The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-30
'SC0NSET In IT'S GLORY.
THEN THE FISH STRIKE ON AND
THE MEN 60 dFTER THEM.
BiiIy Clark Toota ISIS Horn from the Unitarian
steepic. and the whole Town Hastens Sea-
ward Mt the S~lEnni-Luxuries OF the Goa
scn,ou-.Ncouset,. Migration 10 Nantucket.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Migration TO Nantucket.
St,sroxsrr Naptuckct Island. MAY 2G-Early
Ia All, ,ho aoda.h ..,r,oi, an" ot ,sconsot-
for 40 Tho is,ondcrs call this venerable village,
now ,,oro ,hon ooo rooro od Tho strike wns
mt ordcrcd nv tho svviuminu delegate. "Struck
m" IN Ssntuckct tall means that tho fish
sbo,ved themselves for Tho nrst time in the
scoson IN IN, waters Off shore. II was what the
ns,crfolL Ind bccn bop,ruIlv look,pr for.
Until recent ycnrst Tho rosu,ts of 6shinp Ind
been uncertain. Now. sprinr and fall alike are
ccr,,in N yic,d oood rcsn,ts unlcss the weather
hurcor mo, n, Cy,uhirrto, out of sni,o nor.
s;stcntlv tr,,h;ca had ven,bcr dnv after day on
tho Ncy Enrlond coast. There arc fish enough
,y shore nj ,Sconsct IN feed an nrmy corps with
,ho hoet ou,,,tv NJ Nantucket chowder. But
thc corus ,nust cotch md cook them. This boun-
tiful sunn,v "a tho result of establishing n station
Of Tho United States Fisheries Commission ut
Woods uoll. thirty.Rye miles northeast of Capo
God. p,tcrn,lism IN Government in this
instance bns worked we'll. For several
vcars untold millions Of Goldfish. lust wcaned,
have bccn turned ont from the nursery to
shift for themselves. Very few reach their ma.
;or;tv TIL, o,b.ra on tn srstnin the liyes of
other fsb and OF men. women and children.
Those which do not. hustle for shoals. Then
they head for 'Sconset waters, which they find
uucb IN their liking. When they strike on, fish.
ermen all over tho island steer for 'Sconset in
III, hone In pct, good fares. A fare. in fisher
mans talk. means n catch of fish. The bigger
,be catch. the bigger the fare.
Nearly every man on Nantucket Is a probable,
~ MT an actual. fisherman. Some men persist
in fishing until they are either drowned or
| oidcd and nbottcd bv the doctors. they draw
their last breath ashore. Cant. Obed Holmes,
from tho time bo stonned killing sperm whales
in the south sens. asbed at 'Sconset until he was
cipbty.odd. He died last year ut %. His wife
went aloft the wear before. She was only 90.
Tint her life was thus cut off could not DO
charged IN fishing. She fshed but once. and
th.n In Tho sea NJ n,atriuonv She landed Cant
Or, asa - 49,. - an,,h
ooed' ana ne was n gooo catch.
But all able-bodied persons on the island fish
an spring IN a., ,Noopt. Il Jun nn
ditto cashier. also teller: the trustee OF the saw
,ar - d,t,n ,ho ,riaI ius,ico tho Justice. ~ N.
g 49, IN ~ .p 80 sn0
p pes sha ssS lonesome ines cn0s snWyes IN ,ho Ss ehist q, n .Swe'
inc members Oh al''1 o. inc register o. a'e Ss inc snS
Tho moor house Tho sa,,cr Of weights and meas.
ures. the pound keeper. the overseer Of high
ways. the collector of the port. the lighthouse
keepers. the men at the life-saving stations,
the man who cares for the apparatus
along the shore of the Massachusetts HUI.
the steamboats,, the real estate and insurance
snncrintendent ~ ,yntervorks d;tto of the GAS.
s super st,,n M , pa M o,ao,r, fnh, "i n,on 81 'n ,h. gas 40.
press agent, tho druggists. tho ministers who
r,r snn1s and tho doc,ors who curo bodice tho
editors. the tradesmen, and tho women and
children. Two out of three of Nantucket's pop
,ra,;on aro ~ ,ho fopoIo norsu,sion soma y,
ultllOU u Vi liz lClhdlC IClSuhoiOus WIN vi
them arc widows; a good many are single
women of uncertain age. There are not men
enough on the island TO go around.
When Billy Clark, the town crier. from his
ssas tb IN a 1ne f shi strike ON me he toots his s stegp te.
ward each of the cardinal points of tho compass.
He then PUSHES down NJ irregular stairs at
forth in highway and byway the glad tidings.
Only the natives know what BillSy says. The
feet long, turns himself into a derrick and lifts
his dory to the top, lashes it to the ends and
His wife slows in some flour and salt
pork and coffee, sugar and pilot bread. his
and his sou'Wester. Nor does she forget the
most important thing OF all-the bucket OF clans
for bait. II he has time he kisses her. He casts
to the first milestone, puts his helm hare. a.star-
board, swings eight points to port. and follows
the channel due east on the 'Sconset road. In n
cSnsoG are e safely afciEiii landed down the bank and on
the hpnlh Ht 'SplnSpt. He then nnlnShPA his
ddory. II the tide is Fight he sboves the dory out
to meet a coming breaker, jumps aboard, and
or shore. Why it is called tho Rat Hole I
cant cxnlain' for there is neither rat nor
hole there. But at tho Rat Hole he
anchors He throws a hook into the bucket of
hnit He can't helm catching n clam. clam and
hook he heaves Over the side and proceeds to
fsh had studied the man half as closely as The
man had studied the fish. It might remain in the
ocean t In eniov the nnenitics ~ Ash snrietv. Rut
it has not; hence it takes the bait and is hauled
into the boat- When the fisherman throws out
The second hook he again hats The first, Each
hook takes turns. The fisherman ia busy. He
has NO Time 70 discnss Emerson or tn think Of
the comparative merits OF specific duties and
n n nd rairretn tnriff II n Il 40 nrcord
whom tho tide turns he will have his boat
Im loaded ~ The .,nwaies with n connie NJ h,ndreS
nice COZ With chance NJ eating nm eouai MIN.
her off The afternoon tide Sometimes IL han
pens that there arc forty dories out at once. and
r may he n connlc NJ thousand fish are landed in
n N siin,le dav. Rmt the WORK Of the cod fisher.
man nj this season ia as cold as n miser's heart.
He dnesn't tish for nm The mercury NAV he
near IN" freezing noint' One day this month it
vas helow vi he mustn't wear cloves
"Wben Tho dories land there "a excjtement
"hNn wv hoiiSo Auhu NiiSiS 70