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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 2017
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IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON
‘ONE WORD: PLASTICS’
t last, there’s hope for the environment, which is being
over-ridden by the scourge of plastic pollution: Wax worms.
Which aren’t really worms at all, they’re caterpillars (Galleria
mellonella).
According to a story on CBC News (http://tinyurl.com/
waxyeater), the worm’s saving grace was discovered by accident.
A beekeeper, while cleaning a hive of the little pests (to hives,
anyway), threw a bunch of wax worms into a plastic bag, which
soon developed holes. It turns out these little fellows just love
to eat nonbiodegradable plastic. And, another species of wax
worm munches on biodegradable plastics. A worm is pictured,
plastic munching, in a photo courtesy of Cesar Hernandez/CSIC.
Scientists think if they can figure out how these worms do it,
they can find a solution to get rid of plastic waste on an indus-
trial level. Looks like there’s hope on the environmental hori-
zon, after all.
A
POTTY BEGONE
WRECKED BUTTER
PUT YOUR COAT ON
ere’s a catchy little snippet from The Daily Morning
Astorian, Tuesday, April 28, 1885: “Mrs. B. Nich-
ols, living at 20 N. Ninth St., has a jar of butter that was
saved from the wreck of the Great Republic six years ago
(April 19, 1879). Her husband was working on one of the
tugs that went to the rescue of the passengers … and while
aboard … took the butter and sent it to her. The butter has
a gilt edge appearance, and smells sweet …”
A little research was in order. Launched in 1866, the
steamer (pictured) was the largest commercial passenger
sidewheel steamer built in the U.S. to date, according to
a 2012 story by Robert Wells for The Oregonian (http://
tinyurl.com/GenRepub). The 380-foot long ship’s engine
was connected to two 40-foot paddlewheels, and the vessel
could trundle along at 9 miles an hour for 33 days at a pop.
In 1867, the Great Republic began regularly scheduled
service to Japan and China to trade, deliver mail and carry
passengers. It should be noted that the ship is famous for
bringing more than 10,000 Chinese laborers to the U.S.
while on its Asian route.
By 1878, the use of propellers made the General
Republic outdated, and it was sold to move passengers and
freight from San Francisco to Portland. In fact, it was the
first such voyage that was the ship’s undoing.
All was well when they crossed the Columbia River
bar. It was a clear, calm night. Not so much on board, how-
ever, as the captain and the pilot disagreed on the location
of Sand Island — a moot point, since Sand Island found
them, and they ran hard aground.
Local tugs came and picked up all of the almost 900
passengers. The crew, who stayed aboard, was finally
forced to abandon the ship, which was breaking up. All
went smoothly until the very last boat, which, caught in a
heavy sea, overturned and killed 11 crewmen.
Portions of the ship, which was torn apart and sank,
are possibly still visible at very low tide. Invisible, and to
date, lost, is the Great Republic’s “treasure tank,” which,
S
TOWN FOR SALE
L
H
he Astor Street Opry Company is moving up in the world
with long awaited, longed for news, the Ear learned from
Judith Niland: The outdoor plumbing (aka the Porta Potty
lineup) is, at last, on the way out.
“Markus Brown … just told me that two weeks ago, the city
of Astoria approved the permit for new indoor plumbing at the
ASOC Playhouse!” wrote Judith — who was “so dang proud and
excited to share this update.”
The icing on the cake (aside from Porta Potty no more): There
will be three bathrooms, one of which will be ADA accessible.
The work is under way, and expected be completed before the
opening of the 34th season of “Shanghaied in Astoria” in July.
The only question now is: When will the official toilet paper cut-
ting take place?
T
ince April is the month John Jacob Astor IV and about 1,500
others went down with the Titanic in 1912, it’s probably no
coincidence that this April a fur coat worn by one of the Titanic
survivors, Mabel Bennett, hit the auction block at Henry Alridge
& Son in England, BBC.com reports (http://tinyurl.com/Mabel-
Coat). The coat is pictured, right, courtesy of BBC.com; at left,
Mabel can be seen wearing it in a photo with other Titanic steward-
esses, courtesy of Henry Alridge & Son.
The coat’s provenance was proven with a note written by
Mabel’s great-niece: “This coat was worn by my Great Aunt Mabel
who was a Stewardess. On her rescue from the Titanic she was in
her nightdress and this coat was the first garment she snatched for
warmth. My aunt gave me the coat in the early 60s, because of her
advancing years she found the weight of the coat too much for her.”
Mabel died at 96 in 1974, and the coat remained in the family
until 1999, when it was sold. On display in the U.S. since then, the
coat fetched about $193,000 at auction — almost double its orig-
inal valuation.
RHINO RIDER
ongview, Washington, sure got an eyeful the other day when
cyclist Matt Meyer (pictured inset), a safari guide from
South Africa, rolled through on his bicycle towing a life-sized
300 pound rhinocerous replica. He was tickled he made the
front page of The Daily News Wednesday, as shown in a photo
from his Instagram feed, @rhinoride2017.
No, he’s not coming to Astoria. He left from Blaine, Washing-
ton, on a fundraising mission, The Long Ride to Free Them, to
raise funds and create global awareness about the rhino poach-
ing crisis in Southern Africa, and he headed straight for Portland.
From there, he’s off to Eugene, then over to the coast, and down
to his final stop, San Diego.
Why the West Coast route? He says it’s the home of “some of
the most intense illicit wildlife trade in the U.S.”
