As Hurricane Florence brushed across Bermuda over the weekend, Vineyarders kept a sharp eye on the weather reports, many thinking with relief that the Island had dodged another bullet.
Photographed sometime between the summers of 1935 and 1938 by Charles A. Welch of Chappaquiddick and his cameraman Morgan Plummer, these scenes are the oldest known moving images of Island men swordfishing by harpoon on the Atlantic waters south of Martha’s Vineyard.
This clip is being presented in conjunction with an article on the history of the film, which introduces the Gazette's newly-announced initiative to identify and oversee the conservation of old movies of Martha’s Vineyard.
Waters are rising in portions of Edgartown, Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs as strong winds associated with Hurricane Sandy move into the region. Residents are urged to stay off the roadways; Beach Road, Sea View Avenue, Dock Street and Five Corners have all been closed due to flooding, with more closures and flooding expected.
High surf in the aftermath of Sandy beckoned surfers to stormy Aquinnah beaches, where surf crashed onto beaches and overwashed in many areas onto dunes.
Lucy Vincent and Squibnocket Beaches took a beating as Hurricane Sandy rolled into town with high surf and eroding waves.
Dock Street was just one of many streets flooded by the high wind and water caused by Hurricane Sandy.