The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-07-27

order, Edward. Joe, Grace, David William and Betty.
 The craft. named the Ark of Ju neau because Satko unknowing O Alaska back in Virginia. wanted tt be sure to pick place where there would be a customs house, is no such an unseaworthy craft as ha' been declared.
 Steel Vessel Perhaps it's lines aren't yacht style. but the Ark is here, more ol less in one piece, and it makes less water than lot of boats doing con- mercial work in the country.
 Welder Satko figured he wasn't much of a carpenter, so he made his frame of steel. The 40 feet long craft. eight feet wide and nine feet deep from deck to keel, is of welded steel ribbing, IS inches apart, and one continuous piece of metal. The planking is over an inch thick and we'll caulked.
 Long, Long Trail
 But to appreciate Satko's arrival one will have to go back to the de- pression when so many banks took permanent holidays. That's when Satko lost a nice service station on a busy Richmond street and began taking odd jobs.
 q got tired of living like that so we decided to move. Alaska look ed good, so we built boat"
 The whole family helped in con- structing the vessel. Edward turned metal in manual lathe while his father trimmed down shafts ano things to fit.
 Frame completed, the Ark of Ju- neau. metal skeleton covered with canvas. started it's journey to Ia coma, Washington, welded to a $l5 truck body and the family driving and living within.
 Four months later they drove into Tacoma, where tragedy oyer- took them and a baby boy died, cut ting the number of children tc nine-two grown children arc back in Virginia, both married.
 Eludes
 On April 21, after living on odd work, Satko and his family set sai Tn the arduously planked Ark on their way to Alaska. In Seattle maritime men and state courts were not so friendly. The Satkos lacked certain maritime requirements ir lights, life preservers and so forth until yacht club folks came through
 And then there was the trouble caused by a Supreme Court Judge on the Washington State bench who forbade the children to board the vessel.
 But nothing in the court order said the Satko children and mama couldn't go by automobile, so the Satkos divided forces, Hazel and hel Dad starting out alone for Everett and joining them there. For five days they lived in Ev- erett, and then again portion ot the Satko family went to LaCon- nor by car while Hazel and her Dao went on by Ark of Juneau. | From LaConnor, the family, stil divided by the law and under sur. veillance of the Coast Guard, wen by Ark and by car to Anacortes- "The jumping off place" as Satkt put it.
 Makes a Break
 Thinking it over, Satko decided to make a run for it. Just befOrt the office of the Customs closed he cleared for Ketchikan, and witt the entire family aboard, set out il the wee sma' hours of the morning a drear wind and rain blowing followed course around Orcas Is land to evade the Coast Guard, ant by the time the customs offices il Anacortes were open in the morn ing, he was safely in Canadian wa ters.
 Today in Juneau, Satko realize he will make little change iron the story of his trip, but just nov he declares he doesn't know whethe he will go back to some cove alon, the route or try to find work her and put the children in school.
 His 1927 Buick engine which pow CTS his craft, has done faithful dut all the way, he said, but reduction gears have given him trouble.
 At Point Ashley, half way betweel Petersburg and Juneau, Satko ha to weld two new teeth in the gear and proceed at half speed He doesn' think the engine will go much fur ther
 My transmission's about wore out and my pocketbook too," he smiled
 Definitely a curiosity to hundred who examined the vessel, the Ar drew more or a crowd yesterday thal Secretary of the Interior Harol 1ckes last summer, but the Satko' found much of interest in Junea throngs.
 In fact, when crowd went dow the harbor aboard Kinky Bayer, Forester to photoragph the strang arrival, cooked their cameras an prepared to expose film-Satko "bea them to the draw and took picture 1 If fhar,a