Here are some newspaper stories published this week in years past.
25 Years Ago
Down comes the tower
Pieces of leaning tower to be stored so it can one day be restored
By Michelle MacEachern, Staff Writer
A crew pulled the top section off the Senator Theater’s celebrated leaning tower Wednesday afternoon, just a day after the City Council agreed to the demolition permit.
With a crack and a few falling planks of wood, a huge crane lifted the globe-topped tower section a few inches at 5 p.m. so it leaned slightly to the south. Then the crew members on the roof stopped, and waved to those on the ground to stop Main Street traffic.
A few minutes later, the tower was pulled away and lowered to a few feet above Main Street. People took advantage of the chance to get a close look — standing in the closed traffic lane as a flatbed trailer was pushed beneath it.
The jewel-shaped globe had what appeared to be bullet holes in places and live pigeons still inside. Dropping-covered wood supports were visible inside the top tower section.
Crew members slapped each other on the back and shook their fists in the air, celebrating their success.
The job apparently turned out to be “more dangerous” than originally thought, according to City Building Official Dave Purvis. It put several crew members at risk, he added, since there was much more “rot” in the top section of the tower than originally thought.
One crew member said the guy who did the sawing was the bravest man he knew.
For some, the tower’s partial destruction was an all-day event, understandable since it’s been part of the downtown landscape for a long time. Designed by architects Miller and Pflueger in 1927, the tower is its main feature and a part of downtown’s quirky style. …
The crowd, dozens of people strong, was largely quietly watching the show at 517 Main St. Others were upset that more hadn’t been done to save the tower, yelling “put it back!” as it was borne skyward. …
Bute Councilman Rick Keene said elected officials felt they’d done all they could Tuesday night.
“We couldn’t have forced them to rebuild it, according to our legal advice,” he said. …
Purvis said the tower would be taken down to its roofline. The sections are being stored at the city’s corporation yard, behind the Humboldt Road police station. United artists proposed to store the sections in an unfenced yard, which the city judged unsafe, Purvis said.
At present, all the city has is a letter from UA agreeing to cut down the tower in sections and store it, then allow the “community” to put it back up after it’s rebuilt. They also said they’d paint the facade of the building, and show movies at the El Rey theater for free for an event to be used as a fundraiser for the group raising money to put the tower back. …
— Enterprise-Record, March 4, 1999
50 Years Ago
3-Year Housing Cost for County Nearly $1 Million
OROVILLE (E-R) — The cost of housing provided by the Butte County Housing Authority for 1970 to 1972 totaled nearly $1 million, according to an audit federal officials want kept confidential.
According to county Auditor William Lawrence, there were no serious discrepancies in the audit performed by the firm of Matson and Isom Accountancy Corp. of Chico and what irregularities were noted are being corrected.
In a report to the Board of Supervisors, however, Lawrence recommended that annual audits be made of the housing authority and also that the information developed be available to the public.
L. G. Melton, executive director of the housing authority, was advised in a letter last month from Keith Axtell, director of the housing programs management branch of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development that the information be given only to persons with an initial interest in the matter or who must act on it.
The HUD official stated the audit was found to be satisfactory.
Lawrence took issue with Axtell on the confidentiality issue.
He said both the budget of the housing authority and the audit should be public information “in the same manner as the county governmental activities.
“That’s an awful lot of money to handle and keep secret,” Lawrence said. “I know of no provision of law requiring secrecy. I feel the other way. Audit information of public agencies should be made public.” …
The audit showed tha the three-year cost of housing administered by the authority, comprising owned housing and leased housing subsidized by HUD, totaled $958,367. Owned housing cost the authority $180,293 and leased housing $778,074.
The audit indicated the net public cost increased for the three years from $188,443 in 1980 to $312,722 in 1971 and $475,202 for 1972. The costs are offset by rents.
— Enterprise-Record, March 7, 1974
75 Years Ago
U. S. Plane Circles World, Non-Stop
Giant B-50 Refuels in Flight During Historical 94-Hour Global Journey
By Elton C. Fay
FORT WORTH, TEX. (AP) An American Air Force bomber today completed history’s first nonstop flight around the world.
The Lady Luck II, a B-50 bomber, set down at Carswell air force base at 7:30:55 a.m. PST — 94 hours and one minute after it left there Saturday.
Refueling on the fly, it circled the globe at nearly its greatest girth, covering 23,106 miles at an average of 239 miles per hour.
Tired and happy, its crew of 14 climbed down slowly from the silver-nosed ship, convinced that their aerial refueling technice, American bombers, “can go anywhere in the world at any time.”
