As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
January 26, 2022
In a front page article on July 6, 1922, my grandfather, L.D. Felsheim, owner and editor of Western World, announced that the local newspaper would soon occupy rooms in the First National Bank Building (first picture taken several days after the Fire of 1936).
First National Bank Building after the Fire of 1936
The article explained that a larger newspaper press and folder would be installed, with other improvements contemplated, making it one of the best country offices in the state.
"Believing this community is on the eve of substantial growth, Western World has leased the room in the First National Bank building now occupied by the Carter millinery store, and is preparing to install more efficient newspaper machinery. Mrs. Carter will move her store to the Rasmussen building on First Street, at present occupied as living quarters by W.R. Littlefield.
"While at Grants Pass last week, Mr. Felsheim purchased a two-revolution Cottrell press, recently in the office of the Daily Courier replaced by a larger Webb press. He also purchased a newspaper folder and a motor with which to drive the machinery.
"Up to this time Western World has been folded each week by hand. The steady growth of the circulation has made this a long, tedious job.
"The press to be installed prints four pages at one time instead of two as at present. The present press will be shipped to Port Orford, having been sold to the Port Orford Tribune. It will replace a hand press that has been in operation there for probably 40 years. Mr. and Mrs. Tom Felton, who recently purchased the Port Orford paper, are making substantial improvements and they, too, are preparing for the growth that is bound to come to northern Curry county.
"A balcony is also to be built in the new room to increase the floor space.
"The First National Bank building is without question the best building in point of construction in Bandon, if not in the county. It is absolutely fire proof, being constructed entirely of concrete and steel. It has all the modern conveniences including steam heat."
My grandfather was correct. The building did survive the Bandon Fire as evidenced by both the first and the second photos, both of which were taken by my grandmother days after the Fire. In the foreground of the first photo you can see the remains of the city library, with the burning books still smoldering.
In the second photo, the bank building is in the lower right hand corner of the photo, and midway down the other side of the street you can see that the new building for Haga & Church (later Croxall & Perry Grocery and currently owned by the Dave Elliott family) is under construction, and still stands today. It is now for sale for $300,000.
After the Fire of 1936
If you can blow up up the picture, you can see several other buildings that survived the Fire, including the Stephan Hotel (now Cranberry Sweets), on the left, and in the background Coast Lumber Yard is visible as is the Bob-Otto Court. Behind the Auto Court you can see the tent city that sprang up immediately following the Fire.
The First National Bank building, now known as the Masonic building, houses Spirit of Oregon and The Cobblers Bench.
In 1959 I began working at Western World as news editor, and my office was upstairs on the balcony, which was barely tall enough for me to stand up. But it was a great job and I loved it. Later, in the mid to late '60s, we moved uptown to the east end of what is now the McKay's Market building.
The third picture I am sharing was also one of the small photos, taken by my grandmother, that I saw for the first time several months ago after a sibling found the envelope of photos among my late mother's belongings.
Seaside Bakery after the Fire of 1936
This is the Seaside Bakery, started by Paul Stephan, owner of the Stephan Hotel, which survived the Fire. Before it became Cranberry Sweets, it also housed the Post Office for a time after the Fire.
This photo was taken from Second Street, probably near what is now Lloyd's Cafe, but at the time of the Fire was the Dreamland Pavilion. Soon after the Fire, George Erdman (who was burned out on First Street) bought the property and built Erdman's City Market.
* * *
People have been wondering why the city did not activate the tsunami siren last Saturday, when the National Weather Service sent out an advisory following an underground volcanic eruption on the island of Tonga.
Because the prediction was the possibility of a one to three foot wave, with no inundation forecast, our police department decided against activating the siren.
A Florence official said they have four tsunami sirens and the last time they were activated was in 2011 following the massive earthquake in Japan.
I later talked with City Manager Dan Chandler who told me that the criteria for activating the siren is when the National Weather Service predicts the inundation of the lowlands or homes along the coastal waterways in this area.
According to the press, most waves in Oregon reached only about a foot or less, with the largest reported swells cresting at 1.5 feet near Port Orford, according to NWS.
