I love this first picture I am sharing of the gas-powered Charm as it was docked at the Bandon waterfront sometime around 1915. The people aboard the Charm are obviously enjoying having their picture taken, with several of them standing in the 8-person boat on the deck. I am pretty sure the building at top left is the Breuer Building, and across the river, one can see the lighthouse and the lighthouse keeper's home.
The first article I found about the Charm, in the July 2, 1913, Bandon Recorder, was the story of its launching.
"Captain Willard's new gasoline launch Charm was launched at the Hermann Bros. shipyards Saturday night. The Charm, true to its name, is a beautiful boat, and will carry 150 passengers. Her engines will develop 130 horse power and the boat has a speed of 16 miles an hour.
"A player piano will be put in the boat for the amusement of the passengers. A number of boats went up the river to carry passengers to witness the launching. The Charm will be one of the finest boats on the Coquille River and in fact as fine as will be found anywhere on the Pacific coast."
Several years later, in January of 1916, the Charm struck a log, which disabled the propeller.
According to an article in the Western World, "It occurred before daylight near Bullards on the early morning trip to Coquille. The smoking compartment was filled with men going to court and traveling salesmen bound for the Bay while quite a number of men and women were in the rear cabin.
"The boat struck with a great deal of force and the shock caused a stampede for the upper deck, as it was feared the craft might sink. One man went through the window. It was necessary to wait until 8:30 when the Telegraph came along and took on the passengers."
The Charm was further mentioned in an article written by historian Curt Beckham, which appeared in Western World March 25, 1976, about Captain William R. Panter and his family, who were so instrumental in the early days of river commerce.
Captain Panter bought the "sleek and fast boat from Charley Ashton to use on his passenger and mail run between Coquille and Bandon. This boat could make two round trips a day on the twenty mile run which was twice as fast as the older steam vessels could do.
"The Charm was the last of Cap. Panter's boats to move up and down the River. Even after the highway was completed and most everything was being carried by trucks he had to run this boat at a loss for sometime before his mail contract could be terminated.
"In 1926, the Charm made its last run thus bringing to an end a way of life along this once useful waterway. Even though the Charm was sold to the Shaver Brothers Transportation Co. of Portland, historian Ernie Osborne said there was undocumented evidence that she may have been afloat until the mid-1940s.
The second photo I am sharing was taken in August of 1982 when it was Dr. Charles Meece's Downtown Chiropractic Center. This was the eastern part of the Bandon Medical Building which was constructed a short time after the Bandon fire of 1936 by Otto Shindler and his partner, C. J. Fuhrman. Today this shop is the home of The Sassy Seagull, with Winter River Books occupying the remainder of the building.
The third picture I am sharing, taken during a Cranberry Festival Parade, features Mayor George Steddom, who was being driven by long-time Coquille Valley Dairy Co-op manager Jim Hanna. George served as mayor from 1977 to 1979, and prior to being elected mayor, he spent 10 years on the City Council.
                                 *                     *                  *
This has been a particularly difficult week for police activity around Bandon. Thursday morning, a California man driving a red Mitsubishi Eclipse was spotted by numerous drivers in the Langlois - Bandon area driving in an extremely reckless manner including going through a Bandon school zone in excess of 60 miles an hour.
His reckless disregard for people culminated in a head-on crash on Highway 101 north of Bandon near Belloni Boys Ranch. The sheriff's office press release said that as police closed in on the driver, Cory Marcus Orsenico, 32, who had already made a U-turn and headed back south, he appeared to intentionally swerve into the other lane and struck a vehicle head-on. Killed were Dawn Adams, 54, and Jeffrey Adams, 78, of Bandon. Orsenico also died at the scene.
Police said on March 10 he was arrested in Orick, Calif., on numerous counts after he went into a motel room, armed with a knife, and threatened the occupant. As he fled, he damaged the occupant's car. Although he was arrested, he apparently was not jailed, or if he was, it was obviously not long enough.
Then, something (and it is not clear what) occurred Friday evening, which resulted in a police chase which apparently started in Old Town for a man, whose picture was posted on the Bandon Police Department Facebook page, but whose identity was not revealed.
I do know that police searched in the area of East 11th and Harlem/Rosa Road, as well as the vicinity around McKay's Market sometime on Saturday.
An update shortly after noon Sunday indicated that the man had not yet been apprehended, but that he was wanted on numerous charges. One post indicated that he was wanted by the U.S. Marshals, but that has not been confirmed.
The Bandon Police Department indicated they would post on their Facebook page when he is located.
                                 *                   *             *
The wanton acts of vandalism have escalated in downtown Portland in the last couple of weeks. One of those charged for smashing windows, including those of the Oregon Historical Society, is Theodore Matthee-O'Brien, a senior and anthropology major at Reed College.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has called on Reed College, one of the nation's most expensive, elite, private universities, to expel the man if he is convicted of smashing downtown windows, after being charged with seven felonies.
Wheeler said "there are ways that our other community partners and institutions can be helpful in making it crystal clear that the city of Portland will not tolerate criminal destruction or violence. Those who are engaged in it, let's make it hurt them a little bit."
Wheeler also asked citizens to report to 211 when they see people in black bloc garb parking a car in their neighborhood .... and to give dispatchers the car's license plate number.
Wheeler said he was extending a state of emergency through the weekend in response to repeated marches by roughly 100 hardline leftists who smash windows and set fires to demand police abolition.
                                          *             *              *
The ballots will be coming out soon for the May 18 Special Election, which includes the city's Ballot Measure 6-188 to continue the local option street tax. City Manager Dan Chandler has put together an important Q&A, which will go into the utility bills this week, and I am urging people to read it carefully as it contains a lot of good, factual information.
It is important to understand that if the tax does not pass, the city will have the ability to assess an Urban Renewal Special Levy of up to $1.23 per thousand, based on the latest assessed valuation figures. The UR Special Levy could be imposed citywide but could only be spent in the Urban Renewal districts.
But if voters approve the continuation of the local option street tax (at 84.5 cents a thousand), the UR Special Levy cannot be levied.
                                          *             *          *
I always read my favorite sports columnist in the Oregonian, John Canzano, and Sunday was no exception. His column, "Ridiculous mask mandate causing safety issue," was spot on.
He pointed out that 49 other states don't require masks for high school distance runners in track and cross country. "That's everyone else in America, folks. Just us, alone again."
He adds: "The OSAA ought to be in the business of protecting high school athletes. It should not leave the state coaches, parents and this columnist alone to demand a sensible fix. The Oregon Health Authority needs to ask why it's fine with civilian runners being maskless outdoors, but not good with children running maskless on a track or at a cross country meet. And Oregon Gov. Kate Brown needs to recognize the absurdity of the current rule and do what other states have already done."
He ends it by saying: "Maggie Williams was cruising toward that school record on Thursday. Her first lap was a thing of beauty. The second one should have ended with her breaking the finish line on her feet, gasping but with a smile. Instead, she ran out of oxygen. Her brain shut down. Her lungs quit. She landed on her forehead. Couldn't hear. Couldn't see. Her body crashed across the finish line. I wonder if state leaders will notice."
The irony is that this issue was raised weeks ago .... and still nothing was done. Thank you, John Canzano, for your latest efforts to see if anyone in this state is listening!
Post a comment as anonymous
Report
Watch this discussion.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In