This edition features two short articles from the May 5,1896, edition of the RANGELEY LAKES newspaper. It shares some news about what may have been a line of severe storms and tornados that rolled through this neck of the woods. I can recall a small ‘touch down’ at Haines Landing a few years back. Enjoy what follows and keep a ‘weather eye’ out.

(Contemporary comment shared in italics).

SUNDAY’S TEMPEST

 Much Damage Done in Southern Part of the County. 

Sunday’s storm, which though very brisk, did little damage in North Franklin; but in the southern part of the county, it was a veritable cyclone. A Farmington dispatch says A thunder shower with a high wind and hail raged Sunday afternoon, causing considerable damage to barns in this town, as well as in Industry and New Sharon. The track of the tornado was about a mile wide and described a semi-circle, taking in the towns mentioned. No lives were lost, but there were several narrow escapes. Crops were not damaged. (Hard to believe it didn’t flatten a lot of corn?).

A Strong dispatch says: At 5.30 pm, Sunday, one of the most terrific cyclones known for years passed over this place, with heavy thunder, lightning, and wild gales that at first, filled the air with dust so it was almost dark as night. Then came the rain and hail, with the wind blowing off chimneys, breaking glass and doing other damage. It took off two chimneys from A. J. Porter’s house, one from Mrs. Edwards’ house, one from W. L. Taylor’s house, lots of glass in Dr. Higgin’s house and flooding the parlor with water, as it also did in several other houses. It blew over one of the sheds of the corn factory, also one of the out buildings of the railway station, tearing up and blowing down shade trees and apple trees. In other parts of the State the damage was very great, Many barns were blown down and one house was wrecked in Belgrade. Over fifty barns were wrecked in Augusta, Sidney, and adjoining towns. One of the remarkable features of the storm was the fact that no one was badly injured and little stock was killed or hurt.

SAW A BIG MOOSE. 

Sunday’s Shower Brought One Out into Civilization at Coplin. [Special to Rangeley Lakes]. Greene’s Hotel Coplin, May 11, ’96. 

The heaviest shower ever known in this section occurred Sunday afternoon. The wind blew a gale; many trees being blown down and fences laid flat. As soon as the rain ceased, Mr. F. E. Lambert, Superintendent of the Mills at Redington. who was spending Sunday at Mr. Greene’s, went out to see what damage had been done. He had not gone far when he saw a large moose not twenty-five rods from him (a rod equals 16.5 feet). He watched him for a few moments and then went within fifteen rods before the moose ran. The falling trees had evidently frightened him into the open field.

We are fortunate because seeing a moose these days is not quite such a newsworthy event, but not so in 1896. Moose, caribou, and deer were becoming scarce in western Maine at that time due to over hunting. Laws forbidding the taking or possession of all three would  be enacted and the first wardens were not called Game Wardens as they are today but were initially known as “Moose Wardens.”

Have a wonderful week, we hope you see a moose, and please enjoy the warmer weather as you venture forth to make some great history of your own!