25 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, September 22, 1975

MARLENE Dietrich, who is in her 70s, in what she said was her first interview or news conference in three years, has revealed that she will never make another film. Not even a film of her own life. 'Oh, dear, I'd be bored stiff', she said.

A LOCAL Methodist Church, Birtenshaw Methodist on Darwen Road, Bromley Cross, celebrates its centenary next weekend.

50 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, September 22, 1950

'WHAT we want is a little more sugar and tea', a Bolton housewife, Mrs Rose McAllister, told the Minister of Food, Mr Maurice Webb, when she met him at Bolton Food Office today. Mrs McAllister, who lives at 33 Noble-st., was at the Food Office with her two-years-old son Brian, replacing her lost tea coupons. Mr Webb was making the Parliamentary recess the opportunity to visit some of the regional food offices to meet the staffs.

BRITISH fountain pen exports last month were valued at nearly £80,000. More than 100,000 dozen pairs of nylon stockings were shipped abroad in the first eight months of 1950, twice as many as in the same period of 1949.

125 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, September 22, 1875

THE inquest has been held at the Black Horse Hotel, Kearsley, before J.B. Edge, Esq., coroner, on the death of David Shilton, of Bayton-street, Farnworth, who met with his death last week by the explosion of a shot at the colliery of the representatives of the last Mr Samuel Scowcroft, Kearsley.

Joseph Richardson, pit sinker, Church-street, Kearsley, said he was working with the deceased at Scowcroft's Doe Mine, sinking the shaft deeper. The had drilled a hole for a shot, but it did not explode. They waited about 20 minutes, then went down the pit and found it had not fired. The deceased then commenced unramming the shot with a steel drill. The shot hole was drilled in blue metal. The shot went off in about five minutes after the deceased began to undrill it.

The coroner, summing up, said it was clear there had been a gross breach of the law, as all engaged in the sinking knew the law. The evidence was to the effect that life was lost through rashness, the deceased wilfully meddling with the shot, although he knew it was wrong to do so. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased was instantly killed whilst illegally engaged in unramming a shot.