THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME, ALASKA
Telephone 443-2381 $150 PER MONTH
P.O. Box 610 $16.00 A YEAR
E. P. BOUCHER . Managing Editor
CLINTON GRAY . Production Manager
Kntered at second class matter October 14, 1943, at tha
post office at Nome. Alaska, under Act of March 3, 1879.
Civil War Ended in Bering Sea
ALMOST ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO today, June 28, 1865, the
last shot of the Civil War was fired right here in this area by the
Confederate cruiser “Shenandoah,' which sank 34 whalers in the Bering
Straits more than two months after Lee had surrendered, April 9, 1865.
We are indebted to one of our readers for an excerpt from the
journal of Lt. James Waddell, commander of the CSS Shenandoah.
* * *
The Shenandoah was now north of the Island of St. Lawrence,
under sail, with fires banked. Several Esquimaux canoes with natives
from the island visited us, and our crew struck up a brisk trade with
them for furs and walrus tusks. It is interesting and curious, as we
had no means of communications w'ith them except through signs.
On the 24th of June, I put the Shenandoah under steam in chase
of the Gen. Williams of New London. We captured and burned her.
On the 26th of June we had chased and captured the following
six American whale vessels, and burned the whole of them except the
Gen. Pike, which was ransomed. Barks: Vix, Wm. C. Nye, Nimrod.
Catharine, Isabella and Gipsy. The Gen. Pike had lost her master,
and the mate was in charge of her, who asked as a special favor to
be allowed to ransom her.
He said, “If you ransom the Pike, her owner will think me so
fortunate in saving her that it will give me a claim on them for the
command.”
All the prisoners were sent to the Gen. Pike, and she was given
a certificate for San Francisco. On the 27th of June the Shenandoah
was under sail with a head wind. Things had gotten lively and we
were very interested in our friends, who had left the South Pacific
to escape us.
Eleven sails were in sight and all to windward. We felt sure
of their nationality, but to attempt their capture while there was wind
would result in the loss of a part of them. We lowered he smoke stack
and continued in the rear of the eleven, keeping a close luff, and
retarding our progress as much as possible, so as to arouse no sus
picions amongst them.
On the 28th at 10:30 a.m. a calm ensued. The game was collected
in East Cape Bay, and the Shenandoah entered the bay under the
American flag with a fine pressure of steam on. Every vessel present
hoisted the American flag. We had heard of the whale ship James
Murray of the Island of Ascension, and after reaching Behring Sea
had heard again of her and also of the death of her master, whose
widow and two little children were on board.
While our boats were being armed preparatory to taking possession
of the prizes, a boat from the whale ship Brunswick came to the
steamer, and the mate in charge of the boat, ignorant of our true na
tionality, represented that the Brunswick had struck a piece of ice a
few hours before which left a hole in her starboard bout twenty inches
below the water line, and asked for assistance.
To their application we replied, “We are very busy now, but
in a little while we will attend to you.”
The mate thanked us, and he was asked which of the vessels
was the James Murray. He pointed her out. The Brunswick laid on
her side, her casks of oil floating her well up, and her master, seeing
his vessel a hopeless wreck, had offered his oil to any one purchaser
among the masters of the other vessels at twenty cents per gallon.
The Shenandoah being in position to command the fleet with
her guns, hoisted our flag, and the armed boats (we had only five of
them) were dispatched to take possession of the vessels with orders
to send their masters with the ship’s papers to the Shenandoah.
The American flags were hauled down instantly. The eleventh
still hung to the vessel’s gaff, and seeing someone on her deck with
a gun, an officer was sent to capture her and send the master to the
Shenandoah. That vessel was the bark Favorite of New Haven, and
her master was drunk from to free use of intoxicating liquor. The
bark Favorite was without a register liable to seizure in time of
profound peace, by any police of the ocean. The hurry and confusion
upon the decks of those vessels, the consternation among the crews
may be imagined.
The boarding officer of the James Murray sent ner mate to re
present the very distressed condition of the wife and children of the
late captain, that the poor widow had the remains of her husband on
board preserved in whiskey. A messenger was sent to the unhappy
widow to inform her she and the children were under the protection
of the Shenandoah and no harm would come to her or the vessel,
that the men of the South did not make war on women and children.
The following vessels were burned. Ships, Hillman, Nassau,
Brunswick, Isaac Howland; barks, Waverly, Martha, Favorite, Cov
ington, Congress. I ransomed the James Murray and the Milo. Within
twelve hours after these vessels were discovered, nine of them were
enveloped in flames. (One of these whalers which burned is still visible
at Kotzebue where it beached). The crews of those vessels amounted to
336 men; among them were nine men, all intelligent soldiers, men who
had been taught to respect military authority and who knew how to use
the Enfield rifle. The enlistment of those men in the Confederate
service is evidence that if they had heard any report of the military
failure of the South, they considered it so unreliable as not to hinder
their seeking service in the Shenandoah.
The Shenandoah then headed north to 66 degrees and 40' before
turning south and it wasn’t until the 2nd of August that Lt. Waddell
learned that the war was over and he must surrender his ship, after
forty thousand miles without an accident.
* * •
Thus the Civil War actually ended in the Bering Sea 98 years
ago today.
Report on BIA
Relocation Project
Sen. Lester Bronson has re
ceived many complaints concern
ing the BIA relocation program
and made a request for a report on
the work being done. These inter
esting facts have been submitted
to him by Jens Forsaug, super
visory employment assistant offi
cer of Fairbanks.
