BERKELEY
LIBF ARY
UNIVEfSITY OF
CALIFORNIA
EARTH
SCIENCES
LIBRARY
REMINISCENCES
AMONG THE ROCKS
IN CONNECTION WITH
THE GEOLOGICAL
SURVEY OF CANADA
BY .,.,.
THOS. CHESMER WESTC'N, F.G.S-A.
M
TORONTO
PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR BY
WARWICK BRO'S & RUTTER
1899
Wf
EARTH
SCIENCES
LIBRARY
Entered according to Act of Parliament of Canada, in the year one thou-
sand ei^ht, hundred and ninety-nine by Thomas Chesmer Weston in
fche office^ Ihe^Minister of Agriculture.
PREFACE
AT the request of my children and several
of my friends, I have endeavoured to
record some of the incidents connected with
my explorations while in the service of the
Government Geological Survey of the Dominion
of Canada. I have also set down a few details
of the geological formations in'\\*hich I have
worked. I have prefixed to these writings some
autobiographical particulars which may not be
without interest to the reader. It is a very
plain tale, without the slightest striving after
any of the literary properties that generally
accompany a story.
T. C. W.
237 Daly Avenue, Ottawa.
May 7th, 1898
A*
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
PAGE
A few autobiographical particulars Proposal that I
should come to Canada The voyage First im-
pressions of the land of the maple A matrimonial
joke My introduction to the rocks 1
CHAPTER II.
Eozoon " The Dawn of Life " A remarkable geologi-
cal controversy Discovery of tubuli structure
Unlikely that the extensive Laurentian system
would only contain one kind of organic remains
That the Huronian system has not yielded any
fossils . . 20
CHAPTER III.
A visit to the United States Journey to the Island of
Anticosti My assistant proves forgetful and un-
fortunate Description of the island Its geologi-
cal formation Some queer inhabitants I sight a
couple of bears Further misfortunes of Jackson
Departure for Quebec 28
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IV.
The South Petite Nation River The Trenton forma-
tion The calciferous rocks of Ontario We lose
our way in the bush The Chazy formation A
Guelph freethinker An adventure with a bull
Visit to Point Levis An odd mistake at our
boarding-house The Eozoon controversy 46
CHAPTER V.
The field season of 1869 Journey with Mr. Richard-
son Lost in the bush The primordial rocks in
New Brunswick Arisaig, Nova Scotia, and its
coast rocks Retirement of Sir William Logan
Field season of 1870 The rocks of Quebec
Another visit to the United States Visit to Stan-
fold, Que. Field work of 1871-2 The coast of
Labrador 59
CHAPTER VI.
Lord Dufferin visits the Survey I assist Sir William
Logan in the Eastern Townships Another visit
to Arisaig Some of the pioneer photographs of
the survey A storm off Cape Gaspe A visit to
Newfoundland Lake Temiscouata Work at
Hespeler, Ont. The conglomerates of Bic Death
of Sir William Logan The Philadelphia exhibi-
tion The Eastern Townships again Distribution
of rocks and minerals Ethnological branch of the
Survey 79
CHAPTER VII.
The south shore of the St. Lawrence Some good fish-
ing Camping by the river Ascent of the Shick-
shocks A poaching expedition : we catch a fine
salmon The lonely Mount Albert Photographs
and fossils Coast rocks between Digby and Yar-
mouth, N.S. "The Ovens" Fishing at Spindle
Cove Lost in the fog 107
vi.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER VIII.
Baie des Chaleurs and adjacent districts A fossil fish
and a pious critic A list of tithes Removal of
the headquarters of the Survey from Montreal to
Ottawa The Joggins Coast, N.S. Campbellton
and the Restigouche River A trip to Sault Ste.
Marie The Cypress Hill and the North- West A
three months geological exploring tour 127
CHAPTER IX.
To South Joggins, N.S. Palaeontology of the carbon-
iferous rocks Journey to Manitoba and the North -
West Maple Creek and the Cypress Hills
Vertebrate remains A herd of wild cattle Belly
River and the prairies Some Indians Selkirk
and its attractions A pelican The Red River
Winnipeg and its miscellaneous stores 176
CHAPTER X.
Excavations at Quebec Eozoon again A collection of
mammalian remains Work on the Quebec group
The black limestones of Quebec Supposed coal
deposits Evading the Scott Act With Mr.
Fletcher to Cape Breton Arisaig, N.S. The
coal mines of Sydney 208
CHAPTER XI.
