Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-12-17
ALBUQUERQUEAN
SETTLES RANCE
LIBERIA DISPUTE
Lee C. Dawes, of Local For.
eSter's Office, Is Chief
Engineer Of Liberia Boun-
dairy Survey

DuQueTQu8 IIldu W 6ellle pOulu-
ary dispute affecting far off Lii
IBERIA, the negro republic, and
French Guinea, Lee C. Dawes, an
engineer of the United States dis
trict forest service and still Off
cially carried on the forest SER
vice roster as being connected
with the district forester's office
in this city, is the man to whom
this honor has fallen.
The boundary between Liberia
and French Guinea had been in
dispute for number of years prior
to 1920. The governments OF
France and Liberia engaged in a
long drawn out controversy re-
garding the matter. Then, i'll .
1920, Liberia appealed to the Unit
ed States to arbitrate the dispute
and appoint a commissioner to de-
termine the boundary.
The state department took the
matter under advisement. After
consultation with representatives
OF the French government the lat
ter country agreed to the appoint
ment of a boundary commissioner
by the United States. This COM
missioner was to represent Liberia |
in the dispute but it was generally |
accepted that the French govern |
ment would accept his boundary
lines.
The state department then insti- |
tuted a canvass of available mate
rial in the government departments
to secure an engineer competent
to represent Liberia in the dispute.
In March, 1920, Lee C. Dawes. for
est service engineer in the district
forester's office in Albuquerque,
WIS selected to fill this important
x.
Leaves for Liberia
The same month Mr.. Dawes left
the United States for Liberia. He
was accompanied on the trip by
representatives of the French gov
ernmeft. who were assigned to act
in conjunction with him. The
party remained in Liberia slight
" more than two years, having
completed their survey in May of
this year.
Mr.. Dawes returned to the Unit
ed States in June to work up his
triangulation and map data. He
has prepared a preliminary base
map of Liberia and a copy of this
map has just been received in the
office of the district forester. 1t
is there open to public inspection.
In the communication which ac-
companied the map sent BY Mr.
Dawes, he declares map making IN
Liberia is not sinecure to be at
tempted by tenderfoot. All
transportation Is by cargadores,
otherwise human pack animals.
He states that Liberia is infested
with wild animals and added tol
the dangers encountered because
OF them, there is also the danger
OF cannibals to be confronted,
there being he says, cannibal tribes
in the interior of Liberia.
Another danger of the country
is in the tsetse fly, the deadly
carrier of the African sleeping
sickness. And there are other
dangers to be avoided, while roads
and trails are exceedingly rough in
the interior and passage over them
difficult.
Mr., Dawes states that one feature
which makes the conditions beara-
BILE for the French and other eX-
plorers is the fact that the Nol-I
stead act has not affected Liberia
He says that high grade cham
uapne can be purchased there ut
a, DElCts IllAp ANNINA = ~
uealed particularly to the French,
though. unfortunately it did not
relieve the situation for him. Hel
carried only small vial of liquor
for medicinal purposes. He did
NOT find any need for it's use and
carried it until the day before the
survey was ended, when it was
stolen by one of the cargadores.
Mr.. Dawes completed his trian-
gulation and map data early this
month. lie has since returned 70
Liberia to complete the work.
since his completion OF the data
he has been fully recognized by thel
French government and now holds
the title of "Chief Engineer or the
Liberia Boundary Survey"
Host OF American Names
The map submitted by Mr.
Dawes shows host of American
names for localities. 1t is under
stood that most of these namesl
have been inspired by negroes from
the United States who have gone
to the negro republic. There are
such names as Louisiana, Bunker
Hill. White Plains, Virginia and
many other well known names and
such names borrowed from past
presidents OF the United states as
Monroe and Buchanan.
Mr.. Dawes was in the district
foresters office in Albuquerque
for six years, coming here in 1914
and remaining until he was as
signed to the Liberia boundary
matter in 1920. One of the pro-
iects with which he was connected
here was in charge of the survey
of homesteads on the Manzano,
santa Fe, Lincoln, ella and Apache
national forests. He also prepared
a Topographic map of the territory
around the White mountain, In the
vicinity of Carrizozo.
He has enjoyed a romantic ca
reer before his connection with
the forest service. He was an artil-
Iery officer in the army of Fran
cisco Madero when the Maderois-
tas captured Juarez. in 1910. He
remained with the Maderoistas and
directed the artillery fire in the
battle of Chihuahua and in other
battles of the Madero revolution.
He has also enjoyed many expert
ences in South America and was at
one time connected with the Inter-
national Latitude association IN
s..ht;.Itng positinna in Central