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Las diegrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 msma DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR. vi 83 VICTORIA, A. 1900 APPENDIX No. 20 TO THE REPORT OF THE SURVEYOR GENERAL REPORT OF ARTHUR SAINT CYR, D.L.S. Exploration of the country east of Trslin lake. Dkvillk, Esq., Surveyor General, Ottawa. Ottawa, May 1, 1899. Sir, — I have the iionour to suhniit my report on the exploration of the diHtrict allotted to me in your instructions dated April 13, 1898. The district to Iks explored emb'-aced that section of country which extends from Teslin lake to Pelly river Your instructions also .suggested that, if time permitted, I should endeavour to reach I'l-lly river and ascend Ross river, which is believed to be the principal tributary of the Pel.y river from the north. At the same time T was to make an examination of the country drained by it. I, liowever, found the wat«!r so low in all the streams leading up to the divide between the Nisutlin river and Pelly river basins that I had to abandon my canoes long before I could reach their sources. Under the cir- cumstances the only thing left for us was to pack our supplies and outfit, in which case we could not take a sutiicient quantity to successfully carry out the exploration. The mountainous character of the country to be examined and the lateness of the season, taken into consideration ,vith the limited h> Ip at my disposal rendered our chances of safely returning from the trip very problematic. After giving due consideration to these ditticulties, I decided to limit myself to the exploration of the Nisutlin and liig Salmon rivers. The former is the chief feeder of Teslin lake, and the latter an eastern tributary of the Lewes river. "'he object of the exploration was to obtain a general knowledge of the district, its topography and its I'esources. In order to succes.ifully complete the svork during the short summer season, it was decided to connect by triangulation a numl)er of the highest and most prominent points, and then fill in the gaps by m-^ans of photographs and sketches. The general character of the country is mountainous, and specially so along the upper reaclies of the Nisutlin and Big Salmon rivers, which of course is ve'y advantage- ous for photographic surveying. The ascent of twenty peaks was made which ranged in altitude from 6,000 to 7,000 feet al)Ove the level of the sea. Whenever the.xe were located too far apart to furnish the detailed topography of the country, I established intermediate camera stations. One hundred photographs were taken from these points for use at some future time in mapping the chief features of this district. To successfully carry on photographic surveys, it is necessary that the atmosphere should be free from smoke, a condition seldom obtained in a country where there are so many prospectors. Therefore the moment the smoke made its appearance, this work had to be discontinued and otiier methods substituted, such as instrumental traverses of the navigable rivers and track surveys of the paths following the most important of the mountain streams. I managed in every instanw to connect these partial surveys with my triangulation. In a mountainous country the magnetic need'.e is not solely to be relied upon. I therefore took solar observations for azimuth from the tops of almost every peak occupied, and thus obUtined the astrom -nical bearings of the other peaks used as triangulation stations, and in this way dio not depend altogether on the comptiss. The vi REl'OHT OF THE Sr/tVKYOR f/EXfiffAL 79 SESSIONAL PAPER No. 13 observations were the means of detectin;^ considernble iihnnrmiil deviations of the needle in certain localities. Fur instance in the vicinity of the headwaters of the Rose river the deviation is to the east of the meridian and amounts to 60°. Similar ol)(>pr- vations carried on in connection with the traverse of the streams faiird to show any abnormal deviation of the noedle in the valleys, thus tending to prove that these extraordinary deviations are a feature peculiar to the high peaks which form the crest of the mountain ranges. The instruments furnished me for the work were a three inch transit-the«Klolite and a surveying camera. I was also given an improved surxeying aneroid made \ty Keuflel and E.s8er. This was a new instrument, and it proved to he a leliahle one, a very uncommon thing for an aneroid. The reconimendation made in the instructions that I should oh.serve fie(|uently for latitude was adhered to during the wh.ile settson. It had l)een arranged that I should go by way of Skagway and the White pass to the district in which I was to spend the sumin'^r, but at the last moment my route was changed and I went by way of the Stikirie river. This change fortunately gave me the opportunity to complete some woik which had Ijeen left unfinished in the autumn of the previous year. On May 20 I took passage on the Canadian Pacific lliiilway compnny's steamer At/ifnitin, which s dle the river and dotted here and there with poplar bluffs. A cool breeze constantly blowing across the; terrace IhuI the g(H)d efl'ect of tempering, at midday, the scorching rays i f the sun ; all this coupled with fine springs of cold water spoutint; from the face of a hill close b}-, rendered the sj)ot an ideal one for a military camp. The daily arrival of small river steamers loaded to their utmost capacity also tendeil to make (ilenora a centre of great activity during the early part of the sea.son. On my arrival in Olenora 1 *as informed by some returning packers that the trail to Teslin lake was in a very bad condition, and for that reason the pack animals c>iuld not carry a heavier load than l')0 pounds each. In my outfit, wliiih included three acme folding boats, I had also some packages of stationery addressed to Oold Com- missioner Fawcett. I therefore made arrangements to have the.se carried by a pack train which was advertised to start at once for the lake. I then left with the rest of my outfit for Teslin lake, where I arrived on July 16, having been twenty-six days covering the distance. The repftrt as to the bad condition of some parts of the trail had not been exaggerated, but on the other hand improvements in the shape of good sid)stantial bridges over the largest streams, such as theTahltan and Nahlin rivers, where in former tlays delays caused by freshets were a common occurrence, compensated to a certain extent for the slow travelling over the \m\A sections of the trail. 115252 :.iaiA:-VV-:SSi;!a^taj^gc381w*';>*>«Juii«: ..-a*. 74 ItEPA HTMKNT OF THE JXTEHIOR. 