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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JULY 13, 2018
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IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON
THIRTEENTH THOUGHTS
o you have paraskevidekatriaphobia (fear of Friday the
13th)? Hopefully not, but here are a few random tidbits
related to the fateful date:
Famous daredevil Sam Patch successfully jumped off a cliff
near Niagara Falls in 1829. When he jumped from Genesee Falls
on a Friday the 13th later that year, it didn’t go well. At all.
On Nov. 13, 1789, Benjamin Franklin wrote “In this world,
nothing is certain but death and taxes.” Truer words were never
spoken.
In 2004 the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute
said that as many as 21 million people in the U.S. are so fright-
ened by Friday the 13th that $800 million to $900 million is lost
in business. It’s probably in the billions by now — and that’s
really scary. (tinyurl.com/13fri13, tinyurl.com/BenTaxes, tinyurl.
com/13badbiz)
D
A LITTLE REMINDER
came across an old postcard (pictured) of downtown War-
renton, Oregon, and I thought you might enjoy sharing it
with your readers,” Marilyn Morton of Rockwood, Pennsylva-
nia, wrote. She found it while helping clean out her aunt’s house
in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania. The front of the card says “Main
Street, Warrenton, Oregon,” and the back is blank.
Marilyn thinks the postcard belonged to her uncle, Edward W.
Graham Jr. (pictured, inset), since her aunt handled his estate.
He served in the Army during World War II, completing his basic
training in Oregon, stationed at Battery Russell/Fort Stevens.
“My grandmother, Hazel Lloyd Graham, traveled by train
to Oregon to see him,” Marilyn wrote. “After basic training, my
uncle went to Alaska, then on to Hawaii, and was ready to be sent
to the Pacific if the war hadn’t ended.”
“My grandmother and a friend of hers, Elsie Alderson, both
had sons in basic at the fort, and they traveled together across the
country from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,” she added. “They stayed
at a boarding house near the fort, and my grandmother became
friends with the woman who owned it — unfortunately I do not
remember her name. They wrote to each other for over 20 years,
and my grandmother stopped in and visited her when my grand-
parents were on their way to Alaska in 1964.”
Marilyn’s uncle died in 1990 in West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania,
where he lived all his life except for his time in the Army, yet he
always kept this little reminder of Warrenton.
CAPT. MENES AND SHIFTING
atten down the hatches, the Disney Cruise Line has dis-
covered Astoria, according to a post on the Disney Parks
blog (tinyurl.com/DisneyAst). On Tuesday, Sept. 11, when the
ship Disney Wonder stops here, “Disney cruisers will have the
chance to experience the enchanting history and rich culture of
Astoria, Oregon for the first time ever!” The ship is pictured,
courtesy of the Disney Cruise Line.
Passengers can go on a “Historic Astoria and Fort Clatsop Port
Adventure” or “Create Your Own Glassblowing Masterpiece” at
Fernhill Glass. “The Goonies” fans aboard surely will take note
of the “Filmed in Astoria” tour. After all, Goonies never say die!
B
storia’s official meter maid (aka “Community Outreach
Officer”) Ronni Harris and her nonmotorized two-wheeled
scooter were featured on a KPTV news story by Haley Rush
recently (tinyurl.com/KPTVronni), when she covered the kerfuf-
fle over whether it was legal for Ronni to use a scooter on Asto-
ria sidewalks to pass out parking tickets. Ronni is pictured, cour-
tesy of KPTV.
Since the scooter made the job easier and faster, Ronni was
none too happy when it was decided the scooter was illegal, and
she had to do the job on foot. The happy ending came almost two
months later, when the ordinance banning scooters was altered
by the City Council to exempt parking control officers “in the
performance of their duties,” and Ronni was back on two wheels
again.
