Six trans-Atlantic steamships are now on their way to Portland, two of them being passenger liners. The Allen Line is to inaugurate its winter service at Portland with a passenger steamship. This is the Corinthian, which sailed from Glasgow, Scotland, last Saturday. So far as could be learned she is bringing about 190 passengers. The Dominion Line steamship Dominion, scheduled to sail from Liverpool Thursday for Portland, is the first passenger steamship of the Dominion Line for this winter, and it is expected that she will have a good-sized list. She, too, will call at Halifax.

50 years ago, 1957

The Senate Commerce committee will initiate in January into the plight of American railroads – most of them, at any rate.

This is a big order, but it ought to have been done long ago. The committee will find (1) that the railroads are suffering appalling losses due to the drawing-off of customers by the airplane and automobile; (2) that they are subject to competition patently unfair in that the trucking industry’s “right-of-way” is constructed and constantly improved through revenues mostly paid by passenger automobiles; and (3) that railroad operating costs are kept unduly high by excessive labor costs imposed by rail labor’s feather-bedding and other practices.

25 years ago, 1982

• Using donated funds and materials, students and instructors of Lewiston’s Regional Vocational Center constructed two large brick signs with brass lettering welcoming visitors to Lewiston High School. Despite “a lot of problems” in getting the sign constructed, Director of Vocational Education Kenneth C. Jordan said if the city tried to construct two similar signs today, it would cost “in excess of $20,000.”

CINCINNATI – An unemployed safety inspector spent nine hours in a supermarket and bought $1,827.77 in groceries, but paid with a fistful of coupons and less than $130 in cash.