USA > Massachusetts > Dukes County > Gosnold > The story of Cuttyhunk > Part 2
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1685-In 1685 the Elizabeth Islands were transferred to Martha's Vineyard Manor.
1688-In 1688 Peleg Sanford acquired the rights of Phillip Smith and Thomas Ward and sold one half of the island to Ralph Earle of Dartmouth, who in the same year sold to his son Ralph Jr. who became, as far as can be determined, the first permanent settler.
It would appear that these men from Newport and Dartmouth were chiefly interested in the lumber which could be cut from Cuttyhunk and they successfully denuded it of the lush growth described in the Gos- nold accounts.
1691-In 1691 the Elizabeth Islands were assigned to Dukes County.
1693-Ralph Earle Jr. sold a quarter of the island to his brother William and in this same year Peleg Slo- cum, of Dartmouth, by successive purchases of the holdings of these two brothers and Peleg Sanford be- came the sole owner of Cuttyhunk, Penikese, and Nash-
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awena. The Slocum family continued to reside here for the next two hundred years.
1789-In 1789 Christopher and Giles Slocum were the owners of Cuttyhunk.
1858-In 1858 William C. N. Swift, Thomas Nye and Eben Perry sailed out from New Bedford in one of their whaling ships which was bound on a voyage. They left their whaler about ten miles south of Cut- tyhunk and took the pilot boat to return to New Bed- ford. A severe storm came up and they had to land on Cuttyhunk where they passed the night and were hospitably entertained by Otis Slocum, the owner of the island. In the morning, when about to depart, they offered Mr. Slocum some compensation for his hospitality, which he declined, and they desiring to show their appreciation for his kindness, asked him what he would sell them Gosnold's Island for. He told them he would sell it for fifty dollars. These gentlemen purchased it and at their death it became the property of their heirs."
THE ELIZABETH ISLANDS BECOME THE TOWN OF GOSNOLD
In 1788 Holder Slocum and five others describing themselves as "Proprietors of the four Elizabeth Is- lands (so-called) known by the names of Peskanees, Nashurnnah, Cutterhunker, and Pennokees' petition- ed the General Court for a separation from Chilmark and annexation to Dartmouth. The reasons assigned by them for this change of jurisdiction were as fol- lows: (1) "There is a great disparity in the assessment of their taxes from which they cannot gain any relief without passing twenty miles over sea." (2) They have not been notified "when a valuation was about to be taken". (3) "If obliged to have recourse to law - the remedy (to use an old proverb) might be worse
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than the disease" (4) that "agreeable to the Maxim Taxation and Representation ought ever to go hand in hand," they conceived themselves deprived of one of the "Essential Rights of Freemen as they have no voice in the election of Town Officers for said Chil- mark" (5) They could offer "many other just and weighty reasons" but concluded that these were suf- ficient.
The General Court directed that the town officers of Chilmark and Dartmouth be notified of the petition and given an opportunity to be heard thereon. (Mass. Archives Senate Documents No. 1093) Under date of December 25, 1788 Robert Allen, town clerk of Chil- mark filed the remonstrance of that town in which the allegation of the petitioners are traversed. He stated: (1) That no petitions for relief from taxation had ever been received from the Elizabeth Islands (2) That persons residing on said Islands have at several times been persuaded by the inhabitants of Chilmark to have an assessor chosen amongst them but they have ever refused; (3) that the petitioners were exceed- ingly mistaken with regard to the situation of the said islands - as the distance from Dartmouth to the Islands is nearer seven leagues and from Chilmark to said Islands but seven miles."
"The exceedingly unconvincing terms" cited by the Chilmark authorities though the "many other just and weighty reasons," which remained unspoken by the petitioners might have borne unexpected weight with the court, had not the House of Slocum been divided against itself. Under date of January 8, 1789, Christopher and Giles Slocum of Cuttyhunk calling themselves the owners of that island, sent in a remon- strance against the proposed change of jurisdiction, and the petitioners, on January 23rd, 1789 were given leave to withdraw. This ended the first campaign for separation.
