England Wants Glacier Bay: A Seattle Miner’s Alaska Warning

Miner W. Bruce, who as a private individual as well as a representative of the United States government has made himself thoroughly familiar with Alaska, and who is now stopping at the Occidental hotel in this city, said yesterday that he was very much pleased to see the chamber of commerce had taken action on the boundary question. 'The people of the Northwest and particularly those of the state of Washington,' said Mr. Bruce, 'should take Alaska under their wing and see that she is fairly dealt with, not only by the United States but by other countries. Alaska is the coming country beyond a question of a doubt and there is every reason to believe that this state will get the greater portion of her trade. The people up there have no particular reason for dealing with San Francisco. On the other hand they desire to establish the friendliest of relations with the people of this state and especially with those of Puget Sound.

'But so far as the Alaskan boundary is concerned every state in the Union should take an interest in it and endeavor to see that the United States government is not robbed out of that which belongs to it.'

Mr. Bruce will publish a book soon to be put on the market which will cover the general history of Alaska, its resources and beauties, and one chapter of it will be devoted to the disputed boundary question, in which, in the language of Mr. Bruce, 'an effort is being made on the part of the English government to take from us hundreds of miles of valuable territory.' Mr. Bruce will deal extensively with the absurdity of the English claim.

'The country claimed by the English government,' said Mr. Bruce, 'takes in one of the wealthiest regions in Southeast Alaska. It includes Glacier bay and most of the Lynn canal. If the latter is secured, it will give the English an opportunity to control the vast and wealthy Interior of Alaska. At present Jack Dalton, the man who figured in an alleged murder in upper Alaska more than a year ago, has a trail or route leading from Lynn canal into the wealthy Interior. It is an easy route. The ascents and descents are gradual, mountains are pretty well avoided and it is really the only practical trail yet discovered which enables the miners and others to get into the Yukon country.

'If the English secure that which they want, the United States will be cut off from this trail and you can readily see what that would mean to the hundreds of miners who travel up and down the trail every year. We will also lose Glacier bay, which is to Alaska what the Alps are to Switzerland; in fact the bay is the greatest attraction to tourists in Alaska. Once the English secure it, our friend the Canadian Pacific Company will advertise it far and wide, and as a result its steamers will capture the greater portion of the tourist traffic, which is growing year by year, and the steamers of this country will have to be contented with what trade naturally comes to them through local people.

'Another person who will suffer will be Rev. Mr. Duncan, the British missionary, who has spent over a quarter of a century among the Indians of the coast and who has brought them to a wonderful state of civilization. Duncan was forced to flee from the British possessions seven years ago in order to escape persecution, and took his whole Metlakahtla Indian colony with him. Annette island through Duncan's efforts was set aside by a special act of congress for the exclusive use of Duncan and his little band, which now numbers more than 700. The English include Annette island in territory which they claim.

'As I have said before, England's claim is an absurd one. In 1825 the treaty between England and Russia determined the boundary question. In a nutshell it designated the boundary line as beginning at the lowest point in Southeast Alaska, ascending to the north along the Portland channel as far as the point on the continent where it strikes the degree north latitude. Then it follows the summit of the mountains situated parallel to the coast as far as Mount St. Elias, and where the summit is proved to be more than ten marine leagues from the ocean, the limit between the British possessions and the coast shall be formed according to the treaty by a line parallel to the windings of the coast, distant not to exceed ten marine leagues.

'The vital point raised by the English is that, as the treaty says the line runs directly north, it must necessarily go through Behm canal instead of through the Portland canal, which is a little eastward. There is no doubt, however, that it was the intention that the line was to run through the Portland canal, otherwise it would not have been so specified in the treaty. The maps at the time the treaty was made were probably a little vague, for in order to pass through the Portland canal the line must first run east a little distance and then northward.'