Explorations on the south shore of the St. Lawrence
Fishing for cod A pleasant stay at Mr. Richard-
son's A journey to Grimsby A trip to the North-
West plains Maple Creek Swift Current Big
Jaw coulee A prize pig The bad lands Leth-
bridge We launch a boat on the Red Deer River
but afterwards give up our plan The Joggins
coast once more 226
vii.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XII.
Supposed fossil trees A visit of investigation to
Kingston I start for the Red Deer River Mr.
McKenzie joins me at Calgary Extensive coal
seams Fine dinosaur remains Canada has done
comparatively little towards restoring these deni-
zens of a silent world Dangerous quicksands
We celebrate Dominion Day A long river trip
Another trip to the Cypress Hills Unpleasant
experiences On the borders of Lake Superior 247
CHAPTER XIII.
The "Quebec Group" controversy An interruption
by illness I afford amusement to the natives
The Montmorency rocks The gold-bearing rocks
of Nova Scotia Improvements in the museum of
the Survey A clerical geologist The pilgrims to
Bonne Sainte Anne The geology of the Sainte
Anne district Surrounded by the tide 286
CHAPTER XIV.
Further geologizing at Quebec City Examining the
rocks precipitated by the land-slide A victim of
poison -ivy A search for a meteorite on the Ot-
tawa River The Laurentian marble An artist's
sketch is useful The Joggins coast, N.S., again
Conclusion and thanks to my friends of the Survey. 311
Vlll.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
T. C. Weston Frontispiece
Horace S. Smith facing page 4
SirW.E. Logan " " 14
T. Sterry Hunt " " 18
Eozoon Canadense Canal System " " 24
Eozoon Canadense Laminated Structure " " 24
James Richardson " " 34
E. BiUings " " 70
Alex. Murray " " 90
Shipping Buffalo Bones " " 144
Section of Miocene Tertiary Rocks " " 182
Concretions at Irwin Coulee, N. W.T " " 192
Tree-Uke Concretions at Kingston, Ont " "248
Huronian Concretions " " 292
Concretions, Cape Breton " " 292
IX.
CHAPTER I. ..,..-,
A FEW AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL PARTICULARS PROPOSAL THAT
I SHOULD COME TO CANADA THE VOYAGE FIl'.ST
IMPRESSIONS OF THE LAND OF THE MAPLE A MATRI-
MONIAL JOKE MY INTRODUCTION TO THE ROCKS.
MY first memories are of Birmingham, Eng-
land, the "toy shop of Europe," the
birth-place of Watt's steam engine, the source
of " Brummagem " jewellery and Radicalism In
this town of various manufactures it was not
a city then I was born in October, 1832. My
father was a self-taught natural philosopher in
a modest way, who was enthusiastic in learning
about science, such as it was in those days. He
was particularly fond of optics, and constructed
both magic lanterns and microscopes for his own
use. His versatility and cleverness in handicraft
led him ultimately into the manufacture of
fancy ornaments such as women delight in. Part
of his business consisted in dealing in and
cutting precious stones. He also prepared micro-
scopic sections of stones and minerals. It was
this work that earned him the title of " scientific
lapidary," and it was in this line of duties that
I spent ten years of my early life. Amid the
various ups and downs of a busy commercial
life my father still pursued his scientific investi-
A 1
REMINISCENCES
and his optical experiments. One of my
earliest remembrances is of finding myself in a
large building in which were gathered between
One and two thousand school children who had
each paid a penny to come and see one of his
magic lantern exhibitions a wonder in those
days. The place was in darkness except for the
light reflected from a white circle on an immense
hanging sheet. Then a picture of the earth
flashed on to this space with ships sailing around
it altogether disproportionate in size. My father
explained to his audience the rotundity of the
globe, and concluded his elucidation by " giving
out " the first verse of Isaac Watts' hymn :
O Spirit of the Lord prepare,
All the round earth her God to meet,
Breathe Thou abroad like morning air,
Till hearts of stone begin to beat.
My father's science did not deprive him of his
religious faith. I could linger long over his
efforts to combine lecturing and natural philoso-
phy with business, his teaching working men
and women and children astronomy, natural his-
tory and the like. My education, meanwhile, was
not of the most regular kind. But I had a sweet
and cultured mother who taught me much. I
learned the art of the lapidary, and the time came
when we were the most prominent firm in that
line in Birmingham.
