The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1907-08-22

ure IN the western bay, and another Mark
island, sometimes called Resolution island,
Off Dark Harbor. The Mark island for
which we are headed has lighthouse on it.
| Before we reach it Widows island-whicb
we must learn to call Chase's island comes
into view with its big brick building built
by the National government for yellow
fever hospital but never used for that or
any other purpose until it was turned over
to the State of Maine and made summer
sanitarium for the mildly insane. This
island is at the eastern entrance of Fox
Island Thoroughfare, which divides North
Haven and Vinalhaven, and which is right
ly named, as it is a great thoroughfare for
steam and sailing craft going east and west.
Isle au Haut now looms up ahead and we
are near enough to Deer Isle to see the
buildings along its shore. From Mark island
it is short run into Stonington, the center
of a great granite industry. Strange to say
no mention is made of this granite in Var
ney's Gazetteer of the State of Maine, edition
of 1881, from which the following quotation
is made:
Deer Isle, in Hancock county, is group
of three islands lying between the northern
part of Isle au Haut bay and Brooklin and
oedgwick on the main land. 1t is 35miles
south-south- of Ellsworth. The town
includes Little Deer Isle, Great Deer Isle
and Eagle Isle. The first mentioned and
most northerly of the group has an area of
| 1000 acres, which is well suited to agricul-
ture;. Great Deer Isle is about 10 miles in
length from north to south, and nearly, 5
miles in width. The surface in the north
ern part is rather level, while in the south
| it is rough. MicaceOus limestone was un-
| doubtedly the parent rock of Deer Isle, but
| it has been crystaized, and is thus rendered
unfit for qucklime, though suitable for ar
chtectural sculpture At the "Reach" is a
quarry which is operated for this marble,
| affordlng yearly product of 1000 tons of
rough and cut stone; while roofing slate of
d good quality has been found on Little
| Deer Isle At this place, it is stated, are
| found conclusive evidences of an extinct
! volcano, which in some of the bygOne years
| Deched forth its showers of ashes and pour
| ed out its molten lava AS will be apparent,
| the transition series of rocks is we'll charac-
terized in these islands. Large deposits of
silver, also, have recently been found and
two companies now hold property on the
island for the purpose of mining this min.
eral.
In nearing Stonington granite was in
evidence on every hand. On two of the
| islands on the right derricks were conspcu-
GUS and on the larger one building where
polishing is done. The lesser islands also
show the white granite above the tide line
and are covered with cone-shaped spruce
trees, uniform in size. They recall the title
of one of Sarah Orne Jewett's delightful
books, "The Land of the Pointed FRS" So
little mould gives these sturdy trees foot
hold that it almost seems as If they must
derive some sustenance from the solid gram
ite to which they cling.
Stonington is certainly picturesque
town. It rises from granite buttressed
water front in series Of hills. on which are
perched buildings whose gables, verandas