1914] The Ottawa Naturalist. 29 



the railways now being built to Fort McMurray and Peace River 

 Crossing. , 



The Peace river section is 550 miles in length and extends 

 from Hudson's Hope down to Vermilion falls, and is navigable 

 for steamers with a 2^ foot draft. The Loon river, a tributary 

 of the Peace, in this section is said by McConnell to be navigable 

 for powerful river steamers for a distance of 150 miles, but is not 

 included in the table. 



This section is interrupted at its upper end by the Peace 

 river canyon, where the river breaks through the Rocky 

 Mountains, and is separated from the Athabasca lake section 

 by the rapids known as Vermilion falls, where there is a fall in 

 the river of about 2 5 feet. This obstruction could possibly be 

 improved to such an extent as to allow steamers to pass from the 

 Peace river section into the Athabasca lake section. The Peace 

 river section will shortly be connected by railway with Edmon- 

 ton on the completion of a line from that point to Peace River 

 Crossing. 



The x'Vthabasca lake section has a length of navigable 

 river of 570 miles for boats of 2\ foot draft, and a shore line on 

 Athabasca lake of about 560 miles in length, making a total of 

 1,130 miles. This section includes the Athabasca river from 

 Fort McMurray to Athabasca lake, 170 miles in length, 80 miles 

 of the Clearwater river, the Slave river from Athabasca lake to 

 Graham's landing, 100 miles, and the Peace river from its mouth 

 up to Vermilion falls 220 miles. It is separated from the Lower 

 Mackenzie section by a series of rapids on Slave river about 

 16 miles in length, where there is a total fall estimated at 2 50 

 feet. This break in navigation is now overcome by a wagon road 

 of 16 miles from Graham's landing to Fort Smith, but scows 

 and light craft are usually taken down through the rapids by 

 making four short portages. On the completion of the Alberta 

 and Great Waterways Railway from Edmonton to Fort 

 McMurray, the Athabasca lake section will be direct!}' connected 

 with the main system of Canadian railways and there will not 

 be the necessity for traversing the 90 miles of rapid, broken 

 river which now separates it from the end of the railway at 

 Athabasca Landing. Steamers are now running on this section 

 throughout the summer season, which usually lasts about five 

 months. 



The Lower Mackenzie section is by far the most important 

 of the whole system, covering as it does about 4,780 miles of . 

 known river and lake shore line, on which a depth of water, 

 ranging from two feet to six feet, mav be found. This section 



