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THE ASTORIAN • THuRSdAy, SEpTEmbER 1, 2022
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IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON
SEND HEALING ENERGY
LABOR DAY
GOOD NIGHT, TILLY
he construction of the Tilla-
mook Rock Lighthouse, aka
Terrible Tilly, began in Octo-
ber 1879. On Jan. 3, 1881, while
the lighthouse was still under con-
struction, the Lupatia ran aground
on Tillamook Head, killing every-
one aboard except the crew’s dog.
Too late for the Lupatia, Tillamook
Rock Lighthouse’s beacon first
shined on Jan. 21, 1881.
Eventually the lighthouse sta-
tion became too difficult to main-
tain, and the shipping lanes had
moved. On Sept. 1, 1957, the last
lighthouse keeper, Oswald Allik,
wrote these words in the logbook
after turning out the light for the
last time:
“Farewell, Tillamook Rock
Light Station. An era has ended.
With this final entry, and not with-
out sentiment, I return thee to the
elements. You, one of the most
notorious and yet fascinating of
the sea-swept sentinels in the
world; long the friend of the tem-
pest-tossed mariner. Through howl-
ing gale, thick fog and driving rain,
your beacon has been a star of
hope and your foghorn a voice of
encouragement.
“May the elements of nature be
kind to you. For 77 years you have
beamed your light across desolate
acres of ocean. Keepers have come
and gone; men lived and died; but
you were faithful to the end.
“May your sunset years be good
years. Your purpose is now only
a symbol, but the lives you have
saved and the service you have
rendered are worthy of the high-
est respect. A protector of life and
property to all, may old-timers,
newcomers and travelers along the
way pause from the shore in mem-
ory of your humanitarian role.”
T
C
latsop County local and father of two, Cody
Blocker, 25, was injured in a horrific body surfing
accident on Aug. 23 while he and his wife, Megan, were
in Mexico.
“He dove into a wave that hit him with enough force
that it broke his vertebrae at C6, and C7, and caused
them to slide into his spine, impinging the blood flow,”
his mother-in-law, Julie Hogan, posted on Facebook on
Aug. 24. “Cody came up and was able to call for help
and was pulled from the water.
“A doctor on vacation was nearby and stabilized him
while waiting on an ambulance. Their resort is only a
few minutes from a private hospital where they have
access to surgeons and spinal cord specialist.
“They performed emergency surgery and removed
bone to alleviate compression on his spine and were able
to establish blood flow back to that area of the spine …
We are so grateful for the miracles that have already hap-
pened, and … appreciate the outpouring of love and sup-
port from our awesome community!”
A GoFundMe page, set up by family friend Riley
Hawksford of Seaside, is at bit.ly/HelpCodyB. Also,
there are donation jars in several Astoria businesses.
Cody has made it safely to San Diego, where it was
confirmed that more surgeries are needed. “Thank you,”
Riley wrote in an update, “for all you have done to get
Cody back to the U.S.”
“We ask for continued prayers,” Julie added, “and
sending of positive and good healing energy!”
HAVE BARGE, WILL TRAVEL
he first U.S. Labor Day was celebrated on Sept. 5, 1882
(a Tuesday) in New York City, planned by the Central
Labor Union. The first state to pass a law to observe Labor
Day as a state holiday was Oregon, on Feb. 21, 1887.
Congress passed the Labor Day Act, making the holiday
the first Monday in September, on June 28, 1894.
There is some debate as to who the father of Labor
Day is. Many believe Peter McGuire, a co-founder of the
American Federation of Labor, was the first to have the
idea, in 1882, of a holiday to honor “the laboring classes
… who from rude nature have delved and carved all the
grandeur we behold.”
Others think Matthew Maguire of New Jersey is the
founder of the holiday. While secretary of the Central
Labor Union of New York, also in 1882, he suggested hav-
ing a holiday for laborers.
After the Labor Day Act passed, the Paterson (New
Jersey) Morning Call proclaimed that “the souvenir pen
should go to Alderman Matthew Maguire of this city, who
is the undisputed author of Labor Day as a holiday.”
McGuire or Maguire? It’s still unsettled, unless you live
in New Jersey, apparently. And then there is labor union
titan Samuel Gompers, who insisted on having the final
say in the matter. He thought Maguire was too radical so,
when asked, he declared his good friend, Peter McGuire,
as the founder of Labor Day.
T
MISBEHAVIN’
rcas have been attacking sailboat rudders off the
coast of Portugal, SmithsonianMag.com reports. Just
last month five people had to man the life raft when a pod
of orcas took out theirs and the boat sank.
Apparently this behavior has been going on there since
2020. Why? There are a few hypotheses, one of which is
that it’s just juvenile orcas whooping it up. “They are not
attacks,” Alfredo López of Iberian Orca, insists, “they are
interactions, that is, killer whales detect a foreign object
that enters their lives and respond to its presence, but not
in an aggressive way.” The rescued five probably wouldn’t
describe it that way.
