VOL. I
PETERSBURG, ALASKA DECEMBER 10 1926
NO. 22
A tow line, stretching from a log
raft into deep water, today bore
mute evidence of the spot where the
steam tug Bahada exploded and
sunk with her crew of nine early
Sunday. |
She lies in 260 feet of water be
tween Huckleberry and Saddleback
Islands.
Coast and harbor boats were
standing by, riding the swells and
attempting to locate bodies^
A boiler explosion is believed to
have caused the accident.
First evidence of the disaster was
the discovery of the body of Wiliam
Hansen, a deckhand, wearing a Ba
hada lifebelt. It had washed ashore
on Samish Island, six miles away.
Bits of wreckage were found on the
beach on Jack Isand, five miles from
the wrec.k Other wreckage wras
picped up on Saddlerock. It indi
cated that the blast had demolished
(he pilot house.
An invesigatioD h"10 been started
to determine if possible whethe^ the
explosion of the tug followed col
lision. with another vessel. Coast
guardsmen state that they recall
hearing whistles about the time of
the sinking of the vessel. It is
reasoned that there would not have
been time for the blowing of whis
HON CHARGE
L. A. Slane was arrested during
the past week charged with assault
with intent to commit rape. He
was held to answer to the grand
jury on that charge by Judge , af
ter a preliminary hearing. He
was also charged with possessing
and exhibiting obscene photographs
This charge was made orally by
District Attorney Arthur Shoup
were principal witnesses for the
government. Slane waived making
any statement. Bail was fixed in
the sum of two thousand five hun
dred dollars in the first case and
one thousand dollars in the se
cond case.
The little igrls testified that they
went at various times to the ca
bin of Slane because he gave them
candy, money, took them to the
show or cooked food for them. He
iff said to be a man of excellent re
putation in Juneau with people and
firms with whom he did business.
He was generally regarded as “ra
ther puritan in his views and ha
bits.’'
ALASKA MARINER RETIRES
Capt. John Worth left Seattle re
cently for a visit to California.
Capt. Worth is a former whaler
and sealer and one of the best
known mariners of Alaska waters,
having plied Alaska waters for ov
er thirty years. He is going on to
New York City where he will enter
Sailor’s Snug Harbor, a famous
establishment maintained for the
benefit of mariners temporarily or
permanently incapacitated for ser
vice. * |
Capt. John Worth is uncle of
William Worth local business man.
While in Seattle recently, William
had a visit with his uncle whom he
had not seen for many years.
Radio Batteries, wire and Tubes
at the Mercantile. Adv,
tics if the expolsion which splinter
ed the pilot house and lifeboats had
taken place first. It was also stated
that Hansen, whose body had been
found with a life preserver around
it, usually slept in a bunk • >ve
tbe boiler. It was his time off duty
when the boat is thought to have
been sunk.
The assistant engineer of the Ba
hada was George H. Northrop of
Wiangell, nephew of Mrs. William
Tamaree, local lay-worker in the
Native Presbyterian church and a
cousin of Louis F. and William L.
Paul. Northrop was the son of
Margaret Kinnon and Oscar North
rop. Oscar Northrop was a veteran
of the Civil War and sargeant of
the the first troop of soldiers sta
tioned at Wrangell. Upon his dis
charge he married the mother of
George and started one of i lie first
stores in Wrangell. When eighteen
Northrop’s mother died, while he
was attending school at Carlisle.
While in Carlisle he learned the
printing trade which he never fol
lowed as he preferred the work of
engnneering, having a chief engin
eers license.
H« leaves five children, three
boys and two girls.
The Commercial Club heid its re
giiiur gular session last "Wednes
day evening at the dinner hour in
the Home Cafe.
Steps were taken to g;t the
d.edging of the mud flats retween
th* two docks here in th3 city en
t‘*red into the budget of the Rivers
and Harbors Committee Appropri
ttions for presentment to the next
Congress . This work wuld greatly
increase the ease with"1 which the
large boats might dock and would
be an added incentive to the fish
ing craft to make Petersburg a
port of call.
Communication was received
from the Alaska Steamship Com
pany and the first two copies of
the monthly bulletin called “Alas
ka Travelogue” were received and
inspected by the members of the
Club. The plan of this publication
v. hich is being distributed by all
agents of the Alaska Steamship
Company throughout the United
States and Canada is to publish
pictures, views and printed matter
of the various ports and great In
land Empire of Alaska. Striking
views of Ketchikan and the Tougass
Narrows and scenes between Seat
tle and Alaska are shown in these
numbers.
The Commercial Club took steps
to provide pictures and data for
the proper publicity and represent
ation of Petersburg and the sur
rounding communities with spe
cial stress upon the fact that this is
the most protected harbor in Alas
ka and that the country adjacent
to Petersburg offers the best hunt
ing grounds in the Territory.
These pictures and data will ap
pear in a subsequent edition of the
pnmphlet.
