Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-08-07
GREAT BRITAIN'S CLAIM
CALLED PREPOSTEROUS
e~ngland's Desire TO Possess All OF
the Richness of Alaska May
Lead to Complications.
FORMERLY AGREED ON
This Country Stands Upon tho
Rights Passed by Russia at
the Time the Sale OF the
Territory Was Made.

Washington, Aug. 2.-The claim or
Great Britain to "A big share Of Alas
ka promises to occupy a large
amount Of public attention for some
time, coming, if indeed it does not be-
come a vital question, and give rise TO
diplomatic complications between the
United States and England. The claim
is regarded by the government officials
here as preposterous. The senate, be-
fore which the boundary question w2s
brought as the outcome of the treaty
negotiated by Olney and ~pauncefot",
did not place itself on record in the
matter, however. Before the vote was
taken congress adjourned. so that the
location of the divisional line which
has been in dispute since 1884, is no
nearer settlement than IL has been at
any period in the last thirteen years.
General Dutfield, superintendent OF the
coast and geodetic survey, was a mem
Der OF the boundary commission. Th'
survey authorized by IL has, until re
GENTLY. been Deemed anycIsf and cos.rcc
by both countries.
Genera DufIeld said today: "Up TO
1888 both countries were practically
united as To the boundary line from
Mt. st. Elias to the southeast. ccord
ing TO the terms OF the treaty between
Russia and Great Britain, the United
States. in purchasing Alaska, acquired
all of Russia's rights. In describing
the southeastern boundary the
Russian treaty reads the line of de-
narration between the possessions of
the high contracting parties upon the
coast continent and islands of America
TO the northwest. shall be drawn i'm the
following manner Commencing
from the southeast point of land called
Prince of Wales island. which point
lies in the parallel ~ degrees, 40 min
utes north latitude. aud between 131st
degree and 133d degree west longitude.
The same line shall ascend to the
north along the channel of the so
called Portland channel, and 1s Ear as
the point of the continent whore il
strikes the j6th degree of north lati-
tude. From this last mentioned point
the line of demarkdtion shall follow
the summit of the mountains situated
parallel TO the coast A. far as the point
of intersection OF the ilst degree west
longitude of the same meridian and
finally from said point of intersection
the said meridian line II the list de-
gree in its prolongatIon as far as the
frozen ocean shall form n limit between
the Russian and British possessions on
the continent of America to the north
west.
Wherever the summit of the noun
tains which extend in the direction of
the parallel TO the coast from the j6th
degree of north latitude to q point Of
intersection Of the list degree Of
west longitude shall prove 10 be a dis
lance 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 be formed by
a line parallel to the winding of the
coast, and which shall never exceed Il
distance of ten marine leagues there
from. On all maps from $50 down 70
1854 the boundary line has been shown
as, in general terms, parallel 20 the
winding of the coast and thirty-1ve
miles from it. In 1884, however, the
official Canadian maps showed IL
marked detection in this line at its
south end. BY this change an area
of American territory about equal III
size to the state OF Connecticut was
transferred to British territory. An
other change was made at Lynn canal,
the n-orthernmost extension of Alex
ander archipelago, which runs north
of Juneau, and is the land outlet of the
Yukon trade. In the official Canadian
map of 1884 carriel the boundary line
to the head of this canal. another Ca
madam map three years later carried
the line across the head of the canal in
such a manner as To throw its head
waters into the British territory. Still
later Canadian maps carry the line,
not across the head of the canal, but
across near its mouth, some sixty or
seventy miles south of the former
line, and in such a way as practically
to take in Juneau, or at least all the
overland Immediately back of il. And
i'm the very latest Canadian maps pub
lished al Ottawa within a few days,
while il runs no line at all southeast
of Alaska, prints the legend of british
Columbia" over the portion of Lynn
Canal which is now administered by
the United States"
\ recent report of the United States
surveyor as TO the boundary line in
this connection, said: SIN substance
these determinations throw the dig
gings at the mouth of Forty Mile
creek within the territory of the Unit
ed States. The whole valley of Birch
creek, another of the most valuable
gold producing parts of country is al
so in the United States. The most of
the gold is to the west of the crossing
of the 141st meridian at Forty Mile
creek. If we produced the 141st meri-
dian on the chart the mouth of Miller's
creek, tributary to Sixty Mile creek,
and "A valuable gold region, is five
miles west in n direct line, or seven
miles across to the winding of the
stream, 81 within the territory CT the
United States. In substance, the only
places in the Yukon region where gold
in quantities has been found, are
therefore all to the west of the boun-
dairy line between Canada and the
United States.'
1t can readily be seen that the claim
of the United States is directly OPP
posed to that of the Canadians. 1t is
true that the arbitration of the Hist
meridian was favored by the United
States surveyors, but while some of
them agreed with the English,
with regard to Lynn creek
and the whole southern boun-
dry, they expressed the belief
that the United States would
refuse to arbitrate the claims TO this
portion of the boundary.