8
OREGON CITY COURIER, OREGON CITY, OREGON, THURSDAY, NOVEiMBER 15, 1917.
ST. MICHAEL FIRST VILLAGE
(Continued from Page 1)
The original ten were easy, and
finally I persuaded five more, three
ladies and two men. A party of
eight from Los Angeles I could not
move. They had tickets for the
inside passage and they were going
to make it, if they had to stay in
St. Michael until the last boat. I
turned in the 15 tickets and the
agent said he- would wireless Nome
and vould get a repy at eight
o'clock.
Then a waiter on our boat, an
Austrian, who I had given a few
tips, came to me with the confiden
tial advice to "save my bloody legs."
He said the navigation company and
the hotel played the game together,
that our stay in the town meant
$200 a day to the hotel and the boat
would never return. He had the
right dope.
Then I went down to the wharf
and under the lament of the form
er sufferer, I wrote
"My God! Eight DAYS more."
And later on I changed it to 12
days for that was our sentence.
And days before the boat went out
that party of eight went into self
scourging because they had refused
to ebnno-e their route. A lady nan
found a worm on her lettuce.
While the two weeks in St. Mi
chael were tedious and one grew
vorv imnatient at times, yet this
oldest of Alaskan towns was won-
derfullv full of stories, and I think
t.ho time nassed more quickly with
me than with any other passenger,
and during the 12 days' exile I gain
ed 12 pounds in weight.
St. Michael was, I believe, the
first settlement . in Western Alaska
manv. many years before there
was ever a white man at Nome, and
rnany years before we purchased it
from Russia. It was the first town
between White Horse and Nome,
2100 miles, that was not built of
logs, although there are a few of
the ancient log buildings of the
Russians yet standing, in splendid
preservation one of which was be
ing remodeled for a school for white
children. And it was very interest
ing to me to note the way those log
houses were built, as the workers
sawed through the logs for windows
for the school house.
Each log was grooved, hollowed
out, so that it would seat over the
log under, and before the log was
fitted, dry moss was laid between.
This made a very warm building.
There is no timber along the low
er Yukon, and St. Michael is built
of lumber, all shipped in from the
outside, and you may be sure no
unnecessary buildings were erected,
or any waste room in the houses.
All the fuel, soft coal in sacks, has
to be shipped in from . the states.
The army posts had just received
9000 sacks and ' the soldiers were
busy unloading it.
The first place of interest that
got me was a Russian fort, not a
dozen rods from the hotel. It was
octagon in shape, about 10 feet
across, built of heavy logs, and with
a roof running to a peak. Inside,
rusting away, are seven old Russian
cannons, curious, low guns, with
solid iron wheels, and the barrels
fastened to the standards with ropes.
All around the blockhouse are holes,
with barred doors for the use of the
cannons, and above them long slits,
about three inches wide, for the use
of the small arms. They told me
this block house was built in 1700.
On the main street of the town
is another old Russian building, now
used for a repair shop, and over the
door a copper tablet, "Built by the
Russian Fur Co. nn 1833."
After I had looked over the an
cient Russian fort I walked up to
the army post, with its modern
buildings, and I concluded we had
made some progress in Alaska since
Cisar Peter went into the real es
tate business.
St. Michael is some busy during
the short summer ' season. This is
the point where incoming ocean
ships transfer their freight to the
up-river boats and where the down
river transfer their passengers.
Very little freight goes out of Alas
ka. There is a big force of longshore
men at St. Michael. They work 15
hours a day and get 50 cents an
hour, seven days in a week, while at
Nome, 110 miles across the bay, the
wage scule is one dollar per hour.
Hut it is only during the summer
season that the yeast works in St.
Michael. When the winter sets in,
ocean navigation closes and the Yu
kon freezes to a depth of four feet,
then the town imitates the bear
hibernates.
When the last boat goes out it
blows its whistle for a full half hour
in wierd long-drawn-out wails, while
the lonesome, heartsick people who
remain in, stand on the shore
watch it depart. And then for a
week there is one grand drunk.
Everybody goes to it. You cannot
get waited on in the stores. All are
trying to drown their sorrow. And
this condition is true of every river
town on the Yukon.
St. Michael is trimmed with des
olation jonuer greatness. Un one
side of the town are six sloamhoats,
drawn up nn the bank and rotting
down. In the bay on the other side
are seven river steamers, all sea
worthy, pulled up on skids and idle.
These represent hundreds of thou
sands of dollars. These abandoned
boats give one the fooling that he
is looking at a cemetery. They are
the monuments of former life.
