Daily Sitka Sentinel du lieu suivant : Sitka, Alaska • Page 3

Notes and Comments by Robert N. DeArmond About Alaska aleys Silver late sum mer of 1888 the Lake Mountain Mining Company was running smoothly on ore packed down the trail from the mine by burros Stockholders and directors of the company arrived from Kalamazoo Michigan, and Madison, Wisconsin to inspect the operation and gave it their approval. They talked of buying a larger mill, with 20 to 25 stamps, but did not actually order its purchase, ine mill continued to run into October, then shut down for the winter C. left for the south but said he was convinced that the property was worth developing Nicholas Haley, although he remained a director in the mining company, was not active in its operation. He was a confirmed prospector and a first class promoter but seems not to have had the skills to be a mine manager.

He and his son John worked that summer on other properties, but neither of the boys inherited their father's fascination with mining. In June Edward joined the Customs Service and was appointed inspector afloat aboard the steamer GEORGE W. ELDER. Later he was in charge of the Mills store at Yakutat for a year or two. John Haley, too, soon left Sitka.

He was skipper of the tug LUCY for the Treadwell Mining Company for a time, then went south and became a civilian employee of the Navy at Bremerton. Three Haley children, Thomas, Julia and Charles, remained at home. According to the Navy census of 1881, their ages in 1888 were 19, 14 and 11. C. A.

Swineford and M. J. Drown both returned to Sitka in the spring of 1889. Drown was to be the active manager of the LaJce Mountain Mining Company. Swineford reported that an aerial tramway was being ordered and when built would be able to carry six tons of ore an hour from the mine to the mill.

He also announced that the previous season the mill had produced $28 per ton of ore plus another $9 to S10 in the tailings if they were saved and shipped to a smelter. The mining company borrowed 575,000 in Chicago that spring. Of that, $10,000 was to discharge all debts, the balance to be used for working capital. The interest was 10 percent, payable annually. A concentrator was installed at the mill before it began the season's operations on August 19.

The new machinery worked well, but it was a short season. Operations were suspended in mid-September'When all of the miners walked off the job. The reason was not stated, and Swineford said it was too late in the season to send for replacements. That may have been merely an excuse for shutting down the operations, however, as they were.not resumed in the spring or for several years afterward. Nicholas" Haley had an accident while prospecting in 1889 that nearly cost him his life.

On either June 29 or 30 a .44 caliber revolver he was carrying accidentally discharged, wounding him in the calf of his left leg and he nearly died before he was discovered by one of his sons. It must have been a bad wound because it was two months before he could return to town. What medical attention, if any, he had was not reported. He was a tough Irishman. Several years before that he had had a close enounter with a brown bear and carried some scars to show for it.

His own explanation of the affair was said to have been, ''Sure, and I stood up to him and pounded him on the snoot until he'd had enough." The term of A. P. Swineford as governor, ended in June 1889 and he was replaced by Lyman E. Knapp from Vermont and left Sitka. He would return some years later to spend the rest of his life in Alaska.

His brother, C. A. Swineford, left Sitka in the fall of 1889 and neither he nor any of the principal officers of the Lake Mountain Mining Company returned in 1890 to operate the mine. The Alaskan offered no report on this failure, and in fact never printed anything negative about mining in this area. The supposition can only be that mining was not resumed at the Lucky Chance mine because it was not paying.

So far as can be learned C. A. Swineford never returned to Alaska. During the years 1890 to 1895, while work on the Lucky Chance and other claims of the Lake Mountain Mining Company was at a standstill, there was an attempt to revive Silver Bay's first mine, the Stewart Lode. That attempt ended in tragedy.

So far as can be determined, after George Pilz gave up on the Stewart in 1879 no work was done there until 1892. In that year T. C. Doran of Sitka went to Portland, Oregon, and acquired the property from the stockholders of the Alaska Gold and Silver Mining Company. Doran, a veteran of four years in the Civil War, had come to Sitka around 1880.

He became a partner with John Brady and Amos Whitford in the little steamboat ROSE and operated her for several years. In partnership with Brady he then built a sawmill and operated it for a time. After he acquired the mining property at Silver Bay he renamed it the Cash mine and began to work alone there to rehabilitate the ten-stamp mill and get it into operation. By August 1893 he was about ready to hire a crew and begin mining. On August.24 W.

