snowmman 3
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The big, long-awaited life disrupting event has come and gone. The sun is setting on the tiny kingdom and the villagers return to their evening routines:
Sluggo Pontificates – He continues to spew forth information that appears to have some authority behind it, but that authority always remains occult. Covert thoughts, secret symbols, and vague references populate his essays. And yet, occasionally buried deep inside that bland gruel of oatmeal-like mung there lies a raisin, a sparkling jewel of insight that provides light by which others can see. But, lo… it provides no heat. All the while he wonders if the villagers view him as a friendly soothsayer or an evil ogre.
snowmman Babbles – He speaks in rambling, disjointed, dissertations, patched together by sometimes irrelevant works of others. He continues to shun all the other villagers, while all he really wants is their love and admiration. The villagers shake their collective heads in disbelief at the brashness of his actions and then stop dead still… frozen… in abulia-like paralysis when something he says actually makes sense.
377 Apologizes – He apologizes even when no apology is requested or required. He walks amid the villagers constantly. Hello Ms Weber, how are you today? Good-day Sluggo, did you sleep well last night? He jokes, he laughs, and then when he is alone… he cries. He can’t understand why his curiosity, his life-long partner, curiosity, is constantly being trampled by the stampede of the villagers as they make their pilgrimages to the Federal Building in Seattle.
Skyjack Wanders Aimlessly - She walks from house to house, shouting; “Bring me your connection! I must find the connection! What would it cost you to give me the connection?” she screams. As she approaches each house, she hears the tell-tale sound of night-latches clicking shut, shutters closing, and children scrambling to find a hiding spot under their beds.
georger Is Missing – He was last seen heading out to the lower forty to check on a calf… but he never returned. The villagers wait and wonder, but no one wants to be the first to pull out a $1-bill as say aloud; “Where’s georger!”
Yes, all is well in the tiny kingdom. The sun has sunk below the horizon, all is peaceful, all is quiet.
Web Page
Blog
NORJAK Forum
Sluggo Pontificates – He continues to spew forth information that appears to have some authority behind it, but that authority always remains occult. Covert thoughts, secret symbols, and vague references populate his essays. And yet, occasionally buried deep inside that bland gruel of oatmeal-like mung there lies a raisin, a sparkling jewel of insight that provides light by which others can see. But, lo… it provides no heat. All the while he wonders if the villagers view him as a friendly soothsayer or an evil ogre.
snowmman Babbles – He speaks in rambling, disjointed, dissertations, patched together by sometimes irrelevant works of others. He continues to shun all the other villagers, while all he really wants is their love and admiration. The villagers shake their collective heads in disbelief at the brashness of his actions and then stop dead still… frozen… in abulia-like paralysis when something he says actually makes sense.
377 Apologizes – He apologizes even when no apology is requested or required. He walks amid the villagers constantly. Hello Ms Weber, how are you today? Good-day Sluggo, did you sleep well last night? He jokes, he laughs, and then when he is alone… he cries. He can’t understand why his curiosity, his life-long partner, curiosity, is constantly being trampled by the stampede of the villagers as they make their pilgrimages to the Federal Building in Seattle.
Skyjack Wanders Aimlessly - She walks from house to house, shouting; “Bring me your connection! I must find the connection! What would it cost you to give me the connection?” she screams. As she approaches each house, she hears the tell-tale sound of night-latches clicking shut, shutters closing, and children scrambling to find a hiding spot under their beds.
georger Is Missing – He was last seen heading out to the lower forty to check on a calf… but he never returned. The villagers wait and wonder, but no one wants to be the first to pull out a $1-bill as say aloud; “Where’s georger!”
Yes, all is well in the tiny kingdom. The sun has sunk below the horizon, all is peaceful, all is quiet.
Web Page
Blog
NORJAK Forum
snowmman 3
good job, sluggo!
