Elleda Wilson: Local brevities

Nov. 3—Early November tidbits from The Daily Morning Astorian in the late 1880s:

—The poles for the telegraph line from here to the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse are up all the way from Fort Stevens to a point opposite the rock and the wire is being strung. If the cable reaches here before Christmas, it will be laid by the Manzanita.

Note: Wishful thinking in 1889. Although the $6,000 ($196,000 now) was appropriated in 1890, because of several delays, including weather, of course, the telegraph line was not operational until 1895.

—The tallest and finest flag pole in western Oregon was yesterday hoisted and put in place at the office of the Main Street Dock, and the flag with 42 stars on it run up amid the boom of brass cannon. The pole is eight inches through at the butt and 104 feet high, and is a monument to Capt. J. G. Hustler's patriotism.

Note: Capt. Jackson Gregory Hustler came to Astoria on Christmas Day 1849, after an unsuccessful gold rush stop in California, and was one of the first bar pilots, along with Capt. George Flavel. He retired from bar piloting in 1859, was the city treasurer for six years, county clerk for four years and a school clerk. He helped organize the first fire department and had a map made of Astoria in 1870 (shown). At the time of the flag pole hoist in 1889, he was in charge of the Main Street Dock. He died in 1893.

—The Astorian is obliged to reluctantly decline the publication of several valuable political articles received during the last three weeks ... the public would rather be amused than admonished, and folks will any day skip a political article to read about their neighbor's wife, or his maid servant, or his ox, etc.