San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-10-30

WASHINGTON, oct. 30.-The re-
port of the joint commissioners
appointed under the convention
made in 1892, between Great Brit
ain and the United States for the
survey Of the territory Of the
United States and Canada adjacent
to the boundary line dividing
Alaska and Canada, will be made
in the course of the next three
months.
Gen. Duffield, chief Of the coast
and geodetic survey, is the COM
missioner on behalf of the United
States and d. F. King serves in a
like capacity for Great Britain.
The purpose of the survey is to
furnish a basis for the determine
ton of tho line from latitude "a
degrees, 40 minutes north, to
where the boundary line encount-
ers the Hist degree OF longitude,
which ruus northward, marking
the eastern boundary OF Alaska.
Gen. Duf1ield's assistants, l.. F.
Dickens and B. A. Welcker, have
been in the field all summer, and
are now engaged in working out
their data. Under the treaty be-
tween Russia and Great Britain,
defining the boundary line Of Alas
ka and the subsequent treaty by
which Alaska became the property
of the United States, the boundary
line was to run from the point
where the Portland canal intersects
the 56th degree of latitude north
ward along the crest Of the noun
tain range il there should be any,
to the 14lst degree of longitude. If
no mountain was found, the line
was to run ten marine leagues
from the coast line. No range
of mountains were found so
that the United States territory is
strip extending ten leagues along
the coast. Along the coast is a
series OF islands, beginning with
Prince of Wales island, to the
southwark known as the AleXan-
der archipelago, and when the re.
ports of the survey are made the
question as to whether the ten
marine leagues line is to run in
land from the line of these islands
or from the mainl and, and as to
whether the coast line shall be con-
sidered to run from headland to
headland or to follow the actual
coast line must be determined I'M
der the convention by the president
and secretary Olney on behalf OF
the United States and Queen Vic
toria and Sir Julian Pauncefote on
behalf of Great Britain. The Cana
dian maps now make the boundary
line run ten marine leagues from
the outer coast line of the islands
of the Alexander archipelago,
showing that Great Britain is al
ready prepared to make conten-
ton for that line. The point at |
which the Portland Canal crosses
the Goth degree of latitude has
been determined and also the point |
at which the ten marine leagues |
line meets tho Hist parallel.
Mount st. Elias, it has been as.
certained, is in longitude 40 de-
grees and AZ minutes west.
In some respects more inter.
esting problem which Gen. Duff
field is now at work on is the de-
termination Of the points at which
the l4lst degree Of longitude (the
eastern boundary Of Alaska)
crosses the Forty Mile Creek and
the Yukon river, as this boundary
may involve the ownership OF
some of the gold properties now
developing there. Oglesvie, a Brit
ish official determined these points
astromically in 1889.
By his observations, the l4lst
parallel crossed the Forty Mile
creek 81 miles from its mouth, or
at its junction on the Yukon river
and left the bend OF the latter,
now in Canadian territory. His
line, however, was fixed entirely
by astronomical observations. Gen.
DuffieId's lines will also be made
from astronomical observations,
but he has other data, which Ogles-
vie did not have, with which to