THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 2016
COMMUNITY
1B
CHEERS TO NEW BEGINNINGS
WAYWARD SQUID
NEWSY NOTES
M
A
storian Bob Bohnke came in with a tip about a good deed:
Ronnál Hough got the word out that she would give free
haircuts to the homeless from noon to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec.
29, at Aura Salon on 11th Street.
“... I was told these guys were going on an important job in-
terview,” Ronnál wrote on the salon’s Facebook page. “Every-
one needs a fresh haircut for a new job! So I called Liz Tisdale
for some help and we went to work! These guys are absolutely
amazing people, each and every one, with his own unique story.
If you see them around town, say hi, shake their hand, give them
a hug, whatever you feel compelled to do.”
Ronnál ¿gures she gave at least 22 haircuts, and thought
there might have been 33 all together. “It was the most fabulous
day!” she exclaimed. And it was also one her last days at that
location, as she and Aura Salon are moving to 2 3aci¿c Drive
in Hammond.
Ronnál is pictured, with some of her newly groomed visi-
tors. “They are truly nice guys,” she added. “I feel blessed to
have gotten to spend this day with them, and to be a part of their
new journey. Cheers to new beginnings and friendships!”
THE MEGA-SHIPS ARE COMING
G
argantuan mega-ships are normally used for the Asia to
Northern Europe trade routes, but gCaptain reports that on
Dec. 26, the largest containership ever to visit North America
arrived at the Port of Los Angeles from China (http://tinyurl.
com/megateu).
At 18,000 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent) containers and just
over 1,300 feet long, the MV Benjamin Franklin is owned by
France’s CMA CGM Group. According to CruiseShipPosition.
com, it is one of the 10 largest containerships in the world. The
vessel, which is pictured courtesy of the Port of Los Angeles,
has an optimized hull, and produces 10 percent less carbon di-
oxide emissions than older cargo ships.
“While some have said the arrival of the Benjamin Franklin
marks a “new era of mega-ships calling at U.S. ports,” gCaptain
speculates, “others view the arrival as mostly symbolic, meant
as a trial run to test West Coast port infrastructure before more
Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCVs) can follow suit.”
Can you imagine one of these coming up the Columbia River?
BOWING OUT
W
hile we’re on the subject of ships: Also in the news re-
cently is Japan’s new 447-foot-long 540 TEU container
ship, Imoto Lines’ Natori, built by Kyokuyo Shipyard Corp.,
and pictured courtesy of a screen shot from In the Port (http://
tinyurl.com/circbow).
The odd-looking vessel has an innovative design with an in-
tegrated bridge (for better visibility and crew comfort) set into a
semi-spherical bow. Designed for optimal ef¿ciency both under
way and while being loaded, the shipyard says the rounded bow
saves “5 percent fuel consumption under average sea conditions
by reducing wind pressure by 30 percent, compared with con-
ventional hull shapes.”
No, you won’t see the Natori around this neck of the woods
anytime soon — her service area is in Japan.
A
few newsy tidbits from Jim Ray, board president at the
Astoria Rescue Mission:
Impressive: “Teenager Emily Saari produced and per-
formed a fundraiser concert last Sunday in her Rosberg,
Washington, home church, resulting in donations of $2,300
for the Astoria Rescue Mission.”
Honest to goodness: “A donor deposited a large bag of
clothing and personal effects at the Astoria Rescue Wom-
en’s Mission (House of Hope) last week. A resident of the
mission began sorting through the contents and discovered
numerous envelopes – some with drawings and some anno-
tated ‘sofa’ and ‘motorcycle,’ etc. Each envelope contained
cash — totaling hundreds of dollars. She immediately alert-
ed the director, who took possession of it all.
“By searching through everything, it was determined that
a man was disposing of his deceased sister’s belongings. He
was contacted and claimed the money — profusely thanking
the mission for having such honest residents living on site.”
Hero in our midst: “You may have heard of the man
who was rescued from a burning car last week (on U.S.
Highway 26). The hero was Chris Linderman, a resident
of the mission who was being driven to a Veterans Adminis-
tration Hospital appointment by a volunteer from Warrenton
Christian Church.
“The man’s hair was even on ¿re! Chris quickly cut the
victim’s seat belt and pulled him from the burning vehicle.”
Jim told the Ear that later a lady, who turned out to be the
VA van driver’s wife, drove to the mission and wanted to
meet Chris. “She grabbed him, and hugged him and thanked
him for his bravery,” Jim recalled. He probably deserves a
medal, as well.
NEW DISCOVERY IN OLD DETROIT
arine biology buffs might be interested to note that a giant
squid was spotted in Toyama Bay in Central Japan, where
it hung around for several hours on Christmas Eve, CNN reports
(http://tinyurl.com/toyasquid).
