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THE ASTORIAN • THuRSdAy, NOvEmbER 25, 2021
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IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON
THANKS, GEORGE
n 2013, the Today Show featured a story noting that
an original copy of the proclamation that President
George Washington signed on Oct. 3, 1789, declaring
Nov. 26 the first national day of Thanksgiving, went up
for auction at Christie’s.
At the time, the document had last sold in 1977 for
$3,800, but was expected to fetch $8 to $12 million at the
auction in New York because of its rarity.
Washington did not sign many documents, for one
thing. And, although it is presumed there were originally
13 copies (sent to the original states) only two are known to
still exist — and one of them is in the Library of Congress.
Nobody bought the document on that go-around, but in
January 2015, Keno Auctions in New York announced that
the proclamation, which had been offered for $8.4 mil-
lion, was sold to a private collector, who requested that his
name and the amount he paid remain confidential.
“It has been a great honor to have exhibited this iconic
manuscript,” Leigh Keno noted. “The fact that it sold to
a collector who believes in sharing with the public is the
icing on the cake.” Just how the collector is sharing the
document is unknown.
By the way, on Oct. 3, 1863, 74 years after Washing-
ton signed his proclamation, President Abraham Lincoln
declared the fourth Thursday in November as a national
day of Thanksgiving — the date still used to this day.
I
THE TURKEY’S REVENGE
orth a rerun for turkey day: A cautionary tale for
all and sundry who tend to overeat at the Thanks-
giving dinner table (the Ear pleads guilty as charged):
According to a story on the Oregon State Archives Face-
book page, 52-year old housewife Laura Ann Barker
of Portland met an untimely end the afternoon of Sun-
day, Nov. 30, 1947.
It was rumored that family members were told at
the time that the cause of her demise was “too much
Thanksgiving.” Her death certificate, part of which is
shown, backs up the story. It seems it was no coinci-
dence that Thanksgiving Day was three days earlier,
although her husband, Dell D. Barker, lived to tell the
tale.
Mrs. Barker’s physician, who attended her at her
home during her final 48 hours, listed the immediate
cause of death as coronary heart disease, which lasted
only half an hour. What’s notable is the contributory
cause, “acute indigestion,” which lasted two long, mis-
erable days.
THE CAPTAIN WAS UNDONE
chilly tale for a cold November night, from The
Daily Astorian, Nov. 29, 1889.
“Stout” John Hansen, captain of the whaler
Reindeer, had arrived at the Port of Astoria
the previous week. “Death sat watching by his bedside.
He chattered and gibbered, and stared with straining
eyeballs.”
Why? He thought he had seen the legendary ghost
ship, the Flying Dutchman, which was doomed to end-
lessly sail the seas with its crew of wraiths, and he
believed the legend that if a ship was unlucky enough
to encounter the Dutchman, it was a sign of impending
tragedy.
The captain was undone on July 16, while he was sail-
ing the Reindeer along the icepack near Cape Smyth,
in far northern Alaska. Another bark appeared, bow on.
“Her mizzen (mast) was gone, and she veered and yawed
strangely; but her sails were set and she was making fair
headway. Hansen could hear the swish of the wind in her
shrouds …
“In an instant she tacked and bore away. Then,
before going a hundred yards, she came about and made
straight for the Reindeer again. Hansen hailed her. There
was no answering hail … Then he hailed again. No
return.”
Hansen quickly fled for the open sea. He passed close
by the other ship, and observed icicles dangling from
her rigging, and ice on the deck, helm and hatches. She
was alarmingly low in the water, and there was no sign
of life.
Actually, the terrifying vision was most likely the
wreck of the Young Phoenix. On Aug. 3, 1888, she got
caught in a southwest gale while whaling in the Arctic,
and several ships in the fleet went down.
The crew, thinking she was sinking, abandoned ship.
“For nearly a year she had roamed the chartless sea,
touching at no port, piloted by no hand, answering no
hail, purposeless, silent and alone.”
“This abandoned craft is probably the phantom whose
ice-sheathed shrouds and silent decks loomed upon the
startled vision of big John Hansen that chilly night in
July, and gave him that shock from which he may never
recover.” (Painting “The Flying Dutchman” by Charles
Temple Dix 1838–1873)
A
un rerun: Well, here’s a new hobby for you: Mag-
net fishing. But hopefully you won’t catch anything as
scary as Longview, Washington, resident Jeremy Girard
did, in Lake Sacajawea on Oct. 28 — a hand grenade.
The Daily News noted the device was whisked away by
the Portland bomb squad.
“I have (magnet) fished from Cathlamet all
the way to Silver Lake, and am still expanding,” he told
the Ear. “I’ll say it’s a good, clean pastime for people of
all ages.
