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4A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL June 29, 2016 O PINION Offbeat Oregon History The ship that suddenly broke in half while moored at the dock BY FINN J.D. JOHN For the Sentinel water in the river was right around 40 degrees. And although these tempera- tures aren’t exactly extreme by arc- tic-sea standards, investigators later fi ngered them as the decisive factor in what happened next. With a cracking crash that one by- stander said actually shook the ground, the huge ship simply cracked in half. The bow and stern dropped down into the water, jackknifi ng into the muddy bottom of the lagoon; the midline of the ship was thrust up high above the water; and the 30 crew members, who had been preparing the big ship to cast off and head out to sea, surely thought they were about to die. Luckily, the water beneath the dock was shallow — barely deep enough to fl oat the ship, which drew up to 30 feet depending on its load. The crew mem- bers were easily able to get up on deck — where the third mate supplied the only injury when, in a panic, he leaped down onto the dock and hurt his ankle. And now, of course, the shipyard and military offi cials had a whale of a pub- lic-relations problem on their hands. Had such an embarrassing failure oc- curred someplace discreet, it could have been kept quiet; but this ship was in the middle of Oregon’s biggest city, bent like a piece of kindling cracked over a woodsman’s knee, a three-foot- wide crack on display for all to see. The new employees at Kaiser’s new shipyard tried to keep their chins up, but it wasn’t easy. As a morale-booster, having one’s very fi rst ship break in half a propos of nothing while innocu- ously tied to the pier leaves something to be desired. Thoughts turned immediately to sabotage. Could this have been a delib- erate act? It was hard to imagine that any saboteur could have engineered this kind of a break, but if one had, he or she would surely have earned a gold star for this job. The F.B.I. moved with lightning speed to quell that rumor. The very next day, the bureau released a statement denying that sabotage was involved. Then Rear Admiral Howard L. Vickery arrived to lead the investigation. The results were rather unsettling. Faulty welding was the fi rst suspicion on everyone’s mind — remember, this was the fi rst ship off a brand-new as- sembly line, so everyone working on it was new on the job, and many of the welders working on the Schenectady had never welded anything before the war broke out. And, frankly, faulty welding was what most people were hoping the trouble was. After all, that was a problem that could be easily fi xed with more training and supervi- sion of the welders. But a careful inspection of the hull didn’t reveal any welds that might T he S.S. Schenectady was a very big deal for Oregon, back when it was fi rst launched on New Year’s Eve in 1942. It was a war year, of course, and it hadn’t been such a swell year for the United States. American forces were hard-pressed on every side, and al- though the Battle of Midway had given a ray of hope in the Pacifi c, the Na- zis were looking just as dangerous as ever. But in Portland, Henry Kaiser’s Liberty Ship-building wonder-plant was just getting up to speed, and any home-front Oregonian watching the operation had to feel a thrill of pride, a feeling that Hitler and Tojo couldn’t possibly sink ‘em as fast as we were building ‘em. And the Schenectady represented another leap forward for Oregon ship- building. It was an oil tanker, an es- sential sort of ship for a war that was almost totally motorized. It was the biggest ship ever built on the West Coast, and it was followed in a mat- ter of weeks by another just like it — and another, and another. In fact, the Schenectady was the fi rst ship off a brand-new Henry Kaiser assembly- line shipyard on Swan Island, just like the assembly-line shipyards that were already cranking out thousands of Lib- erty Ships, only set up to build a bigger model. The shipyard manager expected that by early summer, the Swan Island assembly line would be producing one new Schenectady-class tanker every four and a half days. The Schenectady-class tankers were 523 feet long and 68 feet wide (Liberty Ships were 441 by 57). A 6,000-horse- power steam-electric drive system pro- pelled it at 15 knots, or 28 miles per hour — a very respectable speed, and a real lifesaver in an