The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-11
DEER ISLES SAILORMEN
WHERE THEY GROW THE CREWS THAT
DEFEND THE AMERICA'S cur.


is granite. 1t is the proud boast Of the people
OF Deer Isle that while the variety OF their pro-
ductions is limited the quality in each case Is
unsurpassed anywhere on earth. Whether or
not that statement. SO far as the granite Is con-
cerned. is anything moro than a boast need not
be discussed hero This story Ia about the
other OF Deer Isles productions. the sailormen
who become members OF the crews OF yachts.
and who always help America to defend the
cup when pucky Britisher comes after 1t !:
and right here at the beginning OF the story
THE Sun wants to set the people OF Deer Isle
right before the world in two matters that are
q source OF untold vexation to them First
It's Deer Isle. and not Deer Island, as most
people. led by careless newspapers. suppose.
THE Sun reader will understand Just what
sore point this is when he recalls that the penal
| colony OF Boston. the hub OF New England Is
Deer Island. in Boston harbor. The Deer Isle
people are law abiding. and In that are totally
unlike the people on Deer Island. Second.
Deer Isle. whore the sailormen are bred is
anything in the world but typical
fsherman's village. as 1t has been de-
scribed a thousand times. To make good
the stories. the Deer Isle people assert that
newspaper photographer once took pictures
OF the backs instead OF the fronts OF the houses
and printed them to the everlasting dis
credit OF the place. This typical fisherman
village" libel ia particularly resented. because
Deer Isle has certain social aspirations They'll
tell you there that Bar Harbor isn't in 1t for
climate or scenery. They'll also tell you that
the people will soon find It out In spite OF the
conspiracy on the part OF the public press to
distort its name and character and on the part
of the railroads to keep It moro or less mac
cessible by refusing to run line nearer than
thirty miles from it's shore.
Deer Isle Is In Penobscot Bay. Ellsworth,
Me. Is its nearest railroad station north, and
that is nearly thirty miles of Rockland, Ne,
Is twenty-eight miles away. and that must be
reached by boat. There's little Deer Isle
and big Deer Isle. It's the big Deer Isle that
grows the sailoSmen and the world has come
to look upon the Deer Isle californian as a sail
orman OF superlative quality. The Sun re-
porter's mission to Deer Isle was to find out
why and how Deer Isle grew better sailormen
than any other place on earth, and how many
OF them were there. The last question Is cas-
lily answered The population of the island Is
something more than 1000. about evenly d.
vided between the sexes and there arc Just
about 1000 sailormen and boys. THE SUN re-
porter. who EXPRESSED some doubts about the
accuracy Of this estimate was soemnly as
sured by Capt ]. W. Green. who is better
known as Tip Green. that the estimate was
under rather than over. for. by ginger. there's
some Of the gals that's better saiormen than
the boys. though they don't work at II steady"
he said. and the little gal" who was as pretty
as a picture. with rosy cheeks and snappy eyes
and who made THE Sun mans dinner pleas
ant. wore Eastern Yacht Club buttons and
reckoned she could sail boat with the best OF
'em. and she looked it.
The average Deer Isle man Ia not egotistic,
and he'll assert that the world has a mistaken
idea about the isles growing the best sailor
tn thn Hal tal tl.o1
saormen up there are just average. but then
he'll go on and say: Ye see. the boys from
here don't drink. That's one thing I'll say for
them. They amt drinking men as q rule. OF
course. now and then you'll get one as does
but II you scratch him you'll find he amt
real Deer Isle man Maybe he was born here.
but his ancestors don't go back fur He amt
real. unless maybe he $ a Captain. N OF course
when man gifts & be a Captain then
he's reached the age O. discretion n
he's got a right t drink moderately.
N ost OF EN- likes their toddy when they
gifts to that age as we'll as the next and takes
it moderate like" The Deer Isle nan will go
on and say: No, it's a mistake t say that
Deer Isle grows smarter sailormen than any,
where else on earth. but it's fact that we
got moro than ninety Captains in yachts. an we
got morn a hundred Captains sailin' tn high
seas. n we got fifty or so Captains that's re-
tired n settled down t raise up m ore Captains
in their sons, n then we got morn three hun
dred sailormen m mates on yachts this sum-
mer. No. our boys amt any smarter than other
folks boys. but our boys gifts along" II you
continue talking to the average Deer Isle man
he'll say: They amt many o. our boys that
goes wrong. They amt many. Once in o
while they's one that goes into tho engineer
ing department: but they amt many"
The listener will then realize the exact mean
ing OF that old row in the American navy be-
tween the line and the Engineers now happily
at an end He'll also he convinced. however
that while the line and the staff OF the Amer
lean navy may be- reconciled to the idea Of the
Engineers being transferred to the line Deer
Isle never will be- and the boy that goes into
the Engineering Department has gone
wrong" and that's all there is about it,
Deer Isles fame as the producing place OF
sailormen OF superlative quality is not OF recent
date. For thirty years sailormen OF Deer Isle
have been selected by yacht owners every
where when they were to be had. But 1t i.
within the last few years that the knowledge
OF their qualities has become public property,
that is, the proprrty OF folks who take only oc-
caslonal interest in sea sports and seataring
matt Of the Defender when sRe b w9S the sSGt
mate to CAPT Hank Hail ''n in Il four seCS cup
Ma Who says hs csr Hs
qualities in the Deer Isle saIlormen; Capt.
George Conant is u son OF Deer Isle to the man
ner born; He could have been member OF the
crew Of the new defender this year II nc had
wanted to. and that Information DOESN'T come
and it may be sa!d right here. that Deer Isle is
a bit disgruntled about the cup defence this
year: that is, the old-time Deer Islanders are
They don't like Capt. Barr. the man who Is
fault, nor is it. anything 10 his discredit;
but it's his misfortune that he was not born
an American. He's a loyal American now
and has been these many years. in fact ever
since he saw the mistake he made in not being
born in Amerca; hut the fact is he was not
offence in tho eyes Of Deer Isle sailormen.
They say Bars all right: Barrs great sailor:
Barr's decent fellow; Barrs able: Barr's as
capable man az ever hold uer. but'---.
You see, tho Deer islanders are not unfair.
They don't attempt to depreciate the merits
Of Capt. Barr But they cant get over the fact
that he wasn't born an American. Perhaps
the story OF tho way defender crews came tt, be
chosen from Deer Islanders may have some
thing to do with that, and that brings us back
TO Capt, George tonant, tho second mate in
four defending yachts.
" 1t came about like this" said Can't George.
Thirteen years ago when | was second mate
of the Mayfiower. when we licked the Galatea
II Ena.l NIL.