Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-08-05
HEAVY GUNS HEARD
OFF MAINE COAST
Firing This Morning Reported
by Keeper of OBJ
servatory.

PORTLAND. Me, August 5.-The firing
of heavy guns off the Maine coast was
heard early today. Eight or ten shots
within two minutes We're heard shortly
before o'clock by the keeper OF Port
land. observatory -,
The sound seemed to come from :; point
twenty-five or thirty miles south south
east of Portland and probably in the Vi
cinity of Seguin Island
The reported firing was not heard by
the lifesavers at either Cape Elizabeth or
Popham Beach stations AT Popham
Beach, which is near Seguin Island. the
lifesavers We're certain they would have
heard the guns if there had been naval
engagement off Seguin.
Reports From All Sources.
No information was available at Bath
or Boothbay harbor but in this city the
reports continued to come in from all
sources that there had been heavy fir
ing. One of the newspaper offices re-
ceived at least 2OO inquiries about it dur
ing the early forenoon
Not Sea Fight, Says Officers.
PORTSMOUTH. n. H., August 5-rhe
heavy firing off the Maine coast. reported
from Portland. today, could not have
been caused by sea fight between for
elgn Warships, it was stated by officers
at the navy yard here. The officers said
they were absolutely certain that no for
eieh naVai vessels were in the vicinity.
Foreign Warships in q. S. Waters.
NEW YORK, August 5.-Eight cruisers
three German. three British and two
french-are lowering somewhere off this
coast. For days incoming steamships
have reported news of fragmentary Wire
less indicating that these vessels were
in American waters. but no skipper was
able to fix their position.
The firing heard Off the coast OF Maine
today may have marked the first en-
gagement between either the German and
English or the German and French
ships. The British cruisers known to be
in American waters are the Berwick,
Essex and. Lancaster The German
cruisers are the Dresden, Strassbure and
Karlsruhe. The French cruisers are the
Conde and Descartes
Liners Have Escaped.
These vessels have been primarily con-
ce!Heu Oh late IN attempts to intercept
merchant vessels of the enemy, and sew
eral big liners. notably the Kronprinzes-
sin Cecilie. which put into Bar Harbor,
Me. yesterday after abandoning her
trip to Europe. have had narrow escapes
Capt. Polack of the Cecilie believed that
at one time she was in imminent dan
ger of capture by one of the French
vessels.
The White Star liner Olympic managed
to creep safely into New York harbor
today as did the North German Lloyd
liner Kaiser Wilhelm H. All have been
running with only masthead lights burn
ing.
The LuSitania of the Cunard line, a
British boat, slipped out of the harbor
after midnight similarly darkened. hop
ing to be conveyed by some of the Brit
ish cruisers as far as Newfoundland.
and from there to be conveyed by some
other British ship until the other side
was reached.
The French steamer Venezia. in port
today from Marseilles, Naples and
Palermo. reported that yesterday she
overheard both German and British
cruisers talking with the wireless sta
ton at Sayville, L. ]. The text text of
the messages was not obtainable.
The VeneZie steamed ten miles south
Of her usual course in order to avoid
capture by an German warships. Her
operator was warned not to send any
wireless messages.
The Uranium line steamer Uranium ar
rived today from Rotterdam, via Halifax.