Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-05-01

With the ARRIVAL OF May IL Is SAFE "
feel that spring is really here.
The absence of a moon will not
seriously interfere with maybasket
hanging tonight.
The annual convention of the Maine
Y NJ. C. A. opens today in Rockland.
That new home for the Mystic
Shriners at Lewiston is going to be
thing of beauty and a JOY forever.
A Bailey's island fisherman brought
a 12h pound lobster to the Portland
market this week. the largest caught in
those waters for a long time.
Biddeford Journal: Don't judge
hastily when you see a man going
about his daily tasks with a hopeless,
disconsolate expression on his face.
Perhaps his wife is in the midst of
spring house, cleaning.
The coast of Maine appears to have
a peculiar attractiveness for authors.
William Dean Howells, for example,
has long had his summer house at
Kittery Point. His house is sur
rounded by a fine old garden in which
the veteran author may often be seen
at work His library is located in an
old barn set in the midst of an apple
orchard George S. WATSON also has a
beautiful and permanent home at
Kittery Point A little farther up the
coast at York Harbor is the summer
home of Thomas Nelson Page. 1t is
located on a high point near the sea
Here too, comes John Fox every sum-
mer to be the guest of Mr.. Page. Still
farther on, at Kennebunkport. is the
home of Mrs. Margaret Deland, who
lives in charming old-fashioned
house, surrounded by a real New Eng
land garden. Mrs. Deland has been
particularly successful in raising jon
Culls In fact, she had such crop the
last summer that she held public sale
of them and gave the proceeds to
charity. Meredith Nicholson, the
Indiana novelist, also has home at
Kennebunkport. Various authors live
on the many islands that stud the
beautiful harbor of Portland. The best
known is Mrs. Clara Louise Burnham
whose home is on Baileys island. On
another island, not far away, lives
Commander Peary.
Bath independents: Judge Putnam
has told the steamboat people that he
does not intend that the receivers shall
cnennlat ions in
handling the boats the coming season.
If the landing at Boothbay before COM
ing to Bath, and other kennebec river
ports, is not an experiment we 90 not
know what it would be called. With
the companyS affairs in the present
condition we think that Judge Putnam
has shown excellent judgment in say
ing what he has. 1t is question, ana,
to our minds. a big one whether or not
the step proposed would be advantage
Gus to the company or not. OF course
we cannot blame our Boothbay neigh
bors for wanting the change made but
it does not look reasonable, nor feast
bic, and we do not believe that the COM
pany can afford to take any chances,
particularly at this time There IS a
possibility that some of the travel
would be accommodated by the change
but there is a good deal of it that
would be discommoded and would use
the trains in preference to the plan
proposed In addition to that the
steamboat people are in duty bound,
to the interests which they represent
to consider the freight proposition as
well as the passenger list. Taken all
tn, oil do ho1 ~ fhiS ic the
year to make any such change. In
fact we do not believe that it will be
made.
The most unique clock weight in
Maine is that of the Baptist church at
Cherryfield, an old smooth bore cannon
The old cannon has an interesting his
tory. 1t was one of the old smooth
bore type and was brought by Gleason
f. Campbell from Boston on one of the
return trips of lumber vessels of A
Campbell & Co. 1t was brought to
fire salutes as the stirring days of the
Civil War were at hand. After an
nouncing many union victories during
the war. at the surrender of Lee in
1865. it was taken out for final and
great salute. Robert L. Wiley. a
soldier of the war. who was at home
on furlough. was in charge of the
cannon and through some mismanage-
ment a premature discharge of the gun
threw Mr.. Wiley high in the air. filled
his face with powder and tore one arm
off close at the shoulder. The old gun
was then spiked by the angry citizens
and did no more salute service. For
some years it lay imbedded in the dirt
near G. r. Campbell's store and when
the Second Baptist church building
was built in 1873. a weight being
wanted for the clock. the old gun was
used. For 80 years it did clock duty
until 1903, when it once more received
a baptism of fire and fell in the ruins
of the church contiagration that
December When the new clock was
installed in the new church building in
1906 once more the old cannon
mounted the tower to do clock duty.
Some feel as if the old gun was
hoodoo, but without doubt it will spend
many years in it's present quiet duty.
The exports of manufactures Of the