Pages from the past

150 years ago - 1859, Commission agrees to paint street lamps The Town Commissioners agreed at a meeting 150 years ago that the street lamps should be painted and referred the decision to the Finance Committee to arrange the work. Tenders for the painting of the lamps were received from J Haire and M Norton. A lengthened discussion took place as to the best means of having the work done with a due regard to the economy. Mr Abbott said the colour they were painted at present had neither beauty or durability. He said there was not a particle of lead used and as a result the paint did not prevent the corroding of the lamp. The chairman thought the contractor should be obliged to use proper materials. Mr Abbott said they could re-check the contractor. Mr Potts suggested the board should supply the materials and the lamplighter, who was a very handy man, could be employed to paint them. The board was favourable to this suggestion and it was referred to the Finance Committee to arrange. 100 years ago - 1909 Publican fined for below standard whiskey A Church Street publican was fined 5s for having whiskey that was 34 degrees underproof, when the minimum was 25 degrees below. John Ganly was charged by Sgt Shea, an Inspector under the Food and Drugs Act. Sgt Shea said he bought three naggins of whiskey from Ganly on July 9 for the purpose of analysing. He produced the analyst cert in court, which indicated the whiskey was 34 degrees underproof. Mr Ganly said he was in the habit of racking whiskey for years and had never had any complaints on previous occasions when the whiskey was sent away. He said it was always correct and put this incident down to an error with the hydrometer. He said the coating on the hydrometer was gold and had worn off. Sgt Shea said he had never taken samples from Ganly before, but other inspectors had. The chairman said the whiskey was below the mark but he wouldn't be too hard on Ganly and fined him 5s and ordered him to pay costs of 17s 6d. 50 years ago 50 years ago - 1959 Athlone man's innovation results in big reduction in building costs A new innovation in housing construction by Athlone man John H Black made the headlines 50 years ago this week, the annals of the Westmeath Independent have revealed. The paper reported that the changes, underway at a new bungalow style house under construction in Bonavalley would result in a reduction of at least 20% in overall construction costs. "The innovation in short, is the use of spruce poles or thinnings from state forests for the general wood work, instead of the usual imported timber. Mr Black has used poles of this type for the timber work of the outer walls, also for the rafters and the joist work generally," the newspaper reported. While the chimneys and gables are concrete, the external of the building is covered with felt, wire meshed with a coat of plaster and the internal surface of the house is sheeted with wood pulp board, a material with high insulation value. "The use of spruce poles has much to commend itself as when the annular rings are left intact they do not twist or shrink as is sometimes the case with sawn timber. Their relative cheapness and the sparing foundation work their use entails brings about an estimated 20% cut in the customary building costs," the Westmeath Independent recorded. We are also told Mr Black's innovation attracted an interested visitor in Mr EH Childers, Minister for Transport and Power, formerly Minister for Lands. "Mr Childers was highly impressed with the innovation as he saw it, as he quickly appreciated its great portent in the national and individual good." If generally exploited the use of the spruce poles in house building could help stimulate the commercial value of the state forests and to further their development as one of our great assets, the article concluded.