In late January of 1923, a fire broke out at a Naval Radio Station which was located on land that is now part of Acadia National Park. The fire caused about $150,000 in damages and cost the life of serviceman, Clifton W. Ward, who was operating a film projector in the projector room when the fire broke out. The fire spread at rapid speed and Mr. Ward became trapped in the projector room, which had no windows and only one door in or out.
The remains of Clifton W. Ward, the unfortunate victim of the fire, were recovered from the ruins Sunday. The service was held at the station this afternoon by the Rev. C.W. Turner, Pastor of the Bar Harbor Baptist Church, and the only will, he sent to the home in Longville, La. That afternoon. Lieut. Fielding and every man in the station spoke in highest terms of this young man, who in two months would have completed his first cruise. He was twenty-two years of age, a quiet unassuming young man and one who had the respect of the fellows. His father, Alva Ward, of Longville, La. Survives him. He was unmarried.
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Saturday, August 31, 2019
CAR CRASH ON PARK LOOP ROAD LEAVES THREE DEAD - 2019
On August 31, in the early hours at around 3 a.m. a car left the Park Loop Road, rolling well off the roadway and ending up a ways into the woods. First reports from the scene was that there was four individuals in the car, all of which were non responsive. At one point early on there was a call over the radio that CPR was now in progress on one of the victims. By the time other ambulances arrived it was determined three of the occupants in the car were deceased, with their bodies still trapped in the wreckage. A photo of the wreck shows a car with no roof which suffered extensive damage. As of this writing police are still trying to determine what caused the crash, and that section of the One Way Section of the Park Loop Road remained closed all that night and much of the following day. At around 3;30 p.m. of Aug. 31, a hearse was seen making its way down along Kebo Street heading into the area of the crash. With three dead, this appears to be one of the worse crashes to have occurred in Acadia National Park, at least in my memory. A sign of just how severe the accident was can be found in the fact that life flight had not been called. The names of the three people who were deceased at the scene of the crash have not been released as to date.
I just got back from the crash site, which was further up the Park Loop Road than I thought. As your driving along the One Way section of the Park Loop Road you will round a corner and approach a stone bridge with a sign before the bridge for the Gorge Path. The car left the roadway about 5 to 6 car lengths before that sign, and appears to have started to roll when it crashed into a very large thick tree. The tire marks lead to that tree, and the tree is missing a good amount of bark and has deep gashes in it. The car then appears to have traveled a very short distance before plowing into a fairly good size white birch, which was pretty much ripped up out of the ground, it is leaning badly with its roots exposed. Nearby is broken glass from the car windows, a few pieces of the car, and just in the trees is one of the car mirrors.
Marking where the car tires left the road was two ANP emergency cones, and just up the road before the crash site was a speed trailer letting people know how fast they are going. The crash scene was on the right hand side of the road as your approaching the bridge, though it is not easy to spot until you see the large tree with the missing bark and deep slashes in it.
UPDATE;
Marking where the car tires left the road was two ANP emergency cones, and just up the road before the crash site was a speed trailer letting people know how fast they are going. The crash scene was on the right hand side of the road as your approaching the bridge, though it is not easy to spot until you see the large tree with the missing bark and deep slashes in it.
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| Large tree - second view |
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| Photo of Bridge shot from crash scene |
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| Large tree with damage from impact |
UPDATE;
Federal authorities have now filed criminal charges against Praneeth Manubolu, the driver of the car that rolled over early Saturday morning, killing three people inside the car. According to papers filed in court, Manubolu had been drinking and was driving too fast to make the curve when the accident occurred.
Manubolu himself called the police and reported the accident at around 2;47 a.m. Saturday and police used GPS from his phone call to locate the crash scene.
Police found Manubolu outside of the car with a few cuts and scrapes and police detected the strong odor of alcoholic beverages, according to court papers.
Manubolu told police him and his friends had been drinking in Bar Harbor and that when they left the bar his friends wanted him to drive.
