NOTES ON THE CLIMATE ,OF THE ISLES OF SHOALS, 
AND OF NANTUCKET.1 
BY D. F. UNCOLN, M. D., OP BOSTON. 
A residence during the months of July and August at the Isles of 
Shoals, and an acquaintance for several years with the summer climate 
of Nantucket, will perhaps justify the writer in presenting the follow- 
ing observations. 
The group called the Isles of Shoals lies about nine miles off the 
New Hampshire coast, opposite the mouth of the Piscataqua River, in 
clear sight of York, Portsmouth, and Rye Beach. The two most im- 
portant islands are Appledore, with four hundred acres, and Star, with 
one hundred and fifty acres. Each of these islands possesses a large 
hotel, and both together will receive nearly a thousand guests. Both 
hotels furnish excellent tables, with a liberal provision of the more sim- 
ple and wholesome articles of fare. The Oceanic, on Star Island, is in 
its third season only, and the crowd of guests is not so great as at the 
Appledore; its rooms are larger, its general look more modern, and its 
prices a trifle higher. Neither house is at all troubled by the nuisance 
of fashionable dressing. 
The climate of the islands during the summer months is remarkably 
cool, and free from great variations in respect to temperature and moist- 
ure. These qualities are of course derived from the equalizing power 
of the surrounding ocean. A land breeze may be distinctly felt as such, 
but its qualities are greatly mitigated before reaching the Isles. 
It is necessary to warn visitors to provide themselves with mod- 
erately thick flannels and woolen outer garments, such as are suitable 
for early spring wear. These are to be worn constantly, by most peo- 
ple ; and during the northeasterly storms, which may come even in July, 
a winter overcoat is needed. Last season, which was a cold one, there 
were several such storms; on July 5th the thermometer ranged from 
53° to 58° ; on July 12th from 56° to 62°. And it may be permitted 
to warn physicians that there are persons to whom, even in health, a 
temperature as low as that of these islands is a constant source of dis- 
comfort. An habitually sluggish circulation, accompanied with cold feet 
and hands, may prove a reason against the selection of this climate, es- 
1 Keprinted from The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal of October 7, 1875. Climate of Isles of /Skoals and of Nantucket. 
2 
pecially as there are no drives to be taken, and scarcely a walk, and a 
sedentary life is the rule among the guests. 
The only definite information concerning temperatures that I am able 
to present is derived from observations of my own, taken at Star Island 
from July 4th to the end of August, 1874, a season which was rather 
cold. During August the thermometer ranged for the most part be- 
tween 60° and 70° ; during July the variations were much greater. 
The greatest variation observed on any one day occurred on July 14th, 
when the mercury stood at 66° at seven a. m., and at 81° at six p. m. ; 
a range of 15°. In August there were a number of days on which the 
range did not exceed 1° or 2°. For July the total range of temperature 
was 28° (namely, from 53° to 81°) ; for August, 21° (namely, from 56° 
to 77°).1 - 
The monthly ranges for July and August, 1874, in Boston, were re- 
spectively 48° and 40°, or nearly twice as great. 
Upon Star Island the mean daily range in July was 7f° ; in August, 
7j°. In Boston the corresponding figures, as given by Mr. Jonathan 
P. Hall2 for thirty-six years, assign ranges of 13° and 12f° for July 
and August, respectively. Again a difference of nearly two to one in 
favor of the Isles is found. 
These differences, though apparently small, are of great importance. 
Most of us are very susceptible to changes, and are in the habit of ex- 
aggerating the numerical statement of them. A difference of from 4° 
to 6° represents the difference between June and July weather, in the 
greater part of the United States at least; hence we may say, upon in- 
spection of the following table, that the Isles of Shoals enjoy a June 
temperature, while Boston, Newport, and Nantucket are in the heats of 
July. A rise of 1° or 2° was quickly perceived by us at the Shoals, 
and was commonly supposed, by those who did not consult the instru- 
ment, to be a rise of 5° or 6°. 
MONTHLY MEANS OF TEMPERATURE.8 
Isles of Shoals 
June. 
July. 
66.6 
August. 
64.3 
September. 
Fort Constitution 4 
. 61 
67.1 
65.1 
58.9 
Fort Independence 6 
65.6 
71.1 
69.1 
62.8 
1 Temperature was noted between seven and eight a. m., between one and two p. m., 
and at seven p. m., and during the few hot days my attention was frequently directed to the 
instrument at other times. Night temperatures, occasionally noted, showed a fall of one or 
two degrees between seven p. m. and midnight, or later. Thus it is probable that the abso- 
lute extremes were very nearly reached, though no self-registering instrument was used. 
