Daily Kennebec journal., 1902-03-15
ON MALAGA.
A Maine Island and Its Curious
People.
Rather Than Work, They Prefer to
Freeze and Starve.
A Pauper Colony Which the State is
Called to Help.

Nestled away in the eastern portion
OF Casco Bay, in the beautiful New
Meadows river, is Malaga Island, the
home of people who are at the present
| time. attracting the attention of the
public through their sickness and mis-
fortune. Though lazy and shiftless,
in their present distress, they are re
ceiving the sympathy and aid of their
kind hearted neighbOrs of the near
lying islands and Governor Hill has re-
Gently appointed q committee of his
council 10 look into their troubles and
provide remedy.
Malaga is a small island about three
miles from Orr's Island and twenty
four miles from Portland. 1t is at the
mouth of the beautiful New Meadows
river in that portion Of the bay so in
frequently travelled and SO COM
paratively primitive that the whistle of
the occasional excursion steamer star
ties eagles from their perches among
the trees and sends them screaming on
the wing.
Around about Malaga are numerous
wooded uninhabited islands where fire
wood can be obtained in abundance yet
every winter. Only a narrow passage
| of water divides the island from
| Phippsburg on the mainland. About
| the size of Basket Island in the upper
| bay it is nearly as pretty but slightly
different in appearance 1t is low,
nearly fiat, and scattered over it's sur
face are numerous trees and fruit
bushes. Dotted among the eEtrees and
along the shore, marring its natural
beauty by their ugliness. are the huts
ana shacks OF the squatters. It's shores
| are rock bound and bold with deep
lwater so that small vessels and steam
ers can sail right to th~ rocks in places
land make fast as ii at a landing stage.
Not far from the island Holsters can
be caught at all seasons of the year.
Good fishing grounds are near by and
claims can be dug on its flats and on
L the Shores OF the neighboring islands.
n Thefe are Ffew prettier islands in the
bay and were it the home of thrifty,
Il hard working fishermen no island could
Il be more prosperous. Yet, notwith-
II sanding all it's natural advantages and
Il all it's scenic beauty. its people have
IsHtfered for want of food every winter
lwithin the remembrance of the oldest
Il inhabitant Of that portion of the bay.
i Every winter has had the same story
of starvaton and suffering. This win
Liter the usual discomfort of hungry
tstomachs and cold weather have been
\ aggravated Il by the measles. Sickness
/ had ragged on the island some time be-
/ fore the inhabitants of the other islands
| were aware of it. This is explained by
1 tl,n E-l, .T =
/ ton of the bay give Malaga wide
berth and the only news obtainable is
when the islanders call on their
| neighbors begging for food and clothes.
For some time their begging visits had
Il ceased. which caused the neighbors to
i mildly wonder, but the matter was
/ given some little thought. They had
been sick some time when the skipper
Il of a lobster smack called at Cundy's s
II and told of the want, privation, and
sickness among them. His story
II though nothing new to the hardy and
II thrifty fishermen of Great Island,
II aroused their Sympathies and they pre-
pared food and sent it over. This skip
per of the lobster smack had been ia
Ii miliar with the conditions on Malaga
/ for a number of years but the deplor-
II able state in which he found them on
this trip moved him as it did every one
II who heard the story of his experience.
The captain of the smack told vari-
Ious incidents of intense suffering in
some of the huts. He found men. women
land children lying on piles of rags and
lold clothes in the one room house with
lout fires, too sick to move. As soon as
ithey saw Kim they cried for water and
he carried water to every hut which he
lentered.
A well known Portland man, who for
n number of years ran n lobster smack
Through the bay buying Holsters from
the fishermen. talked interestingly to
lthe reporter of the island and its people.
For number of years he called there
Frequently and got to know many OF the
Inhabitants well. He has been there in
summer and winter and has met them
lin ell conditions of prosperity and af-
Ifiiction There has been little change
in their manner of living as long as any
of the other fishermen can remember
land while the experience of this captain
Twas several years ago he called there
Twice last summer and found the same
Iconditions that existed when he was a
lmore frequent visitor.
Everything was just the same last
summer as it always was" he said In
telling the story of his experience
lamong them. There was no school
land while the children formerly had the
privilege of attending the school at
Phippsburg and may have the same
Iurivilege now, none Of them went Few
liz any can read or write and their
knowledge of figures is so limited that
lin dealing with them We have to pass
over the price for each lobster as it Is
counted out. When l was there last
summer most of the male members OF
the community were lying on the grass
haSking in the sun when they should
lbove been out attending to their lobster
uots or been fishing. 1t was berry time
and they lived mostly on berries thai
summer the women doing all the gatn-
ering. The surplus they sold on the
other islands and bought -four ano
candy oh, they have sweet toott
ana whenever they get doiiar
twenty-f1ye cents will go for flour ane