Manubolu allegedly told a park ranger that he lost control of his vehicle on a curve and hit a tree.
“Praneeth Manubolu made additional statements about being intoxicated,” Dominy wrote. “He further stated one of his passengers warned him about a curve coming up in the roadway, but that he failed to slow down in time.”
Six hours after the accident police could still smell a strong odor of alcohol on Manubolu.
The three passengers who died in the accident were identified as Lenny Fuchs, 36, Laura Leong, 30, and Zeeshan Mohammed, 27, all of New York City.
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
SHOVEL OPERATOR FOUND DEAD - 1954
Bar Harbor Times
April 29, 1954
BAR HARBOR SHOVEL OPERATOR IS FOUND DEAD NEAR MACHINE
Edward Thomas Jr, Salisbury Cove, tractor operator for Harold MacQuinn, Bar Harbor general contractor was found dead yesterday morning at the base of a 20 foot road bank within ten feet of the one-half yard shovel loader which he had been operating on a construction job on the Acadia National park Paradise Hill road. Thomas was found by MacQuinn who said that he had arrived at the job and asked of the construction superintendent the where abouts of the shovel and operator. When he was told that Thomas was at the South end of the road with the loader MacQuinn went looking for him and found the rubber-tired machine upright at the foot of the road bank near the stone overpass at the new Eagle Lake Road. MacQuinn said that Thomas was lying face down about half way down the bank.
He was pronounced dead by a physician who was summoned immediately.
Maurice Staples, a MacQuinn employee, said that he drove the shovel from the Paradise Hill road to the MacQuinn shop on Holland Avenue following the accident. He told the Times that there were no mechanical defects apparent in the piece of equipment and that he operated it without difficulty on the way to the shop.
Police Chief Howard McFarland investigated the incident and reported that according to the tire imprints made by the tractor, that the machine apparently left its normal course in its progress along the road and moved diagonally across the roadway and started down the steep bank at the same angle. The machine rolled over he said and landed right side up.
Maximum speed of the tractor, MacQuinn said, is 10 miles per hour.
Thomas, who lived at Salisbury Cove, was born at Bar Harbor, Sept. 28, 1915, the son of Edward Pettengill Thomas and the late Orra Hadley (Thomas). He was a resident of Bar Harbor in early life and attended Bar Harbor High School.
Surviving are his widow Shirley (Duffey) Thomas, a son, David, both of Salisbury Cove, and a brother.
April 29, 1954
BAR HARBOR SHOVEL OPERATOR IS FOUND DEAD NEAR MACHINE
Edward Thomas Jr, Salisbury Cove, tractor operator for Harold MacQuinn, Bar Harbor general contractor was found dead yesterday morning at the base of a 20 foot road bank within ten feet of the one-half yard shovel loader which he had been operating on a construction job on the Acadia National park Paradise Hill road. Thomas was found by MacQuinn who said that he had arrived at the job and asked of the construction superintendent the where abouts of the shovel and operator. When he was told that Thomas was at the South end of the road with the loader MacQuinn went looking for him and found the rubber-tired machine upright at the foot of the road bank near the stone overpass at the new Eagle Lake Road. MacQuinn said that Thomas was lying face down about half way down the bank.
He was pronounced dead by a physician who was summoned immediately.
Maurice Staples, a MacQuinn employee, said that he drove the shovel from the Paradise Hill road to the MacQuinn shop on Holland Avenue following the accident. He told the Times that there were no mechanical defects apparent in the piece of equipment and that he operated it without difficulty on the way to the shop.
Police Chief Howard McFarland investigated the incident and reported that according to the tire imprints made by the tractor, that the machine apparently left its normal course in its progress along the road and moved diagonally across the roadway and started down the steep bank at the same angle. The machine rolled over he said and landed right side up.
Maximum speed of the tractor, MacQuinn said, is 10 miles per hour.
