Read more about Dec. 28, 1922, in the SunJournal.com archives.

100 Years Ago: 1922

Matthew Maney of Pleasant Street, Auburn, has received from a friend in Fresno, Calif., a chest of fruits from that state. The chest measures more than a yard long by two feet across. It contains dates, figs, prunes, each unusually large with a full-sized, unbroken walnut in the center. The contents are artistically arranged, there being a border around the edge centered with the many fruits. It is an unusual sight, and came to Auburn in perfect condition.

50 Years Ago: 1972

The front wall of a building being demolished on Minot Avenue fell against utility lines Wednesday afternoon with the result that police closed off part of the street until the dangerous condition was corrected.

Police Capt. Stanley E. Houston said crews were working on the demolition of the former H. P. Hood Inc. garage building at 11 Minot Ave. when the front wall of the section formerly occupied by Auburn Machinery and Supply Co fell outward against telephone cables. According to the police, the wall of the corrugated metal building was well out over the traveled portion of the street and created a hazardous condition. Crews had been working on the demolition from the rear of the building when the wall fell.

Work crews used heavy demolition equipment to push the wall back to a safe position and it then was taken down.

Capt. Houston rerouted traffic around the scene at Court Street while Patrolman David Crooker handled traffic in front of the building and Patrolman Ronald Morin was rerouting traffic at Elm Street and Minot Avenue. Engine Three from the Auburn Fire Department, returning from the scene of an airplane crash at Turner came on the scene, and at the request of Capt. Houston remained on standby until the condition was corrected.

The building is being demolished to make way for the continued construction of the Union Street bypass.

25 Years Ago: 1997

Those seeking needles in haystacks might have trouble even finding a haystack this year.

A long, dry, hot summer in southern and central Maine is being partially blamed for a poor hay crop this year, making hay bales scarce and more than doubling prices, says State Agriculture Commissioner Edward McLaughlin.

“There definitely is a shortage in the whole Northeast in hay compared to what we normally have,” he said. “There’s a lot of scrambling going on.”

A cold, wet spring, damaging crops with winterkill, coupled with near-drought conditions throughout the summer, set the stage for a poor year-end harvest.

“It was a double whammy,” McLaughlin said.

So much for the adage, “Make hay while the sun shines.”

The material used in Looking Back is produced exactly as it originally appeared although misspellings and errors may be corrected.

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