People are advised that in the event of a major earthquake on the Cascadia Subduction Zone, those in the inundation zone could have only five to 10 minutes to reach high ground before the tsunami slammed into shore. People who are in the inundation zone should evacuate as soon as the shaking stops and not wait for any kind of official notification. If you are not sure if you are in the potential hazard zone, you need to look at the DOGAMI (Department of Geology and Mineral Industries) Inundation Maps, which can be found at www.oregongeology.org or PNSN.org. I believe maps are also available in the city's planning department.
* * *
I was sorry to learn that my long-time friend Mary Bowman Cullen died Jan. 20 after battling cancer. Mary was the valedictorian of our 1957 class, and she seldom missed one of our reunions. Her first love, outside of her family, was dancing. She was the daughter of John and Lillian Bowman, and the granddaughter of Neva and Noah Davison, who owned the Bandon Market. Among her survivors are her sisters, Karen Aumend and Kristy Bowman, and her brother Jack, who lives in Wisconsin. She was predeceased by her parents and her brother, Steve Bowman.
I also learned that Marion Gould, who moved here in 1995 with her significant other David Burns, died from Covid recently at the age of 79. David died last year at the age of 96.
* * *
Speaking of Covid, I saw that as of Jan. 22 Coos County had reported 2,376 cases since Jan. 1. This pretty much reflects the uptick in cases recorded in most places in the state as the Omicron variant takes hold.
* * *
A number of customers reported power outages in the Bandon area Friday afternoon. Jim Wickstrom, the hydro-electric supervisor for the City of Bandon, said that an insulator failed at the substation, causing a power outage on Highway 101 from 13th Street south to Bethel Creek Road, nine miles south of Bandon, and on south Beach Loop, Seabird to the highway.
Several people said they had a hard time reporting the outage. When no one answers the city's phone, just stay on the line and you will get a prompt for which key to hit to report a power outage. Dispatch will then contact the city's hydro crew.
* * *
I learned that the Coos County Sheriff's Office canine Raven was rushed to a veterinarian in the Medford area this week after it was determined he had ingested anti-freeze.
A press release said Raven was called out to a report of a burglary in progress in the Bandon area. The suspect was reported to be in the attic of an occupied residence. Raven and his handler, Deputy Boswell, deployed into the attic to search for the suspect. Ultimately no suspect was present in the attic, said the release.
"During the search Raven ingested some anti-freeze which had been placed in the attic for rodents. This information was not given to the K9 team prior to deployment."
Several people indicated they wanted to donate to help with Raven's care. The sheriff's office, however, issued a statement saying they have the funds to cover the accident. "As such we do not want our followers to feel it is their responsibility to take care of this expense. For those of you who continue to ask for our addresses and would like to make donations, with the above information in mind, here are the addresses: Coos County Sheriff's Office K9 project, 250 N. Baxter, Coquille, OR 97423, or the Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center, 4901 Biddle Road, Central Point, OR 97502.
* * *
I thought I'd seen it all until I saw on KEZI-TV the other night about a Dunes City city councilor removing his jeans at the end of a council meeting last week ... after bribing the TV cameraman, who was covering the meeting, $20 not to show him on TV from the waist down.
I decided to see for myself what actually happened as I felt the TV newscast might be blowing it out of proportion. They weren't!
I found the meeting on line and had to watch a nearly two-hour long meeting until I saw Councilor Rory Hammond stand up, strip down to his boxers and proceed to ask each council what he or she saw. "Am I wearing briefs?" he asked one councilor. She said he was. He asked another if he was wearing shorts. He said yes. Then he asked the acting mayor, who was running the meeting in place of the absent mayor, if he was wearing underwear, and in an exasperated voice, the man said: "I don't care," and adjourned the meeting.
The interesting thing about this, outside of the fact that this was done in front of eight or 10 community members, is that Councilor Hammond participated throughout the meeting and on many issues actually seemed to have a real grasp of important issues. There was absolutely nothing that led up to the rather large (probably 6-2, 230 lbs.) man's decision to remove his pants. No argument. Nothing!
I did learn several things that I found interesting. Dunes City, a city of 1,237 situated several miles south of Florence, is preparing for the "big one," and the city administrator said they have a supply of body bags and 600 towels, which she pointed out in big bundles in the back of the meeting room.