Thomas, who lived at Salisbury Cove, was born at Bar Harbor, Sept. 28, 1915, the son of Edward Pettengill Thomas and the late Orra Hadley (Thomas). He was a resident of Bar Harbor in early life and attended Bar Harbor High School.
Surviving are his widow Shirley (Duffey) Thomas, a son, David, both of Salisbury Cove, and a brother.
TRAGIC DEATH AT SPOUTING HORN - 1918
Acadia National Park
Spouting Horn Death
Bar Harbor Times
July 6, 1918
DROWNING ACCIDENT AT SCHOONER HEAD
Camera Man For Moving Picture Company Meets Tragic Death
John Von den Brock, camera man for the Maurice Tourneue Production Company of Fort Lee, N.J., was accidentally drowned at Schooner Head on last Saturday.
At the time the accident occurred the company was in the vicinity of the Spouting Horn making a picture and Mr. Von den Brock was on a ledge close to the sea with his back to the water using his camera. The sea was rough and a heavy swell was running and the director of the company urged Mr. Von den Brock not to stand so close to the water, but the latter said there was no danger and stuck to his position.
The place is a very exposed one and the sea sweeps in from the ocean with nothing to break its force. When the sea is rough and the tide coming in, it is an exceedingly dangerous place for a person not acquainted with the spot. One may stand there in perfect safety for half an hour when all at once a big wave will come in with irresistible force.
That is just what happened Saturday. The picture company had been at work there all the forenoon when at about 12;30 a high wave came in with over-whelming power and took Mr. Von den Brock off his feet and carried him and his camera out to sea. It happened so quickly that the other members of the company were powerless to render their companion any aid and he was drown before their eyes.
Mr. Von den Brock is said to have been the highest paid camera man in the business and was most popular young man among his associates. He was 23 years of age, unmarried and resided at 156 Riverside Drive, New York City.
SPOUTING HORN CAVE
SCHOONER HEAD
BAR HARBOR, MAINE
NOTE; I was unable to find out the name of the movie they were filming, but a number of movies were filmed in and around Schooner Head and Spouting Horn, including Dead Men Tell No Tales in 1920.
CLIFF OVER LOOKING SPOUTING HORN CAVE
SCHOONER HEAD
BAR HARBOR
Saturday, July 13, 2019
STEPHEN HIGGINS DIES ON DRY MOUNTAIN - 1862
Acadia National Park
Bar Harbor Times
December 26, 1928
Dry Mountain
Stephen Higgins the second, or Captain Stephen Higgins, was a sailor in every sense of the word, and in his day was commander of many large clipper ships which were than sailing the world over.
Captain Stephen Higgins died on Dry or Flying Squadron Mountain September 4, 1862. I will remember the occasion, and the exciting time there was in finding him up there in those lonely woods and darkness, as the search had reached into the early twilight. Home from one of his long voyages, he, accompanied by a little eight year old girl relative, went up this mountain berry picking, when suddenly Captain Steve lay down in a shady grove and expired. The little girl quickly scrambled down the mountain and spread the news.
Captain Stephen Higgins, or Stephen Higgins the second, was a brother of Captain Royal G. Higgins, and their parents were Captain Isreal and Polly Higgins, and their grave, although Capt. Israel was lost at sea, was the first one to be placed in the old Village Cemetery on Mount Desert Street.
NOTE - Dry Mountain today is known as Dorr Mountain.
Bar Harbor Times
December 26, 1928
Dry Mountain
Stephen Higgins the second, or Captain Stephen Higgins, was a sailor in every sense of the word, and in his day was commander of many large clipper ships which were than sailing the world over.
Captain Stephen Higgins died on Dry or Flying Squadron Mountain September 4, 1862. I will remember the occasion, and the exciting time there was in finding him up there in those lonely woods and darkness, as the search had reached into the early twilight. Home from one of his long voyages, he, accompanied by a little eight year old girl relative, went up this mountain berry picking, when suddenly Captain Steve lay down in a shady grove and expired. The little girl quickly scrambled down the mountain and spread the news.
