Daily Sitka Sentinel from Sitka, Alaska • Page 5

Daily Sitka Sentinel, Silka, Alaska, Tuesday, May 23,1989, Page 5 First Part of a Two-Part Series: Few Artifacts Left of Alaska Fur Sealing EDITOR'S NOTE: This is one'of a continuing series on early-day Sitka by Alaska historian Robert DeArmond. This article and the one to follow deal with a particular chapter in Sitka's history in which interest has been renewed by recent events. BY ROBERT N. DeARMOND A recent Sentinel news story announced that the Sitka Historical Society will return certain artifacts from the Japanese sealing vessel Kaisei Mara to Japan, as requested by a Japanese association. That raises the question, "Why?" Sitka was associated, in one way and another, with pelagic fur seal hunting almost from the time of the transfer up info the 1930s.

(The term pelagic refers to the open sea.) Sitka traders bought seal pelts from the Natives, and in the 1890s at least five sealing schooners put out of Sitka in the spring to hunt fur seals during their annual migration toward the Pri- bilof Islands. For more than 60 years Sitka was very much.a part of the pelagic sealing business. What do Sitka's museums have to show for that involvement? Is there still one of the famous Sitka sealers around? They were fine double-ended boats with five pulling oars and a steering oar, and they brought hundreds of seal skins into Sitka. It is doubtful that there is one, but if there is, one of the museums, should grab it and preserve it. Is there still to be had a two- pronged sealing harpoon with detachable heads? Probably not The late Johnny Kaznakoff, who made a sealing voyage in the Allie I.

Alger from Seattle, had an 8-gauge, single barrel shotgun, designed especially for sealing. It used brass cartridges that could be reloaded and was a formidable piece of artillery. Is it still around Sitfca some place, waiting for someone to claim it for a museum display? Or, from later years, is there a cedar log, hollowed out with plug, inwhich to set the rifle adrift when the Bureau of Fisheries boat came near? The unfortunate Kaisei Mara was just a tiny footnote in Sitka's long sealing history, but the artifacts from her may be the only sealing memorabilia available in is not as though they had been acquired by some stealthy or underhanded means. They were abandoned by their owners, back in 1909. Perhaps Sitka should not give them up so readily in 1989.

One great attraction for the purchase of Alaska by the United States was the great Pribilof Islands fur seal herd, and it is possible to speculate that Russia might not have sold Alaska had directors of the Russian American Company been aware of the future of the resource. Before 1867 most of the seal skins were sold as a source for cheap leather. Only China could provide the skilled labor to turn the pelts to furs, and the market was quite limited. Then, in the 1860s, a dehairirig machine was developed in London, together with dying techniques for the pelts. The price immediately began to climb, and an American company that had secured a monopoly in thePribilof Islands seal harvest reaped most of the benefits.

For generations the Natives along the coast from Cape Flattery to Yakii- tat had annually gone out in canoes to hunt the migrating seals: The first sealing squabble at Silka took place in the 1870s. -A Sitka trader, A. T. Whitford, bought 40 fur seal pelts from the Indians and a new and overzealbus Collector of Customs seized them on the grounds that such hunting-was appealed to the Secretary of the Treasury. The skins were returned to him and the Secretary advised his local official that Natives were allowed to take furs, ashore or afloat in Alaska, but white men were not That ruling lasted for nearly 30.years, but it applied only in territorial waters, within three miles of shore.

Farther down the coast, white traders were devising a way to beat the Alaska Commercial Company monopoly. Many of the traders owned small schooners and they began to take the Native hunters and their canoes farther out to sea, and to follow the seal herd along the coast. The pelagic sealing industry was born, and before long the sealing fleet numbered more than a hundred vessels. The United States could do little about seal hunting along the coast so long as vessels stayed more than three miles from shore, but it tried to keep them but of the Bering Sea by declaring it a closed area. That brought on an; international brouhaha over freedom of the seas, and might well have brought on another war with Britain.

Both Canadian and America sealing schooners were seized, tried in the court at Sitka, found guilty of hunting in territorial waters, and condemned. So hot did the international controversy get that Di: Sheldon Jackson proposed, apparently quite seriously, that the government kill all the seals and thus eliminate the problem. An international tribunal decided against the United States urits Bering Sea attempt and ultimately thousands of dollars were paid in damages. The pelagic sealers were frequently called pirates and poachers, and there were some bad eggs among them. For the most part, however, they were honest seafarers 'trying to make a living and not greatly different than whalers or codfishermen.