The thermometer hung on the north side of a cottage, under a veranda, exposed to free 
currents of air, and protected from the direct rays of the sun. 
2 The observations were made at his house, near the head of Hancock Street. 
8 Calculated from morning, noon, and evening observations. 
4 This and the following temperatures are quoted from Lorin Blodget’s Climatology 
of the United States, 1857. Fort Constitution is near the mouth of the Piscataqua River. 
5 Situated upon a small island in Boston harbor. Climate of Isles of Shoals and of Nantucket. 
3 
Nantucket .... 
June. 
July. 
71.0 
August. 
68.9 
September. 
63.4 
Newport 
65.3 
71.1* 
70.1 
63.6 
Boston .... 
. 65.9 
71.9 
69.2 
61.8 
Philadelphia 1 . 
71.5 
76 
73.2 
63.8 
Washington 
. 73.9 
76.7 
77.5 
68.8 
The chaiige from an inland climate, or even that of the White 
Mountains, to the Shoals cannot'be made suddenly without some risk. 
I had frequent occasion to notice the fact, and several times saw 
more or less severe affections of the bowels brought on by this cause. 
As a rule, diarrhoea scarcely occurred at all among the guests, except as 
a result of the very grossest carelessness and excess ; there seemed some- 
thing in the air which predisposed to constipation rather than the .re- 
verse. As for the drinking-water, it was drawn from a rain-water cis- 
tern, and seemed to be unobjectionable. At the Appledore they use a 
pump standing about one hundred and fifty feet from the house ; the 
water varied in quality, being sometimes saltish in taste ; but its abso- 
lute purity as respects sewage-matter seems ceftain from the excel- 
lent and thorough system of drainage, which discharges into the sea be- 
low low water, several hundred feet away from the house. Among the 
young children, who are quite numerous at Appledore, diarrhoea of a 
mild sort has been at times frequent for a week or two together; the causes 
of this I am unable to give. During the present year I believe this has 
not been the case. Among older people indigestion will sometimes pun- 
ish those who think the sea-air will enable them to digest everything. A 
regulated, wholesome diet is as necessary here as at home. A dinner 
composed (for example) of clam-chowder, cucumbers, boiled mutton, 
green pease, tomatoes, corn, plum-pudding, ice-cream, watermelon, nuts, 
and raisins — which is not an unfair specimen — is possible once or 
twice, but makes an impression on the system in the long run. 
The water is too cool for many persons to bathe in ; in July it ranges 
from 50° to 60°, but during a few of the last days of August (1874) it 
rose to 70°, which is a pleasant temperature. The bathing-houses are 
also too directly exposed to the view, being in front of the houses and 
near the wharves ; otherwise the pretty little inclosed basin at Apple- 
dore, containing about half an acre of water of safe depths, is decidedly 
attractive. The breakers never reach the bathing-places in either island. 
No doubt bathing would be popular if there were a good beach ; for at 
Rye Beach the water seems to be equally cold. Dr. A. H. Nichols has 
kindly placed at my service his observations upon the water at that 
place in 1873, from which it appears that in August the water ranged 
from 52° to 644°; in July it was yet colder; the observations were 
made at six a. m., but the water was scarcely warmer at noon. 
The island of Nantucket is ten or twelve miles long from east to west, 
1 At the Pennsylvania Hospital. Climate of Isles of Shoals and of Nantucket. 
4 
and two to four in breadth ; it is reached by two hours’ steaming in a 
southeasterly direction.from Martha’s Vineyard. Its northern and eastern 
aspects are faced with steep bluffs of sandy earth, with a narrow beach 
at the foot, like those of the islands in Boston harbor. Its surface is 
for the most part an open moor, or rolling prairie, covered with a scanty 
dry herbage, swept by every storm, and unable to support a vigorous 
growth of trees in any part except the sheltered streets of the “ city.” 
Geologically speaking, the soil is of the drift-formation which prevails 
in Southeastern Massachusetts; it is mostly a coarse sand or gravel, or 
a loam with a large mixture of sand ; in places there are strata of va- 
rious sorts of clay, and at rare intervals a bowlder is seen. Peat-bogs 
are common in the depressions which have served as the beds of ponds, 
but of all the ponds and swamps in the island there is none which is 
thought to give rise to miasma, or which is near enough to the towns (of 
Nantucket and Siasconset) to be injurious to health. The nature of the 
soil makes driving difficult; the streets of the city are generally paved 
with cobble-stones, and outside of the city there is not a quarter of a 
mile of road where a fast horse would be of any use. Neither are there 
any pleasant walks in the suburbs of the city ; for the moment one 
passes from the closely-built street one comes upon the bare, brown, 
turfy moor, where the roads are mere ruts through sand, and with- 
out shade. By “ city ” the reader is to understand the ancient and 
picturesque wooden town of Nantucket, which lies on the northern side 
of the island, fronting a very spacious and safe harbor; it has now a 
population of about three thousand, though built to hold ten thousand ; 
there are a great many boarding-houses, and some good hotels, among 
which may be mentioned the Ocean House, as deserving the confidence 
of the traveler who wishes a good table. Siasconset is a pretty village 
of about sixty houses, on the southeastern face of the island, seven miles 
and a half from the city, with very fair accommodations, but apt to be 
crowded ; Nantucket is rarely over-filled. 
