Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-03-26
Some Names In Maine.


Many people have a peculiaridea and
others have no idea at all of the sig
nificanee or derivation Of the names of
localities in Maine frcqnented by sum-
mcr tourists, writes Bangor CORES
pondent OF The NeI0 York san. Bar
Harbor is n familiar name to very
many. but why it is called so is un-
known TO not few. There is a story
TO the effect that Kentuckian who
once visited the place had hard hunt
for barroom, and expressed to the
landlord his opinion that is was -
of town to call Bar Harbor. and that
it should be named Wateryille. But the
name is appropriate enough, and is de-
rived from the fact that the harbor is
partly formed by sort of sand break
water extending from the shore off to
small island.
Among the many points of interest
around this famous resort is Schooner
head, three and half miles from the
village. This is a rocky headland of
perpendicular face, rising abruptly
from the sea, in such depth of water
that man-of war might lie close along
side with no danger of grounding.
There are no breakers here, the sea
merely rising and falling with smooth
surface and majestic motion. The face
of the eli is of grayish color, and on
background of this hue sharp lines of
white quartz crop out in such q man
ner as to define the shape of two
masted fore-and-after, with main and
fore-sails set, heading up the bay. In
the war of 1912 British cruiser fired
several shots at this rock picture, TAX
ing it for a Yankee craft hugging the
shore, before the mistake was discov-
cred. This is why the promontory is
known as schooner head.
Egg Rock is distant half mile from
Schooner head, and is named from the
vast quantities of gull eggs deposited
there. In former years the people OF
the vicinity used TO 60 over to the rock
and break all the eggs they could find,
and when they returned in few days
there would be countless dozens of fresh
eggs there. Since the lighthouse has
been built the gulls have deserted the
island.
The spouting Horn is sort of chin
ney-like shaft in a cliff near Schooner
head, being open both at bottom and
top, and, when a heavy sea is rolling
in, the waters are thrown high up in
the opening with a peculiar, loud noise.
Thunder cave is another cavity in the
cliff near by. 1t is in the shape of an
old-time brick oven, clean as can be,
and accessible only at half tide. The
place is fifty feet deep and twenty-five
feet high, large enough to hold dance
in. 1t has been also known as the Dev-
lis Oven and Anemone Cave. Its pres
ent name was probably suggested by
the fact that the sea, washing in at
high water, reverberates in the cave like
the celestial artillery.
There has been much wrangling over
the meaning of Maranacook, beauti-
full lake in central Maine, where thous-
ands of pleasure-seekers 60 in summer,
and many vulgar slang name has
been applied to Winthrop's silvery wat
er. 1t means simply, in the Indian
language, 1.-The deer place.U In Maine,
as elsewhere, there are any number of
cliffs, caves, peculiar shaped rocks,
profiles, and mountains of eccentric
contour, which, upon discovery, have
promptly been named by the unpoetic
natives the Devils this or the DEVILS
that, indicating a superstition and fear
full -halief in the evil one, perhaps, or
perhaps dire and reckless familiarity.