The Wrangell sentinel., 1955-06-17

birthday of Capt. Sid Burlington, widely known Stikine River skipper and member of one of Seattle's and the Pacific Northwests first fam lilies.
 Except for a very few years dur ing World War II, Capt. Barring ton has been piloting river boats and barges up the Stikine since 1916 and before that, from the gold rush days of '9S to 1916, ran boats on the Yukon. Capt. Barring ton, through all of these endeav- ors always had, until this year, as his associate brother Capt. Hill Harrington who chose this season to stay in Oak Harbor and run his store.
 For more than 50 years the Bar ringtons have been a vital part of Alaska and known over the Terri tory for their river exploits. Their experiences on the river and in gold mining would fill a book - and make fascinating reading.
 One of Puget Sounds first fam lilies, Capt. Sid's father, Capt. Ed ward Darlington, came around the Horn to Seattle from Nova Scotia before the California gold rush. Tn 1853 he came on to Washington Territory and settled at what to- day is Oak Harbor, Whidbey, Is- land.
 His mother came to the Seattle area from Sidney, Australia, about the same time and they were mar ried at Oak Harbor. When Sid came along, and they were looking for a name for their third child, because the mother was from Sid ney, Australia and the father was from Sidney, Nova Scotia, the pro blem was readily solved they decided he should be Sidney.
 The elder Barringtons took up a large tract of land, including what is now the town and the big naval base at Oak Harbor. The father established a trading post and, about 1853 or 54 built a schooner, all of native oak Be- cause his crew did so much com plaining and growing" during construction of the ship, Capt. Ed ward named his ship "The Growl- err Sitka was the only town in Southeast Alaska then of any i'm portance and trade between Sitka and Puget Sound was brisk. Capt. Edward made two trips between Puget Sound and Sitka with The Growler, and then sold her to Ed Lynch, of Fort Wrangell, grand ia ther of Neil Grant, who, on his first voyage out of Seattle with the schooner, ran into difficulties near what is now Metlakatla and the ship went down with all hands.
 Later, Capt. Edward for many years ran mail and passengers be- tween Whatcom (Bellingham) and Olympia ill the schooner Eclipse.
 In 1S49, Capt. Edward Barring ton had run a schooner from Saul salito to San Francisco hauling water to that new and gold-crazed town - hundred years before the Golden Gate bridge.
 So love of the sea, and rivers, comes naturally to Capt. Sid.
 The sturdy oaks that greeted Capt. Edward Burlington on his arrival at Oak Harbor have long since disappeared and given way to bustling city and big naval base. But the hotel where Capt. Sid was born is still there, standing on what was once part of large acreages taken up by the first Burlington on Puget Sound.
 On Capt. Sid's last trip up tC Telegraph Creek, where he arrived June 10, the entire town was wait ing for him. He was presented with a large birthday cake baked as g replica of the river boat Judith Ann, which he pilots today for the Ritchie Transportation Co.,, which bought out the Burlington interests a few years ago. The cake was 6 work of art down to the last de- tail. Outside the pilot house ( frosted figure of Capt. Sid is giv ing orders to a couple of deck hands while the cook, Keena Gib bons, stands aft near her galley A life boat is overturned on the top deck and life-saver life pre- servers hang on the rails. Ahead of the Judith Ann is it's barge frosted in green and brown witl individual cakes depicting tn, numerous fuel barrels the compan! hauls- to Telegraph Creek The cak, was displayed here in the window of the Totem Bakery. Capt. Sid re fused to cut it - it was to be sen
 intact down to Capt. Hill.
 Mayor Lew Williams, Sr.. O
 Wrangell today extended the bes
 wishes and heartiest congratula
 tfcns of the entire community (