Morning journal and courier., 1886-07-23
ON THE CONNECTICUT.

Tne GrOve-Thetr Popularity For
 Visitors-Hunting For The Captain
 Kidd Treasure On The Oonnecticut's
 Banks-A Story of A Hermit-Thirty
 Years without Speaking.
 SAYBRooK, July 22.-The town of Old Say brook, celebrated as the place where Yale college was founded, and as the spot from which the ecclesiastical council pro- mulgated the aybrook platform, has thrown off the dull spring lethargy which has per vaded the place of late years. The annual summer cottagers and the tran sient visitors have invaded the town and are fast filling up the pretty little cottages at the FPoint" and along the shore of the bold and broad old Connecticut. The town is a part township of Middlesex county and is situated on the Connecticut river thirtY-fve miles south southeast of Hartford. The population of the town is about 1 ,267. During the sum- mer seasons about three hundred visitors are added to the list. Most of the summerers go to Fenwick Point, so-called from the histor- ical Lady Fenwick, one of the first white women buried in New England. Fenwick hall or hotel is 8 very large building, ac- commodating about two hundred guests. It is the only hotel of any significance in the town. It was built many years ago by Judge Cotter, of New York city. It is now run by Judge Chatfield, of New York. Fenwick Point is the stopping point of the Connecticut Valley railroad, and it is situa- ted at the mouth of the Connecticut river. Most of the cottages at the Point are now oc- cupied and the boating and bathing season is in full blast.
 Fenwick Grove is great resort for the fes- tive picnicker who comes in force each sea- son and holds gay carnival in the beautiful old grove.
 Some. of the trees in the grove are one hun dTed and fifty years old. The grove is a great resort for church picnics. This season the Rev. Father Hughes church picnic from Hartford will come here. Many other churches will hold their annual picnic here.. Say brook is an historical old town. It is full of strange and aged stories of Indian legends and piratical tales. It was supposed that the celebrated Captain Kidd, the great sea pirate, had buried his stolen treasures, to an i'm mense amount, on the banks of the Connect icut at Connecticut River junction. Many attempts were made by parties to unearth the treasures but in vain. It was said, so the story goes, that one man by the name of William Row, who had lived all his latter years the life of hermit, had found many gold coins on the shore bank. He had spent five years of his time in unearthing the treas ure. He died few years ago, having spent thirty five years in not speaking to person.
 However true the tale of his fortune was none of it was ever found after he had died. Some said he threw it into the channel of the river one night, rather than have it fall into the hands of men who were his sworn ene- mics. One old man, now nearly S9 years of age, says that he saw ''Old Bill'' dump sev- eral kegs of shining gold one after another into the river one night a month before the old hermit died.
 The shad fishing season has been good one this year and the jolly old fishermen are ,er11o 1f1n~lr o11 71xIH big seines in the night time and are brought to the "ferry" in the early morning and are loaded into big dray carts and brought to Say brook junction. They are then iced and boxed and shipped to their destination, the New Haven, New York and other cities mar kets.
 There are about one hundred and fifty fish ermen at Saybrook who fish in the shad sea son and who subsist on the proceeds the rest of the year. They generally own a little boat and seine and seem to live happy, content ed lives.
 A brother of W. D. Bryan, your late mer- chant tailor on Church street, New Haven, built one of the largest houses at the ferry some fifteen years ago. He lost it and died soon after. The property fell into the hands of Middletown bank. It is now going to Track" as no one can be got to rent it, and so it stands, great tumble down mansion, painted in gaudy colors, on the banks of the
  the drawbridge.
 The ferry depot has been closed on account of the small traffic and few trains now stop there.
 When the Democratic administration be- gan Thomas k Acton was postmaster hele. He was removed as he Republican. Great indignation was felt by the people of tho village at his removal, and many of the towns people had their mail come through the Westbrook office. But the old routine has again commenced, and the postoffce is being made use of by all now. The depot master at the junction of the Connecticut Valley and Shore Line railroads is Henry Lines, and a more popular man cannot be found in the town. He has held the position for 20 years, or ever since the station was built.
 T. is season there are but few New Haven people here The summerers are mostly made up of New Workers and few from Meriden, Springfield and Boston. The hotel people expect that the season will De 8 good one, and if the price of things sold about the ''Point' is taken into considera- sion, it ought to be to them. The steamers City of E@Ttford" and Sunshine make daily trips up and down the river.
 The ferry is fast going out of existence. It has been twenty two years since new the most fiourishing part of Saybrook. But when the bridge over the Connecticut river was built it killed the place. Before the bridge was built ferry boat similar to the one which now carries the cars across the Thames river was running and the place steadily grew, but when the ferry and it's ap- ourtenances were taken eway the life Of the place was taken with it.
 A party of New York men are trying to | induce shop men to build here. They think 1 t would be good speculation to induce | ome manufacturers to come here. l