MICHIGAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 189 



boat could not continue with uninterrupted passage. But during flood 

 season it rises several feet. All along its course there are rapids. Those 

 in the upper part, being caused by the collecting of glacial boulders 

 in the stream bed, are small. Farther north, in S. 21 T. 48 N., R. 46 W., 

 the river cuts down to the country rock and from that point the rapids 

 increase in frequency and in size. The last three miles is a mere suc- 

 cession of rapids and falls and presents very picturesque scenery. In 

 all, the river has about GOO ft. fall from the time it enters the area 

 worked by the party to its mouth. That portion south is also said to 

 be rapid, but the party was not on the upper part of the river at all. 

 The river water is dark but I do not know whether this is the source of 

 the name "Black River"' or not. 



Along the west bank of the river, sometimes close, and sometimes as 

 much as a half mile distant, is a road from Bessemer to the lake. The 

 road was originally cut through by the government, after which it was 

 handed over to the township of Ironwood in which it lies. As there is 

 no land under cultivation along the road, and nothing at all save a 

 small fishing station at its lake eijd, there is practically no travel over 

 it, except by pleasure-seekers. As a result the road is kept in i)Oor con- 

 dition. 



The country so briefly described above is the one in which the survey 

 party spent the season of 1905. They worked a strip four miles wide 

 extending from Bessemer to the lake. The strip takes in the west four 

 miles of R. 46 W. and extends across T's 49 and 48 N. and two miles 

 into T. 47 N. Its southern extremity lies south of the east and west 

 ridge spoken of as passing so near the Bessemer city limits, and 

 extends north. It crosses the six miles of drift covered country, and 

 covers Chippewa Bluft* and the highlands to the east. It also takes in 

 the conglomerate hill farther north. Flowing practically down the 

 center of it is Black River. 



The road along the west bank served as a convenient avenue for the 

 party to reach different parts of the area they were working. A still 

 greater boon was the advantage of the work that Black River had been 

 doing for years in cutting its bed down to, and laying bare the country 

 rock in almost continuous cross-section. Had it not been for the river 

 bed the season's work could have 3'ielded no great amount of informa- 

 tion. But the state geologist saw the value of the river cut when he 

 directed the party to take that field. The only exposures outside the 

 river bed are on the hills and ridges spoken of above. 



The first work done was to accurately survey and level the road, after 

 which a pacing and barometrical survey was made of the district, using 

 the road as a base line. The iron quarter-pin between S. 4, T. 47 N., R. 

 46 W. and S. 33, T. 48 N. R. 46 W. was used as an initial station for the 

 transit work. This station is two miles from Bessemer. 



The distance along the road from the initial station to the lake is 

 13.34 miles while the direct distance between the same two points is 

 11.06 miles. A traveller on the road two miles from the initial station 

 is 1.63 miles to the west of it. The lake end of the road is 0.83 miles 

 to the east of it. While the road does not follow the river closely it 

 takes the same general direction. 



On the whole the road is fairly level and retains its elevation until 

 within two and a half miles of the lake. The initial station of the 



