The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1895-09-28
LANDS IN ALASKA
Attempts to Secure Water Front
age Under the Law of 1891.
THE USE OF DUMMY NAMES
Great Britain Has Fixed the Alaskan
boundary According TO Her
own Interests.

Seattle. Wash, Sept. 22.-Numerous
attempts are being made in Alaska to
secure valuable land by the perversion
of the act of March 3. 1891
The law provides that the land for
trading and manufacturing purposes |
may be taken up, but the maximum is |
fixed at 160 acres and there is a fur
Their provision that 1t be as nearly !
square in outline as is practicable.
Early in the present year A. p. |
Swineford, special agent, was sent to
investigate the matter.
He is in this city on his return to
Washington and says that traders do !
ing business in small log shacks with
about 5000 worth of goods are trying to
acquire title to all the water front On
harbor. They seem animated by
desire to take everything, and it looks
as though they wish to keep every
body on water from getting to the land
and everybody on the land from get
ting on the water.
The salmon Gamers have taken up
land with view to shutting out all
future people who might desire to can
salmon in their particular locality. At
tempts have been made to gobble up
townsites under the provisions of this
law. st. Paul, with a population Of
about 500, is a case in point. Land
grabbers are trying to take up the en-
tire water front and also the townste.
The inspector learned OF one corpora
ton that had made 80 locations in west
ern Alaska, at Cook Inlet, Kodiak and
elsewhere. They had been taken up in
dummies.
A statement published in the Post
Intelligencer some time ago that the
official maps prepared by the provin-
cial government of British Columbia
would show the truth of every charge
that has been made in this paper to
the effect that Great Britain intended
to do her utmost to grab almost every
available site for seaports is fully con-
firmed by published copies Of the map,
of which several have been received
in this city. The map bears the leg
end, MAP of the province Of British
Columbia, compiled by direction of G.
B. Martin, chief commissioner of lands
and works, Victoria, B. c.. 1896"
The Canadian map shows the British
boundary claim is clearly defined by
broken black line. Starting from the
south it touches Cape Chacon, the
southermost point of Prince of Wales
island, and runs up Benin channel
turning easterly to a point in Borough
bay. Thence it runs northwesterly
along the summit of a supposed range
of mountains parallel with the general
line of the shore, but which the Amer
lean surveyors say does not exist.
At the opposite head of Holkham
bay it leaves this mountain range to
the east and cuts across the Tracy
Arm, leaving the head of that inlet in
British territory. 1t makes a similar
cut across the head of Speel river es-
tuary. 1t also cuts across Taku inlet
midway Of it's length, leaving the
mouth of Taku river, which is the only
available site for a seaport in British
territory, while it gives the United
States mountainous shores towards
the ocean. 1t then cuts across to a
point south of Berners bay in Lynn
canal. 1t cuts across that large inlet,
then veers to the southwark and cross
es Glacier bay near it's mouth; then
runs northwesterly over the SUBMITS
of great peaks to Mount st. Elias.
BY cutting across Lynn canal this
line gives to Great Britain Berner' S
bay, where valuable gold mines are
being developed by American capital,
and it leaves Chilcott inlet, Sheep creek
mines, which have recently been dis
covered by Americans, and Chilcott
pass which is the only practicable
route to the Yukon mines. in British
territory. It also gives to Great Brit
ain Muir glacier, Alaska's great scenic
attraction for tourists. Generally
speaking, it claims for Great Britain
the heads of the three greatest inlets
in Alaskan territory.
The strongest denials of Great Brit
aims claim have come from Metlak-
ahtla Indians, who some years ago
moved from Port simpson, near the
mouth of Work channel in British
Columbia, TO Annette island, for the
express purpose of becoming subject
to American government, which had
granted the island to them. This island
lies to the east of Benin channel and
thus claimed by Great Britain, while
all previous definitions of boundary
have shown it to be undisputed Ameri-
can territory. The boundary line is
drawn in conformity with British in
depreciation of the treaty between
Great Britain and Russia, made in
1925.