125 years ago
March 3, 1893
Hoquiam
F. L. Smith while chopping wood near his house Tuesday, heard a whining noise and on looking around, he saw a large cougar standing on a log; as he had no gun in the house or with him, he could not shoot it. The cougar looked at Smith awhile and then disappeared.
The schr. J. C. Ford, which was recently wrecked, had on board about $200 worth of groceries and a lot of machinery for the Slade mill. The total amount of loss to the company was about $3,200. They immediately had a duplicate made out of the machinery lost and it will arrive as soon as it can be shipped.
To the visiting strangers Hoquiam presents a very active appearance. At the Hoquiam mills a large number of men are busily employed in the erection of a large addition. At the basket factory the same activity is displayed, and the Slade mill is the scene of extensive improvements which are being pushed forward.
100 years ago
March 1, 1918
Deputy Sheriff Hamm and Aberdeen police officers Wednesday night made two raids in Aberdeen. In one they secured 17 sacks of liquor hidden in a shack, but found no one to arrest. In the other—a raid on a South Side bath house they got a lot of colored water and arrested Myron Kilgore (Tex Vernon).
The officers found Kilgore at work filling and corking about 200 bottles with caramel water. The stuff he was putting in the water was still warm. He claimed he was fixing the stuff up for a joke on a certain detective that he expected would raid some of his places. However, hidden in the attic of the same place the officers found 23 bottles full of something besides the plain colored water. They do not pretend to say what it is, but it isn’t whiskey. It is some concoction made to resemble whiskey and has alcohol in it. The officers are inclined to believe he is using a special alcohol cube for making booze which may be sold for whiskey. It is in whiskey bottles — bottles that have been used once.
75 years ago
March 4, 1943
Farmers may obtain gasoline for their tractors, engines and other non-highway equipment for a period of six months instead of three months under a change in rationing regulations, Dave S. Cohn, district mileage rationing officer, Office of Price Administration, said today.
The change is being made because of the variability of farming operations, which frequently make it difficult for farmers to estimate their requirements for only a three-month period. The new provision is also designed to save the farmers time in obtaining rations for operations which are so essential to the war effort.
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WASHINGTON, D. C., March 4.—(Special)—Declaring that the Pacific northwest is on the verge of “the greatest and most healthful growth of any part of the nation,” Fred Norman (Rep., Wash.) in his maiden speech to the House of Representatives, asserted that his new ‘home rule’ power bill, providing for state acquisition of Grand Coulee and Bonneville, is “the key which will unlock the door to this prosperity.”
He said the major purpose of his measure is to return Washington state the sovereignty over the Grand Coulee project, and to Washington and Oregon jointly the sovereignty over the Bonneville project.
“I strongly believe in ‘home rule’ on public power,” Norman said.
50 years ago
February 29, 1968
The memorial plaque to Johnny Chambers, first Montesano casualty in the Viet Nam conflict, was returned to its place in the Bryan Park Way Monday morning or late Sunday evening by unknown persons.
According to Willard Davis, park superintendent and finder of the plaque, “I have been checking the park almost daily since the disappearance of the memorial and early this morning I looked down by the hedge and there it was. Apparently whoever had it thought that public indignation was just a little bit too high and thought they had better return it.
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Will angle parking in downtown Montesano become a thing of the past? That question was asked Tuesday evening during the regular meeting of the Montesano City Council. After considerable discussion it was decided by Council to have the City Attorney draw up an ordinance to change the parking on Main Street between Wynooche and Broadway Streets, from angle to parallel parking. The ordinance, if passed, will probably reduce the available parking by nearly 70 percent.
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Congresswoman Julia Butler Hansen today announced approval of the United States post office department of new leased postal facilities at Taholah.
Mrs. Hansen said the department informed her that the present facilities encompass 64 square feet, while the new facilities will provide for 640 square feet. The plans call for an 80 square foot platform, of which there is none to present, and an open area of 2200 square feet.
25 years ago
March 4, 1993
The price of softwood lumber has doubled since 1991 and softwood structural panels are not far behind, increasing 80 percent. …
“Lumber and plywood price increases have now more than offset savings from lower mortgage rates over the past two years for the median priced single family home in the U.S.,” stated Gus Kuehne, president of Northwest Independent Forest Manufacturers, an association of independent mills in the northwest.
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Clarence Tuson Jr. of Tacoma has filed a $500,000 claim against Grays Harbor County and the State of Washington by reason of damages incurred on or about February 21, 1991, in Pierce County, according to the claim which the commissioners received Monday. The claim was referred to the County Claims Review Board.
In the claim that was filed, Tuson said, “The occurrence causing the damages is more fully described as follows: False imprisonment and violation of civil rights by Grays Harbor County and the State Department of Corrections in failing to properly credit me for time served and therefore unlawfully extending my time of incarceration beyond the 21st day of February, 1991.”
10 years ago
Feb. 28, 2008
The Montesano School Board wants to hold a series of meetings in March with parents and students before it crafts a policy regulating student use of cell phones during the school day.
The board chairman, Ray Sowers, broached the idea at the board’s meeting last Thursday, Feb. 21.
“I think it’s very important that we get input from the parents, and students as well, before we do anything,” Sowers said.
The district’s cell phone policy — or lack thereof — has been highlighted in recent weeks by the conviction of a former assistant football coach on telephone harassment charges.
Some say district officials should not be surprised students have been sharing inappropriate pictures on their cell phones.
