The Portland daily press., 1895-11-16

- O~OS-~>-~6
Wallace Tells of Their Deplorable Con-
dition.
Can't Levi L. Wallace, who is the mas
ter of a coaster, says that some of the
fishermen down the coast are bitterly
Door, and must have assistance. They
found the summer Improbable to them,
they took few fish, the lobster season was
soon over, and. there wasInot 1.-THE demand
for CLAIMS they had expected, or as Capt.
Wallace says, "they live by the sea, and
the sea was not good to them," and now
with winter at the door, they have moth
ing ahead, there is little work, the wealth
er has been unfavorable, and men, wom-
Ell and children are wondering how they
arer to live, and still more how they are
to be clothed. "They find it hard enough
to get food,' said Capt. Wallace, land
have no way Of getting clothes. Even
Capt. Lane isn't coming back again this
winter, but Mrs. Coffin distributes things
sent down for the poor. ;"
Capt. Wallace has just received bar
rel of clothing brought down by Mr..
Harrington, of the firm Of Harrington
& Mann, and collected by Mrs. Earring
ton and othersladies.
Capt. Wallace said that the people are
poorer than ever before. They have no
land, raise nothing, in most cases look
ing to the sea for support, and now there
are on the mainland about 20 families
that must be helped, while on Malaga
Island there is still worse state of
things There the people are, according
to Capt. Wallace, living on bread and
molasses and fish, having no meat to
speak Of Some of the families have al
ready been assisted by the town, but very
little is allowed them. "They live, I"
said Capt. Wallace, lin little hut houses
about 10 by % feet, one room and roof,
their houses are poorly built, and they
burn drift wood. They have wood enough
but they are out of clothing, and are
all going about these days with wet feet,
having only such shoes as they've picked
up. They have simply got to be helped. !"
Capt. Wallace said that every family on
the island stands in need of immediate
assistance, and must be helped. They
are almost out Of work, and the continued
bad weather and heavy sea has been
hard on them. 'tThey've seen hard
times before" said Capt. Wallace, "but
never such as they will have to face this
WINTER He added that he feared that
the state of affairs he had dascrihed ex-
listed to some degree for long distance
along the coast, and among the residents
of the islands. ran
Capt. Wallace thought this state of
things was due to the fact that the peo-
pie are fishermen, till no land, have M
other way Of making living, and SO
are very poor when the seaffails to pro1
vide living for them. The fish were
hard to find all through the summer and
they made but very little money, and.
this fall they have had continual run
of hard luck. While there are poor peo-
pie in other sections, he thought that the
extreme poverty is largely confined to ISL
and residents. s'They don't even own
what little land there is on their island, -
h said. "but they are fishermen, and
not farmers.'' He added that while he is
himself.La poor man, and obliged to work
hard to support his family, he has prao-
tically felt compelled to help some of the
poor people who seemed to be in such
piteous need of immediate assistance