63 VICTORIA, A. 1900 On the trip to Teslin lake I was able, with th>> instruments I had with me, and the favourable weather, to determine the latitude of the following points : — Egnell post, the Nalilin rixer where it is crcKssed by the trail, the eo-stern outlet of Disella lake, and the mouth of Whiteswan river. The latitude of the southern trtremity of Teslin )^ed to the iison for tying places we had i swift wat^r, is tied higher jring the boat entailing not (roved, we had he river were (1 found satis- Knowing that )f Teslin lake, of the riasiera SESSIONAL PAPER No. 13 SURVEY OF THE RA»TEIiN SIIOIIE OF TESLIN LAKE. Teslin lake lies in a north-westerly direction. From tne mouth of Whiteswan river (which enters the lake at its Houthern extremity) the rlistance to the outlet of the lake or Tt'slin river is eighty miles. In this stretch there is at its southern end a narrow section, eight miles long, with oc asional siiallow places. This river-like extension is soon followed by an expanse two miles in length and width, and terminating in a neck called Moose narrows. Beyond the narrows the lake is shallow for some distance, but its depth soon increases. Moose narrows may he considered as the commencement of the lake proper. There is another shallow spot at the foot of the lake, just before enter ing Te.slin river. Tesliii lake is four miles in width at its widest part, which occurs sixteen miles north of Moose narrows. The shores of the lake differ in a marked degree ; the western is very regular and for that reason is the one generally followed by travellers, whilst the ea.stern shore is indented with .several deep bays, which invari- ably receive streams draining the adjoining country. The first bay is thirteen miles north of Moose narrows, and is nearly two miles deep. Near its southern entrance we sailed betwfen .several small islands. Twenty-one miles farther there is a second deep bay. Seven miles still farther is another bay known as Nisutlin bay, which receives the river of the same name. It is the largest bay in the lake, and will l>e described more fully later on Between Moose narrows and Nisutlin bay the country east of the lake is very much broken by hills extending a long way into the interior. Thej rise to an altitude of 1,700 feet above the level of the lake, and slope gently towards the shore. In a few places they end abruptly at the water's edge, forming cliffs in places, and at other points high and precipitous clay escarpments. The country if thickly wf)oded. Of the many streams draining it and running into Teslin lake, I will only mention, besides the Nisutlin, the Williams river, as it is the next in importance to the Nisutlin. The current is so swift at its mouth that it forces its way for a considerable distance through the placid waters of the lake without mixing its turbid stream with the dark waters of the lake. The distance from the entrance of Nisutlin bay to the outlet of Teslin lake is 30 miles. Between these two points the shore of the lake trends north west, and is very uniform. The shore line at the entrance of the bay is formed of precipitous cliffs, which, however, soon give place to a sandy beach. Back of the beach is a strip of low and swampy country of varying width, which extends close to the foefore bein>; fowarded to market. This land would then become valuable, as it is situated at the head of the navigable waters of the Yukon. KXI'I.OKATION OF NISl'TLIX HIVEH. On our arrival in Nisullin bay the smoke, which had been thickening every day, became so dense that it precluded all photographic work for tlie time lieing. The season being already so far advanced, I was loath to lose any time waiting for a more suitable condition of the atmosphere, and I decided, as the next best thing under the circum- stances, to make a traverse of the river, and if later the atmosphere cleared up, to l>egin a triangulation of the country. Such an opportunity, however, did not present itself for several days afterwards, and by that time I had completed the survey of 80 miles of the river. The Nisutlin river empties into Nisutlin bay by three astuarifs, the middle one being the principal. The southern one diverges from the nia-'r stream at a point two miles above the bay, and Hows toward the foothills which limit the valley to the south. On its way it branches ott into several channels, which send their vamihcations through the meadows mentioned above. Tlie other branch (north of the main stream), though narrow, is deep. The current is slack except at its bifurcation from the river proper, where it is quite swift. On July .lO we entered the river by its middle branch. A short distance al)ove its mouth it is "200 feet wide, with a depth of 8 feet of water. The channel follows close along the northern bank, which, like the opposite bank, is low and thickly covered with willows. A large sand b^r has formed along the .southern bank and spreail a consider- able distance into the bay. It is strewn with a great number of trees, which have been detached from the banks during the season of high water and become imbedded in the sand. Two miles alntve it.s mouth the river, which now runs through a single channel, increases its width to 700 feet, witli a depth of 10 feet of water, but one mile and a half further up it suddenly contracts again. At this point the channel is obstructed by sharp pointed rocks, the remains of a rocky leh. The volume discharged by it into the Nisutlin river is equal to alx)ut one third of that of the main river. The valley of the utream is wide, and opens towards the east. A large gravel bar, which has formed in the Nisu^Jin river a short distance below the point where it receives this eastern tribut.ary, had been staked as a mining claim. At the time of the survey it was not being worked, but there were unmistakable signs of its having been at j«ome period. A few pans of gravel taken from the surface and washed sliowerl fine gold. Half a mile below the junction of this tributary the right bank of the Nisutlin is formed by cliffs which rise almost perpendicularly from the water's edge. They are part of the ledge encountered a short distance below and which obstructs the passage of the river. The opposite shore, on the other hand, is formed of low banks, on which is a vigorous growth of spruce, poplar and cottonwood, intermixed with thick willows, whose branches trail into the si ream nnd give a fine appearance to its banks. fir St m re til at in '*-?w'W'i«»|'e««««aw9eMM»«:»»**i^ ft^r'faRmr'-'^ T vi UKi'oitT or riiK srnvKYoi! hkxkuai.. , A. 1900 ioh at the y this hay \ markets, ihe Teslin expected jpen to be lere. The wui'ded to ead of the 77 every day, The season 3ie suitable the circuin- ip, to l)egin esent itself 80 miles of middle one a point two the south, ins through am), thouRh river proper, ice above its follows close jovered with a consider- , which have imbedded in Ligli a single iter, but one e channel is iiL-h the river \\a liver soon luUvrv which uence, i^t 100 , current, and t)lui-h. The ird of that of the eivst. A ice below the ig claim. At kable signs of 1 the surface tributary the licularly from tee bf-low and other hand, is id Cottonwood, nd give a fine SESSIONAL PAPER No. 13 Owing to the thick smoke, which iit the time spread over the ctjuntry and appcdKnJ to originate from fires ••aging in the valley of this tributttry, I did not care to spend any time on its exploration, but continued (he survey of the Nisutiin river. The general course of the Nisutlin is N. 20"^' K. from its mouth to a point twd miles alM)ve the confluence, where a sudden change occurs in its direction to N. 2'>° W . wliiih it maintains for tifty-five miles. Here the river divides into two branches. The j)rinci- pal one or main ntreaiii is diverted towards the east, whilst the .secondary branch continues in a houtherly direction tVu another mile. At that pcint it receives its princi- pal tributary from the west. Thus increased in volume the secondary branch again alters its course and gradually approaches the main river, which it finally joins at two miles below the bifurcation. The striking change from the clear bluish water of the Nisutliii to a turliid culour brought about by the mixing of the waters of Muddy river with those of the Nisutlin river is what led to the discovei-y of this tributary. Up to August 12, the smoke had Iwen an insuperabh' obstacle to any photographic work, but a strong wind blowing constantly from the north had cleared the atmosphere to a certain extent ar.d permitted the taking of photographs. With this prospect in view, 1 established a main camp on the bank of the Nisutlin river, and left it in charge of the cook while with the rest of the party I entered Muddy river. Near its mouth the curient is