P. Mills, John Bums and Dr. C. S. Ingersoll, the Navy doctor, made a trip to Silver Bay.

Burns owned a claim there and Mills may have been going to inspect it although, he was one of the few Sitka people.with money who did not sink some of it in Silver Bay. At any rate, they decided to visit Doran at the Cash mine and there they found his lifeless body at the mill. The evidence was that he had accidentally ingested some cyanide while testing ore samples. The body was brought to Sitka the following day, there was a large funeral and he was buried in what is now the Sitka National Cemetery. That was the end of work on that first mine; the remains of the mill are still on the site.

There were dozens of mining claims scattered around Silver Bay in the early 1890s, and there was work on some of them. Claim owners included Reuben Albertstone, John G. Brady, John Burns, H. L. Bahrt, the Startzoff brothers, Nicholas Haley i and various public officials and Navy officers.

The mining law, then as now, required $100 worth of work on a claim each year in order to hold it. That -represented the best part of a -month's-wd'rk at'-prevailing-, wages: ih those years. Very often, instead of doing the annual assessment work the claim was simply restaked with a different name. Because of that it is difficult to determine how many separate pieces of mining ground there were. To be continued UA Regents Committee Outlines Cuts in Budget ANCHORAGE (AP) The University of Alaska's governing board is looking at reorganization and statewide layoffs to reduce the budget.

A committee of the university's Board of Regents Wednesday discussed laying off up to 80 employees and combining the state's universities under one management umbrella. The layoffs would range from 35 to 80 workers, ranging from laborers lo administrators. The Legislature last session directed the university to concentrate on paring administration. Legislators said administrative costs are out of control, and a report by David Creamer, the university's vice president of finance, verified that. On average, the university system spends three times as much on administration as similar-sized schools in the Lower 48, the report said.

Much of that, Creamer said, is due to a higher cost of living in Alaska and the additional costs associated with operating the university's main branches in Anchorage, Fairbanks and 'If you include the state's extended sites (outlying campuses), it only gets worse," Creamer said. Creamer suggested several management scenarios. A single university administration was favored by most of the committee. Under that plan, the centralized administration would be split among the three main branches saving as much as $7.6 million. If the chancellors of the three main branches remained, the savings would be $4 5 million.

University president Jerome B. Kornisar liked that suggestion. "That's a lot of money to save," he said, and the cuts would have no obvious effect on the aualitv of educa- Still, warned Board of Regents president Michael Kelly, a total of $11 million to $13 million needs to be trimmed to reach the $442 million 1998 budget. "We can get excited about finding this $4 million or $5 million, but it's not going to stop there," Kelly said. Just recognize we have a far piece to go." The budget cuts must be approved by July, the beginning of the university fiscal year.

Creamer said he expected the board to reach agreement by the end of the week. Alaska's Export Sales Up Sharply in Quarter ANCHORAGE (AP) Exports from Alaska are up sharply through the first three months of this year. The sale of minerals, fish, petroleum and other commodities accounted for $784 million for the quarter, or better than 50 percent over the first three months of 1996, according to a new report from the University of Alaska Anchorage CenterYor International Business. Seafood accounted for $376 million in sales for January through March of this year. Japan accounted for more than 85 percent of Alaska's seafood exports, the center said.

The seafood figures have climbed primarily because of increased exports of pollock and surimi a fish paste made from pollock and used to make fake crab and other foods. But year-end export figures could suffer if the red salmon season doesn't go well, said Bill Aberle, program coordinator for UAA's Center for International Petroleum-product sales reached $307 millh for the first quarter, with most of the exports going to South Korea and China. Sales were S87 million for the same period a year ago. The surge in petroleum exports is being driven by a 1995 federal law that lifted the ban on Alaska oil ex- North Star Oil Royalty Case Headed for State High Court ANCHORAGE (AP) Two men who contend the Legislature unfairly gave BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. a royalty break to develop the Northstar oil field are appealing the case to the Alaska Supreme Court.

Clyde Baxley and Ray Metcalfe on Wednesday asked the court to review last month's decision by a Superior Court judge allowing the Northstar deal to move forward. Negotiated by the Knowles administration and approved by the Legislature in 1996, the agreement allowed BP to change lease terms for the 145-million barrel field. Instead of being required to pay the state 89 percent of the profits the field generates, BP now must pay a royalty rate of 20 percent. That's higher than the usual 12.5 percent rate oil companies must pay. Baxley, Metcalfe and other critics contend the state is losing money on the deal.

