Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-10-03

of tho moose ct some little distance
and since then he has had a second
view. In 1900 Gilman Brown, Of West
NeWDury. Mass, got nearer to the mon
ster than had any Of the Others, actual
Nv getting several shots ut him. Brown
avo,rcd that the moose stood fully fif-
teen feet high, and that he had antlers
ten to twelve feet across.
Like most of the others who had
sight OF the monster, Mr.. Brown saw
the moose at dusk. but the animals
gray coat showed plainly, and Brown
got several shots at him, none of which.
however. seemed to have any effect.
He was so close that he could count
TWENTY-FIVE points on one side of his
antlers, and thought at the time that
there were more. This is a greater
number of points than has ever beer
known on any moose, here or else
where.
Last wear the only man to get sight
of the great moose was George Knee
land. of Sherman, who had charge of
his brothers lumber camp at Gulliver
Brook. In describing his experience.
r<neeland said:
Il had to go to MacwahOc on business
and so got a bicycle and started about
4 clock in the afternoon TO go down by
the road through the woods. AS | was
riding along / saw a fox come out into
the road, and before 1 had gone much
further two more came out. When
they saw me they started straight
down the road. | gave q whoOp and
started in pursuit. l kept so close to
them that they tumbled over one an
other in their efforts to escape, until at
last they went end over end out OF the
road l laughed to myself over their
fright, and kept along.
We'll. l went to MacwahOc. got
through with my business there, and
started to return. AS / reached the
stretch Of woods, which is about eight
miles long, and neared the place where
l had seen The foxes, / saw another fox
in the road, and had some fun chasing
him. Then, coming to a long piece OF
rising ground, l dismounted and walk
ed. l had got to tRe Top of the hill and
was about to rernount. when l saw
what took to bea horse standing in the
road some distance ahead. Wondering
what q horse could be doing there, 1
stopped and gave him good look,
when found to my surprise that it
was not horse. but moose. and an
immense one, too. | waited bit to
see what he was going TO 90, but |
hadn't long to wait, for he lowered his
head and came straight at me with the
speed of 9 locomotive. | tell you, the
way | dropped that bicycle and made
for tree would have caused the fox
IS to laugh. 1t was my turn TO be
scared.
The first tree l came to was too
small to hold a man up. | tried an
other, and the limb broke under me,
and landed on my back on the ground.
| got into good. stout tree as quickly
as | could, and climbed high, SO that l
would be out of reach of the big fellows
anters ana be able to see what was go
ing on.
Meanwhile the moose had lost no
time He came tearing down the road
at terrific speed, and his antlers
reached clear across the road at that
place, brushing the branches on either
side should think they would mea-
sure eleven feet, all right. Well, as
S:llu, ne cd111e teaTlIS ubNH Iile
making straight for the bicycle, and,
planting his forward paws on either
side Of it, stopped to examine the wheel,
srelled of it 20 his satisfaction, then
raised his head, gave "a tremendous
snort and raced off into the woods,
breaking down the small growth of sap
lings as if they had been PUSHES. The
wind was blowing toward me, and that
probably is the reason he didn't dis
cover me. I waited ten minutes in the
tree, and then, finding that the moose
had really gone, slid down and mounted
my wheel, and the way l streaked it for
home was n caution
The average size of moose shot in
Maine is from SEQ to 900 pounds, with
antlers spreading from four feet to four
and a half feet, and not bitten with
more than eight to twelve points on a
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 giant moose OF
Lobster Lake, however aver that he
must weigh from two thousand to
twenty-five hundred pounds. that his
antlers spread not less than ten feet.
while the bell is declared to be not less
than eighteen inches in length.