Evening star., 1897-01-30
A Convention for the Definition of
the Line Signed.
TO L0CAHEA MERIDIAN OF LONGITUDE
This Will Remove a Long-EMsting
Cause of Friction.
FURTHER ACTION EXPECTED

Slr Jul1an Pauncefote, the British am
bassador and Secretary Olney, as the duly
accredited representatives of Great Britain
and the United States, signed the conven-
ton for the definition of the boundary line
between Alaska and British Columbia, in
the Secretary's office at the State Depart
ment, at IL o'clock this morning
The formal name OF the convention is
"A convention between the United States
and Great Britain for the demarkation of
so much Of the 141st meridian, west longi-
tude, as may be Necessary for the deter
mination of the boundary between their
respective possessions North America -
Its purpose is to settle beyond doubt
the exact location Of the meridian, and
thus prevent the clashins between the
miners who have been attracted in large
numbers to the vicinity Of the boundary
and the local officials Of the two countries.
The meridian named. the Hist west longi-
tude. was not selected as the boundary
line by Secretary Olney and Sir Julian
Pauncefote, but was laid down as the line
OF division in the treaty of cession by W whc h
Alaska was passed by Russia to the United
States.
The difficulty has been to tell just where
the meridian actually runs. by no means
an easy task in such rough. rugged and
snowbound country as central Alaska
Even in more hospita BILE climes the task of
defining physically such an abstract line as
meridian is beset with difficulties so
that 1t was matter of no surprise that in
the present case the claims of the two
countries should clash often. Particularly
are such collisions to be dreaded when the
territory Includes extensive and valuable
gold deposits, and it happens that as laid
aoWn on the charts, the mouth of Forty
Mile creek that Mecca of the gold hunters
debouches into the great Yukon river. just
near enough to the meridian to cause each
siae, American and British. to set up the
claim that 1t lies in their territory AS at
present marked, the northern limit Of the
meridian which. forms the boundary is al
Demarkation Point, about 300 miles west of
Mackenzie bay. and the southern extremi-
ty close to Mt. st. Elias
1t is said at the State Department that
there is no reasonable chance fer friction
or a radical difference among the scien-
uSts who are to undertake the work of
laying down the meridian as this is MAIN
ly an astronomical calcula tion At set dis
tances points will be established by astro-
nom1cal observations, and these will he
connected by lines run by surveyors in the
usual manner. Monuments will then he
erected and the boundary will be definitely
nxed. Inc work of the commission will be
cision. -
Does Not settle the Whole Question.
fhe convention just signed does not, how
ever, settle the whole Alaskan boundary
question, which has been pending for many
years between the United States and Great
britain. 1T does not provide for the set
uement OF that part relating TO the north
ern boundary, about half of the actual line
between Alaska and the British posses
SONS ana, fortunately, the portion which
demanded instant treatment to remove the
possibility of dangerous friction The
southern portion of the line however, re-
mains to be fixed, for it was not only very
insunlciently described in the Russian
the tops of a mountain range skirtipg the
coast from the southern edge of Alaska to
a point where it connected with the 141st
Inerldfan, but investigation is said to have
developed the fact that there is actually no
such mountain range, which thus appears
to have been but a figmeiit in the brain of
the early Russian geogra pher.
For several years efforts have been made
70 secure settlement of this portion of
the boundary. Finally, Superintendent Duff
held OF our coast survey and Mr. King one
OIL the British crown surveyors. under a
special treaty made careful survey of the
territory In the vicinity of the supposed
boundary with view to the gathering of
information upon which could be based
negotiations for the drawing of a new
boundary line, for 1t had become apparent
tlat the Husslan defiaition was worthless
and that the subject must be traated de
HoVo Ihe reports of these surveyors are
expected to be made very soon, ami then
hesotations will be promptly set on foot
- oeAoh u COMMISSION to locate
me southern section of the boundary line.
10 get this important subject removed
from the field of contention Is the earnest
desire of Sir Julian Pauncefote, for with
lnat out OF the way he will rest satisfied
with the knowledge that he has Teen in
strumental In settling all Of the issues of
Importance that have threatened to dis
luro the relations of the Two grea, English
ship. ms ""''''ssedor-
The treaty will be sent to ti,. S.,o,,
Monday. '''e "enate