Want to donate and help the rhinos? Check out his website,
where you can also track his progress, at https://rhinoride.org
WELL, I DECLARE
he New York Daily News, and several other publica-
tions, ran a story recently about the almost-dead tiny
(population around 200) southwest Oregon unincorporated
town of Tiller being for sale for $3.5 million — not includ-
ing the elementary school, which is being sold separately
for $350,000 (http://tinyurl.com/Tiller3-5), or the church,
which is not for sale.
Of course, one has to wonder how a town could wind up
on the market, and the explanation is fairly simple. Tiller,
which was founded in the mid-1800s by farmer Aaron Til-
ler, a pioneer from Missouri, is surrounded by the Umpqua
National Forest. Once environmental logging regulations
kicked in some time ago, logging came to a halt and the Til-
ler timber mill closed. There went the town’s main source of
income, and most of its citizens. A longtime resident bought
up the majority of the downtown properties (28 tax lots), but
he died, so his estate is selling the whole kit and kaboodle.
Included in the sale are “six houses, a shuttered general
store and gas station, land (250 acres), water rights and infra-
structure that includes sidewalks, fire hydrants and a work-
ing power station,” according to the New York Daily News.
The realtor’s site says this also includes a 13-acre subdivi-
sion, 13 commercial zoned lots and four industrial zoned
lots, not to mention access to berries, acorns, fruit trees and
merchantable timber.
And, the town is right on the South Umpqua River and
Elk Creek, so almost 5,000 feet of waterfront footage is
included in the deal. The sold-separately elementary school
is about 16,600 square feet on 6.58 acres. The little town
is pictured, courtesy of the broker, LandLeader.com (http://
tinyurl.com/TillerSale).
It looks like there’s a buyer, the listing says, and “sellers
have allowed buyers a reasonable due diligence period.” But
it ain’t over till it’s over, and “backup offers are encouraged
for serious, qualified buyers.” Time to rattle the penny jar?
T
.S. History fans will be interested to know that a second
parchment manuscript copy of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence has been found in a predictable spot: England. In the
West Sussex Record Office, in fact, according to a story in the
Boston Globe (http://tinyurl.com/Declare2).
Two Harvard University researchers, Emily Sneff and Dan-
ielle Allen, found the 1780s document in the archives of the little
town of Chichester. They believe it was the property of the Duke
of Richmond, who was supportive of the rebelling colonists. A
photo of a section of the copy is shown, courtesy of the West Sus-
sex Record Office.
Sneff and Allen postulate that the copy in England was prob-
ably commissioned by James Wilson of Pennsylvania, one of
U.S. founding fathers. He signed the original Declaration of
Independence, helped draft the Constitution, and was one of the
six original justices on the Supreme Court.
The only other parchment version of the Declaration is the
original, which is stored at the National Archives in Washing-
ton, D.C.
U
SAVE A FOREST
ver wished you could help protect a forest and its inhabi-
tants from logging?” Jim Unwin of Long Beach, Washing-
ton, asks. “Now’s your chance!” Jim, and a group of like-minded
souls, are trying to buy — and save for posterity — a 4.4 acre for-
ested lot next door to Jim’s house and studio (pictured) before the
owner logs it and puts it on the open market.
The group has until Monday, May 1 to come up with the money.
They’ve already raised most of what’s needed, but are about $700
short. Once they own the land, they intend to donate it to a land
trust, so it can remain untouched, and be enjoyed by everyone.
And, it’s not just the forest they want to protect, either. “We
have identified 22 different species of animals that live in or travel
through the parcel,” Jim noted. Want to help them save this little
piece of heaven? You can donate at http://tinyurl.com/buyaforest
“My children and I gather chanterelles here, witness ravens
and eagles challenge one another, laugh at the antics of Douglas
squirrels and delight in the deep peace of a trail less traveled,” Lee
Hogan Knott wrote. “Help preserve this small sanctuary on the
peninsula for generations to come. Celebrate Earth Day, every day.”
‘E
COMMUNITY NOTES
SATURDAY
Angora Hiking Club — 9 a.m., Fort
Clatsop main parking lot. Fort Clatsop South
Slough Trail hike. No fee for parking. For in-
formation, call Jan Coughlin at 503-791-3521.
Sit & Stitch — 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Home-
spun Quilts & Yarn, 108 10th St. Bring knit-
ting, crochet or other needlework projects to
this community stitching time. All skill levels
welcome.
Columbia Northwestern Model Rail-
roading Club — 1 p.m., in Hammond. Group
runs trains on HO-scale layout. For informa-
tion, 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://astoriafiberarts.com
Sweet Songs of Spring Concert — 2
p.m., Chinook Community Gym, 810 U.S.
Highway 101, Chinook, Washington. Perfor-
mance by the Bayside Singers, directed by
Barbara Poulshock, accompanied by Barbara
Pate. Free event, donations accepted.
SUNDAY
Line Dancing — 5:30 to 8 p.m., Seaside
American Legion, 1315 Broadway. For infor-
mation, call 503-738-5111. No cost; suggest-
ed $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. Needle-
work, hardanger, knitting, crocheting, embroi-
dery and quilting. All are welcome. For infor-
mation, call 503-325-1364 or 503-325-7960.
Senior Lunch — 11:30 a.m., Bob
Chisholm Senior Center, 1225 Avenue A,
Seaside. Suggested donation $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. Cost is $6. For informa-
tion, 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 volunteer, 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
See NOTES, Page 2B