85 YEARS AGO
December 7, 1940
Bruised and battered from a six-hour battle with a raging sea, four survivors of the Hoquiam tug Tyee, snatched from death after their boat foundered, recuperated at St. Mary’s Hospital in Astoria and remembered the two crew members who did not survive.
A huge comber, boosted to more than 50 feet high by the wind, struck the tug as it crossed out over the Tillamook bar. The gigantic sea tore off the pilot house. Then as their ship sank beneath them and succeeding breakers carried away or crushed their lifeboats, the men grabbed a small metal boat. Captain Hilland Hubble, Evan Campbell, Neil Logue and George Thorberg were able to survive for six hours before being rescued but Julius Long and Jack Henderson were lost at sea.
December 9, 1940
With 600 pupils absent from Aberdeen school today, Superintendent Edward F. Bloom announced late this afternoon that the Weatherwax high school, junior high school and McDermoth school will be closed for the rest of the week.
The influenza epidemic, which is sweeping the country in a mild form, was blamed for the absentees.
December 12, 1940
Elvin M. Byles, elected mayor of Montesano Saturday, is the third generation of his family to serve the city in that office. His father, Frank W. Byles, has long been active in civic affairs and served Montesano as mayor and in other city offices.
Elvin’s grandfather, C.N. Byles, was one of the Harbor’s earliest pioneers, crossing the plains in a covered wagon in 1853 to plat Montesano’s townsite after starting a farm on land over which the city’s main streets now run.
There will be no excuse for children not being home after curfew at Taholah hereafter. A large siren that arrived today will be mounted to replace the old bell. The scream of the siren will be heard from any part of the village. Heretofore, children not at home when curfew sounded had an excuse that they did not hear the bell.
Youngsters will have to give an ironclad excuse to get by Police Officer John Trout after hours from now on.
December 13, 1940
Whether you like lutefisk prepared in simple Norwegian style or the fancier Swedish manner, you’ll have to make it from plain Pacific coast codfish.
That was the word passed ‘round today by Grays Harbor fish dealers and grocers.
Europe’s war shut off imports of foreign Norwegian “torsk,” the large North Atlantic cod from which for untold generations, Scandinavians have been concocting their traditional Christmas gift, lutefisk.
Gabriel Carlson, head of the Twin Harbors Food council, provided a recipe for preparing the Pacific coast cod including soaking three to four days in a common lye solution, then dusting with slaked lime, soaking in cold water for two or three additional days before boiling eight to 10 minutes. Then “comes the hard part,” he said. Norwegians say lutefisk should be served as is, adding only a little melted butter. Swedes prefer it served in a butter cream sauce to which spices, including crushed all-spice, have been added.
Carlson, diplomatically, declared either style is very good.
60 YEARS AGO
December 7, 1965
Dr. Edward Barnes Riley, 82, prominent Aberdeen physician who practiced medicine for more than 50 years, died last night in a local hospital. He came to Aberdeen in 1910 and opened his medical practice. He was the first person to rent office space in the Finch Building. Through the years, Dr. Riley occupied the same office on the Heron Street side of the building, moving into another space in the same building a few years ago when the Grays Harbor County Health Department became a full-time operation and enlarged its suite of offices.
December 8, 1965
Aberdeen’s new industrial route to the Port Dock is expected to be open to through traffic about the first of the year to handle an estimated daily traffic of 3,850 vehicles averaging 270 an hour, City Engineer R.V. Anderson informed the City Council last night.
Tall Bill Quigg proved more than the short Elma Eagles could handle last night as the 6-6 junior center poured in 26 points to spark Hoquiam to a season-opening 72-67 win over the spunky run-run Eagles.
Hoquiam Coach Bill Meyer, substituting freely, utilized 10 players trying to keep up with the speedy little Eagles, who almost outran Hoquiam at the finish. “I knew we had to substitute a lot in the early going to keep our kids fresh,” Meyer said afterward. “Those Elma kids never quit. They just keep running.”
Linkshire Market in Central Park is advertising bananas and large naval oranges for 10¢ a pound, ground beef, cut-up fryers and pot roast for 39¢ a pound and a 10-pound bag of U&I sugar for 89¢.
December 9, 1965
The average age of the combat GI in Vietnam is 18 1/2. And what a man he is!
A pink-cheeked, tousled-hair, tight-muscled fellow who, under normal circumstances would be considered half-man, half-boy. But here and now, he is the beardless hope of free man.
He is for the most part unmarried and without material possessions except for possibly an old car at home and a transistor radio here. He listens to rock and roll — and 105mm Howitzers. He’s just out of high school, received so-so grades and played a little football.
