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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 12, 2018)
1B THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2018 CONTACT US ewilson@dailyastorian.com (503) 325-3211 ext. 257 COMMUNITY FOLLOW US facebook.com/ DailyAstorian IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON GIVING AN ACCOUNT N ow that we are deep into the winter doldrums, reading is always a good pastime to keep the gloom at bay. So why not educate yourself this winter, and tuck into Washington Irving’s “Astoria, Or Anecdotes of an Enterprise Beyond the Rocky Mountains,” originally published in 1836 (tinyurl.com/ IrvingAstor). Irving, as it turns out, counted among his friends Astoria’s founder, John Jacob Astor, who regaled the writer with tales of expanding his fur trading business to the West Coast. “Finding that I took an interest in the subject,” Irving wrote in the book’s introduction, “(Astor) expressed a regret that the true nature and extent of his enterprise and its national character and importance had never been understood, and a wish that I would undertake to give an account of it.” From there, Irving was off and running. And running. For over 900 pages — which should keep you occupied until spring. ASTORIA FERRY MAKES A MOVE ood news for Astoria Ferry lovers was posted on the ves- sel’s Facebook page (facebook.com/astoriaferryboat: “Toot! Toot! The ferry is moving to the 17th Street public dock this afternoon, Saturday, Jan. 6, around 4 p.m.” The ferry’s arrival is shown in a photo by Bill Young. “This will be its new home until perhaps mid-February,” the post continues, “while we prepare the floating dock at Pier 39 for longer-term moorage. Follow the ferry on Facebook to learn about open vessel days later this month.” Aye, aye, Captain. G LOCAL BREVITIES N ews from 130 years ago, in the Thursday, Jan. 12, 1888 edi- tion of The Daily Astorian: • And now the line’s down: no mail, no tele- graph: rough: can’t help it. Note: The Clatsop County Historical Society notes that the telegraph line to Astoria was completed in 1876 (tinyurl.com/ cchstele). The newspaper often published snarky references to the telegraph line being down. • For the coming season ladies’ visiting cards will be smaller than heretofore, and perfectly square Note: Visiting people was a delicate business. To pay a call on someone, a lady would first leave her calling card at another lady’s house. If the other lady replied by leaving her card at the first lady’s home, then an actual visit would be welcomed (tinyurl.com/1888card). • Counterfeit dollars are again in circulation. They are of a glassy texture, they ring about the same as the genuine dollar, but can be easily detected by the milling around the edge being very irregular. Note: This would be the Morgan silver dollar, which was minted from 1878 to 1904, and again in 1921. The one-ounce 1.5-inch wide coin was designed by George T. Morgan, and was the first silver dollar minted after the Coinage Act of 1873, which ended the standard Liberty Dollar and implemented the gold standard (tinyurl.com/MorganAg). • Mr. Jensen, the ingenious inventor, whose name is insepa- rably connected with the history of labor-saving machinery in the salmon packing business on the river, is now putting the finishing touches on a can-making machine that, when completed, will be able to turn out 60 cans a minute. Note: Astorian Mathias Jensen was well known for his can-filling machine, patented July 24, 1883 (tinyurl.com/MJen- sen1). According to the Federal Reporter, Jensen spent quite some time in court defending his various can patents, or being sued for patent infringement himself (tinyurl.com/MJensen2). MYSTERY MAN ‘L ooking for longtime Astoria residents, 80- and 90-year-olds or their children,” April Smith (pic- tured, right) wrote. “My mother, Karen Trumm Hunt (pictured, left), was adopted/born in 1959. Her birth moth- er’s family were longtime residents, and very involved in Astoria’s community. Her family, the Morgans, owned the Schooner Inn, I believe.” “My mother is trying to find her birth father,” April explained. “My mother found out her mother, Helen Mor- gan, died when my mom was 7 years old, in 1966. Helen’s mother, Eileen Morgan, was very involved in the local Alcoholics Anonymous in Astoria. Eileen was very proud of Helen, her only daughter, who was going off to be a nun, and I am sure bragged to everyone about her. “Then the horror. Helen gets kicked out of the con- vent and sent back to Astoria. Helen works at the Schoo- ner Inn, and meets a slightly younger man, maybe born around 1930 (two years younger, papers have stated). He was a career Navy man, possibly at Tongue Point there, was pretty athletic, Roman Catholic and, I have heard, he was involved in Toastmasters. “There have got to be some rumors out there, I am hop- ing. My mother was born Jan. 16, 1959, in Baker, Oregon, and adopted through Catholic Charities. Helen would have been really hanging out with this guy, then, in the spring of 1958. “I bought my mother an ancestry kit for Christmas, in hopes of a DNA match,” she added. “We will be visiting Astoria, as we do often, on Monday, Jan. 15, a day before my mom’s birthday, as it’s her favorite spot.” Do you know anything that can help identify Karen’s father, or about her family? Please pass along any informa- tion you might have to ewilson@dailyastorian.com, or call 503-325-3211, ext. 257. “I can’t begin to tell you just how very much it means to me to hear even the smallest tidbit about (my family),” Karen wrote. “Every little tiny piece that may be an every- day, common, ordinary thing to those who knew (them) is brand new to me.” TOE-TAPPIN’ ON A TALL SHIP F un rerun July 19, 2013: The tall ship Lady Washing- ton really gets around — she’s one of the stars of a seven-min- ute hip-hop video, “Can’t Hold Us FEAT. Ray Dalton,” by Macklemore, pic- tured right, and pro- ducer Ryan Lewis. It looks like a whopping dance party was going on all over the ship’s decks, and while the Ear’s toes were a-tap- ping, a modicum of restraint was shown by not chair danc- ing in the newsroom. You can see the video here: tinyurl.com/ macladyw In case you don’t know who Macklemore (aka