environment where most German U-boats topped out at 17 knots. It cost $2.7 million to build, and it took almost twice as much steel to build as did a Liberty Ship. More than one spectator, watch- ing this 16,000-ton behemoth being launched and knowing another would be joining it in just a few days, surely felt reassured that 1943 would be a much better year. Then came the night of Jan. 16. The Schenectady had just fi nished her sea trials, and everything had gone smoothly and satisfactorily. Now, moored at the fi tting dock at Swan Is- land, she was being prepared to go into service, carrying fuel to the nation’s war machines, 7.5 million gallons at a time. It was 11 p.m. on a cold night — in the low 20s or possibly lower; cold enough that Portlanders in the south- east quarter of the city were actually ice-skating on Laurelhurst Lake. The Please see OFFBEAT, Page 6A Fireworks — Keep it legal, keep it safe T he Offi ce of State Fire Marshal, Oregon fi re service, Keep Ore- gon Green, natural resource agencies, Oregon fi reworks wholesalers and safety experts encourage Oregonians to “Keep it Legal and Keep it Safe” when using fi reworks. The 2016 Or- egon fi reworks sales season opened Thursday, June 23 and runs through Wednesday, July 6. The OSFM and their partners want everyone to know what fi reworks are legal in Oregon, where they are permitted, and the important steps to take for fi reworks safety. “People often forget that legal fi re- works can only be purchased from Oregon permitted fi reworks retailers and stands,” says Chief Deputy State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple. “And, regulations limit where those fi reworks may be used. For example, fi reworks are prohibited on all Oregon beaches, in parks and campgrounds.” July 4 holiday forest visitors are ad- vised to leave all fi reworks at home. The use of fi reworks is prohibited on all national forestland, and most other public lands. “Fireworks compound the threat to already dry forests,” states Keep Oregon Green President Kristin Babbs. “Enjoy fi reworks where they belong: on the pavement- safely away from houses, vehicles and fl ammable vegetation.” Oregon law bans possession, use, or sale of fi reworks that fl y, explode, or travel more than six feet on the ground or 12 inches into the air. Fireworks commonly called bottle rockets, Ro- man Candles and fi recrackers are IL- LEGAL in Oregon. There were 227 reported fi reworks- related fi res in Oregon during 2015, resulting in 28 injuries and more than $423,000 in property damage. Over the past fi ve years, from 2011 through 2015, there were 924 reported fi re- works-related fi res in Oregon result- ing in one death, 161 civilian injuries, and more than $2.7 million in property damage. Offi cials may seize illegal fi reworks and fi ne offenders up to $500 per vio- lation. Those who misuse fi reworks or allow fi reworks to cause damage are liable and may be required to pay fi re suppression costs or other damage. Parents are also liable for fi reworks damage caused by their children. “All Oregonians share the respon- sibility to use only legal fi reworks and use them carefully,” adds Ruiz- Temple. And we encourage you to be aware and considerate of neighbors and their pets, before deciding on when and where you choose to light fi reworks.” The OSFM encourages everyone to use the four B’s of safe fi reworks use: Be Prepared before lighting fi re- works: keep water available by using a garden hose or bucket. Be Safe when lighting fi reworks: keep children and pets away from fi re- works. Be Responsible after lighting fi re- works: never relight a dud. Wait 15 to 20 minutes then soak it in a bucket of water before disposal. Be Aware: use only legal fi reworks and use them only in legal places. Which is better for my health, a green juice or a green smoothie? BY JOEL FUHRMAN, MD For the Sentinel V egetable juices and green smoothies (also called blended salads) both have a place in the Nutritarian diet. Both are great ways to get more raw leafy greens into your diet, in addition to your usu- al salads. A green smoothie – a blended mix of leafy greens, fruits and $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM 116 N. Sixth Street · P.O. Box 35 · Cottage Grove, OR 97424 ADMINISTRATION: JOHN BARTLETT, Regional Publisher.............................. GARY MANLY, General Manager................942-3325 Ext. 207 • publisher@cgsentinel.com ROBIN REISER, Sales Repersentative...............942-3325 Ext. 203 • robin@cgsentinel.com TAMMY SAYRE, Sales Repersentative......... 