Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-02-03
Slice Will Be Given to the
British Government.
ENTRANCE TOTHE KLONDlKE
II the Proposition Carries Dyea and
SkagWay Will Not Be In
American Territory.

Chicago, Feb. "A special from Wash
of their sub -comittee is adopted, as seems
possible, if not probable, slice of Alas
kan territory, embra cling the entrance
to the Klondike, may be ceded to Great
Britain in the treaty to be adopted by
the Anglo Aemrican commission. The
sub-Committee's report, it is said, comes
dangerously near to putting Skagway
and Dyea under British control, leav-
ing to the Americans, however, the con-
troll of the headWaters of the Lynn canal,
by which both Of these supply towns are
reached. Under the treaty of cession it
was provided that whenever the summit
of the mountains which extend in a direc-
ton parallel to the coast from the 56th
degree of north latitude to the 14lst de-
gree of west longitude shall prove to be
at the distance of more than ten marine
leagues from the ocean, the limit be-
tween the British and the American pos
sessions shall be formed by the line par
allel to the winding of the coast, and
which shall never exceed the distance Of
ten marine leagues therefrom.
The British commissioners at first took
the ground that the coast line was de-
termined by their island, which, of
course, would have given them possession
of the mainland at almost all points.
They have abandoned that theory, but
have made a new claim regarding the
headwaters of the Lynn canal This
large estuary divides into what are
known as the Chilkoot and Chilkat in
let's, 25 or 80 miles south OF Skagway.
h-C
point of division as the head of the coast
line. If this theory is agreed to 1t will
put the boundary line just about on the
shelf of land where the city of Skagway
], is located, and would apparently put
Dyea in Canadian territory entirely. 1t
is believed to be the purpose of the sub
committee to put the landing place itself
barely within American territory, so as
to permit of the establishment of a GUS
ton house, but giving to the Canadians
the real city itself, with it's warehouses
and other facilities for beginning the
march to the Klondike.
The full commission has not acted yet,
but from the fact that the sub committee
has agreed, it seems to be understood
the forthcoming treaty, While adopting
the American theory of the boundary
line, will limit the location of the interior
coast in such a way us to be favorable
to the Canadians and bring their
y
the White and Chilkoot passes down to
the mouth of the river. Representative
James Hamilton Lewis of Washing ton
has been before the commission several
times and it is believed he has made pro-
tests against the proposed paragraph of
the treaty which would give the Cana
dams practically what they have been
searching for, which is a water entrance
to the Klondkc. The summit of the
White pass is only Is miles from Skag-
way as it is, and if the Canadian con-
tentiOn is adopted the dominion custom
houses will he but short distance up
the river, and the American traders will
have but little more than the privilege
of disembarking goods from steamers
and lighters. Should the commission
adopt the report of the subcommittee
and incorporate in the treaty, there will
be a protest, not only from the miners
them selves, but from the outtitting firms
of Seattle, Tacoma and Portland.