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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2017
CONTACT US
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IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON
AN MU69 BY ANY OTHER NAME …
ant a shot at a little immortality? Here’s a chance to pro-
pose a nickname for KBO MU69, an object in the Kui-
per Belt, of significance because it’s the target for a NASA New
Horizons deep space exploratory probe flyby on Jan. 1, 2019
(www.frontierworlds.org/nominations). The illustration shown is
courtesy of NASA New Horizons.
Actually, since MU69 may be binary, it’s probably best to
come up with two names that go together. “We are particularly
interested in nicknames that are appropriate for the first explo-
ration of a cold, distant, ancient world at the outer frontier of the
solar system,” the website says.
Nicknames that are chosen by New Horizons will go on a bal-
lot where everyone can vote (www.frontierworlds.org/vote), and
the winning nickname(s) will be proposed to the International
Astronomical Union (IAU), who will make the final decision. So
far, the Ear’s favorite names on the ballot are Peanut, Almond,
and Cashew. Submit your suggestion and, as the saying goes:
“Vote early and vote often.”
W
SAIL ON
DOE IN DISTRESS
want to give a shout out to the Astoria Police Depart-
ment,” Diane Finucane wrote, “particularly Deputy
Chief Eric Halverson and Patrol Officer Kenny Han-
sen. They came to the rescue of a doe who was hung
upside down on a very high retaining wall.
“Her right hind leg hoof was stuck in a fence,” she
explained. “She was struggling with all her might to free
herself. I have no idea how long she was hanging there. I
saw her and called the police department.” Soon thereaf-
ter, help arrived.
“When Eric saw the situation, he climbed over my
fence and asked for a hammer to try and free her hoof. He
got her free! The deer went to the ground, and a few min-
utes later moved to a nearby location. Her right leg may
give her a problem, but we will wait and see at this time.
Some time after that, I saw her move, and then she stood a
while and rested. So hope for the best.
“After Eric and Kenny left, an Oregon State trooper
came and took a look, and he also said to just let her be,
and see what happens.” The last time Diane saw the doe,
she was with her fawn, resting under a tree in a neighbor’s
yard. The next time she looked, the two were gone.
“Thank God for these men,” Diane declared. “I am
thankful the officers respond to these incidents.”
‘I
AIM FOR THE STARS
aritime history fans take note: An astrolabe — a celestial nav-
igation tool that predates the sextant — was plucked from the
wreckage of one of the ships in Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama’s
armada, the Esmeralda, NPR reports (http://tinyurl.com/vascoastro).
The vessel went down in a storm in 1503 off the coast of Oman near
the mouth of the Persian Gulf, and was first discovered in 1998.
When the 7-inch bronze disk was first salvaged from the wreck
in 2014, the Blue Water Recoveries team leader, David Mearns,
wasn’t completely sure what it was, as aside from some recogniz-
able emblems, the surface was obscured. Recently, however, 3-D
imaging was used on the disc, revealing the navigational mark-
ings that prove the artifact is, indeed, an astrolabe. Images of the
scans are shown, courtesy of the University of Warwick.
The icing on the cake: Dating from sometime between 1495 and
1500, this find is the “earliest known” astrolabe by several decades.
M
WAYWARD HELMET
TALES OF THE TOWN
un rerun from May 6, 2011: The Triangle Tavern got a nostal-
gic surprise on Sunday, May 1. Nancy Little, of Ocean Shores,
Washington, popped in with an inflated acrylic racing helmet she
found while beachcombing with Kim Lewis – nine years ago.
Sharon Rose, owner of the Triangle Tavern building, and former
owner of the tavern, told the Ear that the helmet was from opening
day, when she and her husband, the late Danny Butler, opened the
tavern in May 2002.
They had a big whiz-bang celebration, and part of the festivities
was the time-capsule helmet, which several customers signed with
Magic Markers – including well-known local characters Fairly Hon-
est Roy and the late Rick The Roofer.
Across the bottom of the helmet, Sharon Rose wrote a note saying
whoever found it could bring it back to the Triangle for a free beer.
Then she gave it to a fisherman, who was directed to drop the helmet
off into the ocean once he got past the Columbia River Bar while he
was on his way north to go fishing.
When Nancy found it on Copalis Beach about a year later, in
spring 2003, the helmet was still fully inflated. She kept it, and even
moved with it a few times. On Sunday, she finally decided to call the
tavern and find out if the offer was still good. Of course, it was, so she
turned it in (much to Sharon Rose’s delight), and got her free beer.
F
n Sunday, with the help of the Columbia River Bar Pilots,
Columbia River Maritime Museum’s Mini-boat Pro-
gram launched its latest vessel, the R/V Concomly, half a mile
west of the Astoria Bridge. Like the other mini-boats in the pro-
gram, it’s a 6.5-foot-long, self-righting sailboat made of fiber-
glass, equipped with a GPS transmitter. The Concomly is pic-
tured courtesy of the Columbia River Maritime Museum.
While the other mini-boats in the program are embarking on
ocean voyages that students (or anyone) can track (http://tinyurl.
com/findminiboat), the Concomly is staying on the Columbia
River. When its tracker is turned on, it will report its location
every 15 minutes, which you can follow on the museum’s web-
site, www.crmm.org — a grand opportunity to learn about the
Columbia’s tides and currents for armchair sailors everywhere.
O
WHERE IS DERBYVILLE?
ver heard of Derbyville? Well, the Ear hadn’t, either, until
just the other day. Turns out it was along that stretch of land
on the Washington side of the river between where the Astoria
Bridge lands and the Chinook tunnel. The area is pictured, cour-
tesy of the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum.
