Historic Nantucket
The brick structure on the corner of Main and Orange Streets was built in 1831 by Philip H. Folger, and known as the Folger Block. It has been recently pur chased by the Pacific National Bank, which transferred its Trust Department to the Bank of Boston last year, and Folger Block will house the Bank of Boston's Nantucket Trust Offices. Larry Cronin, photo
July, 1985 Published Quarterly by Nantucket Historical Association Nantucket, Massachusetts
NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President: H. Flint Ranney Vice President: Robert D. Congdon Vice President: Mrs. Bracebridge Young, Jr Secretary: Richard Austin Treasurer: Donald E.Terry
Honorary Vice Presidents Walter Beinecke Alcon Chadwick
Albert Brock Mrs. Bernard Grossman
Albert F. Egan, Jr. Mrs. R. Arthur Orleans
Presidents Emeritus George W. Jones
Leroy H. True
Edouard A. Stackpole
COUNCIL MEMBERS Edward B. Anderson Mrs. Kenneth Baird Mrs. John A. Baldwin
Philip C. Murray Mrs. H. Crowell Freeman John Gilbert
Mrs. Marshall Brenizer
Mrs. Walker Groetzinger
Mrs. Paul A. Callahan
Andrew J. Leddy
Mrs. James F. Chase Mrs. George A. Fowlkes
Reginald Levine Mrs. Carl M. Mueller
F. Philip Nash, Jr. Mrs. Alan Newhouse Francis W. Pease Mrs. Judith Powers Charles F. Sayle, Sr. Mrs. Jane Woodruff
ADVISORY BOARD Charles Ft. Carpenter
Mrs. Charles Carpenter
Stuart P. Feld
William B. Macomber
Mrs. Thomas Loring
F. Blair Reeves
STAFF John N. Welch, Administrator Victoria Hawkins, Curator Elizabeth Tyrer, Executive Secretary Edouard A. Stackpole, Historian; Director, Peter Foulger Museum Leroy H. True, Director of Whaling Museum Historic Nantucket, Editor, E.A. Stackpole Assistant Editor, Mrs. R. Arthur Orleans Mrs. Louise Hussey, Librarian Mrs. Jacqueline Haring, Archivist Laura Evans, Curatorial Assistant' Oldest House: Mrs. Margaret Crowell, Mrs. Abram Niles Hadwen House-Satler Memorial: Mrs. Richard Strong Whaling Museum: James A. Watts, Alfred N. Orpin, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Dougan, Gerald Ryder Greater Light: Dr. Selina T. Johnson Peter Foulger Museum: Registrar, Peter S. MacGlashan; Mrs. Everett Merrithew, Alcon Chadwick, Everett Finlay Macy-Christian House: Miss Dorothy Hiller, Mrs. Helen S. Soverino Old Mill: Millers: John A. Stackpole, Thomas Seager Fair Street Museum: Mrs. William Witt, Mrs. Kathleen Barcus Archeology Department: Vice-Chairman, Mrs. John D. C. Little Museum Shop: Manager - Thomas W. Dickson, Lucy Bixby
HISTORIC NANTUCKET Published Quarterly and devoted to the preservation Nantucket's antiquity, its famed heritage and its illustrious past as a whaling port.
Volume 33
July, 1985
of
No. 1
CONTENTS Nantucket Historical Association Officers and Staff
2
Editorial - Vital Parts of the Continued Story
5
A Whale's Vital Statistics by William Hussey Macy
6
Frederick Parcell Hill by John C. Lathrop
7
Westward Passage by Edgar L. McCormick
18
Peter Folger Ewer - The Man Who Created the "Camels" by Edouard A. Stackpole
19
Vignette by Eleanor Phinney
31
Bequests/Address Changes
31
Historic Nantucket (USPS 246460) is published quarterly at Nantucket, Massachusetts by the Nantucket Historical Association. It is sent to Association members and extra copies may be purchased for $3.00 each. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Nantucket Historical Association, Box 1016, Nantucket, Ma. 02554. Membership dues are: Individual $15, Family $25, Supporting $50, Patron $100, Life $300. Second-class postage paid at Nantucket, Massachusetts. Communications pertaining to the Publication should be addressed to the Editor, Historic Nantucket, Nantucket Historical Association, Nantucket, Massachusetts 02554.