But the industry soon became overcrowded, with more vessels than there Woodcut by Dale DeArmond too many seals were being killed, both ashore and afloat. There are two North Pacific seal herds, one on each side of the ocean. The western herd migrates northward along the coast of Japan and breeds on the Commander Islands, off the Siberian coast. America and Canadian sea otter hunters, hunting along the Japan Coast in the 1870s, became aware of the Asiatic fur sealherd and in 1890 an American sealer out of San Francisco crossed the ocean and was very successful. By 1893 there were 33 Canadian and half a dozen American sealers working along that coast.

The only sealing voyage Jack London ever made was in the three- masted schooner Sophie Sutherland to the Japan Coast and in writing about it he related how some Japanese villages were virtually wrecked by American sealers. Only a few, apparently, engaged in that kind of conduct, but the Japanese grew, very unfond of the sealers from across the ocean. It is impossible to say, however, that the pillaging of villages on the Aleutian Chain, by Japanese sealers in later were experienced Indian hatpooners years resulted directly from, those ear- to man them. So white hunters were ly incidents. There were probably bad shipped, and shotguns and rifles Came actors in both fleets.

into use. And where very few harpooned seals were lost by sinking, many sank after they were shot. And (Japanese fur seal hunting and the Kaisei Maru case will be discussed in Part II of this article) Hot Debate Foreseen in Anchorage Labor Cases FAA Revokes Flight Permit For Channel Flying ofJuneau ANCHORAGE (AP) The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded Channel Flying Inc. of Juneau because of numerous violations of government aviation regulations, authorities said. The FAA issued an emergency der Sunday revoking Channel Flying's permit to operate.

The company employed 13 people and operated two De Havilland Beavers, along with a Cessna U206, Cessna 180 and Cessna 185, the FAA said. Channel Flying served 10 communities in Southeast Alaska on a scheduled basis, the FAA said. The federal agency said Channel Flying failed to keep records of pilot flight time and rest, used pilots who had not passed written or oral tests and used an unqualified flight instructor to check pilots' training. The company also falsified training records and used planes that did not meet airworthiness requirements, the FAA said. The operator has had three accidents since 1985, the FAA said.

Cowper Names 2 to Arts Panel ANCHORAGE (AP) GOV. Steve. Cowper has appointed residents of: Fairbanks and Barrow to two vacancies on the Alaska State Council on the Arts. Cowper appointed Jane Pollard Demmert of Fairbanks and Beverly Patkotak Grinage of Barrow to positions vacated recently by Peggy MacDonald Ferguson of Fairbanks and Eileen Norbert of Nome. Demmert directed the Alaska State Museum in Juneau from 1965 to 1971 and is a former member of the arts council.

Grinage is a public information specialist for the North Slope Borough School District. She owns a Barrow publishing business and is a former managing editor of the Tundra Times. Catherine Collins Sitka High School the- winners of ilie 19N9 Ray A. Kroc Youlli Achievement Through active involvement in their school and community, these local students have all-around excellence in the areas of citizenship, leadership, scholarship and extracurricular activities. McDonald's founder, Ray A.

Kroc, lived by the philosophy thai "nothing this world can take the place of With this philosophy, Kroc built McDonald's into the world's largest restaurant organization. We applaud winners of the Ray A. Kroc Youth Achievement Award for following this same philosophy and wish them much future success. McDonald's, Inc. Sitka, Alaska ANCHORAGE (AP) The debate is expected to be heated Tuesday as Anchorage Mayor Torn Fink tries to change the way labor negotiations are conducted with city employees.

Fink wants a ban on binding arbitration, the final avenue of settlement generally granted workers who are forbidden by law from striking. Instead, Fink wants the public to vote on the last best offers from labor and management. He says that is the only way to bring personnel costs under control. A competing proposal developed by Anchorage Assemblymen Mark Begich and John Wood would modify the'arbitrator could pick from each offer rather than imposing all-or-nothing settlements by accepting one side's offer totally. Efforts to the city's labor relations law have pitted Fink against the assembly since last fall.

