1B
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
CONTACT US
ewilson@dailyastorian.com
(503) 325-3211 ext. 257
COMMUNITY
FOLLOW US
facebook.com/
DailyAstorian
IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON
BACK IN THE GOONDOCKS
o the delight of “The Goonies” fans everywhere, on Sept. 10
Corey Feldman posted a selfie of a reunion with Goonies
co-stars (Jonathan) Ke Huy Quan and Sean Astin on Face-
book, Instagram (@cdogg22) and Twitter (@Corey_Feldman).
He didn’t say about where they were, though: “#GOONIE
DINNER! HERE I AM LAST NITE CATCHING UP W FOR-
MER CAST M8S, @seanastin & Jonathan Ke Quan. #LOVELY
#NEVERSAYDIE #30thanniversary.” However, a little sleuthing
revealed all three were in Indianapolis Sept. 8 through 10. They
were appearing at HorrorHound Weekend for “celebrity sign-
ings” and to take part in panel discussions, so it’s not surprising
they got together for dinner.
In case you’re wondering: Nope, not a word was mentioned
about a possible Goonies 2.
T
FOR SALE: BIG RED
lways
wanted
your very own
chunk of Astoria his-
tory? Here’s your shot:
The Net Shed, aka
Big Red, at the foot
of 31st Street, is up for
sale by Veronica Park
Properties in Lake
Oswego.
Here’s part of the
sales blurb: “… Orig-
inal fir timbers & plank floors, development opportunity. Cur-
rently used as individual art studios. Offered at $475,000.” The
photo is courtesy of Veronica Park Properties (http://tinyurl.com/
RedForSale).
Built in 1897 by the Union Fishermen’s Co-operative Packing
Company, the building was a fish transfer station and a place to
dry fish nets, which were pulled up from the fishing boats below.
Boats were hauled up, too for repairs and maintenance. The
building’s history holds fond memories for many locals.
The Net Shed’s twin, Alderbrook Station, has been saved
and restored to its former glory. Will someone rescue Big Red?
Stay tuned.
A
THE ROAD TO SHARKSVILLE
hen the USS Shark ran aground on the Columbia
River bar on Sept. 10, 1846, the captain, Lt. Neil M.
Howison, and all hands were fortunate enough to make it
to shore on Clatsop Beach. Crew member Burr Osborn’s
letters (http://tinyurl.com/BOsLet), and Howison’s reports
(http://tinyurl.com/shark1846), detail what happened next.
Once on the beach, the survivors burned wood from the
wreck of the USS Peacock, an exploration vessel, to keep
warm. One of the men had the bad luck to have been ship-
wrecked twice — he was also on the Peacock when it ran
aground on the bar in 1841.
The group spent two miserable nights in a 12 by 24-foot
floorless shanty on the beach, said to have been built 40
years earlier by some of the men in the Lewis and Clark
Expedition. The survivors were constantly wet, and most
were only wearing underwear, or nightwear, when they
had to abandon ship.
Howison took one of the boats to head for Vancou-
ver, Washington, to get much-needed supplies, leaving the
crew behind. Fortunately, some Indians arrived and helped
the starving men procure two oxen. The roasted dinner was
most welcome, as by then, the survivors had not eaten for
52 hours.
The morning after the feast, the group headed for Asto-
ria (pictured as it was in 1813), where there was a double
log house/store, two log huts for trappers, a Baptist mis-
sionary’s wood frame house and an Indian tepee. Set about
a mile away was Fort George (aka Fort Astoria).
Within a week, Osborn wrote, most of the crew fell ill,
probably from exposure after the wreck, and were treated
with quinine and salt from the store for the three weeks it
took them to recuperate. But the store wasn’t much help
for the simple comforts, as even a blanket was $10 ($300
now).
By mid-October, the men felt well enough to start haul-
ing logs from a nearby forest to build a house near Fort
George at Point George, which is thought to be near pres-
ent day Pier 3 at the Port of Astoria. In mid-November the
men moved in, naming the dwelling Sharksville, after
their lost ship.