Note this is really just another MMORPG with occasional rude interruptions of reality.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massively_multiplayer_online_role-playing_game
Note this is really just another MMORPG with occasional rude interruptions of reality.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massively_multiplayer_online_role-playing_game
georger 268
Your experience in this should beQuoteThe upstream propeller snag transport explanation is actually humorous. What do they call this in literature? "Deus ex machina"? This FBI explanation is really a classic use of the technique.
"A deus ex machina means (literally "god from the machine") is a plot device in which a person or thing appears "out of the blue" to help a character to overcome a seemingly insolvable difficulty."
I and every commercial fisherman has had too much experience with propeller snags. One of the most frightening things I have ever done was to free dive (no tanks no nothing) 300 miles offshore with a knife trying to cut a snagged and wrapped up illegal Chinese drift net off the prop of our vessel. It had wrapped up so tight that it stalled a very powerful diesel and put an immovable brake on the propshaft. It was exhausting, cold and scary. It is very easy to get snagged in what you are trying to cut, plus the heaving motion of the vessel compunds the problem. We hosed the bloody decks off really well then waited for a few hours hoping if sharks were nearby (and they almost always are) the scent would dissipate. It took hours of repeated dives but I finally got us going. Most boats today carry hookah rigs so you can have a continuous air supply. Back then the huge (some were 30 miles long) drift nets were new on the scene and we didnt realize how big a problem they would cause. The pirate drift netters would cut out big chunks of ripped net and just discard them creating big snag hazards but they didnt care. Those kind of drift nets are illegal worldwide but the Chinese still use them on phony flagged and named vessels.
http://reliableanswers.com/general/driftnet_fishing.asp
Commercial boats snag stuff a lot, mostly things that are floating like polyester ropes. If an item is on the bottom or even a few feet under your keel you usually will not snag it if you are moving. The dwell time near the potential snag is too short to suck it into the prop when you are moving. Maneuvering (eg docking with a lot of fwd and reverse motion in a small area) in shallow water you can suck snags off the bottom and foul your prop.
Interestingly most complex "ropey" things that you snag end up retained in a mess between your foreward prop hub and the prop shaft even if you break free of the rest of it. Boats install "spurs" to aid in staying free of snags and avoiding shaft wraps
of leftover junk. Big ships usually dont use spurs and depend instead on their massive HP to cut through anything they encounter.
I doubt if Cooper would be floating after a river landing and drowning. I know that C9 type chutes sink because we use them as sea anchors and have to install a float attached to a line that ties onto the apex.
The prop snag transport theory sounds absurd to me. If Cooper was snagged it would be very brief before the blades cut him loose and centrifugal force flung him clear of the vessel. I just dont see a plausible scenario where he is transported miles up stream. Dredge transport (of the money) makes more sense to me than prop snag transport
Prop speeds and sizes vary wildly. Prop speeds on big freighters are quite slow, 150 RPM is typical at cruise speed.
This "spurs" website tells you something about prop snags. It has many animated videos in different parts of the website. Take a look at all of them and you will get a feel for the mechanics of prop snags.
http://www.spursmarine.com/ship_main.htm
377
valuable. Im glad you posted the above. But let
me provide some context. This is an old theory
which H advanced almost as soon as the money turned up at Tina Bar, mainly because the Lewis
connects to Lake Merwin which was still being considered the drop zone. I know H discussed this
theory with a number of people and the FBI (H?)
got several experts to issue opinions (formal reports). Everyone consulted turned thumbs down
on the theory, for a number of reasons.
But, the latest revsion of this old theory occurred when Tom and Jerry and Larry got together on the
Columbia. (Jerry actually posted about prop washback and ship wakes here, briefly, when it
was fresh on his mind after the Columbia get-together. Nobody pursued Jerry's comment about
it here.)
