Time Machine Terms
December 20, 1991
Remembering Pearl Harbor, Island Veterans Gather
Fifty years after the sinking of the United States naval fleet at Pearl Harbor, a group of Island veterans and their supporters gathered Dec. 7 in Oak Bluffs for breakfast to remember the day and honor their countrymen who lost their lives in this and other battles of World War II.
Every parking spot at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall on Towanicut avenue was filled at 9 a.m.
December 13, 1991
Historic Date Ended an Era Of Innocence
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, on Dec. 7, 1941, is a landmark in the life of this nation, by which we judge where we are and where we were. The moment the news came over the radio that Sunday afternoon, it caught a nation in one instant like some great group photograph.
Fifty years have passed, and now we look back to pay homage to those who offered their lives and energies to fight fascism and imperialism, and to re-examine a symbolic moment in history.
November 29, 1991
Team Shows Mettle In a Decisive Win Over Nantucket
You don't have to be a fan of high school football to understand the rare chemistry that can transform a team and a sporting event.
The Vineyarders not only beat arch rival Nantucket 14-6 on Saturday for the Mayflower league championship and their first play-off berth ever, but they managed to produce two big plays and hold the line against an intimidating opponent with a spirit that doesn't come along very often.
November 8, 1991
Damage from Northeaster Is Set at Walloping $3.4 Million
The northeast storm that walloped the Island last week caused an estimated $3.4 million in damages.
Martha’s Vineyard fared better than her Cape Cod and Nantucket neighbors. Still the damage incurred was enough for President George Bush to consider Dukes County one of six Massachusetts counties qualifying as a federal disaster area.
The storm battered the coastline, eroding cliffs up to 15 feet in some areas and damaging docks, beach stairs, boats and buildings.
November 1, 1991
Coast Guard Launches Air Rescues At Sea During Height of Storm
Five fishermen were stranded on Nomans Land for more than five hours Wednesday, waiting for the U.S. Coast Guard to rescue them.
The fishing crew were aboard the Michelle Lane, laden with fish and bound for New Bedford when it ran aground at 1:10 a.m. off the south side of Nomans.
The crew contacted the Coast Guard about their predicament. At 9:56 a.m. the fishermen abandoned ship and sought refuge on Nomans.
The stranded men were Brandon Chase, Thomas Albee, Mike Train-ham, Mark Wrigley and Mike Montgerzero.
November 1, 1991
Storm Fury Spreads Scene of Damage Across Island
The northeaster that battered the Vineyard this week was like a hurricane, only worse. This time the wind lasted a lot longer than four hours. It lasted days.
The Island received a hint of the coming severity on Tuesday. The South Shore had breached in several places. At high tide that day, parts of Beach Road in Vineyard Haven flooded. Seaweed and water filled boats tied to the town dock at Owen Park.
Wednesday started off blustery. Conditions deteriorated as the day progressed.
November 1, 1991
Tidal Surges, Winds Turn Vineyard into New Disaster Zone
A huge Atlantic Ocean storm with the ferocity of a hurricane and the power of a winter northeaster pounded the Vineyard this week, raging across barrier beaches and sandy Island perimeter with flood tides not seen since the double hurricanes of 1954.
On Wednesday ferry service to the Vineyard was suspended and the Vineyard was lashed by high winds and angry seas, which rose up and flooded the main areas of the down-Island towns with two or three feet of salt water.
September 27, 1991
Harbor View, the Grand Dame of Edgartown Hotels, Celebrates Centennial
Elegant and proud as any schooner that sailed the neighboring waters, the Harbor View Hotel stands imposingly on the most fashionable street or historic Edgartown.
This grand old lady of Vineyard resort hotels celebrates her 100th anniversary this year, and in keeping with her history, the hotel will honor the occasion with music, sport, skits, exhibits, sumptuonus meals and high tea. The Harbor View will open the doors wide to all — the public as well as hotel guests — on Oct. 4, 5, and 6.
September 17, 1991
Second Spring After Late Autumn
A stalk of butterfly weed pushed its fiery orange flowers out of a green stem in a West Tisbury field, an unusual sign of a season past.
Spring is springing in September. Lilac bushes and cherry trees are bursting with blossoms and the fresh green leaves of spring, while oak trees settle in for their long winter’s nap.
It seems, from our human perspective, that the hands on the seasonal clock have been spun too far and the spring has snapped. Has nature gone haywire?
September 6, 1991
These are the Deepest Questions of Bob
The first question people ask after a hurricane is, “If a tree falls in your backyard and it doesn’t make a sound who is responsible for cutting it up?” Ever since Hurricane Bob hit Martha’s Vineyard this question has been debated from one end of the Island to the other.
I was in Shirley’s Hardware Store trying to return batteries that I was hoarding during the storm, when I saw Thompson confront Bigalow. “When are you going to get your bloody oak tree out of my backyard?” he demanded.
