The herald., 1897-08-02
THE ALASKA
BOUNDARIES
A Question That Nearly
Precipitated War
OVER FIFTY YEARS AGO
HOW THE CANADIAN BOUND
AIRY WAS DEFINED
OVER FIFTY YEARS AGO
{ncongruous Descriptions Have Az
forded Opportunity for Differ
ent Locations


tion Islands by Mr.. Seward. with the
conceding by the British government TO
the United States in 1S46, as an outcome
of the Oregon controversy, of the Column
bia river, and the whole of the Pacific
side of the continent up to the 49th par
allel was an act Of far more Importance
than at the time was understood.
Now that the discoveries of gold in
the Klondyke region have fired the souls
of multitudes of men in the United
States, and an exodus to the new gold
fields threatens to take place next
spring, the question of British territorial
greed is being again raised, and, if
Washington dispatches are to be be-
lieved-which is extremely doubtful
there is possibility of the question re-
garding the boundary line becoming u
vital one between the two governments.
AT the end Of 1895 General w. w. Duff
field, chief of the United States Coast
and Geodetic survey, and W. F. King.
chief astronomer of the Canadian de-
partment of the interior, reported to
their respective governments About
that time quite jingoistic furore fol-
lowed the discovery that early in De-
cember the Canadian government had
actually let a contract for the carrying
of mail matter from Juneau to Forty
Mile creek, which lay in the disputed
region. 1t finally developed, however,
that Canada disclaimed any intention
of occupying permanently territory
which should be adjudged to belong TO
the United States; but that at the re-
quest Of miners and settlers in the from
tier regions, large proportion Of them
citizens of the United States, they had
patrolled a portion of the disputed ter
ritory for the preservation of law and
order.
Albeit, as telegraphed from Washing
ton yesterday, the boundary line mat
ter was not passed upon by the senate
before the adjournment Of congress,
there is little room for dispute over the
question of the northern boundary, as
in that case the reports of the United
States and Canadian commissioners
practically agreed. In that connection,
too, it is interesting to look backwa ard
to the time when this question of the
boundary line was determined. 1t then
developed that the United States had
been almost brought to the point of hos
tility with Great Britain over the north
and south boundary line between
Alaska and British North America, be-
cause of the action of the chief Of the
coast and geodetic survey in distribut-
ing the patronage of his office.
BUNCOMBE AND PATRONAGE
When General w. w. Duffield was in
stalled he found in the employ Of the
service Mr.. McGrath, a surveyor. This
gentleman had been assigned to the
duty of running the line of the 141st me-
ridian, which is the boundary line
always recognized. Mr.. McGrath had
completed his field work, but had not
worked out his notes when he was dis
missed. That part of his work was
given to other men in the office.
In the meantime a Canadian engine er
had surveyed the meridian and had es-
tablished the Canadian line seven
and three-tenths miles to the west
ward of the presumed line of McGrath.
This boundary was west of the town of
Forty-Mile, and it was not understood
how it could be that the surveyors were
so wide apart. for it was declared they
ought not to be more than hundred
feet apart.
McGrath was sent for. He went over
his own notes and proved conclusively
that his line and that of the Canadian
engineer were really only twenty-five
feet apart, and thereupon the Canadian
survey was acknowledged to be ap-
proximately correct. That meant, Of
course, that the 141st meridian, or east
and west boundary line Of Alaska north
of Mt. st. Elias, has been definitely de-
termined.
THE SOUTHEASTERN BOUNDARY
The question of the location of the
southeastern boundary is the one that is
in allegiance, but there is no reason to
suppose that an agreement and under
standing between the respective gov
ernments may not be arrived at with
out any friction whatsoever. The at
tempt, however, to make the south
eastern boundary claim of this country
a basis of insinuation against the valid
ity of the definition of the 141st me-
ridian is purely gratuitous.
The extreme claim of the United
States in 1845 was for a boundary on the
parallel of 81 degrees, 40 minutes, and
out of that claim grew the cry of Fifty
four forty, or fight!'' That parallel OF
latitude was chosen because it marked
the southern boundary of Russian ter
ritory on the Pacific coast, as it now
marks the southern boundary of the
Alaska purchase. Great Britain's ex-
treme claim was for the Columbia river
as boundary. That would have given
her three-fourths of what is now the
state of Washington, while a boundary
west of the Rocky mountains at 54 de-
grees, 40 minutes, would have given the
United States rather more than half of
British Columbia.
When in 1912 Lord Ashburton came
to the United States with the hope of
settling the boundary line question be-
tween Maine and Canada, after the
King of the Netherlands had given I'D
the task as hopeless, Daniel Webster,
then secretary of state, had an inclina-
tion to insist upon settlement, as well.
Of the Oregon boundary question But
after Lord Ashburton had yielded 1000
Of the 10000 square miles in dispute on
the Maine frontier he declined to con-
slider the Oregon boundary altogether.
The Ashburton treaty, or "capitula-
tion." as the lingo faction in England
termed 1t. left this country with a well
understood boundary from the eastern