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
January 19, 2022
The first picture I am sharing shows the Bandon High School football stadium, better known as Dave Miller Field, which was located on the north side of 11th Street, south of the high school complex. Many years later it had fallen into disrepair and was torn down. Seating was replaced by steel risers on both sides of the football field.
Bandon High School football stadium
A headline in the Sept. 27, 1951, Western World reads: "Athletic Field Opening Draws Big Attendance."
"Dedication of Bandon's new high school athletic field, with its lighting system for night football, attracted from 900 to a thousand people Friday evening. Weather conditions were rather unfavorable because of a heavy fog that settled down over the city and kept many otherwise enthusiastic spectators away. However, the lights were sufficiently effective to penetrate the fog.
"Before the kickoff, brief dedicatory services were held in front of the stadium. Chuck Hess, president of the Bandon Quarterback Club, sponsors of the field, officially presented the field to the Bandon School District."
Superintendent Keith Goldhammer accepted on behalf of the school board, and he, in turn, gave custody to the student body, represented by Speed Anderson, student body president.
"On behalf of the student body, Anderson made four special awards in recognition of extraordinary contributions made in construction of the field and the stadium.
"To D.H. Miller, Sr., head of the Moore Mill & Lumber Co., and Warren Albertson, local logging contractor, he presented engraved certificates making then life members of the student body together with all complimentary privileges. To Ron Riley and D.H. Miller, Jr., he presented similar certificates, extending complimentary admissions to all high school athletic events staged on the field for a period of 10 years.
"The high school band, in its handsome uniforms, directed by L.E. Wright, played the 'Star Spangled Banner' as the opening number while the local Boy Scouts raised the flag."
An earlier article explained that the new stadium would comfortably hold 1400 people.
"The call for help last week resulted in some 40 people reporting for work Sunday and their efforts, together with that of Friday and Saturday, made it possible to get the light poles up and the grandstand completed, said the previous week's article.
"Linemen and electricians from the City of Bandon, the Mountain States Power Company, and the Coos-Curry Electric Co-op have been working together at top speed to get the installations completed in time for the big event."
Athough the second picture I am sharing was taken five years after the incident, it depicted the kind of flooding that an article in the Nov. 26, 1950, Western World described.
Flooded Bandon trout hatchery
"Flash flood waters broke a Geiger creek dam and flooded the state game commission's Bandon trout hatchery at 3 a.m. Monday, resulting in extensive damage and the unscheduled liberation of many thousands of young silverside salmon, following torrential rains Sunday night."
Willis Baker, superintendent of the local hatchery, had made his regular check of the water level about 10:15 Sunday night and found the water rising rapidly in both Ferry and Geiger creeks. The hatchery is located at the confluence of the two creeks, with some of the ponds lying in the path of each.
"At 3 a.m. the Geiger creek dam failed to hold a wall of water about 12 feet deep that had backed up into the canyon above the dam, and the east end of the earthen dam gave way.
"The rushing water pushed in a slab of concrete about 6 feet high and 40 feet long, which had been the end of the first pond below the Geiger dam. Logs and snags were hurled into a pond where 936 female cutthroat brood fish had been sorted from males, preparatory to spawning. Logs smashed the picket confines, buckling a section of concrete pond wall and mixing up all the carefully-sorted cutthroat brood trout.
"An undetermined number of the 15,000 six to 12-inch silverside salmon, in the pond below the dam, were washed into Ferry creek below the hatchery and have probably gone into the Coquille river or to sea. Many of the fish were netted after the flood passed and were returned to the ponds, where the ponds now contain a mixture of varieties.
"Baker said the 15,000 young silversides had been scheduled for liberation in fishing streams."
The third picture, taken during the same storm, said that hip boots were the uniform of the day at Surfside Dairy Monday "after Manager George Hawkins went to the plant to begin work as usual at 4 a.m. and found the entire floor covered by 12 to 20 inches of water.
Surfside Dairy, flooded
"Flood waters that had broken through the state fish hatchery's Geiger creek dam and joined the Ferry creek torrent an hour earlier had jumped the banks in the Third and Garfield area, washed into the Surfside plant and come to within inches of entering the nearby Coquille Valley Dairy Co-op plant.
