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The treaty made the boundary in south-eastern Alaska run along 

 the summit of the mountains situated parallel to the coast, but in no 

 case to extend farther inland than ten marine leagues. Although at the 

 time of the treaty, Vancouver's and other charts existed, showing 

 accurately the shore line and islands, yet of the true topography of the 

 country itself little was known ; in fact, our survey is the first attempt to 

 determine the topography on which by the terms of the treaty the posi- 

 tion of the boundary line depends ; hence it will be seen and understood 

 that the joint survey now being made is not to define the boundary 

 line, but to get the topography of the country adjacent to the coast, so 

 that, thereafter, intelligent discussion can take place and ultimate delimi- 

 tation on the ground be effected. 



The system of photo-topography, which was developed by the Sur- 

 veyor-General, Captain Deville, and so successfully applied in our Rocky 

 Mountains, was adopted by the Canadian Boundary Commission for its 

 work in Alaska, where, on account of the intensely mountainous char- 

 acter of the country it was especially applicable. It may be mentioned 

 with pride that the officers of the United States government who were 

 in the field with us, acknowledged our method far superior to theirs, in 

 fact said that our method was the only practicable one in such a tumul- 

 tuous region. 



Armed with a specially constructed camera and small transit instru- 

 ment, the surveyor with his assistants climbs the mountain peaks and 

 there makes angular measurements, and takes photographs of the sur- 

 rounding country within a radius of at least ten miles. It is scarcely 

 necessary to say that his work is intensely laborious, and often dangerous 

 to life ; breaking his way through jungles of dense undergrowth in the 

 primeval forest, fighting that poisonous shrub, the devil's club ; crawl- 

 ing up and around precipices, crossing treacherous glaciers with yawning 

 crevasses and chasms ; standing with wet clothes on a pinnacle in a 

 howling wind and at times in a snow storm : such are a few of the trials 

 and tribulations of the photo-topographer ; but he is happy as long as he 

 gets good views ! However, when, time and again, he has to ascend thou- 

 sands of feet the same mountain only to find himself enveloped in a fog or 

 clouds at the summit, then ! well, he climbs again. 



