• The prospect is that an unusually large amount of lumber will be cut along the Androscoggin River and the connecting waters the coming winter. Already there is a small army of men is in the woods yarding the trees, which will be hauled to the landings after the deep snows come. Men who work in the woods are not plenty, and skilled workmen at this business are receiving higher wages than ever before.

• A half-dozen farmers in northern Manchester and eastern Readfield are experimenting this year with shipping their apples direct to commission merchants in England. They will send several carloads via steamships from Boston.

50 years ago, 1957

• Frank E. Gannett, who entered the newspaper business as a delivery boy and remained to build one of the nation’s largest newspaper empires, died today at age 81. Gannett was president emeritus of the Gannett Co., parent firm of the Gannett group, which includes 22 newspapers, four radio stations and three television stations. Most of the properties are in New York state.

BATH – A strike against the destroyer-building Bath Iron Works Corp. went into effectiveness still in dispute. In the past week, most of the 2,000 production and maintenance workers have returned to their jobs. But 600 were laid off again because a majority of welders – key men in shipyard production – held out.

25 years ago, 1982

• While as many as six more King’s department stores in Maine will close soon, the King’s in Auburn will apparently remain open. The coming closing of the King’s stores in South Portland, Augusta, Waterville and Sanford were reported Thursday. The Auburn, Brunswick and Rockland stores, however, reportedly will remain open.

WASHINGTON – The national unemployment rate leaped to 10.8 percent in November as the ranks of the jobless bloated to 12 million, according to preholiday statistics released Friday. President Reagan called the report a “continuing tragedy.”