April 1911 The traditional three ball street lights were replaced with a new street lamp on each corner using the new tungsten filament. Residents were delighted with the new lights, which were three times brighter than the old ones.Railway Agent L.D. Chetham published a new schedule for the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway. The train left Victoria every day at 09:00 and began the return run from Wellington at 15:00 on the same day. Stops were made at Shawnigan Lake, Duncan, Chemainus, Ladysmith and Nanaimo. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturday and Sunday, a second train was added, departing Wellington at 08:00 and returning from Victoria at 15:00. Mr. Chetham also indicated that passenger traffic on the train was so heavy that the train was running one half hour late each day.Provincial Game Warden Bryan Williams sent men into the woods in the Cowichan Valley to eliminate the wolves that had become a problem. The hunters returned with a report that they had seen no wolves, but “cougars were plentiful.” Williams suggested that the $15.00 bounty on wolves “was working a great deal of good.”The editor of the Chronicle reported that “the neighbouring town of Duncan is threatened this week with a brass band and the residents of that delightful little retreat appear to be resigned to their fate.” The editorial concludes with the wry comment, “Perhaps it may not prove to be as bad as first reported. It may be nothing worse than their orchestra.”April 1936Ladysmith was visited by a London firm, A. Arnold and Company who demonstrated the first ‘digital’ wristwatch. The watch had no hands and no glass cover for the dial but kept time accurately to the minute, and worked easily in any climate. The watch face resembled a miniature radio dial with three openings to display the time. Residents were quite impressed with this latest demonstration of technical ingenuity.Mrs. E.C Rae sold her gasoline station at Saltair to Mr. Machem, a recent arrival from the Prairies. Mrs. Rae later purchased Charles Stewart’s dry goods store in Chemainus.City council met and decided “Ladysmith Day” would be celebrated on Dominion Day (July 1st) as usual. This was the 32nd year in a row for this celebration, which began in 1904.On Friday, three men from Nanaimo were charged with stealing oysters from beds belonging to Mr. H. Carmichael. Each man had filled a hundred pound sack before being caught. Each man was fined $10.00 plus court costs. Mr. Carmichael offered the three men a job to work off the cost of their fine.April 1961 It was not a good month for the Chemainus mill. In the first week of April, Gerrit Hols caught his right arm in a conveyor belt sprocket as he attempted to pull out a jammed stick. The forearm was so badly crushed that it had to be amputated at the elbow.Less than a week later, Henry Mason, 46, was seriously injured while changing knives on the chipper. While trying to retrieve a nut dropped on the conveyor, he was carried along on the belt until his body jammed into the narrow space between the conveyor and the wooden catwalk overhead. Although Mr. Mayson suffered a broken neck in the accident, he was reported to be in satisfactory condition.