The herald., 1898-04-16
MARSH BAYS SAURIAN
A LIVE ALLIGATOR WITH A PICK
IN IT'S BACK
This Is Not Fish Story, but It Takes
Medal Just the
Same

Frankfort, Me.-The older people who get
a living among the granite quarries and by
catching smelts and tomcods in the salt
creeks firmly believe that there is gigantic
alligator running wild in the waters of
Marsh bay, and those who hive until next
June propose to celebrate the finding Of the
saurian with a banquet and parade.
In the summer of 1888 a schooner which
had on board a cage of aliigators destined
for q museum in New York city, came in
here to get cargo Of granite from the
Mosquito mourtain quarr!es, and while she
was loading the biggest alligator of the
lot escaped overheard. There are dozen
old men living today who have seen the
reptile, and all of them say that It was
fully twelve feet long.
The stories told about the alligator of
Marsh creek would fill book. Whenever
any cattle get sucked in by the quicksands
along the creek or were mired and buried
in the "honey pots" among the flats near
low-water mark, the owner charged his
loss up to the alligator and cleaned up his
gun and went hunting until the family
food supplies ran low, and he had to go 20
work. In the course of four years five
children who went out to play In the boats
and never returned were said to have been
added to the reptiles bill of fare, and two
men who left Mink Hole Inn late a, night,
intoxicated, were Also said to have gone the
same way.
In the summer Of 1888 the company that
owned Mosquito mountain bui1t small
pier on solid ground near the quarry, and
dug deep and wide canal from the front
Of the wharf to tide water. The work was
very hard, as the black muck was filled
with the trunks of fallen trees, which had
been lying there so long that they had
hardened and turned black
One day when more than 200 men were
busy throwing out the wood and muck,
Richard K.llman, a gigantic laborer of
Prospect, drove the point of pick into the
end of small log buried in the mud, and,
so the story goes, was greatly surprised TO
see the log start up and walk off, taking
the pickaxe along. kilMnan, who was AS
brave as he was stout, suspecttng that he
had hooked onto the now famous alligator,
Kept hold OF the handle of the pick and
yelled for the men to come and help but
the other hands, not having been hired TO
catch alNgators, dropped their tools and
fled back to the quarry in panic. Kill
man was angry all through. The wounded
alligator churned the mud with his tail.
lifting Killman from his feet and throwing
him about, but In spite of the brisk exer-
else to which he was subjected, the man
held his grip on the handle until the reptile
gained open water, and dived beyond reach,
carrying the ptckaxe with him. and leaving
Killman standing on the bank.
Later tales about the alligator of Marsh
bay are more picturesque than accurate
Men who dipped smerts by lantern light
from the fresh water brooks cav the crea-
ture lying In the waters with his jaws
thrown back and set, like q. trap, waiting
for anything that might come his way
Owners of weirs complained bitterly that
the alligator made sad work with the i'm
pr!soned salmon and alewives. Farmers
who lost sheep from shore pastures and
poultrymen whose hens disappeared in the
night laid their losses to the alligator. The
creature was reported frequently as being
seen out in the Penobscot RIVER. People
said they saw the pickaxe which Dick Kill
man drove into the alligator's back in