One of the most threatening and destructive fires Lewiston has had in a long time occurred last evening, when the DeWitt House stable, owned by the Franklin Company, and leased by George H. Curtis, proprietor, was badly gutted, and hundreds of dollars worth of carriages, sleighs, robes, harnesses, twenty-five tons of hay and other livery and boarding stable furnishings, were destroyed. The total loss by fire is estimated at $10,000. Mr. Curtis, who was the proprietor of one of the largest livery and boarding stables in this section, is said to have had between $8000 and $10,000 invested in hacks, carriages, sleighs and other equipments necessary in his business.

50 Years Ago, 1954

Acceptance of a Lewiston street with an open sewer has put the city in the awkward position of dumping sewage on private property and may eventually force the city to spend “quite a bit” of money to correct the situation, the Board of Public Works was told last night. “This nuisance on Shank Street cam to light when we were surveying other nuisances on Webster Street in 1948,” said Dr. Robert J. Wiseman Jr., city health officer. “The Shank Street sewer drains right into the open. At that time it was a private sewer and the people were told to correct the nuisance.”

25 Years Ago, 1979

Bicyclists pedaling along Auburn streets at night without lights and reflectors on their bikes can look forward to a confrontation with the law. Police Chief Peter Mador said Thursday night that his department has been receiving numerous complaints of bicycles being operated without lights or reflectors and that many drivers have reported “near misses” with bikes because of this fact. Mador pointed out that state statute requires that any bicycle operated at night on streets or roads are required to have a headlight visible for at least 200 feet in front of the bike and a red reflector on the rear, also visible for at least 200 feet.