THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016
COMMUNITY
1B
AROUND TOWN
ROCK YOUR WORLD
TERRIBLE TILLY TALES
rom The Daily Morning Astorian, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 1890:
• A Local Pugilist Severely Punishes a “Deserter”: A little
unpleasantness occurred in a saloon in Lowertown about 10 o’clock
last night, in which a sailor whose name is unknown was badly
beaten by Wm. Scott, otherwise known as Scotty, the pugilist.
The sailor, it appears, arrived here recently on a deep water
vessel and put up at one of the sailor boarding houses where he
was given carte blanche, had the run of the bar room, and in other
ways life was made pleasant to him from a sailor’s standpoint, the
understanding on the part of the boarding house keeper being that
the tar would stay with him until he could be shipped.
The sailor, however, after a few days of riotous living, con-
cluded he did not want to go to sea any more, and leaving the
boarding house, went to work for a contractor.
Last night he came into town, and in his rounds met Scotty.
The latter took him to task for “deserting,” and as (the sailor)
vouchsafed no explanation, nor showed any disposition to pay
his bill, Scotty did him up in the most approved Sullivanistic style
(named after famed American boxer John L. Sullivan). It took a
physician half an hour to dress the man’s bruised face. No arrests.
• It will be but a short time before Astoria can boast of having
a system of incandescent lights, for work is to be commenced at
once running the wires and putting in the lights.
• One of the windows in car No. 1 of the city railroad was bro-
ken yesterday afternoon by Wherry & Company’s famous gray
horse, poking his nose through it, at the corner of Third and Cass
streets. The horse was uninjured.
F
NEW FLAVOR LIFESAVER
his may be the cleverest lifesaving device, ever. MyBoats-
Gear.com reports that the USafe lifering, made by Portug-
ese company Noras Performance — known for making Seadoo
motors — has two jets to propel it through the water to a person
in distress, who can then grab on to it and be towed back to safety
(www.myboatsgear.com/usafe-lifering).
The horseshoe-shaped ring, run by remote control, leaps over
waves, and nothing seems to deter it while on a rescue mission.
Screen shots from the website www.norasperformance.com are
shown.
There’s no word yet on when or where the innovative lifering
will be available, though. All the company will say at this point is
that it’s “coming soon.”
T
ere’s a quirky little way to amuse yourself while you’re out and
about: Finding Astoria Rocks. No, not the music kind of rock.
Real rocks.
Mindy Bizell and her children paint rocks and hide them all over
Astoria where people can easily ind them. “You can keep them,
or re-hide, and please, make your own and hide them, too!” she
explained. Their house rule: Find as many rocks as you like, but only
take two to keep. Re-hide the rest.
Can anyone play? “The more the merrier!” she declared. Want
to make some Astoria Rocks? Simply paint some small rocks with
acrylics and write “Astoria Rocks” on the bottom in permanent
marker. Then cover the rocks with shellac to protect them from the
rain, and go hide them somewhere in town.
Naturally, there is a Facebook group for Astoria Rocks fans.
You’ll ind it at (http://tinyurl.com/AstoriaRocks).
There’s only one caveat, Mindy warns: “Only hide in public
spaces, and do not hide in state or federal parks — they frown upon it.”
H
nother blast from the past, a story about Oregon’s
most intriguing lighthouse, Tillamook Rock, from Fri-
day, May 3, 2013:
Ever wondered what it was like to live in the Tillamook
Lighthouse when it was still operational? Thanks to Jim
Furnish, who invited the Ear to lunch with Lon Haynes
, a former lighthouse keeper on “Terrible Tilly” (pictured,
lower left), the Ear had a chance to ind out irsthand. Lon
and his wife, Lavina, are pictured, upper left.
Coast Guardsman Lon was 18 or 19 when he was
offered the post, and was taken aback when he realized it
was on top of a rocky island. He had to get up to the light-
house by breeches buoy, i.e. put on rubber pants attached
to a line dangling from a boom attached to the island that
jutted out over the boat. Then Oswald Allik, the last civil-
ian lightkeeper, would swing the boom to hoist the hapless
visitor onto “The Rock.”
Oswald got a bit slower as he got older. “One time I
went into water with a cigarette in my mouth, hat on my
head and a dufle bag, with Oswald on the boom,” Lon
recalled, “and that’s the way I came out.”
Pictured right, from left, Oswald, Alan Richards and
Lon, in a photo taken in front of the lighthouse.