Next week: Life in Sharksville
W
CALLING ALL NORWEGIANS
AROUND THE TOWN
HELP THE LESCENE FAMILY
ast Sunday, a British Columbia couple, Joe (pictured) and
Sarah Lescene, were hiking on the bluff over Devil’s Caul-
dron in Oswald West State Park in Manzanita. Joe lost his foot-
ing, and tumbled 800 feet to the ocean below. His backpack was
recovered, but his body has not been found, and the Coast Guard
has given up the search.
A fundraiser has been set up by a family friend, Nancy Shep-
pard, to help his wife and two daughters, Ofelia and Sofia. “Joe
was an amazing husband, father and friend to so many,” Nancy
wrote. “There is not one person that Joe met that he didn’t make
smile and laugh, he brightened every room he entered and loved
all his friends so dearly.
“Unfortunately, since Joe’s body has yet to be recovered, there
will be delays in the financial support that Joe had arranged for
Sarah. The delay may be lengthy, and because of that, we are ask-
ing for any support so that we can ease Sarah’s mind from finan-
cial burden, and let her focus on grieving.”
Want to help? You can donate at http://tinyurl.com/4JoesFamily
L
TURKEY TOWN
he Oregon town of Pilot Rock has a problem: It’s being
overrun by wild turkeys, the East Oregonian reports (http://
tinyurl.com/turkeyville). The birds stroll into town in a flock of
about 50 to 70, then split up to divide and conquer with turkey
poop, snacking their way through local gardens. Some of the
fowl trespassers are pictured, in a photo by E.J. Harris.
“Nothing is left,” resident Mary Ann Low complained. “They
dust bathe in the soil. They eat whatever is there.”
The Pilot Rock City Council — after discussing and discard-
ing starting a spay and neuter program or just plain grabbing
shotguns — has called in the Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife to tackle the turkey issue.
“No matter what we do, we’re never going to get rid of all of
them,” ODFW wildlife biologist Greg Rimbach observed. “We’ll
always have a few turkeys.”
T
ANGEL NEEDS AN ANGEL
idbits from the Tuesday, Sept. 15, 1896 edition of The Daily
Morning Astorian:
• It is said on good authority that property owners on North
Beach, since the close of the season and the completion of the rail-
road from Seaside into Astoria, are tumbling over each other to dis-
pose of their property on the Washington shore in order to get in on
Clatsop, where the conveniences are so much greater.
Note: According to the “Sydney of Oysterville” blog by Syd-
ney Stevens, the Long Beach Peninsula was and is officially the
North Beach Peninsula, according to U.S. Board on Geographic
Names, but was renamed as a result of a “vigorous public relations
campaign” in the early 1900s. (http://tinyurl.com/sydNBeach)
• Druggist Rogers yesterday received a new silver purse.
• The barge Atlas arrived down river yesterday with 3,000 bar-
rels of cement for the work at Fort Stevens.
Note: The cement was being used to build the West Battery,
and construction took place from September 1896 to April 1898.
The West Battery became divided into three batteries — Lewis
(named after Capt. Merriwether Lewis), Walker and Mishler —
which combined, had a total of six guns. An 1897 photo of a gun
installation is shown, courtesy of the Coast Defense Study Group
(http://cdsg.org/battery-lewis).
• The railroad workmen at Westport, so a telegram Sunday
said, in making excavations, unearthed the bones of several human
bodies, several old-fashioned muskets, and a $20 gold piece dated
1855.
• It is reported by Seasiders that Mrs. Canning, of Portland,
killed a big bear near Arch Cape Saturday. Mrs. Canning pretended
to be afraid of a bear, but nevertheless shot Bruin with a rifle.
T
n a city full of Scandinavians, there must be a passel of
Norwegians, and this one’s for you: Chicago’s O’Con-
nor Casting Company is casting for Season 9 of “Alt For
Norge” (aka “The Great Norway Adventure”), Norway’s
Emmy award-winning reality show.
Norwegian-American contestants are flown to Norway
to compete in “good-natured, exciting and extreme cul-
tural challenges.” The winner receives $50,000 and meets
Norwegian relatives they’ve never heard of.
