Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-10
ALASKA BOUNDARY SURVEY
The Work Of TIL, Various Parties During
the Past Season.
The Canadian Government Also Rem
re.ented-Procurinr Information.
for the Boundary Commi.sion.

1
ing 1t all summer on the Alaskan frontier
has returned. and soon all the members
1 will be home again, to work up their re-
| suits for the use Of the commissioners who
Will represent our side of the internati onal
argument on this intricate boundary aues-
ton. Last season a good beginning was
made. and this year the entire preliminary
survey has been completed With the data
now in hand. the commissioners can agree
or disagree-on the disputed points, and
In case OF agreement the boundary line can
be laid down on a map and its position To-
| Gated on the spot by reference to points
| already determined. The treaty itself ia a
| good model Of ambiguity, inasmuch as 1t
| defines the boundary of southeastern Alas
| ka as along range Of mountains. which
| may or may not exist, and in lieu thereof.
along line at distance of ten marine
leagues from the coast, parallel thereto,
ana following the meanderings thereof,
| or words to that effect. The uncertainty
| Of such a definition becomes apparent when
| 1t Is remembered that the coast referred to
| Is about as deeply indented and broken up
as that of Norway.
Last year there were five parties of the
United States coast and geodetic survey
| in the field. under Messrs. McGrath, Ogden
Tittmann, Dickens and Ritter, and repre-
sentatives of the survey were attached TO
the Canadian parties. This year those In
charge Of Messrs Dickens and McGrath
sailed from San Francisco on the Patter-
son, and those in charge of Messrs. Pratt,
Flemer and Ritter on. the Hassler. from
Seattle, rendezvousing at Port Townsend
and sailing thence on April -. The two
steamers proceeded to Burroughs bay, at
the mouth Of the Unuk river, where Mr..
Dickens party was landed-seven men in
alto finish the work on that river, COM
menced last year.
They then went to Fort Wrangell, picked
UP the stores and tents left there at the
MI, nf To- a.rrly ~ 20
Juneau, where they separated. The Pat
terson took MIR. McGrath to YOkutat bay.
near Mt. St. Elias. and the Hassler land
ed the parties of Messrs. Pratt. Flemer and
Ritter on the shores of Pyramid harbOr,
near the head of Chilcat inlet. At the lat
ter point a field observatory was establish
ed. with Mr.. Hayford in charge, and the
three parties were encamped there for
Chilcoot inlet, Mr.. Ritter to Chiicat river
and MIR. Pratt worked from Seduction Point
to the sand flats at the mouth Of the Chill
cat and thence up the river about thirty
five miles from Seduction Point, and up
ChilcoOt river and Taiya inlet and river.
Mr.. Ritter moved up the Chilcat, using the
plane table for topography and covering the
country for about thirty miles to the west
ward and far enough eastward to meet MIR.
F7emer. who went up the Chilcoot and
Taiya with plane table and camera, putting
in the topography on both sides.
There Were Narrow Escapes.
some rough experiences. Mr.. McGrath had
a boat swamped. and lost all his provisions
while landing in theSsurf at Yokutat bay.
and the party lived On seal oil for week or
3d. Mr.. Fiemer hAa q boat swamped and
provisions spoiled Mr.. Ritter's party had
q canoe upset and lost a stove. Mr.. Dick
ems in the early part of the season. as al
ready mentioned IN these columns, lost a
boat which was srrnped on snag In the
aui of HxA mn Va hpn
ant, MIR. Tinsley, very nearly lost his life
So that, all things considered. the safe re-
turn of all the parties with no serious i'll
jury, or even Sickness from their exposure,
is creditable to themselves and a subject
for congrat ulation to their friends.
The Hassler left pyramid harbor with
Messrs. Pratt, Dlckeps. Flemer. Ritter and
HayfOrd, August ~, and went to Sitka,
where she met the Patterson with Mr..
McCirath's party. M. Dickens party WAS
transferred to the Patterson, and both
steamers proceeded south, stopping at De-
parture bay, British columbia, Tor coal. and
reaching Port Townsend on August 80.
Thence tine Patterson went to San Fran
cisco and the Hassle: to Seattle, where
they will probably winter.
1t Is of interest to note that McGrath's
observations confirm his previous determi-
nations of the height of Mt. Logan u9.JOO
feet, and this giant peak, whose triple
SUBMITS overtop st. Elias by some 800 feet,
must retain its title as the dome of the
continent" unless, perchance. some slightly
higher peak be discovered in the almost I'M
explored depths of this great range, now
known the St. Elias Alps.
The Chilcat Indians, who have given some
trouble in the past, were very peaceably dis
posed this summer. The various parties
obtained very complete sets of photographs,
and the results of the work must be not
orly of national Importance, but of great
popular and scientific value. The danger
involved in such exploration can be best
appreciated by those familiar with the con-
IN ho I.a1 nCt Tro-
tation up the rivers was difficult on account
Of the swift current and numerous snags
and sand bars, over which the crews would
often have to drag their boats. Where the
current was too swift to keep in midstream
the boats would track along the banks, the
party camping out in the evening and stop
ping now and then to work into the interior
and survey the surrounding country. For
tunately. the prevailing wind was upstream,
and rhis was of great assistance, as all
the boats had sails.
The Canadian Method.
The field observatory at Pyramid harbor
worked in connection with another estab-
hshed at Sitka, in charge of Morse. Obser-
vations were taken at each for latitude
Qwo nights, Talcotts method, and longi-
tude or time every clear night, and the
"Hassler made eight round trips between
the two. carrying nine chronometers for
comparison. In this way the exact differ
erce of longitude was obtained, with an
extremely small probable error, and thus
the longitude of the Pyramid harbOr OBJ
servatory was established from the known
longitude of Sitka, and thence the longitude
of all the points connected by triangulation
with that point.
The seven or eight Canadian parties used
the Photographic method of surveying al
| most entirely. taking photographs in vari-
GUS directions from the submits of peaks
whose positions We're determined trigono-
| metrically. In this way they covered a very
large area, and they are still at it,
The value of the region in dispute is
| problematical, and dependent largely upon
such mineral wealth as may be developed in
the future. In addition to this, fish and
| furs are about the only possible source Of
revenue.
Mr.. McGrath and Mr.. Ritter will be here
| probably in a couple of weeks, and Mr.
Flemer in a few days: Mr.. Hayford and Mr.
Page will probably arrive today, and Mr..
Baldwin and Mr.. Young of Mr.. Pratt's
party got in yesterday. Messrs Dickens,
| Pratt and Morse wllsremain on the Pacific
coast. 30
MIR. William On mack Dead.
Washington was,.snIfobbed Of one of its
| nall L.