In the appeal, the plaintiffs say Knowles and lawmakers overstepped their power in granting BP a break on the lease. Specifically, they argue that Dinner Served 5-9 p.m. Friday Saturday Friday Night: Sirloin or T-Sone Steak Saturday Night: Prime Sirloin the contract should have been rebid; that the Legislature is failing to collect value for the state's resources; that the Knowles administration negotiated the deal in secret; and other procedural and legal points. Last month Superior Court Judge Michael Wolverton ruled in BP and the state's favor, saying the Legislature and the administration were within their rights. The Legislature, "as the body vested with the duty of proper utilization, development and conservation of all natural resources belonging to the state, has the authority to modify oil and gas leases to maximize the economic and physical recovery of resources," he wrote.

BP said the legal challenge has slowed work on Northstar development. The company stopped construction S50 million production modules in February but said it would continue environmental studies, permitting and engineering. Korean Trawler Owner Pays Fine KODIAK (AP) The owner of a Korean trawler caught fishing in U.S. waters two weeks ago has paid $510,000 to avoid possible forfeiture of his vessel, gear and catch, according to the Coast Guard. The owner of the 314-foot Cheog Yang Ho wired the money to the U.S.

government in Anchorage Wednesday. The government then released the trawler-processor, which had been towed to Kodiak after it was spotted about a mile inside the 200-mile limit June 6. If the fine had not been paid, the government could have seized the vessel and its gear. ports. "And you are just beginning to see the shipments happening with greater frequency," said Bennett Brooks, lead trade specialist with the state Department of Commerce and Economic Development.

Mineral exports mostly lead and zinc ores climbed from $3 million for the first quarter of 1996 to $18 million this year. The jump comes primarily because Greens Creek Mining Co. reopened its mine near Juneau last year, said Al Clough, a state minerals development specialist. The mine had been shut down for three years. Japan is buying more than half of Alaska's products, and sales during the first quarter of 1997 were $413 million.

Other large buyers were South Korea with $161 million in purchases, and China with $113 million. While commodities still account for the vast majority of Alaska's economy, the value of international freight passing through the mostly in Anchorage, increased sharply. The value of the freight went up by more than a third, to $917 million, the study said. Two Split from FWS Region PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) The U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Sendee is creating a new region for California and Nevada, splitting those states from the rest of the Pacific region headquartered in Portland. The new California-Nevada region, with headquarters in will administer an area experiencing explosive growth, increasing pressure on endangered species and scarce water resources. The agency said Wednesday in a news release that California alone is projected to grow by more than 58 percent by the year 2020. Michael J. Spear, Pacific regional director since 1994, will become the California-Nevada director, agency acting Director John G.

Rogers said. Thomas J. Dwyer, the deputy Pacific regional director, will become interim director of the Pacific region, which retains jurisdiction over Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Hawaii and the Pacific commonwealths and territories. The Fish and Wildlife Service currently has regional offices in Portland; Anchorage, Alaska; Albuquerque, N.M.; Lakewood, Minneapolis; Atlanta; and Hadley, Mass. The last time the agency created a new region was in 1971, when the Rocky Mountain region was established.

SAFV Board Meets June 19 Sitkans Against Family Violence board of directors will meet at 7 p.m. on June 19 at the SAFV shelter. Bingo Canceled Indian Bingo and the potluck dinner originally scheduled for June 20 has been canceled. The event will be rescheduled. i M- Home Heating Oil Delivered Heated storage Liquid Petroleum Gas Apartment Rentals Available Your Local ALASKA TRANSFER INC Long Distance Mover 747-3276 321 Lincoln Street 50 years of experience means better service to you! Daily Sitka Sentinel, Sitka, Alaska, Thursday, June 19,1997, Page 3 Services Scheduled for Mrs.

Esther Littlefield Esther (Kasakan) Littlefield, beloved sister, mother, auntie, grandmother, great-grandmother and elder, died on June 17 at Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital. She touched many people throughout her full 90 years of life, her elegant, yet strong nature, presented her as one of Sitka's finest Tlingit women. Her strength, wisdom, love, humor, kindness and devotion will be forever remembered and missed, family members said. Bom April 29, 1907, in Killisnoo, Alaska, to Lena Daniel and Jim Kasakan, she was the second oldest of five children.

