Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-08-26

make later Spfayings.
Washington county'S BURBERRY crop
! is light this year. The heavy frosts of
F., the early spring is the cause. About
one-third an average crop is reported
| in the eastern part of Washington
county. In the western part of the
| county the crop is much better, but
still lighter than usual The land de-
voted to the burberry industry in
Maine lies mostly in Washington eoun-
ty. Here are about 100, 900 acres known
as BURBERRY barrens. This land lies
chiefly in the townships of Cherry
field, Columbia, Deblois, Beddington,
Harrington, Jonesboro and Numbers
Is and 10. Some time ago a canning
factory was established at Nanceboro
for the utilization of fruit in the north
ern part of the country Much of this
land was burned over, by the Indians,
before the Colonial period and since
the timber was removed from the re-
mainder, it, too, has repeatedly been
burned, to keep down the growth of
/ birches and alders and to facilitate If
| the harvesting of the fruit. About 49,
+, 900 of the barrens belong to William
Freeman of CherryfielG, who may
properly be regarded as the pioneer in
the BURBERRY industry of America
After long and bitter litigation, he
proved beyond question his right to
charge royalty for all berries gath
cred on his land and established a sys-
tematic method of treatment which is
Applicable. under most conditions, ev-
i G. ie- axx,h .lt
as follows The land is divided into
several tracts, each of which is leased
to some responsible party. who as
sumes the whole care of burning,
keeping off tresspassers. harvesting
land marketing the fruit The owner
treceves as rental one-half to one cent
per quart for all the fruit gathered.
THE pickers receive from one and one
half to three cents per quart.
Joseph Patrick Bligh. son of Law.
renee Bligh of Biddeford. and an engi-
neer on the New York Central railroad
has been given a Carnegie medal II
recognition of his heroic services rem
dered when he brought in a Boston &
Albany train to the Faneuil depot. Bos-
1
and Merry service saved the lives OF
hundreds of passengers. The train was
running 40 miles an hour and at thu
tlme was approaching deep bend u
the road, when suddenly without warn
ing the driving rod of the engine snap
ped, and the piece of the rear Whee
crashed up through the floor of tn,
CAP, knocking Engineer Bligh from hi:
seat, anu for II few seconds STUNNING
MN by the force of the blow. Recover
ing himself quickly. Bligh jumped fol
the throttle and shut off the steam. II,
reach the air brakes the plucky eng
heer was obliged to stand over the spo
where the broken rod crashed througl
the floor, and as he did SO it came vi
again with the revolution of the whee
and caught him another blow which
BOWED him over unconscious. He ha'
accomplished mis- brave purpose, how
, ! ever, for the air brakes were set, am
the train came to a stop just as 1T en
tered the band. When the train pulle
, up the tiremen lifted Bligh out OF tn
cab and assisted by the brakemaivcar
Iled nm to passenger coach. he re
manned unconscious several minute
| and was about to be taken away In a
> ambulance when he revived. Aithoug
he was suffering from injuries to hi
head and side he refused to go to
II hospital and after short time insiste
on getting back into the cab; he direct
ed the work of unbolting the broke
driving rod from the wheel and the
ran his train into the Soush station
Bligh is but 26 years c. aise, one OF Il
youngest engineers of the road.