Tidbits from the April 8, 1884 edition of The Daily Morning Astorian:

• The question of proper sewerage is fast becoming an important one in this city. Built as the city is partly over tide water, there should be very little trouble in this respect, but we are likely to be disastrously reminded of remissness this summer, unless proper means are soon furnished to dispose of waste and garbage. A removal of the planks in many of our streets will ventilate sights and smells that are worthy of the worst slums in New York or Philadelphia. 

Note: While there are still some sewer lines dating back to the late 1800s, there are now 72 miles of sewage pipe, nine pump stations, and 1546 manholes needed to clean and inspect the  system. 

• Silk hats seem to be “all the go.”

Note: According to Vintage Dancer, bonnets of that era were wide, with ribbons, feathers, beads and flowers as trim. By 1888, Woman’s World noted that “fashionable hats all resemble walking gardens.” (Incidentally, D.D. Palmer didn’t open the first chiropractic office until 1895.)

• Major Rodgers at Fort Canby objects to any more families settling on the military reservation there.

Note: Established in 1863, Fort Disappointment, near Cape Disappointment, was activated during the Civil War on April 15, 1864. It was renamed Fort Canby by the War Department in 1875 after Gen. Edward R.S. Canby, who was killed in 1873 during the Modoc Indian War. World War II ended in 1945, and the fort was deactivated on March 28, 1947.

• An unsuccessful attempt was made last Sunday night to burglarize the store of Wm. Loeb & Co., but the thieves, though they gained entrance through a window in the rear, were unable to find anything of sufficient value to be missed.