The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1911-08-10
A "M'nhiggin" Fisherman.

1t was picturesque workshop on the
island of Monhegan, close to the water.
and beneath which when the tide IS high,
it must oftentimes rush. Perhaps it was
a fish house once. Over the door in gilt
tering gold on background of black is
sign, "B. F. Eaton." Now as the
owner of the shop is B. M. Davis, we
wondered how this sign happened to be
there, so we asked and this was the
reply: "Why, we found that sign off
Burnt Island few years ago and we
brought it home and put it up here. 1t
came off vessel that was wrecked,
suppose" and so the mystery of the
solved.
Mr.. Davis, "Ben," as the island PEG.
pie call him, is seventy-three years old
and a as bright and lively as boy. Each
day finds him busy in his workshop busy
repairing his lobster traps and doing all
sorts of little odd jobs. He doesn't go
lobstering now, says he got tired of it
and decided to quit and let his son, Wal
ter, carry on the business. We had seen
this pleasant-faced, white-haired man
about the wharf and around the post
office for several days and l had an
nounced that was going to make his ac-
quaintance, if possible, before leaving
the island. One day as we were sitting
on the Island Inn piazza, spied him go
ng into his shop, and followed him.
There, perched upon barrel at his elbow,
| watched him at his work and within
the hour which followed we became well
acquainted, and many were the tales OF
the island which this man told. He was
born on the island and had always lived
there, with the exception of short trips
to the mainland. He has several daugh-
tiers, one of whom lives at home. The
others are married, some living on the
island. He also has son who lives
there. Mr.. Davis, who has been the
postmaster for twenty years, is brother
to "Ben," and he has another brother on
Monhegan.
Have there been many drowning ac-
cidents around M'nhiggin? Well, not SO
many, you see we know the water just
as you know the land. Five years ago
Reuben Davis was drowned off the point.
We never knew just how it happened.
About three years ago girl from Friend
ship, working at the M'nhiggin House
was drowned. She and another girl
went in bathing. They did everything
to save her, but it was no use. We
thought lot of her. She used to come
over to our house and play the organ.
She had lived at Cranberry Isle all her
life until that spring her people moved
over to Friendship. She was to ha, e
been married that fall. The next morn
ing one of the men took her home in his
boat. He got there before her folks
were up and they didn't know anything
about it until he got there with her body.
IrooSf,,1 %biror -
AS this fisherman worked putting new
ropes into the cork buoys which are used
about the lobster traps to keep the ropes
from getting tangled, he stopped often
to explain. Once the ropes and buoys
got twisted and his visitor. who had bee n
watching the process, offered some as
sistance. This was accepted by the fish
erman, who with merry twinkle in his
eye, said, "Guess I'll have to give you
job. You see we have to put new ropes
on to some of them every year, see this
one, how black it is. 1t might last a
little while, but not all the season. My
son Walter, you know him, lives down
there by the bridge, has two hundred
traps, and it keeps me busy in the sum-
mer fixing them up"
Ny eyes wandered around the shop.
Close by me was pile of bottoms for
lobster traps. Those l recognized with
out being told. In the center of the
room was boat which had just been
painted. This belonged to Massachu-
sets man who comes to the Davis hon
each year for short vacation. Hang
ing upon the walls were nets and all sorts
of things for fishing. Three large punches
of decoy ducks hung over the work
bench, and one of these strings Mr.
Davis said was AZ years old. The others
were newer He made them all himself,
and they were good limitations of the
real ducks. 81 used to go cunning, but |
don't now, it's too hard work.
'Do we islanders like to have the sum-
mer people Gomez" Oh, yes, but what
we don't like about them is that they
buy our land, land that we have let them
tramp over all they like, and then when
they get it they put up signs for US to
keep off. We don't think much of that.
Now would you like it? No, l guess not.
Eyes, l should say there We're about
thirty-fve families on the island the
year round, could count them up in
minute; well, | won't if you don't care
about just the number.
you want to know what use we have
for a blacksmith, when there are only
IWO uoISeS vi IIle lSldEu. wen, you see
there's lot of iron work about boats
and fishing things that have to be fixed.
''You think it's too bad we can't get
Holsters all the year? We asked for
that law to protect the Holsters, for they
were getting scarce. We get them now
from January 18th to June 25th There's
heavy fine on having trap out or get
ting lobster after that. Matinicus has
close time FOR ten months in the year.
They do all their clustering in two
months.
In those five months when it is per-
Missile to catch Holsters the Monhegan
people do a big business at it, nearly
every man and boy on the island being
engaged it it. The greater part of the
Holsters are sent to Portland and the
prices received are such as to count up in
good sized figures before the five months
are over.
Not all, however, are sent away, for
those who wish Holsters for summer use,
hoard them up, keeping them in cars in
the harbor, and getting them as needed.
When asked what people did if sick,
Mr.. Davis said they got doctor from
one of the islands to come over. The
prica is 010 and than haSidoS tbic ha uats