Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-08-19
GARDINER,

-Aooey i3st young man named w III
Brown, employed 10 the shoe factory. met
with quite q serious accident He had been
employed as assistant on the heeling ma
chine, and, the man who usually runs the
machine being absent. he attempted to oper-
ate IT. BY some means he managed TO catch
his hand IN the machinery, taking of the end
of one of his fingers
Mr.. Joseph Atkins is grading his wharf.
just above the Stars wharf. /, will be used
for coal and lumber.
Mr.. W. c. Palmer has gone to the Islands
for a few DAYS.
Ii is reported. on good authority, that the
company operating the Star of the East has
decided to build another boar TO put on the
route between Boston and the Kennebec
The business has grown altogether too large
for one boat. In old times, before the rail-
road Was built there used TO be three large
boats on the route, and sometimes they would
be so crowded that many would have to sleep
on the deck. Il seems as if the route might
support two boats now.
The Islander had large load of passen-
gers when she left this city Yesterday morn
ing Some fifty or sixty boarded her al this
city.
Quite an exciting runaway occurred near
.
stage took fright, and started up street at a
break-nsck pace. The driver was on the box,
but, although he did his best to stop Them he
did not succeed, until they reached Jackson's
corner, where the stage was overturned
| The driver Of the Jefferson stage who was on
the overturned vehicle, had his ankle badly
sprained, No serious injury was done to the
stage. These horses run away on an average
about once a week, il is said.
Many Gardiner people were walked up out
of sound sleep Monday night by deafen-
! ing peal Of thunder, that made one imagine
that the lightning had struck all over town at
once. No damage has yet been learned of,
| however
Rev. Mr.. Smithe of Boston, the Sweden
borgian minister. who preached at the Uni
versalist church last Sunday, will preach
here again next Sabbath. The place has not
yet been announced. Those who listened to
Mr.. Smithe's sermon last Sunday say that he
is one of the most eloquent preachers they
have ever heard.
| Mr.. Sumner Hollingsworth of this city, is
the owner of handsome steam Yacht called
the Persis She is a beauty, and extremely
| fasr for boat of her size.
| One of the most interesting incidents in
the history of Gardiner was the discovery of
singular cave near Rolling Dam brook,
about two miles south of the village. Some
one was walking near the spot in March,
| 1926, when he thought he discovered smoke
issuing from the top of a hollow, blasted
tree, about twenty feet from the ground. As
he was observing it his foot broke through
the surface of the ground. and he heard
noises beneath his feet. He ran for assistance
| before venturlng on Il search. When others
came about an hour aftfwards, the inmates
had a.l L.t Ill
made: In steep hill of stiff clay, about a
third of mile from the river a small open
ing, about two feet in diameter was discov-
cred, facing the brook artfuly concealed by
a lattice of twigs and moss and leaves. Only
one person could enter the place at time,
and he by living flat on the ground and exert
| ing himself to the utmost. About five feet from
the entrance the cave commenced. 1t was
1 about four by six feet, and supported by pieces
of split pine and small poles. The fire place
was opposite The entrance, and had become
hard by the action of the fire. The smoke
assembled through the blasted tree. All over
| the soil above trees were growing ar the ex-
| cavation had been made in the earth by hard
labor, and so artfully concealed that only
accident could have found it, Within the
cave were found old garments, an axe, a sword
cane, and small book of birch bark, with
nve or SIX leaves, covered with singular
characters. Everything looked like poverty,
and from the fact that only petty thiefts had
been committed in the neighborhood it would
seem that the occupants levied contributions
for the simple purpose of supporting life.
There was evidently woman in the gang, as
the tracks of one of the occupants was quite
small, and an article Of female apparel was
found. No clew has ever been obtained to
the occupants of the cave, and the
most romantic theories have been adj
vanced to account for the discovery.
Persons visiting Rolling Dam to-day, who
will take the pains to travel up the stream
from the road about an eighth of a mile, turn
to the right and climb about two-thrds of the
way up the bank. will see, situated between
four stalwsrt trees, a large hollow. laying
across which is the old, rotten trunk of tree
and this, it is said, is the site of Robbers
| Cave.