From the Oct. 2, 1942 edition of the Vineyard Gazette:

Although the Vineyard joined with New Bedford in mourning the departure of the old whaleship Charles W. Morgan from Round Hills to her new and probably permanent berth at Mystic, Conn., the present aspect of the ancient ship should serve to cheer both places in view of the splendid job that has been done in securing her, and in the promising start that has been made toward her restoration.

It has been obvious to all who know ships and sailormen, from the beginning of the late Colonel Green’s effort, that unless the Morgan remained in the care of someone who knew and loved ships, her beauty and charm as well as her staunch old oaken heart, would rapidly deteriorate. That this deterioration began almost simultaneously with the death of Capt. George Fred Tilton of Martha’s Vineyard, her first custodian, is a well known fact among those who possessed the instinct to recognize the signs.

Possibly someone could have been found, had she remained at Round Hill or New Bedford, who would have been capable of ministering to the ills which afflict old ships. But up to the time of the hurricane, which disturbed her cement bed, and damaged the ship, it was not apparent that such a person had been discovered, or, if so, that he had not been allowed to carry out the business of upkeep which his instincts may have prescribed.

Today, however, the signs of a master hand are apparent in and around the Morgan. Whoever it may be matters not, but he is there. Like a good seaman, he has first directed his attention to the ship’s hull, which is now in splendid shape, and all standing rigging, which is now taut and secure. Of running rigging, there is still much that is not now in place, and probably it will not be rove off this year, since the ship will undoubtedly be “laid up” before the hard winter weather begins. But it is plainly to be seen that someone who knows ships and who loves them, is in charge of operations, and it should comfort everyone who knows the Morgan to know that she is in good hands and is not neglected.

Of the museum which fronts the ancient waterfront as one of the units which will compose the reconstructed whaling town and shipyard, it is a splendid and most appropriate institution to establish at the pier-head where the Morgan lays. (This word is “lays” and let the world take notice! A hen lays and a ship lays, according to all ancient usages; only men lie.)

Here, in the loft hall, is gathered the same variety of curios of the sea and the strange lands which the touch, as others have collected at the Old Dartmout Historical Society: the walruses and whales’ teeth, plain and scrimshawn; the thousand-and-one articles carved from them and from the white pan-bone of sperm whale’s jaws, all are there; the ship models, and whaling implements, pictures, and a multitude of other articles, all constituting a collection which offers the keenest attraction to those who know their New England history. Among the relics are gilt-lettered name-boards from the steamer City of Columbus and the six-master Mertie B. Crowley, both of which were wrecked on Vineyard shores.

Outside, along with the huge old-fashioned forged anchors, whaleboats and ships’ yards, is an old Long Island “sand-bagger” or racing sloop. An ungainly skimming-dish, with almost no freeboard, the beam of a dinner platter and a huge centerboard, this sloop, like her kind, carried a mast that brushed the cobwebs from the moon, and a bowsprit nearly as long as her own hull. Traditionally, the sand-bagger was the fastest thing ever built in the shape of a centerboard craft, and she looks it.

At the dolphins, afloat and apparently fit for a voyage, lays a 42-foot “Quoddy” boat, which is a variety of the pinky-sterned schooner. These vessels, which were used all along the New England coast years ago, have become a very substantial part of the tradition of this part of the country. Until very recently no one had appeared to realize that as a type they were extinct, or had suggested that a specimen be preserved to memorialize the famous era of early coasting, fishing and trading, wherein these little vessels gained fame. The day did arrive, however, when such a cry went up from various quarters, and fortunately for all future generations of people who love sail, a fine specimen of pinky, or pink, is preserved at Mystic.

Someone may stick his head up to argue that this Quoddy boat is not a true pink. Possible she isn’t, and possibly it might be difficult to prove just which type is the true pink anyhow. But she has a pinky stern, and in general, her model is that of the pink, call her what you please. Mystic is fortunate in possessing such a vessel for its museum, and the remainder of the country is fortunate in that mystic has it and is taking care of it.

Compiled by Hilary Wallcox
library@vineyardgazette.com