100 Years Ago: 1925

Janeatte Derelittle, 15, braved death to rescue her 11 years old sister Mary from the flames which destroyed her home and four other buildings at Smith’s crossing in Rumford, early Friday morning.

The bed upon which little Mary was sleeping was a mass of flames and the child’s night clothes were on fire, when the older girl dashed through the smoke and flames which filled the room, dragged her from the bed and out into the night.

Although severely burned, it was stated Friday that Mary was not seriously injured as a result of her terrible experience.

50 Years Ago: 1975

One of three weaving departments at Bates Fabrics Inc., Lewiston, is being shut down again, due to lagging sales in the textile industry.

Weave Room Number Five will cease production this evening and it will remain closed all of next week, it was learned today. The shutdown will result in slowed production in other areas and at least 100 persons are expected to be affected.

None of the Bates top company officials could be reached for comment, but a spokesman for the Textile Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO, acknowledged that the union had been notified by Bates management of the shutdown.

Poor economic conditions, a large inventory, and poor sales were blamed for the shutdown.

25 Years Ago: 2000

Lewiston High School’s assistant principal is promoting reading among grammar school students because of something he learned while serving on a new national committee: Young people who have trouble reading are more likely to drop out of school and turn to violence.

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