The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-08-28
WHERE Is THE LINE?
The Question in Regard to
Alaska's Boundaries.
AN ALASKAN ON THE SUBJECT.
Cause of the Diniculty and Reasons for
Ending It-secret of the Fight
Against Powell.

points of geologysin Oregon and Northern Cali
iorn1a and visited Seattle for the purpose of
gaining Information from Professor O B. John
son, Of the university. Mr. Dali has spent
much of his life in Alaska and is as familiar
with that territory Is any man in the United
states In conversation with PosT-InTELLI-
GEEcER reporter on Alaskan affairs. he said:
Il think southeastern Alaska will be a good
country for its fisheries and for mining and
VIII be valuable to the United States Northern
Alaska has very short summers and will never
De very valuable except for fus. The gold
mineSof the upper Yukon must be good, for
apSut 200 miners go up there every year, and
>suppose they would not do so unless they could
mske wages, especially as they have to pay Is
70 70 cents pound to the Indians for packing.
They now go up the Tya river. instead OF the
Chilcaf, which was formerly the route,
ana cross over the range to the
head OF the Yukon. There is
good deal of gaenaore in the northern part OF the
territory, which contains much silver as well as
lead The mine has been worked and Q ship
was loaded down with the ore, but was lost. In
Cooks Inlet there is an immense bed of COAL
which is not as good as Seattle coal, but 10 bet
ter than the Mt Diablo coal, as it contains no
sulphur. The Russians mined II and used il for
their steamers. When was there in 1850. Sir
Thomas Hesketh's yacht Lancashire WITCH"
used some OF this coal and 1t was reported to
burn we'll I made q survey Of the bay and
coal, lying close to the Shore
IL hope 10 see the boundary question settled
in year or two. 1t is desirable that 1t should
be settled before the country is settled and be-
fore boundary disputes can arise. The greatest
difficulty viii be in regard to the southeastern
boundary. The boundary treaty of 1925 between
England and Russia, by which we are governed,
provides that the boundary shall be the crest of
the range running parallel to the coast or when
that is more than ten marine leagues from the
coast, that the boundary shall be formed by q
line following the windings of the coast and
not more than ten marine leagues from the
coast This arrangement was made upon the
basis of incorrect information about the charac-
ter OF the country. vancouvers map was taken
as guide, and 1t shows single range of noun
tains running parallel to the coasr. The diplo-
mats thought this would make O good natural
boundary. But 1t proves that the mountains
are number OF short ranges running out into
the sea- with bays or arms of the sea running
between, and resemble the outspread fingers of
the hand The question naturally arises, w hich
range is TO be taken as the boundary? Canada
will claim that tho extreme western range is in
tended. while the United States will insist on
the highest of the series OF ranges The secret
of the Canadian contention on this point is that
this narrow thirty-mile strip cuts them off from
the sea for long distance and they have hopes
Of growing wheat quite extensively in that ex-
treme north western section of British Columbia
They are therefore trying hard to secure
large part Of this territory in order
to get their crops on board ship
without carrying them through United States
territory. At the time OF the fishery negotia-
lions under the last administration / was en-
gagged with M-. Dawson. OF the Canadian geo.
logical survey. in discussing this boundary
question, the commissioners thinking that if
we could agree on boundary it would be q just
one. But Mr. Dawson wanted mose than was
Just and the negotiations were broken off, He
proposed to give US large stretch of the inte-
rior in return for this strip, and asked him
whether he would be willing to give us the
Queen Charlotte islands in exchange for the
part of Alaska north OF the Yukon river. He
admitted that he would not, and that disposed
OF his proposition.
"a survey of the boundarysis now being made
and will probably be completed next year. Then
we shall be in position to finally locate the
boundary. Russell Hsrrison's exploring party,
with which two members of the geological sur
vey are unofhcially connected, is now examin-
ing the base of Mount st. Elias. with view to
finding the best point from which to make the
ascent next year This will be the first ascent
OF the mountain ever made. Schwatka only
reached the foothills, and another party climbed
to the crest of the main range. The informa-
ton collected by the Harrison party win be USE
full in defining the boundary. Professor Patter-
son and Captain Nichols have been along the
southeast coast lately and have nearly complet-
ed q survey of the part of the coast related to
the boundary question. They expect to finish
a survey of the actual coast, showing the main
land this season.
"The eastern boundary will not cause any diff
Guilty. for the treaty places 1t at the l41st merid
ian, so that it is simply matter of astronomi-
cal observation. An appropriation for the sur
vey of this boundary was made two years ago.
and party went up the country q year ago to
make it. It Is divided into two subdivisions
under the charge of Messrs. Turner and Me-
Grath. of the coas: survey, one of which went
TO the headwaters of the Yukon proper and the
other TO the head of the Porcupine river, which
is the north branch of the Yukon. The Cana
dams have been taking observations with the
sextant in the same locality, but not such as
could be used for establishing the boundary, as
the party was only sent out for the purpose of
getting an idea OF the geography. Canada will
probably send party theie to make astronomi-
cal observations.
"The sooner this boundary is settled the
better, for now the miners at the head of the
Yukon do not know whether they are in the
United States or Canada Canada charges q Ii
cense fee for placer mining, and if the officials
should attempt to collect il and the miners re-
fuse 10 pay it, international complications
might arise. IL is desirable that this question
should be setted at q time when no such dis
putes exist, and that there should be no delay,
for Canada has pushed the mounted police al
most to the boundary"
what are the prospects OF settling the seal
question:
"a think il will ultimately be referred to arbi-
tration, and no time ought to be lost in arrang-
ing q close season. for at the rate the seals are
now being killed, they will be extinct in two or
three years We were very near a settlement
towards the close of the last administration Ia
q very satisfactory manner. bat the Canadians
raised howl and England withdrew from the
arrangement which had been practically made"
''Can you tell me anything about the fight
against Major Powell on the irrigation survey?"
81 think can make clear the cause of that
fight. Some years ago congress called on Major
Powell to formulate plan OF utilizing the rain
fall by impounding IL In reservoirs Tor irriga-
ton in the arid districts. Major Powell pre-
pared the plan and showed that ft would be
vastly cheaper in the end TO make q general
survey covering the whole region than to try to
do il In scraps. for, il the latter method were
followed, ii would all have TO be done again.
Congress then wanted the geological survey TO
undertake it and made q large appropriation
for the beginning of work. Now comes the
critical point II the survey were made and
the places made known where supply of water
would be available, such knowledge would be
immensely valuable to private inieres's. You
can also see that. II it were possible to take up
this land in the ordinary way, IL would be a.
most impossible to keep the information secret
till the government could avail itself of the
power OF reserving sites for reservoirs Every
body in the field would know and il would be
almost impossible 10 keep the In
formation from getting on. II more
than one party desired 10 get into the irrig alton
business in a particular locality and one party
got the Information ahead OF the other which
would almost inevitably be the case the result
would be that the disappointed parties would
raise the cry of corruption and rsscality, and