Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-03-10
NO MANS LAND IS
TRAGEDY ISLAND
Family of Five Only inhabitants
OF Place in the
Winter.

No Mans Land, an egg-shaped ISL
and about five miles in circumference,
lies about eight miles south of Gay
Head Light, off the Massachusetts
coast. in the Atlantic ocean, and is
the most isolated place on the Allan
ticscoast that is inhabited.
Edward NJ. Swenson, a former
yacht skipper, his wife and family
of three children, are the only peo-
pie living on the island this winter,
and since they went there to live
during last summer another child has
been born in the Swenson family.
Henry 3. Davis, of West Tisbury.
who owns a large portion of the
island, has lived several winters at
No Mans Land, and about four years
ago, when Charles Foster stayed
there with Mr.. Davis, the British
barkentine Lakeside went ashore and
was total loss The crew reached
shore and We're cared for until they
were taken off the island by the
revenue cutter Acushnet.
There are three or four old fishing
shanties on the island, the largest
and most substantial dwelling being
the home of the Swenson family.
During the summer the island is
visited by fishermen from the sword
fishing and codfishing fleet, but in
the winter a boat seldom visits the
island as there is no harbor
Besides the wooden shanty in which
this family lives there are only three
shelters of any sort upon the island.
The village of Fishvllle, which many
years ago had considerable popu-
lation during the fishing season, has
er1a RI u l-,rf1h1pH q until nf tl1n
twenty odd fishing shacks which
comprise this little settlement all
but three or four have collapsed from
age or been burned.
"In 1913 the Portuguese ship Anna
2on, of eight guns, was cast away ON
the island" says the Boston Globe.
The Amazon was thirty days out OF
Lisbon for Boston with a cargo of
salt, which was all lost, together with
the ship. Captain Francisco Antonio
and his crew were saved in a tub to
which a line was made fast, and they
We're towed to shore. The second mate
was the last person to leave the ship.
The tub upset and he was swept to
sea. He carried the ships papers and
all the letters.
Seventy five years ago a vessel
laden with shingles foundered off No
Mans Land. Some of the singles to-
day cover a porch roof on Martha $
Vineyard. Forty years back
schooner with cotton brought up on
the island graveyard. The stories of
many wrecks during the last century
and n quarter attest the dangers of
the island breakers.
Tragic Story Told.
1T is impossible to arrange these
chronologically. There is the tragic
story of the vessel which tried to
fetch by the west end at daylight in
a gale of wind. One man ran out on
the flying jibboom, and, hailing the
people gathered on the shore, asked
if he could swim ashore. Powerless
to help him, they answered no. He
ran back to the deck, and an arm
was seen to reach up from the cabin
and pull him below. Five bodies came
ashore next day.
Graveyard of Ships.
The island is a part of the town
of Chilmark Marthas Vineyard, and
Mr.. Davis figured in litigation in the
Massachusetts courts few years ago
because he refused to accept the Of
fer of the town to pay the board of
his children in West Tisbury where
they could attend school. Mr.. Davis
" "
on No Mans Land for his children.
The Supreme Court heard the case
and Mr.. Davis lost, it being held that
he was obliged to send his children to
school, but that the town was not
obliged to provide schooling for them
on the lonesome island where he chose
to live Since then Mr.. Davis left
the island.
The fishermen of No Mans Land
h. g.
wrecker and plumber vessels before
underwriters and salvage crews could
arrive The craft striking on No
Mans Land was fortunate if she held
together long enough to save her
crew.
Atlantic rollers have ground large
number of staunch vessels to pieces
on the island rocks. There was an in
teresting old story current among the
fishermen of an English man of war
which went to pieces on East Point
back in revolutionary days. Many of
the men were supposed to have been
lost. and quantity OF gold specie
went to the bottom Then years later
fisherman rowing out to sea, with
his fellows happened to be pulling
along inshorc while the tide was out.
In the clear water he saw two bags
of specie moss and barnacle encrust-
ed. Cupidity got the better OF him
and he decided to say nothing to his
companions and go back later for the
gold. When he returned, hunt as he
might, he could never find 1t.
Many Seek Bags of Gold.
Whether this story is true or not
makes no difference. Many a fisher
man i'm after years rowed slowly over
the shadows at ebb tide, vainly stT-iv-
ing to find bags of specie in the linpid
waters.
"a brand-new brig from down East.
lumber laden for Providence, at
tempted to pass outside of No Mans