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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 14, 2016)
4A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL September 14, 2016 O PINION Offbeat Oregon History ‘Graveyard of the Pacifi c’ was not easily tamed BY FINN J.D. JOHN For the Sentinel On the morning of Sept. 18, 1853, the American bark Oriole was heav- ily laden with building materials and waiting for a favorable breeze to kick up so she could cross the Columbia River Bar. Around noon one did, and the Ori- ole unfurled canvas and got under way, battling against the river’s cur- rent with a slow southwest breeze fi lling her sails. If you’re familiar with these old-time bar stories, you can prob- ably guess what happened next. The breeze petered out, leaving the ship becalmed and drifting at the mercy of the currents. The currents drifted the ship across a shoal, and she struck bottom in 17 feet of water. The cur- rent continued dragging her across this sandbar, pounding the hull against the bottom with every wave trough. The rudder was torn free al- most immediately. Seams opened up, and the pumps clogged with sand. The weather being fair, the crew was able to abandon the Oriole in reasonably orderly fashion, and 15 minutes later the ship drifted free of the shoals, turned on her beam ends and sank out of sight. For the men in the lifeboats, shiver- ing through the long, cold night un- til the morning sun could light their way to Astoria, it was a particularly powerful and ironic reminder of the importance of their mission. They had come to Astoria as part of a construction crew tasked with build- ing a lighthouse at the mouth of the deadly River of the West – a project that, when fi nished, would help other ships avoid the Oriole’s fate. Unfortunately, it would be a while before they could start. The Oriole’s cargo had been the materials that they were supposed to use to build it. From the very fi rst time a ship of commerce ventured out on its treach- erous waters, it was clear to everyone involved that the federal government was going to have to spend money – lots of money – to make the Colum- bia River Bar safer for ships to cross. The fi rst ship to offi cially survey it was a British ship, in 1837 – at the time, the Oregon country was under a joint occupancy agreement between the U.S. and Great Britain. The ship’s commander, Sir Edward Belcher, im- mediately identifi ed the biggest prob- lem with the bar: It was a 25,000- acre patch of shallow open water, six miles wide, with a six-knot current racing across it and a sandy bottom that shifted dramatically from year to year. One year the north channel might be the only way in; the next, that channel could be impossible, and the only available channel might be one that runs directly into the teeth of the prevailing summer winds. And short of conducting a full survey ev- ery time one arrived off the bar, one never really knew. It would be many years and mil- lions of dollars, before this problem was solved with the construction of the jetties; it would also take railroad equipment, of which there wouldn’t really be any in Oregon until the 1880s. So the government had com- missioned a lighthouse on the north side of the river as a suitable fi rst step. With its help, at least ships com- ing in from the sea in the darkness or fog would be able to tell where the river was. And the Oriole had been dispatched from San Francisco to get the process started. Thanks to the Oriole’s sinking, it wasn’t until 1856 that the Cape Dis- appointment Light was placed in ser- vice, and it was soon followed by ad- ditional lights at Point Adams, North Head and Tillamook Rock, along with a dedicated lightship securely and permanently anchored offshore. After that, it was possible for ships to know where they were on the bar, even after dark. That, combined with regular surveys and an intrepid cadre of bar pilots who kept up on its shift- ing status month by month, made the crossing much safer – safe enough for the ports of Portland and Astoria to thrive. Meanwhile, the government also tried to mitigate the human damage with life stations and lookout towers, so that if a ship did get into trouble on the bar, help could be sent at once. Ladies from Astoria would come to the shore to watch these life-station rescuers practice during the summer- time, refi ning and improving their skills for the deadly winter storm season when their skills would be put to the test, sometimes on a weekly basis. Then, in 1885 – two years after the transcontinental railroad fi rst arrived in Portland – the government fi nally was able to set about solving the real problem on the bar, by starting con- struction of what we know today as the South Jetty. A big receiving dock was built at Fort Stevens, and railroad workers got started running a spur line from the dock out to the site of the future jetty. Five steam locomotives were barged down the river to the dock, with 65 dump cars to be fi lled with rock. The jetty construction technique was simple in concept but not exact- ly easy to do. A railroad trestle was built out over the sea. The locomotive would push the dump cars, loaded with giant boulders barged in from upriver, out over the water, where the rocks would be dumped in. Then, back it would go for another load, LETTERS TO THE EDITOR A little help here? Eye-opener Up Talamena Drive, our friends have a beautiful home for sale. it has been on the market for a while. Just recently, it has been broken into. The home had a movie room, and the movie screen and speakers were taken. Since I had read in last week’s pa- per that the Brewstation was robbed and was missing sound equipment, I thought that the local police would be interested. So I called to report that the home had been broken into and bur- glarized. The next day, I called again to report that there was a car in the driveway of the home on Talamena. It turns out that it was a stolen car. Something about the person answer- ing the phone at the police department, made me feel like they could care less. As concerned friends and neighbors, we just want the home to sell. But, if a homeless person had decided to move in? (We had suspicions that maybe a strange person was inside the house.) Property taxes are high; the taxes on the home on Talamena might be in excess of $4000. I would hope that a Cottage Grove offi cer might assist if the Sheriff’s Offi ce were too busy. It is a judgment call. I have just returned from a four- month journey to Eastern Oregon. It was wonderful. There is almost no litter in the streets. People do not idle their cars. They pick up after themselves. It is a real shock to come back. Lit- ter is everywhere. I talked with some friends on South Fifth Street. There were two cars stolen this last summer, despite supposed cameras to catch the perpetrators. Irresponsible noise is everywhere. Peace and quiet, anyone? My point is that I live on South Sixth Street, and I know what the meth-head robbers and vandals look like and act like. They are typically young males and females in their early to mid 20s. They