Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-21
THE BOUNDARY LINE
Between the United States and
Dominion of Canada.
A PARTY OF SURVEYORS
Representing the Two Governments
Are Now Marking It.
PUTTING UP BRASS POSTS
Stores That Are Divided by the In
ternational Boundary-smuggl
and Cattle Rustling.
Copyright, 1906, by Frank G. carpenter)

Copyright, 1906 by Frank C. carpenter)
Special Correspondence Of The Star.
OTTAWA.
The boundary between the United States
and Canada is being carefully marked. A
band of surveyors, representing both coun-
tries, IS going over It, running new lines
from the Atlantic to the Pacific and putting
up brass posts to mark them. l have been
upon the line several times during my
travels in Canada. At the town of Laurier,
in British Columbia, 1 found the depot
situated on both sides of the boundary.
There was a mark drawn diagonaliy
across the platform on one side of which
was painted in red an enormous American
eagle with the words United States below
It, and on the other side Canada and a
picture of the maple leaf. I planted one
of my feet on the eagle and the other on
the leaf and stood for a time astride the
division which separates John Bulls Ameri-
can possessions from those of Uncle Sam.
Looking to the south l could, In my mag
nation see the Rockies rolling onward for
thousands of miles to our Mexican bound
airy and at the north the mountains of Can
ada and the snow and ice of British Ameri-
ca extending almost TO the pole
Brass Boundary Posts.
In company with Mr.. c. E. Stone, the
general passenger agent OF the Great North
ern railroad who was with me. I walked
eastward a few steps to look at one of the
brass posts which had just been put up to
mark the boundary. The posts are only
a few miles apart and they are being put up
along the whole line. with the exception Of
the Great Lakes, from the mouth OF the
st. Lawrence to Puget sound. AS l stood
beside the post 1t reached to my shoulder
1t Is ! Judge about five feet high, eight
inches thick at the bottom, tapering to four
inches thick at the top, where 1t ends In
little pyramid as sharp as that which caps
the Washington monument. The post is
made of brass or copper plates soldered
together. and so set in bedding of cement
that 1t looks like solid metal. Indeed. 1
did not know it was hollow until 1 tapped
1t with my knife One side of this post
bore the word Canada" In raised letters
and the opposite side THE United States"
On another face was the inscription:
Treaty of 1886 Line established 1857
and 1861. Surveyed and marked 1903-1o0T"
Standing at the post could look for sew
eral miles east west through a wide
road which had been cut along each side
the boundary right through the forest
am told that such marking has been done
all along the line.
The Iron Pillars of Vermont.
I understand that the boundary posts
along the eastern end of the line are in
bad condition and that they are being
replaced by posts of copper and granite
The original ones between Quebec and
Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont were
made of iron. They were put up about
sixty years ago, but the frost and thaws
have heaved up many of them and thrown
others out of perpendicular, Some of those
posts have been moved. The surveyors who
have been going over the line during the
past year found two of the posts on the
northern arm of Lake Champlain missing.
One was sixty feet away from the line and
1t had probably been carried there by an ice
shove when the water was unusually high.
Some Of these posts stood near roads and
they had dropped over into the cutters
Many were Drowned with rust and sur
rounded with weeds. The most of these
have been reset or replaced with granite
pillars, so bedded that they will resist the
rayages of time.
The boundary Stores.
There is a custom house at Laurier, and