Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-27

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boundary line which
determines whether the summit of the
mountain in question is located In. Ameri-
can or British territory. The reports sent
abroad several weeks ago, stating that we
had lost one of our many physical wonders.
were probably due to a confusion of the
standards of marine and land measure
ments, an error to which any one not IA
mfliar with the science of surveying might
be liable. The treaty of 1861, by which we
acquired our arctic possession from Russia.
stipulates that the boundary lne In this
vicinity, shall extend back from the coast
ten marine leagues or thirty marine miles.
equal to about thirty-five statute miles. Mr..
McGrath found the top of Mt. St Elias to
be 1858 statute miles inland, which puts the
much talked-about mountain in our pos
session by one and seven-tenths miles.
Mr.. McGrath whom 1 interviewed few
(fays ago Immediately upon his arrival at the
survey was one of the last few members OF
his party to reach Washington. He has
been in the north since last April his work
during this time being principally around
Mt st. Elias where he mas been estapiisn-
ing coast line and determining the relation
OF this line to the mountains inland. he
SAYS Without expressing the slightest doubt
that hns observations in regard TO the ioea-
ton of this mountain are correct anu mat
in the final event of settlement or the
boundary-the question with EnSfand-heIe
will be no grounds for dispute. the surveying
having been most carefully performed under
his direction, although many weeks were
expended in waiting for the weather 10 per
nit a clear view of the summit. AT every
point where stake was driven or marx
made the temperature was recorded ana the
refraction estimated. He described MS COL
leagues sent by the Canadian government,
as most eongenial, and says that so tar
there has been no disagreement OF results
the ngures of 10th gCVernme nts corropofat-
ing one another in almost every DETAIL
Some Disputed Points.
The didiercr.ces which will arise betWeen
Uncle Sam and his foreign cousin, how
ever, will come later. when the boundary
board meets for a permanent decision. Ac-
cordjng to the Russian treaty the line be-
tween the long southern strip of Alaska
and the British province Is determined by
the SUBMITS of such mountain ranges as
are on the coast. Where there are no
ranges directly on the coast, but inland,
more than thirty-fve statute miles, the
line is situated that distance thirty-iive
miles, back. Now. England, of course, viii
argue that the many mountains scattered
along shore, through most of this strip,
should be included within the category OF
connected ranges, whereas we will define
them only as separate points and that our
strip should remain about thirty-hye miles
wide almost in its entirety.
to the very beginning of the boundary. The
treaty states that ii shall commence at
the southernmost point of Prince of Wales
Island, proceeding north along Portland
channel as far as the fifty-sixth latitude.
According to our present maps, which state
very clearly what the United States au-
thorities are going to claim, the line goes
directly east from the point of the island
for about seventy-five miles before taking
this turn north through Portland channel.
There was probably an error made on the
part of the board or the person writing the
treaty since 1t is impossible for this chan
mel to be reached without first taking the
cut east. If Portland channel was really
meant as the boundary's limit the treaty
should have read: From Prince of Wales
Island east to Portland channel and then
north" or If due north was put there to
stay, it should have said north through
Clarence strait" which is to the west of
the channel So the orly question which
Uncle Sam and John Il. going to ask
one another is. what are you going to do
about it?' If the Britishers gain the point
merely because this little word was left out.
We will lose about 6,OO0 square miles of our
territory.
st. Elias Not the Highest.
But even had Mount st. Elias been lost
to this country Mr. McGrath is of the
opinion that still Our banner could wave
higher than that of Great Britain. 1t Is
true that on the map which the survey
marked at 1910 feet. whereas that of
Mount Wrangel, 200 miles to the northwest,
appears at 1880, there being a difference
considerably less than the height of our
Washington monument in Washington.
Mr.. AIcGrath. who Is the best authority in
the world on the height of Alaskan noun
tains, expressed to the writer his strong
belief that Mount Wrangel is the higher or
the two. The computations for determin-
ing the height of st. Elias are beyond dis
pute, having been made several times with
the best Instruments, but the measurements
of Wrangel were made by Lieut.. Allen,
United States army, who some years ago
made a flying trip to this locality, using
simple sextant, which cannot be relied
upon for accurate results Wrangel Is To-
Gated 40 miles back from the sea, whereas
ST ELIAS is but So; yet sailors have seen
the former far out in the Gulf of Alaska,
where the curvature of the earth would be
more than 1900 feet. The natives OF
Alaska, who have lived around both OF
these mountains are also of the opinion
that wrangel is the higher of the two. 4.
Mr.. McGrath's party camped on the beach
in front of the great Meiaspina glacier
from the middle of May until the lSt or
August They reached this part of the
country just in time to witness the close OF
one of the most severe winters ever e&-
perienced in this section of the arctic re-
gions. In some places the snow was from
forty to fifty feet deep. Birds lay frozen In
the woods and the natives were all threat
ened with famine. The crops, usually
plan ted IN the carry SpTlnS Cculu hot uV
mt In the ground until late in July, when
the spring rains started in, to last almost UP
to the time of the party's departure The
Oldest Indians HAD never known such
seq SON in their lives.
Mr.. McGrath describes the scenery as
most beautiful during this time, the whole
of the seacoast being a crust of marble
hills with no Indication of the naked earth
except where the waves at high tide wash
ed thc extreme edge of the beach. But this
condition OF affairs did not impede the pro-
cross of the survey, although no stakes
could he driven as long the snow lasted,
and although the men had to wade almost
waist deep in the slush as they carried the
tame Since it was impossible to drive 8
stake milk cans were buried in the snow as
markers. to which tags were tied bearing
the measurements and the temperature at
each point.
Alaska Territory.
Although the work on the Alaskan boun-
tflry. begun in Mr. ClevelanPs former ad-
ministration, is now practically at an emo
as far as the United States is concerned.
Mr. AIcCIrath Is of the opinion that at least