The scooter scuffle story was not only noted by KPTV — it
was also rebroadcast in such unlikely spots as Horsehead, New
York (WENY) and Saltillo, Mississippi (WTVA).
ccording to “Lewis & Dryden’s Marine History of
the Pacific Northwest,” the demise of the French
bark L’etoile de Matin (Morning Star) was one of the
“important wrecks” of 1849 when she ran aground.
Capt. Francis Menes arrived at the Columbia River Bar in
early July, but even after waiting seven days for a bar pilot, none
showed up. As it turned out, Pilot Reeves had drowned in San
Francisco Bay, and there was no replacement. (Capt. George
Flavel wasn’t granted State Pilot License No. 1 until 1851.)
Having successfully crossed the bar on his own in 1847
with the Morning Star, on July 11 Capt. Menes thought
he’d give it another try. What he hadn’t counted on was the
fact that prior to the north and south jetties being built, the
Columbia River carried vast quantities of sediment to the
mouth of the river that formed sandbars, which were con-
stantly shifting from one spot to another in the rushing water.
Consequently, a navigational map that was perfectly good
one year would be worthless the next.
It didn’t take long for the ship to run aground in 16 feet of
water. There she sat for nine hours, being “thumped” by the
heavy seas around her. Lowering the lifeboats turned into a
tragic fiasco; one man drowned in the futile effort, and all of
the lifeboats were lost. Eventually, the keel and rudder broke
off, and the ship — with the pumps broken and everyone ter-
rified, but still aboard — drifted into Baker’s Bay.
Capt. Alexander Lattie Sr., who worked for the Hud-
son’s Bay Co., arrived on the scene with some Native
Americans and crew members from three other vessels to
assist the disabled ship. They spent 20 hours bailing and
pumping, and by constructing an emergency box rudder,
they managed to take the Morning Star safely to Portland.
The cargo, which belonged to Capt. Menes, was mostly
saved, and he opened a store in Oregon City. L’etoile de
Matin did not fare as well; the hull was sold, and later
burned for its iron and copper.
A
LOCAL BREVITIES
S
A
‘I
DISNEY DISCOVERS ASTORIA
SCOOTER SCUFFLE
idbits from the Saturday, July 14, 1888 edition of The
Daily Morning Astorian:
• “The July run” is so far a little slow, between a lope and
a canter.
Note: From the Sept. 7, 1888 edition: “The salmon run so
far this season has been very light, and none of the canneries are
running more than half time.”
•Before Judge (Matthew) Deady in Portland last Thurs-
day, Larry Sullivan was arraigned on a charge of secreting
Japanese sailors who deserted from the bark Kitty. Plea of guilty
entered. Sentenced to pay a fine of $50 (almost $1,300 now).
Note: Larry Sullivan, an ex-prizefighter, was a notorious
shanghaier, or “crimp,” who operated on the Astoria and Port-
land waterfronts.
• Yellow cedar has an odor about it so obnoxious to the
teredo (shipworm) that it will not be attacked …
Note: According to Appletons’ Guide-book to Alaska and
the Northwest Coast (1896): “It is the one ship timber of the
Pacific Coast, the only wood which repels the teredo, and ships’
timbers have been found to be sound and good after lying under
water for 30 years.”
• So far several East Portlanders have come down to the
seashore, and should the usual July torridity prevail, thousands
more in that vicinity will follow their example.
Note: The more things change, the more they stay the same.
• Advice To Mothers: Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup
should always be used for children teething. It soothes the child,
softens the gums, allays all pain, cures wind colic, and is the
best remedy for diarrhea …
Note: The syrup was loaded with morphine and alcohol,
and a teaspoonful could easily kill, which is why this awful
concoction’s nickname became “the baby killer.” (tinyurl.com/
badsyrup)
• Chief Barry desires to say that the “cow ordinance” will
be strictly enforced. A word to the wise is sufficient.
