25 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, October 5, 1975

IT was enough to send a tremble through even the stiffest of upper lips at the Royal British Legion in Astley Bridge, Bolton. In less time than it takes to sink a pint, 185 gallons of beer went to waste today when a tank blew on a tanker. The beer frothed out like a fountain, spraying gardens and sending a flood rushing down the gutters of Belmont Road. The nightmare began when a Bass Charrington tanker began to unload its cargo of light mild into the tanks in the cellar. 'It'll be the firing squad for me tonight,' said the driver.

50 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, October 16, 1950

LETTERS from indignant football supporters arrived today at this office and also at Hunts Bank, Manchester, the Lancashire headquarters of British Railways, protesting against the delay in returning Wanderers' followers to Bolton after Saturday's match. Hundreds did not get back to Trinity-st. until 8.15pm, 3hrs. 20mins after the end of the game. They should have left Kirkdale station by special trains at 5.20pm and 5.35pm. Apparently there was a serious lack of liaison between the queue controllers outside the station and those dispatching the trains below.

125 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, October 15, 1875

ON Sunday night, a raid upon a local betting community took place, the house being the Angel Hotel, Churchgate. It seems from all reports that Sunday nights are those selected as settling nights for the payment and receipt of all bets made during the previous week, or on conclusion of the various 'events'. Last Tuesday was the day for the running of the celebrated Cesarewitch Stakes, at the Newmarket Autumnal Meeting, when out of thirty-six horses who started, the Duke of Parma came in first, Pageant second, and Perplexe third. On Sunday night, it is alleged, a goodly gathering assembled at the 'Angel', and from information received, Mr Chief Constable Beech, attended by Superintendent Holgate, Detective Sergeant Ormrod, and Detectives Gaskell, Dearden and Smith, and Police-constables Howcroft, Brooks, and Hargreaves visited the house, and proceeded through the vaults to the room behind, known as the bar parlour. Here seventeen men were seated, with glasses of liquor before them, and surrounded by the usual atmosphere of smoke. It was stated that the keeper of the vaults, Mr Blake, had a book in his hand, which afterwards turned out to be a betting book, and on the party being searched several other books used for a similar purpose were found upon them. The whole of the persons were summarily apprehended on the strength of a warrant which was produced, and they were then conveyed to the Town Hall. During the evening fourteen of the men were bailed out, and surrendered to their bail the next morning, before the magistrates. The money found upon the prisoners amounted in the aggregate to £55 7s; the most money found upon any single individual was £17 and the lowest 1s 9d.