The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-10-12
ALASKAN BOUNDARY
IS NOW COMPLETED
Surveyors to the Arctic Have
Returned. with Tales of
Many Hardships.

ne survey Cl Luc AldShdH DOuAUdly
line on which Howard Trueblood, son
of Professor William N. Trueblood of
Earlham college, worked as surveyor
is now completed. Thomas Riggs,
chief of the United States boundary
survey party, has returned to Seattle.
I'VE left Seattle April 29 with TWEEN
ty-six men and thirty-fve horses" said
Mr.. Riggs. "At Coffee Creek, on the
Yukon River, we picked up forty-tWo
more horses which had wintered at
the head of White River, and on May
Is we landed at Rampant House, on
the Porcupine River, sixty-five miles
north of the Arctic Circle, where w.
+. Reaburn, one Of our surveyors, had
wintered with five men and had laid
out line of caches as far as the boun-
Diary crossing of Old Crow River, SO
the party could take the field without
delay.
Canadians Worked Alone.
81. D. Craig, chief of the Canadian
party, with similar outfit, had joined
us at White Horse, Y. T., and trav-
eled with us to Rampant House, where
sub-parties were sent out. The Amer
lean and Canadian parties did not
work from the same camps, but divid-
ed the work. The only exception was
a party of six, headed by Mr.. Craig
and myself, who jointly projected the
line. By using Old Crow River as
base, supplies were carried by water
NTH
Ocean.
THE first party of which Mr. Craig
and l were in charge, reached the
Arctic Ocean about the middle of July
and the final monument was placed
with the ceremony of breaking out
flags of the two countries
A Swim in the Arctic
Mac Pope of Baltimore, a big game
hunter, took a moving picture of the
scene. Afterwards all of us took q
plunge in the Arctic, but we did not
remain in long.
THE Arctic coast is entirely barren.
Twelve miles back of the foothills the
mountains rise to an elevation of from
5000 to 1000 feet, but there is a pass
six miles east of the line.
The only fuel north of the summit
OF the Arctic range is found in a few
scattering clumps Of willows, and, on
the beach, driftwood from the Mack
enzie River. There is grass in plenty
for horses along the streams and in
patches on the tundra. l believe our
horses were the first to travel to the
Arc Coast. The Indians and Eski-
me led them big dogs
Mosquitoes a Pest.
'storns, especially in winter, are
severe. In the summer when the wind
ia not blowing or is off short the mos
quitoes and flies are almost upendur-
able. They attacked our horses,
which gathered around the smudges
OF driftwood, not daring to go out to
Craze. Game there was in plenty. The
largest herd seen consisted of about
five thousand caribou. Herds of from
one hundred to two hundred and fifty
were frequently met. We also found
sheep in the mountains A. G. Mad
dren. representing the United States
Geological Survey, made a reconnai-
sance north from Rampant House and
reports very few indications of gold
north of the Porcupine
beginning with the monument on
the Arctic crest as the initial one, the
monuments were numbered and in
spected from the Arctic to the Yukon.
lib being in this stretch. Next year
the monuments will be numbered and
inspected from the Yukon to the Mount
st. Elias Alps, and the survey of the
one hundred and forty-first meridian
will have been completed"