THE ISLESFORD JOURNALS of Islesford Historical Soc Dr. Vincent Y. Bowditch Little Cranberry Islan Volume III Islesford, ME 04646 -20- Aug. 15, 1919. After five days of exquisite weather, yesterday the day began with a gray sky for a gathering storm, wind S.E. & by 11 A. M. sheets of rain were falling. I having previously done some trimming and cutting of trees on the East bank. Wind increased to a mild gale & studies of leaks became interesting; on the whole considering the age of the house & the storm, very slight. "So. Westers" & rubber boots a necessity. Dickens in the evening as usual. Finding "Little Dorrit" rather long for the time allotted & wishing to read "Tale of Two Cities" we dropped the former & began the latter, more than ever impressed with its dramatic interest. While reading night before last, a sudden deep sound came as if a large body had fallen either in the attic or woodshed & had shaken the house. Feeling rather "eerie", we stalked in various directions & with prickling hair, to look, Scotty & I down stairs, Nina & Livy upstairs. Nothing found. Scotty then said "I believe that was dynamite & they were blowing up the dead whale on the south shore. Later two less resonant reports were heard & subsequent inquiries told us that S. was correct. We began to think more excitements in this little island were in store. Had it been last year thoughts of submarines & "chasers" would have made us "feel queer" It seems that a Big Islander, hooked on his trawl a big dead whale lying on the bottom and ready to float from decomposition. The pull was enough to bring him up near the fisherman's boat much to his amazement & he decided to bring him to the shore for possible oil. At low tide the fellow stuck in the rocks & nothing could be done to make it worthwhile. So as Mr. Whale was beginning to be recognized in certain ways of the wind, blowing up was resorted to. Pleasant for the Storeys! A few days later, to the consternation of the same fisherman, a huge whale about 60 feet long came to the surface close by his boat & spouted, much to the horror of the man who got out of his way as soon as possible. Fishing whales may be pleasant for "simple simons" but not for me! Little Mr. Townsend ba little old fellow, cheerful I hope he will not be drowned to be on the "Morse" or othe to the north ("backing around Scotty, Warren & Kinkai the "studio exhibition". Mr. Colonel's old "store"; very g