And, a bottlenose dolphin in Japan, who prowls the
beaches of Fukui Prefecture, has bitten several people,
according to the TheMainichi.com. One man needed 14
stitches.
“… By the time I noticed it, it was right next (to) me,”
another beachgoer recalled. The dolphin not only bit him,
it wouldn’t let go. When he tried to pry its mouth open, the
dolphin got on top of him. Thankfully, someone scared it off.
Dolphins pushing swimmers there is not new behavior;
biting and lunging on top of them is. There’s no explana-
tion for this behavior so far. The beaches close at the end
of August, so junior Jaws has plenty of time to sharpen his
teeth for next year.
O
STAUNCH OLD SHIP
arging rerun: “Katie Rathmell, owner of Pacific
Window Restoration, is restoring windows and
building sashes for the oldest house in Astoria, the
Hiram Brown,” Mindy Stokes wrote. Mindy’s photo
of Katie is shown, inset.
The house was originally built in Adairsville (East
Astoria). According to the National Register of Historic
Places Registration Form for the Shively-McClure His-
toric District, Capt. Hiram Brown, a prominent Adairs-
ville citizen and bar pilot, finally “lost faith in Col.
Adair.”
Not only did the captain pick up and move to cen-
tral Astoria in 1862, he had his entire 1852 Gothic-style
house moved, on a barge, from Adairsville to 12th
Street, then rolled it to its current location, 1337 Frank-
lin Ave. A plaque on the house says it arrived “without
even cracking the wallpaper or breaking a window.” (In
One Ear, 9/2/2016)
B
DUEL AT FERNHILL
nugget from The Morning Astorian, Sept. 1, 1904:
• John Adams returned to Knappa yester-
day almost fully recovered from the effects of the gun-
shot wound inflicted by James D. Brewer in the duel
recently fought at Fernhill. No arrests have been made,
and it is unlikely that either of the principals will proceed
against the other.
Note: Dueling is not against the law in Oregon, even
now, actually, but it is discouraged. As stated in the
Oregon Constitution, Article II, Section 9: Penalty for
Dueling: Every person who shall give, or accept a chal-
lenge to fight a duel, or who shall knowingly carry to
another person such challenge, or who shall agree to go
out of the state to fight a duel, shall be ineligible to any
office of trust, or profit.
In other words, if you duel, you can forget about a
career in politics.
A
F
rom The Daily Morning Astorian,
Aug. 31, 1884, a naval history tidbit:
• There is crepe on the lintels in mourn-
ing at the Navy department. Our dearly
beloved and tenderly nurtured Navy is no
more. The Tallapoosa, famed in song and
story has gone down in 10 fathoms (60 feet)
of water. The staunch old ship that has borne
presidents and secretaries and their beauti-
ful ladies … (now lies) with her smoke-stack
pointing upwards … What is to become of
our admirals, heaven only knows.
Note: The Tallapoosa I, a wooden-hulled
double-ended steamer, was launched in
1863. She served as a Southern coast block-
ader during the Civil War and is pictured in
camouflage gray.
In 1870, the warship carried an ailing
Adm. David Farragut, the first rear admiral,
vice admiral and admiral in the U.S. Navy, to
Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Upon arrival,
on the Fourth of July, the ship fired a salute.
Hearing the guns, Farragut left his sickbed,
put on his uniform and walked to the quar-
terdeck. “It would be well if I died now, in
harness,” he said. In a month and 10 days,
his wish came true.
The incident The Daily Morning Astorian
is referring to occurred on Aug. 24, 1884,
when she collided with the schooner J. S.
Lowell, and sank off Rhode Island. But that
was not the end of her story.
She was raised, recommissioned in 1886,
assigned to the South Atlantic Squadron and
headed for Rio de Janeiro. In January 1892,
she was condemned as “unfit for further ser-
vice,” and sold at a public auction on March
3, 1892, at Montevideo, Uruguay.
UNIQUE SPACE
ith a rather bizarre sense of timing, just a day after
the final destruction of Astoria’s beloved Tourist
No. 2 ferry, an Evenues.com website, seemingly out of
nowhere, popped up onscreen touting the “Historic Boat
Space — MV Kirkland” in Bremerton, Washington,
renting for $100 an hour.
As many of you know, MV Kirkland was the last name
the ferry had, for many years, while she sailed around Wash-
ington for Argosy Cruises before returning to Astoria. And,
her last berth before her Astoria arrival was in Bremerton.
Advertised as a “unique space,” with two floors and a
30-foot ceiling (doubtful at best), the ferry was said to be 200
feet long (not even close) and 100 feet wide (not a chance).
“MV Kirkland is a historic, retired Washington State Ferry
located in scenic Bremerton Marina. The ferry is currently
home to personalized wine tastings, yoga therapy and other
celebration events. Available for hourly rentals most days
and evenings pending event schedule.” Sadly, not anymore.
W