The lack of rain and the low water in the lakes and rivers are causing a great deal of worriment here. Not for many years has the water supply been so low at this time of the year, nor such a small amount of rainfall in April. One record shows that where the rainfall in April of last year was over seven inches, this year was only about one-half that amount. The farmers report conditions very dry, and say that unless early rains relieve the situation the crops will be light and backward. Without much rainfall, or frequent showers this month, the hay crop is doomed, say the farmers.

50 Years Ago, 1955

The mass escape of seven inmates of Androscoggin County jail on Saturday night closely paralleled that last successful county jail break when Robert H. Mottram and Joseph E. Mages made their way to freedom. This occurred May 8, 1952 and was discovered at 8:45 that night when the deputy sheriff went to lock the jail for the night. The same circumstances were present Saturday night when the seven fled. As on the previous break, Deputy Edgar St. Hilaire was the man to discover the escape when he went to lock up the prisoners at 8:45 p.m. Even the escape route was the same in each instance, as the men made their way to freedom by sawing the same window on the third floor, crossing the laundry roof and sliding down a drain pipe.

25 Years Ago, 1980

The U.S. Labor Department has filed a civil suit against the world’s largest brown egg producer, DeCoster Egg Farms Inc. of Turner. The suit was filed in federal court in Portland against Decoster Egg Farms; Austin J. DeCoster, the firm’s founder and former owner who now lives in Maryland; and it’s new owner, Acton Food Services Corp. of Acton Mass. Decoster Farms, which sold $47.8 million worth of eggs in 1978, is accused of employing five 11-year-olds and a 9-year-old, according to Michael Felsen, a lawyer in the Labor Department’s Boston office.