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Vital Parts of the Continued Story DURING THE LAST HALF century there has been a gradual awaken ing among Nantucket residents that the key to the future of the Island is in the single word "preservation". The interruption in the regular course of events brought about by World War II was followed by the ac tive business affairs which characterized the post-war period, and then, with the past three decades, the awareness that the old theme of "preservation" had once again become vitally important. Now we face another fact: preservation involves the entire Island. In our own times, the onslaught of developments has drastically altered the old scene of the outlying lands. Urban sprawl has now become a part of the island and the environs of the town. What has become of the public awareness that these changes have destroyed the once rural scene? Thirty years ago, the creation of the "Historic Districts Act" was a major step. But it was merely the beginning of the continued story that has been evolving since. Gradual encroachments of the district, design ed by law as the "protected" area, show clearly how the "nibbling pro cesses" have eaten into its environs. As was to be expected, this gradual evolution has made changes in the residential sections, with "commercial" now taking over many "residential" parts. We have a town of history, and the preservation of this history is a vital part of the "continued story" of Nantucket. Certain clauses in the original "Historic Districts" act were placed in the legal documents as safeguards against attempts to circumscribe the legal aspects. Often the interpretation of the act may be placed in jeopardy by the capriciousness of some jurist. As a basic formula both tradition and history should serve as the guide lines for such interpretation. We should not need to remind anyone in authority of the impor tance of Nantucket as a place of history. Both citizens and authorities have companion roles in the "continued story," and these roles loom larger as time goes on. -Edouard A. Stackpole
A Whale's Vital Statistics A correspondent wants to know How long a whale can live, Also, to what size he can grow. We're sorry we can't give The information that is sought; We think a whale, however, That is, if he should not be caught, Might live a l m o s t forever. We can't prove this, but it appears, If old tradition's true, That men once lived nine hundred years, And why not whales then, too? If length of life depends on size, The whale should live much longer, Because he is - no one denies Bigger than man, and stronger. If size depends on length of days, And all things in proportion, A whale might grow beyond our gaze, And stretch across the ocean, Like that one in old Sinbad's tale, Whereon their vessel stranded; They never dreamed it was a whale When on its back they landed. We've heard it said that paroquets Will live a hundred years; We've never tried that kind of pets, We say it here in tears. "We never reared a young gazelle", Nor trained a sweet canary, But some confounded thing or, - well; Our fates have been contrary. We learned from geologic sage, The whales had horns and hoofs, Away back in that Saurian age, But then where are the proofs? We're writing in the present tense, And say it without levity, It doesn't stand to common sense To fix a whale's longevity. William Hussey Macy, 1885
7
Frederick Parcell Hill, Architect by John C. Lathrop FREDERICK PARCELL HILL was known around Sconset, in his very mature years, during his 60's, 70's, and 80's, as a spare, graying, busy man, spry as a mouse, who moved with purpose, was interested in much and accomplished much. He was known as an architect and always signed his name with the identification or title "architect". He was known for a long period, as the architect on Nantucket, but he had always lived in Sconset; one who really knew Sconset, worked for it and loved it. He was respected; and, as an older and aloof person, few trespassed upon his time. He was born in Rahway, New Jersey, on September 9th, 1862. His parents were Jennie Van Arsdale and William R. Hill. His early educa tion was probably in Rahway and he entered Rutgers in nearby New Brunswick when he was seventeen. Rutgers granted him two degrees: Bachelor of Arts in 1883 and Master of Arts in 1886. He was able to spend a good deal of time in study in Europe, especially Italy, before 1896. He became a disciple of Charles F. McKim, head of the firm of McKim, Mead and White, and spent seventeen years working under this outstanding architect. In 1896, Fred Hill had become engaged to Miss Florence Merriam of the Middle Brick, Main Street, Nantucket. She was the granddaughter of Mrs. Matthew Starbuck who, with family members, spent summers in Sconset, Nantucket's summer resort. Some of the theatrical people known to the Hills in Sconset resided in Evelyn T. Underbill's colony on Pochick, Evelyn and Lily Streets. Other acting families were found in all parts of the village: the Frank Gillmores on the south end of the North Bluff, the Fawcetts on Main Street, Harry Woodruff, and the Robert Hilliards on Morey Lane. Joseph Jefferson and his sons William anJ Frank, Vincent Serrano, Madge Kennedy, Lillian Russell and Bertha Galland lived in other parts of the Village. Apparently, Fred Hill had shown unusual interest in vocal music from an early age. We know that he had been in the Rutgers College Glee Club and later led musical groups as a church choir director in New York, Nantucket and Bermuda. It is possible that some of his at traction for theatrical people came from mutual interest in vocal ex pression. On December 1, 1909, New York's great Pennsylvania Station, covering four city blocks, was opened. The main Post Office, across 8th Avenue, was not far behind. Other buildings on which Mr. Hill worked
8
HISTORIC NANTUCKET
were the Library of Columbia University at 116th Street, the Boston Public Library, the Capitol Building in Providence, The Bank of Ber muda and its support buildings in Hamilton, and at least one church and a number of private dwellings there. He also worked on the public park system of Washington, D.C. Soon after his Boston work he was encouraged by Mr. McKim to open his own firm. Late in life, in his eighties, Fred Hill wrote a monograph on his friend and master, Mr. McKim. The little book stressed loyalty, dedication and methods used by architects of the highest reputation. Dr. "Will" Gardner wrote the introduction. Mr. Hill was the "modernizing" architect c 1890 for a large two story house at the top of Pitman Hill on the south side of Main Street and the east corner of Morey Lane in Sconset. This house was built about 1870 for Mr. and Mrs. Lewis A. McCreary, the grandparents of Robert Potter who recently moved into Starbuck Cottage, just west of the Casino. This is, of course, the house Fred Hill lived in so long with his wife and daughter, Catherine, and which was later occupied by his daughter and his son-in-law, Reg Bragonier. Two grandchildren, "Bun ny" and "Merry" were there when possible. The house west across Chapel Street, the Moorings, was owned for a time by the Hills. It was rented by them to the Lewis S. McCrearys, the Robert Benchleys and to Mrs. Theodore Fletcher. Considerable tragedy was visited upon the Hills when in 1918 their only son, Horace Hill, age fifteen, was unable to fight off what was probably blood poisoning from a blistered and infected heel. An active lady, now over eighty, remembers the young man as a most popular member of their teenage gang. The war was on the minds of everyone and many of the older boys could not come to Sconset. It was early in the new season and the usual time to lay out the Casino courts. Mr. Hill taught the younger boys and girls the trick of finding a right angle so that the lines could be properly made. The method was called the 3-4-5 system. Using a five foot length of rope, 3 lengths are marked and the diagonal is made. In the "'Sconset Notes" of The Inquirer and Mirror in August 1919, Mrs. Frederick P. Hill wrote of the membership in the Improve ment Association, and as committee chairman of the "clean-up" pro gram, described the work done. She was also on the committee on the Sconset Park in 1923, when the Nantucket Historical Association was placed in charge of the Sconset centerpiece. Mrs. Frederick P. Hill - Florence Hill - loved the flora and fauna of
