Wednesday, January 19, 2005

100 years ago: The Corporation authorities were complimented upon the expeditious manner in which the principal thoroughfares of York were cleared of snow. The task was no light one, but the streets in the heart of the city were practically clear by the noontide hour. Many more men could have been taken on by the Corporation for the removal of snow, but for the want of carts, which were necessary for carting away the snow. In the case of further falls of snow cartmen, builders, and farmers in the district had been invited to send their carts at once to the Foss Islands Depot, where they would be hired by the Corporation for the removal of the snow. In addition to more than 350 men specially taken on for this latest snowfall, all 50 Corporation street staff were employed in clearing away the snow, but there was a great deficiency in the matter of carts.

50 years ago: Icy York had a funny side for a number of people standing in Pavement one night during the cold spell at the time. A young man, obviously in a hurry, came running out of the Shambles, which was almost free of ice, into the roadway, and before he could stop he found himself on the glassy surface, careering across Pavement, heading straight for the plate window of a large shop. Onlookers waited for the crash, but luckily inches away from the window he came to a halt on one of the few sections of clear paving in the street. More from relief than amusement all the watchers roared with laughter as the youth picked himself up, and walked away - carefully.

25 years ago: Vital supplies of newsprint reached the Evening Press after being held up for several days in a barge which was unable to get through Naburn Locks. Failure of parts of the lock mechanism prevented the 85ft barge from continuing up the Ouse to York after it entered the larger of the two locks. The barge, carrying 80 tons of newsprint, which was about two weeks' supply, was too large to use the smaller lock. The contractors had worked on the mechanism overnight, at low tide, and used a crane to lift it to enable the barge to pass through, but work to fix it was being hampered by the mechanism being 6ft or 7ft under water at high tide, and submerged by several inches at low tide.

Updated: 08:43 Wednesday, January 19, 2005