In January, 1858, my father received from Sir
W. E. Logan, Director of the Geological Survey
2
AMONG THE ROCKS.
of Canada, an offer to come to Montreal as lapi-
dary to the Suivey. For various reasons he
could not accept this, and I was recommended as
competent to fill the position. After some cor-
respondence Sir William decided to engage my
services. A sum of money was placed to my
credit in one of the Birmingham banks to defray
my expenses to Portland, where I was to receive
a pass over the Grand Trunk Railway to Mon-
treal. After a very stormy voyage on the Allan
liner Indian, I landed at Portland on February
15, 1859. I left England with a " stove pipe "
hat and a light overcoat, and almost my first
experience of a Canadian winter was a frozen
ear.
Arriving at Longueuil, opposite Montreal, the
scene was so different from anything I had seen
the crowd of sleighs, the jingling of bells, the
fur-clad drivers and the hundreds of people who
had come to see the passengers of the ship which
had been given up for lost, for we were many
days behind time attracted my attention so
much that I crossed the St. Lawrence without
knowing that I was travelling over a great body
of frozen water. The weather was so intensely
cold that when I presented a letter of introduc-
tion to Mr. Blackwell, director of the Grand
Trunk Railway, he advised me to at once get a
fur cap and other warm clothing, and directed me
to the Geological Survey. I am much indebted
3
REMINISCENCES
to the late director of the Grand Trunk Railway
Mr. Blackwell for many personal favors.
Arriving at the Survey and Museum, St. Gab-
riel Street, I found Sir Wm. Logan had gone to
Toronto to interview the Government on survey
matters. I was however received kindly by Dr.
Sterry Hunt, chemist to the survey, and told to
rest myself till Sir William arrived, which he did
in a few days, and exercised much pains in getting
me comfortably settled in the building. I soon
arranged my instruments for work, and through
the kindness of the Rev. Dr. Wilkes of Zion
Church, to whom I brought letters of introduc-
tion, was soon at home in my adopted country
and thus commenced what lengthened out to
thirty-five years of active life in the office, in the
museum, and in the field.
On the 9th of June, 1859, (five months after my
arrival in Canada) I was married to Matilda
Allen, youngest daughter of Smith Allen, of
Quebec. We were married by the Rev. Mr.
Bancroft, at old Trinity Church. Mr. Horace S.
Smith, artist to the Survey, acted as my best
man. Horace was always fond of fun and here
on this (to me) serious occasion could not help
indulging in his " little joke." Just as we were
arranged at the altar and the minister was about
to commence the marriage service, Smith whisp-
ered to me " I've forgotten the ring." I made
up my mind at once that Smith should get out of
4
AMONG THE ROCKS.
the matter as best he could, and the service went
on; but when the time came for the ring Horace
quietly took it from his pocket and handed it to
the parson. Smith remained a constant friend
and I attended him in his last hours of sickness
and saw him safely conveyed to his last resting
place.
Many interesting incidents occured during
my second year in Canada (1860) which have
become historical. Among these I will only
mention that of the Prince of Wales' visit to
Canada, where at Montreal he opened the
Victoria Bridge, that wonderful structure which
spans our noble St. Lawrence River, and after-
wards visited the Geological Survey and took
great interest in the rocks and minerals of
Canada especially in the seven pound weight of
native gold from the Chaudiere valley in the
Province of Quebec, which as on many other
occasions passed through my hands, from the
safe to the cases of the museum.
Through the kindness of Sir William I was
introduced to His Royal Highness and accom-
panied him through the Museum.
From Montreal the Prince of Wales went to
Ottawa where on the 1st of September accom-
panied by the Governor-General, Sir Edmund
Head, and a brilliant staff of notables, he laid
the foundation stone of the Parliament Buildings.
A short time after my arrival at the Survey,
5
REMINISCENCES
I found that my duties would consist of devel-
oping fossils and reducing the rock in which
they were imbedded, which was done by a thin
iron disc charged with diamond dust. By this
means hundreds of new fossils were placed in
the already crowded cases. Microscopic sections
of various rocks and fossils were made for study
and I was constantly called on to assist Mr. E.
Billings, palaeontologist to the Survey. This
work occupied my whole attention till the early
part of 1863 when I commenced my field explor-
ations by accompanying Mr. J. Richardson and
Mr. Bell, both members of the geological staff, to
Drummondville. Here I was to assist in the
examination of the rocks, and collect, if possible,
fossils from certain members of what Sir W. E.
Logan had termed " The Quebec Group," a series
of strata I shall often speak of in these rambling
notes.
This was my first experience in field geology,
and also my first insight into Canadian country
life.
