New Haven Independent

The retired Yale professor shared his love of the Sound interwoven with his in-depth knowledge of its history at the First Annual John Loeb Lecture Series Dec. 2 at the James Blackstone Memorial Library. His talk, “Long Island Sound in History,” drew an attentive crowd that filled the Lucy Hammer Room.

Throughout his presentation, Smith acknowledged John Loeb, who is stepping down from the library’s Board of Trustees after seven years. Loeb, a longtime history buff, and his wife Rhoda celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this year and enjoy Long Island Sound first hand from their home on the Sound. Loeb was also active with the Friends of the Library and has been instrumental in the success of the Friends’ annual book sale, which is held on the Branford Green in September.

Polly Fitz, president of the Friends of the Library, explained that the lecture evolved as a way of honoring Loeb. “People wanted to do something to honor John on his 90th birthday in lieu of gifts,” she said. The Friends of the Library gave a substantial gift toward endowing the new lecture series.

Gaddis Smith describes himself as a “company man.” He graduated from Yale University in 1954 and received a Ph.D. in history in 1961. He spent 40 years there, serving as chair of the history department, master at Pierson College, and director of the Yale Center for International and Area Studies. He has an impressive list of published material including a history of Yale University, “Yale in the 20th Century,” published in 2007.

But clearly his passion, personally and professionally, is Long Island Sound. His hour-long talk explored the Sound as witness to change across the centuries.

“Long Island Sound for all its wonderful beauty reflects the changes in the region,” Smith said. “It’s a record of climate change, settlements of native Americans, societal changes, trade, rise and decline of profitable fisheries.”

Climate change is big news these days, and Smith said it’s the receding glaciers that gave Long Island, Faulkners Island, and East and West Rock, and the rocky shoreline as we know it their distinctive appearance. While the conference on global warming in Copenhagen confirms temperatures are rising, we need only compare Long Island Sound of today with the 18th, 19th and even early 20th centuries. Smith said those glaciers were replaced by cold winters with thick ice: a World War I fleet got stuck in Block Island Sound, an individual skated from Greenwich to Stonington, and a car was driven out to the New Haven breakwater … things that we never see happen today.

Smith went on to describe the human history of Long Island from the prosperity of Native Americans, who enjoyed abundant fishing and good health until the Europeans arrived.

Long Island Sound subsequently became the center for extensive trade relations, starting with Adrian Block sailing in the bay in the early 1600s at “Red Hills,” later named “New Haven” by the English in 1636. Trade between New Haven and China was extensive although Smith said the most important trade went on with the West Indies and Barbados, where locals took up residence to handle the export of rum.

Light ships manned and maintained the shore. “There were lights and horns, fog bells, fog horns, fog trumpets,” Smith said.

Steam vessel service was established in 1815, which led to increasing commerce and the beginning of industrialization. Coal, which was brought in from the Chesapeake, was replacing wood. Smith painted a pictured of the Sound, viewed now by the Loebs as calm and peaceful, as being “covered with commercial vessels, the equivalent of today’s 18-wheelers, interrupted only by ice.”

Another cargo was pulp wood from Nova Scotia, which was turned into cardboard in New Haven at what became New Haven Board and Carton. The last vessel carrying that cargo docked in New Haven in 1950.

The end of World War II brought another change in cargo - from coal to petroleum. In terms of energy, Smith mentioned that there were more nuclear plants within 100 miles of Long Island Sound than any other area; now they are all inactive. As an aside, Smith commended the halting of the Broadwater LNG facility as “a damn good thing.”

Petroleum tankers pass through the Sound today on their way on their way to New Haven Harbor, but, Smith emphasized, all petroleum tankers fly flags other that that of the U.S. due to regulations; the flags of Panama, Liberia and Cypress are commonly seen.

Smith asked the audience about today’s biggest export. “Scrap” was given as the correct response.

In regard to fishing, yet another element that shaped the history of Long Island Sound, Smith said the change is discouraging. “It’s happening all over,” he said. “Giving away bluefish used to be as hard as giving away zucchini.”

Long Island Sound was the oyster capital around 1900. “What pizza is today in New Haven,” he said, adding that the oysters were tinted green due to copper brought into the harbor.

Lobsters were abundant, Smith said, and scientists still don’t know contributed to their diminished numbers. Many lobstermen are now turning to clamming.

Although water quality is better than a generation ago, marine mammals have never been especially plentiful. Smith said that porpoises were seen about 40 years ago along with a couple of whales. Audience members mentioned seeing some seals off Branford Point and Stony Creek.

Finally, Smith discussed Long Island Sound as a reflection of war or fear of war.

Although New Haven escaped being burned down by the British during the Revolutionary War, the fear and resulting vigilance were there, stemming from the invasion and subsequent plundering in 1779. (New London, however, did burn in 1781.) Smith said people prepared at Fort Hale for a possible conflict during the 1898 War with Spain, and while no German subs were spotted during World War II, regular patrols were carried out.

Smith ended on a cautionary note: While there have been no real attacks on the area from Long Island Sound, it could be easy.

Chances are good, however, that there’s little that would interrupt Smith’s adventures on the Sound.

###