The Arizona sentinel., 1894-01-13
WHO OWNS PoPE's FoLLYq
A Little Island Which Is Still Claimed b
the United States and England.

A Little Island Which Is Still Claimed by
the United States and England
The northwestern boundary of the
United States is still matter of dis
pute. Two commissioners, DR.. Men
denhall for the United States and Mr..
King for Great Britain, have recently
been appointed. They are to deter
mine whether Pope's Folly is on the
American or English side of the line
between Maine and New Brunswick.
The treaty of Washington in 1S42, says
the New York Press, defined this
boundary, and in accordance with its
provisions the initial monument to
mark the line was established the same
year at point near the source of the
st. Croix river. Thence to the south.
ward to the Atlantic the line was to
coincide with the axis of the channel,
or the line of greatest depth. Notwith-
standing its Importance as an interna-
tional boundary, this line, if definitely
determined at the time, was not ac-
curately and permanently fixed. AS
sistant C. II. Boyd, acting under in
structions of the coast survey Office,
organized party in the summer of
1889, and began the work of definitely
establishing the boundary line. There
was at that time no map of the coun-
try on sufficiently large scale to To-
cate the initial monument, and they
were obliged to conduct n lengthy
search, depending almost entirely upon
popular reports in the vicinity. The
monument was evidently discovered,
- - IL
umn in three sections secured to a
bowldcr which is situated in swamp
ground on the town lines of Amity,
Me-, and Richmond, N. Il.
On the north side of the monument
was inscribed Treaty of Washing
ton," on the south side Boundary,
August 0, 1872" and on the east and
west sides the names of the commits
sioners. The monument is l 2-1O feet
square and 0 $40 feet high. In June,
1889, Assistant Eugene Ellicott was
instructed to make a survey of the riy-
er and to determine the channel by
taking systematic soundings In his
report, which is now filed in the ar
chives of the coast survey Office at
Washington, Mr.. Ellicott recommend
ed very strongly survey made with
great accuracy of detail to serve as q
basis for definitely marking the bound
ary. Pope's Folly is situated at the
southern entrance to Passamaquoddy
bay, about one mile to the northward
of Lubec. Me. In case of war the is
land is of the greatest importance, as
the nation possessing it has absolute
control of the entrance to the bay.
The latest United States shydrograph.
ic Office chart, No. 1,247 places the
island on the eastern or Canadian side
of the boundary line, thus giving Eng
land undlsputed possession OF the is
land. The English admiralty charts
of 1912, however, show the island on
the western or American side of the
channel. Our knowledge of this fact
is due to the recent examination of the
charts of that date by DIR. Menden-
hall, who is the present superintend.
ent of the coast survey Office. In ac~
cordance with international law the
boundary was fixed by the axis of the
channel as it existed at the time of the
treaty of Washington, and the bounda-
ry was fixed line, although the chan
mel may have changed. That the
channel has changed is proved by
the knowledge of local shipmasters
and comparison of the charts made
from the survey of 1889 and those in use
IN 1910