"Schistostega Cave." of Bald Porcupine Island

 The following story concerns a deep cave on Bald Porcupine Island, which I had not heard about until now.

BALD PORCUPINE ISLAND - Acadia National Park

The group went out in Leonard Youngs boat and after failing to effect a landing in the surf below the cave circled the island and went ashore in the calmer harbor waters just north of the breakwater.  With 150 feet of 3/4 inch rope furnished by the Park Service they worked their way about a mile through the woods to the top of the cliff above the cave.  The rope was tied to a tree  and than lowered over the precipice so that it hung across the mouth of the cave.  Jim Armstrong, one of the summer students, slid down the rope hand over hand but we doubt he would try it again.  The rest climbed down the less precipitous hillside nearer the breakwater, worked their way around the shore to the shingle below and than climbed up the rope the forty feet or so to the cave.
The cave itself, which appears to be a fault in the rock partly cleared out by a glacial stream, goes back at least 100 feet into the hill.  The boys who went furthest in with flash lights, still could not see the end of the cleft. About 80 feet from the mouth of the cave a cross had been scratched on the rock and there was evidence of someone having dug below it (hidden treasure, Indian burial or just small boys?)  Dr. Robert Spiers of Jackson Laboratory acted as official photographer and took pictures both inside and  outside the cave.  The scientists returned with specimens of the moss, photographs, some sun burn and sore muscles, but a great deal of satisfaction.
The cave is an interesting part of Bar Harbors many sided attractions which deserves to be protected.


BAR HARBOR RECORD
NOV. 20,  1895
CAPTAIN KID'S TREASURE
(note;  this old article appears to be the first time the cave on Bald Poccupine Island was located.)

It Is Biried In Cave On Bald Porcupine

Men rambling over Bald Porcupine island in Frenchmans Bay a few weeks ago, discovered by accident a big cave on the southern side of the one hundred and fifty acres of rocky soil, where the government is now building a breakwater to protect our beautiful harbor from the inroads of the ocean which wildly sweeps in from the rough wind swept coast.  Bald Porcupine Island is one of the many islands in Frenchmans Bay which, on account of its inaccessability, has not been made a place of visitation by the summer tourists and has been used mostly for sheep raising the last half of a century, the question of its ownership having been in dispute in the courts several times.
Harvey Hodgkins and a man named Bunker of Bar Harbor, were strolling about the island and when near the highest ground on the breakwater side at a point commanding a view of the ocean for miles beyond Egg Rock Lighthouse, saw a dark spot in the cliff above them resembling an entrance to a cave.  At first glance the approach seemed inaccessable from where they stood and the top of the rough cliff towered fifty feet above.  After an half hour struggling with the scrub brush on the sides of the cliff, Bunker and Hodgkins reached the spot which seemed to guard the entrance with huge rocks piled there by the action of the elements.  Moss covered the rocks and the soil showed that the foot of man had not trod there for years, if not for centuries.
They successed in rolling away one big boulder which went crashing down the cliff towards the ocean and disclosing to their astonished sight an opening large enough to admit of the entrance of a person standing errect.  A volume of foul air rushed out as if the entrance had been closed for centuries, and it was several minutes before the discoverers dared enter the narrow passage which appeared to lead downward for a dozen feet from where they stood.  Bunker let himself in for a dozen feet but soon appeared again and told his compainion that it was as dark as night within and that the passage led away to the right into a chamber of considerable dimensions.
Bunker and Hodgkins were so elated over their discovery that they decided to abandon their exploration for the present and wait until they procured torches and lanterns.  They knew that men were than digging for Captain Kidd's treasure near Ellsworth, only a score of miles away, upon a new theory of location, and it required only a small flight of imagination to to convince them that if the fanous pirate had buried his wealth anywhere on the Maine coast, he could not have selected a better place than the cave on Bald Porcupine.
They rolled stones in front of the entrance and secretly securing torches at the engine house of the breakwater works, telling the men that they were going fishing, returned and began explorations.  When they had stepped within the cavity the light from the torches lit up a huge vaulted chamber about fifty feet long  and from fifteen to twenty feet in heigth.  There was a noise as of running water at the further end and as they stood irresolute to advance they shouted at the top of their voice and the echo answered again and again until the sound died away in the distance.  The floor of the chamber was almost as level as a barn floor and was covered with a ozzing mud to the depth of a foot or more.  Bunker and Hodgkins began to get scared and one suggested that they suspend exploration until they were better prepared, especially as in one corner there was a peculiar snapping light such as they had seen when hunting pole cats.
The light from the torches began to grow dim also and at once they recalled that the foul air of the cave was fast sickening them, and they hurried out into the open air with blanched faces and throbbing hearts that beat high in anticipation of the possible treasure cave whose secret was known only to them.
Bunker and Hodgkins than pledged each other that they would not reveal their secret to anyone and that they would divide equalily whatever wealth, if any, should be found in the cave.  The secret leaked out, however, and they consented to take a few friends to the spot.  In the party besides themselves was Sereuus H. Rodick, Milton Rodick, and Fo??tais Rodick of Bar Harbor who are acquainted with every spot about Frenchmans Bay.
They were enjoined to secertcy and concented to share in the buried treasure equally.  They brought with them oil skin suits, long rubber boots, lanterns, torches and firearms.  The Rodicks had been to exploring expeditions on Mt Desert Island before and first built a big fire at the entrance of the cave.  In half an hour the party entered the chamber and the light from the half dozen torches  and the bonfire illuminated the cavern displaying the ideal retreat for snugglers or pirates.  The space before them extended half a hundred feet in one direction upwards to the heigth  of twenty feet in width.
As they stepped into the room they sank in mud a foot or more in depth, and cautiously they poked their way along the floor often knee deep in slime.  On the side walls little scintulating glimmers caulioned them that there were snakes in the cave, and gradually  a hissing noise all about caused them to stop and listen.  One of the party fired a rifle shot  at a glimmer and it was immediately extinguished only to appear in greater brillancy all about the cavern acompanied by a chorus of hisses that told the explorers that the cave was alive with snakes.  There was a dryer space after they had advanced thirty feet and coiled in the corner was huge bunch of snakes of all colors and sizes.  The men decided to let them have it and fired a volley from their guns and blazed away at them with revolvers until the corner was strewn  with brightly colored bits of  snakes and writhing remmants of tails.  It is estimated that there was 200 snakes in the bunch.
At another point in the cave a stream of water trickled through from a mountain side and this explained the mud bottom and gave evidence that the origional floor in some parts was several feet beneath the present level.  They drove their picks down through the soft mud  until they sank to the eye of the picks and a few ambitious ones began digging in dark corners of the cavern.  Others were afraid of the snakes and wanted to leave Captain Kidds treasure to posterity to unearth.  On one end the roof sloped into a dark narrow passage through which Milton Rodick squeezed himself against the protests of his comrads.  When he emerged he said that the passage led on down a steep hole and that he was compelled to retreat, but that he believed that it led to another room as big as the one they were in.  A buttered pewter mug was found in a crevice on the southern side of the cave and a half pint flask with a strong odor of Bar Harbor whiskey.  This afterwards was claimed as the recent property of one of the party who said that he had emptied it suddenly upon feeling what he thought was a snake bite, but which proved to be the pick of a stray pin.
The explorers soon grew tied of pushing their way through thick mud and decided to give up the search for the day and return again with better excavating implements.  The exact location of the cave has not been generally made public and so far as known, the party has not made another excursion to the cave although they believe that further search will reveal some buried treasure.

