El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-02-26

SLAMS, but Baranof came back with a
gunboat and starved the indians into
submission. Before they left the fort
when BaIanof landed he found tire
Oily live occupant was single Old
woman.
Baranof then moved the site Of Sitka
eight miles, to where the town now is,
and he erected the great log buildings.
many of which were here when we
took possession. It was about the time
he came to Sitka that he Russian Fur
company was formed. This was mo-
. nopoly backed by the government. the
car and the empress and many Of the
nobility being among the stockholders
4 Baranof continued to manage the terri
tory until 1917, when, through misrep-
resentation and underhand political
work. he was depOsed. He left Sitka
and died on his way home at Batavia,
Java, in 1873.
Russia offers to Sell.
Alaska continued to belong to Russia
from the death of BananOf until 1867.
Complications. however, were arising
as to the territory with the British
who. under the Hudson's Bay company,
were pushing their trading stations
from the Mackenzie river on to the
lest the territory should fall into the
hands of Great Britain. At the time of
the Crimean war 1t offered to sell us
Alaska, but president Pierce refused to
become a party to the transfer
The matter was again taken up when
Buchanan came in, at which time an
offer of $4,000, 900 was made by us, but
was declined by the Russians. The
negotiations were continued but we
were then in the thick of the troubles
he GOntb
ended in the civil war. The pro-slavery
element would not agree to the pur-
chase Of any more territory that was
likely to be non-slaveholding, and the
subject was dropped until after the
close Of the war.
It was in 1863 that the Western I'M
ion Telegraph company planned TO
build a land line across North America
to Asia, and a little later sent explora-
ton parties down the Yukon and over
the Seward peninsula to Boring strait
and into Siberia. They explored the
Yukon valley and brought forth new
information regarding Alaska The
company was about ready to push the
line through when the Atlantic cable
was found to be success and the
work dropped In the meantime an in
creased interest had sprung up regard
ing Alaska. The negotiations for its
purchase were resumed and. to cut short
a most interesting story Russia offered
to sell the territory to us for about two
cents an acre. The actual figures were
S7000,0 600, with an extra 100000 which
was to go to settle the claims OF the
Russians already residing there and
pay the cost Of the transfer.
Deal f. Closed Mt Midnight.
This proposition was discussed by
the two governments, and il was late
one night that baron Stoeckl, the Rus |
sian ambassador, came to the house OF
William H. Seward, our secretary OF
i
received dispatches from the car au-
thorizing him to make treaties to that |
effect Secretary Seward was playing |
whist at the time and the ambassador !
said that he would come to the state |
department on the morrow to make !
the treaty. Secretary Seward replied: |
Why should we wait until tomorrow.
Mr. Ambassador. Let US make the treaty /
tonight"
But the department is closed re- |
piled the Russian you have no clerks, /
and my secretaries are scattered about 4
the town"
Never mind that" said secretary |
Seward. 'T can easily get the neces- |
gether your legation by midnight you /
will find us awaiting you at the de-
partment and we will settle the bust I
ness"
To this the ambassador consented.
They met at u o'clock at the depart /
ment of state and by a. m. the treaty
was engrossed. signed and sealed and 4
ready FOR transmission to the senate. |
II was near the close Of the season. |
but the friends OF Alaska were brought !
to the front and within a month from
that time the treaty had been approved /
and Alaska was ours.
New MIME IL Sought.
Up to that time the territory had /
been known as Russian America It /
needed a new name. and all kinds of
ridiculous titles were suggested. One !
was The Zero Islands," another ANDY /
Johnscn's Polar Bear Garden" and a
third ''Walrus-sia-" The treaty was
called the polar bear treaty and the
senator's who favored It were dubbed
the Eskimo senators. The name ALAS
ka" was finally chosen at the instance
Of Charles Sumner. who said that Il
was the title which the natives used
and which, translated means The Great
Mainland"
Flag Refuses to Come Down.
The ceremony Of taking possession
on Friday, the 18th of October, 1867. !
Two hundred American soldiers under
zen. JEFFERSON c. Davis took their POSI- |
non on the east side of the flagstaff
"hlcn stood near the castle, and an
equai number OF Russian soldiers were
ined up opposite them. It was $3.50 |
o'clock IN the afternoon when the Rus
sian captain ordered the Russian flag
% ne pulled down. The men tried to do
90 Dut the flag had caught in the ropes
ana would not move A Russian sol
Her was ordered to climb the flagstaff
md bring down the flag He tried to
10 SO and failed. Another man tried
IND did not succeed. A third attempt
vas made, and the man got the flag. |
out II slipped from his hands, was
'aught by the wind and carried out so
nat 1t fell on the bayonets of the Rus
nan soldiers. The incident was so af-
ecting that the princess Maksutoff. |
VINO was present with the Russians.