. The story of Martha's Vineyard, from the lips of its inhabitants, newspaper files and those who have visited its shores, including stray notes on local history and industries; . nstant use of a stomach pump. THE PROSPEROUS DAYS OF OIL. One who wrote much for the Gazette of his Boyhoodmemories of Edgartown naturally has considerable to sayconcerning the prosperous days of oil. Nearly all of the Nan-tucket whalers used to unload and fit out at the Edgartownwharves. Vineyard men were in great demand for captains,officers and crews, they being considered the best navigatorsand whalers in the wor
. The story of Martha's Vineyard, from the lips of its inhabitants, newspaper files and those who have visited its shores, including stray notes on local history and industries; . nstant use of a stomach pump. THE PROSPEROUS DAYS OF OIL. One who wrote much for the Gazette of his Boyhoodmemories of Edgartown naturally has considerable to sayconcerning the prosperous days of oil. Nearly all of the Nan-tucket whalers used to unload and fit out at the Edgartownwharves. Vineyard men were in great demand for captains,officers and crews, they being considered the best navigatorsand whalers in the world. In fact this was the port of thatfluke-tailed island (Nantucket). In those days the New Bedford packet would signal goodor bad news by flying a large ships flag if she brought homethe captain and crew of some returned whaler, or if the newswas of disaster her flag was at half mast. Then was there ananxious hour for every family in the place as she slowly madeher way into and up the harbor, for all had friends and rela-tives on the deep. Wharves were filled with long tiers of casks of oil, and onthe fields were stored more casks, covered with bleaching sea EDGARTOWN. 41. weed, ships were coming in and ships were weighing an-chor, vessels were freighting oil to Nantucket and New Bedford, and a mob of re-turned sailors and green hands just starting on a first voyage was everywhere. The result was activity in every branch of business : The old bake house was in full blast, baking hardtack by the cask full, and the stores then weremostly below the four cor-ners, hugging close to the harbor shore. THE SEAMY SIDE. There are a number of well-known disasters in which Ed-gartown men were interested, concerning one or two of whichno more than the briefest mention can be made. On Septem-ber 25, 1852, the whale ship Citizen, Capt. Thomas HowesNorton of Edgartown, master, was wrecked on the icy shoresof the Arctic Ocean, and captain and crew lived for nine monthswith the natives, sufferi
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectmarthas, bookyear1908
