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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017
CONTACT US
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IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON
‘BACK INTO OBLIVION’
arine biology buffs take note: A Washington Post story
reports that an extremely rare harbor porpoise, born with
two heads, turned up as bycatch in some Dutch fishermen’s net
in the North Sea on May 30 (http://tinyurl.com/two-porp1).
Unfortunately, the 2-foot long cojoined baby was already
dead. Even more unfortunately, the fishermen tossed it back over-
board, fearing it was illegal to keep. One of them did, however,
document the find with four photos. One of his images is shown,
courtesy of Erwin Kompanje, curator of mammals at the Natu-
ral History Museum in Rotterdam.
After studying the photos, Kompanje thinks the porpoise was
a male who was born alive, but died shortly thereafter. It’s spec-
ulated that having two brains made the newborn’s life compli-
cated, with each brain giving the body different directions, and
the porpoise probably drowned. Or, perhaps one heart wasn’t
strong enough to pump enough blood for two heads. You can read
the whole report at http://tinyurl.com/two-porp2.
The find is so rare, Kompanje told the Washington Post it was
a once-in-a-lifetime find, and the disappointment of having the
actual specimen being tossed “back into oblivion” is overwhelm-
ing. “For a cetologist,” he said, “this a real horror.”
M
EWWWW
LUCKY FIND
.S. Coast Guard history fans must have been rejoicing
recently when the wreck of the San Francisco-based
Cutter McCulloch was finally discovered (http://tinyurl.
com/uscgcMc). Launched in 1896, she sank June 13, 1917.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard History Program
(http://tinyurl.com/uscgcMc1), at 219 feet long, with a
wood-sheathed steel hull, McCullogh was the largest cut-
ter built to date at a cost of $196,500 (about $5.4 million
now). She is pictured, courtesy of the Coast Guard Acad-
emy Museum Art Collection.
Built in Philadelphia, and originally cruising for the
Revenue Cutter Service, the McCulloch was also the first
cutter to sail through the Suez Canal while on her way to
her first station in San Francisco. Then when the Span-
ish-American War was about to begin, she was off to Sin-
gapore to protect U.S. interests in the Far East, and distin-
guished herself in the Battle of Manila Bay.
The McCullogh was back in San Francisco in 1899,
patrolling the West Coast again, then in 1906 she was off to
Alaska’s remote Pribilof Islands, in the Bering Sea Patrol,
to enforce seal regulations and act as a floating court room
for the local villages.
With the outbreak of World War I in 1917, the cut-
ter was transferred to the Navy, again patrolling the West
Coast, and it was during this posting that she collided with
the Pacific Steamship Company’s steamer Governor in a
heavy fog (it was the steamer’s fault), and sank in 35 min-
utes off the coast of Southern California. You can see what
remains at http://tinyurl.com/uscgcMc2
The historic wreck was a lucky find. ABC reports that
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and
the Coast Guard discovered it by accident last fall, during a
remotely operated vehicle (ROV) training mission.
U
PUT A SOCK ON IT. PLEASE.
ere we go with the bizarre headline of the week, courtesy
of the Alaska Dispatch News (http://tinyurl.com/toetail):
“Human toe served in Dawson City’s famous Sourtoe cock-
tail is stolen” — proving once again that Portland ain’t the only
Pacific Northwest city that’s “keeping it weird.”
Yes, this is a real story. Someone actually did swipe the Down-
town Hotel Sourdough Saloon’s favorite cocktail toe, and no, that
is not a misprint. Terry Lee, the bar’s “toe master,” pampers the
bar’s donated mummified human toes (as in more than one). He
soaks them in rock salt all day, then when someone orders the
bar’s signature Sourtoe Cocktail, he plops one in for flavor. Or as
a garnish. Or whatever.
Last weekend a man ordered one of the toetally gruesome
concoctions, and when the bartender turned her back, the cus-
tomer took off with the treasured appendage. The Royal Canadian
Mounted Police were summoned (Dawson City is near the bor-
der) to bring the toe-napper to justice, but have so far been unsuc-
cessful. They had no comment on the “ongoing investigation.”
