Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-02-28
Maine Gossip

tending the Massachusetts, Radio
School in Boston. has loaned his long
distance receiving set to the school
that he is attending. This set has been
installed for several days and has
given excellent results receiving mes
sages from Germany, Rome. Australia.
Hawaiian Islands and other long dis
lance stations. The instructors in the
school say that this set is equal, IL
not superior. to sets now in use by the
U. S., Government and is capable of
bringing in signals from the Hawaiian
Islands plain enough to be copied sew
eral hundred feet from the instrument.
Mr.. Bell is now working on a wireless
telephone which he hopes to have COM,
pleted in the near future.
The great convenience which leaving
the outside doors Of the Houlton post
Office open from one years end to the
other, has been changed by a recent
ruling. which compels the guardian
of that building to lock the building
up as soon as the last employee leaves,
and this will go into effect as soon as
keys can be found to the front door.
-
Word has been received that Rev.
John Smith Lowe, d. D., will preach
from Rockland Universalist pulpit on
Easter Sunday. DR.. Lowe is general
superintendent of the Universalist
churches of America, and it is a great
privilege and pleasure for the Rock
land church to have him for this ou-
casion.
Mrs. Katie Moore Of Pleasant Point
observed her S1st birthday Sunday.
She received a number of cards ami
gifts from her children and friends.
Mrs. Moore has knit eight pairs of
mittens this winter and has made two
large braided rugs.
]. L. McQuarrie, assistant chief en-
gineer of the WESTERN Electric Co.,
and a Bath boy. who returned recent
ly from a trip to China, gives an in
teresting example of the influence
native superstition exerts in the mod
ern industry of the Celestial repub-
lie. The following is from the Bos-
ton News Bureau:
Recently one of the shop employees
of China electric company at
Shanghai lost two fingers while oper-
ating buzz saw. A story was cir
culated among the other workmen
that evil spirits in the factory caused
the accident. They demanded the
management to take steps to drive
out the fiends. At the workers be-
hest a native priest was called in to
do the exercizing. One of the cere-
monies involved the burning of an
image Of the buzz saw. Such a. rite
could not be permitted in the factory
building, so it was performed in the
court yard. The evil spirit must
have taken to flight for the workmen
returned to their tasks after the cere-
mony. Mr.. McQuarrie states that
despite these superstitions the la
borers of the Chinese factories are
extremely industrious and exception
ally apt in grasping ordinary shop
routine" Mr.. McQuarrie was the
first telephone operator in Bath and
his office in Bank block 40 years ago
is well remembered by many of his
old time acquaintance.
A Bath man has an uncle who used
to be a Labrador fisherman. On some
Of his trips after seals he went SO far
North that he says the aurora
borealis could be heard, as we'll as
seen, the sound being a distinct
: swish" On one of these trips he
secured perfectly white seal, a cub
captured on the ice. This albino of
the seal tribe was skinned and the
pelt dressed. 1t may be seen in a
William Swain, who was caught in
his fall from the staging at the
Sewall coal yard at Bath Monday by
the tub on barge Lehigh 7S5, says,
that he made the descent to the cargo
hold in the tub which however
descended more slowly than would
have his body, the tub breaking the
fall. His right arm and back were
cut and bruised and he is lame but
thankful that he escaped serious in
jury. Some years ago on another
vessel another rescue of man fall
ing from staging, by the unloading
coal tub was effected in a similar
manner, he says.