The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-15
THEY FOUND A CAVE.
Explorers Think They Have Learned
Where KIdd's Treasure il Hidden.

From the New York Press.
Bar Harbor, Me. Nov. 2.-Men rambling
over Bald Porcupine Island in French
mans Bay a few weeks ago discovered
by accident a big cave on the southern
side of the one hundred and fifty acres
of rocky soil where the government Is
now building a breakwater to protect
our beautiful harbor.
Bald Poreupine Island is one of the
many Islands in Frenchmans Bay, which,
on account OF their inaccessibilfty have
not been made a place of visitation by
the summer tourists and has been used
mostly for sheep raising the last half
a century, the question of its ownership
having been in dispute in the courts sew
eral times.
Harvey Hodgkins and a man named
Bunker Of Bar Harbor were strolling
about the island, and when near the
highest ground on the breakwater side
saw dark spot in the cliff above them
resembling an entrance to cave. AT
first glance the approach seemed mac
cessible from where they stood, and thu
top of the rough cliff lowered fifty feet
above. After an half hours struggling
with the scrub brush on the sides of
the cliff, the pair reached the place. The
entrance was guarded with hugs rocks
piled there by the action of the elements.
They succeeded in rolling away one big
boulder which went crashing down the
clin toward the ocean and disclosed an
opening large enough to admit person
standing erect. A. volume of foul air
rushed out as II the entrance had been
closed for centuries, and 1t was seveVil
minutes before the discoveries dared en-
ter the narrow passage which appeared
to lead downward. Bunker let himself
i'm for a dozen feet and discovered that
the passage led away to the right into
a chamber of considerable dimensions.
Bunker and Hodgkins decided to aban-
don their explorations until they could
procure torches and lanterns. They knew
that men were then digging for Capt.
Kidd's buried treasure near Ellsworth,
only a score OF miles away, upon new
theory of location, and It required only a
small flight of imagination to convince
them that If the famous pirate had bur-
led his wealth anywhere on the Maine
coast he could not have selected better
place than the cave on Bald Porsupine.
They rolled stones in front of the entrance
but returned later with torches. When
they steppc within the chamber the torch
lit up a huge yaulted room about fifty
feet long, and from fifteen TO twenty
feet in hight There was a noise as Of
running water al the farther end.
The floor was covered with ooZe mud to
the depth of foot or more.
After foundering about in the mud the
explorers began TO get scared. The light
from the torches began to grow dim
also, and the foul air of the cave sick
ened them. They hurried out and pledged
each other to secrecy, but the story
leaked out and later they consented TO
take a few friends to the spot. In the
party besides themselves were Serenus
II. hDulCht hnltu anu FOUNTAIN
Rodick, owners Of Rodick, or Bar Island,
which lies near Bald Porc9plne. and who
are acquainted with every spot about
Frenchmans Bay.
They were enjoined to secrecy, and con-
scented to share in the buried treasure
equally. They brought oil-skin suits,
long rubber boots, lanterns, torches and
fire arms, and cautiously poked their way
along the floor oftentimes knee deep in
slime. on the side walls little scintillat-
ing giimmers cautioned them that there
-
n kissing noise all about them caused
them TO stop and listen. one Of the party
fired a rife shot az glimmer, and II
pear in greater brillaney all about the
cavern. accompanied by a chorus Of Kisses
that told the explorers that the cave was
alive with snakes. After they had adj
vanced thirty feet they saw eoilcd IN a
corner Z huge bunch Of snakes Of ali col