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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 3, 2018)
1B THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2018 CONTACT US ewilson@dailyastorian.com (503) 325-3211 ext. 257 COMMUNITY FOLLOW US facebook.com/ DailyAstorian IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON THE TRIALS OF MISS HELEN ust in time for Shark Week: Drama for Miss Helen, a 16-inch- long gray horn shark, who was sharknapped from the San Antonio (Texas) Aquarium, AP reports. She is pictured, courtesy of the aquarium. Snatched from her tank by two men, she was unceremoniously plopped into a bucket, then a baby stroller, and wheeled right out the door. However, the piscine pilferers were soon tracked down, and Miss Helen was safely retrieved. “She is back home, where she belongs!” the aquarium posted on Facebook. “Sharknapping: Unsuccessful!” J TICKET SHOCK ony Beck of Kennewick, Washington (pictured), was on vacation in Seaside when he bought a Keno ticket at Dundee’s Bar & Grill. He was shocked when he found out it was a $76,000 winner, according to a press release from the Ore- gon Lottery. “Honestly, I haven’t played Oregon Lottery Keno,” Beck said, “and I wasn’t even sure how to play.” Neil Dundas, who owns Dundee’s along with his wife, Sta- cey (both are also pictured), was just as surprised. “We’ve been open since 2002,” he said, “and have never sold a Lottery ticket with a prize this large. … We usually see $1,600 or $1,800 wins on Video Lottery, but never anything like this.” Beck knows just what to do with his winnings. “With the kids I have in college and diapers, it will get soaked up,” he added, laughing. T HISTORY NUGGET on Foss found an intriguing object on the Asto- ria waterfront somewhere between Sixth Street and the Astoria Bridge. A photo of it is shown. It looks like a handmade brick with lava on it. A friend of Ron’s says the “lava” is melted asphalt. And maybe it is. After some puzzling, it seemed the most likely answer is that it is rubble from a structure that was destroyed in one Astoria’s notorious fires. But which one? A consulta- tion with Liisa Penner, archivist at the Clatsop County Historical Society, was in order. Liisa thinks the brick probably wasn’t from the 1883 fire, since it raged mostly from 13th to 17th streets along the waterfront. And, it wasn’t likely the 1922 fire, either, since that one stopped at Eighth Street. But it could well have been from Astoria’s 1877 fire, which burned several blocks around Fifth and Astor streets, up to about Eighth Street. It’s a safe bet most people don’t even realize there was a fire that year, but most people aren’t historians. Liisa found an article in a June 1877 Weekly Astorian that revealed the “first fire of consequence in Astoria” started under Mr. Borglund’s ’49 Saloon on Astor Street. He thought he could put it out with one bucketful of water, but no bucket was handy. He dashed off and grabbed an iron pot and filled it with water from a tub, but spilled the water on his way back to the fire. By then it was too late, anyway; the blaze was already spreading rapidly. A citizen bucket brigade and the Astoria Fire Depart- ment’s old hand engine brought the fire under control, but it had already caused a considerable amount of damage — $20,000 to $30,000 then, about $480,000 to $720,000 now. “But for that fire engine that has been condemned and offered for sale,” the article said, “Astoria might now pos- sibly be in ashes.” And there you have it. Another little almost-forgotten Astoria history nugget, thanks to Liisa Penner. R YOU NEVER KNOW TIDBITS FROM 1883 hen last heard from, Astoria’s wayward sailor/Kon- Tiki drifter Rimas Meleshyus (pictured, left), after being missing for two months, was rescued from almost certain death in the South China sea in February by some Vietnamese commercial fishermen. His sailboat, the Mimsy, was wrecked, grounded on a reef. He was out of water, almost out of food and very weak. The fishermen brought him aboard and took turns nursing him while they finished fishing. Upon his return to shore, Rimas was welcomed by cheering locals, and was both happy and grateful. And giving interviews, of course. But then … nothing. What happened? The normally garrulous Rimas fell silent after his last Facebook post on March 11. Then, about a month ago, unsettling reports that he had been detained in Danang because his visa expired concerned his many Facebook followers. Was he in jail? Was he OK? Recently, out of the blue, former Seasider Dena Mat- tox Rush (also pictured) — a missing persons advocate who tried to get Rimas help the last time he was missing at sea — got a Facebook message from Karlo, a volun- teer worker in Danang. He heard that Dena was looking for Rimas, and he found him at the Danang Social Support Center, which is essentially a homeless shelter. Thanks to Karlo, Dena had a chance to talk to Rimas via Facebook Messenger, and she could see for herself that he seems well and safe. He is even being given his preferred vegetarian diet. Even so, Rimas wants outta there, pronto, to get back home to the U.S. — which means he needs to somehow round up a nice chunk of change for travel expenses and visa renewal. Will Rimas make it back to America? Will he be able to use his considerable powers of persuasion to convince someone to donate yet another sailboat (he’s gone through three already) so he can continue his solo sailing/drifting around-the-world journey? You never know, with Rimas. Stay tuned. W rom the Friday, Aug. 3, 1883 issue of The Daily Astorian: • The West Shore for July is on our table. Those of our cit- izens