Nantucket city possesses by no means a cool summer climate, as 
measured by the thermometer. During July and August one may ex- 
pect, in four days out of five, a noon temperature of 70° to 80°, and an 
evening temperature of 60° to 70°. In hot seasons it will rise frequently 
to 80° or more in the hours between twelve and four, but invariably 
falls after this, and scarcely ever stands above 70° in the evening.1 This 
considerable rise in the afternoon is due to the situation of the town, on 
the north of the island ; the wind is generally from the south and west, 
and however cool it may be upon the ocean, it becomes rapidly heated 
1 During the four years 1872-75 the thermometer in July ranged from 56° to 88°, with 
one exception of 54° ; in June, from 48° to 81°, with the exceptions of 43° once and 45° 
once. September has a temperature like June. These statements are made by Captain 
Charles H. Colman, who observes sunrise, noon, and sunset temperatures. The coldest day 
known was February 2, 1815, with 11° below zero. Climate of Isles of Shoals and of Nantucket. 
5 
in its passage of two or three miles across the open plain before reach- 
ing the town. On one such warm day (July 27, 1875) I found the 
water at the south shore of a temperature of 72°, the air over the ocean 
being the same, and as I drove back to town the atmospheric heat rose 
steadily to 82°. This excess of heat is not present at Siasconset, where 
the southerly breeze comes almost directly off the water; as a rule the 
hot part of the day is probably five degrees cooler there than in the 
city; in fact, day and night are both cooler there, and the air circulates 
better. A part of Nantucket city is built upon high land, thirty or forty 
feet above the sea, and a part is quite in a hollow ; the invalid will do 
well, in summer, to seek the higher and breezier parts, for the climate 
is decidedly different. 
The moisture of the air is great, and, combined with the heat, makes 
active muscular exertion upon land an undesirable thing. Lassitude of 
a luxurious sort, and a readiness to fall asleep without a particular reason, 
seize upon the summer visitor, whoever he may be, whether native to 
the island or a foreigner. Pedestrian effort, except about the streets, is 
next to impossible, but sailing and rowing are pleasant, and eminently 
safe ; sitting still is certainly better, and lying down best of all, in the 
indolent dog-days. Judging from my own sensations, I should say that 
the air is less charged with moisture than at Falmouth, on the south 
shore of Cape Cod, with which I am quite familiar ; at the village of 
Wood’s Hole, in Falmouth, surrounded on three sides by water, the 
monthly mean of humidity for July last was 79.7, for August 86.7 ; but 
these high figures are certainly not representative of the state of things 
in Nantucket.1 The month of September and the last half of June pos- 
sess a brilliant, pungent atmosphere, equally free from damp chill and 
from excessive heat. East winds, by the way, are damp and chilly, as 
elsewhere on the New England coast, but are infrequent in the hot 
months. 
The drinking-water is very variable in quality. Most of it is procured 
from wells, and no two wells are exactly alike, some being extremely 
sweet and soft, but most bearing a decided brackish taint, and in some 
cases a strong flavor of iron. It is rather common for visitors to be 
troubled with a slight diarrhoea, which they attribute to this cause. It 
would not be amiss to brino- a little claret with one. Those who are not 
disturbed in this way are apt to experience constipation, which passes off 
in a few days with very little help from medicine, like the constipation 
which attends a life upon shipboard. 
As repects drainage, there is none to speak of, most houses being de- 
pendent on common cess-pools ; the soil is so light as to make frequent 
removals unnecessary. Typhoid fever is not at all rare, though it is not so 
1 At Falmouth and Wood’s Hole the air possesses the same power to produce languor as 
that at Nantucket. 6 
Climate of Isles of Shoals and of Nantucket. 
frequent as to excite alarm. In the closely-built parts of the city the 
pump is often in dangerous proximity to the cess-pool. I am unable to 
speak of the hotels. 
The bathing at the city differs from that at Siasconset in being 
warmer and cleaner; freer from the debris of sea-weed. The water is 
shallow, and in certain spots is warmed by long exposure to the sun. I 
examined the water frequently from July 16th to 26th, and found at 
the “north shore ” the water at 72° or 73° ; in the harbor, 72° to 77°; 
and at Siasconset, once 67°, on a tide coming from the east, and once 70°. 