But Jerry mentioned prop washback and ship wakes specifically to Tom, when they were in Washington. Tom may have already considered the idea independently. If the history I have is correct, the
theory originated almost immediately after the
Ingram find. The theory surfaced among several
theories trying to account for how money could
have come to Tina Bar ........ from the Lake Merwin
area. The issue then worked it way to several experts who issued their opinions via several reports
to the FBI. Hydraulist Bradley was one of these. We
have mentioned Bradley here before.
The Lewis Theory must of course be supported by
a suitable flight path, drop point, and winds vrs. other theories based on other fp's and winds etc.
It is worth pointing out that The ship wake and prop washback part of this version of Tom's theory could
also work in the other direction (from the Washougal), so far as deposition at Tina Bar is concerned. Direction is actually irrelevant except
in the reverse (up stream) mode now we have
to add proper timing and other factors, because
any washdown theory is inherently "complex"
whatever form the washdown theory takes. It also
depends on where in the Lewis we assume Cooper
landed.
But Tom has now added a NEW claim: there was
no dredge debris deposited at Tina Bar as Larry
spent months claiming! The Palmer, Bechly, and
Fazio reports ARE ALL WRONG! No dredging debris
was placed where the Cooper money was found!
Maybe Safe or the Ntl Geo consultant "Snowmman"
can explaion all of this to us.
Because from this point on I am a student and have
little to say. We have experts here who evidently
know what is going on. I look forward to their
explaining it all to the rest of the world.
georger 268
QuoteSluggo said: "...have their brains run down into their shoes when discussing “the NORJAK community" and its members"
I thought the problem was different.
I thought the issue was, for instance, in my case, that I don't give a damn about anyone else, and others thought that was inappropriate behavior.
Am I misunderstanding?
The way stuff like that gets resolved, usually, is war, etc. Are you arguing for diplomatic solutions?
(edit) As long as we're all confessing, I'll own up. The propeller theory came from me. They needed a last minute "new" theory, and I said I could give them one if they paid up. They paid up. They got a theory. Everyone was happy.
They may have paid up but YOU did NOT
originate the propr theory. It was developed in
1980.
How stupid do you thnk we (the world) is?
georger 268
I am now beginning to equateQuoteQuoteContrary to snowmman’s assertions, Ckret and I don’t hang out at the bar discussing NORJAK (we are a bit far apart for that). But, I do occasionally communicate with him. I’m usually begging for some scrap of information that I want (need) to enable me to solve the case before lunch.
I too have solved the case before lunch, many times.
Like Chinese food, it doesnt stick to the ribs and by evening I hunger for a new solution.
Was there a butler anywhere? I think the butler did it. That's as good a guess as any I have made.
377
solving this case with, being struck by an asteroid.
There are approximately as many assholes and
idiots (in this case) as there are asteroid, present
company and Sluggo not included.
Quote
The big, long-awaited life disrupting event has come and gone. The sun is setting on the tiny kingdom and the villagers return to their evening routines:
Sluggo Pontificates – He continues to spew forth information that appears to have some authority behind it, but that authority always remains occult. Covert thoughts, secret symbols, and vague references populate his essays. And yet, occasionally buried deep inside that bland gruel of oatmeal-like mung there lies a raisin, a sparkling jewel of insight that provides light by which others can see. But, lo… it provides no heat. All the while he wonders if the villagers view him as a friendly soothsayer or an evil ogre.
snowmman Babbles – He speaks in rambling, disjointed, dissertations, patched together by sometimes irrelevant works of others. He continues to shun all the other villagers, while all he really wants is their love and admiration. The villagers shake their collective heads in disbelief at the brashness of his actions and then stop dead still… frozen… in abulia-like paralysis when something he says actually makes sense.
377 Apologizes – He apologizes even when no apology is requested or required. He walks amid the villagers constantly. Hello Ms Weber, how are you today? Good-day Sluggo, did you sleep well last night? He jokes, he laughs, and then when he is alone… he cries. He can’t understand why his curiosity, his life-long partner, curiosity, is constantly being trampled by the stampede of the villagers as they make their pilgrimages to the Federal Building in Seattle.
