The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, March 31, 1940, Page 27

ALASKA PEAT DEVELOPMENT 1S FORECAST Engineers for Commercial Concerns Investigate Southeast Bogs By J. M. WYCKOFF U. 8. Forest Service The harvesting of I for com- mercial purposes is an dustry. Its use as fu dates far g old in- for horticultural purposes, poultry itter, stable bedding and fruit and | vegetable packing. Areas of highly | decomposed peat are drained and| intensively cultivated. | The peat bogs of British Colum- bia produce several thousand tons of peat annually, principally for | the markets of the United States.| In 1938 approximately 65000 tons of baled peat were imported into the United States from Europe. A number of small peat bogs are found Washington, Oregon and Cali- fornia, and some of these are being Alaska Bogs Extensive Alaska are by far the most exten- e in the coastal sections of the jnited States. They frequently | occur within a few hundred fee(‘ of the salt water shore, and single meadows or “muskegs’ may cover eral thousand acres. Alaska peat is usually acid in ion This | chemica the pro- duct highly use in in roving the ¢ agricultural soils of various sections of the le—\ cific Northwest and California A sample shipment of one ton of Alaska peat which was sent to P: cific Coast importers by the For- est Service was found to be fully equal in quality to the European peat. | attle and San Francisco have led to return, this totem, studies of mechanical dehydration its feet burned, returns to Alaska methods adaptable to Alaska con- where it was born. Depth Varies The depth of the commercial bod-; ies of peat in SBoutheastern Alaska | varies from three feet to 20 feet, and scientists say that these deeper deposits represent the accumulation of wegetable matter by growth and decay over periods of several thou- sand years. On many areas the growing surface cover of the peat| bog is principally dense sphagnumj moss, which in its natural and un- decomposed state is of high com-| mercial value. But the underlying mass of vegetable matter — moss, sedg: shrubs, etc, which shows mor center. ming pool is now being built in the Evergreen Bowl, Juneau, a natural amphi theatre, h Pictured are the tennis courts and administration building. Playfield for Juneauites been developed as a recreational A concrete swim- Bowl by the City of Juneau. progress downward, is commercially progress dowmward, ks <ot et eattle’s Pioneer S(Iuare In the fall of 1939 a study was e of the production of peat in worked for commercial productlon4‘g“rlgmh cmungbm for. commercisl | use. This study indicated that un- The peat bogs of Southeastern | der certain conditions Alaska peat san make a place for itself in the competitive markets of the Pacific Coast. Market Factors Factors governing the marketing | possibilities are | portation cost from Alaska to Se- | tem w: attle; second, an economical meth-|man for duplication. It ws od of mechanical dehydration (¢ drying in our humid atmosphere is of impossible) ; third, the establishment carve the new totem. We of a plant at a settled community hoast of extra skill in this where labor, power, docking facili- work, tes, etc., are already established. |try to make this our mas The transportation companies op- erating in Alaska satisfactory freight rate Totem to be Replaced; Native Carver Explains By CHARLES BROWN Head Carver, Saxman Na Totem Crew The Seattle Pioneer s recently shipped to S and brought down by enrollee Jim- my Peele of Kasaan from Kina Cove, and will be used for the new square to- pole. The history of our fathers' to- tems is nearly dead, but now wzain being brought to life. Once more our old familiar totem poles will proudly face the world with new war paints. The makers of these old poles have not died in piece. vain. May these old poles help bring The original of the Seattle totem about prosperity to our people. - - First, low trans- in four sections. T cman Village were ¢ 1= portes but we are really have offered a was carved 40 years ago at Ton Confer- Village, but like humans who, whe ences with interested parties in Se- | having once lived in Alaska, always AMER'(AN fUR ditions. The large bogs adjacent to the ———————— B e having gotten LAWS COMPILED The fur Jaws of the various States, Canadian Provinces, Alaska and A fine red cedar was located town of Petersburg have been %n-|domestic supply should now be de- Newfoundland have just been ab- tatively selected for the pioneer |yelgped. peat harvesting enterprise. bogs comprise more than 1,600 acres. Cut Off by War stracted and assembled for publica- Present economic conditions seem tien by the Bureau of Biological | to favor Alaska as the source of this Surv |supply. Interested parties in Se- Entitled, These | “Abstract of Fur Laws, The Pacific Coast peat market attle and San Francisco are study- 1039-40," the leaflet contains infor- now amounts yearly to approximate- |ing all phases of the Alaska situa- mation concerning the seasons for ly 250,000 bales each of 100 to 120 | tion, with engineers Most of this has been com- | the investigations on the ground ing from Germany and the Scandi- The present year should see the es- regulations, navian countries | and more decomposition with | present European war an additional vesting enterprise in the Territory. pounds Alaska Electri 2nd dnd Franklin Sts. heading up various species, possession and sale regulations, shipment and export licenses required, and but due to the | tablishment of the first peat har- bag limits. It is avauable to the HiE @VUT of the years of yesterday — years that cradled the beginning of the development of the power and light industry and accompanying services—swiftly and surely has grown fo foday. What was once the flickering oil lamp age, when housework meant incessant drudgery, has de- veloped our modern era of adequately lighted homes with our everyday life mode more live- able and carefree by that great servant to man- kind—ELECTRICITY. The story of progress of electricity — which dates back to the pioneer days-is revealed by the modern utilities of today. Progress never ceases with a public service company. Through the years they have work- JUNEAU 6 — THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE, SUNDAY, MARCH 31 ¢ Light and Power Co. PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT EDITION GOVERNMENT COMES TO RESCUE OF VANISHING TOTEMS By LINN A. FORREST U. 8. Forest Service Along the