Kiddycycles, Velocipedes, Sleds
Pedal Cara at the Mercantile. Adv
The Petersburg Parent-Teach
er Association held its regular
meeting last Wednesday evening,
December the eighth. A large at
tendance was noted due to the
special interest created by the pic
ture contest among the different
schoolrooms. Although the actual
< ount was not made, evidence seem
ed to point to the fact that the se>
cond grade room held high honors.
The organization considered hav
ing a basket social about the mid
dle of January to raise funds for
further improvement of the school
grounds.
1 he discussion of the erection
of a gynasium resulted in the ap
pointment of a committee to can
vas the matter, estimate the cost
of each of the following plans: the
erection of a frame building ad
joining the present building witu
r. gymnasium, shower baths, lock
ers, etc., downstairs, which could
e so be used for an auditorium,
with four or five additional class
rooms upstairs—or the erection of
a gymnasium separate from the
school building. ffl
Mr. Jack Schoettler was named
chairman of the committee and he
was given the privilege of gaming
ofher members to serve witu him.
The president requested that if pos
sible the committee submit the
plans and suggestions with ihe es
timated costs and the outline for
the financing of such const uction
at the next regular meeting of
night was also voted to bo chang
ed to the first Wednesday of each
n. onth so as not to conflict with
the Commercial Club meetings
vhich are held on the second and
f juith Wednesdays. .The next meet
ing will consequently be on Wed
nesday, January 5, 1927.
It was recently announced that
the steamer Panama, sister ship of
the Yukon was purchased and will
be added to the Alaska Steamship
Company’s fleet just as soon as it
has been reconditioned.
Capt. Glasscock,master of the
Yukon and Chief Engineer Brews
ter of the same vessel left for the
east recenty to bring the ship to
| the Pacific Coast.
S The Panama is said to resemble
■ the Yukon in general appearance
and is of practically the same di
mensions. At present she is laying
up in Balboa.
j The first trip of this vessel will
be made sometime in June.
i The Alameda and Northwestern
will make weekly trips to south
■ eastern Alaska run this summer,
The Cordlova and the Lakina will
serve the westcoast while the Alas
ka, Yukon and Panama will cover
the southwestern trip as far nortl
as Seward.
A NEW CITIZEN
B. H. Borseth, of Petersburg
was given his final certificate o1
citizenship in the District Couri
last weeto. Edward Locken and
Charley Mann were witnesses foi
Borseth.
Neckties at the Mercantile.
POWER PERMIT
FOR KETGHIKA
Judging by the favorable com
ment heard from businessmen, the
best news .received in Ketchikan
i
for sometime was the announce
ment that the Zellerbach paper in
terests had applied for power per
: mits surrounding Ketchikan. It is
realised that the fruition of the
company’s plans will mean the ex
penditure of several million dollars
ic constructive work alone, aside
from establishing a large and
steady payroll and creating ton
nage for additional vessels thus
meaning a greatly improved service.
Heretofore it is pointed out, the
establishment of paper and pulp
mills in Alaska has been mostly
“promoters’ talk,” (les majeste)
but with the entry of the Hearst
Syndicate for power permits in the
Juneau section, and the Zellerbachs
in the Ketchikan district with un
limited means behind them, it is be
lieved that the promotion stage
has passed.—Kechikan Chronicle.
But look out for some good sal
mon streams coming from those
headwaters.
The Northern Machine Works of
Ketchikan has let cvontract to A.
W. Quist of Ketchikan, to build a
shop 90 feet long,- 90 feet high and
80 feet feet wide. This is an addi
tion to its shipyards at Charcoal
Point
The type of building called for is
similar to the Petersburg Marine
Ways, and this is called “unique,”
in that boats under repair are und
der covered ways.
Mihty nice for Ketchikan to have
such a plant and no doubt Peters
burg boats will be taken there for
repairs and general overhauling.
We send out boats to be repaired,
and we send out and have boats
built that if contracts were let to
local builders, it would at times add
eiht to tenthousand dollars to local
payrolls. Then We wonder why Pe
tersburg does not grow and wonder
further as to why it is that other
towns are stepping along and mak
ing faster progress. Every dollar
spent in Petersburg is insuring its
growth. Every dollar spent in oth
er towns when it might as well bo
spent here retards the growth of the
home town.
Constant national propoganda by
huge power companies boosting the
fish lighters of the Baker River
dafii as a solution of the salmon
run problem was condemned at the
meeting in Seattle recently of lead
ing fish authorities on the Pacific
Coast.
Experts at the meeting declared
that the problem of protecting the
salmon thru the construction of
f'shways has not been solved by the
Faker River project. ^
The meeting was presided over by
H«*nry O’Malley, U. S. Commission
er of Fisheries from Washington,
D. C.
! J. R. Heckman, Fisheries Com
; nissioner for Alaska; J. P. Babcock
Fish Commissioner for Vancouver,
• B. C.; N. V. Scofield of California;
Charles Pollock, State Supervisor
of Fisheries, Seattle; Dr. C. H.
! Gilbert of Stanford University; N.
