The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-08-03
LETTER FROM ANNIsoUAM.
Description by an Emporium OF q New
England Seaport Town.

LETTER FROM ANNIs0UAAI.
Description by an Emporium OF . New
England Seaport Town.
ANNIsQUAM, Mass, July 90, 1882.
EDITORS NEWS: This place is pic
turesque old New England village stu
ated upon Cape Ann some four miles
from Gloucester and forty from Boston.
In its more prosperous days it was the
leading fishing village of the coast, but
now its wharfs are deserted and nothing
remains to tell the tale but the old
houses and gray haired men.
A new industry, however. is springing
up in the shape of stone work and 1
know of no place in the United States
where the supply is SO inexhaustible.
Great masses of granite boluders, vary
ing in size from hens egg to dwell
ing house cover the Cape, so
that farming is out of the question.
The Cape Ann Granite and Polishing
Works ship immense quantities of
dressed stone to all the large sea board
towns. The stone is carefully dressed
and then subjected to the polishing
machines. These consist oflarge frames
made to swing back and forth on the
surface of the stone. Beach sand and
water are applied to the surface of the
stone, and when finished, surface pre-
sents itself similar to to the granite
monuments seen in our cemeteries.
Ben Butler has a large interest in the
works. His summer residence is To-
Gated here and commands one of the
most beautiful views on the cape. The
house, however, looks more like an old
prison than q summer residence. 1t is
q reflection of the man, so critics are sat
listed.
On this cape are located many of the
summer resorts Of Boston. The resi-
dences bear a modest, homelike appear
ance, characteristic of New England.
The unassuming attire of both sexes is
also to be noticed. In fact, the natives
say that people come to Cape Ann in
summer to wear out their old clothes.
Be that true or not, the average summer
boarder has splendid time. l could
not realize when first came here how
many of our great poets could be poetic
over these granite masses, but the yer.
dure of spring and summer has changed
barren waste to paradise, as far as
scenery is concerned. These beautiful
sunsets can never be forgotten. The
western sky, at first all ablaze with sill.
very light, casting its reflections upon
the waters and illuminating them tor
miles, then changing TO azure and gold
and at last sinking, IS 1t we're, into the
broad Atlantic like a great mass OF
glowing fire, causing the waters of the
ocean and the ships upon It's surface as
well as the sky to appear as if they were
on fire.
The summer laboratory OF the Boston
society of natural history is located at
this place. 1t will accommodate some
fifteen OF twenty pupils. Each is sup
piled with q table and running sea wa
ter. The course of study is adapted to
suit each person and in place of lectures
each pupil is taught to search for him.
self Prof Alpheus Hyatt, an old friend
and pupil of AgassIz, has the matter in
charge and conducts the dredging ex-
cursions. Other persons connected with
the laboratory often assist in instructing
pupils IN personal research. The school
was started as an experiment but is now
upon a permanent and growing basis
and as it is the only one open to the pub
lie in the United States think it will
prosper. But two others ola similar char
ter exist upon the coast; one at Newport
and the other at Beaufort, North Caro-
lima. The first is the private laboratory
of Alexander Agassiz, and the last an
institution conducted in the interests of
the pupils of John Hopkins university.
We took our first dredging excursion
the first of this week. The morning was
warm and pleasant, but we failed to take
advantage of high tide and had to tow
the yacht out of the harbor with row
boats. This Of course was fun for the
ladies but hard for the gentlemen. We
spent delightful day, however, and Sc
cured many valuable specimens, some
of which / hope will have place in our
hi Oh school cabinet. It seems strange
to dredge living organism 240 feet from
the surface of the Atlantic that are
almost exactly like the shale banks Of
Kansas 1900 miles away. It il the
truth, however, and hope to have the
pleasure Of seeing more of ocean life
before leave. A PERSONS feelings upon
the boundless ocean and boundless prai-
RE are very near the same, and as lay
upon deck it took very little effort TO
imagine myself in q prairie schooner
upon q Ksnsas prairie. 1t is more mo-
notonous, if anything, and think this
has much to do with sea sickness, al
though we had but very faint touches
of it. The stories told by the ieamen
help to pass the time. and doubtless this
verv thing helps in no mean way to de-
velOp their Imagination.
Speaking of stories, have been sur.
prised that what are facts in Kansas is
treated as fiction here. Whenever Itell
about our corn, wheat, grasshOppers or
the average native assumes q
expression and changes the
subject, as If to relieve me from telling
another story. Uncle Ezekiel" hOwey-
n, has treated me with more respect, and
or every story about the grasshopper he
always has one to match it. One day
lad been enlarging upon the deep, allu-
rial soil Of Kansas and its large prOduc-
ions, when Uncle 2. stopped me by ask
ng if we had any planiain and rattle |
makes in Kansas. BeinE answered In /
he Affirmative, he continued: sWe
ave lots Of rGttlers across the river, and |
was over there one day and saw q !