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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017
CONTACT US
ewilson@dailyastorian.com
(503) 325-3211 ext. 257
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IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON
ANGEL FOUND AN ANGEL
L
ast week’s column featured a story about Angel (pictured), a
senior cat with medical problems who needed a good home.
Well, someone stepped forward, and now Angel has a new fam-
ily. A couple saw the story, and “knew they had to adopt Angel
and give her the best life possible,” Rita Smith of the River
Song Foundation wrote.
There are many other special needs cats like Angel who need
homes, too. Call Rita at 503-861-2003 if you want to help. You
can donate at http://riversongfoundation.org
Several people helped make Angel’s new lease on life possible.
“This is what rescue is all about,” Rita said, “working together to
save lives and raise awareness. A long, happy life, Angel!”
GOOD-BYE SHARKSVILLE
W
hen the USS Shark ran aground on the Columbia River bar
on Sept. 10, 1846, the crew eventually made its way to Asto-
ria, where they built two houses on Point George (roughly where
the Port of Astoria’s Pier 3 is now), and called them Sharksville,
after their lost ship.
When their captain, Neil Howison, wasn’t busy running back
and forth to Vancouver, Washington, trying to charter a boat to get
the crew to California, or getting supplies, he and some of the crew
members were trying to salvage anything they could from the rem-
nants of the Shark on Clatsop Beach, which wasn’t much besides
the ship’s flag — the wreckage had quickly spread out over 75
miles of coastline.
The flag proved to be important, however, as it was the “first
U.S. flag to wave over the undisputed and purely American Terri-
tory of Oregon,” Howison proclaimed, after border issues were set-
tled between England and America that year.
While the captain was busy, things were not running smoothly
at Sharksville. Some of the men amused themselves by cutting
their names into stones above Astoria’s high water mark, and there
was always the work of survival. Several crew members were
unhappy, and some were deserting. The captain blamed the Astori-
ans for “tampering with the fidelity of the men” and their “inhuman
conduct,” charging extortionate prices for simple items like bread.
In the meantime, Native Americans reported that part of the
Shark’s hull had come to rest near Tillamook Head, with some the
cannons intact, so the captain sent Midshipman Simes south to
take a look. Two guns were inaccessible, but he did manage to haul
a third above the tide line. Dragging it back over the mountains to
Astoria was out of the question, so there it stayed. (Note: In 2008, a
pair of the Shark’s cannons were found in Cannon Beach.)
Eventually a charter ship was found, and the stranded crewmen
left Astoria, and Sharksville behind them to pursue other, hopefully
more profitable ventures.
LAST PICTURE SHOW
J
ohn Meiners IV called in and asked why there hadn’t
been a story about the old Sunset Drive-in in Gear-
hart (pictured). Good question. So here’s what the Ear
found out at CinemaTreasures.org (http://tinyurl.com/
SunsetGearhart):
Located off U.S. Highway 101 on Fifth Street in Gear-
hart, the drive-in was open before 1952. Greg Kershul
bought it in 1955 (and the Times Theatre in Seaside in
1959). When it actually closed is a mystery, but locals who
remember the place recall seeing movies there that dated
up to the early 1980s.
Then the Ear asked about the drive-in on the “Asto-
ria Oregon: Culture, Tales and History” Facebook page.
“Mom used to take us kids there often,” Debi Martin
wrote. “There were five of us … she would put us all in
our PJs, fill a big bag with popcorn, take cans of soda and
off we would go. … Always fond memories.”
“Sunday night Buck Night,” poster Ralph Carol
Brown recalled. “A whole car for a dollar. We loaded a
pickup with kids and had benches to sit on. It was pretty
cold, though. Still (it) was a deal. Only a dollar for all of
us.”
“I worked there quite a bit in high school … 1954 to
1958,” Dannie Nichols replied. “… Greg (Kershul) had
Tom Wascher and I painted the girders behind the screen.
We held the paint cans in our teeth and painted all of them.
That screen was very high. Quite a challenge. A good job
to have at night, because that is where all of the kids came.
Lots of good memories.”
“Ah, yes, the drive-in,” Jim Furnish said. “It was a
nice summer night’s entertainment for the Gearhart kids
who were nowhere near driving age. We could take blan-
kets/sleeping bags in on foot from the school side and lay
’em out in the grass in front of the screen, after turning up
all the speakers in the front row where no one parked. I
think there was even a swing set down there, too, if you got
bored. Lots of fun, and it didn’t cost a dime.”
Makes you want to jump into the car and find a drive-in,
doesn’t it? Good luck with that, by the way, there are only
three left in Oregon: in Milton-Freewater, La Grande and
Newberg.
LOCAL BREVITIES
CANNON BEACH HAS CHARACTER
he North Coast, specifically Cannon Beach, received a lit-
tle love from USA Today recently with the article, “5 small
towns in Oregon that are worth a visit” (http://tinyurl.com/
USAcb). The town is pictured, courtesy of www.cannonbeach.
org
Cannon Beach is touted as “one of Oregon’s most famous
coastal towns.” The raves continue with this statement: “The
town’s character is why ABC News named it one of the eight
‘most adorable’ beach towns” in 2015 http://tinyurl.com/ABC-
NewsCB). Actually, the home of Haystack Rock came in at No. 9
of eight towns. This time, at least Cannon Beach came in at No. 2
(behind Ashland) — a decided improvement.
