The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-07-03

R<e 1 MINING ne longest straight
~ line boundary IN tie ~. "o' r..
SA Between Alaska and talada,
has finally been completed. 1t
measures from beginning TO
end exactly ,5o7 miles, and runs
as straight as the crow lilies from
Mount ST Elias directly rorth, over
moving glaciers and some OF the high
est mountains in the world, to the
Arctic ocean. II took seven years la
Dor of seventy.tve men to accomplish
this difficult task. 1t cost the United
States government in round llgures
$3.50 900 with the Canadian govern
ment contributing a like amount, the
cost of the whole work amounting TO
$1,5O0,ooo
The story of this great work reads
like some of the rUmances written
years ago of the sO-caled wild ana
woolly vest. The men who took part
in the work tel tales rivaling those OF
Admiral Peary in his search for the
north pole, and of Amundsen i'll his
hunt for the south pole. AS a memen-
to of the hazardous nature Of the
work the bones of some of the heroic
scientist explorers lie today, whitening
along the bleak and desolate trail or
the international boundary line i'll
Alaska
The American PARTY Was made up
Of nine engineers, surveyors, and top0-
graphers, with thirty assistants, pack
ers, instrument men, and others. 1t
was in charge OF Thuma~ riggs, Jr,
of Washington D G., With w + Rae
burn, w l.. Gilmore, W e. Guerin, f.
S. Ryus. c. Y Guerin, d. W Eaton,
ASA e. baldwin and + G. tiuorin,
The Canadian party was in charge of
J. d. Craig. a celebrated civil engln.
Ger of the Canadian government
Old Resident in Charge.
Thomas Riggs is an Old resident or
Alaska. He acquired the gold fever
during the wild rush of 1897, and
promptly PACKED his Kit and hiked to
He remained there about four years,
prospecting in many sections OF the
| country, but at last becoming dis
| courased returned home. Just about
this time Uncle Sam was looking
around for likely men to run the in
ternational boundary line between the
United states and Canada along the
forty-ninth parallel of latitude This
| was another job similar iii character
! to the Alaska boundary. but not near
ly so difficult Riggs applied for The
| job, and Was promptly employed
| With 4 number OF other engineers anc
! surveyors. he put in the following FIVE
| years on this work Then in 1905 h,
was appointed engineer in charge Il
| run the AlaskaC Canadian boundary
| which has nov been brought 10 a sue
cessful conclusion
! The Alaska boundary is marked b,
lSS stone monuments set three mile!
apart from Mount ST Elias on the Pa
citic coast to thc Arctic ocean Mos
exploring parties usually follow III,
line Of least resistance These men
however We're compelled to follow
the line LAID down by the treaty be
4 tween IN, United States and Canada
This resulted in great difficulty, espe
cially in trans portation and tiel,
work The past year the men had t,
cross the British mountains. whicl
rise TO a height of more than 100
feet. From the summit of these noun
tains could be seen the Arctic ocea
in all its terrii! ing silence, frozen a
far as the eve could see
1t was at this point that the frs
bad luck happened 10 the party Ra,
burn was taken i'll with rneumoni
and laid up for three weeks withou
medical assistance OF any kind Tw
members of the narty made hurrie
return trip to llerSchel island. l.
miles away. where The steam whale
Belvidere vas wntering, in the hope
of obtaining medicine In order I
reach the haler they had to eros
a body of water lYnre than three mile
wide. frozen solid in places and in otl
ers broken up On the shore the
found a prcspector The three rope
themselves Together and started o
the perilous trip across the ice to tn
island Il took three and a hall hour
to make the trip Upon reaching Oh
whaler they found it frozen solid /
ice. Obtaining some medicine frol
Captain Cottle. they started on the r,
turn journey and reached camp afte
two weeks absence.
L. Skeletons Found.
Near the Arctic ocean the engineer
found the skeletons OF three me