Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-28

A NARROW ESCAPE
Perils Of Surveying Party Up in
Alaska.
REPORTED DEAD. BUT WERE SAVED
The News That Has Just Reached
the Coast Survey.
I Mt E r E S TING LETTER.
INT TING LETTER S

The report that was printed some time
ago to the effect that three men connected
with the survey Of the Alaska boundary
line had been drowned in the Unuk river, in
Alaska, now turns out to have been a mis-
take. Letters received by DIR. T. C. Men
denhall. chief of the United States coast
and geodetic survey. give a full account
of the accident, but state that the men
escaped with their lives, although they lost
a large amount of their outfit. The party
which was supposed to be lost was in
charge of Mr.. E. F. Dickins.
This summer there are several parties
sent out under the direction Of the coast
and geodetic survey to follow up the work
which was done last summer In surveying
the boundaries of Alaska. Reports from
two Of these parties have been received
within the last two days. the one in charge
of Mr.. Dickins and the other OF Mr.. John
E. McGrath. The first Is taken up largely
with an account Of the mishaps which
the party has suffered. while Mr.. McGrath's
letter states that the work assigned to
him had been delayed up to the time of writ
ing by the backwardness Of the season.
He describes the past winter In Alaska as
the most severe known even in the men,
DRY of the Oldest Indians resident there.
When he wrote In the latter part of May
snow was five and six feet de~D on a level,
while there were many places where 1t
was thirty to fifty feet in depth.
The Unsettled Boundary Line.
The work In which these various parties
are engaged is being done with a view to
ultimately submitting the question Of the
boundary line between Alaska and the
British possessions to a commission for
final adjudication. 1t Is expected that the
work of preparing map Of the country
will be completed this year. The Canadian
authorities have also been engaged On q
similar work, but in places there Is wide
discrepancy in the results OF the two sur
yeys. Both agree, of course. In the matter
OF topography. but the Canadians set their
boundary line a considerable ways into
what we consider American possessions.
while the line laid out by the United states
laps over a good ways into what Canada
thinks is really her territory. 1t will take
the efforts of a commission to finally settle
the question.
There is no question between the two
governments as to the line which divides
the larger portion of Alaska from the
British possessions. This follows the l4lst
degree of longitude from a point near Mt.
St. Elias due north to the Arctic ocean.
From the southern point of this line, or at
q spot near Mt. St. Elias. the boundary
line runs southeast to a point east Of the
south end of Prince OF Wales Island, and
leaves a considerable amount of seacoast
in the possession of the United States. The
extent of this territory IS not often ap-
preciated until one comes to examine the
map. The south end Of Prince of Wales
Island Is nearly half way between Mt. ST.
Elias and Puget sound. 1t Is just at the
parallel of "a degrees Az. and II the United
States had succeeded In maintaining Its
contention years ago that her possessions
ran to that degree of latitude II would
have given the United States the western
seacoast of North America from the south
end of California to the Arctic ocean. The
United States, however lost her claim In
the 81 degrees 40 matter and 1t now re-
mains to be seen just how this government
will stand 1t out with Great Britain In the
present question of the boundary line be-
tween the two territories.