75 years ago
December 9, 1942
Damaged Monday when struck by a county shovel being moved on a truck, the Olympic highway bridge at Humptulips has been closed to all traffic, the state highway department office in Hoquiam said today.
Traffic is being routed via the North Beach road and then north from Copalis Crossing to Humptulips on the old Quinault road.
The county shovel caught an overhead girder on the bridge, buckling it and causing the bridge deck to heave up. Responsibility for repairing the damage had not been definitely fixed today and neither the state highway department nor the third district county road office could predict when the span would be back in service.
December 10, 1942
Six downtown Aberdeen buildings today were designated as official public air raid shelters by the city civilian defense council.
The shelters are the Becker building, Finch building, Morck hotel, New Aberdeen garage and Warner Brothers’ and D and R theaters.
Mayor Walter T. Foelkner said they were chosen because of their height or because sturdy construction gave promise they could best withstand effects of enemy bombs.
50 years ago
December 9, 1967
Motorists traveling along U.S. 101 north of Hoquiam Monday were treated to an unusual sight: a 165-ton locomotive slowing making its way on a barge up the Hoquiam River.
The occasion was the final leg of the locy’s journey from California to a new home at Rayonier’s Railroad Camp. The 1,600 horsepower diesel electric locomotive will see service in the company’s Grays Harbor area operations, centered out of the new Crane Creek logging complex.
December 10, 1967
Sunday, no newspaper published
25 years ago
December 9, 1992
• A U.S. Marine landing force on a mission of mercy to a starving land quickly took control today of key points in Mogadishu, where the streets were suddenly free of the terror of mobile gangs.
Just hours after the Marines hit the beaches, giant Air Force transports and a food-relief flight were touching down at the crippled city’s airport.
• Prince Charles and Princess Diana have agreed to separate but have no plans to divorce, Prime Minister John Major said today, confirming years of speculation of a royal romance gone sour.
Because there will be no divorce, he said Diana remains eligible to be crowned queen once Charles takes the throne. The couple will continue to appear together in public from time to time.
December 10, 1992
• About 30 people gathered at the Hoquiam YMCA Wednesday night to honor a “jewel” in the community, Art Pocklington.
Pocklington, the executive director of the Hoquiam YMCA since 1964, was given a plaque in recognition of more than 30 years of service to the YMCA Youth and Government program.
Nora Hallett, executive director of the state program, said Pocklington has been a role model for students and has helped them learn about personal integrity throughout his years with Youth and Government.
“Art in his baseball cap has been an institution in the Senate longer than any politician in Olympia,” she said.
Pocklingon promised the recognition doesn’t signal an end to his affiliation with the Y.
“I’m not going away,” he said. “I still have a lot of work to do.”
Compiled from the archives of The Daily World by Karen Barkstrom
