THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 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 hungry and the mushroom-curious are head-
ing for the forests. It’s autumn, and on the North
Coast that means mushroom season.
Chanterelles, some of the most prized mushrooms
around, have been appearing for some time now. But
other favorites – like the king bolete – are a little slow to
fruit, possibly because rains are late this year.
Whether it’s to learn about mushrooms or their hab-
itat, to fi nd a succulent feast or simply for an excuse to
take a walk in the woods, visitors and locals alike have
found the ranger-led wild mushroom hikes at Fort Ste-
vens State Park an informative and confi dence boosting
way to pass an afternoon.
The Port of Astoria is reopening Pier 1 for
public access today.
Heightened security requirements follow-
ing the 9/ 11 terrorist attacks forced the Port of
Astoria to close the pier to public access.
Port staff has worked closely over the past
year with the U.S. Coast Guard to provide a
means to allow access to the pier during peri-
ods of inactivity.
“We are excited to announce the reopening
of this pier to allow our local citizens to access a
popular area in Astoria for fi shing, crabbing and
enjoying the view, as we enjoyed in the past,”
said Commission President Bill Hunsinger.
ST. HELENS — When a single-engine aircraft
plunged into high, wooded terrain in Columbia County
Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard swung into action.
Two critical factors helped a local Astoria-based U.S.
Coast Guard helicopter crew fi nd the wreckage, lower
help to the ground and get the injured man to medical
treatment.
Though few details are known about what caused
the plane to go down, local authorities had been in com-
munication with the pilot of the experimental aircraft.
Soon after communication stopped at about 10:15 a.m.,
Columbia County Sheriff’s deputies began looking for
the plane, and contacted the Coast Guard for help.
Air Station Astoria launched an MH-60 Jayhawk res-
cue helicopter to the area west of St. Helens at about
noon, and the crew began searching.
It was then that the fi rst saving factor kicked in, said
Mark Dobney, civilian search and rescue controller for
Coast Guard Group Astoria. The airplane had an ELT,
or emergency locator transmitter on board, and as the
MH-60 helicopter closed in on the area, it was able to
pick up a signal.
“The ELT worked, helping us narrow in on the
search,” Dobney said.
But even though the signal was detected, the crew
didn’t initially see a crash site, or any trace of the pilot
among the remote 800-foot hills and towering 80-foot
trees, Dobney said.
Petty Offi cer Byron Cross, whose usual duties are as
a rescue swimmer, was lowered to a fi re road, and he
began to search the area. The helicopter crew continued
combing the hills until one saw what they’d been look-
ing for – a glint of light refl ecting from among some bro-
ken branches.
Cross was directed to the exact site, and after some
quick bushwhacking, found the pilot – alive – although
he was trapped in a tangle of debris.
50 years ago — 1969
Superstructure of the submarine USS Loggerhead
arrived in Astoria about midnight Monday after a trip
downriver from Portland aboard a Western Transporta-
tion Co. barge.
The 15 to 17 ton fairwater is destined to become an
exhibit in the Columbia River Maritime Museum’s 17th
Street waterfront park.
In the meantime, it will be stored at the Port of Asto-
ria after unloading Thursday morning by the port’s steam
crane. Rees Williams, assistant port manager, said the
superstructure will be placed in the yard near the Port
Plywood building.
Preparation of a site for the superstructure probably
will take several months, according to Rolf Klep, mari-
time museum director.
A townhouse concept for development of
about 45 acres in the south slope area was out-
lined for the Astoria Planning Commission
Tuesday night by Ernie Garcia, Astoria, who
purchased the tract from the city last year.
Garcia said development plans had been
modifi ed following engineering studies by Cor-
nell, Howland, Hayes and Merryfi eld, Corval-
lis, to increase the number of residential units
in the area. Engineering work indicated more
units would be necessary to pay for cost of
development, according to Garcia.
Current plans call for 174 units, 61 sin-
gle-family dwellings and possibly 44 apartment
house units.
2009 — Visitors and locals found the ranger-led wild mushroom hikes at Fort Stevens State Park an informative way to
pass the afternoon.
Six hunters died in the fi rst weekend of the Oregon
general deer season.
Two were asphyxiated in their camper, two died of
heart attacks and two were shot to death.
75 years ago — 1944
Local hunters who have had itchy fi ngers for some
time are preparing to take to their blinds Saturday morn-
ing for opening of the duck hunting season at 3 min-
utes to 7 a.m. With fewer shells than ever before, they
will greet the 1944 duck season, which is expected to
yield an even larger number of birds than the fruitful ‘43
season.
Cranberry harvest in the county begun this
week . It is progressing satisfactorily, although
there is a demand for more hands, according to
a report from Don Jossy, county agent.
Jossy said recent sunny days have speeded
ripening of the berries and that success of the
crop is sure unless the bog area is hit by frost
before the harvest is completed, probably the
middle of November.
A possible explanation of the poor returns of
salmon from the fry produced at the Klaskanine hatch-
ery is offered by Henry McGowan, veteran packer
of McGowan, Wash. He thinks it may result from the
deposit of bark and splinters on the Lewis and Clark and
Young’s R iver.
Early returns from the state-wide 4-H exhib-
its and contests in Portland place a good many
Clatsop County club members high in the com-
petition, Don Jossy, county agent, revealed
today.
The Oregon S tate fi sh commission met here today
with fi sh packers, fi shermen and members of the legis-
lative interim committee to study budget proposals that
will include request for direct state aid.
The commission and industry members discussed a
budget they will prepare to introduce along with request
for legislation to permit direct state aid. The request will
propose that all special fees and poundage taxes now
paid by the industry shall go into the general fund of the
state, and the state shall make a biennial appropriation
for operation of the fi shery department.
A mayor’s committee recommended Mon-
day night that the City of Astoria subsidize a
private bus operator, either through regular
budget funds or a serial levy, to keep a bus sys-
tem going in the city.
Bill Hoag, operator of the fi nancially trou-
bled Astoria Transit System, told the city coun-
cil he disagreed with the committee’s recom-
mendation and presented petitions bearing the
469 signatures urging the city to take over the
bus system.
Hoag, who has said he will quit the bus busi-
ness at the end of 1970, has offered the system
to the city for $1.
Two Astoria boys, Allen Straumfjord and Richard
Carruthers, are pictured in this weeks Saturday Evening
Post which illustrates life at their alma mater, the unique
educational institution of St. John’s College in Annap-
olis, Md. Young Straumfjord is the son of Dr. and Mrs.
JU.V. Straumfjord and Richard Carruthers is the son of
Mr . and Mrs. R.T. Carruthers.
Clatsop County 4-H club members returned
from state 4-H work by placing one girl as the
grand champion, capturing numerous blue and
red awards, while giving close competition to
champions in many fi elds.
Board of directors for the Astoria Chamber of Com-
merce Friday endorsed the application of the Roy F.
Owen Co. for franchise to operate a passenger air line
service out of Astoria to Portland, via Kelso and also the
Oregon coast.
The board took the action to affi rm its policy of pro-
moting, whenever possible, development of both air pas-
senger and freight traffi c here.