Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-10-16
BELT
piaysr Case Goes TO Law Court


Preston Player Of Boston. was sued
In the present term of the Supreme
judicial Court in Waldo county for
$4,000 by Ralph Collamore Of Lowell,
Mass, for damages owing to injuries
received by the plaintiff in January
1918, while acting as caretaker for
the defendant at his summer place on
Resolution island near Dark Harbor.
Islesboro. The case has been taken
to the Law Court on report, the
plaintiff not being satisfied with the
tury's verdict Of $500 damages.
The case recalls the most sensa-
tional accident of the exceptionally
severe winter Of 1918 when Penobscot
Bay was an unbroken sea Of ice and
Islesboro and its adjacent islands
were without mail or provisions for
days at a time. -s
On the night of Jan. oath the resi-
dents Of Dark Harbor were amazed
to see'the bis house on Resolution or
Mark Island, as it is also called, the
summer place of Preston Player and
built by his father, ablaze with
lights, and a bon fire burning on the
highest point Of land near it. Only
one family was known to live on the
island in winter, that Of Ralph Col
lamore, the caretaker who occupied a
small cottage near the Player place.
Under the direction Of Davis H.
Smith party Of Dark Harbor men
made an attempt to reach the island
next day but the ice was so heavy
that it was impossible. Mr.. Smith
then telephoned to the Naval Sta
ton at Rockland and the lighthouse
steamer Zizania, Capt. G. E. Sher-
man, pounded her way through the
ice, the trip taking nearly all day
and we'll into the night. 1t was aft
err 10 o'clock when the island was
reached. The big house was still
ablaze with electric lights and in the
little cottage Collamore with his wife
and two children were asleep. Mrs.
Collamore awoke with a scream as
the rescuing party entered her cot
tage and was hysterical for some
time before she could tell her story.
This was on Thursday night and on
Wednesday her husband had gone to
Dark Harbor for provisions, crossing
the ice but taking boat with him
which he used in open water. When
darkness fell and he did not return.
Mrs. Collamorc was worried and
went to the shore where the boat was
kept to look for him. She heard him
moaning and found him with a brok-
en- leg, pinned beneath the boat
which he had attempted to drag to
the beach. She half carried him
to the house and, having been a
nurse before her marriage, was able
to partially reduce the fracture. Her
next thought was to get help, for
with the ice conditions it might be
weeks before anyone would visit the
island. Fortunately the dynamo
which furnished the electricity was
in running order and she ran the
lights all night and all the next day.
She was obliged to melt snow with
which to water the stock and milk
the cows as we'll as attend to her
family and injured husband. AT
nightfall on Thursday she was ex
haused and had fallen asleep when
the rescuing party arrived. The
steamer was sent back to Islesboro
for a physician. who attended Mr.
Collamore, and man was left to
look after the family.
The accident and the heroism OF
the young wife attracted widespread
attention at the time and the case
was one of the most interesting at
the present term.