From the March 13, 1931 edition of the Vineyard Gazette:

While exploring an old house recently, Henry Cronig, Vineyard Haven realtor, discovered an old bottle tucked away in a dark, dusty and forgotten cupboard. Drawing it forth, he found it to be of light green glass, and filled with some sort of liquid.

The bottle was sealed with a cap. Brushing away the accumulation of cobwebs, he read these words on the badly faded neck label — G. H. Mumm. It was a pint of champagne!

A piece of note paper, badly faded and covered with writing in ink that is scarcely decipherable, mentions the sinking of the steamer City of Columbus and the date, which is January 17, 1884. A part of the note, which was tied to the bottle with a string, has been destroyed, but it appears to be an account of the finding of the bottle by someone, and the statement that the bottle came from the ill-fated steamship.

What change may have occurred to the contents of the bottle in nearly half a century, only the vintners know, but Mr. Cronig prizes his find very highly and has refused to accept $25 for it. Of course the offer was made by a collector of relics.

The days of the covered wagon were revived momentarily in Tisbury yesterday. The story started out to be modern and conventional, for Harold Rodgers of the Indian Hill road, set out by automobile on one of his daily trip to Obed Daggett’s Cedar Tree Neck property, of which he is caretaker. He reached the farm and started into the barn, when, looking back, he discovered that his car was on fire.

He rushed to the rescue, driving the car into the nearby pond to quench the flames. The flames were quenched all right, but the ignition was also put out of commission was also put out of commission, and the car settled cosily in the mud as Harold tried to remedy the trouble. Failing, he hiked home, yoked up the steers he trained when they were mere calves, took them to the scene and towed home the helpless automobile by ox power.

One hundred and fifty adult trout, some of them a foot in length, were liberated in Chilmark Pond on Tuesday by Earl Dow and Jules Ben David for the Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club. The trout were shipped from Sandwich hatchery, and were brought to the Island by State Game Warden G. E. Spoffered, who turned them over to Frank Blankenship of the club.

Two more shipments of yearling trout were received on Thursday and Friday, the two shipments totalling 1500 fish. These were also liberated in Chilmark Pond.

A new schooner of the type of the Gertrude Thebaud, is being built for Capt. Abram Osborn, Oak Bluffs, at Essex. She will be launched on May 1 and will reach here in time for the swordfish season. The schooner is eighty-five feet overall, with an eighteen foot beam and nine foot draught. She will carry a full schooner rig and will be powered with a 170 horsepower C. O. engine. Although this new vessel is of the same length as the Ethel Marion II, the schooner previously built by Captain Osborn and lost on Georges last year, the resemblance between the two is slight.

Captain Osborn has not yet decided whether he will engage in otter-trawling or not. Present circumstances indicate a return to line-drawing by the smaller schooners and it is quite possible that he will fit for this industry in the fall.

We cannot tell how near spring is, even although in the past few days it has seemed to be here. Warm sun and blue sky do not stay long in most months of March. Spring is defined as “the season of the year which follows winter and ushers in summer, and which in the United States includes the months of March, April and May. The first of these months however, often presents the harshest features of winter, though at other times genial and springlike.”

According to the almanac, spring is to begin at seven minutes past nine on the morning of March 21. But in reality it has either already begun in February or may not, possibly, begin until April, according to the point of view.

Anyway, it is now perfectly light at 6 o’clock in the morning. Only a few weeks ago the clock struck 6 in almost utter darkness. Now the birds are awake and chattering at 6. A few weeks ago there was nothing outside the window at that hour but silence, unless the milkman happened to be passing. Now the warm days have a different feeling from the warm days of winter. There is something new and fresh in the air which has not been noticeable since last spring. A visitor to the Island (although not a summer visitor yet, of course) has already been swimming, Crocuses are up. Exterior painting is going on. The waters on the Island are taking on their full range of spring and summer colors. The frost is threatening to come out of the ground. Aside from nature, one notices strange automobiles about the streets and there is talk of summer rentals. Winter may not be out of sight, but it is out of mind. And spring is coming in.

Compiled by Hilary Wallcox

library@vineyardgazette.com