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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2018
CONTACT US
ewilson@dailyastorian.com
(503) 325-3211 ext. 257
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IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON
SO THERE
f you’re feeling a little put out by the grounghog’s predic-
tion of six more weeks of winter on Groundhog Day last Fri-
day, never fear, you can go with Oregon Zoo resident FuFu the
hedgehog’s prognostication, instead: She sees an early spring
in our future, KPTV reports (tinyurl.com/FuFuPhil). The little
hedgehog is pictured, courtesy of KPTV.
“Groundhogs like Punxsutawney Phil are relative newcom-
ers to the game,” animal curator Tanya Paul noted. “According
to folklore, the Europeans who originated the tradition originally
used hedgehogs. When they immigrated to the U.S., they real-
ized their new home didn’t have hedgehogs, so they turned to
the groundhog out of necessity. But FuFu is bringing the holiday
back to its origins.” Take that, Punxsutawney Phil.
I
ALL ABOARD
gentle reminder if you want to get in on the OceanGate
Inc. expedition to survey and document the condition of
the wreck of the RMS Titanic: There are still a limited num-
ber of slots left for “mission specialists,” who get one dive in
the state-of-the-art Cyclops 2 submersible to the wreck site. The
image of the Cyclops 2 and the Titanic is courtesy of Ocean-
Gate Inc.
Just think, the experience will only cost you a paltry $105,129
per person (in 2018) or $108,218 per person (in 2019), the equiv-
alent of a first class ticket ($4,350) on Titanic’s maiden, and only,
voyage. You can find the qualifications (aside from a hefty bank
account) here: tinyurl.com/TitanDive
If you will recall, more than 1,500 died in the sinking, includ-
ing the great-grandson of Astoria’s namesake, John Jacob Astor
IV. The wreck was found, at a depth of about 12,800 feet, by
Robert Ballard in 1985.
A
SHE’S BAAACK
he Tillamook County Pioneer reports that the wreck of the
215-foot windjammer Emily G. Reed, which ran aground
in Rockaway Beach on Feb. 14, 1908, is visible again, just
in time for the 110th anniversary of her demise (tinyurl.com/
TCPemily). A photo of her re-emerging from the sand by Don
Best is shown.
Malfunctioning chronometers and heavy weather caused the
grounding. Four crew members set off in a lifeboat, and were
presumed dead. The captain, his wife, and the remaining sur-
vivors waited until dawn, when it was low tide and they could
wade ashore (tinyurl.com/reed-wales).
The initial count of 12 casualties turned out to be inaccu-
rate; three of the men in the lifeboat survived, and were found
starved and thirsty, drifting 200 miles north of the Emily G.
Reed, which was a total loss.
T
RESCUING RIMAS
SEARCHING FOR THE MAUNA ALA
n Dec. 3, 1941 the steamer Mauna Ala, belonging
to Matson Navigation Company, sailed from Seat-
tle under the command of Capt. C. W. Saunders bound for
Hawaii,” bar pilot Capt. Robert Johnson wrote. “She was
carrying general cargo that included Christmas trees and food
for the troop buildup in Hawaii.”
After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, the
“Christmas ship” received a cable saying to head to the
Columbia River, instead. “On the evening of Dec. 10, a misty
evening, their position showed them approaching the Colum-
bia River lightship, where she would take a bar pilot,” Capt
Johnson explained.
“They continued expecting to pick up the navigation aids
of the lightship Cape Disappointment and North Head at any
time. Instead, at 7:03 p.m., the lookout called ‘breakers ahead.’
The engine was put full astern but she ran aground south of
the river entrance. Unbeknownst to the ship, all aids to navi-
gation … had all been turned off, fearing a Japanese attack.”
The crew was safe, and taken to Astoria. Not so the ship,
which broke apart and was a total loss.
Soldiers rushing to the coast, fearing a Japanese invasion
when the ship grounded, instead found the ship’s cargo —
of “60,000 Christmas trees, 10,000 turkeys, 3,000 chickens,”
as well as a case each of steaks and Almond Roca — wash-
ing ashore, according to the Cannon Beach History Center
and Museum (tinyurl.com/SSMauna). Word spread fast, and
beachcombers weren’t far behind to collect the unexpected
Christmas bounty.
“The exact location of her grounding is unclear,” noted
Capt. Johnson, who is researching the ship for the Mari-
time Archaeology Society (maritimearchaeological.org).
“One record has her 3 miles south of the jetty, and another 1
mile south of the Peter Iredale. Can anyone who remembers
this incident give us a better description of the location of the
beaching? Are there any pictures or stories from local family
lore about the incident or taking care of the crew?”
If you have any information, please email him at info@
maritimearchaeological.org or call 503-325-3211, ext. 257.
‘O
storia’s ever more wayward sailor, 67-year-old Russian
immigrant Rimas Meleshyus, has turned up yet again, after
sailing off without notice from Saipan for Guam around Dec.
10 during his latest attempt at a solo sail/drift around the world.
After a long silence, on Feb. 4 he posted on his Facebook that he
is safe, and at a hotel in Vietnam.
The Dantri International News reports that on Jan. 17, off the
Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, some Vietnamese fish-
ermen spotted Rimas on his boat, waving his shirt (tinyurl.com/
DTIrimas). They’d only been out for three days, and couldn’t
turn back yet, so they picked him up and brought him along.