As these pages are to contain beside geological
notes, incidents " by the way side," I shall com-
mence here by relating one boarding-house
experience. Our home for a few days was
situated on the bank of the St. Francis River,
Province of Quebec. It is a dear old homestead
looking out over the falls of Drummondville,
and was kept by an old man and his wife, two
AMONG THE ROCKS.
thoroughly Scotch bodies who had reared a large
family, had seen much of the hard pioneer life
of the back woods of Canada and had become
somewhat doubtful of one another's veracity as
the following narration shows. j
Mr. Richardson was a thorough Scotchman,
and like many of his class delighted in his glass
of toddy before retiring for the night, so before
commencing field operations, he provided himself
with a stout bottle of Scotch whiskey (his
favorite beverage) and having no safe place to
keep his bottle, decided to trust it with the old
man of the house. The first night, after a hard
day's work among the rocks of the river, he called
on the old man for his bottle, but on taking his
usual "nip" found that the strength of the
liquor was not what the label represented it to
be. The second evening it was still weaker, and
Mr. R. asked the old lady whether her husband
was to be trusted with the bottle " Ah man "
she replied " ne'er trust the old man wi' yer
whuskey for he will help himself and then fill up
wi' water,' ' gi' me the bottle and it will be all
richt." So the bottle was given to the old lady for
safe keeping ; but alas ! on the following night
the whiskey was still weaker, so the old man
was then interviewed as to his wife's honesty,
" Ah man " he replied " you should na trust the
auld woman wi' the whuskey for she helps her
sell and then waters the bottle." So concluding
7
REMINISCENCES
they were two of a kind Mr. R. decided to hide
the bottle in our bed-room and from that time
the strength of the whiskey was preserved.
The rocks of the St. Francis River in the
vicinity of Drummondville are chiefly greenish
sandstones, forming in places high walls, and
showing beautiful examples of stratification and
folding ; they are underlaid by dark shales and
limestones holding a few graptolites and obscure
bivalves among which the following genera and
species were found :
Dendrograptus simplex, Walcott,
Dicranograptus sextans, Hall,
Ccenograptus gracUis, Hall,
Climacograptus Dicornis, Hall,
Leptobolus insignis, Hall.
These sandstones, limestones and shales are cut
by a variety of diorites and amygdaloids, some of
which are porphyritic ; they form the rocks of
the falls, giving a rugged aspect to this portion
of the river. It was here among the dark colored
shales and limestones of the St. Francis River,
I learned from my friend Mr. Richardson who
afterwards during our twenty years of almost
constant companionship taught me much of the
knowledge I have gained of field geology the
importance of fossils regarding our researches in
stratigraphy.
While wending our way home in the dusk of
the evening, after a hard day's work, we came
8
AMONG THE ROCKS
across a man diligently engaged picking a deep
hole in the black shales. On enquiry as to what
he expected to find, he informed us that he was
prospecting for coal. Mr. Richardson told him
he would never find coal in those rocks for they
are thousands of feet below the coal formation.
But the next day when we passed the same
place the man was still working away and had
employed another man to assist him. A right
knowledge, as I afterwards learned, of the vari-
ous formations which constitute the " crust " of
our earth and its fossil remains, would have told
this man that coal could never be found in those
rocks.
Coal occurs in many formations. It has been
mined for over a hundred years in Beven, Suther-
landshire, in rocks of the Oolitic epoch, in other
countries in the Miocene-Tertiary beds, and other
rocks belonging to the upper crust of the earth,
but the Carboniferous deposits are the coal bear-
ing beds of Great Britain, the United States,
Nova Scotia, Australia, and other countries.
The miner who has studied his geological text-
books knows full well that it is utterly useless
to look for coal in rocks containing Graptolites,
trilobites and other organic remains which
existed untold ages before the coal deposits were
formed. I shall speak of other useless attempts
to find coal in Lower Silurian and Cambrian
rocks later on.
9
REMINISCENCES
During the same year (1863) I spent several
weeks in the State of Vermont examining and
collecting from the limestones along the shore of
Lake Champlain, and along the road from White-
hall to Burlington, the whole of which distance I
walked, staying over night and sometimes longer
at the various villages or towns on the way.
Before starting on this journey several days
were spent at Whitehall, and here Sir William
Logan joined me and together we examined the
various rock formations of that vicinity and col-
lected fossils and interesting facts relating to or
connected with Canadian geology.