Captain Stephen Higgins, or Stephen Higgins the second, was a brother of Captain Royal G. Higgins, and their parents were Captain Isreal and Polly Higgins, and their grave, although Capt. Israel was lost at sea, was the first one to be placed in the old Village Cemetery on Mount Desert Street.
NOTE - Dry Mountain today is known as Dorr Mountain.
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
HENRY J. WONG - KILLED IN FALL ON PRECIPICE 1998
Acadia National Park
Henry J. Wong was killed following a fall on the Precipice Trail. His death and place of accident is listed in his family genealogy. He was born January 12, 1958 at Bangor, Maine, and died from a climbing accident in Acadia National Park in 1985.
Henry J. Wong was killed following a fall on the Precipice Trail. His death and place of accident is listed in his family genealogy. He was born January 12, 1958 at Bangor, Maine, and died from a climbing accident in Acadia National Park in 1985.
Thursday, May 23, 2019
39 YEAR OLD NEW JERSEY MAN DIES FOLLOWING FALL FROM CLIFF BY SAND BEACH - ACADIA, 2005
Deaths In Acadia National Park
October 3, 2005
The Ellsworth American newspaper reported on a death which occurred in Acadia national park, but for some unknown reason the victim was never identified in the story. A visitor and a friend were out taking a walk along the path by the Park Loop Road near Sand Beach, when they decided to venture off of the official path, and wandered near the cliffs overlooking Sand Beach. The victim is said to have jumped onto rocks near the edge of the cliff and lost his balance, and attempted to cling to the cliff but soon lost his hold and plummeted some 60 feet to the boulders below.
The man was said to be 39 years old and from Tom's River, New Jersey and had been out walking with a female friend. The victim was in a very bad location which made the rescue effort even more difficult. As in most tragic falls that take place within the park, Life Flight was called and a helecopter on its way. Meantime rescue workers lowered ropes down the cliff and started first aid, during the rescue effort a rock slide occurred, falling rocks damageing oxygen bottles and ropes as well as other rescue equipment. At this point it was decided it would be best to do a rescue by sea and a 25 foot Coast Guard boat was brought in. Medical personnel also climbed aboard and the boat then raced to the Bar Harbor Municipal Pier where it was met by LifeFlight personnel and Bar Harbor Ambulance personnel. Efforts to resuscitate the victim continued at the town pier for 20 minutes. He was taken to the Mount Desert Island Hospital by ambulance and declared dead a short time later.
October 3, 2005
The Ellsworth American newspaper reported on a death which occurred in Acadia national park, but for some unknown reason the victim was never identified in the story. A visitor and a friend were out taking a walk along the path by the Park Loop Road near Sand Beach, when they decided to venture off of the official path, and wandered near the cliffs overlooking Sand Beach. The victim is said to have jumped onto rocks near the edge of the cliff and lost his balance, and attempted to cling to the cliff but soon lost his hold and plummeted some 60 feet to the boulders below.
The man was said to be 39 years old and from Tom's River, New Jersey and had been out walking with a female friend. The victim was in a very bad location which made the rescue effort even more difficult. As in most tragic falls that take place within the park, Life Flight was called and a helecopter on its way. Meantime rescue workers lowered ropes down the cliff and started first aid, during the rescue effort a rock slide occurred, falling rocks damageing oxygen bottles and ropes as well as other rescue equipment. At this point it was decided it would be best to do a rescue by sea and a 25 foot Coast Guard boat was brought in. Medical personnel also climbed aboard and the boat then raced to the Bar Harbor Municipal Pier where it was met by LifeFlight personnel and Bar Harbor Ambulance personnel. Efforts to resuscitate the victim continued at the town pier for 20 minutes. He was taken to the Mount Desert Island Hospital by ambulance and declared dead a short time later.
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