25 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, September 10, 1971

GEOFFREY Jackson, the Bolton-born Ambassador to Uruguay, is in 'cracking shape' and set to come home after his release last night from eight months of imprisonment. And today his delighted family prepared a big welcome for the 56-years-old envoy, who was kidnapped on January 8 by the Tupamaros guerrilla organisation while on the way to his office in Montevideo. Mr Jackson was released in a Montevideo church.

50 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, September 10, 1946

MAINLY FOR WOMEN

Looking back on the days when I had 15 oil lamps to trim every morning, and thinking of my present old-fashioned coal fire cooking range, my eyes were dazzled at the sight of new gas unit cookers, water heaters, refrigerators and fires displayed by the Bolton Corporation Gas Department. Any housewife who is supplied with any of these aids to modern life can have little cause to grumble - she has only to look back 50 years to wonder how her grandmother ever coped with the situation on the domestic front.

However, those of who are tempted to turn the gas flames higher as the days become shorter should remember that the Gas Department has only enough coal in stock for a six days' supply of gas.

125 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, September 9, 1871

THIS morning, about six o'clock, the neighbourhoods of Farnworth Bridge and Moses Gate were thrown into a state of great alarm by a report that an explosion of gas had taken place at the Farnworth Bridge Colliery, belonging to Messrs Andrew Knowles and Sons, and that several lives had been lost. We are pleased, however, to be able to contradict the report so far as regards the loss of life, or even the infliction of personal injury. The explosion was not one of gas, but of paraffin oil contained in a cistern properly protected in a recess at the bottom of the shaft, and arose through sparks falling from a lamp a man was filling with oil upon some cotton waste lying near the cistern. There were 26 or 30 men in the pit at the time, but they experienced no injury beyond being thrown into a state of alarm. The fire was extinguished within an hour or two.

At this same colliery yesterday afternoon, a collier named William Parkinson, of Little Lever, was killed by a large quantity of the roof falling upon him.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.