FRANK REED REPLIES ID
PACIFIC FISHERMAN ARTICLE
Editor Sentinel:
I have just read an article in the
Pacific Fisherman (pae 7 of the
November issue) in regard to the
herring situation.
Now that the Pacific Fisherman
uas had its say I should like to of
fer a few words in defense of the
stand which the residents of the
Territory have taken on this mat
ter.
In the first place the author of
the article intimates that We are
hollerin before we are hurt. He
asserts that no definite knowledge
is available on the subject.
Now lam a troller, and I have
been in the game since May, 1913,
end I have fished Chatham Straits
every year since that date. In 1916
and 1917 I was employed by the
Alaska Herring and Sardine Co. of
Port Walter, Baranoff Island, and
1 have made a careful study of the
herring and I lnd since 1916 the
herring are getting scarcer every
year. The season of 1925 the her
ring were so scarce in Tebencoff
Bay and Pillar Bay and all along
the shores of Chatham Straits, I
could not secure enough for bait
in the gillnets which every one is
equipped with: nets ranging from
8 to 48 fathoms long hung meas
ure. (This year, 1926, there were
periods of from one to two weeks
at a time that w never saw a her
ring in Tebencoff and Pillar Bays.
Tebencoff Bay is one of the princi
pal bays for rerring and salmon
and halibut fishermen who will
bear witness that these statements
are true.
There are now in the Territory
of Alaska 19 herring rednuction
plants owned anid operated by non
residents. They hire their crews
both for their plants and fishing
they are paid off outside also,
wmch is no benefit at all to the
residents of Alaska. These plants
consumes on an average of 100 to
150 barrels of herring an hour and
operating day and night it is amaz
ing th amount of fish required to
keep them going.
REGULATIONS
The Juneau office of the Alaska
Game Commission announces that
a case was filed aaginst Mrs. Fred
Matson of Juneau, for serving veni
son to boarders in violation of the
Alaska Game Law and Regulations.
She entered a plea of guilty No
vember 27 before U. S. Commission
er Paine and was fined $25.
Executive Officer Ernest P. Walk
er of the Commission states that
sale of game has so often led to its
extermination or near extermina
tion throughout the world that it
has now become one of the basic
principles of wild life protection to
prevent sale and commercialization
of game in any form.
Mr. Walker also called attention
to the fact that the deer season
closed on November 30 instead of
December 15 as has been the case
for a couple of years past. The sea
soy. closed earlier this year as a re
sult qpf the recommendations sub
mitted at the last annual meeting
of the Commission by numerous
parties in southeastern Alaska who
were interested in maintaining the
supply of deer.
' Now in the Territory of Alaska
trere are are some three thousand
resident fishermen owning their
own boats and gear, the valuation
of boats and gear being over two
thousand dollars each, and it is
essentiol to those fishermen to
thosefishermen. tha t the herring
be left alone on the fishing ground
which is the natural feeding plac
es for the king salmon and hali
but, for if the herring are taking
the salmon and halibut will leave.
ar.d their families depend solely
on the fish for their livlihood and
at the rate that the herring have
been taken in the past ten years
to saatisfy the reduction industry,
in two or three years at tie most
the fishing industry of Alaska is at
an end; these three thousand men
and their families are ousted and
the chief assets of our country
have been destroyed. It is far bet
ter to sacrifice the fertilizing in
dustry now than to sacrifice the
fishing industry as a whole at the
end of two or three years, which
is sure to happen unless drastic
measures be instituted to stop this
wasteful method.
In the Pacific Fisherman there
is an article entitled: “Fish Oil for
Edible purposes.” I wonder if the
author ever visited a herring reduc
: on plant in operation. The fish
are held in bins until decompositi
tion sets in as the oil will not se
parate until this stage is reached.
Meantime the blow flies are swarm
ing on the fish and when they go
to the press they are a creeping,
ciawling mass of maggots which
lam sure are not fit for food for
human consumption. If anyone
doubts this statement just visit
one or more of the plants situate
ed on the shores of Alaska waters.
Hoping you give this letter
space in the columns of your most
valuable paper so that the reading
public may know the true condi
tions that exist, I am,
Sincerely,
FRANK REED
Wrangell, Dec. 1, 1926.
I
Friday and Saturday nights of
this week are to be the big nights
for Petersburg, for there is to be
a return match with Wrangell
staged and the local boys are ex
pecting to stage a comeback.
On Friday night at half past se
,ven a preliminary game will be
called between the Janks and the
Lazy Five, composed of the grade
school boys. Immedittely after
this tussel the big feature will be
a game between the Petersburg
H’"gh School and the Wrangell
Town Team,.
On Saturday, the 11th, at seven
thirty, the High School Girls Team
will stage an exhibition which will
be followed by a game between
the Petersburg Town Team and the
Wrangell Town Team. These events
will be followed very shortly by
a big dance at ten p. m, The ad
mission to the dance will be one
dollar; the admission games will
be one game, fifty cents; two
games, seventy-five cents. Tickets
may be obtained from the High
School pupils.