There was a good hotel at Whitehall, and here
Sir William and I occupied a double-bedded
room. On the 18th of October, Sir William
informed me that he would leave the following
morning by the early train for Albany, where he
was going to see Prof. James Hall. At five next
morning I woke to find Sir William scraping the
mud off his boots and doing his best not to wake
me, but he did, and I asked him if I could assist
him. " No," he said, but soon I was roused by
his shaking my arm and saying " Wake up,
Weston, and lend me some money ; I haven't
enough to pay for my railway ticket." I gave
him what he needed, but told him I had a hundred
miles to walk, and when I reached Burlington I
should want money. He promised to send a
cheque to the care of the postmaster.
10
AMONG THE ROCKS.
After leaving Whitehall I spent a few pleasant
days at a farm house at Comstock Landing.
The geological structure of this vicinity is very
interesting, but I am not sufficiently conversant
with the formation here to say definitely what
the horizon is the fossils are obscure but look
like Calciferous forms.
While here I received a letter from Dr. Godfrey,
of Montreal, stating that my wife had presented
me with a son, news which caused me to hasten
on with my journey. The following morning
(Sunday) I shouldered my fishing basket (which
I used for carrying specimens) and started on a
day's tramp. It was past six in the evening
when I arrived tired and hungry at a small
village named Bread Port. Finding no hotel,
I enquired for a boarding house and was told
there was none, but Mrs. Brown down the street
sometimes took in travellers. I went to Mrs-
Brown, but she sent me to another house. They
too refused to take me in, and, after wandering
all over the village to get a vehicle, in which I
failed, I met a man who looked a likely person
to assist me. I stopped him and said : " You
call this place Bread Port, I believe, sir?"
" Yes," he said, " this is Bread Port." " Well," I
said, " I think it is badly named, for I can neither
get bread to eat nor can I get lodgings for the
night." Perhaps I looked like a tramp, but a few
words of explanation and this good Samaritan
11
REMINISCENCES
took me to his house, and when his people
returned from church I was well provided for,
and we spent a pleasant evening singing and
playing.
The following morning I continued my journey
and in course of time arrived at my destination,
Burlington, where the postmaster handed me the
cheque I had asked Sir William to send, and also
gave me Sir William's letter to him, of which the
following is a copy. I insert it to show how
careful he was in money matters :
" At Prosper Hall, corner Merton St. and
Delaware Turnpike,
ALBANY, 19 October, 1863.
To the Postmaster,
Burlington, Vermont.
DEAR SIR, I send you herewith a money letter for Mr.
T. 0. Weston of Montreal, who will call at the post office
for it. I send also a letter signed by Mr. Weston that
you may see his signature. Will you be so good as to
deliever both to him when he calls. Mr. Weston has
been with me lately to Whitehall and to Comstock Land-
ing collecting fossils. He belongs to the Geological Sur-
vey of Canada, of which I am the director. By this
information you can frame questions by means of which
to identify him.
I am, dear Sir,
Very truly yours,
W. E. LOGAN.
I returned to Montreal a few days later and
spent the remainder of the time till my next
excursion in my usual work.
12
AMONG THE ROCKS.
As I shall often refer to the various members
of the Geological staff I shall briefly mention
those who composed the staff when I commenced
my duties in the Geological Survey.
Our distinguished chief, Sir William Logan,
whose kind acts and fatherly counsel remained
forever dear to the hearts of all associated with
him, was a Canadian, born of Scotch parents, in
Montreal in 1798, educated at the High School
of Edinburgh. He distinguished himself as a
geologist in the South Wales coal fields, 1838.
In 1841, Sir William then Mr. Logan, visited
the coal fields of Pennsylvania and Nova Scotia
and then commenced his studies of the rocks of
Canada, and was shortly afterwards appointed
by the Government to form a geological survey
of Canada. During the Paris Exhibition in 1858,
he received the gold medal .of honor, and was
created a Knight of the Legion of Honor. He
was knighted by the Queen in 1856. Poor health
and a desire to spend the remaining years of his
working life on his beloved Eastern Township
rocks caused him to resign his connection with
the Geological Survey of Canada in 1869. He
was succeeded by Mr. Alfred R. C. Selwyn, who
was recommended to him by Sir Roderick
Murchison. After a wonderfully active life, dur-
ing which time, as Sir William often said, "I never
had time to get married," he died at the ripe
age of 77 years, at his sister's house in Wales,
13
REMINISCENCES
22nd June, 1875. " And now he sleeps in the
quiet churchyard of Llechryd between his
brother Hart and his great friend and brother-
in-law, Mr. A. L. Gower. Peace to his memory.
Honour to his name."
Those interested in Logan's history and geo-
logical work I must refer to the Geological
Survey and to the "Life of Sir William Logan,
Kt., LL.D., F.R.S., F.G.S., etc., by Bernard J.
