The Colossal Graveyard at the Columbia
With seventy-five lives lost to the river's breakers this season alone, local reports condemn the lack of intervention to protect the fishermen.
Seven more fishermen were drowned in the breakers at the mouth of the river last week. This makes seventy-five lives known to have been lost since the fishing season commenced this year. The mouth of the Columbia is one colossal graveyard, and the saddest as well as the wickedest fact connected with this loss of life is that no steps are being taken to prevent an increase in an already criminally large list.
“The mouth of the Columbia is one colossal graveyard.”
The dangerous conditions at the mouth of the Columbia River have been a historic hazard for the fishing industry. This account highlights the persistent tension between the economic necessity of commercial fishing and the civic demand for safety regulations.
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