The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-04-11
AGREE UPON WHOLE
ALASKAN BOUNDARY
United States and Great Britain
Dispose of the Last Diff
ferenCeS
Globe Special Washington Service


WASHINGTON. April lot has only
racentlv become known that negotiations
have been in progress for some months for
the settlement of that part of the Alaska
boundary which was not accurately de-
termined by the London tribunal in the
late fail of 1903. With this information
comes the announcement that the course
of the whole boundary has been definitely
determined and agreed to by the govern
rnents of the United States and Great
Britain.
1t may be remembered that it was told
for the first time in dispatches to T h e
Clio b e early in November. 1908, that,
contrary to general belief, the Alaska
boundary tribunal had not settled upon
the course which the whole boundary line
should take between Alaska and the
Canadian territory. Attention was called
10 the fact that on account of an omis
sion in the international provisional sur
Vey Of 1898. the charts prepared under that
survey failed to give any data for stretch
of territory toward the southern end of
the boundary, covering distance Of more
than iUo miles between the mountain n
peaks known as Hates Needle and Devils
Thumb In due course commissioners on
the part of the United States and Great
Britain were selected under the terms of
the London award to locate the Alaska
boundary line and TO erect visible monu-
ments. An appropriation for the share OF
the United States in this work was made
by congress.
Had Few Data
The important fact which has only
just become known or appreciated is that
these commissioners Were subsequently
charged by agreement between the two
governments with the duty of locating
the line in the region between Kate
Needle and Devils Thumb which was
the part of the boundary regarding which
the London tribunal had no reliable data.
According 10 this agreement the findings
of the commissioners were to be subject
TO acceptance by the two governments
Enough time has elapsed SO that there
Is no harm in saying that. according to a
statement privately made by one of the
American commissioners soon after his re-
turn from London in 1908, a settlement
OF this strip of 100 miles or more could
have been effected at the time of the
sittlngs at London, but the American jur-
lists were unwilling to accept any plan
for fear of sacrificing American terri
tory.
II now appears that the commissioners
appointed under the award recently made
their report, and that an exchange of
notes between the United States and
Great Britain has effected the acceptance
of the terms of this report by the two
ment the United States gains probably
less than Canada gains, but the findings
OF TACT have turned out just about as was
expected by the British commissioners at
the time of the tribunals meeting in
London a year and half ago. The terri
tory in question is supposed to be almost
Valueless, for 1t is practically inaccessi-
bic; The whole region is mountainous
and broken. and nearly all of il is Gov
cred with almost perpetual SHOWS.
Line to Follow Peaks
Hates Needle is a peak about seventy
five miles due south or a little southeast
from Skagway and Devils Thumb is
more than 100 miles Southerly from Hates
Needle. By the agreement now reached
between the two governments 1t is pro-
Vlded that the line shall follow mountain
peaks between the two detectives but
that in selecting these peaks the commits
Sloners snail select none that is more than
Z,9OU meters from a straight line joining
the extreme or objective points. 1t is
deemed best to select mountain peaks for
the intermediate marks, since the country
Is hard TO travel over and the erection of
artificial monuments is almost an impos-
sibility and would serve no good pur-
The commissioners are o. H. Tittman.
superintendent Of the coast and geodetic
survey. on the part of the United States
Dominion government, on the part of
+ Great Britain.
The recent exchange of notes which
winds up the international transaction. al
though much of the actual work of erect
ing the boundary monuments between
Alaska and the British possessions re-
mains to be done, was effected between
Acting Secretary of State Adee and Sir
Henry Mortimer Durand, the British am
% last. is as follows:
Referring to your note Of Oct l and
Mr. Hays reply of Dec. >, 1904. in re-
gard TO the report by Messrs o. H Tit
mann and W. F. King. the commissioners
appointed to carry out the delimitation of
the Alaska boundary so far as it was left
underlined by the award of the London
tribunal and concerning the character of
our agreement between the United States
ana Great Britain for the formal accept
di!ce OF the recommendations of the COM
nllssioners by an exchange of notes / have
the honor to state. by direction of the
president. that the government of the
United States agrees with the govern
ment Of his Britannia majesty that the
part Of the boundary between Alaska and
canada lying between the points 2 and T
mentioned in the award of the tribunal
OF 1903. shall be defined in accordance
with the general principles laid down bv
Sald tribunal by the SUBMITS whose geo.
graphical coordinates are given with Suf-
hclent approximation for Identification in
the attached table, provided that the
commissioners are hereby empowered
after they have secured sufficient data
10 select additional and intermediate
PEAKS between the points and and s
ana L where the distances between fba
peaks given in the table exceed the proha
ne limit OF intervisibility Provided also
HiaI no such additional and intermediate
peak SnaIl be more than $500 meters from
the straight line joining peaks 7 and g and
ana OF the attached table. as follows:
Inc ATTITUDES and longitudes are taken
rom ana refer to the maps numbers 10
ana y of the surveys made by the British
commission under the convention of 1892.
ne successive peaks are designated by
CoISecutlNe plumbers. counting southwark
from point 2. -
A table of ATTITUDES and Iongitudes. with
.ppI OAlildNS Instances. is then given. and
the acting secretary's note concludes as
follows: N
Your acknowledgment of this conmuni
cation with q similar statement nm ha
half of the government of his majesty viii
complete the agreement reached by fhe
commissioners, thus completing the award
OF the London tribunal under the conven-
ton of Jan. "a. 1903, as to the above
described part of the Alaska boundary
Expressing the presidents satisfacfi
at this settlement of the matter. / have
the honor to be your eXceHency's obedient
servant, Alvey 8 Adee
Acting Secretary of State -
The letter of Ambassador Durs,d in 80
ply is identical so far as the terms of
the stated final settlement are Concerned
Walter E Clark
Exchanoe Co,onI;,os,+-