The Saint Paul globe., 1904-01-31
Nantucket Island Shut Off
From the World for Weeks

ing the recent embargo There was one
meat auction a day, and some days
three, and the townspeople would gath
er to the number of 100 to 200 and bid
in the meat in small quantities.
The last Western beef was sold by
the town butchers on the eighth day Of
the embargo for 40 cents pound, but
the next day, when the farmers awoke
to the opportunity, there were three
for 20 cents a pound. Even at that the
farmer benefited about 10 cents pound
by the local corner
But during such an embargo q large
majority Of the Inhabitants do not rely
upon meat, not when they can fish,
and the Nantucketer is yet to be
born who couldn't catch fish any time,
night, day or Sunday, under any and all
conditions and with any old contriv-
ance. Fish is the staple food of the
majority and every household lays in
a big supply of salted fish in the fall,
so as not to have to go fishing during
the coolest days of the winter, when
they like to toast their feet in front Of
an open fire of driftwood and tell Of
the good old whaling days.
Besides the family supplies Of fish
there Is about 1000 quintals of the very
best the market affords stored in the
front at present and as the ice never
forms on the ocean side of the island
on account of there being no bays or
harborS, the fishermen secure a fresh
supply daily, except in stormy weather,
and there are thousands of cod, hake,
haddock and cuSk landed at each trip.
Again, through the ice in the harbor on
the town side of the island scores of
men and boys capture anywhere from
81 III
licious eels apiece every day. These fish
lie huddled together in the mud during
the winter and can only be taken by
spearing through the ice, and the har-
Dor looks like sieve at night after a
fishing day, with the hundreds of fish
holes through the ice.
Then, too, there are millions of
sea fowls in Nantucket sound, in
fact, the steamer many times while
crossing Tuckerneck shoal through the
slough will start up sufficient number
to actually obscure the sun for time.
These birds, when the harbor is full Of
ice, seek the holes to feed on the fish
and gunners secure rich harvest.
On the shores the ice ebbs and flows
with the tide and miles of clam and
scallop flats are left bare at every low
tide. Here, what few men folk who
are not employed in fishing or toasting
digging when one man cannot turn out
a busfel of clans or scallops at each
three hours of low tide.
Every farmer raises more potatoes
than he can dispose of on the island
and each family has its five or six bar
rels Of the vegetable long before the
cold weather sets in. Hundreds of
bushels are then shipped to Boston and
New Bedford markets. Cow beets are
about the easiest vegetable to raise on
the island and nearly every farmer has
a beet crib filed for winters feed for
his cattle. Corn, too, is raised in
abundance and is fed to the horses on
the ear. It's not strange in the spring
to see full crib of corn on a farm
and then the thrifty Nantucketer dis
poses of it and, puts the proceeds in
the bank. There is no better soil in
New England for raising English hay
and the Nantucket farmers pride
themselves on the hay crops. But they
sell most of the hay and use their beets
and corn for fodder.