Plunging down Goff Hill, Auburn, early Tuesday forenoon, a pair of the city’s work horses attached to a heavy dump cart, presented a scene which will probably never be seen again. The horses, frightened at the top of the hill near Burr’s grocery store, made a sudden dash toward the city.

Down the hill they ran, the heavy wagon thumping and swaying from side to side. Every moment the onlookers expected to see the beasts stumble and fall but they kept their feet although the hill is the steepest within city limits.

Although both of the horses received some injuries, nothing serious happened while the wagon was only a little worse for the occurrence.

50 Years Ago, 1956

• Register of Deeds Lucien A. Drapeau explained yesterday to members of Androscoggin County Commission his plans to modernize his office through a more modern type of recording instead of having his office girls type all documents into record books.

Drapeau said he had been studying the modernization plan the past six months. The plan would necessitate purchase of microfilming equipment and a copying machine. The latter could be necessary when copies of deeds are requested.

• Weather permitting, amateur astronomers in Maine and along the rest of the Atlantic Coast will have a chance to view a total eclipse of the moon this coming Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

25 Years Ago, 1981

Duncan Muir of J.C. Penny Co., the nation’s third-largest retailer, said projections for the fourth quarter have been revised downward because of the economy. “As far as sales go, we’ll have a reasonably good Christmas, but we don’t expect a robust or explosive sales gain,” he said.

Muir said the retailer was hoping for sales in its Strawberry Shortcake line of toys, clothing and other items for children, as well as apparel and top-of-the-line merchandise.