Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1891-06-11
Duck Islands.

GEO. A. PHILLIPS.
Duck Islands.
IL The Editor II The Eis,corth lmerican
| read with much interest In the las,
issue Of your paper your correspondent
rs article upon Duck Island Llght and
fog whistle. II reminded me forcihly of
The days Of my boyhood, fifty years ago,
and the incidents OF a two weeks sojourn
upon that island in the spring of ls4l.
The islands were then owned or claimed
By Mr. Gilley, who, at that time was the
keeper of the light on Bakers Island.
Upon the Great Duck Island was a house
and barn upon the northern end, which
was cleared and made into a fair farm.
and which supported dozen or more head
with forest Of s.unted spruce ard Fir
trees. The farm was quite productive IN
vegetables, hay, butter. cheese. eggs,
osls, etc. Upon Little Duck Island was
large mock of sheep. cutting their own
fodder the year round, and finding shelter
from the storms Of autumn and winter
under the thick aud lowlylng branches of
the FIR trees, with which the Island was
then covered. But the poor creatures in
spring showed signs II their hard night
against the elements and starvation during
the winter; and a. looked upon them and
contra>ted their lean aud thin bodies with
the well fed. comfortably housed aud
plump bodies of my fathers flock, | felt a
compassion for them that would have CON
strained me to become member Of the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Society.
had such a society then been in existence.
During my two weeks upon the island
my time was spent in roaming about its
shores watching the surf a. 1t dashed
against the rocks, fishing near is shores
with trips to Little Duck Island, and once
| visited Bakers Island, and the light
house upon it, the first had ever seen
Mr.. Gilley, the light keeper. told Of the
many wild fowls that dashed against the
lantern of the lighth at night, and
the number he found dead at its base some
mornings. Killed by striking the iron rail
ings around the lantern; and how they
sometimes broke the thick glass of the
lantern by striking it in their rapid flight
boy always ha, an appetite for stories
OF that kind. and after a long pull In a
boat over the waters Of old ocean, he has
also q good appetite for his supper. was
just in that condition when was invited
10 take supper with the light-keeper and
Aj> family that evening. They had, among
other things. hspjacks on the table. and it
seems To me--even after the lapse of half
century, and the good things which have
since tickled my palate-that | never ate
anything in my life that tasted so good as
they did. We visited Bass Harbor and
Colts Island, and made the most of the
time at our disposal
The family then living on Duck Island
was that of John Bartlett. consisting of
himself, his wife, four daughters and five
sons, the youngest an infant Of few weeks
old, named for my grandfather. They
were all very kind to me and interested
themselves to make my visit to their
island home a pleasant one, in which they
succeeded very well, slthough at first felt
homesick. One day southeast gale with
misty rain set in, the sea rose and dashed
with great fury against the rocky shores
of the island causing a deafening roar
and the very foundations to tremble. This
was new experience to me, and wan
dered away alone to the south part of the
island. TO a secluded spot and seated my
self where could gaze unrestrained upon
the surf as i. dashed against the rocks and
rose in sprays sixty or seventy feet into
the air. These waves, to me- mountains
high dashed against the shores with
terrible force, moving great stones as large
as cartbodies, causing deafening roar
almost like thunder while the ground upon
which stood trembled and shook beneath
my feet. The waves chased each other in
mad succession, towering, leaping and
surging against the rock-bound coast :;
rose high in sprays in the air and fell back
into the seething mass below, or were
blown by the wind among the trees and
upon the land. Such scene of awful
grandeur had never before witnessed. l
stood spell-bound watching it. How long
I was there Enow NOT for took M roto
of time; my whole being was absorbed in
the awful majesty and sublimity of the
picture which presented itself to me.
After a time | was aroused from my
enhancement by shouts and some one
calling my name. They came from the
Bartlett boys who had been sent out by
their parents to hunt for me. they having
missed me and had become alarmed at my
prolonged absence, fearing that l had
ventured too near the shore and had been
washed away and drowned by the surf.
They burst in upon my meditations; said
they had had a long search to find me
that the whole family had turned out in
great alarm to look for me, and that
must come back to the house with them at
once, which / did. There was manifest
joy In the household as they saw me re-
turn with the two older boys, alive and
well; but 1 received lecture from good
Mrs. Bartlett on the wrong course had
taken in going away alone and staying
away so long without telling any of the
family where 1 was going. You know"
said she, 'you are under our care, and if
anything serious had happened to you,
how could l excuse myself to your father
and mother for my neglect. Don't do SO
again, will your" readily promised not
to and kept my promise to her.