"Alaska is dying," said a tourist as
we stood on a point and looked
down on the village.
The army post was built for a
large garrison, but the soldiers are
not there now, only 40 remain, and
I don't know why they are kept.
Many of the buildings are vacant
now, and the post is in keeping with
the rest of the surroundings.
I sat on the hill near the wireless
station, looking: down on the town,
with my chin in -my hands. An Es
kimo came along, looked at me and
asked, "Trouble?" I nodded "yes."
"Got launch?" he asked. "No," I
replied. "Got fish wheel?" Again
I shook my head. "Got squaw?"
"No," I again answered. Then he
smiled and said, "You got no
trouble."
Trouble, to an Eskimo's under
standing, is embraced in these three,
a launch, a fishwheel and a squaw.
There is a Russian church at St.
Michael, and I found a Russian who
got a key and let us in. It is pe
culiar from the fact there are no
seats in it, the congregation re
maining standing during the ser
vices. No services are held now
and the Russian sadly stated no
more would ever be held. The Rus
sian government supported the
church and paid the ,prie3t, but the
new government cut off all such ap
propriations, and -the church will
now become one more of the old
town's historic places.
One of the four stores in the
town believes in advertising. Its
display ad. is a bif black bear
which I was told has been chained
there for 20 years. The tourists
buy bottles of pop for bruin, when
he will climb to a platform on top
of a pole, sit down like a man and
empty the bottle.
Through the store windows of an
old abandoned trading store I saw
the great ivory tusks of a masto
don, among the debris of the floor.
In this part of Alaska, and partic
ularly around Marshall, further up
the river, the finding of mastodon
skeletons is not at all unusual, in
fact it is common. Miners often,
very often, strike them in digging
prospect holes. In the centuries ago
these pre-historic creatures roamed
the hills and valleys. In those ages
Alaska was not the country of ice
it is now. The season changed and
the mastodon and many other ani
mals disappeared and have been
buried by the accumulation of un
told centuries. The wolverine is
said to be the only pre-historic ani
mal of the north country to survive.
Eighteen miles outside of St. Mi
chael is a reindeer ranch, and a
party of us visited it one Sunday.
A giant Eskimo squaw is the pro
prietress. She had about 1200 in
the bunch, and they are herded like
sheep. She raises them both for
meat and for teams. Dressed they
weigh about 150 pounds and the
skins find a ready market with the
natives from which to make park
as. The bucks are worth about $22
apiece for meat, but the does come
higher, in fact it is difficult to buy
them. They are valued for breed
ing purposes. Hundreds of these
deer are butchered and taken aboard
the steamers.
Reindeer raising bids fair to be
come a profitable business on the
lower river, and the white men are
beginning to realize it. It is said
94 per cent increase can be depend
ed on, and the expense is very
small. The range is free to any
one. The deer live on leaves and
brush in the summer time and on
moss in the winter.
An ocean freighter came into the
harbor with a load of steel rails for
the government railroad a thousand
miles up the river, at Nenan, near
Fairbanks. The big boats cannot
come into the shallow water at St.
Michael. They anchor out and un
load onto barges. I sat on a point
nearest to the freighter and watch
ed the big crane pick up the rails
and lay them on the barge. The
barge was nearly loaded, when a
rail, suspended high- above the
barge, slipped from the tackle and
fell ond first onto the scow. It
went completely through it and be
fore anything could be done the
barge sank to the ocean bottom
with 440 tons of rails.
And the government officials at
Nenana will wait some time for the
railroad iron. Before an electric
magnet can bo brought from Seat
tle the winter will have closed its
grip on the Yukon.
In the next letter I am going to
tell you something about the Eski
moes. There is a villarre of them
in St. Michael. I spent many hours
there observing them and I have had
many talks with some of the more
intelligent English-speaking ones.
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OTHER
(Continued from Page 1)
for the trip, us a "lark."
The first violence attendant up
on the strike occurred Friday even
ing at 5 o'clock, when F. W. Lari
son, a special policeman paid by the
Hawley Pulp & Paper company, at
tempted to take to jail Chief of Po
lice Lee French, suffering, in conse
quence, the indignity of being
thrown into juil himself and having
his fare badly battered by strikers.
According to all accounts of the
trouble Chief French was making an
and effort to clear the passage over the
bridge, where strikers had gather
ed to greet strikebreakers from the
Crown-Willamette mills. Larison
interfered with the group and start
ed toward the jail with French.