By then, Rimas had already run out of water, and was almost
out of food; he thinks he would have died in a few more days if
they hadn’t saved him. Rimas was “exhausted and could not move
much” after his rescue, but the fishermen took turns nursing him
back to health. He is pictured, center, posing happily with his saviors.
The DTI article concludes saying, “Meleshyus will be well
cared for before being received by the External Relations Office for
further procedure.” Hopefully, that’s not as ominous as it sounds.
Rimas’ boat, the Mimsy, was abandoned when the fishermen
took him aboard, as it was leaking, and the rudder failed. Among
the things he salvaged were the newspaper stories he’d collected
about himself and his ocean travels over the years, his camera,
and his navigational equipment. Rimas arrived at the local guard
post in Da Nang with his new friends to the “roaring applause of
locals,” Tuoi Tre News reports (tinyurl.com/TTRimas).
Despite the probable loss of the Mimsy (his third boat), which
is believed to have sunk from the leak, and almost dying, Rimas
remains determined to finish his mission, even though his primary
sponsor has mentioned that perhaps it’s time to retire on land.
But Rimas is not one to give up. “Sailing around the world
will be continued when I am back to America,” he confidently
wrote. How he’ll pull it off remains to be seen.
A
HELP FOR BLAKE MALO
LOCAL BREVITIES
few tidbits from The Daily Morning Astorian 134
years ago on Sunday, Feb. 9, 1884:
• Capt. West has sold his cannery at Hungry Harbor (near
Megler, Washington) to the North Shore Packing Company.
Note: “Captain” John West (pictured) was a Scottish
businessman/exporter and inventor who settled near West-
port. He founded the first cannery on the Oregon side of
the Columbia River, one of many he eventually owned,
and invented an automatic can-filling machine. His brand
label for canned foods still exists as John West Foods Ltd.
of Liverpool, England. He died in 1888, and is buried in
Westport. (tinyurl.com/CaptWest)
• Wood vs: Ulloch: In the U.S. District Court in Port-
land, Columbia River bar pilot George W. Wood sued the
British ship Ullock for not hiring him to pilot her. Wood
had signaled her to board, but before he could get there,
the Ulloch took on a Washington Territory pilot, instead.
Infuriated, Wood wanted to recoup the wages he would
have received. As a result, Judge Deady made some crit-
ical decisions about the bar pilot business: A pilot must
be within half a mile of the vessel when signaling (Wood
wasn’t); and a vessel can take on a pilot from either Oregon
or Washington, whoever gets there first. Case dismissed.
• Miss Kate Ward, of Tumwater, is said to have the
honor of being the first woman to vote in Washington Ter-
ritory under the new law.
Note: Washington Territory was unsure about wom-
en’s suffrage, which was first passed in 1883, reaffirmed
in 1884, revoked in 1887, partially reinstated in 1888 then
later invalidated … you get the picture. In 1889, Washing-
ton became a state, but the dithering continued for years
until a constitutional amendment enacting women’s suf-
frage was finally passed in 1910. (tinyurl.com/WTsuffrage)
• Everyone has a sore shoulder this morning from snow-
balling yesterday. … The average girl may be too good for this
world, but she cannot help envying her young brother when he
has got the seat of his pants plated with sheet tin, and is told that
he may go and slide down Benton street hill all he wants to.
A
ormer Seaside resident Blake Malo needs your help. He is a
pilot, and his helicopter went down on Jan. 27 in a remote area
near Pomeroy, Washington, while working on a mule deer sur-
vey. One man was killed, and both Blake and the remaining crew
member were taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Lewiston, Idaho.
The injuries Blake sustained are life-threatening, and his
wife, Samantha, is at his side. He has a severe head injury,
multiple broken bones, serious injuries to his right hand, and he
has been in a coma. His medical bills and care could exceed $1
million. If you would like to help, a fundraiser has been set up
at tinyurl.com/Help4Blake
F
‘RUSTIC AND HIP’
n email from
TripAdvi-
sor arrived, tout-
ing a new list
they’ve
com-
piled, “23 Great
American Small
Cities to Visit in
2018,” noting
that Astoria is
No. 12 (tinyurl.
com/12Astoria).
The photo shown
is courtesy of TripAdvisor.
“We’ve picked some of the following small cities for their
upcoming events, their character-packed neighborhoods, and
their developing culinary scenes,” the press release says. “Oth-
ers are featured simply because they offer all the vibrancy you’d
expect of a city, but with that mellowed edge. … Some of these
cities are in the swing of regeneration — others don’t need to
change a thing.”
Take your choice which group Astoria falls into, but it’s fea-
tured primarily for managing “a balance of rustic and hip.”
A
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 Coun-
cil Meeting — 11 a.m., 3 Park St.,
Bay Center, Washington. Open to
all tribal members; attendees are
reminded to bring a potluck item.
For questions, 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 astoriafiberarts.com
18 Blacksmith 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, 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
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 k7e-
rowood@q.com, or go to 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.
Seekers Group — 6 to
7:30 p.m., Pioneer Presbyterian
Church, 33324 Patriot Way, War-
renton. Group discusses issues
facing religious faith in the modern
secular world. All are welcome.
For information, call 503-861-
2421.
MONDAY
Chair Exercises for Seniors
— 9 to 9:45 a.m., Astoria Senior
See NOTES, Page 2B