The Republican journal., 1918-01-31
ISIESBORO ISOLATED IN
ICE.

Saturday remarked that he was born in
Islesboro and lived there many years be-
fore coming to Belfast and that he never
knew it to be so completely shut oil from
the mainland as it is this winter. He
said that there are at least seventy-tlve
empty houses in the town, that the
resident population is materially decreas
ing. Whole families have left; some to
seek employment during the winter in
the large cities while others marry and
move away. Their stores of today are
larger and better stocked than ever be-
fore. They have the best roads of any
town in the county and as rule have
comfortable homes and well stocked
larders
As long as the telephone cable remains
intact they can keep Informed on what is
going on, the war news, etc, even II they
are unable to- send or receive mails An
Islesboro correspondent says of the last
trip of the mail carrier on Jan 23rd:
"Capt. E. H. Gray, Maurice Decker,
Edward Beckett and dozen bags of Unit
ed States mail were rescued from the
icy waters of Penobscot Bay yesterday
afternoon and landed here late last night
by lighthouse steamer.
For more than 10 days water communi-
cation with Islesboro has been cut Oft by
ice and the mail has been pushed over the
shore ice in a dory and rowed across to
the mainland.
The three men started from Saturday
Cove with mail Wednesday forenoon.
Their boat was struck by a big ice tloe
and began to fill, and they had barely
time to get out on the ice and pull the
mail bags onto the floe. Soon this began
to break up and the boat sank, leaving
the men wet and nearly frozen. When
they had about given up hope they sight
ed the lighthouse steamers Zlzanla and
Hibiscus. They signaled with a coat on
an oar and were picked up with most OF
the mail, which was afloat.
The town had an exciting adventure
last Thursday evening when David
H. Smith, manager of the lslesboro
Inn at Dark Harbor, discovered the
large summer residence of Preston Player,
the Boston banker on Mark Island, light
ed with electricity from every window.
II was known that the care-taker Ralph
Coliamore, his wife and two children of
I.inconville were the only people on the
island Thinking the lights were signal
for help Mr. Smith with volunteer
crew attempted to reach the island, but
were obliged to give up on account Of the
drifting ice. They knew that Mr.. Cola
more had been at Dark Harbor the day
before for supplies and fearing something
had befalien him Mr.. Smith telephoned
to Rochland for assistance from the naval
station. The lighthouse steamer Zizanl
with Capt. c. E. Sherman as pilot at
once responded and taking Mr.. Smith and
others went directly to the island visit
ing first the large house which they
found securely locked but still lighted
From there they went to the care-taker' S
cottage, where they found the family
more was suffering with a fractured leg.
The Zizania went back to Dark Harbor
for Dr. B. Z. Larrabee who reduced the
fracture. One of the party was also left
on the island to care for the stock, etc.
Mrs. Collamore, a frail little woman,
after being assured that assistance had
arrived told her experience as follows:
'Twas worried about my husband who
should have been back early Wednesday
afternoon, as | am tmid and had horror
OF staying on the island alone and went
down to the shore to see if he was com
! ing. Soon heard groans and found him
pinned beneath his boat, which had rolled
| over on him as he was hauling her up on
the beach
"He was moaning in pain and nearly
frozen. 1t took all my strength with a
pry to lift the boat so that he could get
| free, and found that his leg was broken,
| BY my help he managed to crawl to the
/ house.
81 was a nurse before | was married
and knew something about fractures, so
| reduced it the best could with what
had to do with, bandaged it and made
him as comfortable as possible
THE next thing was to get help from
somewhere. With all the ice there is few
or no boats moving in the bay but unless
could attract someone's attention
might be alone here for weeks.
1 Il went to the cottage and succeeded
in starting the engine and the dynamo
and switched on every light in the house.
1t was fortunate that everything was in
working order. kept the dynamo run
ming night and all day Thursday. The
gasoline engine which pumps our water
was disabled and had to melt snow to
get enough to water the stock and l had
to milk the cows for the first time in my
life and do all The other work about the
place.
with the coming of darkness last
night was almost exhausted, having nc
sleep since Tuesday night, but kept the
lights burning lay down for nap anc
must have been asleep for hours-and the
next thing l knew | awoke to find the
house full of strange men,"
TNCCKHE TAX kOTICE