The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1905-07-27
The Log of the Fiona.
A Five Days. Cruise Down the Bay with
Isle au Haut the Objective Point.

, For many years the store at Isle au Haul
, Thoroughfare, kept by James ID. Barter
popularity known as Capt. Jim Barter, was
the objective point of all visiting yachtsmen.
Here they replenished their stores, includ-
ing milk, and swapped yarns with the
} genial proprietor Years ago Capt. Barter
! was frequent visitor to Belfast and well
known to our older people. concerning
whom he had many enquiries to make. The
store was in the rear of his residence, which
faced the Thoroughfare, the ground sloping
to the shore, where there was small store
house and wharf AS we rowed in to the
landing we saw on the storehouse sign
Dangerous Landing" and found the
wharf in sadly dlapidated condition
Capt. Barter died about year ago at the
home of his son in Rockland after long
illness, and the new proprietor of the store
is young man named Rich. We met Capt
Barter's son, who with his wife and mother
had just arrived from Rockland to spend a
few weeks at the old home, and he ex-
tended hearty welcome to his father 8
friends. 1t may be said here that the love
OF the Isle au Haut people for their island
home is only equalled by their cordial
greeting of visitors, to whom every courtesy
is extended. Our call ashore was brief and
soon after returning to the Fiona we had
visitors from the sloop near by, on which a
Mr.. Gilley and son from Northeast Harbor
were living, the arrival of summer visitors
having driven them out of their quarters
ashore. They are engaged in stone work
on the island, and with them was Mr.
Batcheder, carpenter, who was building
a 65-foot addition to the house on KimbalPs
Island, where BENZ. Smith is having a
yearly increasing number of guests. Later,
after we had turned in, we had other visit
ors-lots of them. They had wings and
stings, and their songs we're not lullabys
Although we had not yet wet our lines we
had plenty of bites.
July 18th in the early morning there were
signs of rain and a fog bank could be seen
came out. it would pass for hot day. As
the tide did not serve for digging CLANS we
went ashore to replenish our water jugs
and call on friends Heading up the
! ThOrOughfare we came to the John E. Bar
ter place, now owned by a summer resident.
A low stone wall has been built along the
front of the property and the ground filled
in back of it and hundreds of rose bushes,
many of them in bloom, and other shrubs,
have been set out. There is a spacious
lawn between this wall and the house and
the grounds have been made very attrac-
tive. Verandas and bay window have
been added to the house and Old Glory
floats from tall staff. The entrance to the
grounds is through an iron gate of elaborate
design fashioned by Mr.. A. J. H. Turner,
the artist blacksmith of Isle au Haut. Mr..
Turner told us that the architects drawings
were sent to him with request that he
submit a bid for making the gate, and that
in doing so he stated that he could not COM
plete in price with foundry or machine
| shop. He was given the work at his own
| figures and the gate is well worth inspec-
ton as specimen Of skillful handwork. 1t
was at this house that Mr.. Albert B. Otis
had his summer home in the early days be-
fore the Point Lookout Club was establish
ed. The people here have not forgotten
what Mr.. Otis did for their island and his
memory is revered by all. Mr.. John E.
Barter is now resident of Roslindale,
Mass, and was recent visitor to his old
home. Only one of this generation of Barters
is now resident of the island, John Tilden
Barter. who is engaged in lobstering. He
has one son with him, young man, but the
older children are residents elsewhere.
The Turner family has long been promi-
nent in the affairs of Isle au Haut, and is
still represented by three brotbers-C. D.,
A. J. II. and j. G. Turner. Clarence D.
Turner is the postmaster at Point Lookout,
town treasurer, road commissioner, and a
carpenter and builder. A. J. II. Turner is
the first selectman, trial justice and smith.
John c. Turner is photographer, etc.
| The latter was called upon for shave, and
was found busy over some recently taken
photographs. His barber shop is in the
second story and on the first floor he has a
case of island views, and also keeps fine
confectionery and cigars. Our next call
was at the smithy of A. j. Il. Turner, where
we had hearty welcome and the pleasure
of inspecting the many dainty articles Mr.
Turner fashions from iron and which go as
souvenirs to all parts of the country.
Returning to the Fiona we got out the
clam hoes, rollers and rubber boots and
rowed up the harbor to secure bait for fish
ing. The old lobster factory building still
stands, the lower part used for storage and
the second story for dances, but the wharf
has disappeared and its place has beer
taken by a boat landing. We had no diff
ficulty in getting all the clans needed OF
the bar, and then going on board the Fiona
and partaking of a hasty lunch got under
way for the fishing grounds. We had beer
hearing the fog whistle on Matinicus all the
morning and as we beat out of the Thorough
fare the fog was curling over the Isle al
Haut hills, but we had the courses all right
and fog or no fog believed we could make
port. We had fair luck in fishing, with
Capt. Staples as high line, but the win(
gradually died away and when we hat
drifted up the bay above Kimball's rocE
and it was decided to pull up lines ant
head for the Thoroughfare there was M
wind and the fog began to shut in. At one
time we were headed for the northern enc
of the Thoroughfare and it was thought VIZ
might make harbOr there. Then we head
ed the other way and Capt. Barr got tow