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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANuARY 11, 2019
CONTACT US
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IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON
‘I WILL DO MY BEST’
n 1973, when Astorian ShawnAnn Hope was 21, she
entered the Miss Clatsop County Pageant. At the
time, she was planning to attend the American Acad-
emy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, and figured it
would give her some stage experience. A very abbreviated
version of her pageant journal follows, which she hopes
will give new contestants an idea of what to expect. For
the full text, go to bit.ly/ShawnAnn
February 20, 1973. I decide to go out for the Miss Clat-
sop County Pageant. … With God’s help, I know I will do
my best.
April 6, 1973. Sally Hope saw me downtown in rollers,
and she commented, as many other people did, because if
you are going out for the Miss Clatsop County Pageant, we
are not supposed to be caught downtown in rollers.
Saturday, April 14, 1973. My boyfriend told me I was
doing too many things. He said that I work two jobs, have
the pageant, and the play “Butterflies Are Free.” He said I
do not have time for him.
Friday, May 4, 1973. I have only six minutes to get into
my talent outfit. I about died!!!! My stomach about freaked
out.
Sunday, May 6, 1973. My chest broke out with a rash
from my nerves, thinking about the play and the pageant. I
got up two times last night and vomited.
Saturday, May 19, 1973. Miss Clatsop County Pag-
eant. I can say that I looked good — but, not at all natu-
ral. Paula Andriesian got Miss Clatsop County, Paulette
Hankel got first runner up and I got second runner up (she
received $100 for college and a trophy) and Tami Holmes
got Miss Congeniality.
Sunday, May 20, 1973. I was really embarrassed to face
anyone today. The whole day I had the blues.
Monday, May 21, 1973. I wrote in my diary about New
York City, and dreamed about a new career.
I
KEEPING HISTORY ALIVE
R
andy Bishop of Calgary, in Alberta, Canada, was
inspired to email after reading a November Cannon
Beach Gazette story about Scott Rekate‘s visit to
the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, “Fisherman recalls visit
to Terrible Tilly.”
“I have been on fishing boats near it myself but never
on the Rock,” Bishop wrote. “I do have in my collection an
item that Mr. Rekate mentions in his story. This is a crys-
tal (pictured) that was in the floor of the lantern room sur-
rounding the Fresnel lens … it should be noted that it was
not part of the lens but rather a system to illuminate the
stairwell from the lantern room.
“It is doubtful that these items were Fresnel lens qual-
ity, as there are flaws, air bubbles and inclusions in the
glass. The original Fresnel lens was destroyed in a storm
Oct. 21, 1934, and was replaced at a later date by an Aero-
drome beacon.
“The story behind how I got this artifact is I have a
longtime friend, Chuck Carlson, formerly of Seaside,
who was hired to do diesel cleanup work on the rock, prior
to its conversion in 1980 to a columbarium (place to store
funeral urns) by Mimi Morissette of Portland.
“While working in the engine room, Chuck said he
heard some hammering, and then glass falling down the
staircase. After investigating the source he found a guy
breaking out the crystals up top and the glass showering
down. He stopped the guy and took a manhole or two, and
some loose crystals, back with him on the next helicop-
ter home.
“Chuck said he donated most of the crystals and man-
holes to the Columbia River Maritime Museum, but I’ve
never seen them on display there. He has given one each
to his son, Tom, and daughter, Michelle, one to me, and
kept the last one for himself. It is a prized possession in
my collection.”
“I believe it is our duty to keep these stories and his-
tory alive,” Bishop added. “… I am very grateful to be the
caretaker of this treasure, and realize its historical value.”
A FUN MORNING
t was Elvis Presley‘s birthday on Jan. 8, and the third
graders at Hilda Lahti Elementary School read a short
biography about him, took a quiz, watched a video
and had a few local rock stars visit them in class to sing
some good old Elvis tunes,” substitute teacher Debbie
Twombly wrote.
“Larry Moore and Dan Sutherland of the Browns-
mead Flats put together a selection of hits from The King,
and entertained both third grade classes with some fun
rock and roll. They sang along and got up and danced,
working up a good appetite before lunch.”
“It was a fun morning, and a great way to introduce kids
to a bit of musical history,” she added. “Thanks, Larry and
Dan, for being so generous with your talents!”
I
THE REAL DEAL?
‘A HOPELESS WRECK’
TILLY’S TRAVAILS
T
his tidbit appeared on the George Flavel Facebook
page (fb.me/george.flavel) recently: “Jan. 8, 1907
— The wrecked British bark Peter Iredale on Clat-
sop beach is for sale, and while she is a hopeless wreck
and can never be floated again, there is much of her that is
valuable to a person who understands how to handle such
ventures. She could be broken up to advantage and the
material hauled by wagon to the railroad station at War-
renton at a comparatively small cost.”
The ship is pictured, not too long after it ran around in
October 1906.
And, in The Morning Astorian, on the same date:
“Capt. Crowe, professional wrecker, is down from Port-
land examining beached British vessels, the Galena and
the Peter Iredale …”
Many must have thought of salvaging the Iredale’s iron,
steel and wood remains, but it looks like no one got much
beyond the thinking stage.
