This week in…

1863: The Gazette offers a vision of good government to its recently elected representative: “If Mr. Ross should take an independent course in Parliament, and support all good measures — a difficult task by the way to judge — and oppose all bad ones, he will be much more useful than he would be were he to go pledged to support any particular set of men. The people of Prince Edward have tried that, and found to their cost that it did not work well; and consequently we hope Mr. Ross has not been called upon to take so humiliating a stand. Indeed we mistake his independence if he would for one moment listen to a proposition of that kind.”

1923: Mayor Fred Newman writes: “In the congestion of Saturday evenings, any auto taking a place which might be reasonably occupied by two autos, is not fair to others wishing to park in that locality. Any auto stopping not close to the curb is occupying space needed for traffic. Therefore with regard to the large number of autos in Picton Saturday evenings, if parking between the Theatre and Bowery St, each car must park at a proper angle and within a few inches of the auto to the right or left of it. Between the Theatre and corner of Main and Bridge St. autos must have both right hand wheels not over twelve inches from the curb.”

1943: “Two airmen from Picton R.A.F. air station lost their lives when their aircraft, an Avro-Anson, crashed into Lake Ontario, off Waupoos. The body of the pilot was recovered shortly after the crash, and this flier is being accorded a military funeral this morning. Search for the second body was carried on yesterday since it was not immediately located. Eye-witnesses of the crash state the plane exploded on striking the water. It sank in deep water. Three witnesses stated that one engine had failed shortly before the crash. The scene of the accident was about a mile off Llewellyn Hughes shore, near the bar in the lake.”

1963: –A parachuting performance took place at Stelmack’s Cove Beach near Cherry Valley: “There were three jumps from a plane piloted by Murray Clapp of Prince Edward Flying Club. The sky jumpers first appeared as tiny falling specks until parachutes opened and they floated downward. First jumper landed as planned in the field, but the second landed in the Cove waters instead due to the strong breeze. The third jumper landed, as planned, in the water. The jumps are planned to take place each Sunday afternoon.”

–“Waupoos Canning Co. expect to call in its first peas for canning this weekend. Company manager Jay Hepburn reports that early peas in the district look like a good crop.”