The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-08-09
Especial to The Times-DIspatch.)


CHINCoTEAGUE ISLAND, ACCAAiAC
COUNTY, VA. August MANY at
tenpts have been made to tell the out
side world OF Chin colleague and It's in
habitants, and all that l have seen have
failed. came TO the island with very
hazy ideas concerning tho nature and
appearance OF the people and their man
ners and costums. I cannot say that |
have Learned all there Is to know con-
corning Chlncoteague and the Chinco-
teaguers In the course of my stay. but |
have learned enough to make me look
forward with anything but pleasure to
the time tomorrow morning when | must
board tho Franklin city boat and say
good-by TO Chincoteague probably Tor
good. for though this old world Is small
II Is very busy.
do not believe that one-half the boys
and girls of Virginia. who are studying
geography. could tell where Chincotcague
is II asked the question offhand. The
other half would say 1t Is an island Oft
the coast Of Virginia, inhabited by about
1900 people and wild ponies. few of
the older generation who have come mere
would tell stories to illustrate the print
tive way in which the people live. a
smaller number, inbued with the latter
day spririt OF commercialism, would tell
of the money the people make OF the
oysters and clans. and the fish and
crabs, and would speak OF the number OF
stores on the island, and the volume Of
business done.
After spending some days on Chinco-
league I find 1t Impossible to give any
of the descriptions have given above.
IT may be the air, but think it Is the
people; at any rate, ] have found IN
Chincoteague that which makes me hate
to leave. The island is so contradictory
1t is up-to-date In many ways; 1t Is my
y Ia l.
way terminus only six miles away, but
three hundred or four hundred ponies
run wild on the island, ard men with
money In their pockets walk along the
main streets cf the town In their bare
feet, and nobody thinks of looking at the
feet. Those facts seem to me to state III
n satisfactory way the contradictory coh-
ditions on ChincoteaGue.
Chincoteasuers are amphibious. Living
on an island hale a mile wide and seven
miles long, these three thousand lslahu-
crs have occasion to know mucl more
OF the sea than Of fne land. Only a very
small fraction of the vegetables eaten on
Chincoteague are grown on the lslaha,
and more than six hundred vessels OF
various sizes are owned in Chincoteague
and call Chincoteague the nome Pptt'
An average of one sailing craft for every
Ave of population is probably greater
than at any other sea town In the couh-
try. 81
THREE MAILS a DAY.
Chincoteague is out of the world N
the sense that 1t Is few thousand
acres of land surrounded by water, but
In other senses 1t is close to what out
siders are pleased to call the world,
Franklin City and Greenbackville are
only six miles away. Franklin Is the ter
minus of ono branch of the TennsyVa-
MIA Railway. There are three mails 70
and from tho island every day. inc bal
timore papers are received by noon OF
the day on which they are printed, ana
the Philadelphia papers come IN on inc
same train. There are but few dallles
taken on the island. Many weeklies come
to the Chincoteague postofflce @
There are forty-four licensed stores
or various kinds In Chincoteague. y, j,
Wheaton, the wealthtest man on the
island. Is the proprietor of one of the
largest general stores T have seen any
where, The stock carried Is probably
worth $4,000. Tho trade at all the stores
appeared to be good The Islanders have
plenty of money, and they spend 1t,
The oyster and clam industries form the
chief sources of income, / was told Of
one man who had made for several weeks
an average of between $50 and $50 week
digging and marketing clans The clam
Industry Is comparatively new. hut sew
eral persons have told me that 1t will
soon become more profitable than oyster
ing, unless the Baylor survey is broken
by act of the Legislature. What l have
seen In this oyster country In the past
week conVinces me that legislation
breaking the survey would mean much