The San Francisco call., 1897-07-21
THE BOUNDARY LINE.
Professor Davidson Says tbs Lo-
cation Is Certain Within but
Sixteen Feet.

More or less m mistaken talk about the
supposed uncertainty OF the boundary
line between Alaska and the Northwest
Territory and the impor tance of having it
settled is accompanying the discussion of
the Yukon field. The boundary line in
Yolved Is that OF the 141st meridian and
the matter has nothing to do with that
other boundary question, the location of
the frontier along the panhandle" CT
Alaska.
From Mt. st. Elias north across the
Yukon country the boundary is deoisiveIy
fixed at the 14ist meridian, and the prob
lem is wholly the simple geodetic one of
the location and demarcation. The popu-
lar supposltion appears to be that the To-
cation OF the meridian across the new
gold fields in the Yukon Valley has not
been determined and that it is all guess
work whether a lot of gold beds are in
American or British territory.
But in fact there is not the slightest
uncertainty about the point on the Yukon
where the line crosses il, for the point has
been officially and scientifically deter
mined for both the American and Cana
dian governments and the locations re-
spectively determined astroromically are
but sixteen feet apart What remains to
be done is for a commission to Jointly de-
termine the precise line by splitting the
difference or otherwise and to WORK the
line with boundary posts across the
country. Any surveyor can now run a
line north or south from either points on
the river, sixteen feet apart, and sixteen
feet represents the uncertainty of where
the line runs through the Yukon Valley.
The Klondyke diggings are fifty miles
or more up the valley in British territory.
Practically all the other Yukon placer
fields yet discovered are in American ter
ritory. The Porcupine is over 200 miles
down the river from the boundary. The
rich valley of Birch Greek with the gold
laden gulches is wholly in Alaska. The
next field up the valley is that of Forty.
mile Creek.
This stream and its tributaries are
wholly in American territory except the
very mouth Of. Forty. mile Creek, the
stream crossing the boundary 10 enter the
Yukon. The lower stretch of Sixty-miie
Creek is we'll within British territory, but
its headwaters and chief tributaries. in
Guiding nearly all the placers OF this VAL
ley, are in Alaska. The Klondyke, still
farther up the only valley in which
gold has been developed SO far OF
the Yukon River, is wholly in British
territory. The boundary line cuts through
about the middle of a gold bearing
region, four hundred miles or more long
the prospecting of which has hardly be-
gun and which promises many great dis
h,.th osd ~ H.
Not only are placers to be looked for, but
quartz, copper. coal and other minerals
await discovery and development.
Professor George Davidson, who was for
many years superintendent of the Coast
and Geodetic Survey on this coast and un-
der whose immediate direction the Ameri-
can location of the boundary on the
Yukon was determined, had this to say
about the boundary question yesterday:
"There is no more trouble OF doubt about
the location of the boundary at the Yukon
than there is about the location of Mont
gomery street. There is just sixteen feet
difference between the locations on behalf
of the two Governments, and what does
that amount to? The determination was
made by means of transits of the moon
over the meridian and OF occultations of
the stars by the moon. The determine
tions were made by John e. McGrath of
the United States Coast and G eodetic Sur
yey and by Mr.. Ogilvie for the Canadian
Government. Mr.. McGrath's obserya-
tions were made in the winters of 1889 and
1890. His series of obser vations were
much longer than Mr.. Ogilve's, and, |
think, better, though both must ave been
remarkably good to agree so nearly. The
observations were made by Mr.. McGrath
on the north bank of the river about
twenty-three miles south OF the English
station at Forty-mile Greek. lie carried
his triangulation from his station east to
the meridian. Ogilyie made his obserya-
tions about the same time. Only one point
was marked, but any surveyor can run the
line from there as far as he plsases. An.
other location was similarly made about
the same time on the Porcupine, 200 miles
north, by John II. Turner of our survey"
Land Office on the Yukon.
WASHINGTON. D. G.. JuIy 20-Com-