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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 11, 2017
CONTACT US
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IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON
BE AN ANGEL FOR ANGELS FOR SARA
‘I
met Sara, a beautiful rottweiler who had arrived at the
Clatsop County Animal Shelter after her owner had passed
away,” Jacque Pressly wrote. “She was a senior dog, and not
in the best of health. My heart was broken when Sara was
unable to find her forever home before crossing the Rainbow
Bridge.
“To honor Sara’s spirit, I promised to try and help as many
senior dogs as I could. I would do whatever I could to give
them a safe and loving home before they transitioned.” And
Jacque has kept her promise. She started the Angels For Sara
Sanctuary for senior dogs, a volunteer-run nonprofit, in 2013.
Then, in 2014, Bonnie (right) and Clyde, large dogs with
health issues, wound up at the shelter when their owner died.
“They were overlooked for adoption, time and again, as they
were not only senior dogs, but a bonded pair, as well,” Jacque
explained. And that’s how the duo became the sanctuary’s first
residents.
“With the support of volunteers,” she reported, “both dogs
are much healthier, and enjoy romps in the field down to the
river, or just getting loved on while relaxing in the sanctuary’s
main room.”
Want to help Jacque in her mission? Angels for Sara is hold-
ing its annual fundraiser/rummage sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 18 and Saturday, Aug. 19, at 60 N. Main Ave. in
Warrenton. There’s also a bake sale with goodies provided by
Linda Perkins, and information on how to plan for your dog’s
future if something happens to you.
Can’t make it to the fundraiser? You can still help by donat-
ing, volunteering or sponsoring or fostering a senior dog. Call
503-325-2772, email angelsforsara@gmail.com or go to www.
angelsforsarasanctuary.com for the details.
A HAND ON THE OUIJA BOARD
NASTY ASTY MEETS HER FATE
ednesday was the 75th anniversary of the sink-
ing of the third USS Astoria (CA-34, aka “Nasty
Asty”), pictured, which sank Aug. 9, 1942, in the South
Pacific during the Battle of Savo Island (http://tinyurl.com/
USSasty). Named for the city of Astoria, she was one of
three ships that entered the waters around Guadalcanal
Aug. 7 — third in line after the Vincennes and Quincy —
to support U.S. Marines landing in the area.
Astoria’s Capt. W. G. Greenman, who was wounded
in the battle, later sent reports describing the action, which
started early in the morning Aug. 9, when the convoy was
hit with a surprise attack by an “enemy force of unknown
number.” All three ships fired back, but Vincennes was
hit immediately, exploded, keeled over and disappeared.
Quincy didn’t fare any better. It, too, was hit, set afire from
bow to stern, blew up and sank.
Astoria was “hit repeatedly” the captain reported, and
there were fires raging all over the ship. The ship’s con-
trols were destroyed, along with most of the fire-fighting
water supply mains. Just as the ship lost power, the enemy
vanished.
Personnel left on board tried to fight the fires with
bucket brigades and whatever else was available. “Fierce
fires raging amidships prevented any communications
between these groups and neither realized other group
existed,” the captain wrote.
The abandon ship order was given, and the Bagley
was summoned to rescue personnel in the water and take
aboard survivors (219 were reported as missing or killed),
while a salvage crew was sent in to put out the fires, repair
the ship and get back underway. But it was not to be.
A 5-inch magazine exploded on the Astoria, blowing
a hole under the ship’s waterline. At that point, the sal-
vage group quickly scrambled or jumped off the ship. A
few minutes later, the USS Astoria capsized and sank to
her final resting spot in Iron Bottom Sound, and in history.
W
DEAR FUTUREME
recent Alaska Dispatch News article tells of a strange coinci-
dence involving an engineer in Alaska, a Warrenton resident,
the late Kelly Smotherman (pictured, inset), and Kelly’s griev-
ing daughter, Chelsea (http://tinyurl.com/ADNkelly).