rapid, averaging probably three miles an hour. Its wiiters being very muddy are evidently in great part iterived from melting snow. On August 1.3, I camped at the mouth of the first tributary of this river from the south east. VVliile the men were pre- paring for the night, I went along this creek and after following it for four miles, I was surprised to find that its size incnjased considerably. Its bed was both deeper and wider than nearer its mouth. This continued for a ftjw miles more, where the creek changetl to a turbulent stream, rushing by rocks and boulders, pomo of great size. The low and Hat country here gives place to high hills, tiinberetl with pine, around which the creek meanders. Its water is of a darl. brown colour, and is undoubtedly from swamps near the foot of the mountain range. The next day I continued the ascent of Muddy river and passed two other large creeks ; also rising from the south east. I continued up stream all thr.,t day and part of the next one, when finding myself clo.se to the foot of a group of mountains which occupies the point formed by the Muddy river and the Nisutlin, 1 established my last camp. This stream is very tortuous and its width at our camp was not over one chain. Just above our camp its channel was olocked by great piles of .Irift wood. The valley is not more than two miles in width. While the country west of the stream is hilly and broken, that on the opposite side is low and marshy and considerably cut up by old channels which in the early part of the summer carry away the surplus waters. Beyond these marshes there are rough hills upon which the timb«'r has Ijeen killed by tire ; they culminate in high mountains rising ."5,000 feet above the river. From the top of these mountains I obtained the first glimpse of the southern end of Quiet lake, but ordy for a few moments. Towards the west tlier*' looms up a high and serrated range of mountain.s, a continuation of the range which separates the valley of the Nisutlin from that of Teslin river. The valley of .Muddy river is connected with the depression in which Quiet lake lies, by a low puss just north of the mountains which I hatl occupied as a st.ition. Although I remained on the summit of these mountains for four days, I could not take any photographs, but was compelled to make sketches of difterent sections of country whit'li came into view, when by the sudden shifting of the wind the i nioke was driven in anotlier direction. J was, however, enaiiled to trace the course of the stream eight miles beyond our camp, where it branches of! into several streams heading from the mountains and is fed by the melting snow which caps the mountains in that di>trict late in the summer. <')m the fifth day, seeing that no better results couiil be obtained by remaining there any longer, we retraced our steps towards the camp very much disgusted with the poor success which ra^ulted from this, our first attempt in the uiountains this seasnn. The mountains to the east of Nisutlin river do not form a continuous range, but are in groups separated from one another l»y deep and sometimes very wide vadeys whose general trend is east and west. Near the mouth of the river they are bet er calhd hilis wm'^im^^-^:'Xi - «fe'>i3Hi'**v:-.iE'r-:^.8ftv, fir-i'i?f f'^f-^^fS'^W.'ft^'£lfc^s.*-'aw lieen considf > ably reduced. Though we Imd freijucntly to drag our boats over shallow bars we managed to reach our main camp that night. The next day I continued the traverse of the Nisutlin river : its direction for the next forty miles is nearly north. It now meanders between hiyh Iw^nches whose crests are within a mile of each other. From the top of these t)encheH, terraces extenx:'';imms vi nEroirr or tiik srnvKYon (ikxkkm.. 79 )IA, A. 1VU0 >st Huminita iilleys tliore avigable for i vicinity, I These ar« lutlin to the varies of the ')8ence of the r the volume Mitly to drag tioii for the ^rhose crestH xtend to the Dary portage harge of our also anotlier nentioned in ■y. Besides, 1 of water is lii.ef'n ilelucli(!(l from lh« iMinkH and lun-uinuliiU-d in tlie nurrosv piirtx of tlio river, thus liackiii^ up llie waUr, which HpriNulMover thti ItiinkH iiiid t'orct^s it ttx'ut new i-hiiniielH thriiu^h lii« Ixiitoin land4it«) nide of the river the liotloni Innd begins at tlie Nisiitlin uiui •tretc-he^ towanl.s the north, wheiu it is lioiindt'd by ii sundy riil^c, ii projection of tlie ewtU-.rn ran^** uf inoiintiiitis. This strip ot' land extends lo the foot of the niountMins on the ea«t and ••, i{ener.i!ly ho;;;(y. The rivei-, after receiving a tributary from the west, »kirtfi the extremity and icy cohl. <>iir pro<{rer^H was so slow that 1 di-ci'led to abandon the boats for the time l>eing and to continue the exploration (ui fiMit. Taking with us the instru- ments and sup[)lieH for a few days we procedeil by the western side of the valley, which seetoefl to promise the l)est trav»»llMig. Wheiu we left our IhniIs the stream dis ides into three channels, form< d by two islands timbered with spruce. One mile above the iojands there is .i gorge formed by spurs from the high riiigi-s of mountains which rise on each Hido of the river. Above the g'rge a turoulent stream enters the river from the eant ; after which the valley widens again and the velocity <»f the current is greatly reduced ; in some sections it is le-s than two miles an hour. A cursory examination of the country ahead of us was made from the top of a hill risinij three hundred feet aSove the river ; it showed that the western side of the valley was the l«Nist bri)ken and would afTorrl the Itest rcjute for our exp'oration. Beyond the gorge our path led at times tbroogh forests and over .sandy ridges in order to avoid marshy laktis caused by the over- flow of the river during the fre>h(*t ; at other times it crossed prairies and stretches of bnwhy lands on the points foruuMl i)y the l)end> of the river. As we moved up the valley, the mountains to our' left Ijecamo very rugged, bold bloT» several hundred feet high face the river while further inland they break into •harp peaks ris' g to a great altitude. The mountains east of the river, on the other hand, slope gently towards the river. Their slopes are still to a certain extent forest clad, but near the river all the tinilMir has Iteen killed by fire and the trees are now thickly strewn over the ground. After crossing several creeks we came to a point where the main valley breaks into two smaller ones ; the one to the right hand side continues in a northerly direction and is the valley of the Hose river, while the other one is from the north-west and conUiins a large tributary. The distance between the iDoath of the river and the forks is twenty miles. I established my last camp on this river near the mouth of a large creek which comes from the east and enters the river at two and a half miles above the forks. I had now proceeded far enough inland to gain a complete knowledge of the sources of this stream, provided I could succeed in climl)ing «iome of the high neighbouring peaks which tower above the valley. Fixjm our camp the valley of the Rose river lies between two high ranges of mountains ; the valley itself in pro^mbly more than three thousand feet above the level of the sea. During our stay in this district heavy rains fell continuously, and hardly a day pametl without severe hail storms. We now noticed with apprtSension that the snow line on the mountains was getting lower after each storm and that very soon the valley itAelf would l)e covered with snow The leaves were now lying thickly over the frozen ground, a sure sign that the winter season with its many discomforts was fast apprr>aching. On Septeml'X'r 7, after a very laborious climb tf seven hours, I reached the top of a peak forming the .southern extremity of the range of mountains risiiig between both streams, but discovered that the view to the north, which T spec'al' • wanted to photo- graph, was intercepted by a row of higher peaks which, however • • ag to their great distance could not Ije reached the same day. I, however, did coti^id" table work from the station now occupied, and the next tlay by daylight I "vhs ou my way to tho.se peaks, fnjin whose tops I expected to photograph the head waters of tL. Rose river. The day prr»vee a very bright one though cold. By noon we 'as.