The sun., 1894-04-08
OLD BARANoFF CASTLE.
sToBY OF TIE Old HOME OF THs
RUSSIAN 9OVEEN0Rs AT si2Kl.

Il
es.royee, ~, - ..u'n.'u w-,-.s
., sT =. .,,s 80
Mhen baranon cssue was oes.toyeu " hIe
carry on .ne morning. OF oo. ra',,0A usy ~.
bitks iost the most plcturesaue. u nos 'ne
oioest henomark OF hussan w suptsmsoy ~ IN
Aisske twas Aoou. y eioc. wnes s,is
Deimore OF the Marine asrrison u,s.over,u ~.
tne nre. OUT 30 sonuu puIt Nas tne o'o ,ss' 80,
that II eiocn oeioretne Wes.ein wen ,s' ,ol
anu the nome OF tns astot 'as n"ss's" "o'-
ernors was In sehes
The last census reporeot Alaska mao tn's 70
say eNkaWltn us IoresIounuo oi green siauu'
ana sun waters ana lte DsckRtouno U snoW-
capped mountains, - ple.uresuu. noni ,,., 49,
point Q, view anu "s nis,ory anu .ne %
ana rehcs OF o'ner peopie anu o.ner 49,, VI
broods and suns itself IN silence The place is
-. ,--,-- ~ t..... - p...,.. A., .nd
those old buildings that have not suffered
neglect and demolition have been furbished
up and elapboarded out Of all Muscovite SEM
| blanee The castle or Governors residence,
has been let fall half to ruin. the ill-usaee and
vandalism Of the last ten years leaving It
stripped and despoiled OF every portable fea-
AS the castle plot was not maoe dovernmen.
,,, '"' '
Most Most o, si,ta's history is concerned with
osssS and Q. ,h'
1t was In the autumn OF 17eo that Alexander
Baranofr. tho iron wiled." having determined
American erica Co Company from Ksdisk island. I sailed
into sitk. Bay in the brig Catherine. He got
more than LOW sea o,te, SENS IN , mon.n.
ana SO wen - IN ting
.se.,sn >, s,,etado rh,s stoct .5s
VUd Was about 81, n mile. north Of the present site
Of sitka.
In the spring two American vessels sailed
non hurried back to Kadiak to set the ma
hn,cry In motion tS b stSp the
ing and fishing several thousand Of the no
foreed IL and massacred the deienders to .
man, securing more than 5000 sea otter pelts.
lying q. anchor about iosr a. miles , dSwn tn the
bay. Three Hussisns and i've Aleuts who
the attack. escaped to the English ship Capt.
barber. commanding the ship. sailed up into
RS s"sSHs % :nS s6s sni
held them as hostages his ship carried q
own own terms f for I the Tssase Of the eighteen
H. .EaA~ hxytk he
Koio.hes: Ths KOlcs6es sprTsnds,red t6s
Kadiak. where Baranon gave him 10000 rou-
Baranoii was S able to sysnss ssslta ao Then +.
in three ,slosps. Hs was uneiDss,edly rsSn:
forced b, the a2Gton iro wssss1 Neys mat which tr
his departure for sitfa. and had followed him
mhs rs were GhSb ss ou
oiths water lust at the entrance Of size be rbor.
But Baranom did not hesitate 70 stack them;
adg OF II. day
brought up bis s,oops ann ne Neva; ana their
big cs made wo1k ssd 2. thS aSs SsS and
crest he erected the fret Of the three Bsranon
fi sSe He "ai ed this spot th. nal ausrtsrs
Gf the BUS kussan american t Gt1tmSpaIy tS sna named
The eli Indians t who lived just outside the stock.
ade was shset.kah. which soon became cor.
sltka which It has remained.
Ihe 6Sea nouse wash thar neIeg %as ,Ss
first. Tarsnofi castle It crowned the rock
until lsy9, when nre destroyea y. .ts Ihe sec.
nf 81 ts
stockade with watch towers at the corners; II
was DESTROYED In is2, by an earTthGpnEe That
swearing old Baranofr had turned the port
over to his successor and st started on the voy-
not to see alive.
This last Castle Baianon. which went mp IN
the one destroyed by earthquake II was 40
feet long and ~ feet wide built OF heavy cedar
logs Copper bolts pierced the walls at inter
walls. and were anchored In the rock on which
It was built to hold y fast In the event Of
another earthquake. IL was two stories high.
with lofts. capped By q lighthouse tcupola Its
foundations were 10 feet above tide water
The Russian Goyernors resided In this cas-
tie, and many traditions Of social splendor are
left without pivot on which TO hang oy its
chosen from the higher ranks 81 t she naval & ser.
malntai1ed miniature court around them
and lived and e9tsrtainsd hsndsomey; dNsI. state
dinners were given OF the toVernors every
Sunday. and there was q constant round Of
balls and gayeties. society, was more Demo
cratic In those days than II Is now. and the
noble Russian hosts and hostesses welcomed
all to the castle. Cayiere and strong punches
marked every banquet board; ana e the be-
ginning OF every ball the ladies' were
first invited out by themselyes to partake OF
strong and pungent spl etizers, and then the
gentlemen gathered at the side tables and