Show THE ALASKA GOLD JIIXtES During the past summer there has been a good deal in the papers about England having seized the Alaskan gold fields that is a very large part of them If they are on Canadian territory ter-ritory her action was perfectly proper If they are on Alaskan territory her action was decidedly improper and no douibt she will be ready and willing to make what amends this government may ask of her According to General Duffield superintendent super-intendent of the coast and geodetic survey sur-vey who has just returned from an extensive trip along the northwest coast including Alaska the Alaskan gold fields belong to the United States i In an interview on the subject published pub-lished In the Washington Star General Gen-eral Duflleld says All doubt caused by references to mountain chars or ranges near tie coast along the Panhandle have been disposed of as it has been found that there are only two groups of elevations ele-vations that can be even remotely considered con-sidered as mountain chains the one being the Mount St Elias chain and the other the Treadwell chain The first is conceded to be on British soil while the latter cannot be brqught into the discussion with any dignity as it is simply a group of peaks The determination de-termination of the boundary line thus resolves itself into the location of a line ten marine leagues from the coast and the determination of the line of the 141st meridian of longitude The maps prepared by the joint commission named by this country and Great Britain to explore the country are now in the hands of the two governments I ernments and I have just been informed in-formed negotiations are about completed com-pleted looking to the selection of a joint commission to strike the line between the two countries from the maps submitted sub-mitted The commission named to prepare pre-pare the maps went into the field In each case so divided that each American Ameri-can party had a British representative representa-tive while an American was present in each British surveying party to look I after the interests of this country Asa As-a result absolute fairness was secured and the cartographical results can be depended upon for accuracy In determining the 141st meridian merid-ian of longitude the notes of the British surveyor Ogilvie six years in preparation have been compared with those of the American surveyors and have been found to vary so little that no trouble will be found in striking a compromise between the two lines At some points lesa lines are only six feet apart while at the greatest divergence diver-gence they are within 400 feet of each other I The great difficulty encountered in j locating the great peak of Mount St I Elias arises from the fact that It was I possible by the terms of the treaty to I locate It just over the line in the British Brit-ish dominion if its location were decided de-cided by the meridian while the ten leagues from the coast line bring it just within the American possessions This uncertainty arose from the junction junc-tion of the meridian line with the other line of boundary following the coast It will I think be decided to consider Mount St Ellas the terminal of the coast line from the head of the Portland Port-land canal although It is five minutes east of the meridian and thus in British Brit-ish territory The gold thus far found is all west > of the meridian line and so far none has been discovered In the possessions of her British majesty The placer mining is all done along the headwaters headwa-ters of Birch creek Fortymile creek and Sixtymile creek Birch creek is I judge from my observations wholly west of the line Fortymile creek crosses the line into British territory before emptying into the Yukon as do also the western headwaters of Sixty mile creek but no gold hasbeen found in either stream on the British side of the line all operations being confined con-fined to the fields near the sources of these creeks This statement of General Duffield makes it plain that there is small I chance for any dispute with England over the Alaskan gold fields which is a matter of congratulation to all |