Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-02-03
DIVIDING LINE IN ALASKA.
u the Report ct the British sub-con,-
'ni',cc IL Adopted by the
FUN Commission.

Chicago. Feb. "A special from
Washington 10 the Tribune says. II
the report Of their subcommittee IL
adopted. aa seems possible II not prob
able, slice of Alaskan territory ON.
braclng the entrance 10 the Klondlkc
may be- ceded to Great Britain In a
treaty 60 b. adopted by the Anglo
American commission.
The subcommittee report. It IL said.
comes dangerously near To putting
hkasuay and Taiia under British con-
trol leaving 90 the Americans, how
ever. TIM cun'rri sof The hred waters sf
Lynn canal. by which both OF the sup
ply towns nre reached. rndsr the
treaty OF censiOn II was provided that
Whenever the summit of the mountains
when extend IN a direction parallel To
the coast from the fifty-EiNth degree OF
north latitude ~ the iiiat degree Of
west longitude shall prove To be at the
distance 81 more than ten marine
lrnRues from the ocean. the limit be-
tween the iiritifh and the American
possessions shall be- formed by the linz
parallel 20 the winding NJ the coast and
which shall never exceed the distance
~ ten marine leagues thrrcfrom.
The british commissioners at first
took the ground that the coast line was
determined 10y the island which. of
course. would have given them poAsen-
sion OF tie mainland at almost all
points. They have abandoned that
theory hut have made "a new clnim re-
gardlng the hcadwateru Of tho Lynn
canal.
This large estuary divides Into what
are known uH tho chllkoot and Chliknt
lnlots. ~ or 20 miles south ~ Sknguny.
The subcommittee apparently favorH
the point Of division nH the head OF the
coast line II this theory ~ agreed To
II would put the boundary line lust
about on the shelf ~ land where the
city ~ skaguay u located and would
apparently put Tniln In Canadian ter
ritory entirely. II IL believed 20 be the
purpose NJ tho subcommittee 20 put
the landing place Itself barely within
American territory 50 ~ TO permit OF
the establishment ~ custom house,
bus giving To- tho Canadians tho real
city itself with ita warehouses and
other facilities for beginning the march
a. the kiondlke.
The fun commission has not acted
yoi, but from the fact that the sub
committee has agreed Il seems 20 be
Understood the forthcoming treaty,
while adopting the American theory OF
the boundary line. win limit the locn-
tlon ~ the interior coast In such way
an W W. AANANMhNN W ifAN iANnNlfnM
and bring their boundary line from the
northwest ~ the white and Chilkooi
passes down 20 the mouth of the river.
Representative James Hamilton Lewis,
Of Washington. has been before the
commission several timer ana Il Is be-.
licved he has protests against the pro-
posed paragraph OF the treaty which
would give the Canadians practically
what they have been searching for.
which II a wntcr entrance To- the klon-
dlkc. The summit NJ the White Pass
IL only n miles from skHguay as II II.
ana II the Canadian contention II
adopted the Dominion custom houses
WIN be but q short distance up the
river ana the American traders viii
have but little more than the privilege
NJ disombarklng goods from steamers
on lighters.
should the commission adopt the re-
port OF the subcommittee and incOr-
pnratc Il In the treaty there win be a
protest not only from the minors them
selves but from the outntting firms OF
Seattle. Tacoma ana Portland.