The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-07-13

lar Summer Notwithstanding scenes
and Incidents.
Correspondence Of the IHtclli0eneer.
sEAscoNsIT, NANTUCKET, July lO.-I
imagine but few Of your readers ever
heard of this place, I had often read ofthe
great whaling island of Nantucket, but
this 'Sconsit, as they call it here, ! never
heard of-and yet it is over 200 years
old, and only has population of forty
in the winter-but about 1900 during
July and August, as it has become quite
a summer resort.
This is the most easterly part Of Uncle
Samuel's domain and it is about four
hours sail from the coast or forty miles
East Of Cape Cod. Nantucket Island
was discovered in 1902; was then inhab-
tied by Indians; was first settled by the
whites in 1900. The town OF Nantucket
was incorporated 1872, and soon after
the people commenced the whaling bus
mess and continued it with varying sue
cess until 1920, when they had Y yes
sells in the business. Whale-fshing
was profitable until about 1865, but the
discovery OF petroleum has ruined their
occupation, and now the island has not
whaler afoat.
4 few old whalemen still live here,
but they watch the sea and bewail these
degenerate times. They live on fish
during the winter. and on tourists and
boarders during the summer.
Shark fishing is popular sport here
on the eastern side of the island. The
boats 90 about three miles tfshore, and
nearly always kill one or more. l have
an invitation to go out and kill a few,
but will decline, think, Us would pre-
fer to encounter land shark.
Nantucket shoals extend out for per-
haps thirty miles into the Atlantic, and
us in many places the water is shallow,
it is very dangerous for vessels, and a
great many are wrecked here. Two
ocean steamers have been wrecked here
this spring-one soon went to pieces,
but the other lies about q hundred yards
from the shore with only the masts above
water. She was bound for Boston from
Cuba, laden with sugar. The Govern
ment maintains several life-saying sta
tons here, also signal station, and
has four light houses. These are strong
lights, and can be seen in fair weather
far out at sea.
Idonot know what kind OF weather
you are having now, but do know 1t IS
too cool here in the shade for comfort.
Ladies put on their wraps and the men
their overcoats when they walk out in the
evening. There is strong wind con-
stantly blowing, and it frequently in
creases to a gale. Then you ought to see
the breakers. The bathing is poor, as
the water is too rough and deep.
Strange as it may seem, they say they
have little or no snow, which is sup
posed to BIO caused by the proximity OF
the gulf stream. The mercury gets
down to about 80 in winter, and an av-
erage OF 70 in the summer. Soyou may
know they have most delightful eli
mate, and think in few years this
place will be the most popular resort on
the Atlantic. Nantucket has several
elegant hotels and scores OF handsome
private cottages. 'Sconsit is aquaint old
village. The boarders call it the patch
work village, and think 1t deserves the
title, for the houses look very much like
the blocks in crazy quilt. There are
no streets worth thepame-we would
call them alleys-and such crooked
ones! In strolling around you are rs
apt to fetch up in some back yard or
Kitchen as anywhere, rs most of the al
legged streets end in some such place.
The old houses are all little one:story
wood structures, and are covered and
sided up with shingles.
But what barren coast! You cannot
see anywhere here tree, not even a
shrub the size Of my lead pencil. There
is a little short, wiry grass trying to
grow, but it looks us II it were discour-
aged, There are some trees in and
around Nantucket town. They have a
narrow Suage railroad across the island
from the pier at Nantucket, three miles
TO surpide, then seven miles up the
coast to tttis .tlsce, but they only operate
It during the surEmer. and not always
then. for sometimes old Ocean get his
back up and buries the little road in the
sand. In stormy weather vessels cannot
land on the island, and consequently we
are, ut times, completely isolated for
days.
In the hotel yard lies a whales mead.
| did not measure it, but it must be five
feet wide and longer than wide. In
strolling around ! saw girl OF q very
peculiar color and appearance, and, upon
INQUIRY, l learned that she belonged to
a family OF Sandwich Islanders, who
had come to Nantucket on a Whaler
some years ago.
This island has length Of about If
teen or eighteen miles and three in width
at the widest place. The sail here from
the coast is most delightful! one IN
pleasant weather. The vessel crosses
Vineyard sound, touches Cottage City
on Martha's vineyard, then crosses Nan
tucket bay to the island.
Even in calm weather the swells
cause the steamer to roll and many pas
II. P. McGREeoR.
Natural Gas Cnntrneta.