Fink sought public negotiations while the assembly demanded to part in talks traditionally handled by the administration. The two sides reached an impasse in January, and turned to the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, which established a three-man committee to find a compromise that would give they city a unified voice during (he next 18 months when contracts with four unions expire. Personnel costs account for 60 percent of the city's $179 million operat- ing budget. The result was the public vote proposal which was received warmly by the chamber when it was unveiled by Fink at a luncheon Monday. "This ordinance will make or break my administration's efforts to bring rationality back into labor agreements," he said.

Tom Owens, an attorney hired by the city to advise the committee, called it a balanced compromise. "I've twisted a lot of he said. 'It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize we will not get a substantial cut in the cost of government without lower personnel costs," said Chamber Chairman Ro'd Bradley; "What bothers me is an arrogant chamber of commerce that thinks'it can devise an ordinance without any input from the public," said Wood. Two union leaders also took exception to Fink's plan, saying they preferred the Wood-Begich alternative. Tim Cornelius, president of the Anchorage Firefighters Union, pointed put the police never have exercised their right to binding arbitration, and the firefighters have done so only twice.

"That's the last thing we want to do. It costs an arm and a leg," he said. "It's an experiment in labor relations that we don't think the city or its citizens can afford," said Barbara Huff, business representative for the Anchorage Public Employees Association. Metals Companies to Merge ANCHORAGE (AP) Alaska Precious Metals Ltd. has sold a majority interest to a Dallas-based competitor in a deal closed last week, the companies said.

Bruce Elliott, president of the Anchorage company, said Monday that American Pacific Mint Inc. bought 58 percent of his company. The transaction involved a trade of Precious Metals stock for restricted stock in Pacific Mint, he said. "We'll be a much, much stronger company overall'' because of the sale, Elliott said. "Instead of being competitors with a lot of overlap, we'll be able to work together." Precious Metals sells gold and other metals through wholesale and retail outlets in Anchorage, Portland, and Eugene, Ore.

Pacific Mint has wholesale and retail outlets in California and Texas. Despite the two companies' seemingly separate territories, the precious metals business is such that they compete, Elliott said. The Texas company also holds an option to buy another 20 percent of Precious Metals from certain shareholders, a Pacific Mint press release states. Pacific Mint has two seats on Precious Metals' board and has signed an agreement that will let it "perform financial and accounting functions Sentenced KENAI (AP) A North Kenai woman was sentenced Monday to 30 years in prison for killing her ex- husband. Superior Court Judge James Hanson also recommended mental health counseling for 47-year-old Linda Elsey.

She was convicted in February of first-degree murder for shooting Jim Elsey with a rifle. She claimed she thought she was shooting an intruder outside her home. and certain management functions for Alaska," the release slated. Elliott continues as president and a director. Precious metals earned more than $50,000 on revenue of $10.7 million in the quarter ended Dec.

31, Elliott said. Assets totaled $2.3 million and shareholders' equity was $1.3 million. Pacific Mint had $4 million in revenue for the quarter ended March 31. Assets were $2.5 million and shareholders' equity totaled $1.2 million, the press release stated. Both companies are publicly traded.

STUDENTS REWARDED Sitka High School counselor Rod Poole presents an award to Catherine Collins. (Photo provided to the Sentinel). Sitka High Students Receive Recognition Members of the Sitka High School Parent Advisory Committee, student council and school administration recently held their annual awards program. Teachers, coaches and club sponsors presented many awards of achievement to students. The welcoming speech was given by Art Woodhouse, superintendent of Sitka schools.

Following is a summary of Sitka High School student recipients. Most spirit, given by Teri Loree and- Robin Wolfe, awarded to Robert Lihou for his contribution as the Sitka High School wolf mascot. Art, presented by Candace Vitale, to Krista Hartrich, Brian Bellows, Bill Grant and Marsha Jeske for outstanding achievement in art; Rich Richtcr, Sam Smith, Chassy Biirt, Lynn Davis, Kathy Brown and Fred Dimaano for achievement in art; and Jarrod Johnson, Becky Froust, Charles Lindsay and Steve Charles for art teacher's assistant awards. Four-year perfect attendance, presented by Jim McGinnis, to seniors Richard Kelly Whitcomb and Sherry Kluting. Presidential academic fitness, presented by Lee.