Skyjack Wanders Aimlessly - She walks from house to house, shouting; “Bring me your connection! I must find the connection! What would it cost you to give me the connection?” she screams. As she approaches each house, she hears the tell-tale sound of night-latches clicking shut, shutters closing, and children scrambling to find a hiding spot under their beds.
georger Is Missing – He was last seen heading out to the lower forty to check on a calf… but he never returned. The villagers wait and wonder, but no one wants to be the first to pull out a $1-bill as say aloud; “Where’s georger!”
Yes, all is well in the tiny kingdom. The sun has sunk below the horizon, all is peaceful, all is quiet.
Seems the only ones you spoke well of was yourself and 377 - do you really think you are all that superior?
You appear to only look on the surface of what is really there - with no concept of what goes on inside of other minds nor do you care...your intellect over rides the simplicity of the things. Your heart is too thin, but in your opinions you are bullish.
The Crazy Old Lady laid the jewels right in front of you - two of them and you did not even see them...but she had them for 14 yrs and didn't see see them either.
All of us have missed what was ignored because the authorities made it sound insignifcant - what was made available scrambled to the point it made no sense.
Snowmman could care less about the approval of others - he does his thing and he knew exactly what he was doing...and where he was going, but not one of you could see that. He was actually the beacon in the forest.
377 is probably the most liked person in this forum and always keeps an even keel.
Georger is not missing - he feels betrayed - he used his science and his knowledge and made his decisions. When all was said and done - he found himself bewildered...but not lost. He is a man who will in the end pull it all together.
Copyright 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 2013, 2014, 2015 by Jo Weber
georger 268
He is a man who will in the end pull it all together.
Georger will abandon the whole thing.
I guess after last nights viewing all of you are in shock. This is why back in march I refused to be Interviewied by National Geographic Not even Tom was prepaired for this release. It is A theory that has been brought up before. Call it my fault if you like. 15 yrs ago it was a joke. Oh! well someone took it serious.But to believe someone would publish it. What a shock it's almost Like saying Duane Weber or myself was Dan Cooper. Or Better yet time to confess Georger you were Cooper And Snowmmann you Knew it all along. Shame on you Guys.Yes I did post about Backwash And have known about it for years I even pointed it out to Tom K His comment was very enteresting. But still That theory never could have happened. I only pointed it out to show what the river itself could do. Now I encourage all of you to make a phone call to the Fazio's Brothers or a trip to Tina's Bar and talk to them in person and then contact me And I will take all of you on a tour of the entire area. Then you can make your own determination on what could have happened verses Fantisies. Jerry
snowmman 3
Quote
They may have paid up but YOU did NOT
originate the propr theory. It was developed in
1980.
How stupid do you thnk we (the world) is?
You're correct georger.
I apologize.
I was too young in 1980, so I wouldn't remember.
I did not develop the propeller theory. It was developed in 1980.
(edit) How come Sluggo's list didn't include Orange1? Is it better to be on the list or off the list? On the bus or under the bus?
377 22
QuoteThey may have paid up but YOU did NOT
originate the propr theory. It was developed in
1980.
How stupid do you thnk we (the world) is?
I think Snowmman was just joking about originating the propeller theory Georger.
I don't know anything about the ability of prop "washback" or ship wakes to move things upstream. Perhaps Jerry has seen examples of upriver transport by these methods and can tell us how it operates. I will keep an open mind.
377
2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.
Georger My Phpne has rang off the hook all day from as far away as Ireland and south africa japan and china. To Include National geographic.I need to talk to you give me a call. If you get a chance. After the last post you made on your theory I would like to Know if you still believe Diatoms is not a option.Jerry
377 22
QuoteYou're correct georger.
I apologize.
hey... Sluggo gave ME the exclusive on apologies here!
377
2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.
snowmman 3
QuoteGeorger My Phpne has rang off the hook all day from as far away as Ireland and south africa japan and china.
