1921-22 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND FORESTS 73 



I commenced my survey on May 17th, having left vSault Ste. Marie on 

 Wednesday, May 14th, with my party of thirteen men. I ran west from the 

 58th mile post of O.L.S. Niven's on the district line between Algoma and Thunder 

 Bay. This starting point was about four and a half miles north of the Canadian 

 Northern Railway. Owing to an error in my instrument the first nineteen 

 miles of this survey were not run astronomically west. The true bearings, 

 however, are shown on the plan and notes, these having been obtained by 

 observations since the survey was completed. I finished my survey on July 19th. 



Durable posts were firmly planted and scribed on the south side at every 

 mile of the survey. For each post two bearing trees were carved. At every 

 three miles on the line iron posts were planted similarly carved to the wooden 

 ones. The other conditions laid down in your instructions were carried out in 

 every respect. 



Timber. 



The country between the district line and the White Otter River is sparsely 

 timbered. Just west of Hillsport on the Canadian Northern Railway we ran 

 through about four miles of brule. West of the White Otter River the country 

 is heavily timbered with spruce, balsam, birch, poplar and scattered plains 

 of jack pine. Spruce is the predominating timber and grows to a considerable 

 size, running as high as two feet in diameter. On some of the ridges there are 

 good growths of poplar and birch. Cedar is found in the swamps and along 

 the banks of the rivers. Just before leaving this district a fire swept through, 

 and no doubt destroyed a quantity of timber. This fire I understand began 

 near the C.P.R. and burned through to the C.N.R., crossing this railroad at 

 White Otter Station. 



Soil. 



Most of the area passed over is unsuited for agricultural purposes. The 

 soil is a whitish sand loam. The western part of the district traversed by us 

 was quite rough and rolling. The rock outcrops were not numerous. These 

 were gneiss on the eastern part of the base line, but on the meridian line north 

 of the 18 mile post, a few outcrops of diabase were noticed. One of these occurs 

 at Taradale Station on ^he C.N.R. No mineral was found on this survey. 



Game. 



Moose are quite plentiful in the district and occasionally a caribou is seen. 

 Beaver, mink and other fur-bearing animals are numerous. Pike and pickerel 

 abound in the lakes and streams. 



The average magnetic variation was 3 degrees west of north. 



The length of our base line from the district boundary to the Pic River 

 was thirty-nine miles sixty-four chains and forty-five links. Meridian lines 

 were run nine (9) miles north and nine (9) miles south from the 18 mile post 

 and nine (9) miles south from the 36 mile post and eleven (11) miles and twenty- 

 eight (28) chains north from this post to the southerly limit of the Canadian 

 Northern Railway right-of-way, which was according to the instructions issued 

 by the Department. 



