The herald., 1897-08-01

headwaters of the larger tributaries OF
the Yukon. There is no reason why as
rich finds may not be made on the Amer
lean side of the line as well as in the
Klondyke region"
STEAMERS SAILING
SEATTLE, Wash. July s1-The steam.
er Edith sailed for Skagway, having on
board sixty-eight horses intended to
pack the freight of the Klondykers over
the trail to Lake Linderman. The
steamer Rosalie, with 150 passengers
tor Dyea inlet, got off at 9 o'clock to-
hight. She was heavily laden with
freight. consisting entirely of the out
fits of the passengers.
A STEAMER CHARTERED
SAN FRANCISCO, July S1-The COM
pany Of which Mayor Wood of Seattle is
at the head succeeded today in securing
q charter of the steamer Humboldt,
which has lately been employed, on the
Eureka route and is one of the fastest
sailing vessels out of San Francisco. Her
sailing day from this city for Alaska
has been fixed for August 9th. About
200 passengers in all will be taken.
MILITARY NEEDS
CHEYENNE, Wyo., July S1.-In ac-
cordance with orders received today
from the war department, Capt. H. p
Ray and Lieut.. Richardson of the Eighth
infantry. stationed at Fort Russell, will
leave tomorrow for Alaska They go to
investigate the situation and report upon
the advisability of sending troops to that
region. I Is understood that if they
report the need Of troops there CoA Ran
dali will be ordered north with one or
more companies as soon as transporta-
tion becomes possible in the spring.
OPPOSING CLAIMS
NEW YORK, July 31.-A special to
the Tribune from Washington says:
The claim of Great Britain to big share
Of Alaska promises to occupy a large
amount of public attention for some time
to come, If, indeed, it does not become
a vital question, and give rise to diplo-
matte complications between the United
States and England.
The claim is regarded by government
officials here as preposterous. The Sem
ate, when the boundary question was
brought before it, as the result of
treaty negotiated by Secretary Olney
and Sir Julian Pauncefote, did not place
itself on record in the matter. How
ever, before vote was taken, Congress
adjourned, 30 that the location of the
divisional line. which has been in dis
pute since 1884, is no nearer settlement
than 1t has been during any period in
the last thirteen years. General Duf-
field, superintendent of the Coast and
Geodetic Survey, was a member of the
boundary commission. The survey au-
hxy ho
deemed official and correct by both
countries. General Duffield said today:
up to 1884 both countries were prac-
tically united as to the boundary line
from Mt. ST. Elias to the southeast. Ac-
cording to the terms of the treaty be-
tween Russia and Great Britain, the
Tilted States, in purchasing Alaska in
United States in purchasing Alaska in
describing the southeastern boundary,
the Russian treaty read:
The line of demarkation between
the possessions of the high contracting
powers on the coast of the continent and
the islands of America to the northwest
should be drawn in the following man.
ner: Commencing from the souther-
most of the land called Prince of Wales
Island, which point lies in the parallel
of 45 degrees, 40 minutes north latitude,
and between the 131st degree and 1880
degree of west longitude, the same line
shall ascend to the north along the chan
mel called Portland Channel as far as
the point of the continent where it
strikes the 56th degree of north latitude.
From this last mentioned point the line
of demarkation shall follow the summit
of the mountains situated parallel to the
coast as far as the point of intersection
of the 141st degree of west longitude
from the same point of intersection of
the meridian; and finally, from the
same point of intersection on the said
meridian line Of the 141st degree in its
'prolongation, as far as the frozen ocean,
shall form the limit between the Rus
sian and British possession on the con-
tinent of America to the northwest.
Wherever the summit of the noun
tains, which extend in direction paral-
lei to the coast from the 65th degree of
north latitude to the point of intersec-
ton of the 141st degree of west longitude
shall prove to be distance of more than
ten marine leagues from the ocean, the
limit between the British possessions
and the line of coast which is to belong
to Russia, as above mentioned, shall he
formed by line parallel to the winding
of the coast, which shall never exceed
the distance of ten marine leagues
therefrom.'
ION all maps from 1927 to 1884 the
boundary line has been shown as in gen.
eral terms parallel to the winding of the
coast and So miles from it. In 1884,
however, one of the Canadian maps
showed a marked DETECTION of this line
at it's south end. Instead of passing up
Portland Channel, this Canadian map
showed the boundary as passing up the
Benin Canal, an army of the sea sixty
or seventy miles west of Portland
Channel, this change having been made
on the bare assertion that the words
Portland canal as inserted were er-
roneous.
by this change an area of American
territory about equal in size to the State
of Connecticut was transferred to the
British territory. There are three facts
which go to show that this map was in
correct. In the first place the British
admiralty, when surveying the north
ern limit of the British Columbian pos
session in 1863, surveyed Portland canal
and not Behm canal. and thus, by i'm
plication, admitted this canal to be the
boundary line.
Second, the region now claimed by