Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-04-04
DOWN EAST"
Setting Ready for the Summer
Season. -p
The New England Coast-Nantucket and the
Nantucketers-The Home of the Ancient
Mariner-A Place Where "You Can
Sleep in Coffins and the Star
bucks Will Eat You +"
.OCONOR'S HOME BY THE SEA.
specia, cOvrespOndeuce Of the Register.

here with friend who wanted TO look up
a summer home at Nantucket.
Looking at the island on the map 1t
seems like very inaccessible territory but it
is little more than daylight journey from
New York now and during the season the
night boats to Portland touch daily at
Martha's Vineyard, a few mfles,iistant-
Coming by way of Fall River, the New
Bedford boat runs TO Nantucket daily, and
from Boston the Old Colony railroad runs
trains varying in number according to the
season, down the Cape TO Woods Hall, from
which point another boat connects with the
island.
1t is supwards of thirty miles from Woods
Hall straight out into the Atlantic
Ocean before Nantucket Harbor is sighted,
and the breezes that blow on the way out
are not tempered or tainted by the land
atmosphere, but have in them all the force
and vigor OF the open sea. There is bar
near the entrance to the harbor, and the
pilots during low tide and stormy weather
sometimes beat along the outer edge for
hours, until the flow or calmer skies make
il safe TO venture. All along the coast
the lighthouses gleam after sunset and the
fog bells toll whenever the atmosphere
thickcns. For suggestive maritime sur
ruundingS and an unmiStakable appearance
OF antiquity, Nantucket bears the palm.
Its Antiquity.
The antiquity of the place makes itself
apparent before landing. The old ware.
houses that still stand among the modern
buildings at the wharves have venerable
and dignificd appearance A. betitting struC.
lures established before the Revolution.
The whole island has settled look that
stimulates the antiquarian instincts and
its history and the statements of the old
est inhabitants are calculated TO grauty
it. These people laugh at the stories OF
CHRISTOPHER Columbus and AmcriCuS
VcSpuccius and all other Fifteenth CEN
tury claimants and 20 back TO Bornc
HeriulfsOn who
JOurneyed from Norway
out here in the wear 9S5, discovered Nan
lucket, named it Nauticon, and put his
claim on file in the Norway Patent Office,
claiming the whole thing from MuSkeget
| TO 'Sconset, and around by Wauwinet and
COskata to Coatue and Maddquet.
The English repsented by BatchOlomcn
GoSnold came along in l6o2, and in l6il
Lord Sterling decided the Island to one
Mayncp anu MS son "ho' tlS Shtech years
| later, sold il to "rhe ten original prOprie-
| tors" for 80 and two beaver
hats. These ten propretOrs each !
! chose an associate with whom to settle the |
| island. The twenty, with few others who |
| were subsequently inveigled into coming !
out to grow up with the country were tho |
is wonderful how close their descendants
have stuck TO their settlement through |
three centuries. You can sleep IN COilnS
and the StarbuCks will eat you, said an ola
lady resident 10 a summer visitor; anu
Collins and Swains and Macys and Folgers
| and HussyS and Starbucks, large proper
ton of its now existing inhabitants, bear
| the same names of the first settlers.
| Among those
who Got Away
were Judge Folger, the present Secretary
! of the Treasury, and L. II. Macy, who built
up the biggest notion house III New ork
! and died a year or two since. The present
| generation of FolgerS have changed their
| name from FOulger, which was the way the
| first. inhabitant of that name spelled it,
| and as he was scnoolmaSter he probably
was correct in the matter OF the family ETY.
| mulOgy.
In 1913 these original proprietOrS COM
menCed to chase whales in boats from the
| shore, and in 1853 the Island, at that time
part of New York. became a part OF New
! Massachusetts, Up TO 1893, and for the
| next hundred years, the town was known
as Sherburne, the name not being changed
| until 1875. There was bank started the
! same year, hut they kept the money in
! cellar and during the first twelve months OF
| its existence. thief pried the hasp of the
| cellar door and stole the entire capital OF
| S22 OOO In 1916 the Nantucket Gazette was
| issued and despite the statement OF the ed
| itOr that the paper was established to NIL a
| long felt want and had come to stay, ii pc.
tered out in the same year. In lS22 the
Last Indian Died,
| but the community continued in much
more hourishng condition than might be
! supposed from this recital of morality and
dishonesty. The population had grown to
7,266 and had - ships, with tonnage OF
! u .6OO tons. engaged in the whale fishery.
! These were flush times for Nantucket.
| 1t founded public schools, started a library
association and an Athaenenum, built meet
| ing hoUSeS and churches, and widened the
| borders of its garments The big ships
! came home from moderately short cruises
| laden down with oil: il had direct trade
| with Europe and everybody got rich. from
| the owners who filled out the ships to the
/ sailor who was only interested in the cruise
/ to the rxtcnt of his lay" In 1876. how
J ever, il had a biz fire and about the same
, til't hdliIlS 'tNaH W 'SNiiiI''
New Bedford
! too commenced to compete IL whaling
! port the lar at the mouth OF Nantucket
! Harbur kept the loaded vessels from COM
! ing up to the docks, and compelled the
| expense OF literage. and the old Captains
saw the business which they had establish
| ed with SO much care and trouble Sift
| gradually away from them 10 u rival COM
| munity. In 1854 they introduced gas on
the Island but il only lit up little over
! G.U0 residents. In 1870 they had dwindled
! to : l2S. and the Island threatened to so
| back to its original condition of ten pro-
! prictOrs when the outside puhliC began 20
! discover its value -
A summer Resort.
| The next year the number ot summer
visitors increased considerably, and the in.
| crease has gOn" On steadily until last year
| there were upwards of six thousand visitors
for health AMI recreation. Most Of these
| came for the season, the Island lying a
! little out OF the way OF excursions
and good many of them were cottaGrrS, tn g
balance being distributed among hotels and
boarding houses. of which there is no lack.
Prices advanced in proportion to the de-
mand, Tor the average NantuCEcter IS
thrifty individual and regards y stranger
! sS be- would right whale. valuable chiefly
/ for what he will yield, but hotel rates are
| n,T IN advance Oh Wndt Is aShe'l IpT Sltlllt IT
/ accommodations elsewhere, and furnished
cottages can hc had for the season all the
way from Sl2j to $3.50 \ good many OF
| the residents of Nantucket town rent their
! homes for the summer and go down To ST.
aSconset. or "Sconset,' as they call it,
which is a.iamOuS surf beach four miles dis
| tant on the southeast corner OF the island.
| inhabited by fishermen during the winter,
| and having in addition to two hotels good
many cottages for summer tenants. There
| is a railroad as well a. a drive from Nam
/ tucket to Sconset during the season, and
saill,oats and steam yachts ply between the
| old town and Wauwinet, resort for
'sSquantnm PARTIES"
which, translated into our .vernacular.
means clambake expeditions. Drives and
walks lead along the beach and over
! the commons to the old fish
ing stations on the shore, and
to the little fresh water lakes scattered over
rrua-