The Washington herald., 1915-09-09
HISTORY BUILDERS.
How Alaska Was Transferred to the
United States.
by DIR. r.. j. EDWARDS.


by DIR. +. j. EDWARDS.
The late nr. Delavan BloodGood. who
WAS for many years medical director in
the United States navy. lived for time
after his retirement at the Brooklyn
navy ward. Dr. RloCdGood gained an en-
NIable reputation for his services. espe-
Cialy during the civil war He was re-
garded by the Navy Department as an
expert authority upon the treatment of
yellow fever, and that was a plague
which constantly gave the Navy Depart
ment concern since il was necessary to
send government ships to various ports
in W hich yellow fever annually appeared
aid sometimes developed into an cpl
demic
DIR. RIoodgood was an interesting mar
ratOr Of anecdotes and his personal ap-
pcarance and vivacity of manner gave
additional charm to his narration. In
conversation with the late Frederick w.
Seward. shortly after his return in 1860
from a visit to Alaska-whiCh had been
purchased by his father. William II.
Seward SECRETARY Of State from Russia
for the United states in 1S67-Mr. Seward
said that he was inclined to think that
Dr. Eloodgood WAS the only person at
that tim. living who witnessed the Cere-
mony Of the transfer Of the sovereignty
weeks after Mr.. Seward made this state
ment to ME I met Or. Rloodgood in the
presidents room Of the Lincoln National
Bank of New York. That gave me an
opportunity to ask him how It happened
that he was at Sitka when the United
States received by formal ceremony the
sovereignty of Alaska.
ut was due in part to chance and in
part to misfortune and also to great good
BlOodsood. I'm the early winter Of 1867
tine Navy Department received inforn1a-
ton that yellow fever had become cpl
demic at Panama and that 1t had at
ackcd the sailors and marines who were
on board the warship jamestown at that
port. The Navy Department instructed
me to go at once to Panama and do
what could to suppress the SCOUT ge. ]
found a terrible state of things on BOARD
the jamestown. The fever was In its
most virulent form. / thought that |
was immune, but I was mistaken. |
came down with the fever and how
ever recovered from it don't know.
1T became necessary thoroughly to
disinfect the ship after the scourge had
been conquered. and the Navy Depart
ment was advised that the best way to
do that was to send the jamestown to
the cod climate of Alaska. We sailed
for Stka with what remained of the
crew who had recovered from the
scourge and we arrived there about the
time that the official representatives OF
the United States and Russia met in
that little capital of Alaska. I was in
vited to witness the ceremony of the
transfer of the sovereignty.
1T was a very simple affair. The two
or three representatives of the United
States exchanged visits with the two or
three representatives of Russia. Then
the little battalions of soldiers from
each nation marched to the parade
ground of a very crude Russian fort and
then the Russian flag was hauled down
and the American flag raised. while ST.
multaneously the soldiers of each nation
sallIted the flag few words were
spoken by the Russian officers and a few
by the officer who represented the United
States. and that was all there was to 1t.
Russia had by that act formally yielded
her sovereignty over what used to be
called Russian America to the United
States. Nobody dreamed then how soon
the wealth that was in that peninsular
would be recognized by the world"
tCoyyrisht, 1915. BY z. ]. Edwards. Al nshn
resered.J
Tomorrow DR.. Edwards will tell OF
''Goy. Marcy As a Railroad Advocate"