Elleda Wilson: Local brevities

Dec. 15—Morsels from The Daily Morning Astorian, Dec. 15, 1887:

—This "runaway horse" business is getting altogether too common. Scarcely a day passes without a horse running (amok) through the streets, spilling everything out of the wagon he carries, frightening women and children and narrowly escaping inflicting serious injury to life and property ...

—The last rail on the railroad connecting the Columbia River with California was laid Tuesday, Dec. 13.

Note: In 1870, Central Pacific Railroad acquired the California & Oregon Railroad, which had built north from Marysville, California, and over the Siskiyou Mountain Range to connect with the Oregon & California Railroad at Ashland in 1887. Southern Pacific then acquired the Oregon & California Railroad and extended the system north to Portland.

—Active work on the Fort Stevens jetty has ceased. If the barges are depended on to furnish stone for that work it will be 2011 before the work is completed.

Note: According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District, South Jetty construction began in 1885, but wasn't completed until 1895. It is 6.6 miles long.

—The happiest face we saw yesterday was that of a boy with a great big, nice, purple, rubber squeak balloon. He didn't care whether flour was 10 cents an ounce or 10 cents a ton ...

—... The verdict is unanimous that Electric Bitters do cure diseases of the liver, kidneys or blood. Only a half dollar a bottle (about $16 now) at W. E. Dement & Co.'s Drug Store.

Note: The "feel better" component was 18% alcohol. It was recommended to take from "one to three tablespoonsful, three times a day, before or after meals, according to age and constitution of the patient ..."

—Three runaway horses, two dog fights and a knockdown yesterday, and still some folks complained that there was no fun.