Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-08-01
FROM THE MAINE COAST,
The Picturesque Beauty OF the Islauds
i'm the Vicinity Of Bar Harbor.

Correspondence of THE EVENING STAR.
LITTLE CRANBERRY ISLAND, ME-. July oSth.
| 1SS5-Lying south of Mt Desert island ON the
| coast Of Maine is an interesting group of
smaller islands, some Of which appear upon the
map, others being too small for such notice.
Conspicuous among the former are Great and
| Little Cranberry Isles. In describing one of
these, the essential features, both Topographic
cal and social Of all are depicted, as they differ
only in size and shape.
The male portion Of the inhabitants are
| chiefly fishermen, to whose efforts We are in
debted for our mackerel, Goldfish. haddock, lob
sters, &C., and the greater part of them are now
off on the fishing grounds Tor more properly
with a small sprinkling of men to conduct af.
| fairs at home. 1t is within the bounds of vera
city to affirm that the affairs thus LEFT 60 on
island is only about three miles in circumfer-
ence with bold, rocky shores, somewhat barren
deciduous trees and prevalence of the somber
spruce, but upon closer inspection fairly revel-
c1 Ling In nc clover while butercups and daisies
the fragrance Of it ali! Oh! the wonderful tonic
Of the air! One longs for lungs of three
three times as much " the dvins elixir Sot
tramp ever intrudes, and everybody on the
island Is absolutely trustworthy, so that should
vided it bore your name, there is no doubt it
would, In time, come back to you
with with the the contents intact A grass-grown
way, called, by courtesy, a street, leads from
| the wharves past the long fish fakes up through
| the hamlet, and ends at pair of bars; but the
! pastures and woods beyond are provided with
the aroma of spruce and fir, and the ground
cushioned with a thick mat of the plants which
gives to the island its name. 1t will readily be
seen that In community without roads, carri-
age riding Is out of the question. ia young man
wishes to take his best girl out for aring, and
ative but to take boat. Indeed. every one
coming here must get their sealegs on
i as speedily as possible and what is more.
fully as may be when the mainsail jibes BY a
careful adjustment of the law of supply and de-
| mand, doctors and lawyers have been dispensed
with. A minister comes only at infrequent in
| tervals to remind the inhabitants that this bit
OF rock and earth is not their everlasting home;
Pacldiy. AZ the eastern extremity of the
island stands life saving station No. 2: feature
which distinguishes Little Cranberry from all
Capt. Gilbert L. Hadlock with his crew of tried
and trnsty men, and as we Investigated life
boat buoy and life-car, we could only feel glad
and strong. Their duty consists quite as much
In warming vessels off dangerous places and
other preventive measures as in reScuing from
Immediate wreck and death. Long may they
live to man the life-boat
The chief glory of these. isles, however, con-
sists in the unrivaled views of Mt. Desert
mountains. and which are distant only three
miles. Nothing can ever shut out this wonder.
full panoramic display, unless it be the envious
fog which creeps in before an east wind and
folds wet blanket all about them. Then. in
deed, az mundane things vanish, and but for
the evidence of a few rods of solid earth under
our feet, or glimpses of mournful spruce tops
emerging ghost-like from the envelopiug folds
we might imagine ourselves suspended in a
"demned moist, unpleasant vacuum. Candor
coinpeis me TO say 1t is very much SO at the
present moment. After week of almost
interrupted sunshine, the air meanwhile
crystalline in its briliancy, the wind changed
yesterday bringing this unwelcOme visitant
Flying before 1t came the fishing fleet, and at
nj phf fhQ nor dS,fta
as the eye could reach. To-day they are invis-
1ble; but voices out of the foggy depths and the
our fleet is still there. On Thursday last a
Washington boy, with two from Boston and
two belonging to the island, went just outside
in small schooner and caught sixty-seven
large haddock. They came in with burnt
noses and skins the color of Sitting Bulls, but
quite happy. Of Mt Desert itself what shall
say? Have you been here? If not there is q
supreme pleasure still in store for you
If impossible to come, imagine, if you can
clfts caves, hnge terraces OF polished pebbles
mountains; long reaches of the sea, hanked
with mountains; mountains receding, adj
vancing, opening, shutting. shifting with every
mile traversed either by land or sea. 1t must
be seen; descriptions fail. Then the charm Of
the roads, where ferns and brakes flourish i'm
tropical luXuriance; where the blackberry
reaches up its briery arms TO clasp the dropping
branches OF overhanging trees and the wild
ing around sheltered coves, or emerging upon
bold headlands, whence may be had ex6ilarat-
ing views OF old ocean glinting in the sunlight.
Everywhere one encounters the ubiquitous
blackboard; everywhere flash the oars or dip
the sails OF merry ruSticatOrS.
The names of several observation-disclosures appear
upon hotel registers at Bar Harbor. But what
does ii matter who is there, and who not to one
gazing for the first time upon its charming en-.
vironment Just in front spreads the broad
expanse of Frenchman's bay, its farther shores
outlined by the SchOodic Hills behind the
mighty buttress of mountains Guarding the
entrance to the bay, and close at hand are the
picturesque Porcupine Islands, bold headlands
at one extremity, but dwindling to the other
emphasize ednI the beauty SO layishly scat
which clothe these islets, "like quilts
upon the fretful porcupine," suggested the
name. From Bar Harbor steamers take
you to every desirable point on the coast
The ride across to LamOine, Hancock, Sullivan,
&C., is a revelation, the last named place being
very Naples in beauty OF situation.
On these sequestered isles one now
and then encounters veteran Of the
late war. Our host, Col. W. E. Hadlosk, of
the 2Sth Maine volunteers, relates many inter-
esting incidents of the campaign at Port Hud-
son, including the exploits of his regiment at
Donaldsonville, Bayou Plaquemine and other
points, with true patriotic enthusiasm. The
little graveyard holds within its quiet enclosure
one grave whereon thoughtful hands place the
fragrant tribute of Memorial Day. c.. T.
Life at CapOn Springs.