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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MARcH 15, 2019
CONTACT US
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IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON
DIRT FISHIN’
JONAH REDUX
T
his can’t happen here (hopefully): South African
Rainer Schimpf had only been snorkeling for a
few minutes off South Africa’s Port Elizabeth Har-
bour, filming a sardine run, and was focusing on where the
sharks were in relation to him, when suddenly everything
went dark, he told SkyNews.com (bit.ly/modjonah).
It only took him a few seconds to grasp that he’d been
swallowed headfirst by a 50-foot 22-ton (his estimate)
Bryde’s whale who was feeding on the sardines. Schimpf
was relieved because he knew the whale couldn’t swallow
him, he’s too big, but he worried it might dive. He is pic-
tured, telling the tale, courtesy of SkyNews.com, empha-
sizing how small he felt while in that predicament.
All’s well that ends well. “Obviously he realized I was
not what he wanted to eat,” the diver recalled, “so he spat
me out again.”
SMALL THINGS
‘O
K, it must be a lucky month for me detect-
ing,” Astorian Don Kelly posted on Face-
book of his latest “dirt fishin’” adventure
with one of his metal detectors.
“Went to a few of my favorite spots, because they said
the rains were coming again soon,” he explained. “I was
not expecting to find anything at all of value, because I’ve
dug this site many many times before. Well I was wrong,
and pulled these keepers (pictured) out of the ground.
“Went down an old trail and found an old sterling sil-
ver St. Christopher medallion, and a gold-colored piece
of jewelry. Also found what I thought was horse tack but
it might be an old collar stud. But in my final hole I found
this beautiful amethyst 925 Sterling ring under a big old
tree on the path. It’s a stunner for sure, and being under
that tree, was protected from the elements. I polished her
up and she looks like a brand new vintage ring!”
He thinks the ring is from the Edwardian period, 1901-
1910, but has no idea what it’s worth — which doesn’t
matter to him, anyway. “To me, it’s priceless,” he said.
If you would like to see more of his finds, go to the
Northwest Artifact Recovery Team Facebook page. Among
his finds are old U.S. and Chinese coins, an Edwardian
shoe buckle, railroad spikes, lead weights, bullet casings,
and even a cannonball. “Fifty-plus years of digging,” he
quipped. “Never gets old, but I do.”
“When you’re swinging the detector, you really have no
clue what you’re about to dig up,” he observed. “I listen
to the sounds — my detector is telling me constantly if it’s
ferrous or nonferrous objects — so once you look in the
hole it could be a rusty nail, or it could be an old silver coin
or jewelry. The fun is the hunt! Digging these items up is
thrilling, but researching the item is even more rewarding.
Gotta love dirt fishin’ in Astoria!”
AROUND TOWN
A
good news story is always a day-brightener, so
here goes:
“Way back in November 2018, someone
reported this item taken from their front porch,” the Asto-
ria Police Department posted on Facebook March 8, refer-
ring to the lamp photo shown. “Tonight, with a little luck,
we came across it while investigating another crime. The
officer who took the original theft case recognized it.
“Since the owner did not want to pursue charges at the
time, and only wanted it back, we decided to put a big red
bow on it, and it was returned to their porch.
“Sometimes the small things give us the most satisfac-
tion. #smalltownpolicing”
What an unexpected, and happy surprise it must have
been for the owners. Well done, APD!
THE STUFF OF NIGHTMARES
I
f you want a glimpse at what will happen when the
Cascadia Subduction Zone finally lets loose that 9.0
megathrust earthquake and tsunami, read “Off the
Richter Scale: Can the Pacific Northwest prepare for the
cataclysmic quake that’s coming?” by Michael J. Totten
for City Journal (bit.ly/cszboom).
Actually, a 9.0 megathrust quake is so intense it liter-
ally is “off the Richter scale.” Wet soil liquifies, brick and
masonry buildings crumble, underground infrastructure is
crushed, cities like Portland wind up full of shattered glass
and rubble, and aftershocks could go on for decades. As
for bridges, most will be destroyed or so damaged they
can’t be fixed.
The writer speculates that the ideal time (if you could
call it that) for this cataclysm would be after Labor Day,
at 4 a.m., before schools and businesses are open, and
most people are not on the road. That’s a pretty narrow
window.
The good news? Wood frame houses, like many in
Astoria, fare better than brick buildings, and actually do
better in a megathrust situation than in regular earthquakes.
The stuff of nightmares, yes. But the article is proba-
bly something every North Coaster should read, anyway.
F
rom the Friday, March 15, 1901 edition of The
Morning Astorian:
• Sebastian Glaser and Alexander Normand
Jr. have filed (gold) mining claims on locations in the
Cruiser’s Gulch district.
Note: Cruiser’s Gulch is along the Nehalem River
in Clatsop County’s Gold Creek Mining District. Gla-
ser’s claims were about 2 miles from Elsie. There are no
records for any other mining claims in that district, and it
is unknown if they actually found any gold there. Perhaps
not, as coincidentally, Gold Creek is now called George
Creek.