"Manager Hawkins and his son, Warren, worked in knee-deep water, which washed over and through six electric motors, until the flood subsided between 5 and 6 a.m."
Surfside Dairy was located on the south side of Third Street behind the cheese factory, which was located approximately where Face Rock Creamery is today.
* * *
This has been a sad week for many families who have lost loved ones, including two who died of Covid.
Lynnelle Kummehlene, who I mentioned several weeks ago, had been intubated in an area hospital for treatment of Covid, died last week. She and her husband Dino lived in the Seven Devils area. Lynnelle was 70.
Ron Harpole, who was married to Joan Dement, the daughter of former senator Sam Dement and who operated the Dement Ranch in the Powers area for many years, died of Covid at the age of 78 in Gold Beach.
Paul Heikkila, long-time fisheries extension agent through OSU and Sea Grant, died Dec. 26 at the age of 75. His wife, Kay, who worked many years at Heritage Place (now Pacific View), died Nov. 3 of a heart attack.
We also lost two Bandon High School graduates last week, including Brian Wilson (Class of 1976) and John Lorenz (Class of 1965), both from cancer. Brian and his wife Brenda lived in Bandon. John and his wife Jean lived in Eugene.
Brian was one of six children of Jackie and Ray Wilson, and among his survivors are his brothers Mike and Richard. Ralph, Curtis and a sister Dixie preceded him in death.
John, 74, was the son of Carl and Eleanor Lorenz and was raised in Bandon where his father was co-owner of M&L Grocery. He was predeceased by his sister Margaret Tiffany and brother David Lorenz. With him when he died at home were his wife, sister Gail, two sons, Kenneth and Brian, Gail's daughter and son, and his nephew, Dan Lorenz (David's son).
On John's birthday, next July, his ashes will be scattered on the beach at Face Rock, some on his parents' gravesite and some at Kimball Creek on the Rogue River, according to a family friend.
* * *
Speaking of Covid cases, I understand at least three members of the Bandon Police Department, several members of the city's public works department and at least three members of the Bandon Rural Fire Protection District are out with Covid. All were unvaccinated, according to my sources.
* * *
While watching the news Friday night about a shooting on the grounds of the WOW cultural center in downtown Eugene, I learned that Deborah Maher was the interim executive director. When she lived in Bandon, where her mother, the late Margaret Maher lived, Deb was on the Bandon Planning Commission for two years.
The shooting occurred when an unidentified man, dressed in a black hoodie, opened fire and injured six people, at least one of them critically, before fleeing the scene. Inside, a band was performing, but the shooting apparently took place on the back porch area of the building where a number of people had gathered.
According to the press, all but one of the victims were from outside the area. A TV reporter said that people were not cooperating with the police in trying to determine who was responsible for the shooting.
* * *
Coquille's mayor, Sam Flaherty, was on Facebook Thursday night in a recorded video which explained that the Sherwood Building (often referred to as the old bank building) is downtown Coquille had received extensive damage in the recent storm and could not be saved. The building is owned by former Coquille Sentinel owner Jean Ivy-Gurney and her son, Paul Recanzone.
He said the storm had pulled the roof up and over itself, damaging the cornice section, causing extensive structural damage, resulting in gaps on the back corner of the building.
He said Recanzone explored the idea of keeping only the first floor, but acknowledged that bringing the building up to modern day seismic standards could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. "So what we have is a building appraised at somewhere between $500,000 and $900,000 costing well over $2 million to try to save a building that we probably can't save," said the mayor.
He said it's "sad news for the city and super sad news for Paul." He urged people to post pictures to celebrate what the building has meant to the community all these years.
He added that the merchants are being impacted by the closing of the streets around the building and he urged people to support the local merchants.
In September 2020, a fire in the building displaced eight full-time residents.
Flaherty said demolition could begin as early as late next week on the building, which was constructed in 1903.
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
January 12, 2022
In the first picture I am sharing today, taken in February of 1962, Police Chief D.S. MacDonald, right, and Officer Harry Franson, are removing parking meters from Second Street.