942-3325 Ext. 213 • tsayre@cgsentinel.com SPORTS DEPARTMENT: SAM WRIGHT, Sports Editor...................942-3325 Ext. 204 • sports@cgsentinel.com CUSTOMER SERVICE CARLA WILLIAMS, Office Manager.................942-3325 Ext. 201 • billing@cgsentinel.com LEGALS.............................................................942-3325 Ext. 200 • legals@cgsentinel.com NEWS DEPARTMENT: JON STINNETT, Editor......................................942-3325 Ext. 212 • cgnews@cgsentinel.com GRAPHICS: RON ANNIS, Graphics Manager (USP 133880) nuts and/or seeds – is an excel- lent, portable morning meal. It contains all the fi ber from the greens and fruit, plus fat from the nuts or seeds to keep you full and limit the rise in glucose from the fruit. A vegetable juice with a small amount of fruit, depending on size, may be as calorie-dense as the smoothie but will not be a satisfying meal on its own. For this reason, if you have a sub- stantial amount of weight to lose, I wouldn’t recommend juicing often because it will likely add too many extra calories (with- out the feeling of satiety) and compromise your weight loss efforts. Also for those with dia- betes, I do not recommend juic- ing, since the sugar in the juice enters the bloodstream rapidly without fi ber from the original vegetables and fruits to slow the process. Blending and juicing both dis- rupt the mechanical structure of plant cells, which increases the accessibility of many micronu- trients. Many benefi cial micro- nutrients – carotenoids, poly- phenols and folate, for example – are often bound to structural components or large molecules within the plant cell like fi ber, proteins and starches. Process- ing, heating and chewing break down these cellular structures to increase the availability of the bound micronutrients; however, many may not be accessible for our absorption by chewing alone. Blending increases our likelihood of absorbing these nutrients. Importantly, the mi- cronutrients that are bound to fi - ber within the plant cell may be removed with the fi ber by juic- ing and therefore be more avail- able via blending than juicing. Also, with smoothies, you are often adding nuts or seeds as a healthful fat source. Although blending alone increases the ac- cessibility of carotenoids, since the presence of fats is known to increase carotenoid absorption from leafy greens, it is possible that nuts and seeds in a smooth- ie could increase absorption fur- ther. For those who have nutrient absorption problems, gastro- intestinal conditions, or other medical conditions, vegetable juices (especially cruciferous vegetables) are often useful as a supplement to a healthful diet, providing additional benefi cial nutrients to promote healing. Guidelines for juicing and blending: By blending, you get ev- erything that you would get in juice, so juicing is not a neces- sary component of a healthful diet. Whereas a green smoothie can be a meal, think of a vegeta- ble juice as a supplement to add extra veggie-derived nutrients to a healthful diet. If you do juice regularly, make sure that you are not re- placing your leafy green salads and whole raw vegetables with juices. Whether you are juicing or making smoothies, be sure to put a greater focus on vegeta- bles than fruit; use only a small amount of fruit to add fl avor, so that you maximize nutritional value and limit glycemic ef- fects. Limit smoothies and green juices to one per day, and re- member that this does not re- move the necessity to utilize your teeth to eat a raw salad every day. Dr. Fuhrman is a #1 New York Times best-selling author and a board certifi ed family physician specializing in life- style and nutritional medicine. Visit his informative website at DrFuhrman.com. Submit your questions and comments about this column directly to news- questions@drfuhrman.com. The full reference list for this article can be found at DrFuhrman. com. Subscription Mail Rates in Lane and Portions of Douglas Counties: Ten Weeks ............................................. $9.10 One year ..............................................$36.15 e-Edition year .......................................$36.00 Rates in all other areas of United States: Ten Weeks $11.70; one year, $46.35, e-Edition $43.00. In foreign countries, postage extra. No subscription for less than Ten Weeks. 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