South Africa: Boring. Everything is always about South Africa. It's like saying you know someone in Hoboken. Slovenia is where it's at.
snowmman 3
QuoteQuoteYou're correct georger.
I apologize.
hey... Sluggo gave ME the exclusive on apologies here!
377
Sorry. I'll apologize for Sluggo.
Hey, that reminds me: How come whenever Carr/Edge West/Tom do something weird/offensive/odd, the kneejerk reaction is to apologize for them since of course their motives are always pure, and their goals noble, but when it comes to me, I'm just an asshole.
Oh, I forgot, I did say I was an asshole.
Sorry. I apologize.
Good Night Frau Blucher.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHb7DJDCptA
377 22
QuoteHey, that reminds me: How come whenever Carr/Edge West/Tom do something weird/offensive/odd, the kneejerk reaction is to apologize for them since of course their motives are always pure, and their goals noble, but when it comes to me, I'm just an asshole.
You have raised a valid point Snowmman. It's an accurate perception. You certainly get less than your share of breaks and are cut no "good guy" slack here.
Now, why is it that way? Do you truly wish it were otherwise?
You are held to a different standard for sure.
377
2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.
QuoteThere's really not much interesting.
1) I think I got the Cousin Brucie snap right, from his description of saying "bad ass"
2) jump reenactment for 377
3) gizmo thing outside Tom Kaye's house
4) Earl Cossey, wearing a NB-8
5) closer view of Cossey
6) Geoffrey Gray (the writer guy)..Unmasking D.B. Cooper is the name of the 2007 NY Mag article on Christiansen. Is Gray writing some more?
7) Showing Perris logo on bottom of reenactment plane
8) Name the rig Troy is using? (visible logo)
9) Troy Hartman was the pro jumper that re-enacted?
10) Troy showing off
C'est moi, Mr. G. But, ahem, I said "Tough-ass."
377 22
Quote4) Earl Cossey, wearing a NB-8
I owned a Navy surplus NB 8 for a while. I always thought the chest connect structure looked half assed, almost misrigged, with that twisted webbing. It just looked bad so I sold it and got a USAF harness container that (ironically) looked a lot more "shipshape".
I still don't know why Troy wore a chest reserve in the Cooper jump reenactment if he had a modern skydive rig on his back.
377
2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.
Snowmman The phone call had nothing to do with dropzone. It dealt with a documantary that was done 3 yrs ago on the cooper case that featured myself and others. Jerry
Bruice You did good. Jerry
Greetings from Tina's Bar, y’all, where it is 101 degrees tonight at 8 pm, or at least that's what the time-temp sign read when I jumped on I-5 and headed back to Yelm.
Whew, just about the hottest day I've ever experienced on this planet, but it was such a kick to see the actual spot, the ground zero of Cooper World.
I had a wonderful chat with Al Fazio and his younger brother Richard, who by the way was an electronics guy for the USAF in NPK, Thailand, 68-69, monitoring hi-tech surveillance stuff dropped upon the Ho Chi Minh Trail. He didn't know anything about SOG, or Billy, etc., but it was just one more neat little Cooper piece dropping into place,
Al took me to Tina’s Bar, which is amazingly non-descript. In 1971 the Fazios allowed unlimited public access to the beach and left a jar for quarters. Two bits was the going rate. Worked okay for years, but then the party people started trashing the place and stealing stuff.
The Fazios have a large sand operation, and it is my understanding that the sand they sell is dredge spoils that nowadays are pumped onshore into receiving pits, whereas back in 1971 Al told me they threw it on the beach, expanding the beach depth and width. Now they have huge piles along the roadway leading to their place.
Currently, the beach at Tina's bar is quite narrow and steep. So is the river bed under the water. I dove in immediately when I got to Tina’s, before I took any pictures or interviewed folks I saw further down the strand.