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SEPARATION AND INCORPORATION
For three quarters of a century the idea of inde- pendent existence slumbered and two generations of people passed out of existence. With a handful of voters and no political influence the prospect of sev- ering relationship with Chilmark are chimerical. The growth of the summer tourist and seashore visitor revived the sentiment and to this was added the wide personal and business relations of John M. Forbes, the "Master of Naushon". In 1863 this sentiment had crystallized, and the inhabitants of the several islands began anew the campaign for separation. Petitions signed by Edward Merrill, John Flanders, John W. Flanders, Benjamin B. Church, George N. Slocum, John M. Forbes, Willard Besse, Otis Slocum, Harry A. Slo- cum, Joseph Tucker, Charles C. Church, Henry J. Al- len, W. R. Veeder, Daniel Hamland Jr. and Henry P. Macomber, were presented to the General Court ask- ing that the islands be incorporated by the name of "Monohansett". They alleged unequal taxation, ap- propriations, division of town officers, etc. and the usual accompaniment of loss of rights and privileges.
Notice was served on Tristram Mayhew, Samuel T. Hancock, and John Hammett, as Selectmen of Chil- mark, and on December 22nd that year they were directed by the town to present a remonstrance. This they did and stated in objection that the proposed town "is a portion of the small town of Chilmark owned prin- cipally by non-residents and very sparsely populated ; and that all the legal voters are but sixteen in number, a part of whom are tenants and laborers, temporary residents, and they are not sensible of unequal taxa- tion."
Notwithstanding the apparent absurdity of incor- porating such a few persons into a body politic, yet the great influence of Mr. Forbes prevailed and the prayer of the petitioners was granted. The name se-
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lected, however, was not that asked for, but instead Gosnold was chosen in honor of the first discoverer, and on March 17, 1864 an Act to Incorporate the Town of Gosnold was signed by Alex H. Bullock, Speaker of the House of Representatives, J. C. Field, President of the Senate and attested by Oliver Warner, Secre- tary of the Commonwealth.
POLITICAL BEGINNINGS OF GOSNOLD
The warrant for the first Town Meeting was issued and signed by Richard L. Pease, Justice of the Peace at Edgartown and was addressed to John W. Gifford of Gosnold. It was posted on Naushon, Nashawena, Penikese, Cuttyhunk and Pasque Islands at the homes of the following inhabitants: John W. Gifford, Nau- shon; Richard Merrill, Nashawena; John Flanders, Penikese ; Benjamin Church, Cuttyhunk ; and Ebenezer Norton, Pasque.
The first Town Meeting was held "at the farmhouse on the western end of Naushon near Robinson's Hole, on Monday May 23rd 1864 at one o'clock". The town meetings for the first ten years were all held on Nau- shon. At this first meeting there were only twelve vot- ers. The officers chosen at that meeting were: Mod- erator, Abraham C. White; Town Clerk and Treasurer, Samuel E. Shiff; Selectmen and Assessors, Abraham C. White, Benjamin B. Church, John W. Gifford; Col- lector of Taxes, Frederick S. Allen; School Committee Abraham C. White, Benjamin B. Church, John W. Gif- ford; Constables, George N. Slocum, Peter C. Wain- wright, John W. Flanders.
A second Town Meeting was held in June of 1864 when the amount of one hundred dollars was appro- priated for schools and a note for $1,837.63 was given to the Town of Chilmark as Gosnold's share of indebt- edness incurred before separation from Chilmark.
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It is interesting to note that the same three men were re-elected as Selectmen and Assessors for nine yars, or until 1873 when the following men were elected; George L. Barney, Charles C. Church, and Timothy Akin.
In 1872 a committee was selected to purchase a piece of land and build a school on Cuttyhunk and in 1873 the sum of $900. was appropriated for building the schoolhouse.
The first Town Meeting held on Cuttyhunk was in 1874 when the new schoolhouse was used as the meet- ing place and fifteen votes were recorded.
The voting list of 1875 is interesting because of the names of ancestors of some of the present Cuttyhunk families therein enrolled. The list is as follows:
Timothy Akin
John Duncan
Charles Akin
Reuben Dyer
Frederick S. Allen
Francis A. Flanders
Henry J. Allen
Oliver C. Grinnell
Holder Allen
W. H. Haskins
William W. Allen
Orin Keeney
Daniel Black
Alvira Lewis
Azel Bates
Richard Norton
Leonard Besse
S. Austin Smith
George Barney
Samuel Smith
Benjamin Church
Alonzo B. Veeder
Charles C. Church
William Veeder
Albert F. Church
William Veeder Jr.
At the Town Meeting of 1889 several items of in- terest came up. The Cuttyhunk Club gave the town the land for a cemetery. It was voted to build a build- ing for housing the equipment of the Sealer of Weights and Measures, said building to be 10x12x8. The War- rant for this 1889 meeting was the first one posted in the Cuttyhunk Post-office.