She was a direct descendent of the historically well- known and celebrated Tlingit Chief Katlean, who fought against the Russians in 1804. Her Tlingit name, Aan-woogeex', means "The World Creator." According to Tlingit legend, Raven symbolized creation of the world. She was of the Kiks.adi Clan, Frog Emblem, and of the Raven Moiety of the Sitka Tlingits. In 1923, at the age of 16, she married Louie Simpson and they had four children Louie Simpson Evelyn (Simpson) Johnson, Fred Simpson and Peter Simpson. Her husband died at an early age, leaving her to raise her four young children.

Through these four children, she has 15 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. In 1940, she married Charles Littlefield and they had five children -William (deceased), Robert, Harold, Joseph and Mary (deceased). Mr. Littlefield died in 1989. Through these five children she has 11 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Littlefield taught traditional Tlingit beading and design she learned from her mother, and will forever be remembered as a master Tlin- git artist among her people. She perfected her artistic techniques in design, bead work, applique, button work and basketry. Mrs. Littlefield was proud of her many achievements through her artistry and was committed to the preservation of her Tlingit culture.

She traveled throughout Alaska and the Lower 48 teaching and demonstrating her Tlingit art and culture. Mrs. Littlefield demonstrated, taught and interpreted Tlingit culture at the Sitka National Historical Park Visitors Center for 16 years. She was one of the center's first Native artists. Many of her Native regalia pieces are on display at the center and around the country.

ln-'1983, U.S. Secretary of the Inte- G. Watt presented her with a Certificate of Appreciation and pin on behalf of the National Parks and Conservation Association for her commitment to the Tlingit culture. In 1984, Mrs. Littlefield received a Governor's Award for the Arts in Alaska.

She traveled to Washington, D.C., to the Smithsonian Institute and was presented a Certificate of Appreciation for her contribution to the Festival of American Folklife. Also, she was honored at the Grand Camp's 72nd Annual Convention held in Sitka. In 1986, the Sheldon Jackson College board of trustees selected Mrs. Littlefield to be the recipient of the Christian Citizenship Award. Esther Littlefield In 1991, she again traveled to Washington, D.C., for the National Heritage Fellowship Awards which nationally recognizes master artists for demonstrating through their lives and their work, the importance of arts to their people.

Her care and passion for her traditional Tlingit art and culture shines throughout her work and continues with the many people who studied under She believed that "art should be respected, and it should be handled with care," Mrs. Littlefield loved to garden, gather and harvest Native foods, story tell, crochet, travel, cook, entertain, and a daily visit into town. Her strength, determination and love will be forever remembered and cherished by all her family and friends. Honorary pallbearers are: Willard Jackson, Herman Kitka Ed Mercer Gertrude Peters, Gil Truitt, Joe Howard, Ron James, Nels Lawson John Nielsen, Marie Shodda, Frank Wright, Louis Minard and Tom Young Jr. Several active pallbearers will be from the Eagle Clans; Chqokaneidi, Kaagwaantaan, 'Wooshkeetaan -and Kuklwadi, as well as several family members and friends.

Viewing will be from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight at Prewitt's Funeral Home. Friday at noon, the Alaska Native Sisterhood will hold services for her, followed at 3 p.m. with funeral services at the First Presbyterian Church, and thereafter graveside services at the Sitka National Cemetery. A reception will follow at the ANB Hall.

Surviving are her children: Louie Simpson, Evelyn (Simpson) Johnson and Robert Littlefield of Sitka; Peter Simpson of Klawock; Fred Simpson of Mt. Vernon, Harold Littlefield of Anchorage; and Joseph Littlefield ofJuneau. MUSIC I A Russian Romantics Friday, June 20, 8:15 PM Giazunov Novelettes Arensky Piano Quintet Shostakovich Quintet for Piano and Strings Dedicated to the memory of Helen Walker Saturday, June 21, 8:15 PM Tchaikovsky String Quartet No. 1 Moszkowski Suite for Two Violins Piano Borodin String Quintet No. 2 Underwritten by John Joyce MacDonald SPECIAL EVENTS Russian Dinner Friday, June 20th, 6-8 PM Immerse yourself in our Russian Romantics weekend with a dinner of specially prepared Russian cuisine at the Bayview Restaurant.

All You Can Eat Crab Feed Sunday, June 22th, 4-6 PM Succulent crab and a buffet of salad delights and delectible desserts are part of this fabulous picnic feast for the whole family. Undcnvritten by Hames Corporation TICKETS AVAILABLE AT OLD HARBOR BOOKS THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN CO. or call: (907) 747-6774.