(i ttt;.'»ined the highest pffint. 8,700 feet above the level of the sen. The .scenery is equal to, if not grander tliun, anything I havu seen in the Rocky Mountains, there are such contrasts. At our feet lay the river, like a silver ribbon, f I vi ORIA, A. 1900 hccii ii(*tucliit(i >aL'kiiiK up iho i^li lliK Ixittom I Nisiitliii iitul )jei-ti()ii of lli« iiKiuiit.'iiiis on I'lOlU tllO WI'Ht, liles. W«i liM(l 1(1 wivN (lillicult iij; swift, tlireo lulull till- llOlilH UH llie iristru- «i viillt-y, wliich Htrpiiin divides nilo iil)<)Vo the liiiis whicli rtHe tlm river from rent is greiitly i'Xiiiiiiiiation of I red feet (iSuvo iken 1111(1 would I led lit times led by the over- nd stretches of ry ruj^^ed, hold hey hreiik into er, on the other in extent forest le trees are n(jw uanio to 11 point nnht hand side while the other lice between the st camp on this enters the river h inland to K'^in ?eed in clinibinj:; Fixjm our camp tha valley itself lid hardly a day n that the snow soon the valley ' over the frozen nforts was fast ;hed the top of a »g between both wanted to photo- ,1^ to tiieir }?reat Able work from iiy way to those Ilose river. The lined the highest ■en in the Rocky i a silver ribbon, ! vi itKfnirr or riih: sriivr.Ymt nKNKit.M.. n SESSIONAL PAPER No. 13 winding its way in a ma/.t* oi loops. From it-* banks spread a forest of conifers whose dark folia).')- broken in spots by the golden liuetn which tlu' riv'>r issues added to the )(randeur of the landscape. Heyond the lakes I could distinguish a transversal valley thniUKh which pr>' ibly the waters take their course towaiils the I'elly river. Wo were lujw in the heart of the mountains lindting thi> basin of tlio I'elly river to the south. The cDision {orjart V, 1 t, ott from my view by the hilli which rise aloUL the northern shore. Norlh of these hills the country is low, swampy and full of siniill jaki;-, some of which drain into the first lake, whilst the eastern one runs into t\e 1! 'M! liver. At ditlEPA KTMENT OF THE INTERIOR. vl II 63 VICTORIA, A. 1900 such numbers as in the one adjoining the Nisutlin river. Tiie mountain goat inhabits the mountains and frcfjuents the wildest and most inaccessible sections. The ptarmigaa wastiie only bird we saw in these altitudes. The waters of the Nisutlin river andTeslin lake abound in fish, but to take full advantage of this one must bo provided with a fishing net. KXFLOUATIO.V OK Hir. SALMON KIVER. The region drained by Big Salmon rivtr and its numerous tributaries may be divided into two .sections, each one having distinctive features of its own. A line drawn in the direction of the valley of the south branch, and produced across that of Hig Salino'i river in a northerly direction, would fairly indicate where the change in the topography of the country occurs. To the east of this line are massive mountains crowned with high, rugged and fantastically shaped peaks, fre(juently ditlicult of access, as we found to our co.st on several occasions. The slopes of th'?se mountains are generally devoid of vegetation and are furrowed by deep gotges and ravines leading to valleys, of which ihere are several, both north and south of the river. The snow, which never entirely disappears from their summits, acts under the rays of the sun as a feeder to the numerous ti'il)utaries of ihe Big Salmon river. The mountains north of the river attain their greatest i^levation in a range which has diverted the general course of the river between the first and second b('nd.s. Farther west they, however, change to more regular outlines and I'lse the forbidding aspect which they had. Tht* same remark applies to the range south of the river, and though their denuded and rocky fi'ontal still continues tc fiank the valley for several miles below the second bend, they eventually disappear and are replaced by low and timbered hills, which bound the eastern side of the valley of the south branch, while those on the noi'th side of the Big Salmon river slope Jown to the level of extensive plains which spread westerly, and beyond which can be .seen the crest of some low hills sparsely timbered on top and with grassy slopes facing both the Big Salmon river and the plains. Beyond the south branch, these hills and ridges are in groups on both sides of the valley and witiiout any well defined direction. In some places they approach the river but only fur short distances, and when they recede from the stream ihey leave between it and the foot hills. Hat bottom lands covered with thick brush, which are apparently flootled during high water. Such is the character of tlie country until the south branch of liig Salmon river is reached. From this point the river flows through a terraced country ; both banks are formed by high and sleep escarpments of gravel mixed with fine yellow ."^and. These escarp- ments, whose crests are at first less than half a mile apart, gradually recede from each Other. The width of the valley is thus constantly inci easing the farther down we go and by the time its confluence with the Lewes is reached its terraces have merged into those along the latter river. These terraces were at one time timbered with poplar and pit\e, as indicated by the numerous pieci's of decayed timber lying on the ground. On my arrival at Gary poitage, after completing the exploration of th.e Nisutlin river, I set to work to determine its position by an oltsiu'vation for latitude. I then surveyed the trail across the portage from the right bank of the Nisutlin to the soutlern extremity fif Quiet 1 ike and found it to be nearly four miles long. The pnlh at first follows for some distance the southern side of a small stieam, which at the time was dry, the beavers having eftectively cut ofTtln; water' by throwing i: dam across its bed, then by a gentle ascent it leads to a terrace which holds a lake, three quarters of a mile long and two hundred and sixty feet above the level of the river. The distance between the right batik of the river and the eastern end of the lake is (»ne and a half miles. Half a mile beyond this lake is a second lake, lcs<; than half a mile across, and thru a pond which is just north of the path antl close to tlie foot of high cliflfs. We had now reached the highest point on the trail, three hundred and seventy feet above the valley )f the Nisutlin. From this [)oint the ground slopes a distance of one and a third miles towards the southern end of Quiet lake, where the portage ends. With the exception of a short stretch between the river and the first lake, where the soil is dry and firm, the trail passes over damp ground, thickly covered with moss and some trailing willows with com val ext rise reg into strt it noi ! ah exi far! win p,u vali and will ver tha the an val the foil wh Cai sid( il ^^i^^^a^^Hi^u^Ut&HHUMHiSBSc'jMMM^ HMs^^^^^iM -^ VI I A, A. 1900 oac inhabits ptarmigan and Teslin 'ided with a xries may l)e \ line drawn that of Hig mnge in the mountains ult of access, are generally o valleys, of which never feeder to the r attain their ■iver between ular outlines to the range lues tc Hank )eaf and are alley of the down to the ;efn the crest )oth the Big 1 sides of the )a('h (he river eave between re apparently south branch ks are formed rhese escarp- de from each down we go R merged into th poplar and ground. tl'.e Nisutlin ude. I then 3 the soutl'ern path at first time was dry, its bed, tlien )f a milt! long L» between the iiiles. Half a thrn a }iond 1 now reached valley )f the miles towards ion of a short inn, the trail willows with \ REPORT OF THE HURVEYOR GENERAL. 