“The program of Relocation
Services was extended to Alaska in
1957. Since that time 953 Alaskans
have received the full range of
services provided. Considering
family members, 1,662 persons
have been involved. One hundred
ninety-seven units of 444 persons
moved to points within Alaska
where year around jobs were avail
able and 466 units of 700 persons
elected to leave Alaska to find
work at one of the cities served
by a Field Employment Assistance
Office. Two hundred-ninety units
consisting of 428 persons have been
given help to enter vocational
training under the provisions of
Public Law 959.
“Nearly all of the serious diffi
culties that Alaskans have en
countered both in Alaska and in
other localities, result from ex
cessive drinking. We early dis
covered that this problem offers
little to those who have a serious
problem which requires intensive
rehabilitation.
“A study of the returnees by
units to Alaska for a 5-year period
listed by localities. All are included
even though they did not return
to the point of departure:
“Barrow, 28 per cent; Bering
Strait villages, 23 per cent; Kotze
bue, 24 per cent; Nome, 19 per
cent, Norton Sound villages, 23
per cent; Gambell, 77 per cent.
“The persons selected are sent to
San Francisco, Oakland, Los An
geles, Denver, Dallas, Chicago, San
Jose and Cleveland.”
Mr. Forshaug states that only
a small fraction of the amount
spent on welfare has been and the
government is getting back what
was invested in them in income
tax returns.
He states, “As job opportunites
come in Alaska for people who
have learned to manage their own
lives, many of our people will
possibly return, but they will have
something to give instead of hav
ing accepted welfare as a way of
life.”
ROBERT HOFFMAN RESIGNS
RURAL DEVELOPMENT POST
JUNEAU UP) — The resignation
of Robert Hoffman as Director of
Rural Development within the
governor’s office was announced
yesterday by Gov. Wm. Egan.
Hoffman will leave state em
ployment to become assistant area
officer in the employment assist
ant branch of the Bureau of In
dian Affairs, effective July 1.
As assistant area officer, Hoff
man will be responsible for within
state employment placement and
BIA training programs conducted
for Alaska natives.
Hoffman has headed the state’s
Rural Development program since
1959. t - ijjjfl
No successor was named.
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Ecumenical Council Will
Reconvene September 29
VATICAN CITY — Pope
Paul VI has formally ordered the
Roman Catholic Ecumenical Coun
cil to reconvene Sept. 29, the Vati
can announced Thursday.
An announcement by the Vati
can’s special council press office
disclosed the date and said the
text of the order will be sent to
Roman Catholic bishops around
the world.
More than 2,500 are expected to
come to Rome for the assemly, the
biggest gathering of Roman Catho
lic prelates in history. The coun
cil was first called by Pope John
XXIII to promote the cause of
Christian unity.
The council convened last Oct.
11. Pope John recessed it on Dec.
8 until Sept. 8. but it was auto
matically suspended by Pope
John’s death.
There was still a question, how
ever, whether Pope Paul would
bring the council to a conclusion
by Christmas. John had hoped to
do so.
Hoover Continues to Improve
NEW YORK (jP — Former Pres
ident Herbert Hoover, who was
seriously stricken with a bleeding
gastro-intestinal ailment early this
month, is continuing to improve,
his doctors reported today.
The 88-year-old former Presi
dent sits up in bed in his Wal
dof-Astoria tower suite, reads the
newspapers and “takes a lively
interest in things,” it was re
ported.
American
New York
Chicago
Boston
Minnesota
Cleveland
Los Angeles
Baltimore
Kansas City
Detroit
Washington
League Standings
W L Pet. B
41 27 .603
44 30 .595
44 30 .565 2Vz
40 32 .556 3
37 35 .514 6
39 37 .513 6
38 37 .507 6V£
33 37 .471 9
27 43 .386 15
23 53 .303 22
“Marriage is the only adven
ture open to the cowardly.”
—Voltaire
BIBLE BAPTIST
CHURCH
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FULL BANKING SERVICES
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LP Gas
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DEAL WITH CONFIDENCE AT
Green’s City Fuel and Transfer
ACS Will Mark First
Anniversary of Transfer
July 1 will mark the first anni
versary of the Alaska Communi
cations System’s transfer to the Air
Force Communications Service
(AFCS).
The first year has seen most
Army personnel transfer, retire, or
put on blue suits of the Air Force.
The organization, now known as
the 1929th Communications Group,
has been tailored to meet Air Force
standards and procedures. No
marked changes, however, have
been made in the basic mission
which is to provide a public offer
ing communication service to
Alaskan users.
July 1 is also the second anni
fersary of AFCS. The world-wide
command, established July 1, 1961,
maintains and operates over 5V2
million miles of communications
channels. Its 560 units are manned
by some 45,000 men and women.
AFCS is represented in Alaska
by the Alaskan Communications
Region, headquartered at Elmen
dorf AFB, and its subordinate
units.
These units are the 1930th and
1931st Communication Squadrons
at Elmendorf, 1930th detachments
at most AAC AC & W sites, the
1955th Communications Squadron
at Eielson AFB, the White Alice
Communication System, headquar
tered in Anchorage, and the 1929th
Communications Group with head
quarters at Seattle and detach
ments and stations throughout
Alaska.
Senate Approves LeMay
WASHINGTON W—1The Senate
approved a one-year term for Gen.
Curtis LeMay as Air Force Chief
of Staff with double-edge speech
es of praise for him and warning
for Secretary of Defense Robert S.
McNamara.
McNamara had recommended
only a one-year reappointment of
the air chief and recommended
against reappointment of Adm.
George W. Anderson as Chief of
Naval Operations. Both had dif
fered with McNamara on some
policies.
$120,486 for S3ndloi Baseball
NEW YORK UP) — The exhibi
tion game between the Mets and
the Yankees last week netted
$120,486 for sandlot baseball in
New York City. The Mets won
6-2.
OMAN’S
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Open 3 to 9 Weekdays
All Day Saturday