in reaching the boundary with the line but was unable to check back on account of snow that had begun to fall before the boundary was reached. They succeeded in getting out of the mountains before snow entirely blocked the trails, reaching Loomis on October 17.

Topography was completed to the Skagit River on September 25 and the party moved out over the old Fort Hope and Dewdney Trails to Princeton, British Columbia, arriving on the 27th. From Princeton the party continued on to the boundary crossing at the Similkameen River where it was engaged during the first half of October on nearby topographic work.

On October 15 the topographic subparty moved from the Similkameen to Danville, Washington, and from there did the mapping between Danville and Laurier, Washington. This piece of work required the greater part of a month. The party disbanded on November 14, the last of the parties to leave the field.

Transportation for the various subparties in the Cascade Mountains during the season of 1904 was a most important phase of the work. The number of men employed in the parties ranged from 60 to 70. An equal number of pack animals was required to move the camps and to keep them supplied with provisions. The only trails approaching the boundary from places which could be used as supply points were from Loomis, Washington, to the summit of Chopaka Mountain, and from Princeton, British Columbia, to the crossing of the Skagit River. These two points of approach were 60 miles apart, and the intervening country was entirely without trails.

The small triangulation and line parties were each furnished with their own saddle and pack animals, and as most of their movements were in advance of the larger crews, they were forced to make their way through the mountains, largely without trails. Mules were used, being adept in traveling over rocky country and

through brush and windfalls. The large and slower moving vista-cutting crews were moved and supplied by a pack train of about 30 horses under the direction of a head packer operating from base supply camps established at suitable places.

Trails had to be opened for this pack train in order that it might work with maximum efficiency, so during the course of the season a continuous main trail was constructed along the boundary from Chopaka Mountain to the Skagit River. From this main trail many branch trails were cut in order to place camps at convenient locations on the boundary and to reach the selected monument sites. These trails, including the branches, totaled 120 miles.

The first approach to the boundary was over the Chopaka Mountain trail from the supply camp at McDaniel's Ranch near Loomis. After work had progressed some distance westward, it was found that a day's travel for the pack train could be saved by cutting a trail about 15 miles long up Toats Coulee to the boundary trail. This trail was cut by a special gang of 10 men, between July 5 and 24. After opening up the Toats Coulee trail, the special crew was sent to Princeton, British Columbia, where they cleared out an old trail up the Similkameen River to the forks of the stream and from there built 15 miles of new trail up the Pasayten River to the boundary. This trail was completed about August 15, and the source of supplies was then changed from Loomis to Princeton, British Columbia. This not only shortened the distance for the pack trains, but provided a route of low elevation as an egress from the mountains should the parties get caught in an early snowfall.

The supplying of forage for the pack animals in the Similkameen-Skagit section was much simplified by the numerous open mountain parks covered with a luxuriant growth of nutritious grass which with a small ration of grain sufficed to keep the animals in good condition.

At the close of the season of 1904, the major part of the field work on the sections of the boundary west of the summit of the Rocky Mountains assigned to United States parties had been completed. The retracement and survey of the line, the vista cutting, the selection and location of new monument sites, and the topographic mapping were entirely finished. The triangulation still required a small amount of work to bring it to completion. Forty-nine new monuments had been set, and everything made ready for the setting of the remainder.

The personnel of the United States topographic party was: Chief of party, E. C. Barnard, Chief Topographer; assistant in charge of line projection work, D. L. Reaburn; assistant in charge of triangulation, Sledge Tatum; assistant in charge of topography, J. G. Hefty; transitmen, Thomas Riggs, Jr., J. P. Breckenridge, W. B. Reaburn, G. H. Wheeler; and from 40 to 65 hands.

SEASON OF 1905-DETACHED SECTIONS WEST OF THE SUMMIT OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

Field operations were continued in 1905 by Canadian and United States parties in much the same manner as in previous seasons. The Canadian forces completed the work on the sections of the boundary assigned to them between the Kootenai River at Porthill, Idaho, and the most eastern crossing of the Kettle River, and from Midway, British Columbia, to the Similkameen River, and did a large amount of work on the section from the Skagit River to Point Roberts. The United States parties completed all work on the sections that had been assigned to them.

CANADIAN PARTIES

The Canadian forces in 1905 were divided into several small parties operating at times in widely separated places. At other times these small parties were assembled and combined into larger units.

