The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-29
THE UNITED STATES REVENUE CUTTER CoRwIN

ing belief that Canada is preparing to bring
matters TO head by taking the offensive
with her mounted police. This strong
semi-mil1tary body will assume control of
the whole frontier along the Canadian
boundary of Alaska. They will collect
customs duties and govern the disputed
territory by martial law.
The Washington advices say that in case
of any trouble arising between the hun
dreds of American miners and Dominion
mounted police on the boundary it would
be months before the news could reach the
United States District Attorney at Sitka,
who alone has the authority to employ
marshals.
1t is also reported that ne would not
have power to place men along the line for
police duty except on special occasions,
such as riots, and this being the case Con-
gress will be urged this winter to take
prompt action to remedy the difficulty
with bill to provide Alaska with more
power to protect herself.
But it is a fact that steps have already
been taken to prevent Just such aggressive
acts as are anticipated on the part of the
Canadian Government. The State and
Treasury departments have been quietly
preparing for any emergency, and at the
present time United States troops are
camped 10 miles from Juneau in the di-
rection of the frontier. On October Cap
tain Hooper, in the revenue cutter Corwin,
arrived at Juneau. Next day the citizens
OF Juneau and Douglas, acting under his
instructions, organized Company A of the
First Alaskan Infantry, 100 strong. Judge
RnOhan nf Innaan Uuo N q q "a a n
of the senior troop of Alaska's militia force
by Captain Hooper.
The members of the new company were
carefully excluded from any knowledge OF
the special object of the organization. The
officers knew. but the privates were told
that it was case of emergency. Arms
were supplied from the revenue cutters
and the work of making soldiers out of the
recruits began under the direction of the
Corwin's officers.
Next night at 1 o'clock the men were
hastily turned out under arms by the ring
ing of the firebells. They were supplied
with rations and blankets and marched
aboard of the cutter, which took them up
the channel about twenty miles, where
they were landed. They then made their
way for ninety miles through snow from
two to six feet deep to Camp Corwln,
where they were located at last accounts,
but expected TO return to Juneau soon. 1t
was no holiday excursion for the young
soldiers, as it rained and showed all the
time. They dragged their supplies over
the drifts on sledges to the camp.
A letter from Theodore T. Dowdall, the
first sergeant of the company, to his
brother, a druggist at the corner of Nine
teenth and Valencia streets, leaves no doubt
in the mind of the reader as to the full
import OF the movement and the object OF
their march through the snowy woods of
Alaska toward the boundary. The letter,
dated October Is at Camp Corwin, was sent
by messenger to Juneau, who would
travel overland to the place where the
Corwin disembarked the troops
I'VE privates do not know what we are
here for" said the writer, "but it is doubt
less for some special and important reason.
We know there is going to be trouble over
the boundary question, and the American
miners will fight if the Canadian officials
interfere with them. We are living on
Treasury Department rations and learning
to be soldiers as fast as possible.
"I'll warrant no National Guardsmap
in San Francisco ever had such an expe-
rience in camp. We were caught up on
the street, as it were, and rushed off
through the woods and over the toughest
country recruit ever travelled. We were
urged on by the cutters officers as if we
were hurrying to the front with REINFORCE
ments. imagine Captain Hooper is test
ing us to see what kind of troops Uncle
Sam has to depend upon in Alaska. Quite
a number have dropped out of the ranks,
but we have still a good number under
arms. Several Sisters of Charity accom-
panied Us on our march. 1 don't know
why.
There is great effort made in official
quarters to keep the object of all this in
the background, but it isn't a holiday pic
mic we're on, and I think We will have
more campaigning to go through with.
There is no doubt that several more COM
panies could easily be raised in the Terri
tory for this or any other purpose. We
are not very pretty to look at drilling in