Note: Perhaps it is the same as the current city code ordi-
nance 5.515 (3): “No person may keep a live horse, mule, cow,
calf, swine, sheep, goat, chicken or other livestock or poultry in
a dwelling.” Keep those cows off the furniture, people. You’ve
been warned. (tinyurl.com/notocows)
‘IT’S EVERYTHING ABOUT MY WIFE’
eriously, who cares about the World Cup when the results
of the 23rd World Wife Carrying Championship in Fin-
land are in? The July 7 event drew competitors from all over
the world, with 39 couples from 13 countries. During the 253.5
meter race (with obstacles) the wife — who wears a crash hel-
met and must weigh at least 108 pounds — is slung over her hus-
band’s shoulders upside down.
This year, a Lithuanian couple, Vytautas Kirkliauskas and
Neringa Kirkliauskiene, won with a time of 1 minute, 5.1 sec-
onds in their fourth attempt at the championship. They are pic-
tured in a screen shot from an AP video (tinyurl.com/FinnCarry).
“It’s everything about my wife,” Vytautas said. “I have beau-
tiful wife. She’s wonderful. She helps me. We’re doing this
together, and we’re so happy today.”
T
SPREADING LOVE
ast weekend, “this group of Malaysian Buddhists has asked
me to drop this religious tile, which represents peace and
world calmness (no more natural disasters) … in 500 feet of
water for them,” Ron Neva, owner of Northwest Wild Prod-
ucts at the West Mooring Basin, reported. His photos are shown.
The tile is actually a sacred stone tablet, made of granite. It’s
18 by 24 inches, and 1 inch thick, and contains, in Sanskrit, the
Usnisa Vijaya Dharani Sutra, a Buddhist scripture (tinyurl.
com/seasutra). World Class Fishing will do the honors some-
time next week; in return, the group blessed the West Mooring
Basin.
Periodically, tablets containing this sutra are distributed in riv-
ers, lakes and oceans throughout the world (usnisa_vijaya.tripod.
com/web). This year, there are more than 80, and No. 81 is off
Astoria.
A member of the group, Tee, said they want the tablet to be as
far out at sea, and as deep, as possible. He also hopes it lands face
up — which is pretty iffy in such deep water. “The aim (of the
tablets) is world peace and to stabilize the earth,” Tee explained.
“The bottom line,” said Robert Pascoe, who works with the
group, “is all they want to do is spread love.”
L
COMMUNITY NOTES
SATURDAY
Lower Columbia R/C Society
— 8:30 a.m., Jim’s Roadhouse Grill,
1605 E. Harbor St., Warrenton. Lo-
cal 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.
Seniors Breakfast — 9 a.m.
to noon, Astoria Moose Lodge, 420
17th St. Cooked to order from
menu, includes coffee. Cost is $5
for seniors 62 and older, $7.50 for
those younger than 62. Breakfasts
are open to the public. Proceeds af-
ter expenses help support local and
other charities.
Chinook Indian Nation Coun-
cil — 11 a.m., Chinook Nation Trib-
al Office, 3 E. Park St., Bay Cen-
ter, Washington. Monthly meeting,
open to all tribal members; bring a
potluck item. Those attending are
asked to arrive on time. 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 astoriafiberarts.com
SUNDAY
Seniors Breakfast — 9 a.m.
to noon, Astoria Moose Lodge, 420
17th St. Cooked to order from
menu, includes coffee. Cost is $5
for seniors 62 and older, $7.50 for
those younger than 62. Breakfasts
are open to the public. Proceeds af-
ter expenses help support local and
other charities.
MONDAY
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.
Scandinavian Workshop —
10 a.m., First Lutheran Church, 725
33rd St. Needlework, hardanger,
knitting, crocheting, embroidery
and quilting. All are welcome. For
information, call 503-325-1364 or
503-325-7960.
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.
Astoria Rotary Club — noon,
second floor of the Astoria Elks
Lodge, 453 11th St. Guests always
welcome. For information, go to As-
toriaRotary.org