25 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, May 25, 1973

WESTHOUGHTON'S new MP is 29-years-old Roger Stott, a telephone engineer from Rochdale. He swept to victory last night with a majority of 6,783, compared with Labour's 5,827 majority in the 1970 General Election. Counc. Brian O'Hara, who stood as a Democratic Socialist and finished bottom of the poll in the by-election with only 335 votes, losing his deposit, announced he was giving up politics in Bolton.

50 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, May 26, 1948

USING a 100-years-old mallet, which was used when the Palace of Westminster was built, and a trowel which has already been used in constructing the foundations of the new house of Commons. Col. Clifton Brown, the Speaker, laid the foundation stone of the new House in the Star Chamber Court today. The ceremony was watched by the Prime Minister, Mr Churchill, Mr Herbert Morrison, Mr Charles Key (Minister of Works) and Dominion and Empire representatives. Mrs Attlee and Mrs Churchill were also present.

125 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, May 26, 1873of=helveticaON Saturday morning, a shocking and, what has since terminated in a fatal, accident, occurred in the house of Mr S. Chatwood (safe manufacturer, Bolton) at Bodmin, Cornwall. Mr Chatwood's four children, Albert, aged 12, Samuel, aged 9, Arthur, aged 7, and a daughter, the youngest of the family, were in the drawing room, and Albert was amusing himself by throwing small portions of gunpowder from a flask he held in his hand, which had been incautiously left about by a Mrs Fell, into the fire. After he had been thus engaged for a short time the flames communicated with the powder in the flask, and a terrible explosion occurred. Albert was the most severely injured, owing to holding the flask, the thumb of the right hand being lacerated, the joint dislocated, and the skin between the fore and middle fingers also lacerated. He was not thought by a medical man - Mr Couch - to be in danger of his life. Arthur was near Albert, and escaped with two wounds in his leg. The other two children were the least hurt, escaping with a slight scorching, and as such Mr Couch did not consider required much attention. The above facts were conveyed to Mr Chatwood, who is in Bolton, by letter from Mr Couch, received this morning. Mr Chatwood, however, received a telegram yesterday, informing him of the melancholy event, but too late for him to leave for Bodmin by train. This morning, a second telegram was received, conveying the sad intelligence that Albert had expired from exhaustion. Mr Chatwood left today, at noon, for Cornwall.

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