100 Years Ago - January 15, 1910
PLANS for an electric railway network on the Island moved a step closer, after the scheme was approved by members of the Island’s district councils.
It was recommended the steam railway should be converted to either electric trains or trams but representatives said an expert from the railway company would be best placed to present the idea to the county council.
Another conference was scheduled for February.
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A new 900ft breakwater at Cowes Harbour, designed to improve yachting facilities, was approved by the general purposes committee.
The breakwater would be made out of concrete, as wood and stone was considered too expensive, with the overall cost of the scheme totalling more than £5,000.
Mr Walmisley, chief engineer of Dover Harbour Works, prepared the plans for the harbour commissioners and dredging work was scheduled to start immediately.
75 Years Ago - January 19, 1935
Four dogs were rescued from a house fire in Shide Road, Newport.
Considerable damage was caused to the ground floor and staircase but quick-thinking neighbours were praised for raising the alarm.
The owners were not home when the fire started.
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Wight Strollers concluded its pantomime season by issuing a plea for a new theatre in Newport.
Show producer Mr Jackson was given a standing ovation after stating Newport was behind the times because it did not have one.
In the previous 16 years Wight Strollers performed its pantomime at the Rink but Mr Jackson said the theatres in Sandown and Shanklin were so successful, Newport should have one.
50 Years Ago - January 16, 1960
The first snowfall of the winter caused major disruption across the Island.
A number of accidents occurred in the icy conditions, including a three-car crash in Wootton and a lorry skidding off the road in Newport.
Ventnor was one of the worst hit towns, with the steep hills becoming impassable and many of the Island’s bus services were also cancelled for several days.
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A Ryde air hostess was hailed a hero by passengers onboard an aeroplane, which caught fire after landing in London.
Elizabeth Ann Morgan, 22, forced the emergency door open and used a rope for passengers to slide down and escape, just before the plane became engulfed in flames.
The front wheel of the aircraft had also collapsed as the plane landed in thick fog.
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An Island man planned to open a go-karting track in Northwood.
Mr Wills, of Pyle Street, Newport, spent months experimenting with miniature racing cars, before launching the Willgo-Kart. Around 30 Willgo-Karts were set to be built and Mr Wills hoped to establish a go-karting club at the track.
25 Years Ago - January 18, 1985
Island beaches were given a clean bill of health after an expert was called in to detect risks of radioactivity.
However, Dr Philip Day, a lecturer in chemistry at Manchester University, warned radioactive contamination was found at St Catherine’s, which could have only come from the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s establishment in Dorset.
But Dr Day said it didn’t represent any health risk.
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The Island-designed Firecracker aircraft was being considered by the government as the RAF’s new fighter trainer.
Just weeks after it was announced the aircraft was out of the running, Hunting Firecracker Aircraft was invited to retender.
Colin Wagstaff, managing director, said reaction from the media, public and MPs, forced the government to change its mind.
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Fears were growing for the safety of a man, woman and teenage girl whose yacht vanished on a trip between Cowes and France. Coastguards were searching for the crew on both sides of the Channel, after the trio failed to return. Among the crew was an employee from the Cliff Tops Hotel casino in Shanklin. A coastguard spokesman said: "The boat just seems to have vanished and the worrying thing is no-one has heard from those onboard."
10 Years Ago - January 14, 2000
Printing and greetings card firm J. Arthur Dixon crashed with estimated debts of more than £1 million and the loss of 60 jobs.
Receivers were called into the Forest Road company, which would continue to employ 30 people, although it was unknown how long for.
And the Island’s largest employer, GKN Westland Aerospace, shed 75 jobs — about five per cent of its workforce.
The bombshell was broken to staff at the East Cowes facility, prompting a stern response from unions.
About 65 contractors hired by the company were also released.
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A virus destroyed between 30 and 40 tomato plants at Arreton Valley.
The pepino mosaic virus was responsible for killing off the plants in what was only Britain’s third outbreak.
Staff battled to prevent the highly contagious virus from spreading throughout the 37-acre site.
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IW Raiders secretary Mavis Siddons had her jaw broken in three places after she was hit in the face by a flying puck, which slipped through a safety net at Planet Ice, Ryde.
Mrs Siddons required surgery at the Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham, following the accident before the Raiders’ tie with Oxford City.
Investigations got underway to determine how the puck, thought to have been travelling at around 80mph, managed to get through the netting.