He has learned to like beer by now because it is cold and because it is “the thing to do.” He smokes because he gets free cigarettes in his C-ration package and it is also the thing to do.
He can break down a rifle in 30 seconds and put it back together in 29. He can describe the nomenclature of a fragmentation grenade, explain how a machine gun operates and of course, utilize either if the need arises. He can do the work of two civilians, draw half the pay of one and find ironic humor in it all.
Eighteen and a half. What a man he is.
December 13, 1965
Al Izatt, graduate of the University of Washington with a degree is electrical engineering, joined the Grays Harbor College electronics department this fall.
After graduation from high school, he joined the Navy for two years where he went to Navy electricians mate school and graduated seventh out of a class of 350. After his discharge from the Navy, Izatt joined the Merchant Marine as a electrician. He started college at the age of 31, working full time in radio repair shops to support his wife and four children.
Being new to the area he said that he has not had time to pursue his outdoor hobbies, hunting and fishing, but that he hopes to in the future.
35 YEARS AGO
December 7, 1990
“Land of the Quinault,” an extraordinary new book published by the Quinault Indian Nation, easily could have been called “Roots.”
Like a fine basket fashioned from cedar bark, bear grass, rush and tule, it is both decorative and functional as it weaves a thousand years of history into 315 pages. A blend of geology, biology and sociology, this is a book National Geographic would be proud to claim.
The photography — most of it by tribal employee Larry Workman — is often breathtaking, a reminder that we’re too often blinded to the beauty at our doorstep by a sense of the familiar. The text, principally by Jacqueline Storm a recently retired technical writer with the tribe, is always readable and sometime poetic.
December 8, 1990
The stately Pacific County Courthouse lends distinction to one of the state’s most rural counties, but its glory is being compromised by roof leaks and cracking paint.
“This building is a jewel,” Commissioner Ann Saari said at a news conference announcing a $750,000 bond issue for repairs and renovation. “I can’t think of another county with a courthouse as beautiful as this one.”
The courthouse was completed by Northwest Bridge Co. of Portland in 1911 at a total cost of $132,000. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
Only one thing stayed constant in last night’s hectic cage non-leaguer at Sam Benn Gym: Mark Bruener. The big 6-5 center hammered in 36 points as his Aberdeen Bobcats held on for an 82-79 victory over Mark Morris.
Otherwise the game consisted of two halves as dissimilar as they come. The Cats looked like absolute world beaters as they blasted out a 46-25 halftime lead. They appeared considerably less than that as the Monarchs outscored them 54-36 after intermission.
“I think we’re not as good as we looked in the first half or as bad as we looked in the second,” AHS coach Randy Hancock summed up. “But there was one guy out there who simply wouldn’t let us lose — Bruener.”
December 9, 1990
A McCleary man was killed by a shotgun blast early Saturday at his Elma-Hicklin Road home by an assailant who apparently fired at him through a window.
A 33-year-old man, also from McCleary, was arrested on suspicion of murder just three miles from the scene.
Killed instantly was 27-year-old Russell Lake. A woman and the victim’s young son also were in the house but were uninjured.
December 12, 1990
Tieing up loose ends in an effort to secure the future of the Lady Washington, the Historical Seaport last night hired an out-spoken captain. The contract debate with Capt. Les Bolton lasted nearly an hour. The Seaport sought a measure of assurance that its go-for-broke gamble in hiring the captain at $2,000 per month with the $8,500 or so it has left will pay off. Bolton sought guarantees the Seaport won’t set him adrift.
The board voted 4-1 to hire Bolton through March of 1991, provided he meets agreed-upon performance standards — including a late January review where either side can back out. The contract also becomes void if the Seaport runs out of funds.
Aaron Newell found the mark from the corner with .02 remaining last night and lifted Elma to a hair-raising 70-67 win over Hoquiam in a Black Hills League boys’ basketball opener at Hoquiam’s Square Garden.
The victory, which was wildly celebrated by the Eagles and their small band of followers, ended a string of 33 straight BHL losses dating back to February 1988.
December 13, 1990
Aberdeen senior Mark Bruener became one of the few players to earn two-way recognition on the Washington Sportswriters Association all-state football team. He was named to the AA first team as both a tight end and linebacker.
North Beach ace Lester DeLaCruz was selected as a B-11 defensive back, while South Bend linebacker Sean Reidinger was chosen as a B-8 defensive selection.
Compiled from the archives of The Daily World by Karen Barkstrom, Editorial Assistant at The Daily World. You can contact her at karen.barkstrom@thedailyworld.com or call her at 360-537-3925
