The 83-foot sea-scalloper Stanley M. Fisher, Capt. George H. Fisher of Oak Bluffs, came up with perhaps the biggest catch of this or any other season last Thursday night, the Navy’s nuclear powered submarine, the U.S.S. Nautilus.

Captain Fisher had a strange and exotic tale of the sea when he tied up at Fairhaven on Saturday. He informed the Coast Guard that when the vessel was fishing about eighty miles south of Block Island Thursday night, a violent jerk on the nets nearly spun the boat about. Before long, a submarine rose silently to the surface alongside the boat. The skipper of the undersea craft appeared, identified himself as Lt. Comdr. L. W. Zech of the Nautilus, ordered the crew to clear away the nest, and cautioned Captain Fisher to remain silent about the incident. Then the Nautilus disappeared once more into fog and darkness.

But Captain Fisher couldn’t remain silent about an incident that resulted in the noticeable loss of a net and the heavy platform which goes over the side of a boat when its nets are out. These losses were noted by old salts at the Fairhaven wharf, and so he had to tell how it all came about.

A spokesman for the Navy Department in Washington, D.C., confirmed the story, and said that Commander Zech had been transferred elsewhere since last Thursday, but that the transfer had nothing to do with getting caught up in the Stanley M. Fisher’s nets. Heretofore, the Nautilus had an exalted reputation for being elusive.

Although her official hailing port is Oak Bluffs, Captain Fisher’s boat, which was added to the Island fleet in 1956, berths elsewhere because the water is not deep enough next to Oak Bluffs piers. She is frequently berthed in Edgartown’s harbor.

We would opine, which is the sort of word that a politician uses, that the die is cast, the cards have fallen, and in short, whether you like it or not, there won’t be a bit of spring!

Summer will land, some sunny morning, all spraddled out, and the victims of rheumatism, bronchitis and who knows how many viruses, will uncoil, shuck off their woollens and start squawking about the heat!

Things are moving slow. Too slow, and you may lay to that! Three mornings last week, we rolled out of our bunk to find the temperature at the freezing point. No spring fish will move inshore under such conditions; they have more sense.

Just the same, summer is working north. Last week they got more striped bass in the Potomac, and they got some mackerel again off Cape Henry, or thereabout.

Locally, the variety landed was small. Sam Cahoon hoisted out a couple of trips of flounders from the Shoals. Along with some yellowtails, a few cod, but no haddock.

It was a roistering boisterous wind which struck the Island on Monday and it managed to keep the temperature down by degrees, although in the afternoon’s brilliant sunshine the weather instrument in Edgartown managed to exceed 70 for a short period and thus set a record for the year.

A call to the Martha’s Vienyard Airport disclosed that its anemometer recorded a top of 48 knots, or nearly up to 60 miles an hour, in the early afternoon.

Thursday, as it turned out, was relatively windless.

Time was when it was something of an event to have it breeze up to 50 miles an hour. But they have not come when the woods were as tinder dry as they were on Monday and the hearts of fire chiefs et al must have been in their throats considering the conditions here and those reported elsewhere in the state.

The burning index Tuesday was close to 100, Manuel Correllus, superintendent of the state forest, said, and the situation was “explosive.” The index had risen in a spectacular way overnight, for it was 60 on Monday. Mr. Correllus said that it blew from 40 to 60 miles an hour on Monday with higher gusts, and Tuesday morning he feared that the wind was headed the same way. Utmost caution was advised and it is said that state officials are considering closing the forests during the emergency.

Vegetation, which had received a shot in the arm from the sun and warmish weather, was set back by the combination of wind and dry weather which really endangers the life of some tender growing things and imparts a pinched look to others.

Wanted ­— a good soaking rain!

“April is the month when man pays homage to trees!”

Well, yes and no, is the verdict of the Vineyard where the selectmen of Tisbury are to hold a hearing on the move promoted by George C. Woods, to sacrifice eight trees to the parking lot next to the chain store he owns.

The trees in question are elms and maples, which if their lives are spared, will guarantee to offer leafy shade and relief from the sun’s rays as well as to protect and disguise the scene of devastation and commercialism in the heart of an old town.

It is known that the selectmen are not unanimous in supporting Mr. Woods’ request and will be glad to learn that the trees have friends who will support the cause of conservation.

— Compiled by Hilary Wallcox

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