ride bicycles that are designed for children of about 10 years of age. They currently have a pattern of going north to south on both Fifth and Sixth streets. The robbery of the Brewstation is just the latest. They are most active late at night, needless to say. There are good ways to put a stop to this menace. Station an unmarked police car somewhere around south Fifth or Sixth streets, or one of the side streets. I guarantee that you will catch a fi shy one within an hour. Look for these bicyclists driving erratically in the wrong lanes or sidewalks. At night, look for these same persons that do not have proper and legally required front and rear bicycle lights. Sue Flint Cottage Grove Please see OFFBEAT, Page 7A Finally: If you see something, say something. Charles Ames Cottage Grove Keeping the school gardens growing Our community is fortunate to have gardens at all of our K-12 school campuses for hands-on and outdoor learning. As you can imagine, getting irrigation systems set up and then keep- ing all the gardens growing throughout the summertime is a challenge. Grand- parents, parents, students, teachers and friends spent countless hours volun- teering their time to tend plants at all of the schools this summer. Thank you to Suzanne Keavney, Tara Eckstine and family, Maria Deitrich and family, Scott Pierce, Jim Brownson, Darrell Simon- sen, Paula Mance, Steve Barnes, Trish Gillespie, David Cunningham, Jon and Ally Albrecht, the Walker Family, Katy Vaughn, Karen Dirks, Aleece and Han- nah Faught, Val Rocco, Deb Hender- son, Shari Skadburg, Molly Northrup, Matt Hall and Bill Bartram. Students are now back at school and in the gar- dens exploring, learning and, of course, harvesting. We are thankful. Melissa Fery SLSD Farm to School Coordinator How are diabetes and cancer connected? BY JOEL FUHRMAN, MD For the Sentinel O ver 25 million people in the United States have Type 2 diabetes, and that fi gure doesn’t even count the seven million who have diabetes and remain undiagnosed. The dan- gerously high prevalence of overweight and obesity is at the heart of this problem. Diabetes is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States, is the leading cause of blindness and kidney failure in adults, 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) 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. Subscription rates are subject to change upon 30 days’ notice. All subscritptions must be paid prior to beginning the subscription and are non-refundable. Periodicals postage paid at Cottage Grove, Oregon. Postmaster: Send address changes to P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424. Local Mail Service: If you don’t receive your Cottage Grove Sentinel on the Wednesday of publication, please let us know. Call 942-3325 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Advertising ownership: All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by the Cottage Grove Sentinel become the property of the Cottage Grove Sentinel and may not be reproduced for any other use without explicit written prior approval. Copyright Notice: Entire contents ©2015 Cottage Grove Sentinel. doubles the risk of heart attack and stroke. Diabe- tes also increases the risk of several can- cers. In a number of studies, diabetic pa- tients have been shown to have an elevated risk of colorectal cancer, and non-diabetics with elevated postprandial glucose levels also have a higher risk of colorectal cancer than indi- viduals with normal glucose tolerance. A review that ana- lyzed data from several stud- ies found that diabetic patients are 30 percent more likely to develop colorectal cancer, 20 percent more likely to develop breast cancer and 82 percent more likely to develop pancre- atic cancer. How could diabetes infl uence the development of cancer? The high blood glucose levels and the resultant elevated insulin response associated with Type 2 diabetes affect all tissues of the body. It has been hypothesized that diets high in sugars and white fl our increase the risk of cancers because of their impact on these factors, particularly el- evated insulin. Scientists believe that insulin therapy and elevated insulin lev- els contribute to the association between diabetes and colorectal cancer. Insulin in high concen- trations may bind to the receptor for a growth factor called insu- lin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) – this interaction has the poten- tial to promote growth and divi- sion of cancer cells. Cancerous cells also often have elevated levels of insulin receptors, and when insulin binds these recep- tors it has growth-promoting ef- fects. There is much evidence sup- porting the possibility that chronic exposure to diets rich in refi ned carbohydrates may act directly to promote cancer de- velopment. Foods with a high glycemic load (such as sugar and white fl our products) pro- duce dangerous spikes in blood glucose, consequently resulting in high insulin production. Di- ets including large quantities of high GL foods increase the risk of several chronic diseases, in- cluding cancers. For example, a meta-analysis of many studies found a 26 percent increase in colorectal cancer risk in people who consumed the most high glycemic load foods in their di- ets. I have observed in my medical practice that a nutritarian diet combined with moderate exer- cise can reverse diabetes in 90 percent of patients and that an aggressive nutritional approach is more effective and much safer than conventional drug-centered care. The best diet for prevent- ing or reversing diabetes is also the best diet for cancer protec- tion. It is a diet with a high nutrient per calorie ratio – in- cluding lots of green and non- starchy vegetables, beans, raw nuts and seeds and some fresh fruit; limiting animal products and avoiding sweeteners, oils and white fl our. The high levels of dietary micronutrients fuel cellular repair, reduce body fat and heal the body from the in- side out, resulting in a dramatic reversal of heart disease and diabetes, offering dramatic pro- tection against cancer. “The End of Diabetes” is a must read for all Americans who are overweight and those with pre-diabetes or diabetes. 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. Letters to the Editor policy The Cottage Grove Sentinel receives many letters to the editor. In order to ensure that your letter will be printed, letters must be under 300 words and submitted by Friday at 5 p.m. Letters must be signed and must include an address, city and phone number or e-mail address for verifi cation purposes. No anonymous letters will be printed. Letters must be of interest to local readers. Personal attacks and name calling in response to letters are uncalled for and unnecessary. If you would like to submit an opinion piece, Another View must be no longer than 600 words. To avoid transcription errors, the Sentinel would prefer editorial and news content be sent electronically via email or electronic media. Hand written submissions will be accepted, but we may need to call to verify spelling, which could delay the publishing of the submission.
