most delightful ride OH
warm summer day. The smaller
steamboats, run every hour from Peaks
Island to the city, and the fare is ten
cents each way. People on the Island
have to travel on foot there are only
| three horses | believe Oh the Island,
and baggage is carted around to the
different boarding houses on wheelbar-
rows the work on the Island being all
done with oxen. Building lots in good
location are worth from five to six
cents per square foot.
No visitor should 90 away till he has
gone out mackerel fishing, or cod fish
ing, or even sword fishing. The writ
er saw a sword fish which weighed