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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 19, 2016)
OPINION 4A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2016 Sam Hill and Woodrow Wilson: Big parts in local history Matt Winters Collection A 1915 souvenir booklet for the SS Great Northern sings the praises of Warrenton, whose economy local leaders hoped would be boosted by ocean liners homeported in the Lower Columbia. By MATT WINTERS EO Media Group A ll most of us know about the golden age of great ocean liners comes from James Cameron’s “Titanic,” with its vivid depiction of stupendous luxury at the apex of a rigid class hierarchy. It’s a good bet that our ancestors — yours and mine on this hard-working coastline — traveled in steer- age rather than fi rst class. Between emigrating and then returning from the U.S. to visit relations in England and Sweden, my wife’s family and mine voyaged on the Carinthia, Georgic, Celtic, Gripsholm, Berengaria, Calypso, Lusitania and others. (At least three of these were torpedoed or bombed by Germans in the two world wars.) Judg- ing by how quickly travel- ers switched to airplanes once they became available, crossing the Atlantic inside a rum- bling steel hull must have been tedious and uncomfortable. Still, if time travel offered the option, it could be fun to experience exactly what it was like. The Berengaria, for example, even had its own Ritz Carlton restaurant. commons.wikimedia.org The Great Northern Pacific Steamship Co. was based in Astoria before World War I. Matt Winters Collection A family memento reveals a long-ago al- legiance to President Woodrow Wilson. Cruise ships last century Luxurious oceangoing cruise ships are almost commonplace on the modern-day Lower Columbia River, as we have become a popular stop along the Pacifi c tourist route. But now isn’t the fi rst time ocean liners have called here. In fact, immediately before World War I the Great Northern Pacifi c Steam Ship Co. was headquartered in Astoria and homeported in what is now Hammond. The SS Great Northern and her sister ship Northern Pacifi c were commissioned by the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway Co. to carry passengers and freight between Port- land and San Francisco via Astoria. Largely a project of Northern Pacifi c Railroad mag- nate James Hill and his son-in-law Sam Hill, the two ships were among the largest Amer- ican-manufactured ships of their time. They could make it to San Francisco in about 25 hours, captained by A. Ahman. (A May 1915 story in Railway and Marine News credits Ahman for his professionalism after a “disas- trous nor’wester” knocked out the brand- new ship’s steam steering gear, leaving it to wallow in “mountainous seas until the wind storm blew itself out.” Sam Hill was a fascinating business leader a century ago, playing an oversized role in promoting transportation infrastruc- ture in Washington state and Oregon. The fact he had more success with Oregon leg- islators and agencies is a big reason why east-west highways along the Columbia’s south side are so much more advanced than those on the north shore. (As always, Wash- ’ Kjeld Enevoldsen Collection An old postcard commemorates the maiden voyage of the SS Great Northern be- tween Flavel (now Hammond) and San Francisco. ington lawmakers were intensely focused on developing Puget Sound, without atten- tion to spare for the state’s southern tier.) Hill’s Peace Arch on the U.S.-Canada bor- der at Blaine and the Maryhill Museum of Art in the Columbia River Gorge, devoted to his wife, are other lasting memorials to his civic-mindedness. Warrenton and Astoria pinned big hopes on the Northern steamships. I have a sou- venir booklet from the Great Northern’s offi cial maiden landing. It testifi es to what a big deal it was — or at least how big it wanted to be. Wilson and the war Warrenton’s dreams of becoming a major West Coast port were sunk by World War I, which the U.S. entered in April 1917, led by President Woodrow Wilson. Among my Grandma Bell’s things, I just recently came across a family memento from Wilson’s successful 1912 campaign for president. Appearing from the outside to be just a green satin satchel, it opens to reveal Wilson, “the man of the hour.” Possibly presaging this November’s elec- tion, Wilson’s election resulted from deep self-infl icted wounds in the Republican Party, with ex-President Theodore Roos- evelt feuding with his own former protégé, William Howard Taft. With the GOP in dis- array, Democrats took not only the White House but both halves of Congress. Wilson won with a 42 percent plurality of the pop- ular vote, compared to 27 percent for Roos- evelt and 23 percent for Taft. Locally, Clat- sop County went for Roosevelt and Pacifi c County for Taft. Oregon as a whole went to Wilson and Washington to Roosevelt. Wilson has mixed reviews as president, being remembered more for good intentions than achievements. His reputation is partic- ularly weak when it comes to racial justice. But he’ll be much honored next week as the nation marks the centennial of the National Park Service, which he signed into existence on Aug. 25, 1916. It’s interesting to think how Warrenton and Astoria might have developed differently if Wilson had managed to keep us out of the war — his hand forced in part by the sink- ing of the Lusitania. In addition to a national park, we might have a major seaport. It demonstrates the remote local consequences of high-powered international relations and presidential politics. Matt Winters is editor and publisher of the Chinook Observer and Coast River Busi- ness Journal. DAVID F. PERO, Editor & Publisher • LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager • CARL EARL, Systems Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager • DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager HEATHER RAMSDELL, Circulation Manager Founded in 1873
