YESTERDAY …

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(As reported in the Bangor Daily News)

10 years ago – Aug. 5, 1994

BANGOR – Little League baseball has received plenty of attention lately, thanks in part to the live broadcast of games involving the Bangor West All-Stars by Bangor radio station WZON, 620 AM.

“Of all the different age levels and divisions, I think Little League is the most recognizable,” said Dale Duff, WZON’s program director. “And because of the recent history of Bangor West’s success in the tournament, we thought it would be a natural thing for us to bring.”

Duff added that the event such as the Little League championship nicely fits the mold of the type of local event the station wants to broadcast.

“The response has been very positive. People seem to be glad that we’re doing it,” he said.

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BANGOR – A crew put the finishing touches on a new traffic light at the intersection of Hammond Street and Maine Avenue this week.

The signal light was installed at the intersection to reduce congestion and lower the accident rate, Arthur Stockus of the public works department said in a press release.

The installation of signal lights was performed in conjunction with the improvements being made to the intersection of Interstate 395 and Odlin Road.

25 years ago – Aug. 5, 1979

BANGOR – A local treasure is the three-manual Hook organ in St. John’s Roman Catholic Church in Bangor. Long neglected, it has begun to attract the attention of musicologists, organ experts and organ fanciers in the hope that requisite funds can be raised to restore it to pristine condition.

A start will be made Aug. 12 when Dr. Carlton Russell, head of the music department at Wheaton College in Norton, Mass., will give a recital to demonstrate the inherent worth and beauty of it.

“I heard about this organ because it is well known in the organ community,” said Dr. Russell, a summer resident of Stockton Springs who makes it his business to help save and preserve fine old instruments in Maine. “Brian Frank of Lewiston once said to me, ‘This is the one.’ The Organ Historical Society of Maine is vitally interested in having it refurbished.”

The organ was built by the celebrated organ company, E. and G.G. Hook, their 288th product. Now it’s one of only eight tracker action organs left. Many were either wrecked or given electric action, which ruins the tracker action. Bangor once had 10 or 11 Hook instruments.

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EAST CORINTH – Who says cutting and splitting wood is man’s work?

Not five women at East Corinth who, seeing work to be done and having the equipment to do it, formed an all-woman family woodcutting team several days ago. Each admits her inexperience with a chainsaw and splitter. But, reasons Blanche Peterson at whose home the work took place, “we haven’t done any damage yet and no one’s been injured. It’s really been fun.”

It all began early one week when Mrs. Peterson helped her visiting sister from Long Island, N.Y., Rena Smart, pick peas. To reciprocate, Mrs. Smart decided to help split the six cords of wood delivered to the Peterson door yard.

“I love to work and my sisters love to work,” explained the good-natured Mrs. Smart. “I feel there’s nothing like helping out.”

The rest of the family team was made up of another sister, Ann Smith of Bangor, their niece, Lisa Ellis, and Mrs. Peterson’s daughter, Leola Cunningham.

“With the price of oil at 75 cents a gallon, you’ve got to do something,” said Mrs. Smith. Mrs. Smart and her niece, Mrs. Cunningham, are really more at home in a beauty parlor, being hairdressers by profession.

50 years ago – Aug. 5, 1954

MILFORD – With just one week to go, 13-year-old Raymond Treadwell, Maine’s 1954 Soap Box Derby champion, is marking the days of his calendar and eagerly awaiting his trip to Akron, Ohio.

The annual All-American Derby, in which young Treadwell will represent the state of Maine, is not scheduled until Aug. 16, but the Maine champ will leave next Wednesday on the exciting six-day trip.

The group, which includes Raymond, his mother Mrs. Derwood Treadwell, his aunt Mrs. Imogene Shaffer and two NEWS representatives, will leave Bangor by Northeast Airlines plane.

As soon as the plane lands in Akron, Raymond will be met by the official “Welcome Champion” band and receive a personal escort into the city by the Ohio State Police.

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ORONO – Carnegie Hall on the University of Maine campus was the scene of an attractive tea when more than 300 people attended the opening of an exhibition of paintings by Vincent A. Hartgen, head of the university’s art department.

The exhibition features Maine scenes of coastline and wooded areas. Both summer and winter settings have been rendered in subtle transmutations of light and color by the artist, who is noted for his striking depth and perception.

Among Professor Hartgen’s latest works are “Dark Quarry and Moon,” which is a study of an abandoned island stone quarry; and “Spray Crescendo,” a study of sea spray off Schoodic Point. Both are included in the presentation of 22 of Hartgen watercolors.

Mrs. Hartgen, who assisted her husband in receiving the public, was attractive in a natural-colored ensemble of silk pongee, accented with beige accessories.

100 years ago – Aug. 5, 1904

BANGOR – Some astonishing figures have come to the surface over in the police chief’s office regarding the number of arrests for drunkenness during the month of July. Chief Bowen only makes these figures out once every three months as a general thing, but for the satisfaction of his own curiosity he has reckoned them for the last month and finds that there have been a total of 231 arrests on the charge of drunkenness.

During the month of July last year, there were only 89 arrests on this charge. The increase is 142. The average per day, 31 days in the month, is a little less than eight.

There are two causes, according to police officials:

A year ago at this time a rigid enforcement was in place.

A year ago the quality of whiskey sold was 100 percent better than the poison that they are pouring over the bars at present.

But 231 arrests for drunkenness in the month of July for Bangor is astonishing. All the records shrivel in comparison with it.

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BUCKSPORT – The many friends of Ralph Marks are glad to hear of his appointment as Pullman conductor on a train running between New York City and Chicago. Mr. Marks was for two years assistant station agent here, and is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert B. Marks of this town.

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SOUTH ORRINGTON – Our village people and many visitors have been highly entertained for the past two days and evenings by Mr. D.J. Eldridge of Weston, Mass. Mr. Eldridge is on a visit with his brother and nephew, Mr. Lewis Eldridge of Bald Hill Farm, and Mr. Elmer Eldridge, the popular clerk of the store of Kim Means, the grocer.

Mr. Eldridge brought with him a large graphophone, with about 90 selected records, and has given a number of concerts each day from an open window in the apartments over E.W. Rogers’ store.

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SOUTH ORRINGTON – The Orrington Band will give another concert at South Orrington. Next week there will be an out of doors concert and a dance and ice cream and cake social at Union Hall for the benefit of the Orrington Band. It is expected the people in town will give the boys a liberal patronage as they are surely deserving and obliging.

HAMPDEN – The yacht Norseman, owned by Mr. Frank Fogg of this town, struck a ledge in Penobscot Bay and sank. No lives were lost.

Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin