Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1911-06-09
BOUNDARY MARKS
Limits a Fiery Orator Once Gave
the United States.
THE CANADIAN LINE FENCE.

Monuments That cleave tho Two
Countries West From the Lake Of the
Woods-lrreauIaritie in State and
County Boundaries.
The fates of empires and Of dynas-
ties have been involved in the struggle
for boundaries. The fgment 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 FIJI
ty-four-forty or fightw held a threat
of the mighty conflict that eventually
proved irrepressible. And in our own
day the disrute over the Venezuelan
boundary nearly precipitated a 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 bo-
realis. on the west by the setting sun
and on the south by the gates Of hell.
Still, it was only a figure of speech.
Canada lies between us and the boreal
,rno,c Qv1,o ToHn cfafoa
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
idiosyncrasies and eccentricities. The
eastern part of 1t 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 a 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 a
mere imaginary line. Man, having
made it, has marked it well. 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
base eight inches square, an octa'
gon flange one inch thick and a tor
four inches square surmounted by q
solid cap.
Into these hollow posts are fitted
| well seasoned cedar joists, with spikes
| driven through holes made in the cast
! ing. The pillars are firmly 1mbedded
| In the ground. Inscriptions In raised
letters face north and south. Tht
north side reads, Convention of Lon
dom" the other, October 20, 1873
Beyond the Red river the boundar!
line is generally denoted by eartl
mounds and stone cairns by 8 feet
though these are occasionally d1versl
fed by wooden posts of the SAM
height as the iron pillars and paintet
red above ground. Through forest
elearings have been made rod wide
Where bodies Of water are crosse'
monuments Of stone rise several fee
above high tide. Over the mountain
shafts of granite supersede the pillars
mounds and cairns.
| In Ctaf
| lines as well as in-those which limi
the confines of the United States
Thus the line that separates -Delawar
from Pennsylvania (Newcastle an
Chester counties respectively sudden
ly curves upward and forms a sem
circle Just above the ancient town o
Newcastle.
The explanation may be found
history. At the time Delaware wa
get out there were few points Of lat
tude and longitude definitely estal
lished in the colonies. so that bount
aries were generally expressed not b
, latitude and longitude, but by refe
ence to some known location. In tt
deed by which Delaware was tran
!, ferred there was ceded all the land II
, twelve miles round Newcastle, toget
er with certain other areas. In esta
, fishing the boundaries of the presel
state Of Delaware this description WI
taken literally, and part of circl
with the center at Newcastle, was su
3 veyed upon a twelve mile radius.
r No other state has an arc In
g boundary line, but many of the cou
t ties Of Kentucky and Tennessee
e Warren county, Tenn, is almost col
: plete circle. In many instances cou
/ ties formerly circular have been
9 panded into irregular polygons.-W
] liam 3. Walsh in New York Tribune