Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1909-10-16
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and independence were to be found on the bars
of the Forty Mile, the Stewart and at Circle
City.
With the increase of population came the rep
resentatives of the American and Canadian gov
ernments custom houses were established and
court decisions took the place of the rude JUS
tice dispensed by miners meetings. With the
new order of things also the necessity of
determined line between the two countries
The United States claimed, under the old Rus
sian treaty. line running up Portland canal to
the seth parallel of north latitude thence fol-
low the summit of the coast range inter
section with the 141st meridian. In the absence
of a definite mountain range near the coast, the
line was to be not than ten marine leagues
distant from tide water
Canada claimed that the line should follow the
coast range paralleling the general contour of
the coast and cutting across all inlets
There were other contentious of minor impor-
lance, but the real trouble that Canada
thought she was entitled to a seaport which
would allow of shipments through Canadian ter
ritory to the valuable Klondike
As to the 141st meridian being the rest of the
boundary there dispute. This line starts
at ridge of Mount Saint Elias and runs through
TO Demarcation Point the Arctic ocean
Maps showing a strip of land along the coast
were made, archives rummaged every avail
able bits of history and tradition were searched
ana the whole mass submitted evidence to a
tribunal of three Americans, two Canadians and
one Englishman, which met in London in 1909
Inc sitting OF the evidence required three months
The opposing counsel helped by the geographic
experts put forth their best arguments vote
was taken, and the result showed four to two for
chief of Eng
land, Lord Alverstone, casting his vote with the
Americans
Naturally the Canadian representatives felt
greatly disappointed, but the evidence was too
conclusive to allow of any other outcome
Then came the question of what mountains con-
stltuted the coast range. In places a compro-
mise was effected departing slightly from the
claims of the United States
1t was decided that certain welldefined peaks
on the mountains fringing the coast should con-
stitute the main points the boundary Lord
Alverstone welding blue pencil, marked on the
maps what appeared to the tribunal to be the
proper mountains The members of the tribunal
were all eminent jurists but this did not make
them proficient in the intricaces of contour mans
and the advice of the experts was constantly re-
QueSted.
The location of the boundary was left to two
commissioners Mr. O. H Tittmann superintend-
ent OF the coast and geodetic survey for the
United States, and DIR. w. F. king chief Donin
ion astronomer. for Canada
Wherever the blue-penciI mark appears on the
map, this point without any recourse is a boun-
dairy point, even though a higher and better nont
may be but short distance away.
To follow the sinuosities of the mountain
ranges in this country would be hopeless so the
commissioners will probably decide that a
straight line connecting the various blue-penciled
points shall constitute the boundary.
The actual demarcation of the boundary to be
satisfactory to both governments, must be done
Jointly. BY this it is meant that there is di-