116 The American Geologist. August, 1897 
Farther on it ascends a massive ridge of gravel which projects 
from the east, and ends abruptlj^ as a high blivff overlooking 
tlie river. The top appears to be a beach, and the whole 
ridge is probabl}^ a great spit. Its hight is about 260 feet. 
Less than two miles farther north the road crosses a great ter- 
race, now a muskeg and cedar swamp, which has what ap- 
peared to be a sea-clitf at its back cut out of irregular morain- 
ic hills of drift. The back of this terrace is about 450 feet 
above the lake. From the hills above, a fine view is had of 
Thunder bay and Pie island in the distance. The highest 
point reached was 70 feet above this terrace. At a point 
about two miles north of Port Arthur the Canadian Pacific 
railway passes up over the Nipissing beach, which is here mark- 
ed by a low rock cliff extending for some distance. The rail- 
road then ascends gradually over a sandy plain with manj^ 
ridges, and passes intf) a region of bare rocky knobs. 
Two trips were made from Fort William westward up the 
main line of the same railroad. The first was to a point two 
miles north of Finraark and the second to Dexter, 55 miles 
from Fort William and near the top of the grade. Both trips 
were made on freight trains and most of the time was spent 
outside on top where the seeing is best. This is the best way 
to get a glimpse at that wild region, for there are no wagon 
roads. The old Dawson road is passable as far as Kaministi- 
quia station, 20 miles west of Port Arthur. But at this point 
the bridge is gone and the old trail beyond is not passable. 
Fort William is on a low flat delta of the Kaministiciuia and 
the tracks of the railway are only three or four feet above the 
lake. About three miles west of West Fort William the track 
crosses a series of sandy beach ridges and a sand bluff about 
15 feet high. The beach is about 60 feet above the lake and 
is beyond a doubt part of the Nipissing beach. The plain close 
above and back from the edge of the bluff is deeply trenched 
by small streams which flow in very narrow, steep-sided 
trenches with meandering courses. The trenches reach back 
an eighth of a mile or so from the bluff'. Except a few frag- 
ments of low sandy ridges, no other conspicuous relics of sub- 
mergence were noted until Kaministiquia station was reached. 
Here is the great gravel delta described b}'^ Lawson,* at an al- 
*Ibid., p. 262. ~ 