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In 1892 it was voted to locate a library in the build- ing known as the Town House (the building built to house the weights and measures). The first Library Trustees were elected. They were Josiah W. Tilton Mrs. Annette B. Veeder and Alfred Eisner. It was voted to raise the sum of $1,500. for the library. The next year the first Librarian was elected, Mrs. Albina F. Veeder, at a salary of $20.00.
POPULATION
There are but few references available concerning the number of persons living on the Elizabeth Islands before 1800 and none before the middle of the eight- eenth century. In 1761 it was stated that there were "near twenty families" here and we can estimate that this represents about ninety persons. In 1777 there were reported seventeen families and "about one hundred souls" (Mass. Arch. CXVII 758). The census of 1790 gives 13 on Cuttyhunk, 10 on Nashawena, 21 on Pasque, and 59 on Naushon, a total of 103. No fur- ther records exist until after 1864 when the islands be- came the Town of Gosnold. The latest figures show 125 living on the Islands.
THE CUTTYHUNK CLUB
In 1864 a group of New York gentlemen who had been members of The West Island Club located at Sakonnet Point, became dissatisfied with that Club's regulations and decided to look about for another sit- uation where they might start a club with regulations which suited them. They came to Cuttyhunk in the yacht "Theresa," under the guidance of Captain Joseph F. Gifford and the following year bought the larger part of the island, organized their fishing club and established their fishing stands.
When first organized the membership was fixed at fifty, but afterwards the number was increased to
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sixty and later to seventy-five. The admission fee was $300. An applicant for election to membership was rejected if there was a single vote against him.
The first president of the Cuttyhunk Club was Henry P. McGowan, who controlled a line of steamboats ply- ing on the Hudson River. His son, Reverend William McGowan of the Five Points Mission, New York, was an annual visitor to Cuttyhunk for many years.
The Cuttyhunk Club, at one time, had twenty-six fishing stands extending completely around the island and each stand was occupied during all fit weather. Every night the members met to draw for stands to be used on the following day. A record was kept of the daily catch, showing number of fish caught, by whom, on what stand, and the weight of each fish. Each fisherman employed a boy to "chum" the fishing place. That is the boy would bait the fisherman's hook with a choice bit of lobster tail and break the rest of the lobster body into small pieces which he threw over- board to toll the bass toward the bait. Sometimes menhaden, ground up, were used as "chum". The usual bonus for the "chummer" was $1.00 per fish, but sometimes when an unusually large fish was pulled in the bonus might be increased.
Besides the shore fishing, the Cuttyhunk Club stock- ed the West End Ponds with black bass and perch.
The Cuttyhunk Club gave the Cuttyhunk Church the land for its House of Worship in 1880 and the deed for the land was signed in 1882 by William R. Renwick for the Club.
Every July 4th the Club members entertained the residents of the island at the Club. This old custom has been revived by the present owners, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Moore.
William Wood bought out the Cuttyhunk Club's in- terest in the island in 1921. Mr. Wood had previously built The Avalon Club, and after gaining possession
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of the land and buildings from the Club he endeavored to buy all property which was for sale, in an effort to make the island a summering place for himself and his friends.
However, many of the pilots and fishermen who had acquired property from the Slocum family wished to remain on the island and did not desire to sell their holdings. Mr. Wood was instrumental in many im- provements made on Cuttyhunk such as sewage, town water, telephone, and harbor improvements.
PILOTS, FISHERMEN, LIFE SAVERS
As it natural for island peoples all over the world, the chief interest'and work of the men of Cuttyhunk has been and is seafaring and fishing.
While the first owner to live on Cuttyhunk, Ralph Earle Jr. from Dartmouth, was doubtless most inter- ested in lumbering and farming, it was not long until men whose chief interest was in piloting began to make their homes here, and in the intervals between piloting jobs took up cod fishing, lobstering, quahoging, and farming.
In the early days of the town, lobstering was the summer fishing occupation. In the spring and fall mackerel was caught and in the fall the boats went cod fishing off Sow and Pigs. In the winter, rigged out with quahog rakes, the larger lobster boats dragged for quahogs. Crab and eel pots were also set by some of the men.
Today bass fishing and sports guiding is the chief occupation of most of the men, although some lobster- ing, cod fishing and quahoging is carried on.