Prior, though, in his air-conditioned office Al told me he saw a lot of shards of Cooper twenties in all kinds of shapes and sizes, discolored and black, and in various states of decomposition. He said many pieces were scattered along the high-tide mark. He couldn't say if it was that day's high tide, or the previous night's or the day before, etc. He also said that nothing was buried, that it was all laying on the surface as if it had just washed in. He said the three bundles were just lightly covered. Also, he is convinced they floated down the Washougal, and once they got to the environs of Tina’s Bar, ol’ Mom Nature did a little spit and spin and put the Fazio family into the history books.
BTW: Their Cooper literary collection is quite impressive.
Al also disputed Himms claim that shards were found in the sand as deep as three feet. Al said there were no shards buried at all, and when I ask him about Himms claims, he damn near choked saying, "that's a lot of gov't ...crap. (Guy has talked to a lot of reporters and knows how to stay on the record without compromising his visceral language - I like that.)
Also, Al confirmed that there is tidal action present at Tina’s Bar, so ocean water could push certain dead people up river if they have money tied to them, theoretically.
BTW: Al spotted me as I drove in. When I came to a stop and began to get out of my truck, he eyed me and said, “Reporter, eh?” I smiled; then he did, too, and we had a wonderful time of it from there. Both Fazios are great guys.
Al confirmed that he and Richard were on the backhoes digging for the Feds, and he used that perspective to back up his claims that nothing was found deep.
I met the downstream neighbor of the Fazios, a guy named Guy, who is nice guy, too, (or is that three).
Guy told me that Tosaw was at Tina’s Beach for a month last year, again employing divers and dredging the bottom. Only came up with car parts and bed springs.
“It’s amazing what down on the bottom of this river,” said Guy.
Guy also caught a steelhead for dinner when I was there.
When I was swimming I found the river to be dangerous. The downstream current is deceptively strong and moved me steadily. However, more troubling was the river pulled me deeper into the current and away from the beach. This rip-pull was very strong, comparable to the worst I’ve ever seen in the ocean, and it was active from just off-shore in about four-feet of water, which was about 8- 10 feet from the shoreline.
A short distance upstream from the Fazios is a Clark County beach called Frenchman’s Bar that only costs 2 bucks to get in. No lifeguards, but there were a ton of people in the water, and a bunch of dudes on jet skis. Again, the current and rip-pull were just as strong as at Tina’s Bar.
I talked to a bunch of people and everyone was chatty and quite aware of DB Cooper and the history of Tina’s Bar. But some folks are getting things confused. One thirty-something I spoke with was convinced that Tina’ Bar was down by the Washougal, not near where we were standing at the end of NW Lower River Rd, about two miles downstream from the Fazios. However, this guy told me it was once possible to drive along the river from Tina’s to the Lewis River, but that the road bed has collapsed and sunk. The flood plain is quite enormous in this part of the river. Many miles wide. I just found this stuff interesting, and not necessarily tied to the DBC story.
Speaking of which, by late afternoon I decided to try for the trifecta of Cooper Swimming Spots – Tina’s, Vancouver Lake and the Washougal. But after I left Tina’s I stopped at the near-by Vancouver Lake, which Jo has talked about, but it was closed due to a deadly blue-green algae bloom.
Then I headed down to the Washougal for a swim and to see if Jerry needed any friendly shoulders to cry on now that the Feds have totally abandoned the Washougal theory, but when I got there I found he was home in eastern Oregon.
Jerry had a good laugh when I told him about the new propeller theory.
Continuing, the parts of the Washougal that I saw near the Columbia were in Camas, WA, and they were nearly bone-dry – trickles and thin riffles of current. Plenty of kids were swimming in them, but it was a long steep hike down to the water from where I could park, so I bailed.
Nevertheless, I was struck with the thought that any bag carrying 10,000 twenty-dollar bills would be quite visible for long periods of time during the dry summer months. Yes, it could easily travel downstream in the wet season, but what happens if it gets lodged on a rock in the middle of the river in May? Nine years is a lot of summers to dodge high and dry-ness. Yes, Mom Nature can do many incredible things, but the Washougal Theory has a higher degree of doubt tonight for me than it did this morning.
BTW: At one point I went swimming with my wallet in my bathing suit pocket. I’ll tell ya – just an afternoon of being soaked by Columbia River water darn-near tore up my bills by dinner time, let alone three months, three weeks or nine years.
BTW: Dinner was wonderful at El Ranchero Viejo in Camas. The lemonade was exceptional. Also, rooms in the quaint, comfy 1902 Camas Hotel run 50-70 a night. Both were in the delightful Historic District which has big-leafed trees spanning across the streets. Sweet.
Whew, just about the hottest day I've ever experienced on this planet, but it was such a kick to see the actual spot, the ground zero of Cooper World.
I had a wonderful chat with Al Fazio and his younger brother Richard, who by the way was an electronics guy for the USAF in NPK, Thailand, 68-69, monitoring hi-tech surveillance stuff dropped upon the Ho Chi Minh Trail. He didn't know anything about SOG, or Billy, etc., but it was just one more neat little Cooper piece dropping into place,
Al took me to Tina’s Bar, which is amazingly non-descript. In 1971 the Fazios allowed unlimited public access to the beach and left a jar for quarters. Two bits was the going rate. Worked okay for years, but then the party people started trashing the place and stealing stuff.
The Fazios have a large sand operation, and it is my understanding that the sand they sell is dredge spoils that nowadays are pumped onshore into receiving pits, whereas back in 1971 Al told me they threw it on the beach, expanding the beach depth and width. Now they have huge piles along the roadway leading to their place.
Currently, the beach at Tina's bar is quite narrow and steep. So is the river bed under the water. I dove in immediately when I got to Tina’s, before I took any pictures or interviewed folks I saw further down the strand.
Prior, though, in his air-conditioned office Al told me he saw a lot of shards of Cooper twenties in all kinds of shapes and sizes, discolored and black, and in various states of decomposition. He said many pieces were scattered along the high-tide mark. He couldn't say if it was that day's high tide, or the previous night's or the day before, etc. He also said that nothing was buried, that it was all laying on the surface as if it had just washed in. He said the three bundles were just lightly covered. Also, he is convinced they floated down the Washougal, and once they got to the environs of Tina’s Bar, ol’ Mom Nature did a little spit and spin and put the Fazio family into the history books.
BTW: Their Cooper literary collection is quite impressive.
Al also disputed Himms claim that shards were found in the sand as deep as three feet. Al said there were no shards buried at all, and when I ask him about Himms claims, he damn near choked saying, "that's a lot of gov't ...crap. (Guy has talked to a lot of reporters and knows how to stay on the record without compromising his visceral language - I like that.)
Also, Al confirmed that there is tidal action present at Tina’s Bar, so ocean water could push certain dead people up river if they have money tied to them, theoretically.
BTW: Al spotted me as I drove in. When I came to a stop and began to get out of my truck, he eyed me and said, “Reporter, eh?” I smiled; then he did, too, and we had a wonderful time of it from there. Both Fazios are great guys.
Al confirmed that he and Richard were on the backhoes digging for the Feds, and he used that perspective to back up his claims that nothing was found deep.
I met the downstream neighbor of the Fazios, a guy named Guy, who is nice guy, too, (or is that three).
Guy told me that Tosaw was at Tina’s Beach for a month last year, again employing divers and dredging the bottom. Only came up with car parts and bed springs.
“It’s amazing what down on the bottom of this river,” said Guy.
Guy also caught a steelhead for dinner when I was there.
When I was swimming I found the river to be dangerous. The downstream current is deceptively strong and moved me steadily. However, more troubling was the river pulled me deeper into the current and away from the beach. This rip-pull was very strong, comparable to the worst I’ve ever seen in the ocean, and it was active from just off-shore in about four-feet of water, which was about 8- 10 feet from the shoreline.
