THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017
COMMUNITY
1B
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
TRUTH AND TRADITION
T
THE WRECK OF THE CARRIE B.
S
tacey McKenney stopped by to tell the Ear that an interest-
ing discovery was made by the new Astoria Library director,
Jimmy Pearson, in the basement of the library’s Flag Room: a
Purple Heart citation for Staff. Sgt. Everett J. Salvon. But who
was he?
Fortunately, the library has Astoria Budget newspaper archives
on microfiche, so Jimmy asked staff member Meghann Lynch to
do a little research, and this is what she found:
A native Astorian, and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jalmar H.
Salvon, he was born Sept. 20, 1923. In 1940, he graduated from
Astoria High School, where he was on the track team. His Ore-
gon National Guard unit was inducted into the Army (Company
L, 186th infantry, 41st Division) a few months after graduation,
and they served 26 months in combat areas in Australia and New
Guinea during World War II.
Unfortunately, he was killed in action on Biak Island on June
20, 1944. He was only 20 years old. “This is the fourth death and
the seventh casualty among the small contingent of local boys
remaining in Astoria’s former National Guard company, and all
have occurred in the bitter fighting on the little island off the coast
of Dutch New Guinea,” the July 10, 1944 Astoria Budget reports.
He was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously in August
1944, “for military merit and for wounds received.” Sadly, he was
an only child, and the family died out years ago, according to Mike
Phillips of Clatsop Post 12 American Legion, who was a neighbor.
Staff Sgt. Salvon’s body stayed on Biak Island until 1948, when
it was finally returned to Astoria. “I located his grave in Greenwood
Cemetery on Veteran’s Day last year,” Jimmy wrote. “His name is
also engraved on the bench outside of the Heritage Museum with
other members of his unit who gave their lives during World War
II.” Gone, but not forgotten.
REMAINS OF THE DAY
T
iffany Boothe of the Sea-
side Aquarium provided
an update on the whale skull
some beach walkers discov-
ered, which was mentioned in
last week’s column. Here’s the
deal:
A humpback whale carcass
washed ashore on Short Sands
Beach sometime in September.
The aquarium did a necropsy
just in time, as it washed back
out the next day, leaving only a kidney behind.
Apparently, it came back. “We have been tracking the decom-
position rate of this whale,” Tiffany said (her photo is shown),
“so I am sure this is the same skull.” Mystery solved.
W
hile browsing through The Daily Morning Asto-
rian, dated Wednesday, Jan. 27, 1886, the Ear came
across a notice: “At 1:30 to-morrow afternoon E. C. Holden
will sell at auction the wrecked (fishing) schooner Carrie B.
Lake, the hull, furniture and tackle, as she lies.”
The “Annual Report of the Operations of the U.S.
Life-saving Service” for that year revealed what happened.
The night of Jan. 3, 1886, the Carrie B., with a crew of five,
was waiting off the coast about 10 miles north of Cape Dis-
appointment to resume work the next day. Soon the weather
turned ugly, with a stiff gale, rain and fog (pictured, “Ship in
a Storm” by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1895).
Everyone was below deck having supper except the man
at the helm, who suddenly realized they were in shallow
water. He called below to warn the captain, but was ignored.
A few minutes later, the boat slammed into a shoal. A boat
was lowered, and all hands got in. They were only about 40
yards from the Carrie B. when the boat capsized, and the
captain, the mate and cook drowned in the breakers.
Crewman James Dunn, a strong swimmer, made it
back to the Carrie B. and climbed aboard. Seaman Rob-
ert Robenson clung to the bottom of the capsized boat and
made it to the beach. He was found by farmer E. B. Stone,
who dispatched his son on horseback to Cape Disappoint-
ment with news of the wreck.
A rescue team was summoned, and in the still-raging
storm, brought a medicine chest and gear up Baker’s Bay to
Ilwaco, Washington, where a treacherous mass of drift logs
made landing and unloading difficult. A horse-drawn wagon
hauled the men and gear up to the expected location of the
Carrie B. — but they soon realized they were a mile short
of their target.
After moving north, the intrepid rescue team could hear
Dunn’s cries for help from the wreck. Two brave souls
waded out into the water, narrowly missing being swept
away by the surf, and managed to bring the crewman back
to shore safely.
With only two survivors, the conclusion of the U.S.
Life-saving Service was terse: “Had the people remained by
their vessel, they would all have been saved.”
TERRIBLE TILLY,
READY FOR HER CLOSEUP
FISH FIGHT
hursday was the 317th
anniversary of the last time
the Cascadia Subduction Zone
slipped, causing a massive 9.0
earthquake and tidal wave. Dia-
rist James Swan (pictured),
the first school teacher at the
Makah Reservation at Neah
Bay, Washington, wrote down
what is believed to be a nar-
rative of the event — as told
by Native American Billy
Balch — in his July 12, 1864 diary entry (http://tinyurl.com/
Swan1864):
“… (He says that) the water flowed from Neah Bay through
the Waatch prairie, and Cape Flattery (on the Olympic Peninsula)
was an island. That the water receded and left Neah Bay dry for
four days and became very warm. It then rose again without any
swell or waves, and submerged the whole of the cape, and in fact
the whole country, except the mountains back of Clayoquot (on
the west coast of Vancouver Island).
“As the water rose, those who had canoes put their effects
into them and floated off with the current, which set strong to
the north. Some drifted one way and some another, and when
the waters again resumed their accustomed level, a portion of the
tribe found themselves beyond Noothu (Nookta, also on Vancou-
ver Island) where their descendants now reside and are known by
the same name as the Makah or Quinaitchechat.
