100 years ago, 1914
It was a great contest between horses and auto machines with the Auburn fire department Friday evening. Since receiving the now combination auto truck all sorts of experiments have been made but last evening was the first time that the machine has been tested with horses as its rivals. The run was made in dead earnest and the machine beat the horses to a frazzle. It was the last supreme test to find out exactly the full significance of modern machinery and the result has been entirely satisfactory. The test was arranged for Friday evening and the run was made to the Washburn school building on Whitney and French streets.

50 years ago, 1964
A dozen families awakened by door pounding police officers and firemen were forced out of a multi-apartment house at 117 Hines Alley early Saturday morning. Fire apparatus from Lewiston and Auburn including three aerial ladder trucks were still fighting the smoky three-alarm blaze 45 minutes after the first alarm was received at 12:35 a.m. The third alarm was sounded at 1:30 a.m. All of the apartments in the building were occupied but residents and authorities said it appeared all had been evacuated safely. A Lewiston aerial ladder truck had extended a ladder up to the fire zone on the fourth floor at the northeast corner of the building and were starting to knock it down as other firemen and police officers moved quickly through the structure awakening occupants.

25 years ago, 1989
The red glare of fireworks rockets may be missing from Lewiston’s Fourth of July this year if city funding is not available, warned a local civic group on Tuesday. Cathy McDonald, president of the Lewiston-Auburn Jaycees, told the City Council that the group needs $6,000 from the city in order to put on the annual fireworks display that attracts about 15,000 spectators. She said the Jaycees, who have run the show for about 15 years, would not be able to put the event on without the money. McDonald said total funding for the fireworks display, which is held near the Longley Bridge, would be about $13,000. She said the group plans to ask Auburn for another $6,000 and raise the remainder. “It would be a shame not to have a fireworks celebration in the second largest city in Maine,” McDonald said.

Copy the Story Link