St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1893-08-12
THE ALASKAN BOUNDARY.

The Canadian scientific expedition,
which is to take part with our own sur
veyors in the delimitation of the south
ern boundary of Alaska, has sailed from
| Vancouver The United States party,
numbering nearly fifty surveyors and as
sistants, has also started for its destina-
ton. The boundary between Alaska
and the Dominion has already been
located from Mount ST. Elias north to the
| Arctic Ocean, distance of about 700
miles. This survey along the 141st
meridian, which was completed nearly
two years ago by our surveyors, has been
accepted by the British Government.
The undetermined portion of the boun-
Diary is that from Portland Channel at
the soutern terminus of Alaska on the
sea, to Mount St. Elias, and the fact that
this part of the country requires delimi
tation at this late date is due to defects
in the treaty of 1925 between Great
Britain aud Russia, defining the boun
Diary between their territories.
This treaty, after describing the boun-
Diary line as beginning at the southern
most extremity of Prince of Wales
Island, traces it from that point north
westward along the SUBMITS of a
range of mountains parallel to the coast
to the Hist meridian, thence following
that meridian in an unbroken line due
north to the Arctic Ocean, 1t happens,
however, that no such range of noun
tains parallel to the coast, as was sup
posed to exist, has been discovered, and
it was therefore necessary to take advan
tagc of another provision of the treaty,
which specified that when the summit of
this range of mountains was at a greater
distance from the coast than ten marine
leagues. the boundary should be formed
by a line drawn parallel to the windings
of the coast, but never more than ten
marine leagues from the shore.
The country is very broken and dense
ly wooded, and the cost of fixing this
continuous boundary line parallel with
the thirty miles from the innumerable
indentations of the coast at every point
would be enormous. For this reason the
British and United States Governments
agreed, last summer, to carry out joint
survey at certain points stretching north
ward from the upper end of Portland
Channel to Mount st. Elias, and thereby
obtain information that would enable
the Commissioners of the two Govern
ments to agree upon the boundary with
out mourning the expense Of a minute,
exhaustive survey. This is the work
that the two surveying parties now sent
out are expected to do.
They are to fix upon a considerable
number of places distant thirty miles
from the coast line, and with this data
the boundary will be drawn to connect
the points whose position has been ascer
taircd without going to more expensive
surveying. The two parties are expected
to return from Alaska by the end of DC.
tobcr. Our surveyors will be explorers as
well, and it is expected that they will re-
turn with good deal of information
about native tribes and the plant and
animal life of the country they will visit,
a part of which has never yet been ex-
p!ored. Some of the party will make
special inquiry into the mineral resources
of this southeastern part of Alaska, par
ticularly along the Stickinc river, where
several rich gold mines are already being
worked with great profit.