66 REPORT OF THE No. 3 



quickly so as to make it dangerous for small canoe travel. There are many 

 open stretches of water varying from 3 to 6 miles across and in one place about 

 14 miles, and the lake is comparatively shallow. As it was, a spell of high 

 wind and rain kept us off the lake for one and one-half days. In the settled 

 areas we used cars and trucks for any needed moving. 



The large bay into which the Okikodosik River flows is at present badly 

 studded with dead heads, making it particularly dangerous for motorboat 

 travel. This may be true of other bays as well. 



The Line 



The line was opened mostly to a skyline width. In places this was not 

 possible as trees which had been blazed in the original survey, still standing 

 near our transit line, were not cut down. Very little trouble was had in getting 

 long sights for production of line. All the ground was firm and solid and as 

 country was mostly rolling to rough, no trouble was experienced with refraction 

 as had been in previous years in flat muskeg country. A-K & E transit reading 

 to minutes and a Cooke reading to 20" were used, the first for producing the 

 line and the second for final control and observations. Observations for 

 azimuth on Polaris were taken, always in daytime usually during the day's 

 work. In all 100 observations were taken, an average of over 1 per mile. 



The method used in this retracement was to keep our transit line as close 

 to the line of posts as possible and to record offsets from it to the posts. To 

 keep near this alignment of posts we deflected our line and produced from 

 there, or offset it and then produced on a parallel bearing or offset it and then 

 deflected as well and then produced. Occasionally the line had to be widened 

 slightly after our trial line had been cut, so as to be open between the posts. 

 The line of posts, generally speaking, was in good alignment. In one place for 

 3 miles it ran 2' 35" off but the rest was all below 1' from theoretical and much 

 of it for only a few seconds. 



This boundary, now cut out as a continuous straight line due north for 

 270 miles is a splendid land mark for aviators. The southern part from Lake 

 Temiskaming to Lake Abitibi will quickly grow up again in places with dense 

 growth of alders. Both the 58 year old and the 26 year old parts were so 

 grown up in places as to make it impossible to find. This is true particularly 

 where there had been no big timber to blaze or where fire has since swept 

 everything away and still more so where it has been choked by dense alder 

 growth. Prospectors who knew almost exactly where the line was, told us 

 that in places they could not find it, during the latter years. In our opinion 

 it would seem desirable to have such an important line cleared out again in 

 about 25 years. 



Chain age 



A 400 link Lufkin steel tape was used for main chainage ahead and a 

 300 foot Lufkin steel tape for checking back. About half way in the season 

 the latter chain was broken and part lost in a lake and checking was then done 

 with the same 400 link tape. The chainage shown in the notes are the main 

 chainage throughout although the checking was done with equal care except 

 in a few miles. 



The chainage of that part of the line surveyed in 1874 up to Mile 42 was 

 found to be erratic. The Geodetic survey of Canada has issued results which 



