The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-07-21
STATE TOPICS OF INTEREST.

| There is young man in Frankfort.
who is having good deal of fun, and
who will eventually make good sum of
money by raising hens. This young
man is James E. Hurley, who at the
! present time has two large hen houses
and who keeps about 400 hens and has 600
chicks now growing to henhood and
roosterhood. One of his henhouses is
140 feet long and 116 wide. In this are
| IA pens with three feet walk running
the whole length. Another six-pen
house is go by II feet. He has 20 poul-
try yards 10 by $50 and 10 by 20 feet.
They are all fenced by wire netting. He
has one big Challenge incubator, capable
of doing the work of 100 hens. He ships
his eggs to Boston, where he gets from
eight to ten cents dozen about the reg
ular market price. The eggs are all
washed carefully and packed in 80 dozen
crates before shipment.
Mr.. D. A. Booker, the bridge builder
of the Maine Central, is now in the midst
of a job of railroad work, that is novel
in Maine to say the least He is build
ing across the Sheepscot river, bridge
longer and heavier than the iron railroad
bridge at Augusta, and no kind of
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current was so swift that other means
than a staging were employed to hold to
the bridge up during it's construction.
The trial trip of. the cruiser Castine,
the sister ship of the Machias, is now en-
gazing the attention of the people of
Bath 1T is expected to take place about
Aug. 18th and off this coast instead of
Long Island Sound where the Machias
made her fast time. The Castine will
not be quite as nearly completed at the
time of her trial AS was the Machias, as
she will not have her spars in position
and in this she will follow the example
of the Detroit which was without spars
when she made her remarkable record.
The residents of ssBrooksville are much
troubled with the foxes. One woman
who wintered As hens had all but Is of
them taken off by sly reynards and an
other lady from 90 chickens which she
raised has only - left. The foxes are so
numerous and have such an appetite for
chicken feed that they come into the
yards of the farm houses in the day time
as well as nights and trot coolly Unto the
barns after their pray.
John Hanscom, former publisher of
the Maine Sentinel, has received an APP
pointment as skilled laborer in the yards
and docks of the Kittery navy yard.
While Mrs. Samuel Littlefield of Au-
gusta was at the circus Wednesday, her
residence was entered by thieves, by re-
moving a screen from back window.
They went upstairs and stole $50 in
greenbacks and SIS in choice old coins.
Valuable jewelry was not disturbed.
A startling rumor was afoat in Lewis
ton yesterday morning that Barnum q
Bailey's circus train had been wrecked
short distance above Augusta, and that
a number of wild beasts were let out and
were skulking about the country. The
simple fact is that freight car on the
circus train became derailed and consid-
cradle trouble was experienced in get
ting it back on the iron.
Brunswick is to have big fireman's
muster August 18th. Captain David
Burt is chairman of the committee of
arrangements, and G. E. Townsend,
ESQ.,, marshal of the day. Every fire
company in the state will have an invita-
ton.
+ A. S. Francis, formerly Maine Cen
trail fireman, has just recovered a verdict
of $4,000 against the Northern Pacific
road, in Montana. Mr.. Francis was
Stacking cars when his lantern went
out In the darkness his hand was
caught in the buffers and had to be am
putated. Mr.. Francis claimed that the
lantern, the property of the road, was
defective.
With much solicitude for the public
welfare, the chairman of the board of
selectmen of Bucksport has positively
forbidden the coming Hastings's circus
from allowing their elephants to touch
Bucksport soil under penalty of revok-
ing their license. The circus can come
and show. but the elephants must stay in
the car. The reason given for this ac-
ton is the argument that last year an ell
ephant got away and terrorized the town,
doing lots of damage, etc, and precau
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