Princeton by the Sea

(Photo courtesy Jerry Koontz)

You can see the historic anchor from the “Rydal Hall” in the garden area fronting the Half Moon Bay Brewing Co. The old anchor was brought up by abalone diver Ernie Mangue.

From the “Alta,” 1876

“Intelligence reached us yesterday of the loss of the British ship, ‘Rydal Hall,’ at the whaling station near Spanishtown (Half Moon Bay). She went ashore on the 17th …late in the evening, and the latest news received states that she will be a total loss. Unfortunately, nine men were lost by the diaster, and at last accounts, the Captain was still on board. She was bound from Cardiff for this port [ed. San Francisco] with a load of coal and was a fine iron ship of over 1800 tons built at Liverpool in 1874, and was owned by the Sun Shipping Company of Liverpool, and she will be a heavy loss on the Underwriters, as she is fully insured.”

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“The crew of the wrecked ship ‘Rydal Hall’ arrived in town last evening, and in a conversation with the chief officer we gleaned the following facts: The ship was running along with a light breeze, and in a thick fog up to 7 p.m. on the 17th…, when she was hove to, the Captain thinking himself about twenty miles from the Farallones. At 8 p.m. she struck. The men who were lost were drowned in attempting to land in the gig and lifeboat. No fog whistle was heard until about four o’clock on the morning of the 18th. The men state this fact positively, and it is but a continuation of reports of the same kind that have often been made off this point in regard to this whistle, and it is about time that some attention was paid to it. The ship will be a total loss, as she is already breaking up.”

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“The wreck of the ‘Rydal Hall’ recently cast away on the Southern Caost, was sold in the Exchange yesterday; ship and cargo for $850, to Breeze & Loughran, for the divers, Loogee Brothers, who have already gone down to wreck her. If we have fine weather they will realize a good profit on their investment, by saving spars, sails, rigging, anchors, chains and provisions, etc.”

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“The ship ‘Rydal Hall’ went to pieces on the evening of the 25th, without a thing being done toward salvage. Some difficulty occurred between the purchasers and the men they calculated to employ as wreckers, which is the cause of nothing being saved. A large portion of the woodwork of the vessel drifted past the Cliff House on the afternoon of the 16th and went over on the North shore. Quite a lot of the cabin fittings were among the wreckage.”

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From the “Half Moon Bay Review,” 1960s

“In a budget request by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the U.S. Congress this week was asked to spent $1 million for improvements in the breakwater located on Half Moon Bay.

“Congressman J. Arthur Younger said that the appropriation follows a request for extension of the west arm of the breakwater as made by the U.S. engineers.

“The military engineers made their recommendation following a two-year study at Vicksburg, Miss. where a scale model of the local breakwater was built and tests made.

“The research activity was taken after 1962 when complaints were made by some fishermen and others that there was a “dangerous surge” in the harbor that battered vessels when they were moored to the new pier built with county funds by the San Mateo County harbor commission.

“Entrance to the new harbor, under the new plan, will be from the southeast, according to Congressman Younger. The channel will be 900 ft. wide at its opening and taper to 400 feet. The present width of the mouth of the breakwater is 600 feet…”

From the “Half Moon Bay Review,”1960s

“Expansion of the present missile tracking station on Pillar Point will be started soon, a reliable report said this week.

“At present the station is regarded as a key observation spot for tracking missiles on the Pacific area. Equipment can also be used for space ship tracking.

“Half Moon Bay is on the ‘great circle route’ between Camp Vandenberg in Southern California and the missile target area in the South Pacific.

“The locally operated equipment has been used to track long-range missiles fire from Vandenberg to an area near Ulithi and other points such as Eniwietok atoll in the South Pacific.

“Among the various types of missiles tracked by the local station is ‘Honest John’ which had a range of 8000 miles.

“The station located on the north end of Half Moon Bay was built in the summer of 1962 and became operational in Sept. Original equipment was built by Radio Corporation of America and civilian operators under U.S. Navy supervision operated the station at the start. The civilian employees were hired by Federal Electric.

