82 REPORT OF THE No. 7 



The water of the creek flowing from Root Portage to Root River was very 

 low when it was used by us, and considerable difficulty was experienced in travel- 

 ling it, particularly for the first two miles or more upstream from the junction 

 with the Root River. 



The Cat River formed an excellent route between Lake St. Joseph and the 

 unnamed lake crossed by us at mileage 121. The waterways and rapids are all 

 shown clearly on the Lake St. Joseph sheet (provisional edition) of the Topo- 

 graphical Survey of Canada. There is only one minor criticism of this plan 

 which we offer. The portage shown in the centre of the south-west quarter of 

 square 60-274 cf this sheet was on two separate occasions thought by members of 

 our party to be indicated as to the north of the island, instead of to the south. 



We could find no sign that the canoe route which apparently crosses our 

 line at about mileage 129, is now used. 



Tully Lake is drained by a creek flowing into the Vermilion River. We 

 took some supplies up this creek but it is not travelled by the Indians. Access 

 to the lake seems to be through a creek flowing north-west from near the north 

 margin of the lake. 



With the exception of a few miles to the south of the Root River, the area 

 crossed by the line is rocky and broken. Immediately south of the Root River, 

 however, there is a section of low land consisting of good clay soil. 



The Hudson Bay Company maintains a post at Slate Rock Falls, on the 

 Cat River, which, however, is occupied during the winter season only. The 

 Hudson Bay Company post at Lynx Portage, on the Root River, shown on the 

 Sioux Lookout sheet of the Topographical Survey of Canada, has been 

 abandoned and is not now in use. 



Timber 



By far the greater part of the season's work was across country which had 

 been burned over at various times within the past twenty-five or thirty years. 

 Between mile 45 and mile 49 there is however, some excellent pulp wood and tie 

 timber. There is another area between mile 53 and mile 56 which also contains 

 pulp and tie timber, and from the Fourth Base Line northwards for ten miles, 

 the timber is mature, and there is a good stand of spruce and jackpine. Out- 

 side of these three areas, there are only isolated patches which have escaped the 

 fires. On our timber plan we have shown areas on which timber is less than 

 thirty years old, by brown hatching, areas on which the timber is between 

 thirty and vsixty years old by a single green hatching, and areas on which the 

 timber has reached merchantable size by double green hatching. 



No commercial quantities of red or white pine were seen. 



Geological Formation and Minerals 



Immediately south of the Transcontinental Railway the line crosses an 

 area exposing porphyry and schist. As is to be expected with an area immediately 

 adjoining a railway, this seems to have received considerable attention from 

 prospectors, but so far, we believe, with negative results. 



In travelling the stream crossed by our line at about mile 100 we noticed 

 along the banks some exposures of slate, though nothing but granite was seen 

 on the line. Again, in the 113th mile, we noted slate rock and granite schist. 

 With these exceptions the whole line crossed country in which we saw exposures 

 of granitic rock only. No definite evidence of economic minerals was noted by 

 us during the course of the season's work. 