Removing parking meters from Second Street, 1962
They are standing in front of what is now the Masonic building, across from what is now the parking lot for the Minute Cafe, but in those days was the home of M&L Grocery.
I have chosen this photo to illustrate how hard it was in those days to call for a police officer during the night, even though one was on duty. In those days, Bandon pretty much had two police officers: Big Mac and Harry.
An editorial, written by my grandfather, which appeared in a column on the front page of Western World in January of 1958, outlined the problem.
"Something should be done to make it easier to get in touch with the local police during night hours. At least such is the opinion of local merchants and others who can see trouble during the winter months unless the downtown area has better police protection.
"The question arose when it was reported that one citizen saw the mysterious movement at the rear of the Erdman market early Sunday morning and called the police number, but received no answer. The number called was the city office but, of course, there was nobody there to answer.
"An attempt was made at the market to pry open a rear window, during which one small pane of glass was broken. The prospective intruders apparently were scared away before making entry. It may have been because the observer on the opposite side of the street raised his window to get a better look and they heard it."
In those days the Erdman building was on the corner of Baltimore and Second Street which today is occupied by Lloyd's Cafe. The man who called the police was Ernie Panter, who lived in the apartment above the Panter Feed Store on the west side of Baltimore, now the Big Wheel.
"The city office and the police car are equipped with short wave radio, which are effective during the day-time but do no good at night. What the city needs is a night man at the city office to handle police calls and fire alarms. City officials say there is no provision in the budget for such an employee. The answer is up to the budget committee, but that is too late for the coming months. Something should be done; the answer rests with the city officials. Perhaps some temporary arrangements can be worked out."
Today, the city contracts with the Coos County Sheriff's Department for 24-hour dispatch services. The City of Coos Bay also operates a dispatch center. Among the cities who contract with Coos Bay for services are Coquille and North Bend.
The night in question, Officer Harry Franson was on duty but by the time he came by on his routine rounds, the would-be intruders were gone... apparently scared off by Panter when he opened his window to take a closer look.
The second picture I am sharing is of the Tug Klihyam as it heads into port many years ago.
Tug Klihyam
An item in the May 30, 1946, Western World contained a wonderful history of the tug.
"The tug Klihyam, still in her gray war paint, is on Coos bay after an absence from Coos county beginning in 1919. She saw war service in the North Pacific, mostly in the Aleutians. The Klihyam now is owned by Curtis Sause of Garibaldi who is reported planning to operate it out of Coos bay as a commercial and salvage tug.
"Built in Bandon in 1908 by J.H. Rice, it was sold by J.L. Kronenberg in 1909 to the Coquille Towboat company. It was acquired by the Port of Bandon in 1916 and served in and out of the Coquille river until 1938 when it was sold to Harbor Pilots, Inc., then sold again in 1939 to the Coast Tug & Barge Co. of Washington. It was taken over by the War Shipping Administration in 1942 and recently was sold by the WSA to Sause.
"The Klihyam has a length of 89.6 feet, 22-foot beam, 111 gross and 76 net tons. An 800 horsepower diesel motor replaced the original steam engine years ago."
The third picture I am sharing was probably taken about 1929 and features Ethel Kranick (later Reichenbach) with a group of boys, including next to her, son Martin Kranick.
Ethel Kranick w/boys, 1929
Next to Martin is Owen Winters and two over from him is Harold Howe. Owen's older brother, Fred, is next to Harold. Not sure what the occasion was or even where I got the photo, but I recognized Mrs. Kranick instantly and appreciated the fact that someone had written several names on the top of the photo. Owen and Fred were sons of Charlie and Elizabeth (we knew her as Annie) Winters, who moved to the top of Bear Creek Hill in 1936 after the Fire. Charlie died in the '40s, but Annie lived well into her 90s. When I was a girl, mother would often take us to her home as she was a wonderful seamstress and did a lot of alterations for our family. She also played the organ for St. John's Episcopal Church. Two weeks ago, I talked about the death of Esther Waggoner Winters, who was Owen's wife. She died at age 96 in a Coos Bay care center several days after having visited the Bandon Historical Society museum.
* * *
I just noticed that I forgot to mention the November rainfall, and since I have now received the totals for December, I will report both of them this week.
