THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2019 • B1
WATER UNDER
THE BRIDGE
COMPILED BY BOB DUKE
From the pages of Astoria’s daily newspapers
10 years ago
this week — 2009
K
EIZER — Strike up the band and put another
banner in the Brick House. Astoria’s got another
state champion.
For the second time in six months and for the third
time in four years, the high school can proudly claim
another state title in a major sport, as the Astoria baseball
team defeated the Baker Bulldogs 8-6 Saturday morning,
in the Class 4A state championship game at Volcanoes
Stadium.
The state title on the diamond came six months to
the day following Astoria’s state championship win over
Banks in the Class 4A football title game.
And Saturday’s championship had a lot in common
with December’s title, as the Fishermen built a seemingly
safe lead, then had to hold off a big rally by the other
guys.
Music and drama were the recurring themes
at Warrenton High School’s 89th graduation
ceremony Friday.
With performances by the school’s state
champion band, its choir and even a surprise
appearance from graduating drama students,
family friends were treated to a world-class
performance — and the seniors were the stars.
The 37-member graduating class strut-
ted into the packed gym with more than a lit-
tle enthusiasm, and took their seats on the stage
while the band played the traditional gradua-
tion march, “Pomp and Circumstance.”
2009 — The Fishermen celebrate their 4A state championship with a dogpile on the infi eld of Volcanoes Stadium after
an 8-6 victory over the Baker Bulldogs.
Wahkiakum County is getting $590,000 in federal
stimulus funds to replace the deteriorating Puget Island
ferry terminal.
The Daily News said county offi cials were surprised
because they had been told the project may have been too
far down the list to qualify. In May, the county was told
the ferry landing was a tier 2 rating for stimulus money,
meaning it would only get money if other, higher-ranked
projects fell through or declined the money.
“It’s excellent news,” said Pete Ringen, the county’s
public works director.
It’s been a long wait, but visitors to the Asto-
ria Column will soon be able to climb to the bal-
cony of the 125-foot tall landmark again and
take in the panoramic view.
Within the next few days, a crew from
Columbia Wire & Iron Works in Portland will
fi nish installing a new spiral staircase inside the
Column. Fabricated from galvanized cast steel,
it replaces the old staircase made of cast iron,
which had to be closed to the public after devel-
oping dangerous cracks in November 2007.
50 years ago — 1969
2009 — Astoria’s Jordan Poyer fl ips off his glove after
striking out the fi nal Baker batter. The Fishermen phenom
struck out six of 11 batters in relief of starting pitcher
Taylor Landwehr and was named Player of the Game.
The idea of a statue at the mouth of the Columbia isn’t
a bad one. As a matter of fact, the entrance to the great
river could be enhanced by a man-made fi gure, providing
it were suitable and impressive enough. But that’s one of
the problems.
Such a creation, suggested by the wife of State Sen.
Schedeen of Multnomah County, would have to be huge
in order to capture attention in the big channel entrance.
New York was fortunate with the Statue of Liberty in
being able to put it on an island of rock in New York
Harbor. No such island exists at the Columbia River
entrance. But perhaps a statue could be put somewhere
near Hammond.
Another problem is what the artistic monument would
be. A lumberjack? An Indian? A mermaid would surely
be attacked from some quarters in this progressive region
as immoral.
If it were a statue of a fi sherman, the sports anglers
would want the fellow to look like one of them, and the
commercial fi shermen would also want to be represented.
As to what country might like to donate this tremen-
dous landmark, Japan would indeed be a good candidate,
in view of her wanting to continue to buy logs from this
country.
With everything considered, the idea of lighting a gas-
fi red fl ame on Tillamook Head to symbolize the arrival
of Lewis and Clark — an idea of Mrs. William Haseltine
of Surf Pines — sounds much better than that of a statue
at the channel entrance.
Anyone else have an idea?
Flag Day is every day for Mrs. Chester Love,
Astoria’s Betsy Ross, who has been sewing rep-
licas of the Lewis and Clark American fl ag here
for the past 14 years.
Mrs. Love, known as “Jo” to her many
friends in this area and other parts of the west-
ern states where she and her husband have trav-
eled, telling the Astoria and Lewis and Clark
story along the way, includes her fl ag making
among many hobbies. But it has turned out to
be the most time-consuming.
Not that she minds. Never was the old saying
“There is love in every stitch” more true than
when she sits down at her sewing machine to
put together the long red and white strips and
secure the white stars on the blue fi eld. Inciden-
tally, the fl ag carried on the Lewis and Clark
Expedition and raised above little log Fort Clat-
sop that winter of 1805-06 had only 15 stars,
representing the 15 states in the Union at that
time.
WASHINGTON — The space agency confi rmed
today the Apollo 11 moon-landing mission will be
launched July 16 from Cape Kennedy, Fla.
Clatsop County has given tentative approval
for the Astoria Regatta Association to again
use Cullaby Lake, a county park area, for boat
races during a phase of the annual celebration.
2009 — A crane lowers a section of stairs into place in the
Astoria Column. The top of the column was removed so
the stairs inside could be replaced.
1969 — The USS Bluegill submarine docked at the Port of
Astoria for an overnight stay before heading upriver for
the Rose Festival in Portland.
Processors, who buy from fi shermen, say they cannot pay
this 3½ cents price, because OPA cut processors’ ceilings
by 20 percent, and also knocked off a 15-percent markup
to the army. Fishermen say they cannot fi sh Dover sole for
less, and demand the ceiling price which OPA believes is
justifi ed, else they would not have set it there.
1944 — This huge sturgeon, rigged on a block and tackle
in the Union Fishermen’s cannery by Alex Dixon, canning
superintendent at the cannery, was taken not long ago
from the Columbia River, 40 miles east of Astoria by the
Barkman brothers, Astoria gillnetters.
75 years ago — 1944
Astoria’s infant bottom fi sh industry, born two years
ago as a lusty child, ended a week of illness today, and
with every prospect of getting worse before getting better.
Production of an important species of bottom fi sh,
Dover sole, has been zero since the middle of May. The rea-
son is this: OPA ceiling to fi shermen is 3½ cents a pound.
Grazing experiments on stump lands, cut
over and burned over, such as exist in vast areas
of Clatsop County, were viewed by a group of 54
farmers and forest service representatives at the
Northrup Creek experiment station.
The annual fi eld day tour was given by
County Judge Guy Boyington and Herb How-
ell, experiment station manager.
The judge pointed out that the county’s large
land holdings were acquired through tax fore-
closures on lands once held and logged off by
pulp and lumber companies and on property
sold by promoters to people who expected the
area to boom. He stressed that the county is now
withholding sale of stump lands to avoid more
such land speculation.
Rent control is still in effect in Clatsop County, despite
widespread misunderstandings which have arisen from
statements by unauthorized sources, it was stressed in an
OPA rental division letter received Monday at the local
price and ration offi ce.
The OPA explained that the misunderstanding arose
from a rent regulation amendment which said that in
resort communities properties rented or occupied only on
a seasonal basis, not rented between November 1, 1943
and February 29, 1944, are exempt from rent control. The
same exemption previously existed; the new amendment
merely changes the vacancy period from the winter of
1942-43 to winter 1943-44.