November 14, 1985 - A Day on Robins IslandPage 12A The Suffolk Times November 14, 1985
A Day on Robins /s /and
By PAUL STOUTENBURGH
Last week I had the opportunity to
go over to Robins Island to help one of
the members of a team doing a survey
of old buildings for Southold Town.
Within minutes after arriving at New
Suffolk, we were speeding toward what
I often refer to as the Jewel of the
Peconic -- Robins Island.
Like so many days in November, the
wind was blowing strongly out of the
northwest and there was that certain
bit of coolness in the air that tells you
what's ahead. I was glad to see groups
of oldsquaws rising before us as we sped
southward. Of all our winter sea ducks
the oldsquaw is my favorite -- not only
for its fast and carefree flight but be-
cause of its unusual call. Anyone who
has been on our beaches during a quiet
winter day can hear them talking
among themselves. It's a wonderful
yodel that sets the stage for open water
and cold winter weather.
Oldsquaws feed on the bottom and
spend most of their time diving. I've
often watched them with binoculars as
they pop to the surface, hesitating for
a few moments to work over in their
pinkish - colored beaks a morsel they
have brought to the surface. Then it's
down again they go. Often you'll see a
small group fly into an area where
others are feeding. They seem to flop
into the water, giving off a great splash.
It almost looks as if they are enjoying
themselves frolicking about.
Ducks Must Move On
As long as the water is open and not
frozen over solid, these hardy ducks will
be able to make it. Wind and cold
doesn't seem to affect them, for when
they dive below it's as if you or I came
T&M D
Focus on
Nature
inside from the cold. The great mass of
water takes a lot of cooling down to form
ice and then it's usually just at the sur-
face.
A few white - winged scoters flew by,
but between the island and New Suffolk
were mostly oldsquaws. When we ar-
rived Don had to do some fancy maneuv-
ering to find a place where we could get
off. The once huge dock that trucks and
cars could drive on had been ripped
apart; not by Gloria, but by the big
storm of last year. Gone was the boath-
ouse at the end of the dock where an
osprey had raised its young each year.
I wondered where that bird had nested
this year. It would have been nice if it
had had colored bands on its legs so we
could have been able to determine its
new nesting site.
Once ashore we could immediately
see the destructive effect of Gloria on
the trees of the island. Thanks to Bob
Tuthill, the caretaker, some of the roads
had been opened but there was much
to be cut off to the sides. Bob greeted
us and asked if he could help in any
way. As this was a survey of old build-
ings on the island, and they were but a
short way up the road, we let Bob get
back to his work and we started walk-
ing.
No sooner had we reached the main
house than we startled five or six deer.
Off they bounded, white tails flagging
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765 -3631
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
ROBINS ISLAND MANSION - -This handsome home, started in 1919
but never completed, now stands as a monument to past hopes and
dreams.
their distress. I looked at the old rotting
main building that was never finished.
It's weathered shingles still held the
handsome lines of what was once some-
one's magnificent dream. The year on
the chimney had fallen off since my last
visit. The big sloping back porch seemed
to droop a bit more and yet the building
contained the charm I rVmembered
from years back. The four huge fire-
place chimneys and the central heating
chimney gave the structure a look of
strength and dignity.
Looking inside, however, told a story
of decay. There was a rough flooring
but most of that had rotted out. The
bare studs showed that this was as far
as the building had gotten when the
builder was called off the job. Death had
come to the owner's wife and his plans
for a magnificent home on Robins Is-
land went with her. It was never com-
pleted. A monument to a broken heart.
Tales of The Past
We surveyed the remaining buildings
and again walked south on the single
lane gravel road that led to the farm
buildings. Years ago these buildings
were used to raise game birds that were
sent out for hunting parties. There was
a substantial home where a caretaker
had lived with his family and I re-
member sitting inside after surveying
ospreys on the island and reminiscing
with the then - caretaker about this and
(continued on page 14A)
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Page 14A
75 Years Ago
November 12, 1910
Democrats Win: Tuesday was a
Democratic day and the result was a
Democratic victory in many Republican
states.
Suffolk County lost everything ex-
cept Assemblyman in the first district
and school directors in Southold Town
and Shelter Island town, and a few
minor offices.
Dix (Dem.) was elected governor by
about 70,000; Littleton beat Cocks for
Congress by about 4,652.
Suffolk County went Democratic by
about 60 votes for the first time since
the Cleveland landslide.
Will Montauk Be Big Terminal ?:
During the past month much has been
said and published about the develop-
ment of Montauk as a port of entry and
the landing of ocean liners in place of
New York City. While it hardly seems
possible to the careful observer that this
will be done, it is a fact that the
Pennsylvania Railroad Co. did not
spend $150,000,000 in building a new
station and constructing tubes under
the river for Long Island Trade alone.