LINE PARTY

During the last week in April a line party of 14 men was organized at Midway, British Columbia, for the purpose of clearing and widening the vista along the boundary between Midway and the Similkameen River which had been cut by the Canadian reconnaissance parties of 1901. While so engaged they made a topographic survey on each side of the boundary between Osoyoos Lake and the Similkameen River for the purpose of supplementing the phototopography done in 1901. The party completed these operations to the Similkameen River on June 20, whereupon it moved by pack train to Princeton, British Columbia, and thence by the old Dewdney Trail to the Skagit River and down that stream to the boundary crossing, which was reached July 6.

A trail-building party of 12 men, with a pack train of 15 horses, organized at Hope, British Columbia, on June 1, had preceded the line party to the Skagit River and was engaged in building a trail westward along the boundary toward Chilliwack Lake, when the line party arrived. Although this is a very difficult country, the trail builders had made good progress, making it possible for the line party to begin imme

diately on the 9-mile chord from original boundary cairn 55 (now Monument 71) on the west side of the Skagit Valley to original boundary cairn 54 (now Monument 67) near the head of Depot Creek.

This chord passes over very rough country. It crosses five high ridges and three glaciers on the north shoulder of Glacier Peak, reaching an elevation of 7,700 feet. One of the high ridges crossed is so sharp and the rock so disintegrated that it was impossible to set up a transit without extensive preparation of the station.

Before the line could be laid down, smoke from forest fires seriously retarded the work. Vista cutting was slow on account of the heavy timber on the slopes and in the ravines. Under these adverse conditions it was September 12 before the party reached boundary cairn 54 and had even then not fully completed the vista cutting on the chord. An attempt to carry on phototopographic surveys together with the other work failed of accomplishment in the smoky atmosphere. In the meantime the trail-cutting crew had completed the trail from the Skagit River as far west as original boundary cairn 52 (now Monument 65) on Depot Creek.

As the weather had now become very wet and stormy, it seemed wise to leave the mountains for the season. The two parties withdrew by the way of the Skagit to Hope and thence down the Fraser Valley to Sumas Prairie, where they were merged for vista cutting. Beginning at Monument 41, the vista was recut to the westward in order that measurements might be made along the line. This vista had been first opened by the reconnaissance party in 1901, a fact now almost unbelievable in view of the height and density of the forest growth of the intervening four years.

While vista cutting was progressing, two small topographic units of the party were employed in road traverse and other surveys from which to construct a topographic map. Vista cutting and topography were carried on until October 19 to a junction with like work of another party at Monument 21. The party was then disbanded for the season.

WESTERN TRAIL- AND VISTA-CUTTING PARTY

A small trail- and vista-cutting party was organized in July in the Columbia Valley in the western foothills of the Cascade Mountains. This party cut a trail from the Columbia Valley east along the line through the heavy timber and windfalls, for about 4 miles, to the summit of the first high ridge of the Cascade Mountains. They then cut the vista along the line from Monument 43 in the Columbia Valley to Monument 41 and eastward from Monument 43 to the foot of the mountains.

Following this the party moved by hired teams to Monument 21 between Sumas and Blaine, Washington, and began recutting vista along the line to the west. The party was reenforced about the middle of September by the monumenting party which had completed its work on the Similkameen-Midway section.

The combined party completed the opening of the vista from Monument 21 to Monument 5 on Semiahmoo Bay and replaced the original cast-iron pillars numbered 5 to 9 inclusive with aluminum-bronze monuments. They disbanded on October 19.

TOPOGRAPHIC PARTY

A party of 6 men with 6 horses was organized at Paterson, British Columbia, for the purpose of completing the topographic surveys where smoke had interfered during the previous season. This party completed the topographic surveys, including the traversing of the roads, from Little Sheep Creek to the eastern crossing of the Kettle River near Laurier, Washington, in the third week of July and then moved to Midway, British Columbia, where they arrived July 25.

At Midway the party began a double-rodded stadia survey from monument to monument from original boundary cairn 96 (now Monument 141) to original boundary cairn 64 (now Monument 109) on the Similkameen River. Work was completed September 11 and the hands of the party were paid off. The horses and outfit were turned over to the monumenting party working in the same vicinity. The engineer in charge of the topographic party and his assistant were sent to Blaine, Washington, to superintend the vista-cutting party between Monument 21 and Semiahmoo Bay for the rest of the season.

MONUMENTING PARTIES

One, con

There were two Canadian monumenting parties during the season. sisting of 6 men and 8 pack horses, was organized at Waneta, British Columbia, on May 15. This party set the 26 monuments between the Columbia and Kootenai Rivers by August 10, then returned to Waneta, crossed the Columbia River, and set the 14 monuments between the Columbia and Kettle Rivers, completing the work on October 1. The party then disbanded at Cascade, British Columbia.