The photo shown is from the flyer the hotel has plastered all
over town, which even offers a reward. “We have a name. We
have two witnesses,” Lee told ADN. “This guy is in deep trou-
ble.” And the search goes on.
H
STILL RUNNING
GHOST TOWN
t’s all in a good cause: Ocean Alliance’s Parley for the
Oceans and Intel have partnered to use drones, aka SnotBots,
to study whale mucus expelled from their blow holes, according
to a DigitalTrends report (http://tinyurl.com/sneezebot). As bil-
ious as it sounds, the specimens gathered by these custom-built
remote-controlled drones provides important biological data
about the whales, such as DNA and pregnancy hormones, with-
out tagging them or taking blood samples. The drone is pictured,
courtesy of Parley.
While the SnotBots are busy, a second group of drones takes
photos of the whales, and the data is streamed back to a ship,
where Intel-backed software analyzes it in real time. Scientists
are then able to match the whales with their SnotBot data. “For
lack of a better term, I’ll call it ‘facial recognition,’” Alyson Grif-
fin, vice president in Intel’s global marketing and communica-
tions group, told Digital Trends.
“Algorithms on the ship analyze the health of the water and
whales,” Griffin added, “including who’s related, whether there
are viruses, and what the acidity of the water is … (and scien-
tists) can be a safe distance away, where there’s no harm to the
whales.”
I
SCOTCH BROOM REBELLION
his is one of the more interesting petitions to come along,
boosting the oft-maligned and “it’s everywhere” plant, Scotch
broom. One Million Friends of Gearhart is petitioning to make
the plant the official flower of the city of Gearhart, “in recog-
nition of its years of serving as a robust sand stabilizer, as well as
providing for generations of our people a seasonal beautiful flam-
ing yellow and forest green presence to our beach front areas.”
“Our goal is to protect and preserve a fragile tiny corner of the
Oregon Coast in its most pristine state possible, in keeping with
over 100 years of Gearhart tradition,” an anonymous insider told
the Ear.
Agree? Go to http://tinyurl.com/dunebroom and show Gear-
hart’s Scotch broom some love.
T
… Just finishing running my first state, Washington, as I run
across the 50 states in memory of my mom and those locally in
need in each of the 50,” personal trainer and mother of two girls,
Susane M. Johnson Gillum, wrote.
She was in Astoria on Monday. This is a woman who seri-
ously loves to run — she ran across her native Canada in 2012.
You can follow her travels on the “A Journey Across Canada &
the 50 US States” Facebook page.
“(This week) I began running Oregon, (and) I’m running
down Highway 101 south to the California border, and then on to
Idaho,” Susane explained. “I have been running for local chari-
ties such as community food banks, and shelters for women, chil-
dren and families.… While in Oregon I will be running for Asto-
ria Rescue Mission of Hope, and as I proceed down the coast I
will be adding more charities.”
‘
rom the Monday, June 23, 1890 edition of The Daily
Morning Astorian: “The new store now being erected
at Frankfort (Washington) was used last Saturday eve-
ning for a dance, visitors being present from this city, from
Knappa and the surrounding country. At four o’clock yes-
terday morning, the steamer Eclipse came over here, bring-
ing home those who had come from Astoria.”
The town of Frankfort, accessible only by boat at the
time, was homesteaded in 1876 near Portuguese Point
(Knappton area) by promoters Frank Bourne and Frank
Scott, who platted it in 1890, according to Wikipedia, hop-
ing to create a resort town. A notation on GhostTowns.com
says the plat actually had 1,226 lots, along with streets and
alleys.
The main selling point — that the railroad was expected
to build a line that would pass right through the town —
was actually a rumor. Even so, with the money they made
selling lots, the entrepreneurs were able to build a hotel,
the general store mentioned in the newspaper snippet, and
a sawmill, which in turn, brought in more lot sales. They
even started a weekly newspaper, the Frankfort Chronicle,
in 1892. Believe it or not, microfiche copies of it are avail-
able at the University of Washington Library in Seattle.
Then a national financial meltdown occurred when
the Reading Railroad went into receivership, and caused
the Panic of 1893. Thousands of businesses were ruined,
and 4 million were left unemployed (http://tinyurl.
com/1893panic). The effects were felt for years, and
investors were scared — including those who might have
invested in Frankfort. The town started heading downhill,
and it didn’t help that the promised railroad never arrived.