The special officer drew his
"billy," it is said, after the chief of
police had shown his star, and
French charges him with resisting
Strikers following in the crowd that
had assembled took Larison's revol
ver and club. Several of them struck
Larison. Larison came to Oregon
City from Portland and was sworn
in as a special officer by Mayor E.
C. Hackett. The special officers are
paid by the company, and the chief
of police says he had been instruct
ed that the specials were to work
under him, but that their territory
was confined to the mill propery.
A demonstration threatened again
that night when Mayor Hackett re
leased Larison from jail and restor
ed him to his duties, with instruc
tions, however, to remain away from
the bridge. Strikers objected vain
ly to the man's release.
Mayor E. C. Hackett on Saturday
rolieved from service all special
policemen he had appointed to guard
the mills. This action was taken at
the request of officials of the strik
ing unions, who have promised to
... . IV
see to tne strict maintenance oi
order. The union men believe they
can prevent a recurrence of the
trouble of Friday evening. Mayor
Hackett expressed his willingness to
relieve the special police, but told
the union men that it would be nec
essary for the city to take the reins
again if trouble was started.
SCHOOL ORGANIZED
Mildred Aikins is Superintendent of
Sandy Sabbath Classes
. Sandy Sunday school has been
organized with Miss Mildred Aikins
as superintendent. The other of
ficers selected are Mrs. A. C. Baum
back, assistant superintendent; Mrs.
R. E. Smith, secretary and treasur
er; Mrs. R. E. Esson, organist; H.
H. Watkins, bible class teachers;
Miss Aikins, senior girls; James
Brehaut, senior boys; Robert Smith,
junior boys; Mrs. Bauback, primary.
Sunday school is held at 10:30 a. m.
Sundays, and Young People's meet
ing at 7 p. m. Mrs. R. E. Esson
will be the leader next Sunday evening.
Cut This Out It is Worth Money
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Foley's Honey and Tar Compound,
for coughs, colds, and croup; Foley
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Telford Asks Citizenship
Alexander Telford, of Oak Grove,
would become a full-fledged Amer
ican citizen through a petition for
final citizenship filed in County
Clerk Harrington's office here Fri
day. Telford is a native of Ireland
and has lived in America for many
years.
The Courier and Oregon Farmer,
both for $1.00.
YOKES OF MATRIMONY
YANKED OFF IN COURT
Wearied of the yoke of matri
mony six wives have sought relief
this week through the popular chan
nel of Judge Campbell's divorce mill,
and in proportion to the grist that
has gone into .the mill couples with
the holy bonds yanked off have been
turned out to go the way of free
dom. The prize for the week goes to
Mildred and Thomas Sayler, who
unfortunately went to Vancouver to
tie the knot less than four weeks
ago today. They were married on
October 22. Mrs. Sayler, in a com
plaint tiled Wednesday, charges her
husband with infidelity, cruelty and
non-support. Less than a week af
ter the wedding Sayler associated
with an "old sweetheart" and when
his wife remonstrated with him he
told her to "forget it," and announc
ed that the old love was best. She
wants to resume her maiden name,
Mildred Worrell.
Nellie Underwood on Tuesday
brought suit against Paul Underwood
to whom she was married at Aber
deen, Wash., on December 12, 1901.
That gentleman rudely deserted his
loving spouse, the complaint charges,
in June 1902. Mrs. Underwood
wants the court to restore her maid
en name, Nellie Wetherwax.
Maxine Sandberg charges Alfred
Sandberg with cruelty in a com
plaint filed Monday. The couple
was married at Portland on Janu
ary 13, 1911 and Mrs. Sandberg
wants her maiden name, Maxine
Walker, restored to her.
Grace C. Girt asks a divorce
from James E. Girt, to whom she
was married at Vancouver, wasn.
on January 8, 1911. She charges
cruelty and asks for a division of
real and personal property valued
at $5100, in which is included , 600
jars of fruit which she canned. The
real property includes 10 acres of
land in this county. Mrs. Girt
charges that her husband smoked
incessantly and would not permit
her to open the windows in the low
ceiled rooms in which they lived.
She asks $25 a month alimony.
Margaret Kerns Thursday filed a
complaint against G. D. Kerns, to
whom she was married at Vancouver
Wash., on December 24, 1913, charg-
ing cruelty. She alleges that her
husband at one time drew a gun
and threatened to kill her. Mrs,
Kerns asks the restoration of her
maiden name, Margaret Murray.
