Dave Knows Portland

Archives for March 2011

March 26, 1955: Pan Am Flight 845/26 Crashes Off Oregon Coast

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Sunday Oregonian, March Pan Am Flight 845/26, en route from Portland to Honolulu, crashed in the sea 35 miles west of Coos Bay on March 26, 1955.

The Sunday Oregonian reported the next day:

The big four-engined plane, an hour of Portland International airport, was flying at 10,000 feet, 20 minutes past its last coastal check point at Newport when an intense 30-second vibration resulted in the right inboard engine falling off . . .

Less than half an hour after the cash, the U. S. S. Bayfield, a navy APA attack transport en route to Seattle, reached the scene and began picking up survivors.

The likely cause of the accident was “loss of control and inability to maintain altitude following failure of the no.3 propeller which resulted in wrenching free no.3 power package.” After the accident the Civil Aeronautics Administration issued an advisory that Stratocruiser hollow steel propeller blades be replaced with solid metal blades.

The airplane sank 20 minutes after it was ditched, but, remarkably, only four people died out of a passenger and crew list numbering 23.

March 25, 1993: The Spring Break Quake

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USGS Shake Map 1993 Scotts Mills EarthquakeOne of the largest earthquakes in [the state of] Oregon’s history occurred at 5:35am on Wednesday, March 25, 1993. It’s known officially as the Scotts Mills Earthquake, but locally as the Spring Break Quake.

The 5.6 magnitude quake was centered about 3 miles east of Scotts Mills (a tiny community about 6 miles east of Mount Angel), and was felt as far north as Seattle and as far south as Roseburg. The dome of the Oregon State Capitol shifted and cracked and masonry work crumbled on several buildings around the region, but otherwise there was little major damage.

Portlanders, such as myself at the time, were jostled out of bed. At the time I lived in a tiny studio apartment in the basement of an old four story building in SE Portland. The shaking jolted me awake. I grabbed my bathrobe and ran outside; stood crouched with arms out for balance, waiting for more. But that was it – just barking dogs and car alarms. That was the last night I slept in the nude.

Tulip Fest, Better Living, Little Blue Pill, Timbers, and More! (March 25-27, 2011)

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Ongoing

Tulip FestTulip Fest 2011

Tulip Fest 2011 at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn kicks off Friday, March 25 and runs through Sunday, May 1.

On weekdays it’s 40 acres of blooming tulips (and daffodils), a cafe, country store, farm equipment on display, Dutch sausages, and a gift shop. And on weekends you get all that, plus pony rides, . . . beer and wine and . . . [more]

Friday-Sunday

Better Living ShowBetter Living Home and Garden Show

Compare, shop, try and buy – sustainable products for your home and garden, eco-chic fashion, electric vehicles, and cutting-edge green technologies. Get tips from experts, learn how to reduce your energy costs and live a healthier lifestyle. It’s three days packed with activities for the entire family. Bring the kids. There’s good food, entertainment, and . . . [more]

Friday

Portland Art MuseumPortland Art Museum Free Day!

The Portland Art Museum offers free admission on the fourth Friday of every month from 5-8 p.m. The Museum also offers free admission and special family programming several times a year. [more]

Saturday

Civic StadiumPortland’s Stadium: The Many Lives of Civic Stadium

Join Michael Orr at the Architectural Heritage Center on Saturday, March 26, 2011 as he presents Portland’s Stadium: The Many Lives of Civic Stadium [more]

Timbers Away ViewingGame 2: Timbers vs. Toronto FC

The Portland Timbers travel to Toronto for the second match of the 2011 MLS season. Watch at a Portland Soccer Bar! Kickoff is at 11am. [more]

Little Blue PillLittle Blue Pill World Premiere

The world premiere of Little Blue Pill takes place on Saturday, March 26, 2011 at the Hollywood Theater (4122 NE Sandy).

Aaron Godfred, a Linfield and UO alumnus, wrote and directed Little Blue Pill, and shot much of the film in Portland. The Pittock Mansion, Voodoo Doughnuts, The Rheinlander, and other iconic Portland locations appear, and the cast and crew includes numerous Portlanders. [more]

And for even more weekend events and activities, visit Around the Sun, Blogging Portland on the Cheap, and PDX Pipeline!

March 24, 1998: First Deaths Under Oregon’s Physician-assisted Suicide Law

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Oregon voters passed the Death With Dignity Act, the country’s first law permitting physician-assisted suicide, in November of 1994.

After several years of legal shenanigans, the law went into effect when an injunction was lifted on October 27, 1997.

On March 24, 1998* one of the first legal assisted suicides under the law occurred when a woman in her 80s suffering from breast cancer for 20 years took a lethal dose of barbiturates washed down with a glass of brandy.

“I am looking forward to it because, being I was always active, I cannot possibly see myself living out two more months like this,” the Portland-area woman said in an audiotape recorded two days before her death and played for the media Wednesday. “That’s all. It’s just, I, I will be relieved of all the stress I have.”

The woman was having more and more difficulty breathing and her doctor had recently told her she had less than two months to live. Surrounded by family and her physician, she died in her sleep about five minutes after taking the drugs.

* A March 26, 1998 article in The Oregonian describes the case above, and also indicates that at least one other Oregonian died using the Death With Dignity Act previously, but the family decided not to release details to the press.