(Note;  the information on the cave itself, its location and its size and the inability to go the entire length of the cave match up with other accounts.  I highly doubt the story of 200 snakes of different colors and the men firing rifles and revolvers until the snakes where cut up into bits, that makes no sense and I believe that was added to keep others from seeking out the location of the cave.  For one thing Maine does not have snakes of many colors, and secondly, if in fact they had fired off all those rounds it would of taken to cut up 200 snakes, they would of all been dead from bullets ricocheting off the walls of the cave.  But this does appear to be the first published account of a cave on Bald Porcupine Island.)



LAB STUDENTS SEE RARE ISLAND MOSS
July 25,  1957

A  moss so rare that it appears in only one known place in America was studied Sunday by Jackson Laboratory summer students.
"It forms an irregular pattern of bright glowing chartreuse along the dim walls of the cave, like eyes shinning in the dark," said Dr Margaret Green.  If you move to one side it disappears from sight.
Dr Green was discribing schistostega osmundacea, a rare moss that she, Dr Charity Waymouth and many students of the Jackson Laboratory saw on the two expeditions lead by Dr Philip White during the last two Sundays.
The groups traveled on Capt Leonard Young's boat to the seaward side of Bald Porcupine Island, anchored near the base of the breakwater and climbed up the walls of the abandoned quarry.
The moss is in a cave located half way up a steep narrow ravine dividing high cliffs.  Difficult to reach, it is known by few.  Once inside the cave the students were able to stand nearly upright.
The mouth of the deep wedge shaped cave enables the sun to shine into the depths just once a day.  Although the rare moss needs the dampness and darkness of deep caves for its habitant, it depends upon the sunlight of low intensity for its continued life.
The moss has a type of miniture lens, said Dr White.  That is why we are able to see the moss glow only if we look directly into it.  Otherwie it appears as a dull grayish green.
A repeat performance last Sunday afternoon was made for those who were unable to go on the previous trip.




Report Rare Moss In Deep Cave On Bald Porcupine Island
The Bar Harbor Times;  July 24, 1962

Attention was brought this week to a little known geological attraction on Bald Porcupine Island when a group of scientists, headed by Dr. Philip R. White of Jackson Laboratory staff, explored "Schistostega Cave,"  or goblin's gold.
Personnel of the Expedition consisted of twelve scientists and students from the Jackson Laboratory, the Mt. Desert Island Biological Laboratory.
Dr. White's report of the unusual and interesting expedition follows;
"On the South face of Bald Porcupine Island, just at the edge of the 180 foot cliff and about a third of the way up the face there is a small but deep cave, known to a few of the more venturesome small boys of Bar Harbor but unknown to most of their elders.    In this cave is found an extremely rare and startlingly beautiful "Luminous" moss.  The moss forms patches on the rocks which in the semi-darkness of the deep cleft glow with a brilliant green light from thousands of tiny lenses like so many cat's eyes, or the most modern o0f roadside reflector signs.  Anyone who has seen it will never forget the experience.

CAVE ON BALD PORCUPINE ISLAND

Bat Harbor Record
Local Matters
Dec. 4, 1895

(Note;  the following short paragraph appeared in the paper, I have copied it in its entireity and there was no further mention to the paragraph)

"A well known attorney of Bar Harbor called at the Record office the other day and said, 'I would like you to print me a placard for use when I go to Ellsworth.  On it put, I don't know anything about the cave on Bald Porcupine Island.  I didn't discover it.'  I was kept busy answering questions about it all day today."