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SUMMER 1976
roR1A·o~ VOL. 4
16TH & EXCHANGE STREET, ASTORIA, OREGON 97103
NO. 2
STEAMER G. W. SHAVER AT BEAVER SLOUGH, CIRCA 1890
According to Lewis & Dryden's Marine History of the Pacific Northwest, "The finest steamer built on the Willamette in 1889" was the 145-foot sternwheeler G. W. Shaver. Commissioned by the Peoples Freighting Co. for the run between Portland and Clatskanie, she was named for Captain George Shaver, one of the principals of the firm. Three times weekly she steamed down the Columbia and up a narrow, winding creek to Clatskanie, carrying passengers and all manner of freight. On the return trip she carried shingles from the Clatskanie mill. In 1893 the Shaver family bought out their partners and formed the Shaver Transportation Company. The firm prospered, but in the late 90's a new rail line began to erode freight and passenger traffic on the lower river. The
G. W. Shaver was sold in 1902 to The Dalles-Portland -Astoria Navigation Company, and renamed Glenol,a. Four years later she was extensively rebuilt as the Beaver by the Clatskanie Transportation Company (of which the Shavers were major stockholders), and again put on the Clatskanie run. Next she was sold to the Harkins Transportation Company, who ran her to Astoria opposite the Lurline. Eventually she was acquired by the Hosford Transportation Company, but the Shavers became her owners once more when they bought out the Hosford line in 1934. Later that year, operating on the Portland-Umatilla run, she foun dered at Canoe Encampment Rapids, above John Day. After 45 years of service the Beaver, ex-Glenol,a, ex-G. W. Shaver, was beached and dismantled where she lay.
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QUARTERDECK REVIEW For most of us, an appreciation of historic events is somehow easier to grasp on the site where those events occured. In that regard, the location of the new Museum is significant. From the building's observation windows, future visitors will view the Columbia River from Tongue Point to the Pacific Ocean, ten miles distant. It is a panorama full of history. Across the river is Baker Bay, where Captain Robert Gray anchored his ship Columbia Rediviva in 1792. Lewis and Clark led their weary party past here in 1805, and in 1811, the ship Tonquin, sent by John Jacob Astor, anchored only a few hundred yards from this spot to establish a fur trading station called Astoria: Where piling and fill now support the Museum building, was once a small bay overlooked by the original settlement. Trading vessels rode at anchor here while calling at the fort. In later years the old Oregon Railway & Navigation Company dock occupied the site, serving the sternwheelers and ocean steamers of the Union Pacific system for over half a century. Along the Columbia River, there are few locations that have witnessed so much of the unfolding of the region's history. It is wholly appropriate that the Museum's new building is occupying this rich site. History will be preserved where it was made . Rolf Klep, Director
WA WONA MODEL ON EXHIBIT
A finely detailed model of the 156-foot, 3-mast schooner Wawona has recently joined the exhibits on the first floor of the Museum. Built by Robert C. Lacalli of Seattle, the 30-inch replica took top honors at the Third Annual Ship Model Competition held at the Museum in May. The Wawona was built for the offshore lumber trade by Hans Bendixsen at Fairhaven, California in 1897, but in 1913 she joined the Puget Sound cod fishing fleet. Except for the war years, she went North every season until 1947 to participate in one of the West Coast's most rigorous fisheries: hand-lining cod from small dories on the Bering Sea fishing grounds. Laid up in 1948, she was the subject of numerous schemes to send her to sea again, but none worked out. Finally, in 1964, she was acquired by a preservation group. She is maintained today as an exhibit of Northwest Seaport in Kirkland, Washington.
PILOT VESSELS ON THE COI
California, built at Stonington, Conn., in 1848. Captains George Flavel and Alfred Crosby put her on the bar in 1853 to replace the first pilot schooner, Mary Taylor. She served until 1868.
Steam tug Columbia, built by Asa Simpson at Knappton, Washington in 1876. Captain Flavel and others operated her on the bar for ten years. In 1887 she was sold to Coos Bay interests.