The story actually begins in August 2013, when Kelly was
the captain and owner of the 65-foot fishing vessel Fate Hunter,
which capsized after running aground near Shoup Bay, Alaska.
The Coast Guard reported that fishing gear, the 150,000 pound
salmon cargo and diesel fuel were lost in the incident (http://
tinyurl.com/fatehunt).
All four crew members were rescued, but unfortunately, in
August 2016, Kelly died, “from complications resulting from
refusing to listen to his doctor, having as much fun as humanly
possible, raising hell for 50 years and a heart attack,” his obituary
said (http://tinyurl.com/captkelly).
Cut to the present. Andy Baker, a Seward, Alaska, engineer,
was curious about how ocean currents affect Alaska. In his quest
for knowledge, he became friends with oceanographer Curt
Ebbesmeyer, famous for his studies on the Pacific Gyre and its
influence on the movement of ocean debris.
Ebbesmeyer suggested Baker study the issue firsthand by
traveling to Kamilo Beach in Hawaii, which is covered with tiny
bits of plastic ocean debris from all over the Pacific. Here’s where
the story takes a turn into the Twilight Zone.
While doing volunteer cleanup work on the beach in Janu-
ary, Baker — hoping to find something identifiable, which is
extremely rare — found a fish tag from the Fate Hunter’s 2013
misadventure in Alaska (his photo of it is pictured).
Sadly, the phone number on the tag was no good. Baker
eventually dug deeper, and found Kelly Smotherman’s daugh-
ter, Chelsea, on Facebook. He mailed her the tag in time for the
recent anniversary of her father’s death.
“That is very heart-warming to hear that my dad’s tags have
made the journey down there to you in Hawaii,” she wrote back.
“I went to the University of Hawaii Manoa and it feels good to
know he made the journey in some way or another.”
“It’s almost like the father had his hand on this Ouija board,”
Ebbesmeyer noted. “I’m not a particularly religious person, but I
do think there’s more to it than ocean currents.”
A
LOOK … UP IN THE SKY
he other night-time display this weekend — aside from the
Astoria Regatta fireworks — is the annual Perseid meteor
shower. According to Space.com, there should be about 80 mete-
ors per hour, peaking around 10 a.m. Saturday — meaning the
best times to see it are Friday night, predawn Saturday and Satur-
day night (http://tinyurl.com/lookupAug12). The photo shown is
courtesy of ScienceAtNASA.
In case your astronomy is a little rusty, the meteor shower is
caused by the earth’s annual passage through the dust and debris
in Comet Swift-Tuttle’s tail. The comet itself isn’t expected to
pass by in its 133-year orbit until 2126.
The best way to enjoy the Perseid meteor shower is to go to a
dark area outside town, and let your eyes acclimate to the dark,
which takes about 30 minutes. Then all you need to do is look up
and enjoy the show.
T
WATCH OUT FOR WILE E. COYOTE
on’t want to hit the panic button, but you Astorians who
leave kitties or doggies outside at night may like to know
that at about 2:30 a.m., (my dog) Mouse went from a dead sleep
to a growling, howling, barking freaked-out screaming fur ball,”
Sharon Collyer posted on Facebook Aug. 4. “… And two sec-
onds later, a coyote yapped just outside our place on Eighth and
Harrison …”
Sharon went on to explain that coyotes “yap for many rea-
sons,” one of which is to alert other coyotes. “So,” she specu-
lated, “there’s a good chance that the coyote wasn’t the only coy-
ote out there.”
Sharon isn’t the only one who’s noticed coyotes within Asto-
ria city limits. Several others have posted similar concerns on
Facebook, as well, and Doris Larremore even called the Ear to
ask that people be alerted, and careful.
“Now, I’m totally pro-coyote,” Sharon added, “and my main
concern is that Astoria residents care for their little animals, and
not go out there armed with guns to start killing coyotes.” Good
advice. So take heed, Astorians, and keep your beloved pets safe
inside.
‘D
H
ere’s an intriguing thought: Send your future self a
letter — maybe words of inspiration, a goal reminder,
or whatever suits your fancy — to be delivered one year,
or more, from now.