83 SESSIONAL PAPER No. 13 scattered scrubby black spruce. Owing to the ponds along it, the labour involved in moving boats and heavy supplies across this portage is greatly diminished ; it is therefore much more fr-equented than the one three miles farther north. We were now \a the last week of September and there were many indications of the fast approach of winter. 'Ihe snow line, which had reached to within GUO feet of the valley, reminded us that we must not delay much longer. We had yet to descend a stream which, by a comparison of the difference of level lietween its source and its mouth, must necessarily be swift and, at this season of the year, shallow and full of rapids. The mountains from which ray observations were to be made were very high and ruggetl, and the dirticulty and labour in ascending them would be greatly augmented bv the deep snow, which kept increasing after every storm. On September 25, we left our camp at the eastern extremity of Cary portage and sailed ten miles northward on Quiet lake, and camped on the eastern shore, in the afterniH>n we ascended the only hill there is on the east side of th.e lake ; about midway along its length it reaches an altitude of 2,045 feet above the level of the lake. This station, the first established in the basin of the Big Salmon river, was connected with our triangulation points on the Nisutlin river. The next day we moved along the lake a farther distance of tive miles, and in the afternoon occupied another mountain, but this time on the west side of the lake. The photographs taken from this station covered the western extremity of the lake, which had been invisible from the station occupied the previous day. Quiet lake is a sheet of water tifteen and u half miles long by three-quarters of a mile at its widest part, and with its outlet, the Big Salmon river, an important tribu- tary of the I/ewes, occupies a valley which conforms to ihe north-west bearing of the valleys of two impurtant neighbouring tributaries of the same river ; the valley of the Pelly river to the north and that of Teslin river to the south. Quiet lake lies west of Nisutlin river, and for two-thirds of its distance stretches in a northerly direction, it then curves to the north west, which in a distance of thirty-live miles is the general direction of the valley of the Big Salmon rivei'. The level of the lake is one hundred and thirty feet above that of Nisutlin river. Its eastern shore is rocky with forests of conifers to the water's edge. A small stream, which rises in the pass connecting the valley of Muddy creek with that of Quiet lake, empties into the lake near its southern extremity. Besides tliis one there are several others oi the west side of the lake which rise in a massive range of mountains svhose summits are amongst the highest of this region. Where these streams discharge, there are long narrow points stretching out into the lake, formed by the gravel and silt which have been carried down by the strei.ins. On the east side of the lake the strip of hilly country, which lies between it ai-d the Nisutlin river, is too narrow to admit of an} important stieanj. The Big Salmon river issues from the western extrenuty of Quiet lake. To the north west of the lake there are two other lakes, the first one is at a distance of one and a hvlf miles from Quiet lake, and is one and a half miles long ; it may be considered an expansion of the river which on leaving it resumes its course in a northerly direction a farther distance of three miles to a second lake stretching in a north-west direction, whose great^-st length is five miles, with a width of a little over half a mile at its broadest part. The position of the longest axis of this lake is therefore lying nearly across the valh'v oi the river, which enters its southern shore at aoout half way Iwtween its ends and tlows out of it near its western extremity. Two islands occur in the lake close to where the liver enters. The eastern half of the lake is full of islands, none, however, of very large size, and all timbered with spruce. A low tract, being the continuation of that in which this lake lies, leads towards the east to the valley of the Bose river. As the distance is short and tht; lakes numerous, it was doubtless used by the Indians as an easv way of communication between both valleys, for we found indications of the valle)' of the Bose river having been travelled extensively at s )ine recent period. From the valley of the Bose river the traveller could also reach th;) j of the Nisutlin river by following an Indian trail, which enters a low j)ass through t le south end of the range which divides both streams. Once beyond the summit the trail tuins into the valley of Canyon ci-eek, which it follows as far as the Canyon, where it crosses over to the left side of the stream and finally terminates at the Nisutlin river. i;»_vi_6i n^immm .if^'£i£.1 .u fiS&mixtlu. ^3i, ti? 'awiJWii. •■■ -. mt^ m 84 DEPAKTMENT OF THE INTERIOR. vl 63 VICTORIA, A. 1900 The width of the liig Salmon river where it issues from the hist hike is about sixty feet, and is very shallow, with a stony bottom. At the time of the exploration this section of the river was a succession of rapids with a drop of one to three feet in short distances and sepa;ated by intervals of still-water. At many places the depth of water vras less than six inches and the i-anvaj boats had to be partly unloaded before we could get tb^m over the hars. Below the lake the country on lx)th sides of the river continues low and marshy, but it changes its aspect three miles farther on, where it receives itsiirst tributary from the south. This stream Hows through a wide and tliickly wooded valley ; close to its headwaters, another stream rises which flows in the opposite diiection and finally enters the Big Salmon river at its sec(md bend. After receiving this tributary the river winds in innumerable and complicated bends from one side of the valley to the other. Its banks for some distance below the lake aie low, but rise gradually from a few feet to escarpments reaching an altitude of two hundred feet above the river. These cut-banks are generally compo.sed of gravel and sand, but cliffs are also noticed at different points where the river in its sinuosities strikes the foot of the mou»>taii). The only remarkable change of direction which takes place in the course of the Big Salmon river, occurs at a distance of nearly sixty miles from the last lake. The river, which had been running north-west since its egress from that lake, is suddenly confronted in its cr.vrte by bold mountains, and is deflocti'd at a sharp angle towards the south-west. This causes the first bend, where three muuntain streams, flowing through as many valleys, converge and add their waters to the river. On the northern side of the valley the mountains may be said to begin with ToN'.tr Peak, a lofty mountain which rises abruptly from the northern shore of the second lake, and whose southern slope is so steep that no sign of vegetation is apparent on its surface. Its altitude is 3,140 feet above the lake. From a distance it resembles a high ridge with a knife-edge crest, its summit is capoed by a cliff resembling a tower, which