Ben Hag- gerty) is, ABC news called the Seattle rapper “an overnight sensation, 14 years in the making” (tinyurl.com/mackabc). Before he became megafamous via YouTube (no record label, no agent), he had “no money at all.” According to Joe Follansbee, communications director of the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority in Aberdeen, Washington, which owns the vessel, the production team shot the video while the ship was in Ventura and Oakland, Califor- nia, this year. And a very popular video it is — it has been viewed more than 80 million times and the single hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. (Note: Its been seen about 561 million times now.) As if all that exposure weren’t enough publicity for the elegant ship, Macklemore, who is known for his dedication to raising awareness of the needs of at-risk youth, did a Public Service Announcement to enthusiastically support the Lady Washington and ask people to donate to the cause online because of the ship’s education programs for youth (tinyurl. com/macloveslady). “It was crazy,” Macklemore rhapsodized in a PSA about filming on the tall ship. “I was out there on the open seas, on the water, drinking hot cocoa, looking out over the vast hori- zon, thinking about life ... “We’re on the open water, breeze hitting your face — smells like salt and dolphins. I was up on the mast, I was a lit- tle baby pirate, a little urban baby pirate up on there, doing my thing, and you can do that thing, too. Go visit the Lady Wash- ington, like we did.” Not a bad idea. LOBSTER LUNCH t turns out that the lowly jellyfish, often considered a nuisance, appears to be a delectable snack for the 10-inch Norway lob- ster (aka langoustine), a highly desirable crustacean in European markets (tinyurl.com/jellyfood). A team of scientists from Heriot-Watt University in Edin- burgh, led by Andrew Sweetman, experimented by putting jel- lyfish carcasses in a cage at the bottom of a fjord to see what would happen. Norwegian lobsters found and devoured the treats quickly, scaring off other scavengers, to boot. Of note: One jelly- fish can fuel a lobster’s energy for two to three months. Pictured, courtesy of Heriot-Watt, a hungry lobster snacking. “Jellyfish have historically been considered a ‘dead end’ in the marine food chain, and it was only in 2012 that we discov- ered that anything was using it as a food source,” Sweetman said. “To discover that it’s a potentially huge food source for one of the Atlantic and North Sea’s most commercially important catches is really interesting, and raises questions about how jellyfish could contribute to sustainable commercial fishing.” I ‘THE EVERLASTING POINT’ T he Seattle Times posted a lulu of a feature article (almost 4,000 words) in mid-December, “Astoria, Oregon: the city where gritty meets pretty” (tinyurl.com/STgritty). The writer muses whether the “old cannery/new hipster town,” a “spit-polished barnacle on the backside” of Portland, can become an attraction for “Generation Kindle” and survive gen- trification. To find out, he took up wining (technically beering) and dining himself, overhearing conversations, and schmoozing locals in various establishments. During his many travels around town, he interviewed Dul- cye Taylor, who assured him the proper level of old-fashioned fortitude is being retained in all of the city pretty-fication going on over the last decade. “That’s how you keep your grit,” she explained. “You honor your history.” Looks like she convinced him. “Gritty remains (Astoria’s) calling card, pretty occurring only in acceptable doses,” he con- cluded, “… (and) that might well be the everlasting point.” CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? D uring the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami, people who were driving in their cars were unable to receive vital emergency information quickly enough, The Japan Times reports (tinyurl.com/michibiki-save). In preparation for the next catastro- phe, the Japanese government is gearing up to send emergency information to drivers through their vehicle navigation systems, using Michibiki satellites. One is pictured, courtesy of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Satellites will work best for vehicle transmissions to an on-the-road public because they are reliable, and wide-ranging, unlike land-based communications, which are often destroyed or disabled during a disaster. Also on the Japanese government’s to-do list is a safety confir- mation system, also using satellites, so people can access a data- base created by emergency shelters to confirm that family mem- bers and friends are safe. Both systems are expected to start rolling out within a year. COMMUNITY NOTES SATURDAY Lower Columbia R/C Society — 8:30 a.m., back room at Uptown Cafe, 1639 S.E. Ensign Lane, War- renton. Local Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) chartered radio control model aircraft club meets for breakfast and business. All model aircraft enthusiasts are welcome. For information, call 503-458-5196 or 503-325-0608. Chinook Indian Nation Council — 11 a.m., Tribal Office, 3 East Park St., Bay Center, Washington. Meet- ing is open to all tribal members; attendees are reminded to bring a potluck item. For questions, contact 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 nee- dlework 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 astoriafiberarts.com way 26, Seaside. Participants wel- come to bring their own forge and anvil setup. Metal available to ex- periment with; coal is provided. No charge, but donations to the Camp 18 Loggers Memorial Museum welcome. For information, contact 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. High- 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 suffer- ing from a serious brain (mental) illness. For information, contact Myra Kero at 503-738-6165, or k7erowood@q.com, or go to nami. org Seekers Group — 6 to 7:30 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. MONDAY Chair Exercises for Seniors — 9 to 9:45 a.m., Astoria Senior Center, 1111 Exchange St. For in- formation, call 503-325-3231. Scandinavian Workshop — 10 a.m., First Lutheran Church, 725 33rd St. Needlework, hardanger, See NOTES, Page 4B