The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-06-15
QUAINT BLOCK ISLAND.


 for silence, writes Harriet Quimby. in intently, counted-one, ,twO,three up to nineteen, when he waited a moment, then chuckled: Hum, nineteen big fellers and couple of little ones! A mighty good haul, bein' that the weather ain't jest what was wanted" The summer visitor looked his curio- sity, and turned with a question which was answered before being voiced "Swordfish, stranger. Nineteen of 'em, Didn't you hear them toot? We'll. that was the captain tellin' us how the luck went to-day. Purity soon you'll hear another smack tootin' off how many they've caught" 44 .. By dint of questioning it gradually came to light that the boats which put off Block Island, in quest of the much prized swordfish talk by means of the whistle, and long before they are in sight of the island all the inhabitants, young and old, know just how many fish have succumbed to the skill of the men. %I"
 The Block Islanders are justly proud | Of their swordfsh, for they have aI- most a corner on that variety of the l finny tribe, the flesh of which, it is claimed by many, surpass anything | caught in the deep.
 The demand for the swordfish is in IVariably. greater than the supply, for although number of boats from the Eisland make daily trips. they have practically no competition, as the fish even in the best fields, are not numer- ous, and it is hard and dangerous work, requiring a special outfit and men of long experience and much courage to catch them; for the fish | Which weigh from three hundred to five hundred pounds each, are skiIlful fencers with that sharp projection of bone which has given. them the name of swordfish. i%
 Newport and Boston bid each year for most of the catch, leaving Title or none to ship to New York; therefore the metropolitan epicure must needs 1 await his annual trip to Block Island to enjoy his swordfsh steak, which he VOWS soutrivals anything that comes ! from salt water.
 This little strip of land ten miles out | in the Atlantic, like an emerald in a | crystal setting, besides the home of the sword fisherman, boasts another in- l dustry which differs from any other in the United States-the gathering of Irish moss and its curing and balins l for market. .-
 l The harvesting of this moss, which grows in great quantities upon the l huge rocks along the shore, is an in. teresting proceeding to the stranger l who also finds much entertainment in the quaint philosophy of the workers by the sea. This harvest is largely subject to the tide, for, like all good things. the best is the most difficult to reach, as it grows upon those rocks which are under cover when the water is high. The "mossers," therefore eagerly note the time when the tide re. cedes. leaving clear the white stretch of beach and the shaggy powders rich with the dripping moss.
 When fresh from the water the moss is of a deep purple color f1ecked will lavender and white. The leaves are semi-transparent, and they grow ir small clusters. Men and boys. clad r garments which, by long contact witl the brine and sun, have faded into ne,,. 1 tral tints, wade in waist deep witr their baskets and long knives. holdine them fast as every seventh wave splashes high and covers them with Z dash of foam; then with the humit prize they make for shore. If the bank is steep, and the selected moss aeld difficult to reach, sacks are filled and, copiously weeping salt water, are slung over stalwart shoulders anf l slowly carried to the top of the bluff where OK carts carry the days gather. ing to the bleaching field. ,,i
 Irish moss. as is pretty generally known, is highly prized both for its medicinal value and also as a food. IT boiling water it dissolves into a per. fectly clear jelly both delicate and nu tritious. The Manisses Indians, wh, were the first inhabitants of the island were wont to gather the weed, burn i and use the ashes as a medicinal ap plication.
 The variety of seaweed known a. "kelD'' is also gathered in large ouan titles and used as a dressing for land It not only enriches the soil but soft ems the clods and keeps the roots Q [ growing plants moist even during tn | hottest weather
 Few of the many little islands whcI dot the Atlantic are so quaintly inter esting as Block Island for, with it peaceful, wholesome atmosphere ant total indifference as to whether ther, Is panic in Wall Street or not. jus enough modernism has crept in t, make the place ideal. It is in dail, communication with, yet utterly inde pendent of, the great world. '.
 A wireless telegraph plant, situated on the far end of the island, divides at tention with the lighthouse. Here new from all countries is received an printed in a two-sheet daily, a luxur!