The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-08-13
ISLAND SHOOK.
People at Cushings Wonder What Made
the Racket.


With few exceptions all of the people on
Cushing's island were awakened Thurs
day night and again Friday night by a
loud report which they believe either
came from gun or from an explosion.
Some have been not little disturbed
over these reports and are at a complete
loss to account for them. Both of the
deafening sounds were heard at about /
O'Clock in the morning and were so en-
phatic that all of the houses and cottages
on the island felt the effects and were
plainly shaken. In some cases window
panes were broken. The fact that these
reports followed each other on two sue
csssive nights and sounded forth at about
the same time naturally set the people
on the island to thinking when they
arose Saturday morning All of them
won dered if another report was to be
heard this morning. During the day
number started out to make an investi-
cation and Travelled considerable por-
ton of the island But these searching
parties were unable to find any clue.
They did not even come across any un-
usual appearances of the ground as
thought it had been torn up by an ex-
plosion.
Aside from the few employees of the
Ottawa house who are on duty the only
person who was up and about the island
on both Thursday and Friday nights was
Capt. j. p. Began, Waterman at the
government fertilization works.
"The report of Thursday night went
agoing through the air at a few minutes
past 1 o'clock in the morning" he said
in speaking of the affair Saturday after
noon. 81 don't know exactly the time
of the first report, but it was somewhere
in the vicinity of l a. m. The report of
this morning was made at just O clock,
for noted my watch when it came. AS
soon as I heard these reports at once
began an investigation about the forti-
fications thinking that something might
have exploded there. 1 looked all over
the place, found nothing and am sure
that these reports could not have come
from the Notifications. The reports
sounded just like gun being discharged
and made very loud echoes. I believe
tnat they came from Portland lignt.''
Several of the people of the island COM
pared the reports to the reports made
at the time when the new battery guns
were being tested at Fort Williams few
days ago These people declared Satur-
day that the reports of Thursday and Fri
day nights exceeded in power those of the
Fort.
Lieut. jackson, who has charge of the
Notification works, rather scouts the
marked Importance which has been Civ
en- to the entire affair and thinks that it
has been much exaggerated. "Why
there's nothing in it, he said. "These
sounds have been very greatly magni-
fed. The shook, coming as it did SO
late at night, made it seem worse than it
really was. Why, L was down here on
both nights and did not hear either re-
port. Boys might have possibly got hold
OF a couple pounds of dynamite and
have set it off,
All who have heard the reports unite in
saying that the sound seemed to come
from the westerly side of the island.
The only officer on Cushing's is John
Themes, who is the driver of one of the
Ottawa coaches. He is a regularly ap-
pointed constable. On Saturday Mr..
Themes stated that he had made no in
yestigation whatever. He takes little
stock in the great talk that has been
made about the affair.