1893 wreck inspires current court case.

Carrie Jones

Apr 25, 2026

MOUNT DESERT ISLAND—Back in April 1893, the Delhi, a two-mastered schooner sank as it was leaving Somes Sound.

Last week, the state asked a judge for possession of that shipwreck, which is still beneath the water.

According to an 1893 edition of the Ellsworth American, the Delhi sank in 25 fathoms of water. “In beating out of the Sound, she struck a heavy cake of ice and foundered almost immediately, the crew having barely time to escape in their boat,” the short, paragraph-long report reads.

There were 32,000 Baltimore pavers on board that had been loaded by Campbell & Macomber of Quarryville.

Campbell & Macomber had a granite quarry in Mount Desert. At the time, its granite had been used to construct banks and libraries throughout the northeastern portion of the United States.

“In March 2024, JJM LLC filed a salvage rights claim to the ship in U.S. District Court of Maine in Bangor,” Marie Weidmayer of the Bangor Daily News wrote earlier this week. ”The company is seeking ownership rights to the wreckage, but the state challenged that claim, saying that federal law has established that unclaimed shipwrecks lying in state waters are the property of the state.”

The state, Weidmayer reported, hoped for a jury trial. However, Judge John Nivison will instead have a written opinion about the case.

No company has claimed the ship’s title, according to Assistant Attorney General Lauren Parker, Weidmayer reported. This, Parker argued, means the ship is abandoned.

“We are talking about a pile of stones underneath the pile of trash,” Weidmayer quoted JJM attorney Ben Ford as saying. “This is not a shipwreck in the sense that one might imagine a shipwreck to be. The Delhi is no longer there.”

Part of the issues are a dispute over how much of the boat exists; how much is not embedded in the floor; and whether or not it would require more than hand tools to remove.

“A JJM diver was able to pick up a granite paver by hand and return it to the surface in a basket, Ford said. There are definitely pavers on the surface of the ocean floor, but some may be under garbage that has accumulated on top of the wreck, he said,” Weidmayer wrote.

According to Weidmayer, the salvage company wants to recover pavers and artifacts, which it would donate to museums.

“The salvage firm filed suit in September against the National Park Service after the service determined the shipwreck is eligible for listing in the National Register. That lawsuit is still pending,” Weidmayer wrote.

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Acadia Brochures of Maine.

HELP SUPPORT THE BAR HARBOR STORY

When we started The Bar Harbor Story, we didn’t know if anyone would read it. But you showed up. You shared. You sent tips. Now—over 400,000 views every month later—it’s clear: people here care about their community and each other.

We’ve kept everything free because news should never be out of reach, but every one of our stories takes time to write, and your support keeps The Bar Harbor Story going.

If you value our work, please consider a paid subscription, a founding membership, or a sponsorship.

It truly helps us cover one more meeting, tell one more story, shine one more light.

Even $5 a month makes a difference. Click here to become a one-time supporter now.

Thank you so much for being here.

Founding member information can be found here.

Have questions about sponsorships? Just send Shaun an email at sfarrar86@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you.

Calais has been seeking federal funds for a new ladder truck for years. It hasn’t worked out.

At 41 years old, the fire department’s current truck has been in service for about two decades longer than industry standards recommend. The department can no longer find parts for it but can’t replace it with town money alone. New ones run more than $1 million, and the budget for the entire city is roughly $6.5 million per year.

“We don’t want to burden the taxpayers with that, because I don’t think they can [afford] it, to be honest with you,” Fire Chief William Lee said.

Fire engine prices have skyrocketed since the pandemic, rising much faster than inflation. Maine towns struggling under heavy tax burdens are responding by holding onto aging trucks for longer and struggling to plan for new purchases that often take several years to process.

The price spike is the culmination of industry consolidation, ever-changing safety and emissions standards and President Donald Trump’s tariffs. One Maine city has even joined a national legal effort alleging a price-fixing scheme among a trio of dominant manufacturers.

Fire engines are typically made custom after departments outline their specific needs. In Maine, trucks need to fit in old stations and maneuver narrow, winding streets. The Hancock County town of Surry has put in an order for one on a standard chassis to save time.

The order cannot be placed until this summer. Fire Chief Bryan McLellan said he’s hoping to wait about 18 months for delivery. If material costs rise dramatically during that time, the final price could go up before the truck gets to the coastal town.