“Many canoes came down in the trees and were destroyed and
numerous lives were lost. The same thing happened at Quillehu-
yte and a portion of that tribe went off either in canoes or by land
and found the Chimahcum tribe at Port Townsend.”
“There is no doubt in my mind,” Swan noted, “of the truth of
this tradition.”
HOLD THAT THOUGHT
W
hat if tsunamis could be weakened before they slam into
the coast? Phys.org reports that scientist Usama Kadri,
of Cardiff University’s School of Mathematics in Wales, thinks
if a way can be found to generate deep ocean acoustic-grav-
ity waves (AGWs), and fire them at an incoming tsunami, the
AGWs could interact with the wave to reduce its height and dissi-
pate its energy over a wide area. A photo of the devastating 2011
Japanese tsunami is shown, courtesy of www.sej.org.
However, Kadri’s idea would be a tricky business to accom-
plish. “In practice, generating the appropriate acoustic-grav-
ity waves introduces serious challenges due to the high energy
required for an effective interaction with a tsunami,” he noted.
“However, this study has provided proof-of-concept that dev-
astating tsunamis could be mitigated by using acoustic-gravity
waves to redistribute the huge amounts of energy stored within
the wave, potentially saving lives and billions of (dollars) worth
of damage.”
SMOOTH TRAWLING
F
irst ran Sept. 17, 2010: Devoted genealogist Robbie Wright
of Eugene found a story about Astoria in the Friday, July 5,
1889 Pittsburg Dispatch. “Since I am a life-long Oregonian who
grew up in a family that liked to fish, I felt compelled to pass this
along,” she wrote.
Here’s the story: “Astoria, Ore., July 4. — John Boldt, a fish-
erman who came here recently from Gloucester, Mass., and John
W. Lucas, a Canadian, quarreled over some salmon Tuesday. They
agreed to settle their dispute with bare knuckles under Queens-
berry rules.
“After fighting seven rounds, Lucas was knocked out by a
blow which broke his jaw. When he regained consciousness he
expressed his willingness to continue the contest with either pis-
tols or knives. Boldt preferred pistols, and they took positions 20
paces apart. Four shots were exchanged. One of the bullets lodged
in Boldt’s forearm, breaking the bone, and another in Lucas’ neck.
Lucas’ wound proved to be fatal, and Boldt has been arrested.”
So who wound up with the salmon after all that sturm und
drang — the sheriff?
O
ne of the most intriguing things on the North Coast is
Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, about a mile offshore
from Tillamook Head. Want a closeup look? Geist View
sent his Phantom 4Pro drone out to film Terrible Tilly
from every angle in 4K. The result is a stunning 21-min-
ute video you can watch (and pause) on his YouTube chan-
nel at http://tinyurl.com/GeistTilly. A screen shot is shown.
In its days of operation, Terrible Tilly received con-
stant maintenance because of the endless battering it took
from wind and waves, not to mention the brutal storms that
flooded the bottom floor with seawater, and the large rocks
the ocean hurled at the lighthouse, even sending them
crashing into the lantern room. But little upkeep has been
done since the lighthouse was essentially abandoned on
Sept. 1, 1957, when the light was turned out forever.
With Geist View’s video, you can see how badly the
lighthouse has deteriorated over the years. Although it’s a
sad sight, at the same time it’s comforting to know there is
now a visual historical record to remember her by. After
all, one day Terrible Tilly will be gone.
D
utch company Trondheim Trawlers is developing a met-
al-hulled electric fishing trawler, the Trondheim 40, that
sleeps six and is designed to handle rough seas, according to
NewAtlas.com (http://tinyurl.com/ssshTrawl). Featuring two
1,400 rpm electric motors powered by battery packs, the 40-foot
vessel will also have diesel-powered generators on board to pro-
duce electricity and recharge the batteries. The vessel is pictured,
courtesy of Trondheim Trawlers.
The generators have acoustic shielding, so they’re expected to
be 40 percent less noisy than a diesel engine, and smaller — so
in addition, there’s more storage room. Added bonus: the trawler
will have a 30 percent longer range (up to 2,500 nautical miles)
than nonelectric boats the same size. There doesn’t seem to be a
down side — except, perhaps, the cost.
COMMUNITY NOTES
SATURDAY
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.
Columbia Northwestern Mod-
el Railroading Club — 1 p.m., in
Hammond. Group runs trains on
HO-scale layout. For information,
call Don Carter 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://astoriafib-
erarts.com
SUNDAY
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 in-
formation, 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.
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
Program — noon, Warrenton
Community Center, 170 S.W. Third
St. Suggested donation of $5 for
seniors and $7 for those younger
than 60. For information, or to vol-
unteer, call 503-861-3502 Monday
or Thursday.
Astoria Rotary Club — noon,
second floor 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 Svensson 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. Suggested do-
nation of $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.
The cost is $6. For information, or
to have a meal delivered, call 503-
325-9693.
Astoria Lions Club — noon,
Astoria Elks Lodge, 453 11th St.
Prospective members welcome.
For information, contact Charlene
Larsen at 503-325-0590.
Astoria-Warrenton Duplicate
Bridge Club — 12:30 to 4 p.m., As-
toria Senior Center, 1111 Exchange
St. Anyone may play if they have a
partner; to request a bridge partner,
call 503-325-0029.
North Coast Chorale Practice
— 6:45 to 9 p.m., Performing Arts
Center, 588 16th St. New members
welcome. For information, call 503-
791-5681 or 503-338-8403.
WEDNESDAY
Warrenton Sunrise Rotary
Club — 7 a.m., Dooger’s Seafood
& Grill, Youngs Bay Plaza, 103 S.
U.S. Highway 101, Warrenton. For
information, call 503-325-4030.
See NOTES, Page 2B