The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1909-06-24
MONHEGAN.
What Holman Day Says of the Packets il
Harper's Weekly.

1t will be long time before Monhegan
forgets when the gasolene kicker" was
installed in the packet Effort, the mail
boat between the main and the island.
Captain Humphrey proudly invited his
neighbors aboard to view the 'scontrap-
ton" One of the most enthusiastic ad-
mirers finished his eulogy, lighted his
pipe, and tossed away the match. 1t
fell through the hatchway, and one of
the new pipes had been leaking gasolene.
The explosion knocked half the guests
overheard and nearly wrecked the Effort
What might be called a personal exploit
of this packet furnished entertainment
along the coast for some time. One day
Captain Humphrey was becalmed half
way between the main and Monhegan,
and while he was waiting for breeze he
saw some lumber floating near. The
ocean was like glass and the sky had not
cloud. So he dashed the wheel, put off
in his dory and began pick up the lumber
And while he was thus busted along came
mischievous breeze from somewhere,
and the Effort, with rafting of blocks
like chuckle, started off on her own
quest. Captain Humphrey jettisoned his
toilsomely gathered lumber and followed,
putting as much muscle as he could into
his ash breeze. The reflection that the
United States mail was on board, with
letters for many "rusticators" on the
island, spurred him as much as the con-
sideration of the money value of his YES
sci. He chased her seven miles before
he caught boat-hook into her rail. And
in that chase the lulling breeze had al
lowed him to get within a few yards Of
her fully dozen times.
The Effort is one of the last Of the
type of little topmast chaps that have
kept so many of the coast villages in
touch with the outer world. One of
these packets was concerned in tragedy
Of peculiar pathos. Two sisters Of
Georgetown, near the mouth of the Ken
nebec, sailed to Portland in the little
craft that piled between their home and
that city. They were to be married on
the same day, and they went to buy
their wedding finery. Most of the peo-
pie Of the village We're down at the
wharf when the packet was sighted and
eagerly with the others. Every skipper
who has sailed Maine waters knows how
treacherous the rivers current and
oceans tide make the sea off this part of
the coast. In coming about for her last
tack a wave battered the packet. A
hogshead of molasses broke from its
lashings, rolled across the deck against
the lee rail, and over the craft went!
The first and almost the only articles
that came ashore were the two big hat
boxes that the girls had been holding on
their knees as they waited for the packet
to make port. Weeping women waded
out from the shore and secured them as
they came tossing on the crests of the
waves. Inside Of them were the bedrag-
gled wedding bonnets. The undertow
took the ladies out to sea and they were
,never seen. The fishermen have erected
a memorial-a name. They call the
place where the packet went down,
Millinery Shoals. - 1t was off here
that the skipper of the Trustram Bonney
made discovery, according to his re-
port, that put him into the A B class of
liars, according to the prevaricator'
rostor of the ''apple-tree fleet He
stated that the shark followed him all
the way down the coast from Boston and
seemed so tame and coaXing and appeal
ing that he tossed over to him most of
the contents of barrel of salt beef that
had gone a bit wrong But nothing
seemed to satisfy the appetite of that
shark, who ate voraciously, but was as
thin as fence rail. At last near the
mouth of the Kennebec the shark fioated
away, belly up, and apparently dead.
The skipper went off to him in a boat and
made an investigation, having become
somewhat interested in the fish that had
followed him with such persistence. He
found that the shark had tried to swallow
an empty cask, so he reported solemnly
at Bath, and that the cask had lodged
with its open end turned outward. Every
mouthful that the shark had eaten after
ward had lodged in the cask, and so the
unfortunate fish had starved to death.
Many of our citizens are drifting towards
Bright's disease by neglecting symptoms of
kidney and bladder trouble which Foleys Kid
ney Remedy will quickly cure. Sold by all
druggists.