FREDERICK P. HILL
9
our "commons and heathlands" and was recognized as a skillful land scape gardener. Before and after this time she had planned and ex ecuted a number of flower and rock gardens in Sconset and elsewhere, including abroad. She may have been helped in the planning by two generations of experts, the Psaradelis and James Coffin, Victor Alio, and Frank Murray. No doubt she was able to help Mrs. Emory Buckner and Mrs. Roy Larsen. The second great war, as the first, had many adverse situations for Sconset and the whole island. One of these was in the leadership of the Casino. Gen. Malvern-Hill Barnum had been president, beginning in 1930 for seven years. He was followed for three years by Robert Stark who was soon to be in charge of the local Coast Guard. Mr. Hill, now 78, stepped into the breach in 1940. He had lost his wife three years earlier. Some members of the Casino who were under fifteen and who now vote on Nantucket, thought Mr. Hill was somewhat harsh on noisy and flighty young people. He, among themselves, was even called mean. Some much older people also made no great allowance for adversity, age, and special circumstance. They used unkind words like grouchy, and fuss-budget. Sconset, having been discovered by prominent families from the midwest, the middle states and the large cities, saw two families - one from Southern California, the Barrys, and one from Washington, D.C., the Brushes - become well known in Sconset and the whole island, both for themselves and for their attractive cottages on the North Bluff. These, and around 20 houses in Sconset, were built or considerably rebuilt under the intense guidance of Fred Hill, Architect. Bob Ficks, of Newport and the Preservation Institute of Nantucket and the Univ. of Florida, pointed out, in a Photo Essay, August 1984, that "large entertaining and receiving areas made the Barry House ideal as a gathering place. One first sees a large receiving 'hall/foyer' which is flanked by generous living and dining room space. The living room has a commanding view of the ocean; the dining room is perfect for parties but not too big for a family." Some recent changes under the Shirleys are apparent. The old woodshed area with a sloping roof is now the western side of the living room and the former library, also on the west, behind the hall stairs, is now a master bedroom. As in a more traditional Sconset house, the second floor shows a smaller scale. There are sloping ceilings and storage spaces. An ar chitectural characteristic of all of Hill's work is interest in detail and, of course, he handled detail as a master. There is great harmony and consistency. Some of this is shown in his choice of hardware. Antique hardware existed in Auld Lang Syne, below the Pump, on the western side of Broadway, Sconset.
FREDERICK P. HILL
11
Fred Hill was able to find similar "h" hinges and straps for the Barry House. Closets had simple handles and latches while bedrooms had decorative handles for the latches. The front door has very ornate hardware. Part of the attic may have been used as a sleeping porch at one time. A framed sketch of the Club House of the Sankaty Head Course was found abandoned in the attic. Different door styles were us ed both in the Barry House and the Brush-Gates house. Windows and window shutters are both for interior and exterior purposes. These relate to the original Cod Fish Park shacks and to their modified and enlarged early houses on Front, Broadway, Center and Shell Streets. Exteriors were often the one and one-half story cottage types as in Brush-Gates. This house has wings while the oldest houses had "warts". All had small windows, and the general "house massing" can be recognized almost anywhere on the four old streets mentioned. Roof pitching was low and dormers appear in many sizes and shapes. An "eyebrow" dormer breaks up the long low roof at Brush-Gates. Cedar siding on Auld Lang Syne or its near neighbor to the north, Shanunga, Pump Square and, possibly, a very few others correctly called the "oldest house group" had the single characteristics which still exist. The largest building in Sconset is the Casino. It is the building associated since 1900 with the center of the Village. The building is large because it was conceived as the center for social, cultural and recreational purposes. Therefore, it had a large auditorium hall with a stage, porches, an office, and other supporting spaces. This "Hall of Amusement" or "pleasure dome" resembled a barn and its hall was not noted for acceptable acoustical properties. After twenty-five years of use, extensive repairs and sophisticated improvements were called for. New funds and support was offered by the David Grays of Detroit and Santa Barbara. Mr. Gray had made possible the Sankaty Head Golf Course and Club House and Mrs. Gray began a long and fruitful ef fort to help the Casino. The directors accepted her offer to provide flying buttresses, im prove the hall and build two new tennis courts. All was placed under the direction of Frederick P. Hill with James Holmes as contractor. Final costs were $32,500 which was about double the sum expected. The ex pensive and exciting lattice work specified by Mr. Hill may have been inspired by work he knew about at the Newport Casino. Mr. Ficks, in his study of Mr. Hill, was able, with the help of Mr. Craig Waskow, Club manager, and the Club's historian, to find the 1921 Sankaty Head Golf Club floor plans prepared by Mr. Hill. The large club house was placed by the architect on the exposed south side of Mayflower Hill. In spite of later additions and extensions with, pro-
12
HISTORIC NANTUCKET
bably more to come, an environmentally harmonious, comfortable, functional building now exists. It faces east as do many buildings in Sconset for that is where the sea is. Old ledgers, letters, specifications and feats of memory tell of the building of the course and club house, this most unusual gift of David Gray, Sr. Most of Sconset worked on the course in one way or another.There was employment for more than five years. Several Cof fin families, Egans, and Folgers were among those who worked the land (mostly by horse and hand) and made all possible. "Uncle Eddie" Coffin of Shell Street and Shell Lane (now King Street) was under contract to use his team for brush removal. He work ed about daily and preferred one late trip.There came a day when he loaded his dray and drove his team east to the nearest bluff for the pur pose of "dumping over". He moved the rig close, neglected to set the brake before he jumped off and after he threw the reins over the dash. The well-trained horses felt pressure on the reins, interpreted a call to back, and so slowly backed the rig with its considerable load, and themselves, over the bluff. By happy providence the horses were not hurt. The wagon was not seriously damaged, and, in good time, could be returned to the high and somewhat level ground. Eddie received help, told his story, accepted considerable chaff and with his humor and shrill and sharp rustic retorts, he lived down this happening. Mr. Hill was fortunate in having available a competent contractor for the Club House for the new course. James A. Homes, 56, was thought to be a skilled mechanic, well able to tackle this large job. He was honest and conscientious, a civic leader and president of financial and fraternal institutions. Fred Hill had also drawn plans for changes in Milestone Cottage which Mr. Gray occupied with his family. The modernization so near Post Office square was being executed by Mr. Holmes. Mr. Hill proved his love of detail by sending to Holmes and Com pany, precise drawings for the Golf Club's large kitchen with cooking stations, food storage areas, cleaning and serving areas, etc. Few have been greatly changed in over 60 years. Dressing tables were designed, equipment was assembled, furniture was acquired and even while the "golfing grounds" were being cleared, Fred Hill was searching for and marking suitable fieldstones. Glacial stone was considerable in the area. The best pieces were set aside, eventually moved to Mayflower Hill and are now seen in the fieldstone fireplace which dominates the north wall of the second floor rustic room. This main room, as most of the upper floor, is in the Sconset tradition with exposed wall framing. Changes and expansion to come might include removing white paint from the impressive fireplace.