The post office closed in 1918, and Frankfort struggled
along as a small logging town for some time. By 1960, the
town only had two residents. Now there are none, aside
from the occasional squatter. The Ear has heard, from a
few intrepid souls who have actually found the place (no
easy feat), that little remains of the houses that were once
there. Still very difficult to access, and not even remem-
bered by most, Frankfort has truly become a ghost town.
F
BON VOYAGE!
arlier this month, the Wildlife Center of the North Coast
began getting calls about Brown Pelicans turning up in odd
places — wandering around downtown Seaside, hanging out
at the Pelican Pub in Pacific City, and even following tourists
around on the beach and trying to eat their beach toys. One of the
pelicans is pictured, courtesy of the WCNC.
WCNC went out and rescued the birds, nursed them back to
health, and now they are ready to go back into the wild. You can
celebrate with them, and attend their release party Saturday in
Parking Lot D in Fort Stevens State Park.
There’s no need to RSVP, just be there. “Kennel doors will
open at 1:30 p.m.,” Josh Saranpaa, executive director of the
WCNC told the Ear, “so showing up a little bit early would
ensure people don’t miss it.”
If you have any questions, you can call Josh at 503-338-0331.
Better yet, if you’d like to support the center in its ongoing efforts
to help local wildlife, you can donate at www.coastwildlife.org
E
COMMUNITY NOTES
SATURDAY
Angora Hiking Club — 9 a.m.,
Sixth Street parking lot, or 10 a.m.
at trailhead. Phyllis Dubb Memorial
Saddle Mountain Flower Climb. For
information, call Michael Dubb at 503-
791-5325 or Kathleen Adams at 541-
261-3458.
Sit & Stitch — 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.,
Homespun Quilts & Yarn, 108 10th St.
Bring knitting, crochet or other nee-
dlework projects to this community
stitching time. All skill levels welcome.
Columbia Northwestern Model
Railroading Club — 1 p.m., in Ham-
mond. Group runs trains on HO-scale
layout. For information, call Don Car-
ter at 503-325-0757.
Spinning Circle — 1 to 3 p.m.,
Astoria Fiber Arts Academy, 1296
Duane St. Bring a spinning wheel.
For information, call 503-325-5598 or
go to http://astoriafiberarts.com
SUNDAY
National Alliance on Mental
Illness (NAMI) Support Group — 2
to 3:30 p.m., Seaside Public Library,
1131 Broadway. Family to Family
Support Group, for anyone with friend
or loved one suffering from a serious
brain (mental) illness. For information,
contact Myra Kero at 503-738-6165,
or k7erowood@q.com, or go to www.
nami.org
Military Officers Association
of America, Lower Columbia Riv-
er Chapter — 5 p.m., meeting and
dinner, Doogers Seafood & Grill,
103 U.S. Highway 101, Warrenton.
Guest speaker Mayor Henry Balen-
sifer of Warrenton, presentation on
managing change in Warrenton. All
U.S. Armed Forces officers, former,
retired, reserve, warrant officers
or U.S. Public Health Service and
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration welcome. Call retired
U.S. Coast Guard Capt. R. Stevens
for information at 503-861-9832.
Line Dancing — 5:30 to 8 p.m.,
Seaside American Legion, 1315
Broadway. For information, call 503-
738-5111. No cost; suggested $5 tip
to the instructor.
MONDAY
Chair Exercises for Seniors —
9 to 9:45 a.m., Astoria Senior Center,
1111 Exchange St. For information,
call 503-325-3231.
Scandinavian Workshop — 10
a.m., First Lutheran Church, 725 33rd
St. Needlework, hardanger, knitting,
crocheting, embroidery and quilting.
All are welcome. For information, call
503-325-1364 or 503-325-7960.
Mothers of Preschoolers — 10
to 11:30 a.m., Crossroads Commu-
nity Church, 40618 Old Highway 30,
Svensen. MOPS group is a time for
moms to relax and enjoy each others’
company. For information, call Tracy
Wilson at 727-514-1611.
Senior Lunch — 11:30 a.m.,
See NOTES, Page 2B