Douglas Island news., 1900-05-23

w. T. Harris, U. s. commissioner of education, recommends enlarged school facilities at Juneau, Skagway, Douglas City, Haines, Wrangel, Yaku- tat, Wood Island and Unalaska, and for the establishment of schools at Ketchi- kan, Point Hope, Nome, Kotzebue Sound, Rampant, Peavy, Eagle, Fort Yukon, Valdez, Teller, St Michaels, York, Cooks Inlet, Kenia and Circle City, and an additional appropriation of S1O8, ,23O for their establishment and maintainance.
 Capt. Cornell of the steamer City of Seattle was on May 17th, at Skagway, presented by the members of the Soci- ety of Arctic Brotherhood handsome piece of plate. The piece is in shape of a gold pan. of solid silver. on the bot tom of which is engraved a picture of the steamer City of Seattle. Above are the two letters A. B., formed of sixty three nuggets, and at the foot are three large nuggets. Underneath the picture of the steamer is a suitable inscription.
 At Kenai, over in the Cooks Inlet country, wheat sown May il matured Sept. 2l; barley sown May l6 matured Sept. B; flax sown on May 26 matured Sept 14; Mammoth, Red, White and Swedish clover seeded May IS was in full bloom Aug 15; cauliflower trans planted to garden June 16, ready for the table on Aug. 6: potatoes planted May IS matured on Oct. 1. Beans, beets, cabbage, carrots, parsnips, onions, tur- nips, lettuce, radishes, salsify, spinach, all reached a high state of perfection.
 A man climbed up on shed at the back of Kaufman's store in Skagway one night last week with the evident intention of burglarizing the second story of that building. Miss Bertha Gordon, young lady next door, dis covered the prowler and, throwing open window, covered him with asiX-shoot- CT. at the same time commanding him to throw up his hands. The man obeyed with such alacrity that he lost his balance and fell off backward from the shed. Then he improved the oppor- tunity by going off before the gun did.
 The Hydahs, the native tribe inhabit, ing the Prince of Wales and adjacent i islands, have tradition of great flood that destroyed every living thing but raven. They say that when the waters receded, this raven flew down to the beach and there saw a huge shell thrown up by the sea upon the sands of the shore The raven succeeded in open ing it and thereupon out trooped host of little people. They politely thanked his birdship for their deliverance and promised to care for him ever after. Thus was the raven deitied and de- clared the totem of the tribe. And thus also we have the origin of the Fly dahs.
 The Sitka Alaskan says there are three different kinds of totem poles in Alaska, or three distinguishing fea- lures. One usually erected in front of houses, showing different animal fig ures, represents the totem of a family and their relations, and is called the family totem. In the Hydah tongue they are called Ce-angh, which means, standing forever. The second totem pole is called the death totem, and is known in the Indian language as Sat langh, post in which the ashes of the dead are gathered. The third and last class of totem poles was erected by the Hydahs to illustrate and commemorate any remarkable event that has trans pired. These posts may be found all along the coast from Vancouver island L-.N Nol ,AnA