The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-11-23
BOUNDARYALL RIGHT
StevensOn's Scheme to Annex
Blaine and Sumas Fails.
THE DIFFERENCE IN SURVEYS.
e. G. Archer Denounces as False the
Story of the Surveyor Blunder-
Difference on Foot.

MI f. e. Archer, one of the pioneers of Puget
sound, man thoroughly conversant with the
incidents relative to the running of the inter-
national boundary line between British
Columbia and Washington, was interviewed
by PosT-lSTELLIGENCER reporter yesterday
concerning the statement of Robert Steven
son, OF Chilliwhack in an article published in
the PosT-lNTELLIGENCER of November 19, that
there was an error OF 300 yards in the location
OF the initial post at Point Roberts. which, if
rectlneu, would place the whole of Sumas and
a considerable portion of Blaine within the
province OF British Columbia. Mr.. Archer was
very much worked up over the matter, and
said:
The writer of that article told lie when
truth would have done better. In reply to the
question put in the heading of the article, '.Is
sumas in Canada l say most emphaticalIy
"No."
The boundary line between Washington and
British Columbia was run by the two most in
telngent nations on earth, and the men selected
to do the work were the most capable that
the story as it has appeared lately have related
a willful falsehood if they know anything
about the facts of the case.
> At the time OF the Fraser river excitement, in
1898, steamers brought miners from san Fran
cisco and landed them at Bellingham bay
From there they spread out, some going TO
s semiahmoo bay. where Blaine now
Point Roberts to the Fraser river. At Semiah-
moo bay three towns were started, one on the
spit, which is in the United States, another on
the American side opposite, and the third at the
mouth of Campbell river. The government sur
veying parties came to this Semiahmoo bay, and
both started work from this point. instead of
working in opposite directions, as was stated by
Mr.. Stevenson.
i went to Semlahmoo bay when the Fraser
river excitement was fresh in the minds of all
and the incidents connected with the inter-
national survey were much talked about Alex
ander Hemphill was operator and lineman at
Semiahmoo bay at the time of the survey, and
told me that the English gunboat came to the
American settlement On the spit, one reason
being that the water was deep and afforded a
good landing. The officers and surveyors stayed
on board, but the working men came on shore
ana stayed. Through courtesy the American ana
British surveying parties exchanged sides. Two
months were takeu up in making calculations.
taking observations and locating the initial
point. In the meantime the line was run across
Point Roberts and the posts were placed.
Each party consisted of thirty men and when
they commenced to run the line east road
thirty feet wide was cut each side of the line.
In working into the interior the Fraser river
was used as means to bring in supplies and
the final base was located at Fort Hope. From
here they cut a trail over which supplies could
be packed in to them and which is and ha. al
ways been known as the boundary trail.
In the fall of 1872 took claim at Semiahmoo
and remained there ten years. During that
time never a word was said about the line being
inaccurate, except once when a captain, who
stock the sun" off Point Roberts, said that the
49tn parallel nau not oeen correctly marked. In
the year 1864 was prospecting for coal on the
Columbia river, and had partner who was at
Fort Coville, in the northeastern part of the
state, when the surveying parties reached that
place. / learned from him that the Ameri-
can and British surveying parties had
worked together. but each ran the line
separate from the other and kept it's own figures.
At the northeastern corner of Washington the
parties compared notes and discovered that they
were twelve inches apart. Both claimed to be
correct and they Quarreled for six weeks. At
the end OF that time they obtained an observa-
ton which proved that the Americans were
right and the English instruments were sent to
San Francisco to be corrected.
Mr.. Archie: said that Alexander Robertson,
who was man in one of the surveying
parties, was a companion of his during portion
OF the time he lived at Semahmoo bay and
could corroborate his statements.