Daily Kennebec journal., 1904-07-26
SENATOR HALE'S REQUEST.
Egg Rock Fog Horn to Be Investi
gated.

Washington, July 25.-Summer cot
tagcrs at Bar Harbor have promise of
relief from the believing fog horn off
Egg rock, where the battleship Massa-
chusetts went aground. The petition
pi repaired by the Bar Harbor board of
trade has not reached Washington, but
thanks to the interposition of Senator
Hale steps looking to relief have been
chairman of the lighthouse board, will
personally inspect the signal station
this week.
Said an official of the lighthouse
board, yesterday: There is much truth
i'll the story from Ear Harbor and some
eXaggeration. This fog horn is simply
carrying out the mandates of congress-
Three days ago the department re-
ceivcd a telegram from Senator Hale
stating that the signal was a nuisance
and was worrying the residents in and
around Bar Harbor, and asking that it
be suppressed. The petition referred to
has not yet reached us, but a copy of
Senator Hale's telegram was forwarded
to Commander Reese at Portland,
lighthouse inspector for the Maine dis
trict, and another to Col. Stanton at
Boston, lighthouse engineer. They were
instructed to examine the matter per-
sonally and to telegraph joint recon-
| mendation, If possible, that would con-
serve all the interests of the mariner
and make the situation less unpleasant
for the summer residents.
admiral Evans, chairman of the
board, will start next Saturday for
| Maine. He will make a personal inves-
tigatiOn of the signal station and its
effect upon the cottagers.
This conflict between the shore
dwellers and the mariners has always
been with us, and is one of the most
difficult situations the department has
to face AS the board Is created. how
ever. to give protection to the mariner,
his interests are to be conserved first,
and the summer cOttagers who live two
months in the year in the vicinity of
the station will be given such consider
alton as is proper.
The fog signal at Bar Harbor is not
the largest that we use. 1t is 10-inch
bell only, and we use T., 13-, and 14-inch
bells. The complaint that the foghorn
makes a tremendous noise is COM
pIlnlent 10 tHe lIloTOuSnICSS VI III
| service, for that is precisely what the
signal is for. The residents of Bar
| Harbor assume that it's purpose is to
keep vessels from running on Egg rock.
It's purpose is to keep them off the
rocks between Egg rock and the open
sea. This foghorn station was placed
| there at the request of the marine IN
tcrcsts. Petitions for the station were
filed with the department, and public
men importuned the department to rec
ommend the work. Congress passed
the law and we simply put 1t into exc
cution. The people of Mt. Desert could
have taken cogniZance of the proposed
signal three years ago.
| "There is no desire or intention on the
part of the lighthouse board to inter-
fere with the comfort of the people In
the vicinity of Bar Harbor. 1t VIII
probably be found that smaller fog
horn will answer, and 1t may be shown
! that the mouth of the horn can De
turned down the bay and away from
the shore This, however depends up
on the direction from which the ship
| ming approaches. That is a question
| that can be answered only after careful
| investigation.
| However, if there is any way to re-
Iieve the residents of the island from
their present annoyance, the depart
ment will gladly adopt it.