The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1907-08-01
STATE AND GENERAL ITEMS,

The report that the foreign taxi
meter cab, luxurious and cheap, will
shortly appear in Boston and other
American cities seems to good to be
true.
From Wilton comes the story of a
young cyclone the other day which
lifted a barn into the air and carried
it 30 rods over an orchard, without
any damage to the orchard trees.
The American Ice Co. is now ship
ping about 5000 tons of ice a week
from Maine. Three houses on the
Kennebec are open, Smithtown, Ce-
dar Grove and Hodges, and the
houses at Sargentville, Boothbay
Harbor and Boothbay, Next week
shipping will commence at the Bristol
houses.
Roscoe Parsons of Wilton, while
standing at the head of flight of
stairs, on his way about his work on
his farm, was struck by lightning Fri
day afternoon and almost instantly
killed. A physician was summoned
at once, but before he arrived at the
house the man was dead. Mr.. Parsons
leaves a widow and one daughter. He
was 40 years old.
The annual reunion of the 18th
Maine Regiment Assn. will be held
at Long Island, Tuesday, Aug. 20, with
dinner at the Casco Bay house. The
anniversary falls on the 18th, but as
that day is Sunday, this year it has
been decided in accordance with the
laws to meet on the Goth. The
Assn, met at the same place two
Int oGt of
other Maine regiments at the Maine
State fair grounds.
The Waterville city census as taken
by A. P. Ginzier was practically COM
pleted last week and shows total
population at the present time of
11,55O, without reckoning in about
500 foreigners, including Greeks and
Armenians, whose census will be
taken later. This gives the city a
population of close to $4,000 people,
which is gain in about seven years
of $500. The last census of the
government was in 1900 and at that
time the city had 9477 people.
A preliminary hearing on the
charge of murder was given Harvey
A. Searls at Pennington Friday, be-
fore the municipal court. He is ac-
cused of killing his wife, slightly
wounding his brother, Jesse, and at
tempting suicide two weeks ago upon
meeting his wife and brother riding
together in a carriage. Searles en-
tered plea of not guilty and after a
hearing during which three witnesses
were introduced, probable cause was
found for holding him for the Sept
ember term of the Supreme court
without bail.
That the brown tail moths are
brought to Maine from Massachusetts
by the Boston steamers is shown by
the fact that the pests have been
caught by passengers on the steamers
coming from Boston up the Kennebec
river. 1t has also been learned in
connection with the above that the
insects SO taken are almost invariably
males, the fact being explained by
the statement by people who have
made a study of the moth and its
habits, that the female moth flies
higher than the males and is there
fore not so much attracted by the
lights at night.
Coney Island, the playground of
New Yorks millions was visited by a
disastrous fire early Sunday and
seven blocks in the amusement
zone were destroyed. lilly o u s
steeplechase park and nearly a
score of small ho5els were wiped out
and for a time the flames threat
ened destruction to Luna park and
Dreamland, two of the largest homes
of amusement, and the scores of small
Ter places which fringe the waters
edge. A lucky shift of the wind to
seward aided the fremen and proba-
bly, saved the whole picturesque area,
but not until million dollars dam
age had been done.
The sloop in which Richard A. Lee,
of Brunswick, son of Prof. Lee, Bow
dom and John F. Morrison of Med
ford, Mass, both students at Bowdoin
college, sailed from Mere point on
July and of which nothing had been
heard of since, was found Sunday
morning lying in 80 feet of water one
mile east of Small point by the Z. S.
revenue cutter Woodbury. and the
fate of the two young men has been
determined. They were drowned dur
ing the heavy rain squall of July 8
after their yacht had capsized and
when within a few hundred yards of
the schooner Mary Smith.
If the prudent and law abiding au-
tomobilists are interested for them
selves and their driving, they will get
together, not only by speech and
letter as they have done already, in
condemnation of the slaughterers
who kill and run away, but actively
to join in prosecution of such killers.
That is the certain way and may be
the only way to meet the tide of righ-
teous Indignation rising among the
victims of the machines driven by the
maniacs, which must end in the most
rigid restrictions applying to the
whole class. Such step would be
taken as imne rative to save innocent