The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-06-18
A POSSIBLE BONE OF CONTENTION.

But there is very important part Of
Alaska, which is narrow strip of land
extending along the coast from the point
where the 141St meridian touches Mt.
St. Elias down to latitude 81 degrees 40
minutes. According to the treaty, set
ting out from the intersection of the
Portland canal and the parallel of Sc the
Zine of demarcation shall follow the
summit OF the mountains situated paral-
lei to the coast, as far as the point of in
tersection of The dist degree OF west lou
gltude.' Here the existence of a range
of mountains parallel to the coast is as
sumed. Such range was shown on the
old sketch maps of 1926. At present it is
believed that no such range exists. 1t is
possible that doubt existed in the minds
of the treaty makers; Tor in another ar
ticle it was agreed that whenever the
summit OF such range should prove to be
more than 10 marine leagues (about 50
miles, from the ocean, the boundary
should be formed by cline parallel to
the windings of the coast, and which
shall never exceed the distance OF 10 ma
rine leagues therefrom.''
In 1892 convention was entered into
by the United States and Canada, provid-
ing for joint survey of that part of the
line which separates the narrow strip
known as southeast Alaska from British
Columbia. One commissioner was to be
appointed from each country. Hon. w.
b. King OF Ottawa, was selected as the
Brltlsh-Canadlan commissioner and the
uperlntendant of the Coast and Geodetic
Survey as the commissioner on the part OF
the United States. Parties were organ
lied Tor the execution of the work and
started for their destination about the
middle of April. The plan OF campaign
is essentially as follows:
For the coming season onerations will
be confined to the vicinity of three rivers
which cross the narrow strip of territory
involved. They begin Just north of the
Portland canal and are the Unuk. the
Stlkine and the Taku. At the mouths of
these rivers astronomical stations will be
established and temporary observatories
erected. Latitude will be determined by
observation, and longitude by means of a
number of thermometers which will be
carried by the coast survey steamer Has
sler from Sltka to these stations, one after
the other, and back to Sitka, making a
round trip as often as once in two weeks
during the season. Difference of longi-
tude, as every one knows is simply diff
ference of time. The longitude of Sitka
was determined very accurately in the
campaign OF 1892. BY transporting chron-
ometers from Sitka, where an astronomi-
cal station will also be maintained, to each
OF the other points in turn, the respective
differences in local time between these
stations and Sitka will be made known.
The mouths of the rivers being thus ac-
curately located, survey of each river
by system of triangulation from the
mouth to distance of at least ten marine
leagues from the coast, will be executed.
Typographers will also be engaged in re-
conaissance of the interior between these
two rivers, for the purpose principally of
determining whether there exists range
Of mountains parallel to the coast.
Where an accurate delineation of the
several rivers crossing the territory is
available, showing their courses, direc-
tions and distances, it will be possible
for boundary commission to agree on a
line, made up of straight lines joining
selected points on these rivers, which
will be in practical agreement with the
second definition as found in the treaty.
In the opinion of the writer this is the
only rational solution of the problem.
The first definition in the treaty is i'm
possible, and the second, if literally inter-
preteds is imDracticable.
T. G. MENDENHALL,
Supt. U. s. Coast and Geodetic Survey.