Neither the north shore nor the harbor has any surf; the great value 
of the bathing consists in the mildness of both water and air, which 
permits delicate persons to enter the water without a shock, and on 
leaving it to regain quickly their normal circulation. Except on rainy 
days, which are rare, one is sure to have a brilliant sun ; fogs and clouds 
seldom interfere with the effects of the insolation. In my opinion these 
qualities of the bathing are of very great importance. At Siasconset, 
though the air is finer and more equable, the water is not so pleasant; 
a strong tide-current and an undertow prevail constantly, and the break- 
ers are often dangerous, which circumstances, with the low temper- 
ature, make the bathing undesirable for delicate persons who do not 
“ react ” well. At Nantucket there is an excellent establishment for 
taking baths of warmed sea-water. 
Finally, we may add a word as regards the comparative sanatory 
value of these two places, the Isles of Shoals and Nantucket. Both 
possess a sea-air of great purity, with the tonic effects proper to such an 
atmosphere. But one is a cold, the other a warm air ; and it is need- 
less to expect benefits if patients are sent without consulting their pref- 
erences as to coolness or warmth. Both are “ bracing,’’ that is, they 
promote languor and sleep in many cases; and this is a very valuable 
quality in the treatmont of irritability and sleeplessness. Granting a 
fair degree of tolerance of cold, the equability of temperature at the 
Shoals is of great value in removing catarrhal conditions of the mucous 
membranes ; and nearly the same might be said of Siasconset, but 
hardly of Nantucket. Granting a fair degree of tolerance of heat, the 
island of Nantucket, with its occasional hot-house atmosphere, its warm, 
unstimulating sea-baths, its freedom from the noise and excitement of 
the Shoals hotels, and its absolute drowsiness during the hours of siesta, 
presents advantages in the way of soothing the nerves that are superior 
to those possessed at the Shoals. Siasconset is still drowsier. 
In the debility of retarded convalescence from acute disease, and that 
arising from disproportioned brain-work, these climates are admirable. 
Young children thrive wonderfully, wherever they can be exposed to 
fresh air, upon mountain or sea-shore; and the warmth of the climate 
furnishes no obstacle to their thriving in Nantucket. Climate of Isles of Shoals and of Nantucket. 
7 
In the first stage of consumption the Shoals are well known as bene- 
ficial. Positive improvement cannot be promised, but patients often 
find themselves very comfortable during their stay ; the decided cura- 
tive effect which is obtained in our high Western regions is not to be 
expected from this climate. In advanced stages the disease does badly in 
both places. 
It is hard to say whether rheumatism is likely to be benefited by a 
visit to the Shoals. At Nantucket, the opinion is against sending cases 
of rheumatism or neuralgia to be cured ; rheumatic gout is common 
enough, also, among the indigenes. 
Hay fever is one of the complaints for which people resort to the 
Shoals, and is often relieved there. A strong land-breeze, however, 
brings a decided .land-smell, and with it an occasional temporary relapse. 
In the opinion of Dr. Warren, relief is quite general among those who 
come there. At Nantucket the case is not similar. 
There is plenty of evidence to show that there is nothing in a mere 
residence in either place that can avert disease. Upon the Shoals con- 
sumption used to be common among the women, who lived a life of se- 
vere toil, in wretchedly ventilated houses. In Nantucket, at the present 
day, one meets a fair number of goodly old men, vigorous and weather- 
stained ; but the women, who constitute the great part of the popula- 
tion, and bear their own burdens for the most part, are strikingly deli- 
cate and worn-looking; their life is also one of in-door labor, and of 
close economy ; they are seldom seen out-of-doors by day, and they 
are rather subject to consumption. Let the invalid take account of the 
influence of comfort; let him know how his room is warmed in chilly 
weather, how high it is in the walls, and how freely the air circulates; 
how far he has to walk to his meals; whether the meat is eatable when 
he gets it; whether there is anything to do, or any people one likes to 
talk to. In regard to the latter point, one has at Nantucket few strangers 
except those of a very “ transient ” sort, but the natives are very inter- 
esting for their good nature, originality, and accessibility; at the Shoals 
one finds all sorts of “ city folks.” There is also to be found at the 
Shoals a physician, of sound judgment and ripe experience, who spends 
his summers there on account of ill-health resulting from a railway 
injury. 
In conclusion, it appears to me that if one is decidedly uncomfort- 
able at either place, after a week’s trial, it will be of no use to stay 
longer, except in case one has simply fatigued one’s self with over-exer- 
tion, or with the common practice of excessive bathing.