Schooner Jessie, built ai lifornia, in 1890. Oper Washington pilots, she 1896 to 1900. Later los
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NAVY ROOM TO BE NAMED FOR VICE ADMIRAL BARBEY
development and implementation of amMuseum President Philip L. Bainer has announced that the Navy-Coast phibious techniques that proved vital to Guard gallery of the new building will be the success of Allied forces in the Pacific named for Vice Admiral Daniel E. Theatre. As commander of the AmphibBarbey, USN, in recognition of a recent ious Force, Southwest Pacific (later the $50,000 Building Fund gift made by the Seventh Amphibious Force), he directed Admiral's widow, Katharine G. Barbey of the landing of hundreds of thousands of Olympia, Washington . The memorial is a troops and more than a million tons of materiel in assaults along the New fitting tribute to the life of a man who Guinea coast and through the Philippines. earned the respect and admiration of his At the war's end, he oversaw the transfellow officers and the men he commandport of occupation forces to North China ed during a naval career of 49 years. and Korea, and the repatriation of two Born in Portland in 1889, Admiral million Japanese troops from the Asian Barbey graduated from the Naval Acamainland. Among his postwar assigndemy with the Class of 1912. He served ments were tours of duty as commander in the battleships Californi,a and Okl,aof the Fourth and Seventh Fleets and homa, the light cruiser Cincinnati, the VICE ADM. DANIEL E. BARBEY the 13th Naval District. destroyers Lawrence and Stevens, the After retiring from the Navy in 1951, Admiral Barbey storeship Capell,a, and the gunboat Annapolis. Among his became Civil Defense Director for the State of Washington. commands at sea were the destroyer Lea, the fleet oiler His last years were occupied with writing an excellent book Ramapo, the battleship New York, and Destroyer Division about his wartime experiences, MacArthur's Amphibious 17. His most important service, however, came during Navy. It was published shortly after his death in 1969. World War II, when he was largely responsible for the
• PROGRESS NOTED IN CONSTRUCTION, FUND DRIVE
Work on the new building has slowed this summer, but application of cedar shakes is now under way, and likely to be completed by September, along with installation of windows and doors and a final, white roof coating. Preliminary landscaping will then precede interior work.
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Meanwhile, the Building fund continues to grow. In addition to the Barbey memorial gift noted above, substan tial grants have recently been received from the Collins Foundation, the Autzen Foundation, the Oregon Community Foundation, and the Ralph and Adolph Jacobs Foundation .
RIVER BAR, 1853-1976
yacht at Benicia, Cad out of Ilwaco by ved on the bar from ear Nome, Alaska.
Motor schooner Columbw, ex King & Winge, built at West Seattle in 1914 for the halibut fish ery. Served on the bar from 1923 to 1958. She is still in use as a crab boat out of Kodiak.
M.V. Peacock, built for the Columbia River Bar Pilots at Bremen, Germany, in 1967. Designed to operate under extreme conditions, she carries a 23-foot daughter boat for transferring pilots.
COME ABOARD 1
JOIN THE
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COLUMBIA RIVER MARITIME MUSEUM ENCOURAGE YOUR FRIENDS TO BECOME MEMBERS
D Benefactor $10,000 or more $2,000 or more D Patron □ Life
$1,000 or more
D Sustaining My Check
□
$100 per year
Money Order D
D D D D
Supporting $50 per year Contributing $2 5 per year Annual $10 per year Student $ 2.50 per year for $......... ....... is enclosed
Memberships Start from Month of Receipt NAME ADDRESS ........................................................ . CITY ........................................ ZIP ................ STATE LIGHTSHIP No. 88 ON STATION, CIRCA 1915
NEW MEMBERS, INCREASED MEMBERSHIPS (*)
SUSTAINING Mr. & Mrs . Arthur Farr, Portland* Hildebrand & Co., Astoria* SUPPORTING Mr. & Mrs. F.L. Barnum* Mr. & Mrs. 0 . S. Chambers, NC Ross & Raw Music, Astoria* Mrs. Ruth M. Taylor, Carmel, CA* CONTRIBUTING Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr.
& Mrs. G. Altstadt, Gearhart* & Mrs. Milton Arnstein, Portland B. H. Claghorn, Arlington, WA Frank M. Day, Warrenton & Mrs. Franz Drinker, Portland & Mrs. G.P. Ducich, Monroe, WA*
Mr. Sylvan F. Durkheimer, Portland* Mr. & Mrs. Jon Englund* Mr. Sam Fort, Portland* Mr. & Mrs. Sam Foster, Seaside* Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Gerow, Portland* Mr. & Mrs. Herman Haggren Dr. Lee Houchins, Washington, DC* Mrs. Robert Jones, Gearhart* Lovell Auto Company, Astoria* Mr. & Mrs. John Smoot, Milwaukie* Mr. & Mrs. John P. Syvanen Mr. C. Harold Weston, Jr., Portland* ANNUAL Mr. Ragnvald Aaheim, Oslo, Norway Mr. K. E. Allison, Portland Mr. & Mrs. G. M. Bales, Kelso, WA Beighley-Krause, P.C., Portland
QUARTERDECK REVIEW OF THE
COLUMBIA RIVER MARITIME MUSEUM ASTOHIA, OREGON 97103
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Mr. & Mrs. F. M. Christensen Dr. G. W. Cottrell, Portland Mrs. Louis Gerlinger, Portland Mr. & Mrs. J. M. Gilliland, Portland Mr. Walter R. Grande, Portland Mr. E . F. Hargreaves, Portland Mr. Eugene Harrower, Portland Mr. Robert N. Hauke, Marina, CA Ms. Karen Ann Moore Mr. Vilnis Naglins , Portland Mrs. Mary Ristola The Trophy Case, Astoria Mr. & Mrs. Rand Wintermute, Portland
STUDENT Rowland C. Thompson, Kelso, WA Lolla Sorvoll, Blommenholm, Norway
Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE
PA ID Astoria, Oregon Permit No. 209