why the international boundary should be permanently and conspicuously marked, but special reference is made to those mentioned, for they have a bearing on the work of the Geological Survey. As the instructions relating to the Idaho-Montana boundary line provided for a connection by triangulation or other methods with a monument on the international boundary, inquiry was made at the State Department for information on the subject and permission was granted to examine the records of the Northwest Boundary Survey. A visit was made to the manuscript room of the Department, and several lists of geographical positions were found. As these positions have not been published heretofore, two lists are given below. The second list gives geographical positions, and is signed by officers of the British and American commissions. Extracts from State Department records of United States Northwest Boundary Survey. Camp Columbia.. [In lead-colored chest in manuscript room.] '117° 37′ 33.9 on brink of hill, west bank of river. Camp Kootenay West.. 116° 35′ 44′′.9 on side of mountain, west side of valley. Camp Mooyie 116° 11′ 25′′.6 on left bank of creek close to water. Camp Kootenay East... 115° 16′ 01′′.4 on east bank of ravine beyond which the mountains rise. 115° 11′ 11.2 on right bank of Kootenay River. 115° 10′ 11.6 on second plateau, left bank of river. From the foregoing list it appeared that the Mooyie Trail monument was the point on the international boundary nearest the IdahoMontana boundary line, and Mr. Perkins was instructed to make a search for it. The monument is about 32 miles from Bonners Ferry, Idaho, and is easily reached by the new Wild Horse trail. It is on the west side of and near the trail between Round Meadows hay ranch, or Walters Prairie, and Mooyie River, and about 5 miles from the former. It is about a half mile beyond a section of the trail which for a distance of about one-fourth mile is filled with loose rock. As the monument is approached the trail passes through a heavy growth of timber and underbrush. The monument consists of a large pile of partly angular rocks, now knocked down by fallen trees. Originally, the trees in the immediate vicinity of the monument were cut down. It will be observed that the latitude for the Mooyie Trail monument given in the list signed by the officers of the United States and British commissions is 49° 00′ 01′′.3, or 1".3 (about 132 feet) north of the parallel constituting the international boundary, and it was supposed that the point marked by the monument was in that latitude, and therefore not exactly on the international boundary. During the field season of 1898 the triangulation was extended so as to locate this monument, and its position deduced from the Spokane base is as follows: Latitude, 49° 00' 01".51; longitude, 116° 14' 19".48. The check in latitude, 21 feet, was considered very satisfactory, and even the discrepancy in longitude, about 2,647 feet, was not more than might be expected, considering the lack of telegraphic facilities at the time of the Northwest Boundary survey. The point determined as the true one for the intersection of the international boundary and the Idaho-Montana boundary line was located with reference to the Mooyie Trail monument, so that there need be no large discrepancy, except that due to station error, when the international boundary is ultimately traced and marked, it being assumed that the work already done by the Northwest Boundary survey will be accepted and utilized. The distance from the point on the Idaho-Montana boundary line at the crest of the Bitterroot Mountains to the international boundary, used in placing the initial monument, was computed as follows, the constants being taken from United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Report, 1884, Appendix No. 6: A financial statement is presented below showing how the amount appropriated for the survey of the boundary line was expended. As already mentioned, however, this amount does not represent the entire cost of the work, for the greater portion of the animals and outfit were transferred from other localities, where they had been used by parties of the Geological Survey working under other appropriations. Further, it was possible to use a portion of the triangulation done in connection with the forest surveys, and the expenses of the party while engaged in sketching topography were charged in part against the appropriation for topographic surveys. No portion of the salary of the geographer in charge of the work was paid from the appropriation for the boundary line, nor were any office salaries charged against it. But for this material assistance, which did not in any way detract from other work, the cost of the boundary survey would probably have been increased more than twofold. On the other hand, a large portion of what was accomplished in connection with the boundary line can be utilized in other directions. The appropriation of $7,650 was originally made for expenditure during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1898. The unexpended balance on that date was, however, made available by act of Congress for the year ending June 30, 1899, and again, in a similar manner, the unexpended balance at the latter date was reappropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1900. The appropriation became practically exhausted in October, 1899. By triangulation connection with Mooyie Trail monument, the position of this monument is 0.21 farther north than as given by the international boundary survey, hence to reduce all positions to the international-boundary survey system, latitudes of United States Geological Survey triangulation are decreased 0.21, or its equivalent, 21 feet, the distance from initial point on Bitterroot Mountains to forty-ninth parallel being increased 21 feet. |