T
THRIFT SHOP TREAT
N
ancy Johnson found a real gem at a Vancouver, Washing-
ton, Goodwill store: A chef jacket, hand-painted in 2008
by well-known Astoria artist Ronni Harris. She posted the
photos shown on the “You Know You’re From Astoria” Face-
book page.
“I couldn’t walk away,” Nancy recalled, when she spotted
the jacket. “People find a ton of treasures in these places. A lot
of people go there just to save what’s been thrown away.”
Although she now lives in Battle Ground, Washington,
Nancy was brought up in Hammond, so she quickly recognized
the Astoria Trolley in the artwork. It wasn’t until later that she
realized who the artist was.
Ronni herself chimed in on one of the posts, explaining that
the jacket was specially designed for “Sammie who owned
Gourmet Gallery and Gifts in the Red Building.” How the
jacket arrived at the Goodwill is unknown.
“I’ll probably hold onto it for a while till I make a deci-
sion,” Nancy told the Ear. She figures finding the jacket is a bit
of a cautionary tale. “It’s kind of a warning,” she noted. “Watch
what you throw away.”
THE SWORD IN THE STONES
A
BOTTOMS UP
n honor of the Pacific Northwest Brew Cup festival this week-
end, Astorian Robert Clark brought it to the Ear’s attention
that earlier this month a German waiter, Oliver Struempfel
broke the world beer carrying record in Bavaria. He is pictured
in an Associated Press photo.
According to a story in The Sun (http://tinyurl.com/oliver29),
he carried 29 full steins of beer more than 130 feet, breaking the
previous record of 27. Actually he started out with 31, but lost a
couple along the way.
In case you’re wondering, 29 full steins weighs 152 pounds,
so he hit the gym to get ready. “When I think about it,” he noted,
“it’s 200 hours (of training) for about 40 seconds of walking.”
I
few tidbits from the Thursday, Sept. 22, 1887 edition
of The Daily Morning Astorian:
• The last fender pile on Capt. Flavel’s (pictured inset,
right) dock at Tanzy Point (Warrenton) was driven yester-
day, and the dock is now completed. (He) has spent about
$20,000 (about $498,000 now) in that vicinity in the last
18 months.
• Like other Columbia River canneries whose good
works are in every man’s mouth, J.O. Hanthorn’s cans
have an extensive eastern circulation, as is evident by his
recent receipt of a letter from a member of the (Indiana)
Hanthorn tribe … who wrote saying that he had found his
name on a can of salmon that he had bought, and asking if
the Astoria Hanthorn was any kin to him.
• “An item appeared in The Astorian a while back say-
ing that I had thought of a plan by which cross cut saws
could be run by power … I have heard (about) that item
from every direction and from long distances.
“Now as you got me into a job of answering questions,
which I can’t answer very well by mail without too much
time, I will have to beg your paper’s assistance in answer-
ing them. (He follows by answering seven questions.)
“That covers all the sensible questions. One wants to
know if it feeds itself. No; it has to be fed with a spoon.”
— D.F. Stafford
• All men are born equal. But some of them get over it
very soon.
• The president (Grover Cleveland, pictured left, inset)
cannot attend the fair at Dallas (Texas) this fall, and he thus
deliberately forgoes the pleasure of seeing the only genu-
ine five-legged calf in the world.
A
1,100-year-old Viking sword has popped up in a most
unusual place, according to Norway’s The Local (http://
tinyurl.com/mtnsword), found by some reindeer hunters. It was
sticking out of some scree (loose stones), blade first, about a mile
high in the Norwegian mountains. An odd discovery, indeed,
since no other Viking artifact has been found so far above sea
level. Photos of the location and sword are shown courtesy of
Espen Finstad, Secrets of the Ice/Oppland County Council.
Finstad, an archaeologist, credits the sword’s excellent con-
dition to the Viking metal’s quality and being preserved by the
snowy and icy conditions. There’s no trace of its owner, but any
human remains would have vanished long ago.
“We have searched the area in a radius of around 50 metres
(164 feet) and have used a metal detector, but found no other
objects,” he added. “So it’s a mystery as to why the sword was in
that particular place.”
COMMUNITY NOTES
SATURDAY
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
Model Railroading Club — 1
p.m., in Hammond. Group runs
trains on HO-scale layout. For in-
formation, 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
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
ligious faith in the modern secular
world. All are welcome. For informa-
tion, call 503-861-2421.
and quilting. All are welcome. For
information, call 503-325-1364 or
503-325-7960.
Cost is $6. For information, or to
have a meal delivered, call 503-
325-9693.
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.
Seekers Group — 6 to 7:30
p.m., Pioneer Presbyterian Church,
33324 Patriot Way, Warrenton.
Group discusses issues facing re-
Scandinavian Workshop —
10 a.m., First Lutheran Church, 725
33rd St. Needlework, hardanger,
knitting, crocheting, embroidery
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.
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.
Columbia Senior Diners —
11:30 a.m., 1111 Exchange St.
See NOTES, Page 2B