Hesta Forrest, married to Robert
D. Forrest, at Portland, on January
25, 1912, Friday filed suit for di
vorce, making cruelty the principal
charge. Mrs. Forrest asks for the
custody of their two-year-old daugh.
ter and $20 a month alimony.
Judge J. U. Campbell last Thurs
day signed a decree divorcing Mary
and Clarence Nye and restoring to
Mrs. Nye her maiden name, Mary
Wenker, The complaint filed by
Oessa A. Wilcoxon against Joseph
L. Wilcoxson was dismissed Wed
nesday after the couple had "made
up" and promised to "live happily
ever" after."
CLACKAMAS REPORT SAID
TO BE GREATLY SPOTTED
Gilliam 618, Jackson, 4071, Jose
phine 1700, Morrow 926, Union 2650:
Wasco, 2636. Few of the 'county
chairmen have accompanied their
reports with figures on slacker families.
Completion of returns from 48
districts in Douglas county is await.
ed. I he Kiddle district signed up
72 families without encountering a
refusal. Wasco county is said to be
nearer the 100 per cent record at
present than any other of the state.
Preliminary returns and messages
from Lane and Marion lead Mr.
Churchill to expect fine showings
from them.
Clackamas county workers have
returned one of the most "spotted"
and unsatistactory preliminary re
ports yet to reach headquarters,
While seven districts enrolled every
home and others achieved records
above 90 per cent, a number fell be
low 60 per cent.
BLANCHARD AND WILSON
MENTIONED IN STORIES
While no county organization of
the state has yet completed its re
turns on the two weeks' canvass
for enrollment of families in the
national food administration, re
ports which are approaching final
totals are now fast coming into the
office of Chairman Arthur M.
Churchill, director of the state drive.
The returns vary from highly grati
fying figures, exceeding all expecta
tions, to figures that leave much to
be desired, the director said Mon
day. Latest compilations showed these
county totals: Baker, 2166, Clacka
mas, 25R2, Coos, 1700, Douglas 3332,
David Hazen, writing from Camp
Mills to the Portland Telegram, fur
nishes the following interesting notes,
about Oregon City soldiers:
It might be well to tell of the
adventure that befell two- of com
pany G's lieutenants on their way to
this station. Their train passed
through a famous fish city and they
thought it the best opporunity of
their young lives to secure a mess
of fresh oysters right. from the oys
ter factory. At other cities of any
size the train had been stopped from
30 to 50 minutes, taking water and
having bearings examined, so Lieu
tenant Edward E. ("Tuffy") Walker
and Lieutenant Eldon C. Blanchard
decided to have their oyster ban
quet and get back to the "kivvered
cars" within half an hour.
But there happened to be a
hurry-up conductor in charge and
only a three minute stop was made
The officers enjoyed the feast, re
turned to the depot, said many
strange words and took a fast train
for a city some distance away
Here they waited, keeping out of
sight when the first section of their
train passed through. They caught
their own command seven hours
after' leaving it.
These lieutenants, along with ev
ery other officer in the Beaver con
tingent, have been making friends
with the officers of the regiment
across the Columbia, The Ever
green officers and the good fellows
who live south of them in peace
times have enjoyed many a bump
er of loganberry juice together, said
juice being direct from the manu
facturers at Salem.
Another item regarding newspa
pers says: "Now that one Oregon
paper has been mentioned, it might
be well to state that Sergeant Kent
Wilson, of Oregon City, a member
of' the medical corps of the maahine
gun company, receives each day,
save Sunday, a copy of The Dalles
Chronicle. Sergeant Wilson was
stationed at the Wasco county cap
ital last summer, and while there
met a most , delightful newspaper
person, who forwards the paper to
him wherever he may roam.
iimiiiisiigi iiniiiiaiiii
WRITERS NOTICE! Ii
The Courier desires the
services of a capable corres
pondent at Boring. Several
other communities in the
county are not represented.
Anyone interested is invited
to communicate with this of
fice. It may be to YOUR advantage.
B
S
H
m
ElEBEIIiig UlSBaiHEEIl
Orena May Seleced
Orena May, a popular young busi
ness woman, is one of the first in
Clackamas county to respond to the
government's call for stenographers
and Tuesday evening received a tele
gram from Adjutant General Mc
Clain announcing her selection for
a position in the adjutant general's
office at Washington paying $1100.
Miss May passed the civil service
test with a high ratig, but has de
cided not to go to Washington.
To win the war we must save
food in every household, and at
every meal, and in this work the
housewives of America are as an
army with banners,