100 years ago, 1915
Joe Gagnon, the pool shark, who still claims Lewiston as his home and who goes by the nickname of “Lewiston Joe” notwithstanding the fact that his visits here are few and far between, is at present at Lynn where he is giving daily exhibitions of his skill both as a fancy shot on the pool table and as a crack-a-jack player.

50 years ago, 1965
Severe cold held the Lewiston-Auburn area in an icy grip today, dropping the mercury to an official low of 15 below zero — by far the coldest of the year. Much lower readings were reported in outlying areas. A Minot resident glanced at his home thermometer and found it at 25 below at 7:15 this morning. Residents of the outskirts of Auburn reported temperatures as low as 30 below.

25 years ago, 1990
A Litchfield logging contractor’s ingenuity may end up preventing costly wear and tear on Maine roads while making them a safer place to travel. With its six axles and 22 wheels, Walter McCarty’s truck works on the same principle as the multilegged centipede. The Maine Department of Transportation last month issued a provisional one-year license and registration to operate the single-bodied truck to McCarty, who worked with the forest industry, state transportation officials and trucking companies to make the vehicle a reality. Transportation officials say the odd-looking vehicle could eventually replace the traditional four-axle forest products truck that has been a common sight on Maine’s roads. Transportation Commissioner Dana Connors last week went to McCarty’s wood lot in Litchfield to deliver McCarty’s provisional license. The two extra axles, which can be steered and raised with an air-suspension system, reduce the per-axle weight of the logging truck, thereby lessening road damage, McCarty said.

The material in Looking Back is reproduced exactly as it originally appeared, although misspellings and errors made at that time may be edited.