The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1914-05-06
Soaring Broad Line Across
Six Hundred Miles of Viii.
derness in far North Has
Been Big Job
WORK BEGUN IN OPEN
SEASON OF 1907
Sixty to Eighty Men Each
Season have Been Employed
by United States Under
Chief Engineer Riggs.
my Leased N1rc to Evening nernId.I

my Leased Ilrc 10 Evening ncrald.l
Sitka, Nlasku. MAJ soaring "a
broad line across 500 miles of wilder
ness be- the Tar north. boz order tha'
the possessions Of tho United states
and Canada may have a distinct sep
aratiou at every point, VIII Doe COM
plctDd during the coming open season.
The work has been iu progress since
1907 under h direction OF Thomas
Riggs. Jr. c,Nil engineer, represent
ing the United states Alaskan bound
larry commission and r - craig. rep
rcsenting "a similar commission OF
Canada
Although the United states and
Canada nave been ueighbors IN the
fur north for over a hall century,
the exact dividing line between Their
possessions. especially az Co thu north
ern portiu' WAS. previous 90 this
survey. 81 finite and conflicting.
Many Disputes arising. thc two gov
cTnmentz decided. finally. through
their commissions. that an absolute
survey. clearly established aud mark
ed for all time, should bee made along
the one hundred and forty FIRST me
ridtun. from the Mt ~. Elias Alps.
ON the Pacihc, 10 the Arctic ocean. "a
distance OF approximately 80" miles
The United States surveying party
consisted OF from 90 to NO men each
season since the work was under
taken. chief Engineer Riggs. himself
@ young college man. selected his
aids from the hardest classcs-coW-
boys, forest rangers, ~prospccturs.
timber cruisers and fronticrsi.en,
with q liberal sprinkling Of engineers.
New expeditions were organized each
spring. although many OF the men
who started at the beginning have re-
manned In the service up Co the pres
ent time. Il was the custom, too. to
leave "A few men In the north each
winter 10 care for equipment and sup
plies.
The actual visible results of the six
OF seven Years OF efforts. q 20-foot
vista. cut, like a gigantic ayeb4y or
flame through an timber and brush
districts. together with monuments
set AZ interyisible points. from three
Co four miles apart
The monuments are of two types.
depending upon the Importance Of
the locality At prominent stream
icrussings and main points uf travel
4 NAN NHN' NHNAA NJ 'NN|H|NE w 90 N'h
aluminium bronze shaft. weighing 300
pounds. set IN 2.o0n pounds Of oon-
crete. Al less Important points the
monument be- smaller bcing designat-
ed as Il mi east OF the same metal
and requiring only 1900 pounds al
concrete for the base. There are APP
pruNimatcly % OF these monuments
along the 500 miles of boundary. The
work Of conveying the heavy materi-
ais FOR their construction. mostly on
pack animals, sometimes on the
shoulders Of the men themselves. was
very slow and laborious.
This survey is declared by ongi-
npers to be the straightest of the
world FOR the length encompassed.
In speaking 81 u, n Of the engl-
neers said.
THE start was made from one Of
the desolatc peaks of the Mt -
ELIAS Alps. un the southern eNtrem-
lty. There We laid our course straight
Tor the Northern Lights and ther,af-
tier sweryed not So nue. az "a hair
breadth Eulches. bOttomless
swamps-whcrcycr the needle pointed
there We went, one day cutting
way through brush tungles. the next
building "a track across marshes. OF
crawling over rocks and through
iC~reNasses
Small steamers, plying the Yukon
and Porcupiuc rivers, co-operuted
with the expedition. but they were
able Co each with supplies only "a
small portion OF the actual routes.
South OF tho Yukon is e vast region.
over 900 miles in extent over which
an supplies had % boz transported for
the most part. m the backs OF horses
and mules, the ,ommissary wagons
being rendered useless hy ten terrible
mud which follows the escape OF
frost from ne soil in that region.
As might bee expected. The greatest
difficulties were encountered beyond
the Aryti. tirrl, Following the
rough scB ug 81 the southern portion
Of the survey. the joint expeditions
cstihli- a their base al i;ampart
House, au ancient Hudson Bay sta-
ton Uu th, purcupiuc. whence several
dashos were made before the Arctic
ocean was FINALLY reached.
When the steamers landed the to-
poeraphcrs and their equipment az
Rampant House the native indiana
were amazed at the drove OF what
they az first took 20 bo huge dogs
hut later decided must bc IL variety
Of hornless caribou Inquiry deNcl-
oped the fact that they had never
before seen or heard Of the horse
Almost az the water line OF h
Arctic ocean one Of the larger mon
uments stands today marking the In
te~rnatlunal division. The hnal lap re-
puircd 10 place BE- there Was over "a
re- Ion fairly hriHtling with natural
difficulties. although only about 100
miles across. The course led over the
-treacherous lakes and swamps of the
old Crow country, over che Ammor-
man mountains, the Davidson aud
British ranges, thence down the long
slope 10 the coast ON this dash. Wild
animals raided the aches and mem
a0ed the surveyors, %rnvenous mos