At 6 pm. Wednesday evening, 11th inst., the polls were closed in the great voting contest for the naming of Edgartown’s new Summer hotel. Since Dec. 18th the votes had been coming in, the standing of the vote being announced in subsequent issues of the Gazette. From almost the start the favorites seemed to be Hotel Edgartown and Harbor View, although Hotel Martha and others developed considerable strength.
 
On Saturday noon the last bulletin was put out giving the vote at that time as follows: Harbor View 281; Hotel Edgartown 279; Hotel Martha 102, and others with lesser numbers. From that hour on Saturday the editor of the Gazette carried the tremendous secret of the progress of the voting, and from then until the hour of closing the polls “Get in all the coupons you can because we don’t know how it stands,” was the universal cry. A dozen times since Saturday noon have the positions of the leaders changed. Tuesday and Wednesday were the greatest days for votes, coming as they did from all parts of the Island, and from many different states of the Union, wherever the Gazette has subscribers and Edgartown has friends.
 
This (Thursday) forenoon a committee of counters, composed of Sheriff J. L. Dexter, Cyrus H. Pease, Dr. Thos. J. Walkers and Capt. John P. Fisher, in the Directors’ room at National Bank building, sorted and counted the votes with the result as given below:
 
Harbor View...................1977
Hotel Edgartown............1835
Hotel Martha....................104
Hotel Mizpah.....................39
The Buena Vista.................39
Hotel Emprise.....................29
The Edgartown...................26
Old Colony House..............17
Starbuck House...................17
The Inn at Edgartown.........10
Hotel Martha’s Vineyard.......7
Hotel Edgartown...................7
Hotel Nashquitsa..................6
Hotel Belvedere....................5
Pilgrim Hall..........................3
Cliff House...........................2
Hotel Nunpaug.....................2
Atlantic House......................2
Starbuck’s Bluff House.........2
Martha’s Vineyard Hotel......2
Hotel Vacuna........................1
Acme Hotel..........................1
Hotel New England..............1
The Outlook.........................1
The Montezuma...................1
Ocean Zephyr Resort...........1
Martha’s Inn.........................1
Hiacoomes House................1
Vineyard Inn........................1
Sea Rest Inn.........................1
Union Hotel.........................1
Hotel Bartholomew..............1
Monticello House................1
Hotel Starbuck.....................1
 
Total...............................4145
 
The following votes, not in the published list, were also received. Our “funny man” suggests that in the case of the first “it is quite evident that he didn’t grunt but twice.”
 
These are they:
 
Hotel de Grunter........................2
Wardwell’s Rest.........................1
View de Grande.........................1
 
Time forbids our giving at length many interesting bits concerning the contest. Suffice to say that it has been a good-natured one from the beginning and the result is cordially accepted by all. Certainly both of the names that head the list demonstrated their popularity, as to the votes, coming from Maine to California, abundantly testify.
 
The name - “Harbor View” - was first proposed by our esteemed former townsman, Mr. L. C. Bliss, now of the firm of L. C. Bliss & Co., shoe manufacturers, Brockton, Mass., and was the fourth name received at this office. Mr. Bliss will receive the dictionary and probably everlasting fame as the person who first suggested the name of Edgartown’s hotel, that is, we trust, to prove such a mighty factor in the future upbuilding of the town.