THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JULY 2, 2019 • B1
WATER UNDER
THE BRIDGE
COMPILED BY BOB DUKE
From the pages of Astoria’s daily newspapers
10 years ago
this week — 2009
T
he national economy isn’t much to celebrate
these days, but the downturn hasn’t dampened
coastal Independence Day festivities.
Fireworks displays will light the night skies Saturday
in Astoria and Seaside and across the river in Long Beach
and Ilwaco. There will be daytime parades in Warrenton,
Seaside, Gearhart, Cannon Beach, Astoria and Ocean
Park.
Despite belt-tightening in other spheres, it seems to be
full steam ahead for the coast fi reworks. The giant show in
Vancouver, Washington — heralded as the “largest West
of the Mississippi” — won’t be held this year because
of the tough economic times, but that likely means more
people heading for the coast to celebrate.
“Patriotism doesn’t change with the economy,” said
David Glasson, fi nance director for the city of Long
Beach.
Evelyn Leahy Hankel leafs through a photo
album containing old family photos and letters
from the queen of England.
When the queen was on a ship near Astoria,
Hankel invited her over for a cup of tea. The
queen regretfully declined the invitation. When
she was abroad, she was not in charge of her
schedule, she told Hankel.
Hankel, an Astoria resident, turned 90 in
March. She raised 10 children, saw the world as
an Army colonel’s wife, asked Dwight D. Eisen-
hower for a job for her husband and got it and
published “Cumtux,” the quarterly magazine of
the Clatsop County Historical Society.
Along the way, she became an expert on local
family history.
On the Fourth of July she’ll celebrate 130
years of the Leahy family living in Astoria with
a giant gathering. Nearly 100 people, relatives
on the Irish side of the family, visit the Leahy
homestead each year. The reunions are held on
fi ve acres of the original 160-acre homestead on
Green Mountain in rural Astoria. Hankel inher-
ited these fi ve acres from her father.
Clatsop County formally took ownership of the Car-
lyle Apartments in Seaside this week. But the facil-
ity, which serves primarily lower-income residents, will
remain in operation.
On Monday, Jeff Hazen, Clatsop County Board of
Commissioners chairman, signed a contract that com-
pletes the transfer of the 26-unit apartment complex,
which came into the county’s possession following a
lengthy legal dispute.
2009 — Fireworks fanatics packed the beaches in Seaside to watch the show last year.
50 years ago — 1969
Several hundred Pacifi c coast fi shing boats will be in
the ocean off Oregon and Washington and northern Cali-
fornia in the next few weeks for the albacore tuna season.
But this year for the fi rst time, about 500 of the boats
will be in pursuit not only of fi sh but of scientifi c data
as well. Skippers of the selected boats have volunteered
to help collect information for Oregon State University’s
largest cooperative oceanographic study so far.
Fishermen will record information in log books about
ocean conditions in the areas where they prospect for fi sh
and catch them.
The Astoria Planning Commission voted 4-3
to reconsider and go into more thoroughly its
motion of June 10 recommending that a recon-
structed Highway 30 be kept on the Astoria
waterfront. A petition bearing 75 names from
the business district was submitted against the
idea of the highway bypassing the city.
Clatskanie Scramble Days is the big formal cele-
bration over this three-day weekend. Seaside and Long
Beach have fi reworks displays on tap, Cannon Beach
has a play, but the rest of the area is expected to celebrate
quietly.
There will be no celebration in Astoria, and the annual
affair in Warrenton has been canceled this year.
The long-delayed housing project being devel-
oped on a 44-acre tract of beach property in Sea-
side by Sunset Cove Inc. will resume soon after
16 months of litigation, according to William H.
Holmstrom, president of the corporation.
“Resulting fi nancing will satisfy all outstand-
ing obligations of the fi rm and pave the way for
platting and installation of utilities and streets,”
Holmstrom said.
Offspring of Oregon and Washington salmon may
help restock the Rhine River in West Germany and the
Netherlands.
The State Department of Natural Resources in Mich-
igan has formally agreed to donate one million or more
Coho salmon eggs for the river.
The eggs are from fi sh hatched from eggs donated to
Michigan by the two Northwest states.
CAPE KENNEDY, Fla. — Sealed in their
spaceship atop towering Saturn 5 rocket, the
Apollo 11 astronauts today participated in
a practice launching for their moon landing
journey.
The last major test before the July 16 lift-
off was completed without a hitch as the space-
men took part in the fi nal hours of a simulated
countdown.
75 years ago — 1944
Editor’s note: The following is from the Wild Lifelines
column by Billy McGregor.
The cry of “Fish On!” will soon be heard again on the
2009 — During the fi reworks-free Independence Day at
Cannon Beach, spotting scopes will be set up for people
to watch local wildlife.
river across from Astoria.
For the benefi t of service people and others, who have
never enjoyed trolling for salmon on the lower Colum-
bia, I will endeavor a rough sketch of what it’s all about.
Although there is no closed season on salmon angling
in the river, sport fi shermen are nevertheless regulated
by two factors. First, they must await the fall run of
salmon; and second, they must wait until the commer-
cial fi shing season closes.
The fall spawning migration of Chinook salmon usu-
ally commences early in August and reaches its peak
during the last of that month, continuing until Septem-
ber 10th or thereabout.
Prior to the fall run, the river is practically devoid of
salmon, at least from a sport fi shing standpoint. It is true
that a few salmon occasionally are taken on sport gear
from early in June to the August run; however, regular
limit catches are not assured until the river is full of fi sh.
The commercial salmon fi shing season usually closes
for a period of 10 to 15 days starting on or near August
26th – the actual dates being determined each year in
accordance with prevailing conditions.
At the close of the commercial season, a large num-
ber of commercial fi shermen then make their boats and
services available to sport fi shermen. Therefore, unless
you are one of the few fortunates who own a pleasure
craft of some sort, you must wait until the commercial
boats and operators are available.
It would be of comfort to you, however, to know that
the salmon do not strike a lure too readily until the sec-
ond or third day after the net fi shing has stopped. There
are probably two reasons for this. One being that the fi sh
are more scarce when the net fi shing is in progress, and
the other being that in two days during the fall run, a
large amount of fi sh will accumulate rapidly in certain
areas when unmolested.
1969 — Commercial Street in Astoria looks something
like this around the going-home hour each day. A
committee to study setting aside large off -street parking
areas and including mall-like areas in the business
district is scheduled to meet next week. One aim is to
move some traffi c off Commercial and onto Marine Drive.
1969 — Bob Walters, ex-Astorian who is now editor
of Sea-Pac Motorboat magazine in Seattle, gave the
Columbia River Maritime Museum this chandelier from
the old luxury river boat T.J. Potter. Museum director
holds the gift in front of a model of the Potter.
John E. Walker, 18, hospital apprentice
fi rst class, and son of Mr. and Mrs. A.P. Blake,
235 Ninth Street, Astoria, was a member of a
Navy crew in the American assault force which
invaded France. News of his part in the inva-
sion came via a special V-mail letter form pro-
vided by the public relations offi ce of the naval
forces in Europe.
Walker was a student at Astoria High School
at the time he joined the Navy.
The local chapter of the American Red Cross will
start work immediately to produce thousands of surgi-
cal linens and dressings that will be put aboard the Kai-
ser attack transport ships, commissioning of which will
be undertaken by the Astoria naval station following
completion of the Kaiser aircraft carrier program this
month.