As I See It: Flying in Bandon

"The big Manning Bros's Aeroplane, which was to fly from the Bandon Ball Park Saturday and Sunday, came in on the Anvil (first picture) yesterday morning, but returned on the same boat last night, for the reason that they could not find space large enough in which to get a start for the flight.

"It is necessary to attain a speed of 40 miles an hour on the ground before the machine can get away, and in order to do this the track must be very smooth; then, too, in flying from the park it is necessary to get at least 40 feet above the tree tops before they get into a current of air in which they can fly, and there is danger of the machine crashing to the ground before they get in motion.

"After it was found impossible to fly from the ball park, the aviator was taken to the beach (second photo) where it was thought a flight might possibly be made down near the Bennett place but here again it was a dangerous proposition as the beach was not straight and the air current was not right. Then after looking over the country for several hours trying to find a suitable place, the proposition was given up and the machine returned to Portland.

"The Carnival committee regrets very much the condition of affairs, but they certainly did their duty in getting the machine here, and the fact that no place could be found for flying  was exceedingly unfortunate, and brings the fact home to the people that if we want festivities of this kind we must prepare a place for them."

An article about the same Carnival appeared in the Sept. 5, 1911, paper, quoting the Coquille Herald editor, who visited Bandon during the Carnival, and this is what he had to say "about our city," reports the W.W. publisher, L.D. Felsheim.

"The Herald editor visited Bandon Sunday and found the Carnival (third picture) being brought to a close. However, dancing on a large platform on a principal street was indulged in all day, several of the small attractions were still open and many places of business were open all day. Some of the visitors declared that the entertainment was cheap and frivolous and not up to the advertised programs. However, as the term implies, a carnival is but a cheap and gaudy attraction characterized by mirth and frivolity, a catch-penny attraction, as it were, and no one should, and few do, expect to get their money's worth when they attend such an entertainment. It can be said to the credit of Bandon, nevertheless, that her hotels and restaurants while inadequate to accommodate the great crowd, were very reasonable in their charges, and the citizens of the place extended a cordial welcome to every visitor.

"It appears to me that a prosperous city like Bandon, with its pretensions of being a great summer resort, would manifest a little more progress, public spirit and enterprise. There is no disputing the fact that Bandon has the most beautiful, picturesque, and attractive beach to be found on the Pacific coast between San Francisco and Seattle, but no provisions have been made for the comfort and convenience of campers and tourist.

"We found a village of tents crowded together in a side street on the bluff - dusty, without wood and water, except as obtained corner hydrant, and the festive town cows, which are still permitted to roam at will in the municipality, make themselves decidedly obnoxious to the vacationers.

"The main 'boulevard' leading from the business center along the bluff overlooking the sea, is dusty, uneven and full of chuck holes, when a little labor and expense would put it on an even grade and cover it with fine gravel or some paving material and make it a delight to every visitor and the citizens of Bandon as well. A fine country road from Coquille has been completed to Bandon along the beautiful Coquille river, which is in fine condition to the very incorporate limits of Bandon, where is encountered the worst road in the county -- rough and extremely dusty, and where more than one automobilist came to grief during the carnival. It is up to Bandon to wake up, relegate the town cow, improve its streets, plat a camp ground for the convenience of visitors, organize a civic improvement club, and thereby become a 'Beautiful Bandon-by-the Sea' in reality."

Wow, maybe  the guy should have stayed home .....

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I was pleased to learn that David Brock Smith, Port Orford, our state representative in the Oregon legislature, had been appointed as our new senator, replacing Dallas Heard of Roseburg. According to Coos County Commissioner John Sweet, David was the unanimous choice of all the commissioners, whose counties the senate seat represents.

Now they have to find a Republican to replace David in the House of Representatives.

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 Heavy rains have caused lots of problems for the South Coast. Last Monday morning at 3 a.m., a large section of Highway 101, 12 miles south of Port Orford, collapsed 15 feet and slid 12 feet west, closing the highway to all traffic for four days.

Finally, one gravel lane east of the slide was opened to traffic at 3:30 p.m. Friday, but ODOT cautioned people who depend on the highway that the highway could once again be closed if heavy rains caused more sliding.

Sunday morning, someone posted a photo on Facebook showing water across Highway 101 near West Coast Game Park, as Four Mile Creek overflowed. Others in the area had similar flooding as water covered access roads in the same area.

The Port Orford Beacon also posted that there was a slide five miles south of Port Orford (near Humbug Mountain) which further complicated travel in Curry County.

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Restore Oregon , known for 37 years as the Historic Preservation League of Oregon, has announced that a Bandon man, Harv Schubothe, is one of two people appointed to their board. Harv is executive director of the Greater Bandon Association, which oversees the Main Street Program.

A spokesman for Restore Oregon said "both bring incredible experience to our organization from working in their respective communities with the Oregon Main Street program."

Karen Auborn, widow of the long-time Port Orford mayor, Jim Auborn, recently ended her six-year term on the board.

The statewide non-profit works with organizations and individuals to address threatened historic resources and develops strategies to address physical deterioration.

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Newly elected Sheriff Gabe Fabrizio reported the sheriff's office dispatch center statistics for 2022. Dispatch received 95,945 calls last year; 46,208 needed a response from emergency services, with 26,304 originating as 9-1-1 calls. Some 40,924 were given to law enforcement in Myrtle Point, Bandon, Powers and rural Coos County. Of those, 5,284 were Fire/EMS calls.

"While call volumes have increased steadily over time, this is the norm, and illustrates the need for our recruiting efforts to get us back up to three deputies at one time," said the sheriff.

It is important to note that Coos County does not dispatch for Coos Bay, North Bend or Coquille cities; those calls are handled by the Coos Bay Dispatch Center.

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I saw a death notice for Marjorie Boak, 71, who was the wife of Bandon native David Boak. I understand Mrs. Boak may have been injured in a wreck south of Bandon last month, although I do not know the details. Sadly, she passed away last week. David is the nephew of the late Marjorie (Marge) Boak, who was married to his uncle, Melvin Boak. Marge taught school and was the high school librarian for many years, including at the time of the Bandon Fire of 1936 and continuing through the mid-'70s.

I also saw an obituary for a former Bandon resident, Dr. Ed Whiting, who practiced at North Bend Medical and later was in private practice in the Coos Bay area. He died Jan. 6 at the age of  89, and leaves his wife, Fay, and several children. His obit said one of his passions, besides flying and Scuba diving, was dancing. I remember him as being a bit eccentric ....

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  I never thought I would find myself involved in a web of deceit and a scam that would ultimately end with the bank locking my bank account (for my protection) and letting me know that I would not be eligible to resume online banking until I had my computer scoured for Malware, which I did, with help from a trusted friend. He also upgraded my computer from Windows 7 to Windows 10 and hopefully come Tuesday, when the bank opens after the holiday, I will be "back in business."

  I pride myself on never falling for a scam ... until I did.