Harrington, for a number of years chemist to
the Survey, and now of McGill University,
Montreal. I cannot close this page without
recording a regret that in his memoirs of
Logan's life Dr. Harrington omitted to even men-
tion the name of the writer of these notes who
travelled thousands of miles with him, shared
some of his hard field work, and was his almost
constant companion in his last investigations of
the Eastern Townships geology.
MURRAY. Shortly after Logan's appointment,
by the Provincial Government of Canada in 1842,
to make a Geological Survey of Canada as far
as his means would permit he secured, through
the recommendation of Sir H. T. De la Beche,
the services of Mr. Alexander Murray, a young
man educated in the Royal Naval College of
Portsmouth, and who served in the navy. Mr.
Murray became a staunch friend of Sir William
who trusted him with many important surveys.
After many years faithful service through the
14
AMONG THE ROCKS.
recommendation of Sir William, Mr. Murray be-
came director of the Geological Survey of New-
foundland, a position he held to within a short
time of his death, in 1884 in his 75th year.
T. STERRY HUNT. T. Sterry Hunt, afterwards
Dr. T. Sterry Hunt, LL.D., Officer of the French
Legion of Honor, etc., etc., succeeded Count De
Rottermund for a short time chemist to the
Canadian Survey in 1847. Dr. Hunt was one
of the most able chemists and mineralogists of
his day. His writings are known all over the
scientific world. Dr. Hunt held his position as
chemist and mineralogist to the Geological Survey
of Canada for 25 years, and resigned this posi-
tion in 1872, three years before Sir William's
death.
BILLINGS. Mr. E. Billings / a Canadian lawyer,
was appointed Palaeontologist to the Survey in
1856. Long before this Mr. Billings had been a
zealous worker in palaeontology, and had pub-
lished many contributions to that science. These
papers attracted Sir William's notice, hence his
appointment. Mr. Billings remained a faithful
worker in the Survey for 20 years, died in 1876,
and was succeeded by Mr. J. F. Whiteaves.
RICHARDSON. While on one of his geological
surveys in 1846 Sir William met with Mr. James
Richardson a Scotchman who had seen much
hard pioneer farm work in Canada, and had for
a time taught in a country school in the Eastern
15
REMINISCENCES
Townships. Logan wanted a man to do camp
work and engaged Richardson. After a short
time, however, Mr. Richardson became so fasci-
nated with geology that he induced Sir William
to allow him to attempt a little geological work,
so he was sent off to collect specimens and make
notes of what rocks he saw. On his return to
camp Sir William was so pleased with this Mr.
Richardson's first geological work that he was
again sent off to make measurements by pacing,
which work proved so satisfactory that he was in a
short time appointed explorer, etc., to the Survey.
He became one of Sir William's most trusted field
men, did a great amount of good geological work,
as the reports of the Survey show, and was
trusted with the arrangement of the geological
specimens in the Paris, London, and other exhi-
bitions. He remained a faithful worker in the
Survey till after Sir William's death, was super-
annuated in 1879, and died three years later.
BARLOW. Mr. Robert Barlow, formerly in
charge of a corps of the Royal Engineers in a
topographical survey in Great Britain joined
the Geological Survey in 1857 as chief draughts-
man, which position he held until a short time
before the Survey was removed to Ottawa. Mr.
Barlow only lived two or three years after his
retirement from the Survey.
SCOTT BARLOW. Mr. Robert Barlow was ably
assisted by his son Mr. Scott Barlow, whose chief
16
AMONG THE ROCKS.
work was to plot surveys from field note-books.
In later years he did some excellent field
geology in Nova Scotia, among the Carboniferous
rocks. He was appointed chief draughtsman to
the Survey department a short time before his
death, which occurred in 1894 through blood
poisoning.
SMITH. Mr. Horace S. Smith, artist to the
survey, was engaged in England, and came to
Canada a year or two before my appointment in
J 859. His duty was to draw fossils to illustrate
the reports of the Survey. His drawings illus-
trate the Geology of Canada for 1863, and other
Survey publications. Mr. Smith died a few years
before the Survey was removed to Ottawa.
BELL. Mr. Robert Bell then in 1859, a young
Civil Engineer although engaged at various
times in geological work, was not appointed to
the Survey till some years later, since which time
he has made many important surveys in various
parts of Canada. At this date, 1897, Dr. Bell is
actively engaged in geological work ; is assistant
director, is M.D., CM., LL.D., F.R.S., etc. Dr.
Bell, with the exception of myself, is the only
surviving member of the old regime of 1859.
