The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-08-04
MAINE ISLAND AN EDEN.
Its Residents Have no Government
 Taxes, Churches or Insects. Hanger Me Special to Philadelphia

Its Residents Have no Government, Taxes, Churches or Insects.
 Bangor. Me. Special to Philadelphia
 Record
 The maps of the United States Coast Survey show a long, narrow strip of land on the border line between Pe- nobscot Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. It is known on the charts as Ragged Island. but sentimental summer resi- dents have named 1t Crie Haven. In honor of old John Crie, a bearded Scotchman, who settled there among the rocks more than half century ago. The regular all-the-year resi- dents now number forty-two,' but in July and August, when the vacation tourists invade the place, there often are from eighty to 100 persons living among the rocks and taking on heavy coats of tan from the. fresh sea breezes.
 Students of social problems say that residents of this community have moro of the real comforts of life and less of life's worries than any other der no form of government. and. though 1t Is a part of the State of Maine. the people pay no taxes and have no officers of any kind. There Is not a rat or a mouse in all of its mile and a half of ledgy width There are no bugs in the beds, no reaches In the pantries. no cats or dogs behind the stoves and no mosquitoes in the fresh pools of crystal water. The island has no church in which to worship. and no clergyman to tell the people wheth- CT they are doing right or wrong.
 No lawyer over resided there and no sheriff or constable ever went to issue summons or to serve processes. A kindly doctor. who lives in Rockland. is the only physician who makes pro fessional visits to tho place. and he is told to Csme by carrier pigeons. which fly to the mainland faster than any steamboat can take the message. As soon as the physician receives a call he liberates a pigeon from his loft. which bears a message. telling when to send a boat to meet him at Matini- GUS, so that there may be no delay.
 There are eight cows and three horses on the island. but not a mile of road for them to travel in. The horses are used for hauling up boats, and the cows give milk for visitors. Every body walks by well-worn footpaths which were originally laid out by the cows while seeking fresh feed among the powders. A summer visitor brought on bicycle last season. but she could not use 1t. and the wheel was sent back to Boston. The chief
  the resident Is catching Holsters in pots covered with netting. Every per son tries to capture enough every day to bring B. which is easily done when Holsters are sold to the steamers for 10 to IS cents a pound. As 1t takes only about two hours to tend the lob ster pots. the islanders spend most of their time in building boats. whittling driftwood and eating Holsters which n fnn abnrt sell
 John Ericsson. gigantic Swede. is the only celebrated man on the island. He is six feet tall. weighs 234 pounds. and everybody believes him to be the most powerful man on earth. They talk by the hour about his feats of strength. Last summer, when the new iron keel of Captain Joness sloop yacht came to the Island by steamer and was put out on the wharf. men went to catch the horses to haul the heavy length of iron up the pier and around to the yard. While they were away Ericsson shouldered the keel and did not put 1t down until he had placed 1t under the bottom of the yacht. The distance was 500 feet. and the weight of the keel 1.040 pounds A son of Ericson's, John. Jr.. went to school un-