FREDERICK P. HILL
13
There is little information available on James Holmes crew. We know that Jesse Eldridge, Sr., of Sconset, was a full-time member and that after his work of the day, he assumed his duties as the night time policeman in Sconset. John Santos' father was busy in Sconset, mostly at the Beach House. He was never on the Holmes payroll. The extent of work done by Ernest Coffin and Albert Egan is not too clear. There is no doubt that Alfred E. Smith was important as the plumbing contractor. His initial estimate was for about fifteen hundred dollars. His first carting charge, a tank, twenty dollars, was from H. G. Worth ("the head of Steamboat Wharf, telephone 214-11, livery boarding, sale and feed stable - even hacks and party wagons"). Augustus C. Lake priced the wiring at $825.00 in 1921 and "extras" at $342.32 October 1st, 1922. George W. Rogers, Sr. was a dealer on sup plies and Delco Systems. Arthur Williams was doing masonry as late as 1925 for a charge of $725.75. John C. Ring had charged $250.00 for his work on the Pump House, September 8,1921, and the Power Plant and extras $5,847.80 in July 1922. Banks used were the Pacific and United States Trust Company of Boston. Rathbone of New York accomplished the early insurance. Mr. Hill and his wife and daughter, Catherine, over the years, had spent a large part of each winter in Bermuda in Somerset Parish. In 1922 when James A. Holmes started building at Mayflower Hill on the new course, Mr. Hill, now age 60, was living in a fine small rented house called Point Shares, near Somerset Bridge on the north side of Ely's Harbour. They were well-known members of the SconsetMonomoy-Nantucket winter colony in Bermuda. A letter written on January 23rd, 1922, to Mr. Hill told of a frozen harbor in Nantucket. Mr. Holmes was answering several business letters and offering a get well message. Plans were being sent back and forth and work was pro ceeding well at Sankaty. Florence Hill, also, kept busy in Bermuda. She had been responsi ble for many "show place" gardens in these islands. One especially fine one was done for their own home but, alas, it was completely destroyed by a tropical storm. In the late twenties and thirties, Fred Hill built a house for Daphne Drake of New York on Emily Street, another in Polpis and one for her in Bermuda. The house in Sconset has been owned and used for some time by Mrs. Harding U. Greene. Her father had commissioned a fine house of Mr. Hill in Bermuda in the middle twenties. Milestone Cot tage, the David Grays' on Main Street, was being renovated by Mr. Hill at the same time the Sankatv Club was building. Not many years later,
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HISTORIC NANTUCKET
in 1929, when thankful friends of Mr. Gray wished to build a memorial to him in Post Office Square, General Malvern-Hill Barnum was asked to be chairman of a planning committee. Mr. Barnum turned to Mr. Hill. Come summer, Fred Hill's conception had been completed by Albert Egan, Ernest Coffin and others. Hie bronze work in three colors was considered exceptional. The very large flag staff kept our flag fly ing over the village. Over the years, Kenneth Eldridge has tended the flag, itself a great service to all of us. John Santos was responsible for a replacement pole in May 1955. Work on the Sconset Union Chapel, projects for Mrs. Roy Larsen, and a house on the Cliff in town were among the last professional con cerns of Sconset's Architect, Fred Hill. He was also a consultant on Town scientific problems and for island utilities. Mrs. Helen Penrose Hecker, together with her friend Fred Hill, letter weathered signs for "quaint Sconset lanes and byways." One late season cocktail party took place at the pleasant home of the Roberts a block north of Starbuck Cottage. Fred had walked up the grade on Main Street. Some had stayed late and the cocktail party had become a supper party. Isabel Irving, Mrs. Paul Turner, and other neighbors were present. Fred led much of the conversation for he was very animated, very original and certainly at his best. Isabel Irving ap peared to be preoccupied but she was always keen and, at exactly the correct moments, she would cause Fred to pull up with her expression of an emphatic "no". Each could influence the other to new heights. Mrs. Turner was somewhat upset because of a most unusual red moon. Emory Buckner and his wife Sophia, had made a "show place" of their enlarged house on the south side of Main Street. The new ballroom allowed for perfect entertainment. Tony Sarg and his wife, very Irish because of her brilliant hair, were often among the guests from town. A happy and nostalgic time came to Fred in his ninety-first year when, out of the blue, Sylvanus ("Silvy") Ward, an attorney in New York, arrived in Nantucket, looked up a good friend of twenty-five years, Howard C. Barber, ("Squire") at his residence on Pine Street. Together they were off to find Fred so that all could voice "We Meet Again Tonight, Boys". "We Meet" was (is) the rousing song which has introduced each concert since about 1890 of the New York City's University Glee Club. In 1894, Fred, a new member of the Glee Club, had used the greeting, "Let's Have a Song". "Silvy", in 1905, and "Squire" in 1922, became members. "Snap Shop" made the Nantucket reunion history for the Standard Times of New Bedford, 7/12/1953. Mr. Hill had been Choir Director of the Unitarian Church for a long period of time.