waterways, amid rug- ged mountains, a primitive people long ago found incentive to erect strange memorials commemorating | arfcestral deeds and ‘“explaining” incidents of every-day occurence These stories, or histories if you will, were carved on red cedar poles, some of which attained a height of more than 60 feet. We call them totems. Just when these carvings first began is not known, although ac- counts of the earliest voyages to Alaska give scant attention to them. Scme late authorities would even tell us that the practice started since the days of the first Russian setlers. This may be refuted by disclosing that definite knowledge of totems carved since the arrival of the Russians show changes to conventional treatments of feathers on the wings and bodies of birds. | Then there is the story told of a strangely carved pole being cast up- on the shore near Old Tongass Vil- lage from which all totems had their inception. | Today, however, when the Natives are asked as to the origin of this 1 practice they simply answer b 4 do not know.” Of this much we are sure; that in the history of no oth-| er people was an art ever so highly developed in the three or four gen- erations some would have us believe | was the extent of totemic carving. Art Almost Lost Not many years ago the travelers to Alaska saw numerous Native vil- lages with large community houses and rows of totem poles. At this time Native art flourished and the outside world soon learned of and came to see this Totem Land. But as the White man settled, the Na- | tives abandoned their own villages for economic reasons, or for protec- tion, and their art retrogressed and community houses and poles fast were falling prey to the elements. Two years ago not one original {history of the buildings and the | poles is recorded. The stories which | they tell are made the more inter- | esting because of their ties with the | vague past. They tell of the days | long ago when the world was in to-, | tal darkness and of how the sun, moon, stars and humans and ani- mals were created. They also ex- {plain in their way how tides were | first formed and of the world's_ flood. Close touch with Nature led to be- liefs that animais could change themselves intoc humans at will and that some humans could change into | animals. That each could speak and | understand the other’s language was an accepted fact. Future generations of travelers to Totem Land may now continue | to enjoy a distinctive art which | flourished near the end of the 19th Century. Fish o Gold? | Argument Settled Once There is sometimes an argument in Alaska, Many oldtimers think mining is Alaska’s past glory and its future hope. Others think the fisheries not only have outweighed mining in em- ployment and value but will con- tinue to do so. | In case the argument waxes too | warm, peacemakers might cite the odd case of a combination of the two; a halibut was caught off Al- aska several years ago which con- tained a few fine flakes of gold in its intestines. The halibut, caught |off Yakutat where gold-bearing black sand has been reported, was ld in Prince Rupert, Canada & / - | I Subbea James Peele, son of Chief Son-i-hat. is one of the Native ‘BY-PROD“(IS OF workmen employed in reconstructing his father’s com- munity house at New Kasaan near Ketchikan. Peele is | PNB".OF SEA[S pictured here standing by the totem columns which | PROVE VALUABLE served—and will serve—as pillars to support the roof of ccmmunity house was standing hethi Ses ; e house. o i;;:z:er cfimf ts hlad been made 2 The Government-operated fur seal L0 pres a few poles, as at the - industry on Alaska’s Pribilof Islands Sitka Natlonal Monument, where 16 had been placed, and at the Old Vil- | Totems were then brought from|is g lage of Kasaan. This latter place the abandoned villages to Klawock, | pr was also set aside as a National Hydaburg, New Kasaan, otems are repaired the entire pole 100 Being Restored | produces valuable by-products. At iven three coats of a clear wood | tho by products plant on the fsland ervative. Paint which has hl‘ul'.‘"‘ 1938, some 7085 cubic feet of Saxman | especially prepared to match the | pjubher or about 368,420 pounds, e Monument but received no care, and and Wrangell. Other poles already | original colors is then applied and |31 805 fur seal Wi\r(‘i;&\l‘~ \\'rn-“run» houses and poles alike were falling in Ketchikan and Sitka were in- a final preservative treatment| gered into oil and ,,‘(\;1 4 into decay cluded in this program so that in | added Taken to Seattle the meal—to- For many years the Forest Service | all more than 100 totems are now At new Kasaan the old commun- | taling considerably over 325,000 recognized the toll being taken, being restored. ity house of Chief Son-i-hat is near- | pounds—was mme& over to the Di- knew that soon this art would be| The work is done entirely by Na- completion and the restoration |vision of Fish Culture for use in lost to posterity, but not until the | tives using old-style knives and|of Chief Shake's house at Wran- | Federal fish hatcheries throughout fall of 1937 were funds made avail- adzes. All rot is removed from the|gell has begun. These unusual|the country. Some of the oil was able for restoration purposes. Con- |poles and new inserts of red cedar | buildings, whose only light was from |sent to New York for experiments tacting the owners, titles to the placed where required. Large checks | the smok wwle in the roof and|in processing seal skins, the rest best-preserved of all these poles were are then filled and the entire sur- which were unique in their mgm\lmh'}wns sold under competitive bidding obtained by the Government so face of the pole re-adzed. Authen- | framing metheds and stepped floor |in Seattle. Some of both oil and minute detail | levels, will be completed this spring. | meal was kept in the north for use is foremost in all work. When the Where obtainable the complete as fox feed. funds could be expended to restore ticity to the most | them ed incessantly @nd unfailingly, anticipating the needs of their customers. Years of tedious work and careful planning have been necessary. to de- velop services to the high standards that now prevail. Today, the management is constantly “look- ‘ ing ahead”’ building for future growth, guarding the interests of its customers by the development of new ideas and improved methods which will bring additional benefits to people living in Ju- neau now served. Phones—616