The Hawaiian gazette., 1914-05-08
TRAIL B[AzEb.
IN FROZEN
Survey Six Hundred Miles in
Length Showing Dividing Line
Of Territory Owned by the
United States and Canada in
Alaska Nearing Completion Az
ter Seven Years.

YET seven Years.
sTTKA, Alaska, April SO.--scarring
a broad Iinc across 600 miles OF wilder.
ness In the far North in order that IN,
possessions Of the United states and
Canada may have distinct separation
at every point, win be completed dur
ing the coming open season. The work
has been IN progress since 1907 under
the direction Of Thomas Riggs, Jr., civil
engineer, representing the United States
Alaskan Boundary Commission, and T.
p. Craig, representing a similar com
mission Of Canada.
Although the United States and Can.
ada have been nciehbors in the far
North for over half century, the
exact dividing limo between their pos
sessions, especially as to the northern
portion, was, previous TO this survey,
indefinite and conflicting, Many dis
putes arising, the two goyefhments De-
cided, finally, through their commits.
SONS, that M absolute survey, clearly
established and marked for an, time,
should be made along the one h1ndf6d
and foftY,frst meridian, from the Mt.
st. Elias Alps, on the Pacific, TO the
Arctic Ocean, . distance Of appfoxi-
matelt 600 miles. & ,,,,l y,
The uuited States surreyine party
consisted of from sixty 70 eighty men
each solspn since the work Wna IN
dertaken Chief Engineer Riggs. him.
self y0ppa e6Iletd man, selected his
aids from the hsrdicAf classes cowboys,
forest fangerss pfosPqetors .timbefl
eruisers and frprtioFsgnS With q lib
eral sprinklng Of eHgineers., New ex-
pediticns were ofganizcd each SPRING
although many Of the men who started
at the beginning have femainsd in the
service HP TO the present time. Itwas
the custom, too, 10 leave few men in
the north each winter to care for equip
ment and suppliesl ihtqii 7lf'sy
Rsmrts Of Dimc6it survey. Y
The actual visible results OF Ire six,
OF seven years OF efforts arc, 4, twcnty-
foot vista, cut like IA gigantic. avenue,
or lane thfepgh all timber and ,brusii'
districts, together with monuments set
ct intesyiAhle points, from three to
-four miles. APART. .si,se az sat..atses.i
The mcnHmchts crested ate 81 two
types, depending upon the Importance
of the locality At pfqminent etreain
crossings and main poiiits Of travel the
line-maSker Qnsists Of i ifxe,f foot alufni-l
num.brepze shaft, weighing 300 pounds,
set in, 20QQ pounds Of cone fote. al less
smaller, being desi&Rated IS a cone. east
Of the same metai, aud requiring only
1900 pounds Of concrete for the base
There are approximately 200 Of these
monuments along the 600 miles Of
boundary. The work Of conveying the
heavy materials for their construction,
mostly ON pack animals, sometimes on
the shoulders of the men themselves,
was very slow and Iabotions.
This survey is declared by engineers
to be the straightest Of the world for
the length encompassed. In speaking
of IL, one Of Che engineers said:
The start was made from one of
the desolate peaks of the Mt. st. Elias
Alps, on the southern extremity. There
we laid our course straight for the
northern lights and thereafter swerved
not SO much as a hair-breadth-- peaks,
gulches, bottoriless swamps wherever
the noodle pointed there we went, one
day cutting our way through brush.
tangles, the next building track across
marshes, or crawling over rocks and
through crevasses.
a Aided by Small Steamers.
Small steamers, plying the Yukon and
PoreuPine Rivers, cooperated 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 $50 miles in extent
over which ell supplies had to be trans
ported, for the most part, on the backs
Of horses and mules, the commissary
wagons being rendered useless by the
terrible mud which follows the escape
Of frost from the soil in that region.
As 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 established
their base at Rampart House, an ancient
Hudson Bay station, on the Pofcupiue,
from whence several daslies were made
before the Arctic Ocean was finally
reached. rk Fr
When the steamers landed the topog.
raphers and their equipment at Ram.
part House, the native Indians were
amazed at the drove of what they first
took to be huge dogs, but later decided
must be a variety OF hornIess caribou.
Inquiry developed the fact that they.
had never before seen nor heard of the
horse. 8.4t.t
4 Alniost at the water,line Of the Arc.
tic Ocean one Of the largey Of the mon.
umeAts stands today marking the inter
national division. The final lap required
TO place IL there was over a region
fairly byistIing with natural difficulties,
although only about 100 miles across.
The course led over the tTeacherous
lakes and swamps Of the Old Grow
country, over the zimmerman Noun.
taihs, the Davidson and British ranges
thence down the long slope to the eoast.
On this dash. Wild animals raided the
caches and menaced the surveyors;
tavenous mosquitoes settled upon them
in hordes, day and night phantom