Thanks to www.futureme.org, you can do just that.
You set the time when the email will be sent, and the web-
site does the rest. If you need some ideas, or a little enter-
tainment, check out the “Read Public Letters” section of
emails recently delivered.
IT’S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE
CHASING A CURE
hase Milsap of Seaview, Washington (pictured), is
participating in the California Arthritis Bike Clas-
sic to raise money for the
Arthritis
Foundation.
He’ll be leaving Sept 9
from Pier 39 in San Fran-
cisco, and arriving in Los
Angeles Sept. 16.
It’s a cause that is close
to his heart. His grand-
mother has severe arthritis,
as do several of his fellow employees. “But it’s not just
adults who suffer from arthritis, our children suffer, too,”
he wrote. “It is terrible when anyone is dealing with this
kind of stuff that puts them in lots of pain.”
“That’s where the Arthritis Foundation comes to help,”
he added, “they do so much for anyone with all different
kinds of arthritis-related causes.” You can help, too, by
donating at http://tinyurl.com/ChaseRides
“Please make a pledge to the Arthritis Foundation and
help find a cure,” Chase says, “and help this cyclist ride
for a cure!”
C
he first Astoria Regatta, which was held starting Aug. 17,
1894, was a gala event, The Daily Morning Astorian reported.
A photo from The Daily Astorian is shown. There were loads of
tourists, sailing and rowing competitions, midnight cruises with
bands, swimming and foot races and many other festivities —
and one almost fatal glitch.
“The life-saving crews will be over bright and early this morn-
ing,” the newspaper announced. “… A boat will be capsized in
mid-stream, and the signal given the life-saving crew. A rocket
will be thrown over the capsized boat, and the usual interesting
and exciting method of rescue will be gone through with.”
Not quite. The rescue was almost on land. As reported the
next day: “When the mortar was fired at the life-saving drill, it
rebounded to a distance of 30 feet. The crowd did not move away
a moment too soon, several narrowly escaping the flying gun.”
Presumably, the rocket fiasco was not repeated at future regattas.
T
COMMUNITY NOTES
SATURDAY
Lower Columbia R/C Society —
8:30 a.m., back room at Uptown Cafe,
1639 S.E. Ensign Lane, Warrenton.
Local Academy of Model Aeronautics
(AMA) chartered radio control model
aircraft club meets for breakfast and
business. All model aircraft enthusi-
asts are welcome. For information,
call 503-458-5196 or 503-325-0608.
Angora Hiking Club — 9 a.m.,
Sixth Street parking lot. Fort Colum-
bia, Washington, hike. For informa-
tion, call Kathleen Hudson at 503-
861-2802.
Chinook Indian Nation Coun-
cil Meeting — 11 a.m., Chinook
Tribal Office, 3 Park St., in Bay Cen-
ter, Washington. Meeting is open to
all tribal members; attendees are re-
minded to bring a potluck item. For
questions, call the tribal office in ad-
vance of the event at 360-875-6670.
Sit & Stitch — 11 a.m. to 1
p.m., Homespun Quilts & Yarn, 108
10th St. Bring knitting, crochet or
other needlework projects to this
community stitching time. All skill
levels welcome.
Pug Socializing Club — 1 p.m.,
Carruthers Park, Warrenton. For pugs
and their owners. For information, call
Dave Kinney at 415-827-5190. Join
online at http://tinyurl.com/socialpugs
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://astoriafiberarts.com
welcome to bring their own forge
and anvil setup. Metal available to
experiment with; coal is provided.
No charge, but donations to the
Camp 18 Loggers Memorial Muse-
um welcome. For information, con-
tact Mark Standley at 503-434-0148
or Herman Doty at 971-306-1043 or
ringinganvildesign@gmail.com
SUNDAY
Blacksmith
Enthusiasts
Meet — 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Camp
18 Blacksmith Shop, 42362 U.S.
Highway 26, Seaside. Participants
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
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.
See NOTES, Page 2B