From a tough crew for the cops and raising restaurant health standards to donkey baseball, from antique boats to buried “treasure” at Olean Middle School, here’s a look back on the week that was 125, 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago in this edition of Turning Back the Clock.

1900

Aug. 15 — Warren, Pa., has a new daily paper, the Times. The Olean Herald said the new paper is well-printed and neat in appearance. It is such a paper that merits the support of the people of Warren, the Olean Herald reported. The newspaper survives today as the Times Observer, part of the Ogden group of newspapers with the nearby Jamestown Post-Journal.

Aug. 17 — Seven men are in jail on larceny and assault charges, a gang of pickpockets as tough a crowd as any local authorities have had to deal with in many a day. The men, giving fictitious names to the court, threatened terrible things to every person who had to do with bringing them to justice. As they were being taken to trial, one gang member assaulted Dr. H.D. Raub, who stood on the corner near the city building chatting with a friend. Raub, who had a Kodak, snapped it on the prisoners. The gang leader then rushed the doctor and kicked the camera so hard into Raub’s face that it drew blood from his mouth and nose. The prisoner then attempted to escape on the return trip to the police station, making a dash between the city club and the armory before failing to scale the high picket fence at the armory. Two other prisoners, ironed together, also made a run for it but did not get as far.

1925

Aug. 11 — Olean Fire Chief L.G. Rodgers warned locals that five minutes might not sound like a lot, but in the fire service it can be the difference between safety and death. “If the people of Olean were to be accused of deliberately obstructing the operation of their fire department, they would naturally resent such a charge,” he said, but by delaying calling the fire department, “in a sense, that is exactly what they are doing, though not intentionally, and by doing so they are endangering both life and property.” Several fires saw people get too excited that they neglected to call in the fire, or they focused on using first aid equipment like extinguishers and fire buckets until it was too late.

Aug. 17 — Restaurants in Cattaraugus County’s rural areas must now adhere to rules and regulations made by the Cattaraugus County Board of Health. These comprehensive health codes are found to benefit the public by ensuring food safety and cleanliness to stop the spread of disease. Periodic inspections of rural restaurants will be made, county health officials reported.

1950

Aug. 14 — Players riding donkeys will play a baseball game next week to benefit the Emporium (Pa.) High School Athletic Council. The game will be played at the school’s athletic field. On occasion the donkeys do not see eye to eye with the rider — and that’s when the fun begins, organizers said. Previously a novelty for fundraising events, donkey baseball continues but far less frequently due to a lack of donkeys and the understandable safety issues.

Aug. 15 — Three Olean golfers completed their qualifying round in the National Junior Chamber of Commerce golf tournament at Ames, Iowa. Gene Eyler posted a 77, Dave Law carded an 82 and Jim Wheeler an 84. Eighteen of the 36 holes in the tournament have been played.

1975

Aug. 14 — Cuba Lake skipper James Crowley and his crew of John Bradley, William Plane and Will Mountain are leaving for the Thousand Islands this weekend. They hope “Terry,” a 1925 Dodge Water Car, will win them a trophy in the annual Antique Boat Show sponsored by the Antique Boat Auxiliary of the Thousand Islands Museum. Despite the name, a Water Car is really just a regular motor boat of the era, but it did come with a few parts out of Dodge cars at the time, including the steering wheel.

Aug. 15 — Recent visitors to the Franklinville Town Hall will probably notice the building has a new look. The work includes a new roof, landscaping, a remodeled interior, eight new storm windows, and two new benches on the lawn in front from which to marvel at the municipal makeover.

2000

Aug. 11 — It comes as no surprise, but lots of things are coming out of the ground as Olean Middle School construction continues. Contaminated soil, two old storage tanks and boulder-size chunks of concrete are among the “treasures” being uncovered, Superintendent Ralph Kerr said. Ground was broken in June on a $25.1 million construction project at the campus, which was built 25 years prior on the site of the former Thatcher Glass Co. Fortunately, a $1.1 million contingency fund is in place to help absorb the costs.

Aug. 15 — A second vote for the 2000-01 Olean school budget was shot down, 1,258-511 — a whopping 42-point defeat for efforts brought by some who skipped the first vote. More residents voted no on the budget than voted in the first vote in May, which saw the budget defeated by about 10 points. As a result, the district will go to a contingency budget that cuts about $74,000 in spending on equipment and maintenance, mostly focused on cutting extracurriculars and public use of facilities without payment.