115 Years Ago – Mar. 17, 1903
Shine a light — The electric light lately placed in front of the rectory of the Holy Rosary is a decided and much appreciated improvement.
Wheels — Last year at this time wheels were in use, many wagons being used on the 16th, while the first wheels made their appearance on the 14th.
100 Years Ago – Mar. 20, 1918
Wreck — A wreck occurred on the B&A Railroad on Monday afternoon, a mile or so from Presque Isle. A wrecking train with the damaged cars of the big Caribou wreck was moving down the line when another freight overtook it and ran into it, damaging the engine a good deal. No one was killed or severely injured, but some of the train men were shaken up considerably.
75 Years Ago – Mar. 17, 1943
Active civic worker dies — Mrs. Lena Hardison Russ, the wife of former State Councilman Edgar W. Russ, died at her home on High Street yesterday morning after an illness of a few months. She was 62. Mrs. Russ attended the Universalist Church and was active in its affairs for many years. She was a former president of the Universalist Ladies’ Aid and was its treasurer at the time of her death.
Bridge planned — A bill to authorize construction of a wooden bridge across the Allagash River, at the site of the present ferry, is being favorably considered by Legislature and should pass, State Senator George V. Brown of Caribou reported by telephone to The Republican from Augusta this morning. The bridge is being built as a war necessity to facilitate the delivery of 40,000,000 feet of lumber. The crossing of the Allagash has long been regarded as a bottleneck for lumber deliveries.
50 Years Ago – Mar. 20, 1968
Dooryard collision — Two cars were declared total losses by local police after a dooryard collision at the home of Emile Ouellete of Caribou. The 1962 station wagon, above, plowed into the driveway of the Sweden Road home after its driver fell asleep, police said. It hit the rear of a car parked in the drive by visitors at the home. The impact forced a second car to climb a five foot snowdrift after it hit a third car. Number 3 gained enough momentum from the collision so that it spun out onto the highway. The parked cars were unoccupied; no one was injured.
Reelection — Floyd L. Harding, the Senate Minority Leader, announced today that he will be a candidate for re-election as state senator from the new Senatorial District 25 consisting of the municipalities of Caribou, Presque Isle and Fort Fairfield. Senator Harding, an attorney, has been a civic leader in Presque Isle for a long time. He served as president of the Arthur R. Gould Memorial Hospital, president of the Presque Isle Chamber, as president of the Kiwanis Club and as general chairman of the United Fund.
25 Years Ago – Mar. 17, 1993
All-clear — State environmental officials have given the all-clear on the drinking water at the New Sweden Consolidated School following a scare of gasoline contamination in the school well. DEP reported March 4 that a sample taken in February showed 60 parts per billion of gasoline contamination in the water. The agency had a 4-cubic-foot filter installed at the school that Sunday, March 7. David P. Beal, superintendent of Union 122 which includes the 140-pupil New Sweden School, was pleased that the new sample taken recently is clean.
On TV — The insides of the city’s sewer lines will soon be on television. Trustees of the Caribou Utilities District (CUD) agreed last Wednesday to spend $12,000 purchase a television monitoring system for approved maintenance of the sewer lines. Presented by Emergy Knowlton, manager of the UD’s Waste Water Division, the monitor, a 200 foot cable probe with a television camera attached, will be used to inspect pipes and pinpoint most any sewer line problem.
