The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-06-05
BOUNDARY MARKS
Limits a Fiery Orator Once Gave
the United States.
THE CANADIAN LINE FENCE.

Monuments That cleave the Two
Countries West From the Lake of the
Observation-Disclosures in State and
County Boundaries.
The fates Of empires and Of dynas-
ties have been involved In the struggle
for boundaries. The figment that the
Rhine was the natural frontier Of
France ended In the downfall of the
Bonapartes and the exaltation Of the
Hohenzollerns, thus rearing the neo-
German empire upon the ruins of the
upstart French empire.
In our own country the cry of Eff
ty-four-forty or fight~ held a threat
Of the mighty conflict that eventually
proved irrepressible And in our own
day the dispute over the Venezuelan
boundary nearly precipitated war
between the two greatest nations of
the earth.
1t was a startling figure Of speech,
that Of the western orator who, mount
ing higher and higher to climax Of
buncombe, described the United States
as bounded on the east by the Atlantic
ocean. on the north by the aurora boz
reals. on the west by the setting sun
and on the south by the gates Of hell.
Still. 1t was only figure of speech.
Canada lies between US and the boreal
aurora. The Latin American states
to the south hardly deserve the infer
nal comparison. As to the oceans to
the east and the west Of us, they may
be left to themselves. Not mine the
task of determining what the wild
waves are saying.
The Canadian boundary presents its
idiosyncra sizes and eccentricities. The
eastern part of II follows naturally
and spontaneously the regular water
line formed by the great lakes and
their outlets. Thence from the Lake
OF the Woods on the north Of Mime
sofa more direct course. man made
and mechanical is taken through the
wilderness and over the mountains of
the west to the Pacific coast Nor has
this course been suffered to remain
mere imaginary line. Man, having
made IT. has marked 1t we'll Between
the Lake of the Woods and the Red
river cast iron pillars have been
placed one mile apart alternately by
the English and the American govern
ments. These are hollow castings in
pyramidal form eight feet high. with
q base eight inches square. an octa-
gon fange one inch thick and top
four inches square surmounted by a
solid cap.
Into these hollow posts are fitted
well seasoned cedar joists. with spikes
driven through holes made in the cast
ng. The pillars are firmly imbedded
IN the ground. Inscriptions in raised
letters face north and south. The
north side reads, Convention Of Lon
ion:" the other, October 20, 1913"
Beyond the Red river the boundary
Inc is generally denoted by earth
mounds and stone cairns by s feet,
.hough these are occasionally diversi- |
led by wooden posts Of the same
height as the iron pillars and painted |
ed above ground Through forests
bearings have been made a rod wide |
Where bodies of water are crossed |
of stone rise several feet
Ibove high tide. Over the mountains
hats of granite supersede the pillars
mounds and cairns.
There are eccentricities in state
ines as well as in those which limit
he confines of the United States.
Thus the line that separates Delaware
rom Pennsylvania Newcastle and