Fredericton, N.B.- The Aberdeen saw mill, owned by Donald Frazer & Sons, was destroyed by fire this evening together with some ten million feet of timber, entailing a loss of some $200,000. It was the worst conflagration in the history of Fredericton in half a century.

The mill was running full blast when the fire broke out, probably caused by a hot box on a piece of shafting in the basement, and so suddenly and rapidly did the fire break out and the flames spread through the dry, oil saturated building that the hundred odd employees had little enough time to escape with their lives and a number had to leave their clothes behind.

50 Years Ago, 1955

Groembach, Germany – Two Flying Boxcars on U.S. Air Force formation exercises brushed wings today over the Black Forest and crashed in flames killing the 66 Americans aboard. The planes hit the ground near this village with tremendous explosive impact. There were no survivors in continental Europe’s worst postwar air disaster. It was the fourth worst air disaster on record. Only eight bodies had been recovered tonight. They were burned beyond recognition. The charred bodies of the other 58 victims were scattered with the wreckage over a wide area. Both planes were smashed to bits.

25 Years Ago, 1980

Karate – that ancient Japanese art of fighting – conjures up images of bodies moving with lightening-quick force as hands and feet strike out in concentrated patterns of attack and defense, punctuated with sudden, terrifying shouts.

The underlying objective in karate aims to inflict a minimum amount of damage to an opponent while protecting oneself, says John Jenkins, whose school of Karate Do has been teaching Lewiston-Auburn men, women and children the technique since late 1973.

“Karate is a mental state,” explains Jenkins, where training and muscle tone account for only 10 percent of the ability while 90 percent lies in “being mentally prepared.”