Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1920-08-24
Maine News Notes.

The torpedo boat destroyer Thomas
arrived In Rockland the first Of the week,
carrying IN addition to her regular crew
40 members of the Maine and New
Hampshire Naval Reserve forces.
The Netherton, four-masted schoon.
or owned by Rushes Brothers of DEN.
nysville, Maine, has been abandoned on
| fire In mid-oceap. She formerly was
the Dornfontein, and was held up and
set on fire by German raider In the
mouth of the Bay OF Fundy, during the
last year OF the war. She was salvaged
and rebuilt.
George w. Babb, 50, engineer on the
Mountain Division Of the Maine Central
40 years, who began his career when
wood was burned In the engines on what
was then the Portland q Ogdensburg,
died last week In Portland, after an ILL.,
ness of six months. He was q native OF
Westbrook, secretary of the Brotherhood
Of Locomotive Engineers and Mason.
The Bates Manufacturing Co., Lewis
ton, which paid It's 1920 tax Thurs
day, and was thus the first of the big
corporations to pay, met Its bill under
protest. The tax of this corporation Is
nearly 100000. Not only is this
brought about by an increase In the
amount of property, but by the rise In
the tax rate and in the increased valua-
tion-practically 81 per cent over the
1919 value. Payment under protest
means that the corporation may in the
future seek rebate or bring suit to re-
cover portion of the tax. No reason
is stated for the. protest.
Commandant and Mrs. Magee of the
local corps of the Salvation Army con-
Quoted special meeting ct Waterville
one night last week. Mr.. Boornazian,
who is now assisting Commandant Ma
gee in the Augusta district, conducted
the meeting at the Army Hall. James
Boornazian is an Armenian by birth, who
has personally witnessed some of the
greatest atrocities committed by the
cruel Turks in that country He was
present when $4,000 were slaughtered,
and has personally witnessed the public
beheading of young men In the open
streets of his native city.
1t is expected that nearly 500 Uni
versalists from Maine will attend the
celebration at Gloucester, Mass, on
Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Aug.
20, ~ and 2S, in honor of the memory
of Rev. John Murray, who came from
England in ITO and was the first Uni
versalist clergyman in America. He
began bis first passionate In Gloucester,
the church which he built still stand
ing. The house in which he lived Is
also standing, known as the Murray
Gilman. Sargent house, Is owned by
society which keeps therein various arti
cles associated with Mrs. Murray.
The Boothbay Harbor Historical So
ciety is having most interesting meetings
and at recent one "The First Screw
Propeller Invented in the United States"
was the subject of paper read by EN-.
erson Rice. This brought out some facts
of great interest to the residents Of
Boothbay Harbor. Mr.. Rice's great nm
Gle, John Brown Emerson, invented q
twin screw propeller and tried
1t out in this very harbor long before
j ohm Ericsson conceived the idea. The
patent Office in Washington was burned,
along with Mr. Emerson's invention, but
he was paid $50, 900 by the government
for his work. The original propeller had
been in the old Emerson homestead In
Church Square, but was destroyed by
the children playing with 1t.
After having wandered through the
woods surrounding the so.called Five
Mile Swamp three days and nights, Hon.
Francis B. Torrey, 90, was found Tues
day morning by Elwood E. Edgecomb
and Dwight F. Weber, both Of Bath,
the former q motorman of the A. & Z.
Railroad Co. and the latter conductor.
They found Mr.. Torrey sleeping in the
swamp almost obscured by the tall grass,
but he recognized Mr.. Edgecomb and
that he had become bewildered
and was in q bad fix and wished they
would help him out. He was brought
to house in the Winnegsnce district,
and word telephoned to his two sons.
ex-Mayor Joseph Torrey and Francis b.
Torrey, Jr., who Immediately went for
him with an automobile and carried him
to the Old Folks Home, where he was
given immediate treatment by DR.. James
Otis Lincoln and the matroD, Mrs. Will
liam E. Choate. he is apparently none
the worse for his three days. experience
in the woods.