1920-21 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND FOEESTS. 83 



Algoma Central and Canadian National Railways. Actual work was commenced 

 on June ?th, and completed on August 31st. The party arrived back in Sault 

 Ste. Marie on August 24th. 



During the whole course of the work we only lost half a day on account of 

 rain, but this dry weather was the cause of many forest fires. We were chased 

 on to an island in a lake at the south-east corner of the Township of Lessard 

 and held there for three days. It was then necessary to cut our way througli 

 burning country to avoid starving. We also had great difficulty with labour 

 throughout the whole course of the work. 



We first ran our 2nd base line west astronomically about ten miles, from 

 the north-west corner of the Township of Wicksteed. We then ran north astrono- 

 mically nine miles from the north-west corner of the Township of Wicksteed. 

 From the nine mile post on this line we ran about ten miles west astronomically 

 on our 3rd base line. From this point we backed up to the south-west corner 

 of the Township of Wicksteed by way of Nagagami Lake. Obakagami River and the 

 Canadian National Railway. From there we ran our 1st base line w^est astrono- 

 mically twenty miles thirty-five chains and ten links, to O.L.S. Niven's boundary 

 line. From the nine mile post on this line we ran north astronomically twenty- 

 seven miles two chains and thirty-four links. The intersection with the 2nd 

 base line pointed to a mistake in chainage and this was discovered on the 1st base 

 line. A tally stake at eight miles seventy-seven chains was mistaken for the 

 nine mile stake and the meridian was run from this point. Posts to the west 

 on the 1st base line were not affected. An error of one chain in measuring 

 the base lines of each of two triangles was made between the 9th and 18th mile 

 of the meridian. This was corrected throughout and all posts moved to true 

 positions and the notes corrected. When we intersected the 2nd base line with 

 our meridian, this base line was produced west astronomically to the Algoma- 

 Thunder Bay boundary, making it a total length of twenty miles thirty-one 

 chains and eighteen links. The last line to be run was the production of the 

 3rd base line west astronomically to the boundary line. This line has a total 

 length of twenty miles twenty-seven chains and eight links. 



We came out to the railway along the boundary line and took the train to 

 Sault Ste. Marie from the station at Lux. My second chainman informed me 

 on our return that the distance on the north boundary of the Township of Foch 

 between the north-east corner and the 1st mile post is seventy-nine chains and 

 eighty-five links and between the first and second mile posts, eighty chains and 

 fifteen links. The explanation is as follows. We had to swear in a new chainman 

 for that day, and he, in spite of instructions, held at the end of the steel in 

 place of the end of the brass handle. This error was corrected by the chainman 

 in the next mile which is planted two miles from the corner but he did not 

 correct the position of the first mile post and did not report the error. 



General. 



The territory covered might be divided into two parts by an imaginary line 

 drawn about three miles south of the Canadian National Railway, and parallel 

 to it. To the south of this line it is very rough and rocky, to the north it is a 

 rolling, sandy, clay country. 



Soil. 



The soil in the Townships of Flanders, Nagagami, Frances and Hiawatha 

 is for the most part a sandy clay loam covered with black muck. There are 



