Evening star., 1886-09-04

correspondenee Of TEE EVENING srAR.
NANTUCKET, August %.
The tide Of summer travel has not yet mod
ernized this quietest and quaintest OF New
England's summer resorts. No echoes, even
rom Cottage City ON the vineyard, disturb the
repoee OF this peaceful island, where the brass
band, the skating rink and the polo ground
would os regarded as the greatest OF curiosi-
ties. and the arrival OF On organ grinder from
sunny Italy, who came with last weeks storm.
was thought Of suficieut importance 70 be duly
chronicled In the weekly paper which supplies
ths Nantucketers with story on the frxt page
and about fourth of column Of news.
Dear,sIeepy, restiul Nantucket! The world In
It's bury has left thee behind. II other resorts
have yisided to the imperious rule Of fashion.
ioned Eew England life still reigns. Who eats
nov nls baked beans and brown bread op Sab
bath morningf And the stranger within his
gate eats u also with such appetite as the
orSexy air of this place alone can inspire.
Nantucket is forty miles OF the southeastern
ssa,t coast OF Aassachgsetts and constitutes with
ancient commonwealth. It Is, In the language
Of nautical meA who abound here,
''sAND sPIr,'
eeing about hfteen miles long and but two
miles wide at its narrowest part. II is shaped
like bean, its longest dimensions bearing east
ana vest Over its low, sandy levels, covered
win grass and species or heather not unlike
the noors Of Scotland, the salt breeze sweeps In
The gulf stream is but IS miles from the south
shore OF the island, upon which the sur, rolls In
from Nantucket shoals, 80 well known TO sea-
state here that the old salts say that il is S ap.
proaching the island, and The mel generation
Will Will see II much nearer. Be that as il may, the
Miid nowers bloom on the mOors here till late
20 gae winter, when the mainland is wrapped
In the Icy embrace of New England winter.
NAUTICAL FLAVOR
pervedes everywhere. In the town of Man
tucket every other house has Its weather-cock
aud lookout on the roof where the wives and
sweetneartS OF the Long Tom cofiins OF former
days scanned the horizon for the whalers as
they came from the Pacific or the Arctic seas.
NEVER again will they anchor At the bar, and
the crpmoilng remains of costly wharves tell Y
storT ol an Industry which has departed for
ever. The Inhabitants now live upon the sum.
mer visitor, not upon the whale, and very
ME, he gets his moneys worth, and need moi
spend much at that. Sailing, boating and fish,
ing occupy The summer visitors who number
ana dinnumerable boarding -houses. Ii one is not
nau ical one Is nothing. He to whom the IN VS.
teries oi sailing the Cat boats which abound in
Inc harbor; he 10 whom lurfiug, gliding and tack.
ing are an unknown Language; he VINO con.
t0unds "north northeast" with north by east.
as as IN % .ns opinion OF the natives q man whose
education has been neglected, for every other
man has made his voyage To Pacilic or the
NORTH Atlantic and not a lew have "struck" 9
whale.
ANCIENT CUSTOMS.
Many OF the anciest customs still prevail and
town crier dissemlnates the local news vipd
roce- Among the curiosities is the town clock,
the hours of which are struck on q bell OF great
sweetness OF tone, brought many years ago
irpfn Portugal, bearing an ancient inscription
winch attests Its pedigree. II came nom q
monastery. In addition TO the hours a peel Il
rung At nine p.m, TO warn the in ha itauts to &c
70 bed, this custom having prevailed from
the earliest days OF the town aud never discon
unued.
Our communication with the mainland Il
effected by steamboats, from New Bedford, and
when, In the Language OF the Nantucketers, the
weather is rugged" they do not venture out
THIS failure 70 make the passage and the arrival
and departure OF the two daily boats are the
most exciting events Of the season, and furnish
never-ending theme Tor con versa ton.
Islands is place dreaded by mariners. From
Gay Head, where the City OF Columbus went
down, to Nantucket shoals, which have swal
lowed up many snip, tales of the sea are
plenty. The gale vi the 23d, chrouicled in THE
EVENING STAR, cut on our communication
with The mainland tor thirty-six hours and
cast upon Great Point, the eastern extremity o
the Island, large schooner loaded with lum.
Der. She went 10 pieces, and the crew took to
boat and mad drifted fifteen miles before they
were picked up by the Nantucket steamboat.
The wind blew, to use the words of an Old salt,
ike "seven bells hall struck" and the poor Eel.
lows were drifting out to sea between Nan
tucket and Tuckernuck islands, and would
have been lost had they not have been discov.
cred. The survivors attracted much attention
from the summer yisitDrs