The Raymer enterprise., 1923-08-23

JrH repssraphsr at Mers at
(Prsparsd ~ IL Naeteaai osoEraphie so-
Alaska, with. its other superiativeA
has a. IT. principal eastern boundary
Dns Of the longest surveyed lines In the
world-a line straighter than any crow
could fy. extending for more than 600
miles over mountain and gorge, glacier
and marsh and meadow. from within
sight Of the Pacific ocean In the south,
straight north until II cuts the ice-
Siusted beach Of the Arctic ocean. On
the west Of this imaginary line lies
Alaska; on the east, Canada; and until
about decade ago no one knew exact
" where the one ended and the other
began. The surveying Of this line in
the years just preceding the World
war-the literal placing Of Alaska On
the map-constitutes an epic Of ad-
venture amid innumerable difhculties,
a. well a. q notable engineering
achievement.
| The southern end Of the boundary 10
snow-topped Mount Saint Elias. the
giant among oil nearby mountains.
A ridge Of this mountain ID cut BY the
14lst meridian which the treaty be-
tween the United States and Great
Britain names a. the eastern boundary
Zine Of the greater part Of Alaska. and
the problem was to extend this merid-
ian On the groun6 through the country
to the north. From it, southern start.
ing point the line hurdles for 90 miles
over the craggy ranges and the great
glaciers of the Saint Elias alps Then
It strikes the White river In whose
broad valley prospectors have lived for
years tunneling into copper and gold
ores and hoping for the coming Of the
railroad. still 40 miles away to the
west at Kennicott.
/, The boundary line, In its northern
progress early leaves perpetual snow
behind. Mt Nataxhat, just south Of
the White river. ID the last stand Of
summer snow: and from there north
ward. even to the edge Of the Arctic
ocean, there is a season annually dur
ing which no snow or Ice u In e~-
dence.
Regions Full Of Game.
The White river marks a definite
change In the character Of the country.
Just north Of the stream are low.
rolling hills the favorite habitat of
wild sheep. Farther one encounters
low, lake-studded muskeg marshes. the
home Of numerous moose. These re-
gions make up p paradise for hunts.
meh; caribou, sheep. moose and bear
may be found at almost any season
and the streams seem alive with fish.
The line passes the headwaters Of the
Tanana river. the Yukon's chief Alas.
kan tributary, and then passes on to
the Ladue river which also flows to
the Yukon. but in the opposite direc.
tion, through Canadian territory.
ii Forty Mile rlvef the line passes
shrough the frst Important gold "dlg-
gings" on the Alaskan side in the
Yukon fegion and then a few miles
farther on strikes the great Yukon
river. "the Mississippi Of the North"
The town Of Eagle, on the Yukon. lies
Just beside the line, barely within
United States territory. This, though
but small town, is Alaska's most i'm.
portant community on Its meridian
fysntier.
sarth of Eagle the boundary climbl
! Yukon's abrupt northern bank
%. uses the Tatonduk hills, also a ia.
T6red stamping ground for wild sheep
traverses the Nation river and the bar.
rem hills and ridges beyond; and strug'
giles through the bottomless marshes Of
the Big Black river. Now II Is getting
into a country that really deserves the
name Of wilderness. At the Porcu'
pine river It again, and for the last
time, crosses a navigable stream and
the beaten path. There, as closs tc
the line on the Canadian side as Eagle
is on that of the United States. Il
New Rampant House. one Of the most
northern Of Canadian trading posts.
From Rampant House the line ex.
tends $50 miles more before II Gomez
to salt water. It passes through the
lake country Of the Old Crow river
over the American. Davidson and Brit
ish mountains, and then down to the
terminal monument on the bleak shore
that looks of toward the North Pole.
Marking out an international boun.
dary line through an inaccessible vii
derness Is not such simple matter al
n might appear to the engineering stu
dent mapping the college campus Of
stalking out an imaginary railroad line
The problem involved astronomical Oh
servations and electrical signaling al
well a. the use Of finely adjusted In
btruments In the extension Of straight
lind The correct ume-correct u