“Improvements reported for the present local electronic equipment include two new “dish-type” antennas. One of the largest “dish-type” structures is the million-dollar radio telescope built on Stanford campus to track space ships.”

I wonder what the teeming koi would look like superimposed over a photo of the watery steps at the Vencie train station?

From the “Half Moon Bay Review,” 1957

“Mrs. Katherine F. Middleton, 96, prominent Coastside resident for nearly 40 years, died Sunday at her home in Princeton-by-the-Sea.

“Although she never held any official municipal posts, she was known throughout the county unofficially as the “mayor of Princeton.” A leader in many activities on the coast, she was in constant attendance at supervisor and planning commission meetings. Her main campaign was for the construction of the Pillar Point breakwater.

“No opportunity was overlooked by Mrs. Middleton to point out the benefits which would accrue by the construction of this breakwater and the creation of a harbor.

“Commemoration of her 94th birthday early in August, 1955, was a county wide event. Scores of Coastside residents and civic leaders from many parts of the county attended. Sheriff Earl Whitmore presented her with a mammoth birthday cake. Several of her children came from as far as Louisiana to attend this party.

“Despite her advanced years, Mrs. Middleton, a native of Kentucky, attended many social affairs and always left the message: ‘Build Pillar Point Breakwater and this Coast will grow beyond anyone’s imagination’….”

(Photo courtesy Mark Andermahr)

The Miramar Hotel (formerly the Palace Miramar) burned in the late 1960s. It was located at the southern end of present-day Mirada Road.

350 people met at the Miramar Hotel (formerly the Palace Miramar) to hear Colonel Freeman Tandy of the Army Corps of Engineers talk about plans for the Pillar Point breakwater, then estimated to cost $5 million. Speakers included Congressman Jack Anderson and Richard Nixon.

The Pillar Point project was to be one of 12 small harbors on the West Coast, providing safe mooring for 500 fishing boats “yielding an annual saving to commercial fishermen of $375,000,” said Col. Tandy. Another $82,000 in revenue would go to the country from recreational activities to be set up in the man-made harbor.

The bill for the harbor was introduced to congress in 1939, was twice vetoed during WWII but had finally become an approved government project. Congressman Jack Anderson of Salinas was the power behind the bill, calling the project “my baby and I’m going to see it built.”

Mervyn Rathborne, president of the Pillar Point Breakwater Association, charired the meeting, attended by more than 20 civic organizations.

(Construction of the harbor took another ten years)

“Other exotic hazards of skin-diving, the sport which has drawn an estimated million participants in the last decade were also on the agenda.

“Swimming at 100 feet, a diver may feel the first gentle tug that could carry him to his death. The effect is like one martini.

“From that point on, if he chooses to dive deeper, he may develop the effect of one more martini with each 25 feet in depth.

“This is the famed ‘rapture of the deep,’ which develops as heavy underwater pressure forces changes in the body’s ability to use effectively the air from a scuba self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.

“But panic can be equally destructive. If he is untrained–and for every trained diver five are untrained–he may tangle himself hopelessly in kelp.

“Virtually every diver in northern California interested in spear fishing or photography, said Lloyd Austin, diving control officer in the UC Berkeley, dives in kelp.”

…to be continued…

From the “Half Moon Bay Review,” 1960s.

“A steady increase in skin-diving activity on the San Mateo County coastside has been shown in a survey of the sport by the Review.

“Among the popular spots for the skin-divers are the Reef Point area near Moss Beach, the breakwater area in Half Moon Bay, San Gregorio area and Ano Nuevo not far from Pigeon Point lighthouse.

“Some of the skin-divers may be seen on almost any weekend with their diving apparatus. They usually dive in pairs or larger groups.

“A steady increase in the number of skin-divers has been observed in the last three years. A high proportion are college students. Some are professional men. One well known orthodontist of San Mateo has been skin-diving regularly on the coastside for several years. In San Mateo, a school exists for those who desire instruction in the activity.

“‘Rapture of the Deep’,” the weird underwater killer that can lure a man to his death while he feels only the sensation of being drunk, came in for serious discussion at a University of California meeting recently..

..to be continued..