The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-05-17
MONUMENTS MARK
ALASKAN BOUNDARY.
orv1DrHG LINE FINALLY LOCATED
AND MARKED BIZ EN-
GINEERs.
WORK w AS SEVERE
PREVIOUS TO THIS SURVEY EXACT
LINE BETWEEN TWO CoUN-
TIES HAD BEEN IN
DEFINITE.
WORK WAS SEVERE

SITkA, ALASKA, May ls.--Scar-
ring q broad line across 500 miles OF
wilderness in the far North, in or
der that the possessions Of the United
states and Canada may have dis
tinct separation at every point. will
be completed during the coming open
season The work has been in prog
ress since 1907 under the direction
OF Thomas Riggs Jr.. civil engineer,
representing the United States Alaska
boundary commission. and T. ID.
Craig, representing a similar COM
mission of Canada.
Although the United States and
Canada have been neighbors in the
far North for over half a century,
the exact dividing line htween their
possessions especially as-to- IL. the
northern portion. was previous to
this survey, indefinite and conflicting.
Many disputes arising, the two gov
ernments decided, finally. through
their commissions. that an absolute
survey. clearly established and mark
ed for all time. should be made
along the one hundred and forty
Arst meridian. from the Mt St Elias
Alps. on the Pacific. to the Arctic
ocean, n distance OF approximately
500 miles.
The United state. surveying party
consisted of from sixty to eighty men
each season since the work was UNI
dertGken. Chief Engineer Riggs, ]
himself a young college man, select
I'd his aids from the hardest classes
cowboys. forest rangers, prospec-
tors. timber cruisers and frontiers
men, with a liberal sprinkling OF en-
xineers New expeditions were organ
.,f
the men who started at the beginning
have remained In the service up to
the present time. II was the custom
too to leave few men in the North
each winter to care for equipment
and supplies.
The actual visible results Of the
six or seven years of efforts. TWEEN
ty-foot vista cut, like d gigantic ave-
nue.. ar lane, through all timber and
brush districts together with monu-
Ynents set at intervisible intervals,
from three to four miles apart.
The monuments erected are OF
two types, depending upon the i'm
portAnce of the locality. At promi-
nent stream crossings and main points
OF travel the line-marker consists OF
i hve-foot aluminium bronze shaft.
weighing 500 pounds, set In 1000
hounds of concrete. At less impor-
IAnt points the monument is smaller,
being designated as a cone, cast of
the same metal, and requiring only
1900 pounds 70 concrete for the base
There are approximately 400 of these
monuments along the 500 miles OF
boundary The work of conveying
the heavy materials for their con-
struction, mostly on pack animals.
sometimes on the shoulders Of men
themselves. was very slow and labo-
rious-
THIS survey Is declared by engi-
neers to be the straightest OF the
world for the length encompassed.
In speaking OF 1t. one of the engi-
neers said:
The start was made from one Of
the desola.c peaks OF the Mt. St
Elias Alps. on the southern extremity
There we laid our course straight
for the Northern Lights and thereaf-
ter swerved not so much as hair
breadth--peaks. guiches. bottomless
ewamps-wherever the needle pointed
there we went. one day cutting our
way through brush tangles the next
building a track across marshes. or
crawling over rocks and through Gre
vaAses''
Small steamers plying the Yukon
and Porcuping rivers ce-operated
with the expedition, but they were
able TO reach with supplies only a
small portion OF the actual route.
South of the Yukon Is a vast region
Over ESQ miles in extent, over which
all supplies had to be transported.
for the most part on the backs OF
horses and mules. the commissary
wagons being rendered useless by the
terrible mud which follows from the
escape OF frost from the soil in that
region.
AZ might be expected. the greatest
difficulties were encountered beyond
the Arctic circle. Following the rough
scaling Of the southern portion OF
the survey, the joint expeditions es-
tAbliahed their base at Rampant
House, an ancient Hudson bay sta
ton. on the Porcupine, from whence
several dashes were made before the
Arctic ocean was finally reached.
When the steamers landed the top
ographers and their equipment at
Rampant House the native Indians
were amazed ut the drove OF what
they hrst took to be huge dogs. but
later decided must be variety Of
hornless caribou. Inquiry developed
the fact they had never before seen
nor heard Of tho horse.
Almost Mt the water line OF the Arc
tic ocean one Of the larger monuments
stands today. marking the internal
honal division The final lap requir-
ed to place It there was over region
fairly bristiing with natural Difficult
ties. although only about 100 miles
1oA Nj