The Rock Creek Mining District, located mainly
in what is now the Tillamook Forest, had several active
claims when some gold was discovered there in the 1880s.
Not much, apparently, since the district suddenly “petered
out” in 1894. (bit.ly/clatgold)
• The English flag over the office of the British
vice-consul was at half mast yesterday out of respect to
the late President (Benjamin) Harrison.
Note: Harrison (pictured, inset), the 23rd president
(1889-1893), died March 13, 1901. The British vice-coun-
sul was an important figure in town in the early 1900s;
the many British ships and seamen that passed through the
thriving port answered to him, and were under his domin-
ion while in the North Coast area. (bit.ly/benharri, bit.ly/
britconsul)
• Measles, said to be of the German variety and rather
severe in form, is quite prevalent in the city … the disease
has attacked many older people, with considerable vio-
lence in some cases.
Note: The first rubella vaccine wasn’t licensed until
1969. (bit.ly/astmeas)
• The Grays Bay Logging Company, owned by Brix
Brothers, has a force of 40 men at work constructing a
logging road back from the river between Frankfort and
the mouth of Deep River (Washington).
Note: The Brix Brothers, German immigrants, were
well known in the logging industry and owned a sawmill
in Knappton, Washington, as well as a Columbia River
towboat and barging business, providing a much-needed
connection to isolated towns. (bit.ly/brixbros)
BANDIT RETIRES
T
he Discovery Channel TV series “The Deadli-
est Catch” has had quite a following on the North
Coast over the years, and a locally-owned vessel,
the F/V Maverick, was on the show for a few seasons.
Now, one of the longtime vessels featured on the show,
Time Bandit, is retiring and being sold. She’s being offered
by Dock Street Brokers in Seattle (bit.ly/docktime). The
photo shown is courtesy of Dock Street Brokers.
Built in 1991 by the same company that built the Mav-
erick, Giddings Boatworks in Oregon, the 113-foot steel-
hulled crabber/tender holds 175,000 pounds of crab and
365,000 pounds of salmon. It also features an updated gal-
ley, 10 berths and four staterooms.
Before you check the penny jar, you should know the
sale price is $2,888,888.
HONORED GUEST
‘A
s you may have heard, we have the distinct
honor of trying to help this beautiful beaver
who was found near the mouth of the Necani-
cum River in Seaside, downriver from where you’d expect
to see one of these amazing builders,” the Wildlife Cen-
ter of the North Coast (WCNC) posted on Facebook. “Our
wonderful friends over at Seaside Aquarium rounded her
up and got her safely into our hands.” The critter is pic-
tured, courtesy of the WCNC.
Well, isn’t it rather odd to have a beaver roaming around
on the beach? “We see beavers end up on the beach annu-
ally,” Josh Saranpaa, executive director of the wildlife
center explained. “While this isn’t a good place for them to
be, it is common. Sometimes heavy storms will wash them
out of the rivers and onto the beach. Other times, which
seems to be the case here, a predator or rival will chase
them onto the beach.”
A visit to the vet on Wednesday revealed she has some
pretty bad abscesses and deep punctures that probably
resulted from a territorial dispute with another beaver, and
she’s been put on antibiotics. What she needs now is TLC
and time to recover. “Our rehab staff are going to be work-
ing hard to get her healthy,” Josh said.
If you’d like to help the wildlife center take care of
patients like this beaver, you can donate at coastwildlife.
org or on the WCNC Facebook page. Every contribution,
no matter how small, is greatly appreciated.
JEANS SAVE THE DAY
G
erman tourist Arne Murke and his brother set
sail from Auckland, New Zealand, to deliver the
yacht Wahoo to Brazil, when the boom got loose
in rough weather and knocked him into the ocean, accord-
ing to the New Zealand Herald (bit.ly/nzharne).
His brother was not able to get to him, and he was not
able to reach the life preserver thrown to him. So there he
was, adrift and alone, with no life jacket, in 10-foot swells.
Luckily, he kept his wits, and remembered a Navy Seal
trick. He took off his jeans, made knots at the end of the
legs, then inflated them by pulling them over the water,
creating an improvised life vest. A handy thing to know
for anyone who goes out on the water. Here’s how to do it:
bit.ly/pantvest
Fortunately, his brother was able to call for help, and
Murke was rescued three and a half hours later. “Without
the jeans I wouldn’t be here today,” he said.
COMMUNITY NOTES
SATURDAY
Sit & Stitch — 11 a.m. to
1 p.m., Homespun Quilts &
Yarn, 108 10th St. Bring knit-
ting, crochet or other nee-
dlework projects to this com-
munity 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.
Cannon Beach American
Legion Women’s Auxiliary
Breakfast — 9 to 11:30 a.m.,
American Legion, 1216 S.
Hemlock St., Cannon Beach.
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.
Grace and Encourage-
ment for Moms — 10 to
11:30 a.m., Crossroads Com-
munity Church, 40618 Old
Highway 30, Svensen. GEMS
group is a time for moms to
relax and enjoy each oth-
ers’ company. Free child-
care is provided. For informa-
tion, call Christina Leonard at
503-298-3936.
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 —
See Notes, Page B4