1913-14 DEPAETMENT OF LANDS, FORESTS AND MINES. 59 



planted at a perpendicular distance of one chain from high water mark — witness 

 posts with the numbers of the lots marked on the east and west sides were also 

 placed at high water mark, and where they were to be had several trees in the 

 vicinity were blazed in a conspicuous manner. A road allowance of one chain in 

 perpendicular width is allowed for along each side of the Mattawitchewan river, 

 also around all large lakes and around all lakes cut by the concession and side road 

 allowances — all these road allowances are marked hy good durable posts planted on 

 the lines of survey with the letter E cut on the sides facing the road allowances. 

 To all posts — with the exception of the guide posts — the witness posts — 'and the 

 posts defining a road allowance — suitable bearing trees were marked — full des- 

 criptions of which will be found in the field notes. In order to make the survey 

 more permanent in case of the destruction of the wooden posts by fire — iron posts 

 made of iron tube one and one quarter inches in diameter — three feet long and 

 painted red were placed at the points indicated I.P. on the township plan, these 

 posts were marked with a cold chisel similarly to the wooden posts alongside of 

 which they stand. 



The township of Caithness is well watered by the Mattawitchewan river 

 and several smaller streams which enters it on its course across the township. The 

 river has an average width of about two chains and fifty links and varies in depth 

 from a few inches to four or five feet — for the greater part of its way across the 

 township it is made up of a succession of shalloAv rapids filled with boulders and 

 remarkably sharp edged rocks, so much so that it can scarcely be said to be 

 navigable in any sense of the word even for canoes. The water of the river is clear 

 a,nd of good quality and contains some averaged sized pike. One small water 

 power with a head of four feet ten inches occurs on lot twenty-seven, concession 

 eight, immediately north of the line 'in the centre of the road allowance between 

 concessions- eight and nine, particulars, etc., of which will be found in the traverse 

 notes. 



A stream called the Goat river which has a fair current and an average width 

 of about eighty-five links enters the river from the south at lot thijty, concession 

 fiye — the water in this stream which varies in depth from a few inches to three or 

 four feet is pure and clear and contains some fair sized speckled trout. 



There is only one lake of any importance in the township situated near its 

 south east angle this is called Big Pike lake, this lake is almost land locked having 

 no inlet or outlet of importance, the water which is pure and of good quality is of 

 a greenish tinge and up to ten feet in depth — ^some good sized pike were procured 

 in this lake. 



The whole of the township of Caithness may be described as a more or less 

 rolling country timbered with spruce up to fourteen inches in diameter, balm of 

 gilead up to sixteen inches in diameter, poplar, white birch, balsam and cedar of 

 an average size and quality. The undergrowth consists for the most part of alder 

 and willow, while here and there considerable windfall is met with. Interspersed 

 throughout are swamps covered with spruce and dead tamarac, and as a rule, grown 

 up with a dense growth of alder. All these swamps have a considerable elevation 

 above the waterways and will admit of very easy drainage. On the uplands, 

 generally speaking, the soil is a black loam rich in humus and of from eight to 

 twelve inches in depth entirely free from stone with a subsoil of clay. Quite 

 a few outcroppings of rock (Huronian) but very limited in extent are met with, 

 particularly around Big Pike lake and along the south boundary. I found no 

 traces of mineral whatever. The average magnetic variation is about six degrees 

 and fifteen minutes west of north. 1 would consider about fifty per cent, of this 