Demmert and McGinnis, to Maria Villanueva, Melody Aitken, Kimberly Hanscn, Heidi Fry, Brgit.Denkinger, Krista Hartrich, Ja- sonj Swanson, -Benjamin Gregg, Heather Azure-Esquiro, Mitchell Martin, Arthur Estrada, Jerry Matthews, Jayson Chrisliier and Richclle Hcn- ning. Outstanding chemistry student, presented by Larry Bowman, to Jeff Brandt, Mike Collins, Birch Foster, Tracy Garrison, Richelle Hcnning, Sara Russell, Andy Smircich and Sally Twitty. Outstanding science student, presented by Bowman, to Brent Denkinger. Academic decathlon, presented by Charlotte Candelaria. Certificates for participation and award standings for state competition in academic decathlon were given to seniors Kathy Brown and Gerri Smith; junior Tracy Garrison; and freshmen Gerald Sexton and Corbitt Nettles.

Teacher appreciation pins were presented to "Sarah Jones, Dorothy Orbison, Vitale and Stacey Woolsey for their volunteer work in helping the team to prepare for the competition. Spanish language study achievement, presented by Sue Riggs, to Kelly Whitcomb and Liisa Viinanen. Future Homemakers of America, presented by Doric Farrell, to Roxanne Anderson, Catherine Collins and Tracy Garrison. Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood achievement, presented by William Kanosh and Margarett Gross-Hope, to Willie Mather, Virginia William, Virginia Fredrickson, Bronson Primacio, Mary Ann Abeyta, Heather Aziire-Esqtiiro, Ruth Baud, Melanie Barker, Lisa Duncan, Marilyn Duncan, Ramona Garwood, Kim Hansen, Kathy Miller, David Kanosh and Tom Kitka. Yearbook, presented by.

Elizabeth Will, outstanding yearbook student awarded to Krista Hartrich; and dedicated yearbook student presented to Krista Hartrich and Kim Hanseri. French, presented 'by outstanding student French II presented to Suzanne Peterson and French writing achievement to Andy 'Smir-, rich and Charlotte Wagy. The six- year achievement award was presented to Kona Lew. --Special recognition for achievement in social studies, presented by Will, to Paola BoIIo, exchange student' from Brazil. --Music, presented by Jim Hope.

Outstanding senior bandsman, Heidi Fry; outstanding returning bandsman, Jeff Brandt; outstanding senior choir memberj Brian Hope; outstanding returning choir member, Heather Hager- mah; outstanding instrumental jazz musician, Jeff Brandt and outstanding vocal jazz musician, Brian Hope. Esther Sarvela typing award, presented by Peggy Boydston, to Brad Kesler and Scott McArlhur. --English f. by Gayle Hamrhons: SuppriQjjIccom- plishment in creative writing-arid formal composition, Heidi Fry; 1 superior accomplishment in formal composition and journalism, Krista Harlrich; superior accomplishment in Journalism, Roxanne Anderson, Jeff Brandt, Kathy Miller, Brandi Crosby and Kri- sla Hartrich. Special recognition was given to Jeff Brandt for receiving second place in the State of Alaska Press Women's contest for his editorial tilled "Block the Community Ser- vice." School service, presented by McGinnis, to Mitch Martin, Roxanne Anderson, Brian Hope, Brent Denkinger, Art Estrada, Richelle Henning, Jayson Christner and Krista Hartrich.

Valedictorian, presented by Demmert, to Maria Villanueva. --Salutatorian, presented by Dem- mert, to Melody Aitken. This list excludes.the honor roll and attendance record awards which have been listed in the Sitka Daily Sentinel in previous editions. At the end of the Awards Ceremony, 1988-89 Student Body Vice- President Karen Rocheleau transferred the gavel to 1989-90 Student Body President Jeff Brandt and Vice President Karla Grussendorf. 'SAVINGS IN THE CLASSIFIEDS! Sitka Ready-Mix, Inc.

is sponsoring an OPEN HOUSE! Wednesday, May 24, 4p.m. 'til 6:30 p.m. 202Jarvis Street (behind the Post Office) Check out our new off ices and get acquainted with our new RENTAL EQUIPMENT COMPANY! Drinks! Give Aways! -k Good Food! Come as you are and bring your spouse! Drawings! Handmade Alaskan Clock-k Rotary Hammer other miscellaneous items! Prizes!.