PILOTS
In the days when whaling was the chief business of the port of New Bedford and Clipper Ships were busy
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in the China and West India trade, pilots were needed to usher vessels into and out of New Bedford harbor. What better vantage point could there be for sighting ships needing such service than the island of Cutty- hunk? So it came about that for many years pilots made their homes on Cuttyhunk and their Lookout was the hill of that name. As late as 1903 Miss Elizabeth Watson writing an article entitled "The Modern Settle- ment At Cuttyhunk" for the Old Dartmouth Historical Society says: "On the hills we often see motionless fig- ures with spyglasses, watching for incoming ships, for piloting is still a business with the men of Cutty- hunk, and one of the men of the island told me that eleven ships were once taken into New Bedford in a single day by Cuttyhunk pilots."
An article in the New Bedford Sunday Standard of April 17, 1921 lists the Cuttyhunk Pilots of that date as "Frank B. Veeder, Carlton Veeder, George King, Walter H. Allen, Charles C. Allen and Russell Rotch, all of whom with the exception of Charles C. Allen, who has not taken a ship in for sometime be- cause of his age, stand ready at all times to pilot ves- sels in and out of Buzzards Bay and through Vineyard Sound.
A look at the recorded shipping list of coastwise vessels in the early years gives an idea of the necessity for pilots.
RECORDED NUMBER OF COASTWISE VESSELS
Year ending June 1829 passed through Vineyard Sound-11,653
Year ending June 1830 passed through Vineyard Sound-12,603
Passed Cuttyhunk in three months in- 1851
Ships
182
Brigs
544
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Schooners 4991
Sloops
954
Steamers 5
a total of 6,676 vessels in three months, which if this rate continued for a year would be 26,704 or 73 ves- sels per day.
LIFE SAVERS
The Cuttyhunk Fishermen and pilots have always been active in rescue work. As early as 1847 the Mas- sachusetts Humane Society had erected life saving stations on the Elizabeth Islands supplied with approv- ed life saving appliances for the use of the islanders who were always ready to put off to the aid of fel- low mariners in need of assistance.
In 1889 the United States government established a life saving station on the peninsula near Canipitset. At first there were eight men assigned to the Cuttyhunk Station and seven of them were always on duty ex- cept during June and July. Every night and every foggy day the men patrolled the cliffs and beaches along the west and south shores. Each man carried two Coston signals, whose bright red glare warned ships which approached too close to the dangerous shore, or gave promise of help to wrecked mariners.
In the old days on the last night of July, just before the men went on duty they held a dance at the life sav- ing station where visitors, especially the girls, were welcomed. Festivities ceased promptly at twelve o'clock and two of the guardsmen started out on their four hour watch, armed with clocks and signals. A watch that was to be continuously kept until the next June rolled around.
During pleasant days the watch was kept from the Lookout House on the Lookout Hill and all shipping passing in either Sound or Bay was logged.
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Today, in a new station, near the village, radio watch is kept every day in the year and in a new watch house high up at the top of a steel tower on the Look- out a Coast Guardsman keeps constant vigil.
THE AQUATIC DISASTER February 24, 1893
Of all the wrecks and rescues in the annals of Cut- tyhunk none brought so much grief and disaster to the islanders as the wreck of the brig Aquatic on Sow and Pigs reef, Friday night, February 24, 1893. Five of the brave men of the island lost their lives and a sixth was saved with his health impaired by his ex- periences.
The wreck was discovered by Willie Eisener, whose father was the lighthouse keeper, about 8:20 P. M. As soon as Captain Eisner made sure that there was a vessel on the reef, a messenger was dispatched to the village to notify the life saving crew.
Soon most of the villagers were assembled at the West End and Captain Timothy Akin Jr., took charge of the Humane Society boat and in spite of the remon- strances of Captain Eisner to wait until the Life Sav- ing crew from the government station arrived and then attempt the rescue together, because of the rough seas, and the chances against being able to board the brig, Captain Tim called, "Man the boat" and then "Push her out boys."
Ever since the government life saving station had been established there had been friendly rivalry be- tween the men of the station and the islanders who still belonged to the Humane Crew as to which boat would be first on the scene of a wreck. This rivalry was to cost the crew of the Humane Society dearly.
Josiah Tilton, the sole survivor told the story to a reporter of The Evening Journal as follows:
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"I should say it was about twenty minutes of nine o'clock when I was aroused from a quiet perusal of a story paper by a knock at the door and Willie Black came in breathless with excitement and told us that there was a vessel ashore on Sow & Pigs. I started out alone and went directly to the boat house of the Humane Society and awaited the coming of the rest of the islanders. They came one by one until all had arrived but Captain Tim Akin and when he came up we were all ready for a start.
