114 REPORT OF THE No. 3 



extending back into the mainland in the form of narrow bays, and generally 

 ending in marshes. The north shore is also considerably indented, but the 

 islands are not so large. West of the second meridian, the main portion of 

 the lake narrows down to a channel about four miles long, nearly straight, 

 and from twenty to thirty chains wide. West of this the lake again spreads 

 out into a number of irregular bays, one extending to the south-west for about 

 five miles beyond the first base line, as far as Root Portage, which forms the 

 height of land between the watersheds of the Albany and English Rivers. An- 

 other long bay extends for several miles to the north-east, dividing into two 

 branches. The westerly outlet of Cat River enters the northerly one of these 

 branches, at the extremity of which there is a short rapids with a fall of about 

 three feet. The survey was discontinued at this point. Another outlet of Cat 

 River enters a bay which runs north of the second base line a short distance 

 west of the first meridian. Between these two outlets of Cat River lies Black- 

 stone Lake, which is really an expansion of Cat River. This lake is a consider- 

 able body of water, with an exceedingly indented shore line crossed in places 

 by the second base line and the second meridian. The second base line crosses 

 a large island which lies between Lake St. Joseph and Blackstone Lakes, the 

 two outlets of Cat River, of which Blackstone Lake is an expansion, forming 

 the remaining boundaries of this island. No number was given to this island, 

 it being treated as part of the mainland as far as the survey of Lake St. Joseph 

 is concerned. 



The geological formations in the area surveyed are of great interest. The 

 rocks exposed along the first base line are mostly all granites, excepting near 

 the extreme west end of the line, where it strikes the lake. Along the south 

 shore of Lake St. Joseph the rocks are schists of Keewatin age, the contact 

 between the schists and the granites lying between the first base line and the 

 lake. The granites occur again on the north side of the lake, and on the islands 

 adjacent to the north shore, while the Keewatin series, referred to above, runs 

 along the southern portion of the main body of the lake, outcropping on many 

 of the islands. The schists occur on both sides of the long channel west of 

 the second meridian line, which is referred to above, the contact running along 

 the southern part of the large island which lies between Lake St. Joseph and 

 Blackstone Lake. 



Associated with the Keewatin rocks which lie along the southern shore 

 of Lake St. Joseph, there is an iron range, the strike of which follows the general 

 direction of the lake, and which can be traced for many miles. Low grade 

 iron ore outcrops in many places, mostly on the islands along the south shore 

 of the lake, and for a distance of about three miles both east and west of the 

 first meridian. The exposures are numerous and some of them are fairly large. 

 The largest exposures occur in a laminated form, carrying about 35 per cent, 

 of metallic iron, consisting of a mixture of magnetite and hematite. The best 

 sample which could be considered as representing an exposure of any magnitude, 

 contained 44 per cent. iron. No attempt was made to explore this range be- 

 yond what was actually necessary for the carrying on of the survey, and such 

 samples as were secured were picked up as the survey progressed. It is by no 

 means improbable that systematic exploration will uncover deposits of merch- 

 antable ore. 



Traces of this iron range in the form of narrow bands of magnetite, occur 

 at the west end of Lake St. Joseph, south-east of the first mile on the third mer- 