Caught on video by a submersible camera, the squid appears to
be having a ¿ne old time. A still shot is shown, courtesy of Diving
Shop Kaiyu and CNN. Intrigued, the shop owner, Akinobu Kimu-
ra, swam along with the critter. “My curiosity was way bigger than
fear,” he told CNN, “so I jumped into the water and got close to it.”
The wayward squid might be a juvenile, since it’s only about 12
feet long. Adults are thought to grow to lengths of more than 40 feet.
Why this one left its usual habitat in the briny deep to go schmoozing
in the bay is anyone’s guess.
“This squid was not damaged and looked lively, spurting ink
and trying to entangle his tentacles around me,” Kimura recalled. “I
guided the squid toward to the ocean, several hundred meters from
the area it was found in, and it disappeared into the deep sea.”
ALL BOTTLED UP
A
group of friends who have known each other for 40 years got an
early Christmas present recently, according to a story on King
5 (http://tinyurl.com/notewport).
In 1999, when the friends were on their annual trip to the beach
at Westport, Washington, JoJo Lynch found a bottle. Just for the
fun of it, they decided to write messages on post-it notes, along with
their names and addresses). Even some of their children, who now
have children of their own, wrote notes. All of the pieces of paper
were stuffed into the bottle, which was sent back out to sea.
Just before Christmas, group member Bob Huffman found a sur-
prise in his mailbox — the notes were returned, postmarked Manila,
Philippines, which is more than 6,500 miles away. Naturally, the friends
gathered to enjoy the remarkable arrival, and some are pictured, courtesy
of King 5, with the returned notes. Inset, an old photo of the group.
“I can’t believe it actually made it there,” Lynch said. “I ¿gured it
ended up in that big garbage patch in the Paci¿c.”
“I thought it would’ve ended up back on a beach in Oregon or
something,” added Huffman.
The group has not been back to that beach in Westport for years,
but now they’re thinking about reconvening there next summer. And
maybe launching another bottle.
A CELEBRATED DAY
O
regon history buffs should take note that last summer’s
drought had an interesting side effect on Detroit Lake,
about 50 miles southeast of Salem, KARE11 reports (http://
tinyurl.com/olddetroit). At its lowest levels since 1946 (143
feet below capacity), remnants of the city of Old Detroit — a
200-person town that was abandoned and Àooded to make
a lake when the Detroit Dam was ¿nished in 1953 — were
discovered in the lake bed.
Marion County Sheriff’s Deputy Dave Zahn took the
photo shown of an old wagon, believed to be about 130 years
old. “I went on a treasure hunt down along the river, ¿guring
I’d ¿nd foundations or something like that,” he said. “Then I
saw a piece of old history right there.” He also discovered a
cement-lined octagonal pit, but so far, no one’s been able to
identify what it was used for.
Old Detroit started as a logging/railroad construction
camp in 1880, with hopes the railway going through the town
would one day join the transcontinental railroad. But it was
not to be, and the town wound up being the end of the line.
Before the city was Àooded, lumber magnate Andrew B.
Hammond (yes, the town of Hammond is named after him)
developed one of his old logging camps into a new town, and
sold lots. Several Old Detroit residents moved their homes
there, and the rest moved elsewhere, “hoping to cash in on
the expected tourism boom” the new lake would bring, local
historian Bob Reinhardt wrote.
Zahn took the photos of the exposed lake bed in October,
but kept them secret until rain raised the water level and the
wagon was re-submerged. “I was worried about vandalism
or people coming out to try and take a part of it,” Zahn said.
After the late fall rains, now the lake is 80 feet deep, and its
history is once again hidden.
L
ast week, excerpts from journals depicted how Meriweth-
er Lewis, William Clark and the Corps of Discovery spent
Christmas Day 1805 at Fort Clatsop (pictured). So how did they
spend New Year’s Day 1806?
From Clark’s journal (http://tinyurl.com/lcnewyear): “This
morning I was awoke at an early hour by the discharge of a volley
of small arms, which were ¿red by our party in front of our quarters
to usher in the new year; this was the only mark of rispect which we
had it in our power to pay this celebrated day.
“Our repast of this day, tho’ better than that of Christmass (spoiled
elk and spoiled ¿sh), consisted principally in the anticipation of the
¿rst day of January 1807, when in the bosom of our friends we hope
to participate in the mirth and hilarity of the day, and when the zest
given by the recollection of the present, we shall completely, both
mentally and corporally, enjoy the repast which the hand of civiliza-
tion has prepared for us.
“At present we were content with eating our boiled elk and wap-
petoe (arrowhead root), and solacing our thirst with our only bever-
age, pure water.”
Happy New Year!