The boat was launched and this must have been about nine-thirty. Captain Akin named the five men who were to go and we shoved off. We got out oppo- site the brig in the breakers, and Captain Akin kept saying, 'This is all right, this is all right.' He is a man of no fear, and where he was the rest of the men were always brave. When we got pretty near out to the wreck and near the roaring breakers, I turned around to Fred Akin, who was in the bow of the boat next to me and said, 'I don't think we will get there, do you?' Fred looked first at me and then at the break- ers, and answered, 'I don't know.' We didn't say any more and presently we were in the line of breakers that were pretty bad. Captain Akin sang out to get the anchor ready when we were a couple of hundred feet away from the brig, and when we were about to do this so as to have something to pull her back by, the boat gave a sudden lurch and went over like a flash of lightning.
I hardly realized what had happened, but went out on the bow of the boat and the rest of the crew over towards the stern. I saw the boat right and saw three men on top of her, whom I took to be Captain Akin, Fred Akin, and Hiram Jackson. I couldn't swim a stroke and as the boat went over Captain Akin shout- ed out to me : 'Get an oar, Joe;' and then a big wave took me right up to the side of the vessel.
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The currents parted and I seemed to be carried down near the stern of the brig. A sailor standing amidship came aft and threw me a rope, which I caught and passed under my arms, and I was hauled in on deck. Then I saw a rope thrown to Captain Tim, but he only succeeded in getting it under one of his arms. He was bundled up in a great ulster and it bothered him terribly. He was washed away. I think they had another man partly up. I only just caught a glimpse of him, but think it was Jackson. Captain Tim was washed against the wreck with a fearful whack, and I think he must have been hurt and partly stunned. I think some of the other men must have been struck by the boat for they were washed away without being seen.
I was taken into the cabin of the vessel and given a dry suit of clothes but in about an hour was forced out as the vessel commenced to fill. Then we remained on deck until midnight when we were forced into the rigging as the vessel had settled down on a level with her decks. I went into the foretop and then came down on the rigging and remained all night sheltered by wrapping the foretopsail around me. I could see the shore the next morning and knew the anxiety that must prevail and tried to let them know at least one man of us was saved.
When we saw the tug Elsie come along from Vine- yard Haven at about noon I was very glad for the calves of my legs ached terribly and were all cramped from my uncomfortable position. The lighter Aid was also with the tug; and then we saw the life saving crew put off to her. We could see some sort of prepara- tion being made on board, and then saw the crew com- mence to drop the lighter astern from the tug; and when she was quite near the line of breakers the tug stopped her and shot was fired from the lighter directly
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across us and the line was secured and a breeches buoy apparatus rigged from the foretop to the lighter.
Three of us including myself, were taken down by the breeches buoy. We struck the icy water about fifteen feet from the lighter, the line sagging, I went into the water up to my neck and with the others was picked up by the life saving crew who stood by where we were expected to strike the water. A big dory from the lighter then put into the breakers and went under the brig's bow. The seven remaining men came down the spring stay and on to the martingale and dropped into the dory.
I tell you it was pretty cold standing in the rigging and I suffered some, but am thankful that I got out of the affair alive."
The five men of the Humane Crew who lost their lives in this brave attempt at rescue were: Captain Timothy Akin Jr .; Hiram Jackson ; Eugene Brightman ; Isaiah H. Tilton; and Frederick Akin.
THE WORK OF THE UNITED STATES LIFE SAVING CREW
The crew of the government life saving station had a tough night of work. It was about nine o'clock when the crew were notified of the wreck of the Aquatic. Captain Bosworth immediately launched the smaller lifeboat and the crew started out around the island on the bay side. The waves dashed into the boat in sprays and soon both boat and men were coated with ice. They had a hard pull of four hours. They. rowed out until they went as near the line of breakers as they dared, and then seeing the extreme danger of trying to get to the brig Captain Bosworth put his boat into the beach at the Wash Pond, where she was hauled out by the assembled crowd. Then Captain Bosworth sent for the big boat to work with at day- light. The crew returned with the large boat just
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about daylight but nothing could be done because of the terrible breakers. When the fearful loss of the Humane Crew became known it saddened all hearts.
The tug Elsie from Vineyard Haven towing the light- er Oak and bound for the wreck of the John Paul, providentially came along and, of course, offered their services to aid in the rescue. Captain Bosworth and Captain Fred Allen of The Humane Society's Crew worked together and took their gun aboard the lighter and superintended the rescue of the crew of the Aquat- ic. Their joy was tempered with sorrow when the first man to come down from the wreck was Joe Tilton, for he told them that he believed all the rest of the men from the island had perished.
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