" W e M e e t A g a i n T o n i g h t , Boys" T h i s p h o t o , t a k e n i n 1953, s h o w s F r e d e r i c P . Hill w i t h h i s G l e e C l u b friends, Howard C. Barber, on the left and Sylvanus Ward, on the right. Bill Haddon Photo
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HISTORIC NANTUCKET
About this time Fred became the oldest living graduate of Rutgers and was taken to several Alumni Days in New Brunswick by his son-inlaw, Reginald Bragonier. In 1952, March 12th, Allen W. Holdgate, Chairman of the Selectmen, had presented Mr. Hill with the Boston Post Cane, as Nantucket's oldest resident. He held this distinction for five years. W. Ripley Neslon, as did Mr. Hill, came from northern New Jersey and knew the Hills before the twenties. They were charter members together of the new golf club in 1921 after David Gray and his one hun dred friends formed the nucleus of the club. They worked together from time to time on civic matters, both in 'Sconset and Nantucket. When Fred was over ninety with failing eyes and general problems of old age, Ripley Nelson was a friend indeed. Mr. Nelson took the time to see him daily, to supervise his eating and shopping and banking habits, and even to keep in touch with his daughter and son-in-law. As the old gentleman's ability to live alone declined, Mr. Nelson, after almost two years of attempting to cut "red tape," was able to get Mr. Hill into the Davis Park Veterans' Hospital in Providence. In a very short time, it was possible to have him transferred to a government facility in Martensberg, West Virginia. Its proximity to Alexandria made this location especially suitable to his daughter, Catherine Bragonier. It was there that Frederick P. Hill died. A funeral service was held by the United States Navy on Friday, May 31,1957, and he was properly interred as a Veteran of the Spanish American War in Arlington National Cemetery. The young boy who "borrowed" the raspberries remembers Memorial Days when a Junior grade Naval Lieutenant put on his uniform to salute military units which passed Starbuck Cottage on Main Street, Sconset. His salute was returned as any may now return it. In some ways Frederick Parcell Hill was a modern Renaissance man. He stood high after over sixty years in his profession. He was very proud to be a permanent resident here and to participate in many local activities. He was on the executive committee of the Nantucket Civic League and Vice President of the Sconset Civic Association, and was active in the Sconset Community Club. He held membership in the Pacific Club, the Winter Club, (President), the Historical Association, (Life), the Advisory Board. Nantucket Schools received his help. He became a Past Commander of the Lieutenant Max Wagner Camp, United Spanish War Veterans of Nantucket.
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Westward Passage i Heading Out With Brant Point lost and 'Sconset gone, The wide horizon everywhere Rides on the ocean's turning edge. We bend new sails and fit the boats, And in the watches sing of whales, The Friendly Islands, and the Line Beyond the fury of the Horn. We do not look for landfalls now Or gam with others coming home. Instead we count the parallels, Intent upon the warm and lavish Seas, so different from our own.
II On the Line Off-shore, from Talcahuano north, We pass the pleasant latitudes, Our lookouts eager on the mast. Cruise after cruise begins, subsides, Beyond the Encantadas on The Line, while Death, familiar now, Accosts us on the spars and in The fastened boats, his presence logged Forever in our consciousness. One by one the landfalls fade. We sail, all canvas set, beyond The charts across indifferent seas.
HISTORIC NANTUCKET
III Becalmed Day after day we wait, alone, Confronted by ourselves and time That smothers us, "the sea around, The sky above, and nothing else". We curse the tryworks that the sun Contrives, and hate the stars that hang, Immobile lanterns, in the stays. Pariahs from the bounty we Assumed when we were heading out, We drift, no longer sure that somewhere Off the bow, the winds survive, Or landfalls that knew that we knew persist.