“And it’s a bit crazy here, but I’ve always been prone
to finding crazy things. When I was 12, I found the human
remains of a missing person up in the woods in Rose Val-
ley, Washington. Guess you could say I’m a bit of an
explorer.”
“It never gets old,” he told The Daily News. “You never
know what you’re going to pull out of there.” (In One Ear,
11/3/2017)
F
o, what were the members of the Lewis and Clark
Expedition up to on Nov. 25, 1805?
They loaded up the canoes, left Station Camp, which
was just east of Chinook, Washington, and headed
upriver to explore, hoping to find a suitable spot for a win-
ter camp. From William Clark’s journal:
“The Wind being high rendered it impossible for us to
Cross the river from our Camp, we deturmind to proceed
on up where it was narrow. We Set out early accompanied
by 7 ClâtSops for a fiew miles; they left us and Crossed the
river through emence high waves.
“We Dined in the Shallow Bay (Grays Bay) on Dried
pounded fish, after which we proceeded on near the North
Side of the Columbia, and encamp a little after night near
our Encampment of the 7th … near a rock (Pillar Rock) at
Some distance in the river.
“Evening Cloudy, the Winds of to day is generally
E.S.E., which was a verry favourable point for us as the
highlands kept it from us. Mt. St. Hilians (Helens) Can be
Seen from the mouth of this river.”
As any Lewis and Clark history buff knows, they ended
up wintering on the south side of the river instead, where
they built Fort Clatsop. It was their last encampment
before heading back east.
S
‘ICELANDVERSE’
hen Mark Zuckerberg, via video, announced
with annoying seriousness about people connect-
ing through virtual reality in his Metaverse, and intro-
duced the new logo, the internet went wild.
Inspired by Iceland’s “Icelandverse” is a desert-dry
parody designed to boost Iceland’s tourism. At the
same time, the video quietly mocks Zuckerberg and his
Metaverse, as narrated by a deadpan “Zach Mossbergs-
son, Chief Visionary Officer.” For example:
“… Today I want to talk about a revolutionary
approach on how to connect our world without being
super weird … And what do we call this not-so-new
chapter in human connectivity? The Icelandverse.
Enhanced actual reality without silly-looking headsets.
In our open world experience, everything is real, and has
been for millions of years.
“… The Icelandverse is a world with possibilities
so endless they’ll be here forever. So join us today, or
tomorrow, or whenever. We are really easy-going. Now
please enjoy our logo.” With 1.1 million views so far,
and glowing reviews, tourism will probably soar.
W
W
A GOOD, CLEAN PASTIME
‘DETURMIND’
SNIPPETS
eck the Halls: First off, a plea
from Ten Fifteen Productions:
“We need your help! Do you have extra
holiday decorations collecting dust?
We’d love to take them off your hands!
“We are specifically looking for
a faux tree, garlands and poinsettias
to decorate the theater for our holi-
day fundraiser, ‘Almost Baroque for
Christmas.’”
The production, with 19 perform-
ers directed by Susi Brown, runs Dec.
15 to Dec. 18 at 1015 Commercial St. If
you have any decorations to lend, email
thetenfifteentheater@gmail.com or call
503-198-5255.
• Storytelling Adventure: The Ore-
gon I Am people have now come up
with a card game, which is a “storytell-
ing adventure.” The game is available at
bit.ly/OrIAMcards
“Take a journey through Oregon and
connect with each other and to your favor-
ite Oregon places — including those you
have yet to discover — through fun illus-
trations, silly conversations and beautiful
landmarks!”
• Blubber Blowup: In honor of
the 51st anniversary of the Florence
exploding whale debacle on Nov. 12,
Portland virtual band Flawker Rawker
created a song, and an animated video,
to commemorate the event, “Blubber
Blowup,” available on YouTube. One of
the gulls is shown, in a screenshot.
Actually, the video is the brainchild
of production designer and cartoonist
Jack Kent, and is an offshoot of one of
his comic strips, “Gulls.” Please note:
“This song is squawked from a gull’s
point of view.” Silliness abounds.
• D
THANKSGIVING MUSINGS
idbits from The Daily Morning Astorian, Friday,
Nov. 25, 1887:
• Everybody gave thanks yesterday: Some because
things were as they are, or are as they were, and others
because things were no worse.
• Yesterday morning’s snow and the regular Thanksgiv-
ing holiday made a happy combination for the boys with
their sleds, who made the hillside streets lively till sum-
moned to the turkey and pie.
• Thanksgiving Day was generally observed yesterday.
The city and county offices, banks and business houses
generally closed up, and nearly everyone made a Sunday
of it. There were many happy private parties, and the day
was pleasantly observed.
The snow descends not more gently to the earth than do
the thousand little unnoticed blessings in our daily lives.
Which is why we are thankful, even if we did have to work
yesterday to help get out this choice collection of local lit-
erature, which the gentle or ferocious reader is perusing
this morning.
T