In November Bandon recorded 7.33 inches of rain, compared to 9.43 the previous November and 3.05 inches in November 2019.
The rainfall for December was 12.33 inches, compared to 9.83 the previous December.
Gerry Terp, who provides me the data, gives me info for both the rainyear (Oct. 1 through Sept. 30) and the calendar year.
The total rainfall for 2021 was 66.43 inches, compared to 57.67 inches the previous year.
I looked back at the 16 years of information I have and found that the calendar year with the least rainfall was 2013 when we had a total of 34.19 inches, compared to 2017 when we received 86.59 inches.
In the rainyear for 2016-17, he recorded 102.04 inches, after receiving 21 inches in February, 12.95 in March and 11.60 in April.
* * *
People have been asking us when we can expect that the rapid flasher will be operational at 9th and Highway 101.
We received a note last week from Chris Hunter, ODOT's Southwest Area manager, who said that the contractor was back working in Bandon, on the handicap ramps. He said they have begun work around Seabird and at 9th Street.
"Their current plan at 9th Street is to work on the ramps on the north side of the intersection first; they have started marking and saw cutting. When those ramps are complete, they will begin on the south side replacing those ramps. Once that is complete, they will begin working on the island and the rapid flasher to be installed on the north side of the intersection," Hunter said.
So while we don't have a completion date, it is good to know that the project will soon be under way.
* * *
A 26-year-old Bandon man, Colton Jennings, escaped injury when he was involved in a wreck on Highway 97 in Deschutes County shortly before 10 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 3, that took the lives of three people.
The State Police report indicates that a northbound Dodge Durango, operated by Jared Lewis, 39, of Redmond, lost control while passing on icy roads. The Durango spun broadside into the southbound lane where it collided with an International 749 utility truck, operated by Jennings, who lives in the Seven Devils area north of Bandon.
Lewis, as well as his passengers, Kristopher Frisbee, 44, of Redmond, and Heather Good, 40,of Redmond, died at the scene.
The highway was closed for approximately five hours.
* * *
Hard to describe the number of power outages, downed trees and fallen fences caused by the recent huge windstorm which struck our area last week.
And in the case of the city of Bandon hydro electric department, it wasn't just the crew that spent long hours getting people's electricity back on, at least two members of the office staff, Linda Eickoff and June Hinojosa, spent many long hours answering the phones of worried customers, starting in the middle of the night. As our new City Recorder, June was still there Monday night recording the council meeting, making for a long 16-hour day.
I have heard nothing but praise for the efforts of our hydro crew in getting service restored.
Makes me proud to be part of the City of Bandon.
* * *
I've been searching for something in writing that expresses how I feel about our current situation in this country. And I found it recently in a letter to the editor in the Register-Guard from a Springfield man, who references both political parties.
"Making molehills out of mountains could be the metaphor for an early 21st American political tragedy. Missing are political giants such as the late Republican Bob Dole and Democrat Daniel Moynihan, who served nearly three decades together in the late 20th century, and who bravely crossed the aisle to forge political compromises in the best interest of American's citizenry.
"However, today our politics suffer from political enmity, making the Dole-Moynihan example feel as though it happened centuries ago. Instead of benefiting from the compromise of giants, today we find ourselves being governed by political dwarfs, who spend a majority of their time fetching special-interest campaign donations and celebrating their successes in obstructing whatever the opposing party represents. Even when facing a common enemy, we're seemingly incapable of joining together to agree on a united strategy for fighting a deadly pandemic.
"Governing has been replaced by politicians play-acting for their base, not totally unlike watching gladiators perform in an ancient Roman coliseum. The main difference in this case is we the audience are the ones whose best interests and lives are being sacrificed."
My only wish is that I had written that ....
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
January 05, 2022
As far back as anyone can remember, boat travel on the Coquille River, and the Pacific Ocean, has provided its thrills, spills, fatal accidents, and near misses. The story I am sharing today (first photo) was, thankfully, one of those near misses.
The Triple D, 1966
An article, from the Sept. 8, 1966, Western World relates the story of a Bandon couple, who were met with a sneaker wave just outside the Coquille River mouth.