peculiarity led to its appellation of Tower Peiik. It is one of the triangulation stations. Along both sides of the river there are higl mountains rising to an altitude of 4,50C feet above the valley ; within ten miles of the fi "st V)end these converge and thus contract the valley. Their forest clad sides often end abr iptly at the river, which is reduced in width ; the current at these places increases in velocity, while at other places the channel is, owing to the vicinity fif the mountains, full of l»oulders and required our utmost attention to be successfully navigated. Beyond this swift .section, which is not over three miles long, the river bed widens again, but its channel is frecjuently impeded by sand bars, formed by the silt which is being continually washed from the high cut-banks and deposited in its bed at places where the current is slack. At the first bend the left bank of the river is formed by high gravel benches cut by deep ravines, while on the opposite shore the country is low, with some lakes which act as reservoirs for two large creeks flowing from the north-west in two nearly parallel valloys. Three miles below the first bend the river divides into two branches, the wider one flows along the foot of the mountains to the left of the valley ; two miles and a half farther the branches reunite, and the river continues to flow in one stream towards the south-west a farther distance of eighteen miles. After receiving another stream from the south-east it turns sharply to the right and resumes a north-westerly direction ; this point is called the second bend. About half way between the first and second bends, I decided to attempt to make the ascent of some of the mountain? in the range west of the valley. I left camp at daylight on Octoljer fi, and after having with some ditKculty crossed the river, which at thi., date was alrea SESSIONAL PAPER No. 13 trouble and by a very circuitous route, we at last stood on its highest point only to discover that the view south of it w.ts obstructed by a row of sharp peaks which must be climbed in order to complete tlie work. These peaks were fully three miles away, and as soon as I had finished the work to be done hero W;; started at once for them. Our progress was greatly retarded, for at that altitude the snow was Jilnuuly several feet deep, and it was after six in the evening before we completed our work. The cold was intense and the night was coming on fast, but it was out of the question to stop, we kept travelling until two o'clock in the morning when we reached the river opposite our camp. But as we could not make ourselves heard, because of the roaring noise caused by the floating ice we had to wait until six o'clock in the morning before the man in charge of ctur camp came to our relief. Immediately after brenkfest we started down stream, knowing full well that no time must now be lost, but we had not proceeded far before we found the river blocke:! by ice which spreading across a narrow section of the river with high banks on both sides, had filled up several feet high. The temperature had been unusually low for several days, and a'i a result the riv(!r harl been carrying considerable ice mostly formed at the bottom of the stream. This blockade had backed up the water for (juite a distance and raised its level several feet, as was Illustrated by the line of the cakes of ice still strewn along the face of the elevated 'janks. As the water subsided, a mass of ice was left in such a crumbling state as to re ider it unsafe to travel over or to attempt to cut a Wiiy for the boats through il. In oi'der U> get beyond this we decided that to ]>ortage the boats and outfit througii the bush was the safest thing under the circumstances, though not perhaps a very expeditious one. Once past this obstacle we found the river comparatively free of ice, and the survey of the river was resumed. Occasional stops ^/cre, hosvever, made at certain points where the ascent of some prominent mountains was necessary in order to carry on the pluitogra|)hic work. Ten peaks were thus climbed in the basin of the Big Salmon river. 'Last p'ak,' tlio last one occupied, is north of the valley of the river, and rises near the western edge r)f the chain of mountains, whose width measured 4i3 miles from east to west, and across which the Dig Salmon rivei' has cut its way. The slopes of these mountains are as a rule very abri.pt; their average altitude is 4,000 feet above the valley. For several miles the vfilley of the river is Hanked by vocky walls so steep as ;o be entirely devoid c/1! vegetation. West of 'Last peak' the aspect of the country is considerably altered, und marks the termination of the mountains. Those to the south of tiie river have not those sharp and ragged pro- jections which give to the ones which we had been climbing suoh a forbidding appear- ance and rendered their summits so ditlicult to reach. Their elevation is also greatly reduced, and the farther west we proceed the more curviform their ontlincs become. The last mountain which forms the western extremity of the range south of tiie river has iiumernus spurs ov ridges whicli radiate both towards the Dig Salmon river and its south branch. Those facing the valley of ]>ig Salmon river end abruptly at the water's edge, \n bile the spurs which extend towards the south branch eventually break up into low hills before reaching it, and are heavily covered with tiniljnr. On the opposite side of the river the characteristics of the country are still more striking, 'i'lic range of mountains comes suddenly to an end at 'li^ist peak.' From its foot a plain spre^id-; out in a not therly direction. Several lakes anil what appear to be the high banks of an im])ortant stream c>)iild be distinctly seen through the breaks at several places in the forest. The plain is limited to the west by a hiyh range of hills which tiMininates abruptly at the Big Salmon river, and just opposite the mouth of the south 'iranch. The top of the hills at this point must be nearly 1,000 feet aboNc the vall(;y of the river, with gras.sy slopes facing the stream, while their tops are crowned with clumps of pine. The plain extends fully 10 miles towards the north, where one solitary high dome was noticed among a maze of low ridges and hills, through which some narrow ■ leys could be traced, all converging into the plain. Beyond the second bend there is no stream of any importance for 21 miles, when the south branch is reached. This stream rises near the head waters of Boswell river, a tributary of Teslin /iver. Its valley is very wide, running north and south, and is bounded on the east by the last contreforts of the chain of mountains, while towards the west low hills not over 2,000 feet high extend as far as the Lewes river. w^wif^f^'. m "i^ ' isxt-vj-jT.*- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR. y{ 63 VICTORIA, A. 190a Thirty miles farther, the north branch, the largest tributary of the Bii; Salmon, flows from the north. Terraces one hundred and forty feet high rise on both sides of the valley of the stream. The valley is fully two miles wide w here it joins the main river. Six miles above its mouth the noith branch bifurcates ; one branch is from the north-east and takes its rise on the western slope of the chain of mountains to which Last peak belongs. }{alf a mile al)Ove the confluence of the north branch with the Big Salmon river there is a rapid, whicii is freijuented durini^ the summer by Indians, who have established a salmon fishing station there. One mile and a half farther down there is another rapid in a sharp bend of the river. From tliis point to the mouth of the Big Salmon the river flows through a teiraced country, where all the timber has been destroyed by fire. The river is very shallow ; below the north branch it increases considerably in width and contains numerous large islands. The confluence of the north branch was reached on October 12, and as I had some work to do in this vicinity I pitched my camp. The next day, the weather remaining unsettled, I sent most of my men down the river with the heaviest part of the outfit, and with one man I waited for a change in the weather, which would allow me to complete my wfjrU. On the 14th, no change for the better being apparent, I concluded that it would be unsafe to remain any longer, we therefore prepared to start the follow- ing morning. Durinj: i he night the crushing of the ice coming down from both the main stream and the north branch > as so deafening that it was impossible to sleep Long before daybreak we were up and getting ready to leave. A thick fog hung over the river and was so dense that we could barely distinguish the outlines of the opposite bank of the river. The trees were loaded down with thick ice, and everything had a decidedly winti'y aspect. The canvas of our boats must ha\e been rendered very brittle by the frost, for our boat had hardly been in the water five minutes and ordy half loaded, when we noticed that it vas fast filling with water. Upon pulling it ashore and unloading it ;in examina- tion showed that its bottom had been rent by ice. whicli was now fully four inches thick. The damage was re|)aired in ten minutes, but to prevent a similar occurrence, an opening was cut for it in tlie fixed shore ice which extended twenty feet from ttie bank and the boat placerl in it. The loading being completed we waited for a space of water free from ice, when the boat was lioved out into the seething stream and all haste made to re.ich the middle. We had hardly left the shore when the boat stuck so fast in the slush and ice, that with all our endeavours it was impo^-sible to .steer it. To make matters worse a thick fog, caused by the low temperature, was continuously rising from the river. Thus envelopcKi in semi-darkness we drilted helplessly wiih the moving mass of ice which besieged us from every f-ide. (Jne mile and a half below cur camp we encountered the first rapid ; owing to the condition of the river as just described, there was no breaking of the water to indicate the location of rocks nnd boulders ; only the uneven undulating surfaie of the floating ice as it raced down the stream, with the sudden rearing up of occasional big cakes of ice as I hey came in contact with the largest boulders. It was a tinic! full of anxiety. The canvas boat unavoidably struck several rocks, but it sustained tli(! shocks without injury, though we could feel it.s bottom heaving uj) under our feet : it was owing to its elasticity that no holes were punched through it. As long as we were mo\ ing with the ice I knew that no mishap could occur, except from the ice block-.des, ixnd after we had succ<;s-fully passed over the first rapid, we felt contident that wo could safely leach \\w. Lewes river. We, however, kept a sharp lookout, and no delay having occurred, we calculateil that by n(v>i\ we had drifted at least ten miles. Hy that time the sun had dispei-sed the fog, so that svt! could better judge what we might expect ahead, and our anxiety was consecjuently greatly relieved. I'^rom early mot n ing until three o'clock in the afternoon w(,' kept up the struggle. an<] although our position was far fr(jm being comfortable we had no thought of stopping. We had !io\v come t(j a v«fy tortuous section of country and therefore could not see ahcafl any great distance The right bank of the river is hero formed by high escarpments. Wo noticed too that the open channel of the river was grUing considerably narrower, and before we had time to nvestigate fully we realized that we were being forcil>ly drawn by the c. rrent into a I i i VI 3RIA, A. 190a J Bii; Salmon, both sides of oiris the main ii is from the lins to wliich with the Big Indians, who farther down the mouth of e timber has nsiderably in a I hiv\ some er remaining of the outfit, allow mo to , I ooneludod rt the follow- om botli tlie iblo to sleep )g hung over the opposite ything had a frost, for our n we noticed i an examina- r four inches ir occurrence, eet from tlie for a space of ream and all boat stuck so .steer it. To mously rising h the mo\ ing owing to tlie r to indicate ■ the floating big cakes of I of anxiety, licks without owing to its ing with the after we had 'ly reach th(^ occurred, we the SUM had wid, and our ee o'clock in r frcjm lieing "I'v tortuous The right lat the open had time to rrent into a HEPOHT OF THE SUKVKYOR (IKXKIIM.. 87 SESSIONAL PAPER No. 13 Eft^- ivicz I iv \ 8 J Q ^ ; regular whirlpool, that our chances of making a landing were gone, and that we wore being relentlessly carried to our doom bj* the stream, whose velocity kept increasing every minute. Barely two hundred yards ahead of us the river was completely block- aded by an ice jam under which the water rusheil. The channel had now dwintlled to only a few yards in width, but the ice on each side was only slush, which would not bear any weight. I realized that only a very slim chance of escape rem. lined to us, and this was to try and prevent the boat from drifting across the stream ; in this we were successful and it certainly saved us. With the timely assistance of .some miners who were camped in the vicinity, the boat was unloaded and brought ashore. They informed me that the rivir was blocked with ice for a distance of six miles, which could only lie overcome by making a portage. The next day everything was carried across the country to open water and the descent of tfie river resumed. By night we arrivied safely at the Big Salmon river pijst, where we were cordially received by Constable Orewry of the North west Mountfd Police. He informed us that there might possibly be another boat from Dawson, but as the season was far advanced I thought it safer not to delay, but started at once up the river. Two days later the steamer Flora overtook us when within eight miles of Teslin river post. Whitehorse rapid was reached three days later. A delay of a few (Ja)-s occurred at the end of Miles Canyon before another steamer put in her appearance. This was the Gi/lwnrne, a steel vessel, whic^li brought us safely to Tiake P)Cnnett. From this point Skagway was reached in good time, and \'ictoria on Noveml'er li. A week later f reported at Ottawa, where I have since ijeen busy preparing, fiom the notes and photographs taken, a mat) of the C(juntry explored during the past season. 1 have the honour to be, sir. Your obedient servant, * ABTHrU SAINT CYR, D.L.S. APPENDIX No. 21 TO THE HEPOHT OF THK STRVKYOll OENHKAL. REPORT OF J. J. McARTHUlt, D.L..^. I EXPLOKATIOV OF StKWAKT KIVKii AM) .M A< M 1 1,I,A\ lilVKK VALLEY. ^- E. Dkvillk, Esq., Surveyor Oeneral, tjttawa. Ottawa, July 5, 1899. Sir, — I have the honour to report to you cjti the exploration survey, carried on by me last season of the country dr^'ined by the Stewart and MacMillan rivers in the Yukon Territory. I Itft. (Ottawa, April 18, 1898. 1 had some dilliculty in getting suitable horsts in Vancouver and vicinity, and was afterwards compelled to wait for transportation to Skagway. The C. P. R. ships took the outside pa-sage and refused to cairy deck loads of live stock. I finally arranged for accommociutioti on the C. P. N. steamer Is/nndcr and .sailed on May 14. We arrived at Skagway on the •JOth. The com[>any engaged a tug and lighter which landed us at Haines Mission on the ilst. The United States custom authorities at Skagway, although salistied that ours was a Canadian government lift ii-\ ((!