West coast fishery most deadly

An AP article published April 25, 2008 claims that the coasts of Oregon, Washington and California have claimed more lives even than Alaska waters, including the Bering Sea, where Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch is filmed. (Click to read the article)
“The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health released a report Thursday detailing the hazards of fishing off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington. The report said those three states combined for a fatality rate more than twice as high as the national commercial fishing average between the years of 2000 and 2006.”
One of the somber features of Dead Reckoning of the Pacific Graveyard includes a list of lost fishing vessels from the region. It is the most complete list of lost fishing vessels to date. The list was obtained from multiple local, long-time fishermen, their families, local publications and Coast Guard reports.

A detail photo of the lost fishing vessels list, printed on handmade paper using an antique letter press by Oblation Papers in Portland, Oregon.
The result is a respectful, enduring memorial to the lives lost in the commercial fishing industry of the Oregon and Washington coasts.
The list is featured on the premium framed chart by NW Limited…History in Vogue^TM as shown below:

503-338-6056 or bill@nwlimited.com to find out more

Trash or treasure?

The New Carissa is getting another set of walking papers.
Removal is slated to begin this week.
The goal is to have her gone, but she won’t soon be forgotten.
Nine years have passed since the 1500-ton ship hit the beach north of Coos Bay, during a February storm.  Her carcass remains a grim reminder that shipwrecks are not just history, they are a fact of life in the maritime industry.
Lacking the charm of some of the more recent, historic wrecks that have surfaced, the New Carissa is considered to be more of an eyesore to some. There is argument to the contrary…
The ship’s wreckage should be completely removed by October, along with the expenditure of $16.4 million more dollars.
Whether you’re going to get a last look at the New Carissa, or a peek at the newly revealed George L. Olson, the Bella, Acme, possibly to search for something new from the USS Shark,  be cautious, and mind the dangerous surf at the Oregon coast.
The same holds true for Washington’s beaches, of course.
Lost treasure, history and sightseeing may be the lure, but danger lurks for more than just boats and ships.

Still, it begs the question: What might the M/V New Carissa look like in 100 years or so?

The shipwreck Peter Iredale (photo ca. 1/2008), grounded in 1906,
is considered a local treasure for its tourist
attraction and aesthetic interest.

102 years ago…

The New Carissa today…(taken from the KCBY website)

Links:
Shipwreck set for wrecking (Eugene Register-Guard)
Beach explorers urged to keep eye on ocean(Newport News-Times)
Hoping to save the New Carissa shipwreck (KCBY)

Dead Reckoning of the Pacific Graveyard shipwreck chart

The “Pacific Graveyard” has been claiming victims ever since man endeavored to set sail over these treacherous waters. 
Ships, boats, men and cargo have been lost over centuries.
Bill Brooks spent the better part of four years researching this chart, and fine-tuning every aspect. 
There were literally oceans of material to sort through and condense into what you see before you, “Dead Reckoning of the Pacific Graveyard.” 
Dead Reckoning is a gathering of unprecedented proportions, a gift of local maritime history.

Here is a preview  (click for slideshow and to hear the radio ad currently running) of what you’ll receive if you purchase one for yourself (click on the image and you’ll be able to almost read the text and get a better idea of the infinite detail in these handsome lithographs):

Framed version #3 of 500  ”Framed tube” $225 Lithograph-$50
           $500. 

Much of this region’s history revolves around the sea.
Even before Lewis & Clark’s arrival, there are records of shipwrecks, and of their mysterious circumstances; tales of treasure, heroic survival and tragic losses.
Within this one document you will find the stories of hundreds of Oregon and Washington shipwrecks.
Enough to whet your intellectual appetite, and quench your thirst for American history as well as staunch your cravings for a visual feast for they are truly a work of art.

Available now through NW Limited…History in Vogue^TM
call 503-338-6056 

Wreck of the Lupatia - Jan. 3, 1881

An excerpt from NW Limited’s ‘Dead Reckoning of the Pacific Graveyard’ chart reads:
“Lupatia -1/3/1881- British bark: A south-easterly gale throws Lupatia onto Tillamook reef; a dog survives -16 dead”

One can imagine her final hours. A bleak, January night with the wind and surf shattering her against the rocks mere weeks before the Tillamook Lighthouse, a/k/a “Terrible Tilly” was to be lit.
The crew working on construction of that lighthouse saw Lupatia’s running lights as she approached.  In the near-miss incident,  they could hear Lupatia’s crew shouting orders of “Hard apart!” as they scrambled to keep her off the rock which so desperately needed a light as warning. 
 The construction crew kindled fires, and used lanterns to try and assist the captain as he navigated the rock-strewn reef.   Narrowly missing the rock itself, she disappeared into the darkness.
Lupatia’s debris littered the rocks below the nearly complete lighthouse the following morning.  16 lives lost…
 Would her fate have been the same had her captain had that light to use as guide?
 Unlike the Peter Iredale, or the George L. Olson, nothing remains of the Lupatia, no structure to climb and explore, no resting place to visit.
NW Limited’s historic achievement of the most detailed and complete shipwreck chart to date, immortalizes her.
The lithograph alone is a great place to start when looking for shipwreck history, but the framed and matted version  (left) is an adventure of its own with its photographs of shipwrecks, United States Coast Guard insignia and USPS stamp, the lost fishing vessels and more, all displayed within a high-quality, hand-finished frame.

Each chart is custom-built by Bill Brooks of NW Limited in Astoria, Oregon and no two will be exactly alike.
While you can’t take home the George L. Olson,
or the bowsprit of the Peter Iredale, you can
have “Dead Reckoning of the Pacific Graveyard,” your own magnificent gathering of maritime history in the Pacific Northwest.
bill@nwlimited.com or 503-338-8215

The Tao of Wow…

Wow is a word that crosses language barriers; there is no mistaking what it means.
For those that aren’t so sure:

wow 1 (wou) Informal
interj.
Used to express wonder, amazement, or great pleasure.
n.
An outstanding success.
tr.v. wowed, wow·ing, wows
To have a strong, usually pleasurable effect on: a performance that wowed the audience.

We specialize in “WOW“.
For giving or getting, NW Limited…History in Vogue^TM is in a class by itself.
Book your ticket : Email bill@nwlimited.com or call 503-338-6056 

See us this weekend at America’s Largest Collectible & Antique Show in Portland, Oregon at the Portland Expo Center just off I-5 near Delta Park/Jantzen Beach.

Fishing for words?

If you’re in town for the 11th annual Fisher Poet’s Gathering, you might come on up to NW Limited…History in Vogue^TM and have a look at our newest offering of Dead Reckoning of the Pacific Graveyard, featuring a list of the lost fishing vessels from the region. We are just two minutes from downtown on the hillside overlooking the Columbia River. Call for your appointment: 503-338-6056
The commercial fishing industry is a dangerous one, and while many of the boats on the list went down without a life lost (and often thanks to the heroic United States Coast Guard), there will always be those vessel names associated with the sudden loss of peers.
The list of fishing vessels is featured on handmade paper, and printed using an antique letter press; giving a tactile depth to the dates and the names which are so evocative of a way of life on the edge.
This is just one aspect of this magnificent gathering of maritime history, one which encompasses the lives of those we lost while working on the sea, and the memories we all share as part of this community. 
The list of lost vessels in itself speaks volumes of the ultimate price paid for the living made on the sea.  Where words fail, all that is needed are the dates and the names…most of us know the rest.
Custom tributes within this run of 500 matted, framed charts are more than welcome, since each framed chart is hand-built and assembled right here in Astoria, Oregon.
Call or email Bill to see how we can immortalize your memories. 503-338-6056