Morning journal and courier., 1881-01-29
CORRESPONDENCE.

Bea utifuI Maine Island-Isle-au-Hsu u ut
Mount Desert the Less-Lovely Seen.
cry md Glorious Air.
To the Editor Of the JOURNAL AND CouRIER:
Of adj the charming little islands lying of
the Maine coast, Isle au-Haut is by far tht
most charming. Mount Desert is grande,
and more varied in its scenery, but Isle-au
Haut, about thirty-ive miles to the south
west of her famous sister isle, possesses ar
equally lovely, though far more quiet, type
of scenery, whose admirers are by no means
few There are three highland regions or
the Maine coast; Mount Desert, the highest
the Camden Hill range, the next highest, and
Isle -au- -Haut, after Mount Desert the highest
es the island, it seems to be enveloped in Q
purple mist or haze, which settles especially
around the hilltop. This hill or mountain,
as it is called, is about 900 feet in height
Its sides and summit are covered with rich
growth of shrubs and small trees, together
with vast quantity of strawberry vines and
huckleberry and blackberry bushes. It may
be this mountain growth that causes this ap-
parent haze at distance At any rate, it is
peculiar to Isle au-Haut alone.
The island is about six miles in length and
three and q half miles in breadth. 1t lies
farther out to sea than Mount Desert, but is
from four to six hours nearer to Rockland,
the terminus of the only neighboring rail
road, than the latter. On the whole island
there are only 272 souls, men, women and
children. The chief occupation of these
islanders is fishing and farming, such as it
is but farming on the Maine coast means
farming almost on the barren rock. How
those Maine farmers ever manage to exc "a
,f .a
still an unsolved problem. But they do it,
and make money beside. One town of per-
haps fifty houses is all the island can boast
of and this town rejoices in the unique
name of ''The Thoroughfare." The inhabi-
tants are very kind hearted, hospitable and
honest, content to live quietly from day to
day :.in that state of life in which it has
pleased God to call them" A Sabbath like
stiffness prevails over the island, broken only
by the bleating of sheep and lowing of kline.
Almost every one with whom you meet is
solemn, even to the children. You rarely
hear joyous laugh In the streets or by the
roadside You see no children playing Occa-
sionally one may find child amusing him.
self, all alone in a very quiet and sober man.
ner. AS you go by he looks up in solemn
sort of surprise at seeing stranger, but
ventures exclamation, and soon settles
down again to his work of playing, quietly
as before. No youth of twenty summers
could be more serious or profound in his
remarks than some of the boys of ten or
twelve years of age with whom you may fall
in at The Thoroughfare could scarcely
credit nay ears at some of the wise remarks
of my little guide during our ascent of the
mountain. Living the same " humdrum "
life every day, seeing nothing new, and
knowing only each other, it is no wonder
these islanders are solemn. As whole, I
must say teey are far more intelligent than
many of their neighbors of surrounding isles.
So gradual is the ascent of the mountain
that it appears to be less high at a distance
than it really is, its height being only appre-
ciated from the top. President Eliot of
Harvard, in speaking of the view obtained
from this height, declared it to be superb,
at sunset. This gentleman, who
has been all through the Maine islands, is
warm in his praises of this enchanting isle.
Unlike the hills on Mount Desert, the noun
tain on Isle au-Haut is not at all abrupt in
any portion. 1t rises gently from the sea
at the southern end of the island, and, reach
ing its highest elevation near the middle,
slopes as gently into the sea at the northern
end. It reminds one of an enormous back
bone; with a depression in the middle; this
the natives call The Notch. Unfertunat ely,
large fire last summer destroyed portion of
the mountain growth However, 80 rapidly
does the Maine forest spring up that in two
more summers the hills will again be COW
cred.
Strange to say, this antiquated village of
The Thoroughfare boasts of an unusually fine
with all the modern improvements.
It is reported to have one of the best floors
in the State of Maine This building was
erected by the now defunct 'Isle-au Haut
Improvement company, headed by one Col
onel Montgomery, a fiery southerner.
In religious persuasion the islanders are
mainly Congregational, and meet for worship
in small wooden church at The Thorough
fare This church, the only one on the ISL
and, for some mysterious and extraordinary
reason, has on its spire large model of an
exceedingly curious fish.
On going along the eastern shores of the
island, ,-Thoroughfar is on the northwest
ern shore-the traveller follows a very pic
turesque road, passable only to the strong
and unwieldy ox-cart, aud too rough for
horse and carriage. By the way, there is not
a single horse on the whole island ; and some
of the islanders never saw onel This road
leads through very barren and rocky por-
ton of the island, the ground near the shores
being strewn with great stones, as though
cast there by some giant hand. Suddenly
the traveller stops in wonder and delight. Be.