„V>^''^} JJEI'A RTMENT O/' THE INTEIUOR. Tl 63 VICTORIA, A. 1900 expedition, insisted on my taking along a convoy to whom I paid $6 per day and expenses, lie was instructed to accompany me an far as Kluicwan, hut did not come bttyond GantiyastaUi village, the limit of tide water. At Maine's T met Messrs Flemmer and Nelson of the United States coast survey. Tne formei was going to the height of land on the Chilkat pass, and the latter to explore the Katzehin river. I moved up the east bank of the Ciiilkat to a })oint opposite the mouth of the Takliin, where we swam the horses and crossed our outfit in our Poterboro' canoe. I met Dalton, who had just returned from Pleasant camp. He informed iw lliat the snowfall had been very heavy on the summit, and that the season was very late. He liad a large force of men at work on the trail, which he expected would be open by ,]\\w, \'l. 'oio The trail crosses the Takhin about a mile and a half from tiie mouth, and worms I up into the foothills, along which it contiimes to within three miles of KlukJin, when it f descends to the broad fan-shaped moraine at the mouth of the Tisku^ river. ^'^ I did not [ take advantage of this part of the trail, but kept along the river flat, when? the feeil was excellent. While at llaine's, I decided to .send my canoe, loaded with supplies, over the Chilkoot ])a.ss, in charge of two men, to await my arrival at Fort Selkirk, and on June IS, I placed the pack train in charge of J. E. McMulien, my most experienced man, with instructions to move to the ' park ' beyond Pleasant camp, and as soon as it was possible, to cross the .summit and Ir.i.vel towards the Five-linger rapid. I would hasten to overtake hin» after ] had seen my canoe over Chilkoot pass. 1 arrived at Dyea on June 22, and made arrangements with the ' Pramway Co.' to transport my outfit to I^ake Bennett. The delivery to the summit was prompt, but some days elapsefl before all or my supjilies reached the lake. r" 1 returned to Haine's on the 27th, and next morning about 10 o'clock, I left Pyramid i harbour, in company with Dalton and several others, for Plea.sant camp, where we I arrived about midnight. Tt took two and a half days from here to Dalton's post. We f passed several large parties of j)rospectors packing supplies on their backs to Shorty and Alder creeks. I overtook my pack train on tlu^ evening of July 8, about forty miles from the Lewes river. From Hutshi village the trail follows the Nordeiiskiold \ailey and the country presents no difficulties to the building of a wagon road or lailwiiy. The soil is largely coni})(jsed of volcanic ash and the cloud of dust made tra\'elling rattier disagree- able. We reached Five-finger rapid on the Kkh. From the mouth of the Nordenskiold the trail passes through a very hilly country, which could bo easily avoided. There is no trail on the west side of the Lewes, between Rink rnpid and Fort Selkirk, but one could be made at a trifiing cost. A.t the rapid I f )und a notice that my canoe had passed down some days before. W(! wore delayed some tinie by strayed horses and the difficulty of securing a suitabh; boat with which to cross, but on the evening of the IGth, we had our horses and (jutlit on the opposite bank. Next morning T h'ft .McMullen to take the pack train by the tiail down to the mouth of Pelly river, and took a small boat for Fort Selkirk, where I arrived about 9 p.m. My two men, in accordance with instructions 1 had given them when ^eparating on Chilkoot pass, liad signals set on the highest points in the neighbourhood. On the 18th, I mea-ured a b.ise on the fiat behind the trading post, and connected it with Ogilvie's survey of the North-west Mounted Police reserve. I then started to observe at the diflerent stations. The pack tri'in arrived on the evening of the 20th. On the 21st and 22nd, while I, with one man, was occupying stations, the rest of the party w-ere iMigaged swimming the horst-s across the Pelly, crossing the outfit and making a trail through the 'rim rock' to the plateau above. This wall of basalt is about 250 fetst high, and extends about two miles up the Pelly, and down the Yukon about the same distance. On the 2.'ird we started for Stewart river. Our course was nearly due north. We had to make our own trail, but two men with heavy brush-hooks were able to open up from four to six miles per day. The country between Fort Selkirk and Stewart river, is a succession of high wooded ridges, the general direc ion of the valleys being east and west. There are few remarkable elevations. The highest point on our trail is 4,150 feet and the highest station occupied, 5,407 feet above the sea. The altitude at the 1 OHliiiiliiiiiiiiliililii ii J/yy^rA) VI liErnirr of tiik suhveyor nEyiai.xb. RIA, A. 1900 icr day and lid nut come srs Fleiiiiner 10 luii;;lit of loutli of the :;ano(;. I met the snowfall had a lai'j^e 10 \-2. 'o*^ and worms kJin, when it '■^ r did not the tVcd was es, over the 1 on June IS, man, with in as it was iVould hasten It Dyca on my outfit to apsed before loft Pyramid p, where we H post. We o Shorty and los from the alley and the The soil is her disagiee- N'ordonskiold 'd. There is kirk, hut one ly canoe had irsos and the ^' of the IGth, MoMullen to c a small boat irdance with Is set on the le Hat behind est Mounted he pack tr;'in jno man, was !-8 across the the plateau miles up the 3 north. We e to open up tewart river, oinj; east and rail is 4,150 bitude at the I SESSIONAL PAPER No. 13 mouth of the Pelly is \J)'2b feet. We saw no larj,'e timber but iti places the growth of small spruce was very dense. We crossed the headwaters of Scrouesten, we come to Crooked creek, which enters from the south. It is not navigable for small boats, but considerable prospecting has been done along it. About a hi'.lf mile above this, the river leads to the north-east out of this broad valley, which continues to the south-east, .and must fall into MacMillan some distance above its mouth. Fires were raging along the river Hats an DErAHTMEST OF TUB INTEHKUL 63 VICTORIA, A. 1900 Although the feed along the trail was abundant the animals did not thrive. Hoof disease and mud fever broke out among them, and we liiwl to drop them one by one at places where pasturage was good, hoping that tiiey would recover ; but on the return trip we found many of them dead and the rest had to be 8lK)t. There had been rainy weather for some time and our progress was slow. On Hep- uCinber 4, we reached the ' Forks ' with only live horses out of a band of nineteen. After occupying two stations to take ia the neighbourhood of the fork.s, I decided to turn back. We built a raft, and relieving the horses of all loads, .•started them on the back trail in charge of two men and with the rest of the party I continued down stream. We had to abandon our raft wlien we came U) the rapids, and build another below the falls. At suitable points along the valley I made ciunera and sketch stations, and by making a few ascents succt eded in filling tiie gap in the tiiangulation. On September 19, T reached the point where our trail from Fort Selkirk .«truck the river, and next day my men arrived with four horses. I went down to call on the mining recorder at McQuesten, and in exchange for .some moose meat, he was goinl enough to let me have Hour anrl tea, of which we stood very much in need. There had been i|uite a rusli during the latter part of the season, and the recorder informed me that aliout two hundred good men were wintering on Haggart, Johnston and Nelson creeks, trilmtaries cjf the McQuesten. While at the otlice about a dozen men came to tile claims, and a iiumber paid their fees witli gold which