A short distance upstream from the Fazios is a Clark County beach called Frenchman’s Bar that only costs 2 bucks to get in. No lifeguards, but there were a ton of people in the water, and a bunch of dudes on jet skis. Again, the current and rip-pull were just as strong as at Tina’s Bar.
I talked to a bunch of people and everyone was chatty and quite aware of DB Cooper and the history of Tina’s Bar. But some folks are getting things confused. One thirty-something I spoke with was convinced that Tina’ Bar was down by the Washougal, not near where we were standing at the end of NW Lower River Rd, about two miles downstream from the Fazios. However, this guy told me it was once possible to drive along the river from Tina’s to the Lewis River, but that the road bed has collapsed and sunk. The flood plain is quite enormous in this part of the river. Many miles wide. I just found this stuff interesting, and not necessarily tied to the DBC story.
Speaking of which, by late afternoon I decided to try for the trifecta of Cooper Swimming Spots – Tina’s, Vancouver Lake and the Washougal. But after I left Tina’s I stopped at the near-by Vancouver Lake, which Jo has talked about, but it was closed due to a deadly blue-green algae bloom.
Then I headed down to the Washougal for a swim and to see if Jerry needed any friendly shoulders to cry on now that the Feds have totally abandoned the Washougal theory, but when I got there I found he was home in eastern Oregon.
Jerry had a good laugh when I told him about the new propeller theory.
Continuing, the parts of the Washougal that I saw near the Columbia were in Camas, WA, and they were nearly bone-dry – trickles and thin riffles of current. Plenty of kids were swimming in them, but it was a long steep hike down to the water from where I could park, so I bailed.
Nevertheless, I was struck with the thought that any bag carrying 10,000 twenty-dollar bills would be quite visible for long periods of time during the dry summer months. Yes, it could easily travel downstream in the wet season, but what happens if it gets lodged on a rock in the middle of the river in May? Nine years is a lot of summers to dodge high and dry-ness. Yes, Mom Nature can do many incredible things, but the Washougal Theory has a higher degree of doubt tonight for me than it did this morning.
BTW: At one point I went swimming with my wallet in my bathing suit pocket. I’ll tell ya – just an afternoon of being soaked by Columbia River water darn-near tore up my bills by dinner time, let alone three months, three weeks or nine years.
BTW: Dinner was wonderful at El Ranchero Viejo in Camas. The lemonade was exceptional. Also, rooms in the quaint, comfy 1902 Camas Hotel run 50-70 a night. Both were in the delightful Historic District which has big-leafed trees spanning across the streets. Sweet.
QuoteBruice You did good. Jerry
Thanks, Bro.
quade 4
QuoteThe upstream propeller snag transport explanation is actually humorous. What do they call this in literature? "Deus ex machina"?
Stupid. They call it stupid.
The fact is that DB Cooper could have cratered anywhere on the watershed upstream of Tina's Bar and the money could have found its way there over the course of time. The idea the money and possibly a body along with it was snagged and dragged upstream to the location is stupid.
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver
The World's Most Boring Skydiver
.QuoteSpeaking of which, by late afternoon I decided to try for the trifecta of Cooper Swimming Spots – Tina’s, Vancouver Lake and the Washougal. But after I left Tina’s I stopped at the near-by Vancouver Lake, which Jo has talked about, but it was closed due to a deadly blue-green algae bloom
Correction:
Bruce I have never talked about Lake Vancouver - but I have talked about LaCames Lake on the Ledbetter Road where the old mansion is. Is this what you are referring to. I don't have a clue where Vancouver Lake is and I have never been there.
Sounds like you had a nice day of it.
Copyright 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 2013, 2014, 2015 by Jo Weber
Sounds like a proposition to commit a crime.
I thought there are laws covering access to government records.
Unless you're talking about public records. Maybe a librarian is what you need?
Or wait a second, are there any laws in the US anymore?
It's like if I don't keep my eye on the ball, it all changes overnight!
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