IV Homeward Bound Tired and old in paradise, More tattered than our charts, we dread Familiar gales and waterspouts, Leviathans and coral reefs. The lookouts now imagine moors And lanes upon the endlessness, And Sherburne's spires, mirages in The mist, shame all the landfalls we Have seen. The hunt is done. We turn About, short by a thousand barrels, And beat a course for home, to meet Ourselves, young strangers, heading out. Edgar L. McCormick Kent, Ohio
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Peter Folger Ewer The Man Who Created the ''Camels" by Edouard A. Stackpole ONE OF THE MOST remarkable men in Nantucket's history, Peter Folger Ewer has been virtually forgotten today. This is probably due to the fact that his active career found him busily engaged in mainland activities, and his involvement in Island life was comparatively short. When illness forced his retirement to Nantucket he had been at work in California, and his death occurred only a few months after his return home. But this resourceful, energetic man made a marked impression on all with whom he was associated. Peter F. Ewer had one certain claim to be remembered as an outstanding citizen of Nantucket. He was the man who designed and created that most ingenious floating drydock known as the "Camels," a well-planned and successful contrivance which made possible the towing of deeply loaded whaleships over Nantucket Bar. Had this device been adapted earlier to Nantucket whaling procedures during the critical 1835-1855 period, the whaling merchants of Nantucket might have been enabled to keep the industry in competition with its rivals for a quarter century more. The son of Peter Folger Ewer was the Rev. Ferdinand C. Ewer, who became one of the most distinguished clergymen in the country in his time. Describing his father, he wrote: "He was strongly attached to his Island home, and displayed qualities which marked him as always helpful, if sometimes visionary. In person he was of medium height, and was quick and active in all his movements. His complexion was dark, and his hair and eyes black. Although one of the 'knowing Folgers,' he was not a great reader but was more interested in men and things." By modern standards, Peter F. Ewer would be considered a genius, a man of many parts. Shrewd in business life, generous in association with his friends, and an advocate of applying one's talents in a practical sense. In view of his success in business in several fields, he goes down in history as the man "who designed and built the Camels". In view of his varied accomplishments, it is probable that he would prefer to be thus known in Nantucket history. He was born in Nantucket on March 15, 1800, in the home of his parents, Silvanus and Margaret (Folger) Ewer, at 19 Union Street. Silvanus Ewer was a shipwright, born at Osterville on Cape Cod, who moved to Nantucket in 1788 at the age of twenty-one, to follow that trade. He married Miss Margaret Folger, of Nantucket, daughter of
PETER F. EWER
21
Peter and Judith (Burnell) Folger, on July 9, 1798. Being of a thrifty disposition, Silvanus invested in a whaleship out of Nantucket and the ship returned after a most successful voyage. Encouraged, he con tinued his investments in other whaleships and eventually became a prosperous whaling merchant. Peter F. Ewer attended Nantucket schools when they were a system of private schools, ranging from the "cent schools", grammar schools, and "dame schools". Interested in mercantile pursuits he ap plied himself readily, and his father, aware of this industry, advanced him the money with which to launch his own business as a shipping merchant. By applying himself vigorously, he became moderately suc cessful. In November of 1820 he married Eunice Cartwright, daughter of John and Mary Cartwright, of Nantucket. Their only child, George Alexander Ewer, eventually settled in Valparaiso, Chile, where he married a lady of Spanish descent and became a resident of that city. On May 22,1825, Peter F. Ewer married Mary Cartwright, sister of his deceased wife. A son, Frederick C. Ewer, was born on January 28, 1833. The son, Frederick Coffin Ewer, entered the ministry and became one of the most renowned clergymen in the Episcopal Church, first in San Francisco, and then in New York City. The famous Ewer map of Nantucket, which was designed by the Rev. Ferdinand C. Ewer, printed in 1869, was an important contribution to the story of Nan tucket's historical progress. To return to Peter F. Ewer; encouraged by his initial success as a shipping merchant in Nantucket, and realizing that the firms in Nan tucket were established competitors, he decided to try new areas and moved to Providence in 1829. Here he became a partner with Caleb Wescott, under the name of Peter F. Ewer & Co., entering the shipping business dealing with whale oil and sperm candles, on a commission basis. Starting in the West India trade, he soon after entered the Euro pean and South American markets. Always exploring new ventures, Peter Ewer became interested in a company formed to build and operate steamboats between New York and Providence. The business went well, and in 1834 he moved with his family to New York City. Here he entered into a partnership with Elihu Mix, again as a commission house trading in oil, manufacturing and shipping. Upon the death of his father, in 1836, Peter returned to Nan tucket. As the inheritor of a considerable estate, he decided to retire from his busy career and, with his wife, he spent a few years visiting countries in Europe and South America. In 1840 he discussed his future with his wife and some close friends and made the decision to return to Nantucket and once more plunge into the business world. Nantucket was then enjoying the most successful era in its 19th century prosperi ty.
22
HISTORIC NANTUCKET
At this time Peter Ewer made a momentous decision. The problem of Nantucket Bar offered a challenge, and he developed an idea which would meet that challenge. Due to the low water, created by the great shoal which stretched across the harbor's mouth, it was necessary to use lighters of shallow draft to carry out the supplies and whaling gear for ships being fitted out for their long voyages. Similarly, the lighters were used to unload the whaleships in back of the Bar upon their return home. The alternative was to sail over to Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard to complete these processes. To Peter F. Ewer this old custom was a handicap which should be conquered. Also, with the ships becoming deeper and heavier the prob lem was bound to increase with the years. He went to the counting houses of the ship owners and to the stores of the merchants and pro posed a brand new idea. This was simply to build a floating drydock, in which to carry the loaded ship over the bar, both outward and inward bound, and thus eliminate the expenses involved. Most of his listeners agreed with him in theory - but who was to build and finance the plan? His answer was prompt. He would design and build the contraption which he termed the "Camels". Realizing the problems facing him, Peter Ewer talked with whal ing merchants and other business people in Nantucket. He pointed out that the use of "Camels" was not a new idea; that the Dutch had suc cessfully adapted such floating dry docks to bring vessels over the shallows and to enter the Zuider Zee. He also remembered his discus sions with Capt. William Morris, who had