The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-09-02

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.c,,1SfotkAaug LELAND. FAs
August -, 1881.
TIKI .rnsoefous little isle seven miles
,.'.> s.,s .ne PROSE. wGth rs seseateen hun-
ar,sd fhf<.fs inhablssnis, u geographically
81 ,npch isolated with regard 70 che rest Of
az Sts,e. ana the pursuits and e1ssoms Of
she oeorle are SO asssimllsr, that %ere II no.
10 poiitss native OF ihe mo0niains OF
ySrcinia would not he able here 20 rea'ize
,haf he was stan wtthin the borders oil lne
Cxd Domi0ion.
The iglsad IL separated from TIE penin-
srla 81 AocemBc ss6 Northampton, wnich
h snoken OF here a. "The MAZE, by
rbsnnel az some ssten or eight snlies 10
vkstb. and the bgy Of Chincoteegue,
hess,,ituI shoet OF water alive withtsn ana
hsl,led upoa the finest oysters, ana gods UP
so,,ss es,,en miles along the harylane shoIe'
Ths ssl.nd. AZ YOU Will infer from ais size
a,s non,llattsn, is quito thtckiy setsssAl ana
,>,s.snts the appearapec OF town along
severol uilesssf its bag 3oere. In iaeI' in
thexxinity az the post-ofnce inere seAn"e
q ,oxa. With S. dozen stores, a large ana
hsndsame hotel, six churches, inciuaiug
one Methodist Episcopab one Methodist
pro,eetant, two Baptist, and two colcfed,
whiIe the stesp boats, .scbooDers, nstang
smatazS. and snsIler sail vessels tns1 DH az
cbanna and cFSwd against the wDafVes'
convey an idea * commercial importan%.
which the stranger Is mol prepared 70 ma
here. lt,.
Oysters are the liking OF The people, ana
there are EOt probably l50 OF Ge l,IOO pe0'
ple WHO DO not directly derive tneir sup
noIt from the oyster trade. 1 can ONLY
mint Of the employs st the Assateague
RON. hoase and tie United states signal
station aud TIE life.ssving station. and TIE
nronrietors sod employk, oil the 6sh-fertili-
zer factories ghO have living independent
~ the oysier trade, wbicn Is principally
with New YORK, philadelphia, ans Baltl-
moro. There is. besides. large trade IN
dsh.Iertil,zer, which Is manufactured from
the slewjyes at three factories here, also In
6sb. clans, and ponies. The people are
remarkably thrifty, temperate. honest. and
Iaw.abidipQ citizens. This desirable state
OF things Is comparatively recent. Twenty
five wears ago civilization wss at low ebO,
and an old visitor 10 the island tells me OF
n funeral be witnessed @here The corpse
was hauled up the shore Ia cart drawn by
n steer. The widow OF The dead man sitting
on The coffin; and when the procession
reached the spot where be was TO be buried
the friends stood around while the grave
was dug. the diggers disputing mean while
as 10 whether the grave was deep enough to
prevent the hogs roofing up The BODY and
not too deep 10 strike water. After the
body was covered up the m0urners be-
gun with the loudeat lamentations and
demonstrations OF distress. AT that
time the island was much given To
dissjpation and lawlessDess, and drunk
en- rows were of common occurrence,
while ignorance and irreligion predomi-
mated 10 distressing degree. That was
very much the state OF things until after
the war. when the population OF the island
was some 700 or 800. The difference be-
tween the "tben and the now" Is great,
and The work of changing the picture was
at first largely, II not almost entirely, that
OF one man (Mr. j. L, Kepney), who came
here from Baltimore 10 live about fourteen
wears ago. He at once commenced war
upon rum, was shortly after made msgis'
traie, and, aided by the arm OF the law, grad
ually got the better men OF the place TO
work with him TO crush out the vices OF the
people and build up The churches and
schools. He il now one OF the supervisors
OF the county Of Accomac, and though Re-
publican, elected by Democratic votes, the
most Influential man on the island, the pill
lar Of the Methodist Church, trusted and
esteemed BY every Que, and the head Of
every laudsbie enterprise--a striking Illus.
tration OF whit Que good man can do in
community By a quiet, consistent, upright
life, aud a determined opposition to evil in
every guise.
/ have mentioned that the waters OF this
beautiful Chincoteague bay rest upon an
oyster.bed. These oysters are mostly culti-
waited; that Is, they are taken up In the wa
tiers away seyenty-fve or one hundred
miles below here on the numerous bays and
creeks aud brought up on the oyster vessels
In the fall and spring and tbiniy spread IN
this bay, the lines designating the different
ownerships being marked of by stakes
stuck at Intervals deep Ia the mud and
showing above the surtsce OF the water.
This IL called planting, aia after hylpg
here two years are taken up, having grown
to great size, ana are superior to tbnse o,
almost any waters The cultivation VI
these oysters Is very profitable. heue-
rally Welding profit Of from 200 TO 800
per ceai on the Outlay, aud the business
bOfhoou OF $500. 900 from this point The
plauliug commences whit the lst OF Septem-
beS, and the men who engage in the bnsi-
ness ale now busiiy eaulkiDg, repairing,
tiutlng up, and painting their oyster yes
sells and getting ready for the work, which
The law does not allow them to begin until
the day named. Then the whole army OF
oystermen Will begin 10 move, aud the season
OF activity will set 10, and with cold weather
they will BEGIN TO take Hp their plants aud
ship, aud money will be as plentiful here
as on Wall street until the warm weather Of
next spring stops the demand and brings
rest for the next summer.
The same Gay, September LIST, is also the
commencement Of active duty with the life
saving corps along the coast, and the officers
and men who have been off duty duriug
the last four months report for duty at their
several stations aud commence their system
OF pairoiling the beach and looking out for
wrecks and vessels in distress. There Is a
station on the AsSateague beach, about three
miles from this place, locking out upon the
Atlsntic from a dangerous coast where for
merly many q good ship has gone to pieces
and the brave crew gone down. Thanks TO
these fearless, heroic men several crews
were rescued last winter and one or two
ships gotten of the shoais ane saved
with their cargoes. The station Gu the
beach Is furnished with every APP
pliauee for this work OF humanity-a
large boat to be used Ia getng TO the
strsaded vessel; the iife-boat, which is
water-tighs above rs we'll as telow. and
shaped not unlike huge English walnut,
10 bring OF the people from the wreck /;
cannon and mortar 10 shoot the balls, car
rying a rope out TO the wreck when the
lIfe-<avsrs eaunot 20 out to them, great
carriage. on which 10 run their boat down
10 CT along the beach; axes, saws, hatchets.
&C., With which to clear The wrecks; blan.