POLAND – Richard Carter, who is probably the tallest man in Maine, is 6 feet and 8 inches in height, and is as straight as an arrow. His shoulders are very broad, arms unusually long and body well-proportioned. He hasn’t an ounce of extra flesh as shown by the fact that he weighs only 190 pounds. He said he was 57 years old, having been born in Kenduskeag, Maine, Dec. 6, 1851. This statement seemed surprising as his hair is as dark brown as ever, and only a few gray hairs are to be seen in his moustache. He said his father, who was a farmer, stood 6 feet and 3 inches, while his mother was 5 feet and 10 inches tall, a rather unusual height for a woman.

50 years ago, 1958

NEW YORK – The International Ladies Garment Workers Union voted an end Tuesday to a strike of nearly 100,000 dressmakers, their first in 25 years. The union accepted an 11.14 percent package increase spread over three years, including an 8 percent hike in wages that now average $2.10 an hour.

• Last month was the coldest February in eight years. While the lowest reading of the month was only 10 degrees below zero, noted on Feb. 10, the average hourly temperature for the month was a chilly 19.067 degrees. This makes it the coldest February since 1950 when the average temperature dipped to 18.02 degrees.

25 years ago, 1983

• Two longtime Main Street, Lewiston firms – J. L. Hayes & Co. Inc. and Gilmour’s Paint and Paper – have announced the completion of a merger to enable both companies to provide a more complete line of home-improvement services. J. L. Hayes, located at 280 Main St. and founded in 1868, and Gilmour’s, located at 276 Main St. and founded in 1925, together represent almost 200 years of service to the Lewiston-Auburn area.

AUGUSTA – The Senate passed an amendment Thursday that would chop liquor prices statewide, but killed another measure to set mandatory 10-day jail terms for anyone convicted more than once of trafficking in illegal drugs.

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