FROM this newspaper 100 years ago. - On the arrival of the five o'clock train at Stokesley on Tuesday night, one of the carriage doors was found open. The officials being suspicious that something had happened, despatched a goods train towards Ingleby and on proceeding there a girl, aged 13 years, was found on the line.

The child was proceeding from Levisham to her sister's at Great Broughton to spend her holidays. She was walking on the line in a dazed condition, when the goods train arrived, and was at once placed in the van and taken to Stokesley Station, and Dr Jones, of Stokesley, was sent for. On arrival he found the girl's forehead completely devoid of skin, her nose much cut, and she was also suffering from injuries to her back and side.

The doctor attended her injuries and had her removed to her sister's at Great Broughton. It is not known how the accident had happened, as the child appears to have been alone in the compartment, and as the train would have been travelling at full speed, it is a miracle how she escaped instant death.

From this newspaper 50 years ago. - "We've rounded off the season as we started it - with record bird losses," Mr A Doloughan, of Brandon Colliery, secretary of West Durham Racing Pigeon Amalgamation, told the Darlington and Stockton Times. He was commenting on the recent loss of racing pigeons over the Continent and Southern England.

Mr Doloughan said 850 of the Amalgamation's birds were released from Troyes in France on Sunday morning for a two-day race, but when the race closed at 11 o'clock on Monday night only one bird - a Bishop Auckland one - had returned since when no more had been reported.

From this newspaper 25 years ago. - Archaeologists in Piercebridge unearthed a centuries-old bronze box which could provide details about a man who lived in the vicinity of the village in the 4th Century. The tiny case with iron hinges has been sent to Durham University for examination. Mr Peter Scott, the excavation leader, said the box might contain an inscription in wax.

On the other hand, it could be empty. About 40 coins from the Roman period have also been found. Mr Scott is working with about 20 people to excavate a route through the Piercebridge defences on behalf of the Inspector of Ancient Monuments. The dig will end in September and eventually the defences will be a public monument.