Mr. and Mrs. Phil Driscoll, aboard their 30-foot commercial fishing vessel, the Triple D, were rescued by the Coast Guard after a "sneaker wave," estimated to be 16 to 18 feet high, crashed into the pilot house and left the vessel dead in the water.
The Driscolls had observed the local bar conditions from just inside the river mouth about 10:15 a.m. and found only a three- or four-foot swell running in the river so they prepared to cross out.
"They were 150 to 200 yards beyond the jetties and thought they were in the clear when Driscoll looked up and saw the wave, which seemed to come from nowhere. He was operating the boat with outside controls, aft of the wheelhouse, with his passenger nearby.
"Driscoll said he barely had time to holler 'hang on' before the green water came over the bow and slammed into the cabin, shattering both windshield panes, flooding out two radios and the V-8 motor.
"In danger of broaching Driscoll dropped his bow anchor, which while inadequate to hold the craft in one place, acted as a drag, bringing the bow around into the sea. But each successive wave lifted the boat and anchor and drifted the craft in a southeasterly direction toward the surf alongside the south jetty -- where lay the hull of the Cape Cross which had wrecked six days earlier.
"Back at the Port of Bandon dock, Roger Jewell on the Viking saw the wave hit the Triple-D and immediately cast off the Viking's lines and headed out to help. He stood by trying to shield the vessel from further large waves before the Coast Guard arrived.
"The Triple-D had drifted perhaps 150 yards inside the end of the south jetty toward the surf when the Coast Guard skillfully brought their 44-footer in close enough to throw Driscoll a hand line and tow the disabled boat to safety."
Just a week earlier, Driscoll and his son Paul were crossing in similar conditions when the vessel "took four on the stern" which drowned out all but three of the motor's eight cylinders and broached the craft so that they had to turn her back into the sea before limping in.
"Expressing his opinions on how badly the proposed harbor improvement project is needed, Driscoll said he wished someone from the U.S. Corps of Engineers could have been with him on either of these two trips.
"The channel depth was reported to be at six feet at low water last week. The long-standing project depth to be maintained is 13 feet."
Last week, I talked about Bob Fisher being honored by the Coast Guard for his role in saving 12 people from the wrecked Elizabeth Olson. But that was just one of the heroic rescues that Bob was involved in during his many years at sea on various tugboats.
An article in the Oct. 4, 1962, Western World, talked about the role of Jim Knox and Fisher, aboard the tug "Fearless" (second photo) who played a part in the rescue of one of the three survivors of a charter boat which capsized near the Umpqua River entrance. Fisher was captain of the Fearless.
The tug Fearless, 1962
"After the crew members spotted a young woman clinging to a life raft, Knox, 20, hastily donned a life jacket and with a rope tied around his waist, dove over the side of the tug and swam to the raft.
"Being a strong swimmer, Knox was able to reach the life raft and, after urging the woman to hang on as tight as possible, he and the raft were towed to the tug by the crew members.
"The woman, Rose Marie Martinez, 19, wife of another of the three survivors, had reportedly spotted the life raft at quite a distance after she was hurled into the water and, then in her struggle to reach the raft, she had gone under three times before finally reaching the raft."
Five people died in the accident, including a 13-year-old girl, whose body had not yet been found when the article was written. It was reported that none of the eight was wearing a life jacket.
The third picture was taken in October of 1971 of the crowning of the homecoming queen during halftime of a Bandon High School football game.
Crowning of homecoming queen, 1971
Here, Bruce Capps crowns Genevieve Murray (now Mrs. Gary Chrismon), who was escorted by Paul Campbell. Both Bruce and Gen still live in Bandon.
* * *
I saw an update on my friend Lynnelle Kummelehne this week on Facebook, and it is sad. She is fighting Covid in an area hospital. Here is what it said: "Forgive the delayed update regarding our dear sister Lynnelle. She remains gravely ill; her treatment has proven unable to reverse the decline, and so she is now more fully in her Abba's hands than ever before. Pray for her, and for Dino."
* * *
One day last week I posted on Facebook that Coos County had 95 new Covid cases in a single day, and the stream of doubting, questioning and just plain nonsense that followed blew my mind.
I personally know of seven people who have died of Covid.
