In One Ear: Shipwreck salvor

Published 6:00 am Thursday, January 22, 2026

Morsel from The Daily Morning Astorian, Jan. 22, 1884: 

• A little over two years ago the British iron bark Lammerlaw, loaded with 1,125 tons of coal, went ashore at a point a little north of Shoalwater Bay … Having become buried in sand until her rail only is visible, she is in a perfect state of preservation. 

… Her owners Martin Foard, A. W. Berry and others will endeavor to raise her in the coming season. It is estimated that enough coal can be obtained from the vessel to more than repay for the outlay in raising her.

Note: Astoria entrepreneur Martin Christian Foard (1952-1938), from Denmark, arrived in town in 1880, according to an essay by Roger Tetlow, and immediately set up the Fair Wind Coffee Saloon and Chop House.

In 1881, he and Frank Stokes formed a partnership and started Foard & Stokes Groceries, which rapidly grew, and became one of the most successful businesses in the city.

While involved in several other businesses in town, he also held several civic positions as well. His Queen Anne-style house still stands at the northeast corner of 17th Street and Grand Avenue.

Everyone has a soft spot. Foard’s was attending auctions to buy wrecked ships, gambling that salvaging the cargo, and/or the ship itself, or its remnants, would prove to be profitable. Since this area was, and is the Graveyard of the Pacific, shipwreck auctions and opportunities abounded.

Foard is buried at Ocean View Cemetery in Warrenton. (Painting: Ivan Aivazovsky)