The herald., 1897-08-05
BOUNDARY
DISPUTES
Will Not Arise Over the
KlOndyke
BIG GOVERNMENT OFFICERS
ADMIT NO DOUBT OF BRITISH
OWNERSHIP
A Little Thing Like That Has Abso-
lutely No Effect in Stopping
the Rush
Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special Wire.
OTTAWA, Ont, August Ar w.
Scott, Secretary of State, was inter
viewed regarding the statement from
Washington claiming that Great Britain,
on the official maps, had drawn the
boundary line on the Pacific Coast so as
to deprive the United States of hun
dreds Of miles of territory adjoining the
Klondyke, gold fields. He said he had
gone into the question with a member OF
the Mackenzie administration in 1873
and the point now raised was discussed
then.
THE treaty of st. Petersburg of 1926"
said he, defines the line dividing Rus
sian territory, now Alaska, from British
by line drawn north from the foot of
Prince of Wales Island through Port
land channel until it struck the noun
tains, when the method of delimitation
was set forth. The map will show that
line running north from the foot of
Prince of Wales Island must so through
the Benin canal and that to reach Port
land canal the line would have to go east
through the open sea considerable dis
tance before it could reach Portland
channel or canal
THE British contention, as shown by
the dispatches of George Canning to
Sir Charles Bagot when British ambas-
sador to st. Petersburg, Is that Portland
was to be in British territory and tha;
the words Portland canal in the con-
vention was a mistake for Benin canal
or else what is now called Portland canal
was not then so called. This is supported
by the physical impossbility of running
line due north through Portland canal
from the foot of Prince of Wales Island
SO that Canadian maps show the bound
ary line as running north through Benin
canal. The difference is great in view
of the discoveries of gold and it can only
be settled by an international arbitra-
ton.
The disputed territory with the ten
marine leagues back from the coast
could not, however, embrace the pres.
Ient gold fields of the Klondyke, which
are clearly in British territory, because
they are well east Of of the 141st meri-
dian, which is the recognized boundary
to the NORTH
NO POSSIBLE DOUBT
WASHINGTON, Aug. 4.-Incited by
the newspaper publications recently,
tending to throw doubts upon the own
ership of the Klondyke gold fields, some
OF the big government officials who were
naturally expected to deal with the
question II 1t comes to practical issue,
have been quietly looking into the mat
ter with view to preparing themselves
for any controversy that might arise
Their views are in substance that there
can be no valid objection advanced to
the title of Great Britain to this terri
tory. A careful examination of all the
reliable charts and maps made far
enough back in date to be free from sus-
plclon of influence by the recent gold
finds, have convinced these officials
that so far as the Klondyke fields as de-
fined by the latest reports, are concern
ed, there can be no question but that
they lie east of the 141st meridian. which
defines the boundary line, and SO are
within British territory by thirty-five
miles at least. AS for the meridian it.
self, 1t is said that it has been so closely
located by the surveys of the Cana
dlans and our own coast survey that
there is not at any point difference of
more than 700 feet in the claimed bound
ary, which of course would not affect
any controversy that might grow out Of
the line
EXCITEMENT GROWING
SAN FRANCISCO. Aug. 4.-The river
steamer Thomas Dwyer is to be sent up
to Alaska to ply between st. Michaeps
and Dawson City. She has been bought
by the Yukon Exploitation company.
of which Burnette G. Haskell, the at
torney, is the head. The vessel has been
engaged in the river trade on the Sacra-
mento for some years and is we'll fitted
for the purpose for which she is intend
ed. She draws but eighteen inches Of
water when loaded and can carry sew
eral hundred tons of freight. The Dwy-
er was brought down from the Sacra
mento river today and will be taken TO
Anderson's ways, where she will be fit
ted with state rooms and a new deck
placed in her.
The steamer will then be taken apart
and she Will be carried to ST. Michael's
on the deck of steam schooner, which
will leave here about August15.
TODAY'S PASSENGERS
SEATTLE. Aug. 4.-No boats left here
today for Alaska, but the lull was more
than filled in with preparations for to-
morrow, when. the steamship Cleveland, |
chartered by the North American |
Transportation and Trading company,
will sail for st. Michael's, transferring
passengers and freight there to river |
steamers for Dawson City. The Cleve-
land will have 200 passen gers and over |
1000 tons of freight. Among her passen- |
gers Will be Capt Ray and Lieut. Rich
ardson, U. S. A.. the officers who will |
command the troops ordered from Fort |
Russell to duty in the Yukon region
They are under sealed orders and carry
three taps - %-esH>z. They Will be-
follow ca by sixty soldiersnext spring.
Steamboat men are getting so scarce |
that strike OF deck hands on a sound |
steamer last night induced the company
to raise wages S. a month all along the