who purchased the admirable June number with its wealth of illustrations of local interest will want this companion num- ber which has some charming portrayals of our coast scenery … Note: The illustrations (a section of one is shown) are of a time before the devastating Astoria fire in December that year. The full issues of The West Shore mentioned are available online: June at bit.ly/WS061883, and July at bit.ly/WS071883. The images are at bit.ly/WS1883big. • The fastest passage ever made from Rio De Janeiro to San Francisco was by the American clipper ship Wizard, Captain Slade, in 1858, in 59 days. This has never been beaten before or since … Note: Well, not really. Wizard, an “extreme” clipper ship, was shipbuilder Samuel Hall’s “masterpiece” in 1853, when clipper ships were breaking records on every ocean. There appears to be some confusion about the captain’s name, however: the original owner was Oliver Slate, the first skipper was Capt. Salde, then later there was a Captain Slade and possibly a Captain Slate. A detailed log of the ship’s voyages makes no mention of this particular Rio voyage in 1858. However, a 1936 book “Clipper ships of America and Great Britain, 1833-1869” says the Wiz- ard’s unbeaten run actually occurred in October 1855 (possibly 1884) from New York to Singapore in 78 days. Sadly, she was wrecked in the English Channel in 1874. (bit.ly/clipwiz1, bit.ly/ clipwiz2) F THE LONGEST SWIM nother solo ocean traveler is making the news lately. French-American Ben Lecomte, 51, is attempting “The Longest Swim,” a 5,500-mile six-month swim across the Pacific Ocean from Tokyo to San Francisco. For support, he’s being accompanied by a 67-foot yacht with a crew of six. A photo of him from his Facebook page is shown (bit.ly/benswim). The journey is also a “citizen science expedition,” he says, to perform oceanic and medical research. “The ocean is in peril right now,” Lecomte told Seeker.com. “It has never been done to collect data from one end of the ocean to the other.” You can fol- low their progress at benlecomte.com Lecomte is no stranger to brutal ocean swims. In 1998, when he swam across the Atlantic to support cancer research, he was followed by a shark for five days and repeatedly stung by jelly- fish. Even so, he made it in 73 days. This crossing isn’t going smoothly, either. “A life-threatening typhoon has hit my swim across the Pacific Ocean,” he posted on Facebook this week, and the swim has been suspended for now. “But,” he added, “I am remaining as committed as ever to con- tinue this epic journey.” A THAT MOMENT arol Johansen pulled into Battery Russell at Fort Stevens State Park, and didn’t even notice there was a large photo- graph on display out front. “Imagine my surprise to open passen- ger door and to be greeted by a picture of my own father, Arthur S. Johansen,” Carol wrote. “Literally right there. What were the chances? And it was a picture I had never seen before. … Some- times I still tear up when I think of that moment.” The photo is inset; her father is on the left. “I’m sure the picture was placed there because it was just out- side the ‘plotting room,’ where the photo was taken.” As it so happened, filmmaker Ron Walker was there — working on a documentary about the shelling of Fort Stevens — when she had her “moment,” so he took her into the plotting room for a photo. “The picture of me standing (and crying!),” she noted, “was taken in the exact same spot where (my father) had been sitting.” “Before we left, the videographer asked me to stand by the pic- ture and point out my Dad with my finger,” Carol added, “which I did. More tears, then!” C ‘IT IS A LOVELY BOAT’ ne of the few postcards mailed from the Titanic went up for auction July 18 at Warwick & Warwick Auctioneers in England, and was expected to fetch at least £20,000 (about $26,350) tinyurl.com/postTitan. The postcard (pictured, courtesy of Warwick & Warwick) was mailed by maid Sarah Daniels to her friend, Ellen “Nell” Green. “I wish you were here, it is a lovely boat & it would do you good,” she wrote. “Am just going on deck.” Ralph “John” Wilkes, and his brother, Stephen, submitted the item for auction; Ellen Green was their grandmother’s cousin. The card didn’t sell July 18, but a private collector bought it July 23 for £8,600 (about $11, 275), according to The Warwick Courier (http://bit.ly/sarahcard) — less than half of its original estimated value. Incidentally, Sarah Daniels was a Titanic survivor, along with pregnant Madeline Astor, wife of John Jacob Astor IV. He was not as fortunate, and went down with the ship. O COMMUNITY NOTES SATURDAY Angora Hiking Club — 9 a.m., Sixth Street parking lot. Oyster- ville, Washington hike. Member- ship is not required to participate. For information, call Bill Herold at 503-468-0474 or 425-737-3976, or go to angorahikingclub.org 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. Detachment 1228 Marine Corps League — noon, El Com- padre, 119 Main Ave., Warrenton. For information, contact Lou Neu- becker at 503-717-0153. 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 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. 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. 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. Grace and Encouragement for Moms — 10 to 11:30 a.m., Crossroads Community Church, 40618 Old Highway 30, Svensen. GEMS group is a time for moms to relax and enjoy each others’ com- pany. Free childcare is provided. For information, call Rachael Bid- dlecome at 503-458-6103. 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 Suzanne Bja- ranson at 503-861-4202. See NOTES, Page 6B