Lon was stationed there for six weeks on and three
weeks off for 20 months. “During storms, the waves
came,” he said. “You’d hear a thump, count to four or ive,
then you would see the green water. Every third one or so
came over the lighthouse.”
Sometimes the waves would even pick up rocks from
below and hurl them through the light tower. Even so, Lon
admitted that he’d go out for a quick look between waves,
not even thinking of the danger.
Two of the highlights of his stay were the attic full of
magazines to peruse (dating from the 1800s through World
War II), and having a cozy private room with 3-foot thick
walls that kept out the sound of the foghorn.
Lon’s detailed account of daily life on Terrible Tilly
(with photos) can be found at http://tinyurl.com/tillyrock.
The lighthouse is now both dark and silent, but fortunately,
Lon’s memories help keep its history alive.
A
SOS
THE YEAR OF THE DEER
DID YOU SEE IT?
he Ear has heard of many UFO sightings over the years, but
nothing lately. Time for an update.
An unusual daytime sighting of an Unindentiied Aerial Phe-
nomena (UAP) over Portland was reported to Latest UFO Sight-
ings (LUFOS) recently: “A group of people and I witnessed several
objects while at Oaks Amusement Park on Aug. 20, 2016, around
1 p.m. At irst glance we igured they were balloons, however we
noticed they were spiraling in a continuous circle, disappearing and
then reappearing, (and) this was during a 100 degree day with very
little wind … We were all very puzzled were trying different expla-
nations for what it was.”
You can try to guess for yourself what it was by looking at a ilm
that was taken of the event at http://tinyurl.com/ufopark
Then the Ear checked out the Mutual UFO Network’s (MUFON)
UFO Stalker site (www.ufostalker.com) to see what’s new. Just enter
a zip code or city name, and see what happens. A screen shot of the
map is shown.
On June 11, in Vernonia: “We live very rural, a low lying bright
white object making NO SOUND lew over our property. It was too
low to be ISS (International Space Station) or a satellite. We have
never observed anything like it before.”
On June 4, in Seaside: “Bright light, my amber/red tracking west
to east, then light slowly went out.”
Over the last several years, there have been 10 UFO sightings
reported in the Seaside/Cannon Beach/Gearhart areas, two in
Warrenton, ive in Astoria, four on the Long Beach (Washing-
ton) Peninsula, and one “Entity Encounter” in Clatskanie … well,
you get the drift.
So keep your eyes open — you might just see one, too.
T
IT’S IN THE STARS
aritime history buffs got their hopes up when Crys-
tal Cruises announced their desire to purchase the
grand old 1950s-era ocean cruise liner SS United States
from its conservancy, and put her back in service — pend-
ing a feasibility study. Crystal Cruises’ illustration of the
ship is shown.
Well, the study is back and sadly, the dream is crushed,
gCaptain
reports
(http://tinyurl.com/SSUSreborn).
“Regrettably, the technical feasibility study concluded that
while the ship is remarkably intact and structurally sound,
modifying the ship for today’s standards for oceangoing
service (SOLAS) would require signiicant changes to the
hull that would pose stability challenges,” a press release
said.
So, Crystal won’t buy the ship, but instead will donate
$350,000 to help the conservancy’s ongoing efforts to save
it from being scrapped. Since going back to sea isn’t possi-
ble, the conservancy now hopes to be able to ind the ship a
permanent home and turn her into a waterfront “mixed-use
development and museum.” Fingers crossed.
M
n albino fawn has been seen wandering around in Rock-
away Beach, and is pictured in a photo courtesy of Julie
Overstreet, a U.S. Postal worker who lives there, according to
a recent story in The Oregonian (http://tinyurl.com/fawnblanc).
A USA Today story says albino fawns happen once in every
20,000 births, according to a Wisconsin naturalist, but some biol-
ogists disagree, and say it’s more like once in every 100,000
(http://tinyurl.com/fawnblanc1). It’s enough of a rarity that it’s
illegal to kill them in several states, including Illinois, Iowa, por-
tions of Montana, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
Yet strangely enough, in scanning Google news recently
searching for “albino deer,” the Ear found stories from four dif-
ferent states. This must be a banner year for albino deer.
