Princeton by the Sea

Thank you John Vonderlin for sending this…(email John: benloudman@sbcglobal.net)

From “United States Tsunamis”

1946, April 1, 12:29. A magnitude 7.8 earthquake in the Aleutian Islands generated a 30-m tsunami on Unimak Island that destroyed Scotch Cap Lighthouse. In California the tsunami caused a rise above normal tides of, 2.6 m at Half Moon Bay, 2.6 m at Bolinas, 2.4 m at Arena Cove, 1.5 m at Morro Bay, 1.5 m at Santa Cruz, 1.4 m at Noyo, 1.3 m at San Luis Obispo, and 1.2-m rise at Avila.

The Santa Cruz Sentinel reports confirm the unusual heights at Santa Cruz, and at Half Moon Bay, California. At Charleston, Oregon, near Coos Bay, 3 meter waves were observed, and 1.8 m. waves were observed at Clatsop Spit, Oregon, at the mouth of the Columbia River. The wave was 1.5 m at Newport and 1.0 m (range) at Siuslaw River. Other localities reported runups of less than 1.0 m.

At Noyo River, California, 100 fishing boats were thrown 1.8 m up bank. At Half Moon Bay where $1,000 in damage occurred waves swept into the unoccupied Coast Guard barracks loosening the building from its foundation. A house was flooded to the window sills. At nearby Princeton huge boulders weighing up to 70 kilograms were washed as far as high highway and some residences were flooded. Water was about 1 m deep on the road. A shack had a wall cave in, and it was moved 0.6 m from its foundation.

Also, at nearby Granada a 10 m boat was washed onto the highway….”

Tuesday, April 2, 1946

From the San Mateo Times:

“Princeton. April 2–Coastside residents today were taking the cycle of total waves in stride. Consensus of opinion was that there was nothing they could do about it, individually or collectively. After reading newspaper accounts and hearing radio reports of what happened in the Hawaiian Islands and elsewhere, local residents took the viewpoint that they were lucky with no lives lost and comparatively small property loss.

“Fearful that a high tide at midnight last night might result in more damage, a number of persons gathered at the Nerli restaurant to keep a midnight watch on the tide. Shortly after midnight, the restaurant closed and all departed.

“Several telephone calls were received at the coast guard station asking if a special watch were being kept and if a warning could be issued. Advised that Twelfth naval district orders had put the coast guard complement on the alert over night the persons, thus assured, apparently went to bed.

(more…)

1945: From the Half Moon Bay Review

“Plans for a new fish cannery at Princeton-by-the-Sea, to be built by Princeton Packers a firm of which A.M. Patrick of Berkeley is general manager, were disclosed Friday following the first hearing before the county planning commission of a petition to have the site changed to a heavy commercial classification.

“The firm, which has already purchased the wharf opposite Patroni House and four acres of adjoining property, would erect a large steel-frame packing house and would be engaged largely in filling army-navy orders, it was learned. It would employ several hundred persons, and in the off-fishing season would engage in vegetable canning.

“The Romeo Fish Co. recently was granted permission to build a fish cannery at Princeton, and although the firm built a wharf, it has not as yet built a cannery there.”

 

For many Coastsiders— Princeton-by-the-Sea— lives on in a special cove in the mind—a space carefully protected from invasions of the ordinary.

In today’s world where new American cities and towns are designed in advance, all identical, with no surprises, no serendipity, Princeton-by-the-Sea has been the antithesis of suburbia and that’s why we love it.

Ordinary has never applied to Princeton-by-the-Sea.

There were times when Princeton reminded me of my disorganized closet or messy garage–I’m referring to the streets named for famous Ivy League universities, lined with endearing homemade architecture– interspersed with hundreds of crab traps and decaying fishing boats.

When I crossed Highway 1 (from suburbia on the east side), I happily walked westward into another dimension—it was a great place for a kid to grow up, the oldtimers told me. Example: In the 1940s if you needed a stick of furniture, Mr. Patroni, the owner of a local hotel, said, “You can borrow a chest of drawers from my roadhouse.�

“Princeton-by-the-Seaâ€? is a place, unlike most places, that has been known by many other colorful names: Whalers Cove, Patroni’s, Small Cannery Row, Ida’s, Hazel’s, the Drag Strip, the Abalone Factory, the Point Beyond, and more recently, Mavericks and the Golf Ball.

Oh, yes and a name that didn’t stick was “the Polynesian Village.�

Some of the Half Moon Bay kids raced their cars up the hill to Pillar Point before the radar station appeared, laughing as their tires kicked up clods of dirt, feeling a rush of adrenaline up there, high above the Pacific.

Every so often, the owner of Pillar Point would drive down from San Francisco to check on his property [yes, there was an owner, reportedly a descendant of a ranchero]– and upon spotting the juvenile trespassers, wagged his finger and chased them away.

A couple of generations later, the Coastside’s teenagers ventured out to what they called “Beyond the Point,� where, during the winter months, they stood, mesmerized by the crazy surf and the wall of 60 foot waves…..

Treasured snapshots and the “Princeton-by-the-Sea” in my mind.

I have derived immeasurable pleasure from funky Princeton-by-the-Sea, and now it’s payback time–and the only way I know how….my book: “Princeton-by-the-Sea, published by Arcadia, will be available in the bookstores for Christmas (and there will be a booksigning at Bay Book on Friday, December 14 at 7 pm) I hope you will enjoy the book.

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’….”

“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..

(photo courtesy Jerry Koontz)