The Portland daily press., 1886-06-09
MYSTERIES OF sEBAco LAKE.
Sad Drowning Accident in its Waters.
The First Recovery of Human
BODY from its Depths.

The First hSCOVOtJ " HNindn
BODY from its Depths.
yorr mention of the recovery Of the body
Of Fred Mureh from the waters oil oepago
Lake calls to my mind similar drowning ac-'
eidents within my recollection. Young Mureh
was drowned on the ninth Of May by the up
setting of boat near the Dingley Islands.
Tho bo,t contained three young men. Au-
gustns Jordan spent his strength in assist
inc the others. and after swimming ashore
ON an island died Of exhaustion. Albert,
n brother of the Murch who was drowned
could NOT swim. but saved his life by hang
ing on to the boat.
The death Of these young men causeu liiuon
excitement in their town OF Casco, ana iarge
numbers of men with all the usual apphah-
ees. dragged the bottom of the lake for sew
eral days for the body of the drowned ooy
but with little hope of success, as the eiuer
people discouraged them, arguing that from
some mysterious property the water OF tne
lake retained whatever was sunk In 1t. NO
result rewarded their labors, nor did the
body rise to the surface at the time they US
ually do in other waters Alter thIee "ooNo
from the drowning an experienced dlNer "'''
employed who went down in nearly one nun
dred feet of water, and searched 1our houi'
among boulders, and on the following morn
ing, after thorough search of the lake.
walking eight miles, he stepped on the BODY
of the drowned boy. 1t was found 70 oe III
a good state of preservation and nearly COW
cred by sediment. This drifting SEDIMENT
by its covering the bodies, may be the cause
why they are not found. This is said to be
the first body ever recovered from the deep
waters of the lake, although they reach
much greater depth further from the shore.
In confirmation of the assertion that there
is a mysterious property in the waters In the
depths of the lake which retains every thing
which reaches it, will narrate more seri-
ous accident on the lake, which occurred
nearly sixty years ago, of which L nave q
distinct recollection. In the early days Qt
the powder manufacture at Gambo FAILS,
Windham, the business was carried on by
the firm of Edmond Fowler u Co., which was
composed of two Fowler brothers from
Southwick, Mass, and Lester Laplin Of the
same State On the 22nd of June, 1928, Ed
mond Fowler Laplin, and their foreman,
Matthew McCulley. went to Chadbournes
landing in Standish for sail on the lake
Near the landing lived William Horr. who
with Chadbourn owned large clinker-built
sail boat thirty-fve feet long, schooner
rugged and carrying a jib. The boat was
named the Ellen, and had been kept as
pleasure boat in Portland harbor. Her
masts were very long, and she was consid-
cred unsafe. She finally capsized and
drowned the Bangs brothers, when she was
sold and taken to the lake. Horr was an ex-
perienced boatman, and readily engaged to
take the Fowler party up the lake, and also
took his own son of some thirteen years with
him. The party left in good spirits The
circumstances of the temperance Of the
boat and the sad fate of the party re-
eeived some years ago fIom son of Mr..
ChadbOurn's, who owned a part Of the boat,
and from Mrs. Bodge-who was Esther Har-
mon, a sister of the wife of Horr, the boat
man. She was then thirteen, and lived in
their family on the high shore Of the lake,
overlooking its sea-like expanse. Henry
Chadbourne, now dead said that an hour be-
fore sunset small very dark cloud appeared
in the west, and gradually arose against the
wind as it blew over the lake. The threaten
ing appearance of the cloud caused his
father to look for the sailing party. The
boat was discovered far up the lake. She
had all sail set with stiff breeze from the
east she was on the starboard tack close
hauled and apparently striving to fetch the
landing before the squall struck.
Mrs. Bodge said that at the time t3lo-Esie
struck she was returning from the well
several rods from the mouse, and in sight OF
the lake. Her path was through piece OF
winter wheat which was fully grown. She
was not expecting the gale to strike so soon,
xvbnn she heard the howl of the tqmnpgf
the lake, and thought she heard Il rscream
from the same direction al the same time; A
fearful flash of lightning surrounded her,
and did not Immediately disappear. She
heard no thunder but the gale came with the
lightning. She was frightened and i'm
agined the waving grain was water through
which she was wading, but on reaching the
house her clothes were perfectly dry. Be
fore the air became thick the boat was seen
between Sticky river poiat and Indian
Island, in the open water seen in looking
north from the present railroad landing
Night Immediately shut down with no ap-
pearance of the party, but not much alarm
was felt as it was supposed that the boat was
driven on to the sandy beach of the island.
The next morning. party in a boat was
sent, who found on the shore of the island
four hats and an oar, but no other signs
of the boat or the party.
1t was apparent to all that when the wind
which brought the cloud suddenly oyercame
the wind from the east which was tssvep 81
ing the sails, the boat was upset. and her
stone ballast carried her at once to the bot
tom.
The neighboring settlements were immedi-
ately alarmed and a search was begun with
boats and RATS, and for many days that part
Of the lake was thoroughly dragged with all
kinds of grapnels, and although the masts OF
the boat had shrouds no grapnel took hold OF
them. At the end of two weeks "the head
works." a timber structure with a house and
a capstan on it, used to warp RATS OF logs
the lake, was brought round from
fha otrfIa az nrA AXFQF
supposed spot of the accident.
An effort was made to raise the bodies by
the jar of heavy guns. A cannon was
brought from Portland, and placed on the
headworks, and for several days the MOURN
full guns kept the people excited within the,
circle of ten miles, When in ordinary waym
water, gases form in human body, and it
rises to the surface. When about to float
the jar produced by the firing of cannon
sometimes loosens the body from the bottom
and hastens the rising, but in the case of the
Fowler party no such result followed, nor
probably will not until ''the sea gives up its
dead" The mystery of the lake Is probably
its great depth Of very cold water, which no
warm current reaches, and oil matter sunk
in it remains the same.
The scene of the search for the bodies of
the Fowler party was made the more painful
from the presence of the brothers and friends
of Mr.. Fowler; the young wife of Mr.. Laf-
lin, to whom he had been married but a few
weeks, and the wife of the boatman HOFr-
who for long life looked from her window
across the lake each night for the coming Of
her husband and son. w. q.
June 9th.
Experiments with Anarchist Bombs.
Inspector Bonfeld of the Chicago Police
force, has tested the force Of two of the
thirty-two gass-pipe bombs found under
sidewalk during the hunt for the Socialists
Accompanied by two officers he carried two
of them to the priarie near Humboldt Park,
| and fired them He Describes the experiment