broached the project for Nan tucket in 1827, and had advanced plans for using pumps driven by windpower to fill the two hulls of the "Camels". Mr. Ewer was ably sup ported by Samuel Haynes Jenks, editor of The Inquirer, who wrote: "If our ships could be laden and unladen at our wharves, without regard to the obstruction offered by the Bar, it is a desideratum in which all classes of the community ought to feel interested." Peter Ewer's design was quickly drawn up and all interested par ties studied it. Realizing there would be more doubters than sponsors, he decided to begin work without further delay. On the shallow beach of the south harbor, he constructed two pontoon-like hulls, each 135 feet long, flat bottomed, with a beam of 29 feet at the bottom and 20 feet at the deck line. The outer side of each was straight sided but the inside was curved sharply to conform with the shape of a ship's hull. Each section was divided into a lower hold and an upper hold, or upper and lower chambers, in which a steam engine at each end could pump water to lower the hulls. When these "Camels" were placed in position on each side of the ship, the pumps filled the chambers until a proper depth was obtained, and, when once below the level of the keel of the ship, heavy chains were rigged which, drawn by windlasses operated
PETER F. EWER
23
by the steam engines, the ship was drawn into position, and the chains held the hull securely in place. Ewer made certain that his patrons should recognize that the "Camels" were not a visionary's scheme; that it had been successfully used in Holland and other European places for more than a century. Because of the proven strength of the device the name "Camels" was bestowed on them. At this period in whaling history, a new element had entered the picture—that of getting the oil and candles from Nantucket to the several market places as quickly as possible. Competition with other whaling ports was now a prime factor. In his announcements concerning the "Camels" he stressed this and other points, and the savings to the Nantucket merchants was an obvious and paramount attraction. In the use of lighters certain losses were a factor, in both loading and unloading materials. In rough weather there was the damage to the vessels and the lighters, as well as to the oil and candles, in addition to the injury to the stevedores. Delays due to storms were also factors in the marketing process. In the early summer of 1842 the "Camels" were completed and launched. As the odd-looking hulls swung at anchor in the harbor the discussion as to their potential continued. Peter Ewer was satisfied with what he had accomplished-but he was also nearly exhausted from his project. And there was still the first test to be carried out. Which Nantucket whaling firm was willing to undergo the experiment—take the initial risk? Weeks went by and summer months were filled with expectancy, but Ewer felt the tension in his company's ranks only add ed to his determination to continue his plans. The first test came on September 4, 1842. Christopher Mitchell & Co., the owners of whaleship Phebe declared a willingness to allow the experiment of taking the ship out to sea over the Bar, to begin her regular voyage to the Pacific. Inside Brant Point, the "Camels" were placed in position and the water pumped into the hulls. Then the ship was hauled into place, and the chains secured. The steamboat Telegraph put her hawsers aboard each of the "Camels," hulls and the towing began. Suddenly the chains began to part. Frederick C. Sanford, well-known Nantucketer, described the circumstances as follows: "...The chain cables with which the camels were to be bound together, began to snap asunder; as each one parted, others became weaker; and soon all of them gave way and the ship went down into the water. You could hear each chain go off with a noise like a cannon, which was heard throughout the town. The ship's cop per was supposed to be damaged, rendering it
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PETER F. EWER
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necessary to take the Phebe back and heave her out again." It was months before the Phebe was able to sail again, and the in cident brought consternation to the supporters of the "Camels", but not to Peter Ewer. The chains had been borrowed for the occasion, a few from ships in the harbor. Ewer had ordered chains especially cast for the work in the "Camels", and when they arrived he anxiously waited for the opportunity to put them to use. The opportunity soon came when the firm of Charles & Henry Coffin announced to Ewer it would allow their whaleship Constitution to be taken out in the "Camels". On the morning of September 21 there was a large gathering of people along the waterfront and at Brant Point, with the rooftop "walks" being filled with onlookers. The "Camels" were soon in place, the ship in position, and the chains set up. This time all went "according to plan," and the steamboat Telegraph towed them safely over the Bar into deep water. In the diary of Robert Barker for that date, it is stated the steam boat master, Captain James Barker, intended to tow the "Camels" and the Constitution earlier in the morning of September 21 but that the wind was too strong and dead against them. Captain Barker then steamed over the Bar to take in tow the whaleship Napoleon, Capt. William Plaskett, which had arrived home after a three-year voyage to the Pacific, and tow her into the harbor. This accomplished, and the wind more favorable, the Telegraph towed the "Camels" with the Constitution safely out to the outer roads, and the chains were let go and the whaleship regained her natural position in the waters of Nan tucket Sound. Robert Barker commented: "This practically showed the utility of the 'Camels,' and I now predict a new era in the whaling service from this place." This prophecy was fullfilled. Mr. Barker continued his observa tions: "The sight of seeing the Telegraph with a loaded ship in tow, high out of the water, is ... an occurrence never before witnessed here. Many of our housetop (walks), and other eminences are filled with spectators to witness the event. This fully answers the wishes of the principal undertaker, Mr. Peter F. Ewer, and others concerned with him in this enterprise." But more excitement was forthcoming, and Mr. Barker recounted it in his entry for October 15,1842 which reads: "About 9:00 o'clock, the report of cannons, the escape of steam, the ringing of our South bell, and the cheers of the inhabitants, annnounced
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PETER F. EWER
27
