find a book title, fiction, published in 1970's or early '80's about
the
escape by boat of indentured workers from a Russian workcamp in Alaska
who journeyed southward in a stolen native boatand endured great
hardship.  Book based upon a short article in a Seattle newspaper in
19th century.

Hi there,

The book in question is "The Sea Runners" by Ivan Doig.

"In 1853, in the farthest outpost of the Czar's empire, many of the
laborers were indentured servants - seven-year men no better off than
slaves. In New Archangel, now Sitka, four of them, all Scandinavians,
stole a canoe and pointed it south toward Astoria, in Oregon, twelve
hundred miles away."
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140067809/qid=1024262961/sr=1-9/ref=sr_1_9/103-7252440-3519801

Some info on the author, Ivan Doig:

http://www.ncteamericancollection.org/litmap/doig_ivan_mt.htm
http://www.medill.northwestern.edu/alumni/honors/profiles/doig.html
http://www.uwyo.edu/wch/bdpwlths.htm

It was published in either 1974 or 1982 - different sources give
different dates. The Library of Congress search engine, which would be
accurate, is not working at present.
http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=hbSearch

Google search used:

escape boat russian alaska novel
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&q=escape+boat+russian+alaska+novel

Best wishes,
robertskelton-ga

I think this may be the book you're looking for. The information below
is quoted from the Barnes & Noble online catalog at www.bn.com :

The Sea Runners 
Ivan Doig

Format: Hardcover, 288pp.
ISBN: 0689113021
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's
Pub. Date: January  1982
Edition Desc: 1st edition

Format: Paperback, 288pp.
ISBN: 0140067809
Publisher: Viking Penguin
Pub. Date: October  1990
Edition Desc: REPRINT

From the Publisher
In 1853, in the farthest outpost of the Czar's empire, many of the
laborers were indentured servants -- seven-year men no better off than
slaves. In New Archangel, now Sitka, four of them, all Scandinavians,
stole a canoe and pointed it south toward Astoria, in Oregon, twelve
hundred miles away.

This adventurous story pits its characters against the sea and
ultimately against each other. The four sea runners -- glib, gangly
Melander, silent Karlsson, the thief Braff, and sour, doubting
Wennberg -- must weather the worst the ill-named Pacific can throw at
them. And must, day upon day, guided as much by instinct as by map,
simply paddle, stroke upon stroke, toward the mouth of the Columbia
River.

.
ACK!  I swear I only clicked once! Don't know what glitched, and my
apologies for that inadvertent triple posting.

By the way, I already had the info when I came back and found the
question locked, so when it unlocked I figured I might as well give it
to you.  There are several editions listed at the site, and I believe
there's even a taped version.

Now I will VERY carefully click once and close this window....

TexasT