Derbyville was actually a camping area created to house
the overflow of anglers who flocked to participate in the Asto-
ria Regatta Derby Days salmon fishing competition. From The
Daily Astorian Regatta insert, 1947: “Thousands thronged into
the war-swollen, crowded city each fall, taxing housing capac-
ity beyond its ability to handle them. Auto camps as far away
as Seaside and Clatskanie were filled. Resorts were overrun. To
many a family without means to rent a boat or pay for a hotel or
auto camp, that chance to bring the family skiff and pitch a tent
seemed like heaven. And along the north shore there was room
for all.”
Sadly, the derby was curtailed by Oregon Fish & Wildlife reg-
ulations in the late 1960s (http://tinyurl.com/regderby), and Der-
byville faded away. So now you know.
E
idbits from the Saturday, Nov. 10, 1888 edition of
The Daily Morning Astorian:
• There is going to be lots of fun today on the streets of
Astoria, as a result of election bets … Ike Bergman will
wheel R.L. Jeffrey around the block … Hugh McCor-
mick will carry John Enberg around the block; J.F. New-
line will wheel Tom Linville. The entertainment com-
mences this afternoon at 2 o’clock. Dr. A. J. Fulton has
been selected as attendant surgeon in case of accident
which requires professional aid.
Note: The celebration commemorates a win for Repub-
licans and President Benjamin Harrison (pictured, left).
Oregon was, at the time, a Republican state.
• Be careful with your illuminations and fireworks this
evening. Let no accident happen.
Note: Yet an ad two spaces down reads “Griffin & Reed
have a full line of fireworks, lanterns, flags, festooning,
etc., for tonight’s celebration.”
• Chief of police Barry wishes delinquent city tax pay-
ers to distinctly understand that it will be better for them to
pay their taxes to-day without delay.
Note: As Chief Barry was rumored to be a shady charac-
ter involved in shanghaiing sailors (http://tinyurl.com/Nor-
risLtr), the Ear suspects the citizens took this announce-
ment very seriously.
• There is an outbreak of smallpox in Portland There
are seven cases now in the pest house, and three deaths
have resulted. In view of the great travel between Astoria
and Portland … vaccination should be promptly attended
to, and every means taken to avoid infection.
Note: A smallpox vaccine wasn’t discovered until 1796
by an English doctor, Edward Jenner (http://tinyurl.com/
poxvac). The vaccine was available in the U.S. as early as
the 1800s.
• Gov. (Sylvester) Pennoyer has issued a Thanksgiv-
ing proclamation, designating Thursday, the 29th, as a day
of thanksgiving and prayer …
Note: Pennoyer (pictured, right), a Democrat, served
two terms as the eighth governor of Oregon. He was a can-
tankerous character, who was famous for sending Presi-
dent Grover Cleveland a prickly telegram in 1893 (http://
tinyurl.com/pricklegram) stating, “You mind your busi-
ness and I’ll mind mine.”
T
DEAR JOHN
id
you
know
that Thomas
Jefferson (pic-
tured,
left)
and Astoria’s
founder, John
Jacob Astor
(pictured,
right),
were
writing lengthy
letters to each
other between 1808 and 1813? (http://tinyurl.com/JeffLetters).
The correspondence was mainly about the trade business and
ousting those pesky British from the Pacific Northwest. The last
missive was from Jefferson to Astor, dated Nov. 9, 1813. Here are
a few excerpts, courtesy of Founders Online:
“… I learn with great pleasure the progress you have made
towards an establishment on Columbia river. I view it as the germ
of a great, free & independant empire on that side of our conti-
nent, and that liberty & self government spreading from that, as
well as this side, will ensure their compleat establishment over
the whole.
“It must be still more gratifying to yourself to foresee that your
name will be handed down with that of Columbus & Raleigh, as
the father of the establishment and founder of such an empire …
while you are doing so much for future generations of men, I sin-
cerely wish you may find a present account in the just profits you
are entitled to expect from the enterprize.”
Astor certainly did benefit from his “enterprize,” as between
his fur trading ventures and real estate investments, he was worth
at least $20 million ($6 billion today) at his death in 1848, and
was considered one of the richest men in the world at the time.
D
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.
available for purchase from 11:30
a.m. to 2 p.m. Bazaar includes home-
made baked goods, soup mixes, jam,
gourmet and kitchen items, home
decor for holiday entertaining and gift
giving, gift bags, stained glass pieces,
vintage linens, and a “gently used” ta-
ble. Raffle tickets are $1 each or six
for $5 for a Christmas wall hanging.
For information, call 503-738-5773.
Holiday Bazaar — 10 a.m. to 3
p.m., Calvary Episcopal Church, 503
N. Holladay Drive, Seaside. Lunch
Chinook Indian Nation Coun-
cil — 11 a.m., Columbia Pacific
Heritage Museum, 115 S.E. Lake
St., Ilwaco Washington. Open to all
tribal members. Light lunch provided
following the meeting for volunteers
helping set up the annual Oyster Fry
Dinner and Silent Auction tonight at
the museum. For information, call
the tribal office 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.
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
Blacksmith Enthusiasts Meet
— 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Camp 18 Black-
smith Shop, 42362 U.S. Highway 26,
Seaside. Participants 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, contact
Mark Standley at 503-434-0148 or
Herman Doty at 971-306-1043 or ring-
inganvildesign@gmail.com
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
See NOTES, Page 2B