The evening times., 1900-10-06
MAINEs SPECTRE MOOSE AGAIN
Giant Of the Woods Seen This Time
by a Ricyciist.
From the New York SUM-


Bangor, Ne, Sept. 21.-The enormous
moose that has been the wonder of sports
men in northern Maine since 1891 has
again been seen, and this time under rath-
sr different circumstances from ever be-
fore. a bicyclst came close to the mon
ster in the road between Sherman and
Macwahoc and was obliged to abandon his
wheel and climb a tree for safety. So
he had near view of the animal
Every story that comes from the north
woods concerning this moose makes him
little bigger than before. 1t is general
~ believed that no moose ever killed la
this State, or, so far as is known, any,
where else, has approached in stature or
weight, much less in spread of antiers, this
spectre moose of Lobster Lake. He is
called the spectre moose because of the
weird appearance he presents at night, his
color being a dirty grey.
1t was in 1891 that this moose was first
seen in Maine, by Clarence DUFFY, Of Old
town. a guide who was cruising around
Lobster Lake Duffy did not get near
enough TO the monster for shot, but he
could see him plainly Everybody laughed
at his story. Not many months after
that JGhn Ross a Bangor lumberman,
was at Lobster Lake, and one day, while
crossing between Big Lobster and Little
Lobster Lakes in company with the fore
man of W l. Maxfeld's camps, he saw
the monarch OF the woods people began
TO believe that there was something up
there worth shooting at
Fer some years hunters searched the
woods in vain for the big follow Not un-
til 1895 was the monster seen again. IN
that year Granville Gray, Bangor taxi
derrnist got sight of the moose, at some
little distance, and since then he has had
a second view In 1899 Gilman Brown of
West Newbury. Mass, got nearer to the
monster than any of the others and ac-
tuaIIy Tad shot at him. He declared
that the moose stood fully fifteen feet
high. and had antlers from ten TO twelve
fee across. He was sc close to the an
imaI that he could count twenty-five
points on one side of his antlers and he
thinks there were more This is great
er number of points than has ever been
known on any other moose. His shots did
not bring the moose down
This year the first sight Of the big
moose fell to George Rneeland of Sher-
man. who is taking charge of his br0ther's
lumber camp on Gulliver brook In tell
ing of his experience Kneeland said:
1'On my way back from Macwahcc, COM
ing TO a long piece Of rising ground. dis
mounted from my bicycle and walked. /
had got TO the top OF the hill and was just
about to remount, when l saw what took
to be a horse standing in the road some
distance ahead. Wondering what horse
could be doing there, I stopped and gave
him : good look, when l found TO my sur
prise that It was not horse. but & moose,
and an immense ere, too. / waited bit
to see what he was going to do, but !
hadn't long to wait, for he lowered his
head and came straight for me with the
speed of locomotive. l got into good
stout tree as quick as I could, and climb.
ed high, where l would be out OF reach OF
the moose's antlers and be able to see
what was going on.
Meanwhile the moose came tearing
down the road, and his antIers reached
clea racToss the road at that place brush
ing the branches Or either side. l should
think they would measure eleven feet, ali
right enough. He made straight for the
bicycle and, planting his forward paws
either side OF it, stepped TO examine the
wheel snelled of it TO his satisfaction.
then raised his head, gave tremendous
snort fad raced off into the woods. break
ing down the small growth OF saplings as
though they were Tushes. The wind was
blowing toward me, and that is probably
the reason he did not discover me I
waited ten minutes in the tree, and then,
finding that he had really gone, / slid
down and mounted my wheel, and the way
streaked IL for home was caution"
The average weight OF moose shot in
Maine is from 500 to 900 pounds, with ant
lers spreading from four to four and
half feet, ard rarely having more than
from eight to twelve points on side.
while the bell, as the appendage under
the animals neck is called, is generally
eight or nine inches long. All who have
seen the big moose of Lobster Lake aver
that he must weigh al least $500 pounds;
that his antlers spread not less than ten
feet, while the bell is declared to be nm
less than eighteen inches long 1t is sup
posed that this monster wandered into
Maine from British Colombia as none ap-
preaching his size has ever been seen here
before. He is a great traveller, having
been reported in almost every part of
northern Maine The hunter who brings
him down will win fame and a big pot of
money at the same time