that the ship Peru, Capt. Joshua Coffin, safely arrived in our harbor with a full cargo of oil on board. She is the first loaded ship that ever crossed our Bar in the 'Camels',... I counted upwards of twenty reports of cannon, and our South Bell rang a long time in celebration, and the fact is now established that an inward bound ship, with all on board, may be brought to the wharves by the use of the 'Camels', and a steam boat to tow the whole..." On October 16, the ship Daniel Webster arrived loaded with oil, and was brought into the harbor in "Camels", and Mr. Barker commented: "As she was one of our most heavily loaded whaleships, no doubt can be hereafter entertained as to the utility of the "Camels" Later this month, the ship James Loper was outfitted at her wharf and the "Camels" took her on and the Massachusetts towed her safely over the Bar, the Telegraph having experienced some engine problems. On Nov. 11, the whaleship Rambler was taken out to begin her voyage to the Pacific. Peter Ewer had placed advertisements in the local newspapers which claimed that the use of the "Camels" would save the whaling ship owners some $6,000 yearly in costs. His presentation was clearcut: Outward and Inward Bound with Camels. Outward Bound To take a ship of 350% tons (being average tonnage) over the bar, and place her safely in 4 fathoms of water, with Camels at 60 cts per ton $210.30 Steamboat to tow Camels and ship $50.00 Total $260.30 Inward Bound For a 1943% bbls. of whale and sperm oil, and other ar ticles equal to 311 3/16 bbls., making 2254% bbls. average. Lighter account of 92 ships for last 5 years at 17 cents per bbl. $383.26% Steamboat to tow 50.00 Total 433.26 Balance on each ship in favor of the "Camels" $304.47% Outward and Inward Bound at Edgartown Outward Bound Lightering ship of 50% tons $110.00 Pilot to Edgartown 15.00 Steamboat to tow the ship 75.00 Extra labor at Edgartown 50.00 Wharfage, storage, victualling watering, watching, losses, agents' expenses, etc., 100.00
28
HISTORIC NANTUCKET
1-4% extra Insurance of ship and cargo to Edgartown $35,000 87.50 Total $437.50 Inward Bound 2,254 bbls. of oil and sundries from Edgartown, being average lighter acct. on 92 ships, at 12 cents. $270.54 Steamboat from Edgartown 75.00 Pilot from Edgartown 15.00 Losses, expenses, provisions etc., at Edgartown 100.00 1-4% extra insurance on $40,000(and many are worth $80,000) $100.00 Total $560.00 Outward bound, $437.50 Inward Bound $560.54 Total $998.04
The success of Peter Ewer's new company was slow but steady. In 1843, fifteen whaleships arrived at Nantucket, and eighteen sailed. Of these 19 used the old lightering system, with the use of sloops, and 14 were "cameled". Seven were taken out in the "Camels" and seven brought into port. In 1844, 15 ships arrived and 19 sailed; a total of thirty-four. Of these, 23 followed the old custom of lightering, and 11 us ed the "Camels". In 1845, the tide turned — out of 28 ships which arrived and 29 that sailed, 12 were "cameled" in the course of 24 hours, it being December and the weather predictions not favorable. Compared to a total of 12,612 bbls. of whaleoil brought in by the lighters, a total of 50,354 had been brought in on ships ensconsed in the "Camels". One of the little known men involved by the "Camel" company was Captain John H. Pease, who had charge of the marine operations. But the most serious problems to affect the success of Nantucket's whaling fortunes and, through these, the "Camels" as well were two different catastrophes. First, the terrible fire of 1846, which destroyed the entire waterfront and the business section of the old Town. Three years later came the Gold Rush to California, with 800 enterprising Nantucket men joining in the migration to San Francisco and the west coast. Although whaling continued, the diminishing of the investments in the firms (some of them established many years) became apparent, and several Nantucket firms began to sell their ships to other ports. Thus an industry which would have been greatly aided by the "Camels" was slowly disappearing. In little more than a decade after 1855 it had vanished from the island which had been its pioneer in "deep-sea whaling".
30
HISTORIC NANTUCKET
No one on Nantucket realized the economic changes in Nantucket more than Peter F. Ewer. Despite his enterprise and energy, he found the situation beyond his planning, and he lost most of his fortune by the gradual decline of the Island's whaling, coupled by some unwise in vestments of his own. Late in 1848, he embarked on another adventure, taking passage on a ship bound for Valparaiso, Chile, where he hoped to start a trading company. Soon after his arrival in South America word of the California gold discovery swept the country, and Ewer went aboard a ship for San Francisco. Upon arrival, he immediately repaired to the gold mine sites, but he noted the need for supplies to the miners and set about to establish such stores. In 1850, his ability attracted the attention of Sacramento County authorities and he was appointed both the Coroner and Sheriff of the county. Soon after he was placed in charge of a mine in Grass Valley. In 1853, he resigned his position and went to live in San Francisco. He was about to embark on a new enterprise, which would bring into good use his mechanical skills in laying out the new grades for the streets of the city, when he was suddenly stricken with a malady soon identified as Cancer. He was taken to the home of his son. the Rev. Ferdinand Ewer, where he stayed eight months. Early in April, 1854, he returned to his old home in Nantucket, where he lingered for eight months. On January 7,1855, he died at the age of 54 years, 9 months and 23 days. His famous son, the Rev. Ferdinand C. Ewer, wrote of him: "In person he was of medium stature, and was quick and energetic in his walk and all his movements. He was generous, strongly attached to the Island of his birth, always hopeful and at times, even visionary. In con versation, he was cheerful and entertaining, and ever had at hand a fund of illustrative anecdotes." One of Peter F. Ewer's youthful ideas, in 1824, was to establish the milestones along the road to 'Sconset, and when this was accomplished he decided that the maintenance of these stones should be a family tradition, especially keeping them painted white.
Vignette I saw perfection pass the other night — A Vee of geese above me headed South, Moving with rhythmic and unwavering certainty, Each wingbeat strong with purpose and with urgency. And, as I watched that Vee, etched on the evening sky, There was a shift in leaders, done with such subtlety That all I know is that still an unbroken Vee of geese Was arrowing South with rhythmic and unwavering certainty. Eleanor Phinney
Bequests or gifts to the Nantucket Historical Association are tax deductible. They are greatly needed and appreciated.
PLEASE — Send us your change of address if you are planning to move. You will receive your copy sooner and we are charg ed extra for all copies returned because of an incorrect address.
July 31, 1985
Dear Friends of the Association: For the 1986 season at the Fair Street Museum, the Nantucket Historical Association is planning an exhibition of maps and charts associated with Nantucket. As Guest Curator, Charles Carpenter will be working with me in preparing the exhibition. We are current ly seeking maps and charts to complement those in the Association's collection and are asking for your sup port. The potential range of material for the exhibition is great. Maps and charts may be hand-drawn or engraved and may date from the early 1600's into the 20th century. They may focus upon Nantucket specificially, to show land division or use, for example, or may show Nantucket in the context of larger geographical areas. Navigational and/or whaling charts, early globes, maps in books and maps used for advertising purposes are also of importance and interest. We hope to have made our selections by the end of October. If you own or know of maps or charts pertain ing to Nantucket which you believe might be of interest to us and which you would be willing to loan temporarily for exhibition purposes, please contact me at 228-1894 or P. 0. Box 1016, Nantucket, MA 02554.
victoria rayior tiawains VTH;et
