The treaty of Portsmouth was signed shortly before 4 o’clock in the conference room of the navy general store at the navy yard. The firing of a national salute of 21 guns was the signal which told the people of Portsmouth, Kittery and Newcastle that the peace of Portsmouth was an accomplished fact and the church bells in the three towns were soon pealing their joyful refrain.

For 47 minutes those outside the conference room anxiously awaited the signal. Suddenly an orderly dashed to the entrance of the peace building and waved his hand to the gunner a few feet away and the opening shot of the salute rang out of the clear air of the soft September afternoon proclaiming peace between Russia and Japan.

50 Years Ago, 1955

The outboard motor regatta at Pennessawassee Lake, in Norway, attracted more than 1,200 persons, with estimates ranging as high as 1,500 spectators. Ten races were staged with five or six boats in each race. The races were not without thrills, with three or four of the contestants upsetting. The most spectacular of the upsets was culminated by a boat overrunning the one which had upset, shearing off a fin. Neither driver was injured.

25 Years Ago, 1980

The computer age has burst upon the bowling scene and the sport is already entering the next century. New equipment that combines the best of computer and electronic technology is being introduced by the Brunswick Co. that may make current equipment obsolete well before the year 2000.

Rip Van Wrinkle awoke from his legendary sleep amazed that there were no longer “pinboys” scrambling in the “pits” of bowling “alleys” to grab the toppled pins and put them back in place as soon as possible. The system provides:

A “Twin Ball Return,” which electronically returns the ball to the alley on which the bowler should bowl the next ball.

A console called the AS-80 with a keyboard that projects the score on both a 12-inch screen at eye level and a 23-inch screen overhead.