FAIR COMPENSATION
rom the Saturday, Jan. 11, 1879 edition of The Daily
Astorian:
• British ship Allegiance came in yesterday in a
gale of wind, bar breaking badly and anchored in a precari-
ous place without a (bar) pilot. Three bar tugs and the U. S.
revenue cutter Thomas Corwin, which was in Bakers bay,
went to her assistance …
The three tugs wound up assisting and towing the Alle-
giance over the course of an arduous two days, and the
court got involved when a lawsuit ensued over payment.
The tug owners claimed it was a salvage operation, and
they should be paid $5,000 ($126,000 now), so they sued
the ship’s owner, who claimed he should only be charged
for being towed, which would have been only $200 (about
$5,000 now). You can read all the details at bit.ly/towsuit
Judge Deady agreed, and ruled that $5,000 was “a fair
compensation for the services rendered.”
F
W
hile The Daily Astorian dates back to the 1800s,
it’s a spring chicken compared to the Haar-
lems Dagblad — generally accepted as the old-
est continuously published newspaper in the world —
which celebrated its 363rd birthday on Tuesday.
First published by Abraham Casteleyn and his wife,
Margaretha van Bancken (pictured, inset) on Jan. 8,
1656, in Haarlem, Netherlands, as the Weeckelycke Cou-
rante van Europa (Weekly Courant of Europe), it was
renamed De Oprechte Haerlemse Courant in 1664.
That name stuck until the German Occupation of the
Netherlands during World War II, when the publication
was pushed into an involuntary merger with Haarlems
Dagblad, a regional newspaper first issued in 1883, and
younger than The Daily Astorian.
So, if you want to get technical about it, Haarlems
Dagblad only became the oldest paper by absorbing the
real deal. But happy belated birthday, anyway. (bit.ly/
haarldag)
S
o what is happening with the Tillamook Lighthouse,
anyway? After Terrible Tilly (pictured in 1901) was
declared surplus by the federal government, it was
sold several times, the last buyers being Mimi Morissette
and her partner, Cathy Riley, who had some investment
backers.
On her Facebook page, Morissette has a photo of
their first trip to the lighthouse, which they bought “sight
unseen,” and it was a sorry mess. But not for long. Tilly
was gutted, spruced up and painted, and the windows were
cemented over to create the columbarium Eternity at Sea.
It sounded like a grand, even mystical idea, to have
one’s ashes there, but several things went awry. There was
a lack of maintenance — after all, it’s not the easiest spot
to get to, certainly — and there were paperwork issues.
Plus, some vandals broke in and a few urns went missing.
Things just kept going downhill.
Now the Eternity at Sea website is gone, and a recent
inquiry to the Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board in
Portland about the business received the following reply
from Carla G. Knapp, office/licensing manager: “It is not
a licensed operating columbarium (cemetery), since Dec.
31, 1998.”
Then Geist View‘s December 2016/January 2017
depressing drone footage (bit.ly/TTilly) shows the beloved
lighthouse is in a sad state of disrepair. Not surprisingly,
fierce weather and constant battering by crashing waves
have caused serious damage overall, including cracks in
the walls and a badly rusted lantern room.
On the bright side … back to Mimi Morissette’s Face-
book page. What is there — aside from amazing photos of
the lighthouse — is mention of restoring Tilly and reviv-
ing the columbarium.
Will Tilly be saved? “Hope springs eternal,” as Alex-
ander Pope said. Stay tuned. (bit.ly/tillyrock, bit.ly/
tillyrock1)
LOOSE MOOSE
S
o Gearhart thinks it has elk problems?
An AP story this week featured a moose who saun-
tered into a hospital lobby in Anchorage, Alaska, to
nosh on the greenery (bit.ly/moosenosh). The moose is
pictured, courtesy of Anchorage Regional Hospital via AP.
It got in when extremely cold temperatures caused
the doors to be stuck open. After a stay of about 10 min-
utes, spent serenely snacking and gazing around, it calmly
meandered back out.
“It’s definitely different than small-town Iowa,” noted
Stephanie Hupton, a former Iowan who works nearby.
COMMUNITY NOTES
SATURDAY
Lower Columbia R/C Society
— 8:30 a.m., Buoy 9 Restaurant
& Lounge, 996 Pacific Drive,
Hammond. 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., Chinook
Nation Tribal Office, 3 E. Park
St., Bay Center, Washington.
Monthly meeting, open to all
tribal members. Attendees are
reminded to bring a potluck
item and to arrive on time. For
questions, 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.
Spinning Circle — 1 to 3 p.m.,
Astoria Fiber Arts Studio, 1296
Duane St. Bring a spinning
wheel. For information, call
503-325-5598 or go to astori-
afiberarts.org
Cost is $5 for seniors 62 and
older, $7.50 for those younger
than 62. Breakfasts are open
to the public. Proceeds after
expenses help support local
and other charities.
Columbia Northwestern
Model Railroading Club —
1 p.m., in Hammond. Group
runs trains on HO-scale layout.
For information, call Don Car-
ter at 503-325-0757.
SUNDAY
Blacksmith Enthusiasts Meet
— 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Camp
18 Blacksmith Shop, 42362
U.S. Highway 26, Seaside.
Participants can bring own
forge and anvil setup. Metal
Seniors Breakfast — 9 a.m.
to noon, Astoria Moose Lodge,
420 17th St. Cooked to order
from menu, includes coffee.
available to experiment with;
coal provided. No charge;
donations to 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
National Alliance on Mental
See Notes, Page B3