I must not forget to mention here another per-
manent member of the staff Michael O'Farrell,
office keeper, whose connection with the Survey
dated from its commencement to 1889, when he
was superannuated. Michael was a thorough
B 17
REMINISCENCES
Irishman, always ready to assist a friend in want,
but a bitter foe to those who slighted or opposed
him. His commanding appearance gained for
him from some of the members of the staff the
sobriquet " Figure-head of the geological ship."
Michael was a keen horseman, and had in his
younger days ridden behind the hounds with
some of the most popular noblemen of " dear old
Ireland." Michael was very much attached to,
and a constant attendant on his chief , Sir William
Logan, whose disregard for personal adornment
frequently raised Michael's ire. " Sir," said
Michael to Sir William one day : " The tailor
says these pants are not worth repairing." " Well,"
said Sir William, " confound him, tell him to
make me another pair. " And your boots too,
Sir, are in a very bad state." " Well, but," Sir
William said, " can't they be patched ? you know
I can't walk in new boots."
Although Sir William did not forget Michael
in his will, he never seemed the same man after
his chief's death, and soon after the removal of
the Survey from Montreal to Ottawa failed in
health so much that it was necessary to appoint
another janitor to look after the offices and clean-
ing of the museum ; so, as I said before, Michael
was superannuated, and was taken care of by his
two daughters. Michael only survived about
two years after his retirement in 1889. He was
succeeded by Mr. Thomas Burke, who at this
18
AMONG THE ROCKS.
date, 1897, is fulfilling his position to the satis-
faction of all members of the staff.
Besides the small band of permanent workers
spoken of, there were several other "extra hands,"
among whom was my old friend Mr. James Low,
of Grenville, P. Q., who, though only a rough
farmer, through accompanying Sir William on
his explorations, became an expert in tracing
certain bands of Laurentian rocks. His surveys
were plotted by Mr Scott Barlow.
Another was Mr. Richard Oatey, a Cornish
miner, who did much good work in the examin-
ation of mineral deposits. He was associated
with the gold mining at the Chaudiere River, P.
Q., at the time when the seven pound weight of
gold was taken out of the beds of the rivers, and
fields of that district.
Many other men were occasionally employed
and rendered valuable service, but I can only
mention here one other : Principal Dawson, of
McGill University. Montreal, who, notwithstand-
ing his arduous duties at the college, found
time to assist Sir William in determining fossils,
&c., &c. Sir J. W. Dawson, C.M.G., LL.D., F.R.S.,
F.G.S., &e., &c., retired from McGill University
a short time ago and is now (1897) actively
engaged with his books and fossils. His writings
are known throughout the scientific world.
19
CHAPTER II.
EOZOON " THE DAWN OP LIFE " A REMARKABLE GEOLOGI-
CAL CONTROVERSY DISCOVERY OF TUBULI STRUCTURE
UNLIKELY THAT THE EXTENSIVE LAURENTIAN SYSTEM
WOULD ONLY CONTAIN ONE KIND OF ORGANIC REMAINS
THAT THE HURONIAN SYSTEM HAS NOT YIELDED
ANY FOSSILS.
THE great Eozoon controversy commenced
soon after my appointment with the
Survey (1859), has continued to the present
day, and is likely to continue, with a gradual
falling off of those who in the early days of its
discovery favored the supposition that it was a
fossil.
It would take many pages to record even a
slight summary of the literature published for
and against this remarkable organic looking
structure. Here I can only give a slight outline
of its discovery and a few remarks on the scien-
tific interest and work done to prove this concre-
tionary structure to be organic.
The first specimen of Eozoon known was
found at Burgess, Ont., by Dr. Wilson, of Perth,
Ont., and was sent to the Geological Survey as a
mineral. Years after, it became associated with the
supposed Laurentian fossil and was analyzed and
examined microscopically, but nothing was found
20
AMONG THE ROCKS.
resembling organic matter. Later on, in 1860,
other coralline-looking specimens were found by
Mr. J. McMullen at the Grand Calumet, Ont.
These specimens were sliced and examined under
the microscope, but no fossiliferous structure
found a description of these can be found in
the Geological Survey Report for 1863. They
were given to Mr. Billings to study, and he finally
determined not to risk his palaeontological repu-
tation in describing such specimens to be even
probably of organic origin. These specimens
were exhibited in London in 1862 by Logan, but
he appears to have found few believers in these
supposed Laurentian fossils.
