The Daily Alaska empire., 1951-10-19

aSka ana especially OA 'ooueAioA7o Alaska. Had it not been won by the Russian invaders under Alexander Barancf back in october, 1894, Southeast Alaska might today be a part of Canada.
 Prior to 1799, Russia held the coast of Alaska west of Cape St. Elias by right of discovery and oc- cupation and had established posts at Kodiak, Unalaska and a number of places on the mainland. The vast interior was an unexplored blank on the maps and nobody was then showing a greal deal of in- terest in it.
 As for Southeast Alaska in 1799, several nations had at least as good a claim to it as Russia. Several Spanish expeditions from Mexico had explored a portion of it's coast. The English explorer, Captain George Vancouver, had uharted most of it's waters. And for a dozen years or more, both British and Yankee vessels had been sailing among the islands, trading for furs.
 But The Russians, under Baranol, established the first settlement In Southeast Alaska at what IS now known as old Sitka in the summer of 1709 and claimed possession of the entire area.
 The Russian claims were greatly weakened in 1902 when this first settlement was wiped out by the Indians. But in 1904 Baranof must cred all the forces at his command and returned to reestablish Sitka.
 Providentially, these forces in- cluded the 400- ton armed ship Neva, in command of Captain Urey Lis ianski. Without her Baranof might not have succeeded.
 When Baranof reached Sitka Sound in September, he found the Indians in a fortified position at Indian River. The Battle of Indian River began on October l, 1904, and lasted until October 6.
 Baranof opened it by leading a landing party in an assault,on the fort. Ten of his men were killed and 26 were wounded, including Baranof himself. The assault was a failure.
 Tie Neva and Her Guns then moved as close as possible aud shelled the fort for several days, without doing it much damage. The Indians were probably in much stronger position than they realized. Had they stayed with the fort they might have prevented the building of Sitka. They might even have discouraged Baranof from es- tablishing any settlement in south eastern Alaska.
 But the Indians abandoned their fort and moved away over the mountains. If the Russians did not win the battle, they were at least in full possession of the field when the battle ended. They built the town of Sitka and began to hunt and trade regularly among the is- lands Of Southeast Alaska and thus to establish their claim of possess sion.
 They were not however, to make good that claim without an argu- ment. It started in 1921, when the Czar ordered all foreign ships out of Alaskan waters. Both Great Brit ain and the United States protested vigorously, and Britain decided it was time to set the boundary be- tween the British and Russians pos sessions in North America
 The Negotiations over this boun- diary were lengthy and complicated. Sir Charles Bagnot represented Britain. Russia was represented by Count Charles Nesselrode and Pierre de Poletica.
 Britain claimed, with justification, that the Alaskan Panhandle is a natural geographical part of Can- ada Russian stubbornness, it can be fairly said, preserved the Panhandle as part of Alaska.
 The first proposal by Great Brit ain placed the boundary line in the center of Cross Sound and Icy Strait, thence up the center of Lynn Canal to it's head, thence due north to the Arctic.
 This line would have taken for Britain all of Southeast Alaska ex- cept the mainland west of Lynn Canal, including the present port of Haines. But Alaska would have gained all of the Klondike gold re- zion, including the present town of Dawson; all of the region traversed by the present Kaines cutoff, and the mouth of the Mackenzie River. This proposal was rejected by the Russians, as were the three that followed.
 The Second Proposal set the main Boundary at l40 degrees west long, ltude from the Arctic to a point on the headwaters of the Donjek River; then to the head of Lynn Canal and thence down Lynn Can- al and Chatham Strait to the ocean. This proposal gave Alaska Baranof and Chichagof Islands, but took away the greater part of the Klon-