Past Pages for Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015

150 Years Ago

Tarantula nest. Monitor Consolidated Mill workmen unearthed a great curiosity, a large family nest of 58 tarantulas. The nest is shaped like a stone jug, eight inches in diameter. The inner space is divided by walls no thicker than a pane of glass. It closes itself immediately on the ingress or egress of any of the inhabitants of the nest (Monitor Gazette).

130 Years Ago

New grain. A man in Kansas discovered a new kind of grain, a cross between barley and oats. The people of the state are curious to see what kind of liquor it will brew.

110 Years Ago

Ophir fatal accident. Michael Murphy was killed in the Ophir mine. He was being hoisted through the winze from the 26200 to the 2100 level for the purpose of taking a pass or breathing spell at the cooling-off station. The cage was about 40 feet above the 2200 level when Cameron felt a sudden jar and missed Murphy. It is supposed that an attack of faintness or heart trouble was the cause of his falling from the cage.

70 Years Ago

Seven Dwarfs have vegetable display. The Seven Dwarfs 4-H Club fills the display case of George H. Meyers hardware store. It includes tomatoes, corn, squash, cucumbers, potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower. Growers are Georgia Meyers, Shirley Pratt, Annette Dickson, Hazel Johnson, Ruth Thom and Betty Ann MacKenzie.

50 Years Ago

Space test in Sierra. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration will spend 10 days in the Sierra testing special instruments for exploring the geology of planetary bodies from orbiting spacecraft.

20 Years Ago

Unabomber text printed. The Unabomber gave The Washington Post and The New York Times three months to print his publication, or he would kill again. The Justice Department hopes printing the publication will lead investigators to the man whose mail bombs have killed three and injured 23.

Sue Ballew is the daughter of Bill Dolan, who wrote this column for the Nevada Appeal from 1947 until his death in 2006.