The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-09-18
SURROUNDED BY THE SEA.
OF OLD BLOCK Is-
 LAND. ~.


 keys-Tho Life Saving station.
 Adrien House. Block Island. R. l.,
 Sept l6. 1sss.
 Of all our American resorts this spot stands alone of It's kind. It is unique In It's location, its natural char acteristics and Its people. Fifty miles from New London, Conn.,. in a direct line out into the ocean, 1t is' the last bit of American land visible to the passengers of an outward going Eng fish steamer.
 Block Island Is seven miles long and four wide in the widest part, and when Adrien Block discovered It's surf-beat- en shores In 1920 1t was called Manisses Island and inhabited by Indians of that name. They were driven out by the Pequots, who were in their turn thrust aside by the white people. '''
 The last representative of the abori- zines died last year at the age eaof 1o4. Sixteen white families from the Con- necticut mainland formed the. first col ony upon the island. They have null tiplied and intermarried, with an oc- casional importation of a wife from the mainland, and of the thirteen hundred present native inhabitants, one finds the names of Dodge, Ball, Mannikin and Mott still prominent. The imports of this flair countrie," as every one knows. is largely of people from the month of May until November. Their exports are of fish and Holsters and souvenirs, the latter not at all in keep ing with the, character of the. place, as foreign shells and fancy baskets can be bought at any summer resort from Saratoga to Florida. One may except the weapon of the rd-fish, which when cut from the head, properly treat ed and decorated, will sell for from one to three dollars a specimen. But they are cumbersome and not attractive, and only the men buy them. It re- mains for some enterprising Block Is- lander to find and prepare some quaint souvenir which shall be obtainable only at this remarkable spot.
 If one could bottle the ozone, or find small photographs on sale which would give us the sound of the surf on "Pebbly Beach" when we return home, 1t would be immensely popular.
 As one approaches Block Island by the New London or Newport boat 1t seems as If one would never reach the wharf after rounding Clay Head. This is at the northeast end of the island, where is a small lighthouse. There is a larger one called Southwest Light, which is generally visited by summer guests.
 Here the. waves dash against cliffs two hundred feet high; overlapping to gaze up to and terrifying to peer over. One might think these light houses were stationed on each end of the island to hold it down. but there is evidence of its solid and deep founda- tion in the numberless fresh water ponds which dot its surface, diversi- fled by such undu1ations of mound and valleys as to remind one of the Scotch country near, the sea. In tRe upper half on the island Is Great Fresh Pond, which has been con- nected with the sea by channel cut through the, intervening strip of land, at an outlay of eight thousand dollars (town expense), intending to make 1t an oyster orchard. The star-fsh, which abound here, proved such enemies of the oysters that the scheme has not yet been successful.
 I wonder if it is generally known that the long ribbons of sea-weed, commonly called kelp-wIich is not a correct name-prove infallible as ba- rometers when hung in the house. It soon becomes quite dry and shriveled indoors, but at the approach of a storm will change to the limp and salty con- dition in which it is rescued from the briny deep. I saw one ribbon over, three yards long, another of a dozen strips hanging from a main stalk as big as a woman's finger, the root clasping a pretty shell. The whole thing was to. be packed in my lady's trunk, ultimately to deck her inland home.
 One with taste for natures curiosi would be interested in collecting sea-, weeds and pretty rocks; one particular spot called Garnet Beach affords a pos-, sible harvest of the pretty gems.
 Of the islands oddities the "hop- pied sheep" and "shingled turkeys"N provoke both smile and inquiry. The sheep will have their hind legs tied to- gether to prevent their frisking off out. of range, while the turkeys carry their. sign boards on their backs to keep their wings from assisting their flight. Even the hens and their broods have such a high-tide appearance and altogether so ruff1ed and distressed looking that 1t seemed they could be no relatives of the plump and fluffy affairs that one remembers in we'll conducted poul- try-yard.
 The Life Saving stations, Beacon Hill Observatory and the Indian cemetery, are points of interest, but they must be left for-another article. rr-~. .~ . Although September is the closing month of the season, and the regular boat, "The Block Island," has stopped running, people do not stop, coming. Nearly every day Landlord Mott re- ceives new guests, and although the house is by no means full, the smaller number results in alsort of family feel ing quite enjoyable to the guests, who are not now of the wildly fashionable order. -.s s&
 Our small party leave tomorrow, taking passage to Newport by the l Danielson, the island mAil-boat; from Newport distributing ourselves east and west in the direction Of our homes. l1 ,o& A1ao oxya i.