The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-05
New speIlings OF Alaskan Names.

The Board on Geographic Names in Wash
ington has been passing upon the o%rthogra-
ply of another lot of Alaskan and Canadian
names, incidentally correcting the blunders
Of ZONE Government publications that were
printed, during the Klondike excitement,
with peculiarities Of nomenclature that
have not stood investigation.
In the June edition of Chart 7 Of the
Coast and Geodetic Survey, for example,
"Clondyke" was very prominent, but the
spelling was made to conform with the
rules of the Board when the next edition
appeared.
Some of the revised spellings are entitled
to the particular attention of writer's or the
Klondike, for these names are misspelled
every day In the newspapers. When a
geographic feature bears the name Of a
white man there can be no doubt as to
the correct photography. In 1883 Lieut..
ScHwATKA gave to a lake on the Chilkoot
Pass route to the upper Yukon the name
Of DR.. LINDEMAN, the present Vice-Presi-
lent of the Bremen Geographical Society,
but this lake is frequently referred to, now
adays, as Lake Lindemann or Linderman.
This must greatly astonish the learned
German geographer IL he reads half Of the
Klondike dispatches.
Then there was old MIKE LEBAReE, who
was a member Of the Western Union party
that was surveying q route for a telegraph
line to Behring Strait and Siberia in 1869,
when news Of the successful laying Of the
Atlantic cable put q sudden end to that en-.
terprise. The party named a lake after
the genial and popular MICHAEL, and this
sheet of water now figures in discussions
of overland routes to the Upper Yukon;
but, half the time, the name is misspelled
"Labarge." We often read also Of the
"Lewis" River, although the correct spell.
ing is Lewes River.
1t Is not easy to change geographic or
biography that has become fixed in popu.
lar usage. The inlet, river, and village at
the head Of Lynn Canal, where the start is
made for Chilkoot Pass, are known to
miners, Alaskan newspapers, and the pub
lie generally, by no other name than Dyea.
1t is an Indian word Of many ~spellings,
but in common usage 1t has come to be
known as Dyea. The Board has adopted
DR.. DALL's spelling, "Taiya," but it is
doubtful if many newspapers will adopt it.
1t would require an elaborate educational
process to accustom many readers to the
changed photography. Possibly "Taiya'
will take its place by the side of the
Boards "KonRo River" a proposed inno
walton which has met with scarcely any
acceptance in this country outside of the
Government publications.
One of the Boards suggestions will prob
ably be adopted by all suffering writers
who, since the Canadians have approved
the proposed line Of their railroad, have
been struggling with such names as Hootal
ingua, Hotalinga, Teslln.hina, Teslin-too
&C., all referring to one lake and the river
flowing from it. 1t has been discovered
that the Examinations china" and "too'
mean river in different Indian dialects; and
the Board therefore adopts Teslin as the
nam of both lake and river.
The spelling of aboriginal names is more
or less arbitrary, and this accounts fol
much photographic confusion. Uniformity
in spelling is desirable In newspapers and
quite essential in Government publications
Even though the Board on Geographic
Names is not infallible. there is good reason
for its existence.