Mother's Value: This happened
years ago, but it is worth repeating. In
a certain home was the overindulgent
The. "Suffolk 'TiIiie' s
Let's Look Back
mother of three daughters. You can just
imagine what the week's washing was
with dresses for all those girls, each
with three or four petticoats, besides
many other articles. This mother did
the washing, ironing, cooking, baking
and about everything imaginable, and
the daughters -- well, they were "cul-
tured" and did not do very much of any-
thing except eat the good meals and
wear the clean clothes.
One day the father called the mother
aside. The two had a long talk, and he
admitted he was not able to hire a
domestic. The next day the usual com-
plaint was made by the girls about the
poor dinner, and the mother quietly got
up, went to her room, dressed and came
downstairs. She carried a heavy suit
case and stopped long enough to tell the
children that she hoped they would
have a better meal the next day. Their
father took her to the station, and she
was away from home one month.
Every one of those girls learned to
cook, bake, scrub and look after the
house, although they admitted that for
a week they lived on baker's bread,
lemonade, quince preserves and either
salmon or sardinCS. It was a hard lesson
for them to learn, but they knew the
value of their mother.
50 Years Ago
November 15, 1935
Adverse Decision on Sterling
Basin Project: Word was received late
last week by Supervisor S. Wentworth
Horton, Mayor Ansel V. Young and
others in Greenport, who have been vi-
tally interested in the Sterling Basin
improvement project, that the War De-
partment had rendered a partially ad-
verse decision as unfavorable to the full
improvement project. The letter stated
that review of reports authorized by re-
solution of the Committee on Rivers and
Harbors, House of Representatives, had
been made by the Division Engineer
and was unfavorable to the full im-
provement desired by local interests
solely at the expense of the United
States.
The partial adverse conclusion is
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November 14, 1985
based on the grounds that the improve-
ment to a greater depth than 6 feet at
mean low water and of an area greater
than 1000 feet long by 300 feet wide in
the basin and 100 feet wide in the entr-
ance channel and assumption of more
than one -half the cost of dredging by
the Federal Government, are not jus-
tified by the prospective number of ves-
sels expected to utilize anchorage in
that basin or by the general character
of the benefits to the public resulting
therefrom.
GB & C Co. Busy with Govern-
ment Work: The Greenport Basin and
Construction Company is busy, doing
considerable Government work. In ad-
dition to the 45 ft. Sea Sled which is
being built as an aviation rescue boat
for the Navy Department and the con-
tract which the company has received
for a 33 ft. Sea Sled for the U.S. Marine
Corps, two other Government boats are
hauled out for repairs.
The Coast Guard Cutter "Jackson"
which is stationed at Greenport, is
being repainted and overhauled. The
U.S.A.L. 40, a mine layer from Fort
Hancock, N.J., is at the company's plant
for a thorough overhauling of both hull
and motors. The U.S.A.L. 40 is one of
the eight mine layers which were built
at the Greenport Basin and Construc-
tion Company's plant in 1918 for the
U.S. Army.
25 Years Ago
November 11, 1960
Kennedy Elected: John F. Kennedy,
in a photo finish on Election Day, won
one of the most closely contested Presi-
dential elections in our nation's history.
The 43 year old Senator from Mas-
sachusetts is the youngest man and the
first Catholic to be elected President of
the United States.
The popular vote for both Kennedy
and Nixon is one of the closest on record.
According to the tabulations as we go
to press, Kennedy leads by one - quarter
of one percent. Even this close margin
may be cut down when the full returns
have been tabulated, making it possible
for Nixon to receive the largest popular
vote. Kennedy, however, has the impre-
ssive margin of 332 to 191 in the elec-
toral college. Suffolk County gave
Nixon a 51,733 plurality, giving the Re-
publican candidate 59.2 percent of the
county vote.
Robins /stand,,,
(continued from page 12A)
that. At that time, you could still walk
into the old mansion, for I remember
photographing an osprey nest out of one
of the � southwest bedroom windows.
Today none of the ospreys nest inland.
All are on the perimeter; one interest-
ing one rests on a huge rock in the water
on the west side of the island.
My mind again played with the hope
of some day saving this jewel for our
future generations. There'll be a time
not too far away when undeveloped and
wild land on islands will be a thing of
the past. This island would be an ideal
nature preserve. Under the right gui-
dance it could be a mecca for young and
old to find out what the natural world
has to offer; its vast beaches, its under-
water rights, its wooded inland could
offer the facilities for research and
study. Through proper management
the tern colonies could be restored. The
heron rookeries that once flourished
might be enticed to return and through
succession a natural environment could
abound and an outdoor laboratory could
flourish.
On our way back 1 I -rke.d tie- t�:e
.:+► a _- --' .tut �- _'J._`� ter.: _�.1 -r_
aid P _.!.r a° • c- _u:mr
i-♦ Sr— �.- teslsr_rt +.s a _ ,.,y,