No, you do not have to speak Norwegian, or be 100 per-
cent Norwegian, either. Contestants must simply be Amer-
icans with Norwegian ancestry (even a little bit counts)
who are age 18-plus (but there’s no age limit) and have
never traveled to Norway. You can read the rules, and find
out how to apply at http://tinyurl.com/applynorge
“We’ve sent 94 Norwegian-Americans to Norway
and eight of them have won $50,000 and met their long
lost Norwegian relatives,” a post on the O’Connor Cast-
ing Facebook page says. “All of them had an adventurous,
life-changing cultural experience.”
Portlander Tom Torresdal, shown in an old photo cour-
tesy of TVNorge, was a contestant on the show in 2011.
“Such an amazing experience,” he said at the end of film-
ing. “I’ve loved every single second that I’ve been here.”
He loved it so much, in fact, that he moved to Norway for
a while to work in a brewery. Now he’s a brewer himself,
at Pyramid Brewing.
The deadline to apply for “Alt for Norge” is Dec. 1, but
the casting company recommends applying early.
I
ngel (pictured) was probably a pet at some point, but was
most likely abandoned some time ago,” Rita Smith of
River Song Foundation wrote. “Trying to survive with at least
partial deafness and blindness, and the pain of untreated dental
issues, have made Angel not very tolerant. Angel is also feline
leukemia positive.” A photo of Angel, who is a flame point Sia-
mese mix, is shown. She is one of many special-needs cats the
foundation is trying to find homes for now.
“We would like to give Angel a chance to have a comfort-
able senior life, if possible. A previous short-term caregiver said
she was happy to be inside, had her own spot to sleep and knew
exactly where her food, water and litter box were. If we can find
her a safe home, there is a sponsor who will provide medical sup-
port for Angel for her lifetime. And we will provide guidance and
support as well, including help with food.”
Would you like to adopt Angel, or help River Song Founda-
tion? Call Rita at 503-861-2003, or donate at http://riversong-
foundation.org
“Angel is a beautiful, quiet, and dignified lady who deserves
some peace and safety,” Rita noted. “Please help us give it to her.
Someone out there is her only hope.”
‘A
COMMUNITY NOTES
SATURDAY
Angora Hiking Club — 9 a.m.
at Sixth Street parking lot, or 10
a.m. at trail head. Angora Peak
hike. For information, call John
Markham at 503-436-2310.
Rally for “Dreamers” — 11
a.m., Astoria Post Office, 750 Com-
mercial St. Indivisible North Coast
Oregon rally, open to all who sup-
port Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals (DACA).
Astor Elementary School
Rummage Sale — 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.,
Astor School little gym, 3550 Frank-
lin Ave. Includes raffle of items
donated by local businesses. Pro-
ceeds used to buy books for school
library.
Chinook Indian Nation — 11
a.m., monthly council meeting,
Tribal Office, 3 Park St., Bay Cen-
ter, Washington. Temporary date
change to third Saturday in Sep-
tember. Meeting open to all tribal
members; attendees are reminded
to bring a potluck item. For ques-
tions, call 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.
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
SUNDAY
Cannon Beach American Le-
gion Women’s Auxiliary Break-
fast — 9 to 11:30 a.m., American
Legion, 1216 S. Hemlock St., Can-
non Beach.
Astor Elementary School
Rummage Sale — 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.,
Astor School little gym, 3550 Frank-
lin Ave. Includes raffle of items do-
nated by local businesses. Proceeds
used to buy books for school library.
p.m., Pioneer Presbyterian Church,
33324 Patriot Way, Warrenton.
Group discusses issues facing re-
ligious faith in the modern secular
world. All are welcome. For informa-
tion, call 503-861-2421.
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.
Chair Exercises for Seniors
— 9 to 9:45 a.m., Astoria Senior
Center, 1111 Exchange St. For in-
formation, call 503-325-3231.
Seekers Group — 6 to 7:30
See LETTERS, Page 2B
MONDAY