Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-12-09
MORE COAL COMES
ASHORE ON BEACH
AT SMALL POINT
Recent Finds Create a Revived Inter.
est in Old Time Stories of the
Famous Camel Coal Finds at Pop.
ham.

recent Finds Create Revived Inter.
est in Old Stories of the
Famous Camel Coal Finds at Pop
ham.
What seemed to be rock with flakes
| OF coal upon it's surface was noticed
on the, window sill of the Howard Coal
Co.'S office one day this week and the
bookkeeper, Alton =. Reed, said that il
mad been LETT by Mr. Oliver who
brought 1t up from Popham Beach
upon which it had been cast along with
other specimens of coal after the re-
cent oasterly storm.
Mr.. Reed said that Mr.. Oliver, re-
ported that a Small Point farmer had
after the big storm gone to tn. Beach
/ and gathered nearly half a ton of the
coal for fuel at his home. Mr.. Reed
ch1pped off some of the flakes and
threw it into the office stove and the
flakes burned with a steady blaze on
top of the live Goals.
This. sometimes called camel coal.
I tnat has been coming ashore after
heavy storms at sea on Popham Beach
for a. least two centuries, still has in
its mystery a fascination to the ma
tlVes who insist. in spite of the as
suranca of biologists to the contrary
that there must be a mine somewhere
/ cropping out in the sea, for the coal
has been coming ashore for at least a
century before any cargo of it was
brought to the Maine coast and Kenne-
bee river OF recent years this coal
has sometimes been cast I'D along
, with 5unks of anthracite. The hard
! coal OF course comes from wrecks
three of which have been known
to have occurred at the mouth
of the river. But this does not
account for the camel coal, which
does not smut. can be carried in ones
pocket without leaving traces and will
burn like candle. Moreover it is diff
ferent from any coal mined in England
or Wales which precludes the SUPPOSE
ton of some that this coal was lost
from British ships hundreds of years
ago whose wrecks have been forgot
ten.
A generation ago company was pro-
NOTED by the late James w. Kelley, a
Bath man who later removed to Port
land. diamond drill was used. a deep
hole sunk on Small Point and then the
cash OF the company gave out. There
were conflicting stories as to whether
traces of coal ledge were found by
this drill. diver has been down at
sea and failed also to locate any lead
of coal ledge.
The Small Point farmer. loading his
wagon with the coal on Popham Beach.
recalls the fact that many years ago a
/ Phippsburg blacksmith obtained from
/ this source adj the coal that he used in
his forge
Game Warden Herbert l.. Spinney
says that his grandfather. Thomas
Spinney, residing on Long Island, saw
the schooner bearing the first cargo
OF anthracite coal, when she sailed up
the Kennebec. Previous to her arri-
val, the fuel used by Maine people had
been entirely wood. But before this
first cargo of coal arrived, this coal
had been for 100 years or more gath
cred on Popham and Small Point
beaches after heavy storms. Some of
the nuggets to the present day have
the appearance of being newly broken
from some ledge. Experts have stated
that there is none in the world known
Just like this ancient coal and that 1t
makes the cleanest possible weld of
steel when fired in a forge supplied
with this fuel.
Speaking of wrecked schooners
bearing anthracite cargoes to the Ken
nebec. Warden Spinney recalls one
that was broken up on the Sugar Loaf
in the mouth of the Kennebec 81 years
ago from whose cargo the natives
fished up considerable amounts at low
water slack with dipnets. He himself
this salvaged 10 tons and the Harring-
tons must have raised up 30 tons. Ali
the natives who wanted coal obtained
supplies from this wreck.
Another wreck at the mouth of the
Keanebec recalled by Mr.. Spinney was
! that of the small trading schooner
"Azora," which ran into the cove at
Salter's Island where his grandmother
on his mothers side. Mrs Richard
MARI. lived in house that was then
there and the crew. let go anchor and
weres below when the vessel was blown
upon Whales Back and most Of the
crew we're drowned. This was in
January, 1912, during a gale from the