B1 THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, FEbRuARY 8, 2019 CONTACT US ewilson@dailyastorian.com (503) 325-3211 ext. 257 COMMUNITY FOLLOW US facebook.com/ DailyAstorian IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON DRESSING WITH WOOD T hanks to Peter Marsh for pointing this out: Aalto University in Finland has come up with a sustain- able fabric made of raw materials, including “wood, recycled newspaper or cardboard, and old cotton textiles” using a new technology they developed with the Univer- sity of Helsinki called Ioncell (bit.ly/aaltoion). Pictured, Jenni Haukio, with her husband, President Sauli Niinistö, in a gown made of 100 percent Finnish birch tree-based Ioncell. Photo courtesy of Vesa Moilanen/ Lehtikuva. Textile fibers made from wood can reduce car- bon emissions, are biodegradable, and the fabric is wash- able. It can even be recycled. Right now, they’re just producing small batches, but pilot fiber production is set for 2020. If all goes well, industrial production could be a go for 2025. MESSENGERS FROM THE DEEP T he Sun is only one of several news outlets cover- ing the sudden appearance of dead giant oarfish on beaches recently in Japan, arousing fear and fright- ening the coastal residents as harbingers of disaster. Because the 10-foot-plus creatures normally live at great depths, giant oarfish aren’t normally seen. They are called “Messengers from the Sea God’s Palace,” because when they rise to the surface and beach themselves, it is believed to be a frantic effort to escape an impending submarine earthquake. Adding fuel to this superstition, 10 oarfish beached themselves in Northern Japan a few months before the massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami. “I believe these fish tend to rise to the surface when their physical condition is poor, rising on water currents,” ichthyology professor Hiroyuki Motomura told The Sun, “which is why they are so often dead when they are found.” “The link to reports of seismic activity goes back many, many years,” he added, “but there is no scientific evidence of a connection, so I don’t think people need to worry.” Easy for him to say; they’re still worrying. (bit.ly/scaryoar) HEROIC ENDEAVOR A maritime item from the Sunday, Feb. 8, 1885, edi- tion of The Daily Morning Astorian: The news of the week involved a naval court of inquiry by the British vice-council regarding the conduct of Capt. Paul James Paynter, master of the Embleton, who was accused of brutality by some of his crew. While in Acapulco, Mexico, after delivering a load of coal, the crew contracted what was then referred to as Mexican Coast fever, which was probably yellow fever or dengue fever. The crew had medical treatment at the port, and were convalescing when the ship set sail. Everything went well for the first month at sea, but the crew fell ill again, and took to their bunks, leaving Capt. Paynter, who was sick himself, to sail the vessel The bru- tality charge came about when he rousted some of the crew from their bunks to help.The court exonerated him com- pletely, and commended him for bringing the ship into port under such trying circumstances. START THE COOL MUSIC … A recommendation for your viewing pleasure: “Hey now! With this dreary chilly February weather maybe it’s a good idea to set the old Gearhart Way Back Machine to the summer of 1962,” Jim Fur- nish posted on the “A Million Friends Of Gearhart” Face- book page. “Why, you ask? Because that was the summer when the popular TV show, ‘Route 66‘ came to Clatsop County to film an episode of the show. Filmed mostly in and around Astoria, it’s a video time capsule of way back when.” The episode he’s referring to is “One Tiger to a Hill” starring Martin Milner and George Maharis, with guest star David Janssen playing a drunken bully on the Asto- ria docks. The action starts with the two stars cruising along the beach in a Corvette past the wreck of the “Peter Iridale,” as they’re heading to Astoria. Here’s the link to that 1960s nostalgia: bit.ly/66tiger. A screen shot is shown of (from left) Maharis, Milner and Janssen. “One of the Corvette on the beach shots was right in front of the Gearhart Hotel,” Jim recalled, “and being as there weren’t any decent hotels or motels in Astoria or Warrenton, the TV production people were housed at the Gearhart Hotel, which really ramped up the excitement factor here, thinking all you had to do was stroll through the lobby or by the pool to see some genuine TV stars. “Didn’t work for me, though, because they wouldn’t be there in the daytime, they were out making their show — but at night, they probably relaxed and mingled with the locals at the Driftwood Lounge and the Sandtrap, which weren’t on this 11-year-old’s haunts.” There appear to be a lot of locals used as extras in the show, so you might want to keep your eyes open for famil- iar faces … and places. “Maybe you’ll see someone you know,” Jim added. “I saw one old fisherman in there I used to visit with … OK, start the cool music and enjoy.” SHIP NOTES WHAT IS IT? D oes anyone know what the mystery caterpil- lar-looking object in the photo is used for? There are 21 tires hung on a metal pole. Photographer Nellie Hux took the shot last Saturday on Benson Beach, near the campgrounds, on the Long Beach Peninsula in Washington. Nellie wasn’t sure what it was, either, but noted that “the pole looked like it had bolts on one end, so it would have been upright.” Even her dog looks puzzled. Any ideas? If you know what it is, please email ewil- son@dailyastorian.com or call 971-704-1918. ONE AND DONE T he topic of Goonies 2 never seems to die. When asked about any possibility of a reboot of ”The Goonies” by TMZ recently, Jeff Cohen, who played Chunk in the movie, had a few choice words to offer on the topic, which TMZ posted on Twitter (bit.ly/ TMZcohen). “Man, you know what? There’s no ‘Casablanca 2,’ you know?” Cohen replied. “There’s no ‘Citizen Kane 2.’ I think ‘Goonies’ — like one and done. Do it, do it right, it’s done.” Cohen is pictured, now and as Chunk, in a screen shot from the TMZ interview. Actually, it probably doesn’t matter to him if there’s a Goonie remake or not, as he’s now an author and success- ful entertainment lawyer at Cohen Gardner LLP in Los Angeles (cohengardnerlaw.com). His bio on the firm’s website ends with this parting shot: “Jeff has a unique background growing up as a child actor in the entertainment industry. His most notable role was playing ‘Chunk’ in the cult Richard Donner/Steven Spielberg film ‘The Goonies.’ “He asks that you don’t hold that against him.” NEWS FOR FINNS A little more shipping news from the same edition of The Daily Morning Astorian: • The channel cut through Sand Island a few weeks ago is washing away in the vicinity of the Great Republic wreck. The huge walking beam, which for six years has loomed up in ghastly remembrance of the disas- ter, sank into the sand last Thursday, and can now only be seen at extreme low tide. Note: The sidewheeler Great Republic (pictured), at the time the largest passenger vessel on the West Coast, grounded on Sand Island on April 18, 1879. Fortunately, more than 1,000 people were successfully rescued, but the last 11 crewmen to leave were not so lucky; they drowned when their lifeboat overturned. (bit.ly/GrRepub) • The English bark Montgomery Castle, arrived in yesterday 45 days from Autofogasto (Chile). She … is of more than passing interest to Astorians, for she is the first iron ship that ever entered the Columbia river. It was in the year 1870, and at the time she was a wonder. People came from Clatsop plains and other parts of the county, and when she went to Portland they thronged from all parts to see the ship built of iron that had come into the Columbia river. The exact date of her entry is not attainable. E. A. Noyes, the O. R. & N. Co.’s agent, says that he crossed the bar on July 8th, 1870, and she was lying here then, at what was above the city, and is an object of interest. Note: In 1843, the British ship, Great Britain, was the first ship to be built solely of wrought iron. Around the 1880s, ship builders started using steel, instead. The four- masted bark Peter Iredale, built in 1890, was built of both iron and steel. (bit.ly/shiphist) I am assistant editor of a small monthly newspaper, ‘The Finnish American Reporter‘ (FAR, finnishamerican- reporter.com), owned by Finlandia University in Han- cock, Michigan,” Dave Maki wrote in an email, “and I’m looking to get the word out about our publication to folks in your area, since many of your local folks have Finnish ancestry.” Consider it done. The monthly publication, edited by Jim Kurtti, is in English, but is aimed at Finns every- where, and claims to be the “most widely-circulated news- paper for Finns in North America.” Pictured, from the website, Kurtti (left) and Maki. Someone missing in your Finnish family? Have a gene- alogy question? FAR will publish your query at no charge. They also welcome news and articles. Ole hyvä ja nauti! COMMUNITY NOTES SATURDAY Lower Columbia R/C Society — 8:30 a.m., Buoy 9 Restaurant & Lounge, 996 Pacific Drive, Hammond. Local Academy of Model Aeronau- tics chartered radio control model aircraft club meets for breakfast and business. All model aircraft enthusiasts welcome. Call 503-458-5196 or 503-325-0608. Chinook Indian Nation Tribal Council — 11 a.m., Chi- nook Nation Tribal Office, 3 E. Park St., Bay Center, Wash- ington. 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 knit- ting, crochet or other nee- dlework to this community stitching time. All skill levels welcome. 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. Spinning Circle — 1 to 3 p.m., Astoria Fiber Arts Stu- dio, 1296 Duane St. Bring a spinning wheel. For informa- tion, call 503-325-5598 or go to astoriafiberarts.org 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. Pro- ceeds after expenses help sup- port local and other charities. Blacksmith Enthusiasts Meet — 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Camp 18 Blacksmith Shop, 42362 U.S. Highway 26, Sea- side. Participants can bring own forge and anvil setup. Metal available to experi- ment 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 ringingan- vildesign@gmail.com National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Sup- port Group — 2 to 3:30 p.m., Seaside Public Library, 1131 Broadway. Family to Fam- ily Support Group, for any- one with friend or loved one suffering from a serious brain (mental) illness. For informa- tion, contact Myra Kero at 503- 738-6165, or k7erowood@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. MONDAY Chair Exercises for Seniors — 9 to 9:45 a.m., Astoria Senior Center, 1111 Exchange St. For information, call 503-325-3231. Astoria High School Class of 1970 — 11 a.m., Koffee Klatch at Rod’s Bar and Grill, 45 N.E. Skipanon Drive, Warren- ton. Call ShawnAnn Hope at 503-791-1231. Senior Lunch — 11:30 a.m., Bob Chisholm Senior Center, 1225 Avenue A, Seaside. Sug- gested donation $3 for those older than 60; $6.75 for those younger than 60. For informa- tion, call Suzanne Bjaranson at 503-861-4202. Columbia Senior Diners — 11:30 a.m., 1111 Exchange St. Cost is $6. For information, or to have a meal delivered, call 503-325-9693. Warrenton Senior Lunch Program — noon, Warren- ton Community Center, 170 S.W. Third St. Suggested dona- tion of $6 for seniors and $7 for those younger than 60. For information, or to volunteer, call 503-861-3502 Monday or Thursday. Astoria Rotary Club — noon, second floor of the Astoria Elks Lodge, 453 11th St. Guests always welcome. For information, go to Astori- aRotary.org See Notes, Page b4