100 Years Ago - July 13, 1912
The state of the Island’s roads was said to be satisfactory by the roads committee of the county council.
The county surveyor commented the roads had been well maintained and, in many places, had shown signs of great improvement.
He also praised the road rollers, saying many of the roads that had loose gravel were now smooth and pleasant for traffic of all kinds.
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A young boy was seriously injured when a horse bolted and collided with an electric light column in Newport.
The trap the boy was travelling in with his father flipped over and the pair were thrown out.
The boy suffered a large gash to the head, which required stitches at hospital.
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A labourer from Northwood was charged with stealing old metal, worth two shillings.
The prosecutor said the old iron he produced matched the description of some which had gone missing outside an engine room.
A witness said he saw the man pick up the iron and put it into a sack.
He was sentenced to one month’s hard labour.
75 Years Ago - July 17, 1937
A Southern Railway tow-boat, used on the Yarmouth-Lymington ferry service, collided with a tramp steamer and sank.
The vessel had two motor cars and a two-ton lorry on board when the incident occured.
Five visitors, the lorry driver and staff on the tow-boat were rescued.
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Several road traffic accidents occurred in the same week across the Island.
A man escaped serious injury in Porchfield when the bicycle he was riding was hit by a lorry reversing.
The following day, a visitor from Swindon, travelling as a pillion passenger on a motorcycle, skidded off the road on loose shingle.
Later that day, a motor coach was damaged in a collision with a Southern Vectis bus, causing minor injuries to the driver.
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A large hayrick belonging to a Freshwater couple was destroyed by fire.
The outbreak was discovered by soldiers of the Hampshire Heavy Brigade, in camp at Cliff End Battery.
The flames were fanned by strong winds and the rick quickly became a mass of flames.
50 Years Ago - July 17, 1962
While mackerel fishing off The Needles, a Yarmouth man sighted what he believed to be a large shark.
The shark, with its fin showing a foot above the surface, swam slowly round and round for a about 20 minutes before disappearing.
It was thought the creature was a basking shark.
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Fire destroyed a three-acre plantation of trees in Parkhurst Forest.
It was estimated between 2,500 and 3,000 cypress conifers, planted in 1952, were lost.
The blaze was spotted by the assistant forester, who was up in the observation tower.
Firefighters spent six hours extinguishing and dampening down the blaze.
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A proposal to construct a marina and yachtsmen’s village at King’s Quay, Whippingham, was submitted to the county planning committee for outline approval.
The scheme involved enclosing 40 acres of tidal water to create a yacht haven for up to 500 yachts and cabin cruisers, with a range of amenities.
There would also be a yachtsmen’s village of around 204 acres, with shopping centres, club and recreation facilities.
25 Years Ago - July 17, 1987
A holidaymaker trapped in the sand on Ventnor beach was up to his chin when help arrived.
The man had spent the morning with his friend, digging a six foot pit, despite many warnings from passers-by he could face sudden burial.
As hundreds of beachgoers watched on, the sand slipped into the hole and he became trapped.
Rescuers grabbed shovels and dug the man out of the sand.
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Firefighters tackled a major blaze at Warner’s Puckpool Centre, Ryde, as flames spread through the 300-year-old listed building.
The mystery outbreak caused damage estimated at more than £200,000.
Around 30 members of staff had to be evacuated from the main building, where the blaze occurred.
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Early rain gave way to blue skies at the 89th Royal IW Agricultural Society’s Show at the Northwood Ground.
As the sun came out, D.R.S. Russell, the organisers’ vice-chairman, said: "This is just what we want.
"If this keeps up, we could well improve on last year’s fine attendance of more than 10,000," he added.
10 Years Ago - July 15, 2002
Havenstreet’s St Peter’s Church marked its 150 anniversary with a flower show and garden walkabout, complete with a children’s procession.
The theme for the celebrations was the history of St Peter’s, aspects of village life and events in Havenstreet in the past century-and-a-half.
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The IW received more than £83,000 of a £70 million Home Office handout to aid the nationwide fight against drugs.
The latest round of funding was the second of a three-year allocation totalling £220m.
The money was to be spent on specialist police training, surveillance equipment, drugs raids and measures to prevent anti-social behaviour.