1921-22 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND FORESTS 119 



a blue flame with coal-like gas. I am of the opinion that in the lower regions of 

 this and other rivers which I have surveyed there is great inducements for 

 prospecting for oil and coal. One of my party found a float of coal on the Little 

 Abitibi River near its mouth. 



Water Power. 



At the Three Carrying Places the fall at mean water level is twenty-three 

 feet. The site is not especially adapted for water power development as the 

 gorge is wide and flat at this point and it will be discussed hereafter with Island 

 Portage Rapids. 



Island Portage Rapids is about thirty chains in length and has a fall of 

 6.5 feet. Slightly below head of rapids is an island which is a satisfactory 

 location for a dam. A dam has been proposed to give a head of fifty feet; the 

 length would be about twelve hundred feet. This is being investigated by 

 Messrs. Kerry and Chace, engineers. A fifty foot head would flood out the 



*=-^lr 



M 



Burntwood Chutes, west channel. 



Three Carrying Places and back up the river as far as the foot of the Long Sault 

 Rapids, flooding out Kettle Falls. 



At the Lobstick there is a drop of about thirty-six feet at mean water in a 

 distance of forty chains. To develop this a dam could be placed down stream 

 near the foot of the portage where the gorge, which is rocky and canyon like, is 

 about five chains wide with a small island in the centre. This could be developed 

 in conjunction with Burntwood Chutes, the head of which is about twenty-five 

 chains below high rock above noted. 



Burntwood Chutes has a fall of twenty-one feet. The foot of this chute is 

 a satisfactory dam site. It would appear easy to place a dam of sufficient height 

 at this point to flood back to the head of the Lobstick, and such a dam would 

 be about four hundred feet long and could develop a head of about fifty-seven 

 feet. A short distance below this the river widens to about ten chains. 



The Abitibi Canyon has a fall of ninety-two feet and is about one and three- 

 quarter miles in length, whose walls of rock run up to an elevation of about one 

 hundred and sixty feet. Its width at the water's edge averages about three 

 chains. Water power for this stretch of river could most cheaply be developed 

 by a dam in the lower part of the canyon. The length of spillway required to 

 pass maximum floods might be a controlling factor in location of dam. It would 

 be possible to construct a dam to flood back to the head of the Lobstick develop- 