I get my information almost daily from the Oregon Health Authority -- not from a source that I cannot document. I wish I could tell people just how sick those contracting Covid got, but unless people post their condition on Facebook, as one relatively young woman did last week, I would have no way of obtaining that information. I feel that people would want to know when the number of cases escalated so dramatically in this county. And that's about the only time I post the new numbers, which come out pretty much daily.
What amazes me is that even those who have been critically ill with Covid and survived ... are still not urging their friends and neighbors to get vaccinated, at least not publicly, and that is a tragedy.
The bottom line is this, very few fully vaccinated people are dying of Covid. And yes, the choice still belongs to each of us!
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I saw a headline in a letter to the editor recently in the Oregonian, which read "Legalizing pot opened up a mess."
And that is certainly true in the southern Oregon counties like Jackson and Josephine.
The writer said: " I chuckled after reading the Associated Press article 'awash in illegal pot farms, state plans millions for relief' in The Oregonian (Dec. 19). When marijuana and pot farming was legalized, it sent a message to drug cartels to set up shop in Oregon. The results: cartel control of illegal pot farms, theft of water, worker abuse and threats to neighbors.
"The Oregon Legislature has now committed $25 million for law enforcement to clean up this mess. Advocates of legalizing marijuana claimed it would reduce law enforcement costs. Instead, it has opened a Pandora's box of crime."
And that does not include those who are coming to Oregon, where, because of Ballot Measure 110, user-grade amounts of meth, heroin and cocaine now result in nothing more than a $100 ticket.
I talked recently with Sheriff Craig Zanni, who said that of over 1000 tickets written for those three drugs since BM 110 went into effect, only one of them even bothered to appear in court. There is no punishment.
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I learned this week that Penny Green, long-time owner of Lotus Grotto Gifts in Old Town, died at the age of 74. She had suffered from dementia for many years and apparently lived in the Sixes-Port Orford area.
We also lost another former resident, Clyde Huffman, who died at the age of 84 Thursday night with his wife, Cloretta, and family at his bedside. Among his survivors are his daughter and son-in-law, Glenn and Tami Fuller, and three daughters, Amanda Lossing, and Tessa and Destyni Fuller.
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Hackers continue to send out emails to my friends, mostly those on the city council and, in the latest instance, to our city attorney Shala Kudlac.
Shala got an email Monday that appeared to be from me, but with the email address of privateemailspacework@gmail.com, whatever that might be.
It said: "Hello Shala. Are you accessible at the moment? I will like you to handle a vital chore for me at this time. I require your full co-operation. So I have established a method to reward some dedicated members of employees with gift assistance today. Let me know how swift you can do this on my behalf, I am heavily tied up in a closed door meeting with limited access. Just reply to my email, I will get back to you with the full details. Thanks! Best Regards, Mary Schamehorn, mayor."
Geri Procetto received one of these a few months ago, and she actually thought it was from me, and she replied. The hackers/scammers immediately came back with instructions as to how to get the number of gift cards that they wanted." She then realized it was a scam. Councilor Brian Vick has also received a similar message and I think Peter Braun did, too.
The grammar and punctuation (or lack of) alone should tell my friends it is not from me ....
So if you received a strange request from me, please just delete it. But I would appreciate your letting me know so I can see just how wide spread this has become.
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The Oregon School Activities Association recently announced its new redistricting plan, which will be in effect through 2026.
Several of the changes result in longer trips for area teams, including Bandon.
An article in the Eugene Register-Guard said, "Another travel complication will arise in Class 2A with the dissolution of the Sunset Conference. Coastal members Bandon, Gold Beach, Illinois Valley, Reedsport, Toledo and Waldport will all join the Central Valley Conference, which already includes Central Linn, East Linn Christian, Lowell, Monroe, Oakland and Oakridge.
"For example the trip from Central Linn to Gold Beach is 217 miles and lasts four hours. In the other direction, traveling from Oakland to Toledo is 142 miles and two and a half hours. Illinois Valley, which petitioned the OSAA to play down a classification, is 14 miles from the California border.
The athletic director of Lowell is quoted as saying that the increased travel will pull kids out of class more and increase transportation costs. He surmised that the league would be split into two divisions.
Previous columns by Mary Schamehorn
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