A
ere’s a goodie for anyone interested in sailing (or even for arm-
chair sailors): A 12-part video series on YouTube, “Getting
Started in Celestial Navigation,” designed to “enhance under-
standing of the art of celestial navigation, from basic to advanced
concepts” (http://tinyurl.com/celesnav). The series is produced and
presented by Christopher D. Nolan, whose credentials being a mer-
chant mariner and also a U.S. Coast Guard cutterman for 8 years.
Each how-to video also has extensive notes to expand your grasp
of the topic, including links to information like instructions on how
to make your own simple sextant out of a CD and its case, and where
to download the full edition of “American Practical Navigator” (all
37 chapters). It probably wouldn’t hurt to check out The Nautical
Almanac (www.thenauticalalmanac.com) while you’re at it, either.
No musty old classroom for this course — Nolan lectures from
on board a boat. If zenith declinations send you into a tailspin, just
check out the scenery.
H
COMMUNITY NOTES
SATURDAY
Angora Hiking Club — 9 a.m.,
Sixth Street parking lot, or 10 a.m.
at trail head. Black Lake hike. For
information, call Roger Westerman
at 213-448-9441.
Regatta Fireworks Cleanup —
10 a.m., East End Mooring Basin
breakwater. Volunteers needed to
help clean up the ireworks pit. Goal
is to pick up debris and then shovel
the sand back into place so that it
can be covered with a tarp and se-
cured.
Hammond. Group runs trains on
HO-scale layout. For information,
call Don Carter at 503-325-0757.
Broadway. For information, call
503-738-5111. No cost; suggested
$5 tip to the instructor.
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://astoriaiberarts.com
Chair Exercises for Seniors
— 9 to 9:45 a.m., Astoria Senior
Center, 1111 Exchange St. For in-
formation, call 503-325-3231.
SUNDAY
Sit and Stitch Group — 11
a.m. to 1 p.m., Custom Threads,
1282 Commercial St. Knitting, cro-
cheting and needle work. For infor-
mation, call 503-325-7780.
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
Columbia Northwestern Mod-
el Railroading Club — 1 p.m., in
Line Dancing — 5:30 to 8 p.m.,
Seaside American Legion, 1315
MONDAY
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.
Senior Lunch — 11:30 a.m.,
Bob Chisholm Senior Center, 1225
Avenue A, Seaside. Suggested do-
nation $3 for those older than 60;
$6.75 for those younger than 60.
For information, call Michelle Lew-
is at 503-861-4200.
Columbia Senior Diners —
11:30 a.m., 1111 Exchange St. Cost
is $6. For information, or to have a
meal delivered, call 503-325-9693.
Warrenton Senior Lunch Pro-
gram — noon, Warrenton Commu-
nity Center, 170 S.W. Third St. Sug-
gested donation of $5 for seniors
and $7 for those younger than 60.
For information, or to volunteer, call
503-861-3502 Monday or Thursday.
Astoria Rotary Club — noon,
second loor of the Astoria Elks
Lodge, 453 11th St. Guests always
welcome. For information, go to
www.AstoriaRotary.org
Knochlers Pinochle Group —
1 p.m., Bob Chisholm Community
Center, 1225 Avenue A, Seaside.
Cost is $1 per regular session per
person. Players with highest and
second highest scores split the
prize. Game is designed for play-
ers 55 and older, but all ages are
welcome.
Mahjong for Experienced
Players — 1 p.m., Astoria Senior
Center, 1111 Exchange St. For in-
formation, call 503-325-3231.
Line Dancing for Seniors — 3
to 4:30 p.m., Astoria Senior Center,
1111 Exchange St. Not for begin-
ners. For information, call 503-325-
3231.
Astoria Toastmasters — 6:30
p.m., Hotel Elliot conference room,
357 12th St. Visitors welcome. For
information, go to www.toastmas-
ters.org or call Christa Svensen at
206-790-2869.
TUESDAY
Do Nothing Club — 10 a.m.
to noon, 24002 U St., Ocean Park,
Wash. Men’s group. For informa-
tion, call Jack McBride at 360-665-
2721.
Senior Lunch — 11:30 a.m.,
Bob Chisholm Senior Center,
1225 Avenue A, Seaside. Sug-
gested donation of $3 for those
older than 60; $6.75 for those
younger than 60. For information,
call Michelle Lewis at 503-861-
4200.
Columbia Senior Diners —
11:30 a.m., 1111 Exchange St.
The cost is $6. For information, or
to have a meal delivered, call 503-
325-9693.
See NOTES, Page 2B