The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1898-02-19
ALASKA.
Interest In Our Far-Of Country Is
Growing Rapidly.

1TOMlu2 hapluASs
The Civil and Judicial District" Of
Alaska has of late begun to attract
some serious attention from the people
Of the United States. Nine out of ten
of us probably speak of 1t as Terri
tory; but such it has never become.
Gold. and disputed boundary line,
will always suffice TO draw attention 10
any particular part of the earth's sur
face. Venezuela and South Africa are
cases in point. In the case OF Alaska,
as in many other boundary disputes,
the trouble can be traced to a dehcen-
cy of geographical knowledge on the
part of the makers Of a treaty.
When the convention of 1926 was rat
flied by England and Russia 1t was
thought that a mountain range ran
parallel to the coast of what Is now
southeastern Alaska. The summit of
that range was made part of the boun-
Diary between the Russian province and
British America. But though there are
plenty of mountains, there is no coastal
range. 1t was further provided that
wherever the summit of this mythical
range should lie more than ten marine
leagues from the coast. the line should
run parallel to the windlngs of the
coast, but not more than ten marine
leagues therefrom.
To this clause some uncertainty has
been attached by the raising of the
question, What is the coast? Is 1t the
coast OF the mainland or the seward
pHnn nf tho ahf l..
difficulties lie in determining the true
Portland Channel" through which the
southeastern boundary of Alaska runs:
and In determining the one hundred
and forty-tirst meridian OF west longl
tude, which is the northernmost part
of the eastern boundary.
None of these questions were ever
pressed while Alaska was Russian
province. Until quite recent years
they never caused any controversy be-
tween England and America. 1t Is the
growing sense of the importance of
Alaska, particularly of Its mines, that
makes them practical questions 1t
would, perhaps, never have been neces-
sary TO determine the one hundred and
III III ~ mt lulduf II tue discovery
had not been made that it runs close TO,
or through, some promising deposits of
gold.
Of these deposits the latest report of |
the United States Geological Survey
declares that they form a belt three t
hundred miles long, entering the dis I
triet near Forty-mile Creek and extend I
ing westward across the Yukon Valley /
In southeastern Alaska, the narrow
coast belt whose width Is still To be /
finally determined, there are gold de- /
posits which are already being mined /
successfully. There are also important
fishing and canning Industries.
The experience of the year past is
enough 10 assure us that the boundary
question will be peaceably settled in /
the end. whether the present plan of T
a commission is successful or not. But
Alaska has other difficulties. 1t has +
been asking for better land laws and f
settlers-numberlng now between thir- I
~ and forty thousand-are anxious to I
be recognized not as adventures. but +
as an orderly community.
\ government official was recently +
indicted for indicating In an official re-
port. that there was state of lawless F
ness among them. The pioneers In the /
westward march of the American peo- I
pie have always been quick 10 develop I
a healthy pride in the regions they have +
Companion.