The top command of the air force came down from Washington to welcome the 14 men. Air Secretary Symington shook their hands, told them “you’ve done a wonderful job, this is the finest team work.”…
Capt. James Gallagher, pilot and spokesman for the crew, in a news conference said: “Everything was quite normal about the whole flight. Everything worked out well.”
There was “not a bit of trouble” in the tricky business of contacting the refueling tanker planes and bringing aboard a gash replenishment load.
Yes, said the captain, they were all pretty tired, “but we did very well on sleep” during the four day flight.
The 14 men were two for each position, so they relieved each other at the controls.
The crewmen had support in high places for their belief that this flight showed the combat capabilities of the aerial refueling technique.
Gen. Curtis E. Leman, chief of the strategic air command, was asked if this “means you can use refueling to deliver an A bomb anywhere in Russia.”
The general replied:
“Let’s say any place that would require an atom bomb.
“Now we can put bombers and tankers any time where necessary.” …
— Enterprise-Record, March 2, 1949
100 Years Ago
Street Car Wedding Performed Here Is Given Wide Publicity
Evidence of the wide circulation given the story of the wedding of Miss Mary Partridge and Harry C. Scott, performed on a street car in this city, is contained in three clippings that have been reported from distant points of the United States. Two are in the possession of George N. Beeny, local agent of the Sacramento Northern railroad. One is from the Atlanta (Ga.) Journal and the other from the Denver (Colo.) Evening Post. Both were published February 22, the day following the ceremony.
A third clipping is held by Justice of the Peace J. L. Barnes. It is taken from the Buffalo (N.Y.) Evening Times.
— The Chico Record, March 7, 1924
125 Years Ago
A Smooth Young Rascal
Confidence Scheme Worked Well in Chico
A confidence man, whose work was rank, but who succeeded quite well, visited Chico a few days ago, and after securing a few dollars from various ones about town, departed presumably for the north.
On February 21st this individual made his appearance at the Union Hotel and engaged accommodations. He represented himself as a hard worker and harness man of St. Louis, and told Mr. Alan that he wanted to have a larger room in which to display his goods. After making all arrangements he assumed a very sorrowful expression, and told the landlord a heartrending story about having been robbed in Marysville the night before. He claimed to have lost by this robbery $200 in money, a diamond pin worth $200, and a fine gold watch worth about $1000, together with nearly all of his clothes. But he said his father was one of the wealthiest men in Missouri, employing in his wardware and harness factories over 2000 men, and he would immediately send to the “old man” for a fresh supply of the “needful.” Mr. Allen listened to this story with much uneasiness, and after the young fellow had registered the name W. L. Johnson and gone out to look after “customers,” the proprietor of the Union wrote to L. C. Jacobs of Marysville, at whose hotel the young bilk claimed to have been robbed, and asked about the truth of the story.
Pending a reply Mr. Allen watched his guest closely and found that he was telling the same story to many business men about town, and was raising considerably ready money on the strength of his smooth yarn.
Finally a reply came from the Marysville landlord, stating that a young man, whose description tallied exactly with the fellow in Chico, had been in Marysville where he gave exactly the same story, with the exception that he gave the name of F.R. Burns, and had said he had been robbed in Sacramento. That settled it with Mr. Allen and he promptly “fired” the young beat out of the hotel.
The manner in which the young fellow had conducted himself came to the ear of Constable Geo, and that officer placed the fraud under arrest, but as none of his victims cared to prosecute the case he was permitted to go. …
It is presumed that the young fellow went from here to Red Bluff, as he is evidently working the towns all along the road, and all the parties are warned against him. He is apparently about 26 years old, smooth shaven, and when here wore a light suit and light hat; has an abundance of nerve, and becomes acquainted very fast.
— Chico Weekly Enterprise, March 3, 1899
150 Years Ago
The Old Block
Many efforts are being made to outstrip the old and well established business block on Main street, between Front and Second. For years, it has loomed above all other blocks and now flanked on the one corner Second street, by Harker & Dorn, and on Front by Sanderson, Harris & Co., with their mammoth stocks of general merchandise, embracing all kinds of goods, and in the intermediate space filled up by such establishments as Breslauer & Co., Napoleon Good Day, Peters & Co., and other prosperous and active business houses it still wears the “champion belt.” Second street is working itself up very fast, and Third is beginning to assume serious petitions to win the prize. Such ambition will work wonders in our town.
— The Northern Enterprise, March 6, 1874