Surry’s effort was boosted by a $492,000 earmark sponsored by U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine’s 2nd District, in this year’s round of federal funding bills. Even with that help and local matching funds, it’s not enough for a top-of-the-line engine.

Other towns are looking for 2027 earmarks from Maine’s delegation, which is helmed by Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican and top appropriator. Golden made a similar request for Orland. The nearby town of Penobscot is trying for Golden’s help. China, in Kennebec County, made a similar request to independent Sen. Angus King.

Many communities in Maine and across the country have voiced outrage over industry consolidation. Fire truck producers have been bought up repeatedly by private equity firms in recent years. Up to 80% of the U.S. fire truck supply now comes from three companies: Oshkosh Corp., REV Group, and Rosenbauer America.

Augusta sued them last year, alleging in a 66-page filing that they colluded to fix prices while raking in billions in profit. Executives have denied engaging in anti-competitive business practices. The federal lawsuit in Wisconsin, where two of the manufacturers are based, is still active.

Augusta’s complaint tells the story of market consolidation, including the Great Recession-era private equity takeover of distressed manufacturers that had once competed and were turned into REV Group. The city said it is operating two trucks that are more than 30 years old.

City officials declined to comment on the pending litigation, and the city’s fire chief could not be reached for comment.

Back in Surry, the town is aiming to keep its new truck compliant with the latest industry standards, which are frequently updated to include advanced safety features. The truck’s manufacturer will have to add many new safety tools, like seatbelt sensors. Those requirements add cost to replacing the department’s old truck, which lacks shoulder straps, anti-lock brakes, and airbags.

“When we’re having volunteers put their time and their lives on the line to protect their communities, it’s really important that we’re giving them a vehicle to operate that’s safe for them,” McClellan said.

The newest truck in Calais was made in 2005. It is also reaching the end of the industry standard 15 to 25 year service life and will soon need to be replaced. The city is planning to apply once again for fire truck funding through a federal program that has not come through in the past three years and is now stalled due to the partial government shutdown.

As costs continue to rise and backlog continues to plague truck manufacturers, it’s unlikely Calais will be able to replace a truck anytime soon.

“Communities just can only sustain so much, and these prices are just getting out of reach,” Lee said.

Daniel O’Connor is a Report for America corps member who covers rural government as part of the partnership between the Bangor Daily News and The Maine Monitor, with additional support from BDN and Monitor readers.

NORWAY — The Select Board voted early this month to terminate its contract with the town’s auditor, citing slow response times and a lack of progress on the 2024 audit.

Norway has worked with Runyon Kersteen Ouellette, or RKO, for the past four years.

According to minutes from the April 2 meeting, the town has paid the firm more than $90,000, including a recent $40,000 payment.

“RKO has had extremely slow response times, upward of several weeks for answers to inquiries,” the minutes read.

The firm also had not provided a draft of the 2024 audit to the town.

At the meeting, Courtenay Dodds, the town’s deputy treasurer and finance officer, recommended ending RKO’s engagement for the 2025 and 2026 audits and hiring RHR Smith & Co. of Buxton.

The Office of the State Auditor reports that RHR Smith & Co. audits more than 175 municipalities in Maine.

Asked this week why the town ended its contract with RKO, Select Board Vice Chair Sarah Carter‑Hill wrote in an email, “From my understanding they were taking an incredibly long time to produce the 2024 audit, overcharging for services, and hadn’t started in 2025 so we have switched auditors to be more fiscally responsible and have timelier results.”

Police Chief Jeffery Campbell, who has also served as interim town manager, said the matter has been referred to the town attorney and declined to comment further.

RKO could not be reached for comment before publication.

State auditor records show RKO signed Norway’s 2021 audit Feb. 4, 2022; the 2022 audit March 26, 2023; and the 2023 audit June 4, 2024.

The auditor’s office, which receives completed municipal audits, also reports that RKO audits 24 municipalities in Maine. Of those, Brewer, Brunswick, Cumberland, Freeport and Long Island have filed their 2025 audits.

Twelve municipalities — Auburn, Bangor, Belgrade, Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth, Gorham, Kennebunkport, South Portland, Saco, Winthrop, Yarmouth and York — have not yet filed their 2025 audits.

Norway, Augusta, Biddeford, Durham, Matinicus Isle Plantation and Monmouth have not filed audits for 2024 or 2025.

Orono is missing audits for 2022, 2023 and 2025.

The audits are available here.