About this time Mr. Low collected some fine
blocks of serpentine intermixed with crystalline
limestone (calcite), from Cote St. Pierre, P.Q-
In these specimens Sir William noticed peculiar
concretionary matter resembling the Black River
fossil Stromatopora rugosa (Hall). The writer
was at once requested to make microscopic sec-
tions of this rock. Several slides were made and
the first looked at under the microscope revealed
tubuli structure, or what is called the canal
system, in the calcite part of the specimen, which
is supposed to be the test or shell of the animal.
Sir William examined this, the first discovery of
what really resembled organic matter, with great
interest, and, in his usual prompt way of acting,
had Mr. Smith, the artist of the Survey, make
21
REMINISCENCES
drawings. These, with the micro-sections, Sir
William took to Principal Dawson, who was
delighted to find the tubuli structure in the
calcite as he supposed it would be, and not in the
serpentine, as Dr. Hunt supposed it would, if
found, occur.
I have been particular in recording this the
first specimen which appeared to have definite
organic structure, because in his " Dawn of Life"
Dr. Dawson omitted to give me credit for being
the first to notice this structure. The illustration
opposite p. 24 is from a steel engraving made from
Smith's drawing, magnified about twenty dia-
meters.
After this discovery a large portion of my time
was taken up in microscopical work, examining
and making thin slices of any Laurentian rock
we thought might possibly contain Eozoon, and
assisting Mr. Billings in palseontological work.
In the summer of 1873 I was sent to inspect and
collect specimens from our now celebrated Eozoon
locality at Cote St. Pierre. Many beautiful
specimens were found, some of which are now in
the cases of the Geological Survey Museum ; some
are beautifully weathered, causing them to resem-
ble the Black River fossil Stromatopora already
spoken of. A short time after this, 1874, while
collecting fossils in the rocks of the Guelph for-
mation at Hespeler, Ont., I was telegraphed for
to return to Montreal and accompany Principal
22
AMONG THE ROCKS,
Dawson to Cote St. Pierre. We arrived at Pap-
ineauville in the afternoon, took the stage to St.
Andr^ d'- Avelin (about twelve miles) and put up
for the night at a small French boarding house.
Here we could only get one bed, which Dr. Daw-
son took, while I lay on a rough couch, from
which I was soon driven well,not by mosquitoes.
The following morning we continued our journey
and arrived at Cote St. Pierre about noon. We
found lodging in a small French-Canadian farm
house within a few paces of the original spot
where Mr. Low collected the fine blocks of ser-
pentine in whioh the first specimen of tubuli
structure was found.
During our journey from Papineauville we
passed over great ridges of gneissose rock, ser-
pentine, crystalline limestones, diorits, and other
typical exposures of the great Laurentian system
over hills and through valleys with patches of
cultivated land from which wheat and other
crops had just been taken. Much of the
land is covered with a second growth of young
maples and other trees. A short distance from
our Eozoon locality we pass over the beautiful
Nation River, which winds through the hills and
valleys of this picturesque country.
After a good meal of pork and beans, and a
walk of a few paces, we stood on the slope of
the hill in Low's excavation made in taking out
the blocks of serpentine, in which, as I said, the
23
REMINISCENCES
first Eozoon tubuli structure was found. But
besides this excavation we discovered that much
work had been done by an American who was
in search of " Cotton rock," a fibrous serpentine,
or asbestos, now largely used in packing safes, etc.
Here there is a thickness of about a hundred feet
of the Eozoon-yielding rock exposed. It is asso-
ciated with coarse diorite, gneiss, pyroxene,
dolomite, tremolite, and other characteristic
Laurentian rocks and minerals, forming high
ridges and a very undulating country. The con-
cretionary looking (Eozoon) portion of the ser-
pentine rock, i.e., laminated serpentine and cal-
cite, has been beautifully weathered. The soft
calcite has been worn away and the narrower
bands of serpentine remain standing up above
the calcite, giving, as I have before remarked, a
close resemblance to the Protozoon fossil Stroma-
topora.
In a short time we made a fine collection, some
specimens of which are now historical, having
been figured to illustrate the various writings on
Eozoon and afterwards placed in the Geological
Survey, and Redpath Museums. One of these
specimens is reproduced in Dawsoii's " Dawn of
Life," Plate III, and it was from this collection
that the sections were made from which my
micro photographs were taken, some of which
also illustrate the " Dawn of Life."
! ///>J&^* -^>. ^V -^'.
Eozoon Canadenxe : Canal System.
Eo~oon Cainideme: Laminated Structure.
AMONG THE ROCKS.
I must, at present, close this brief history of
Eozoon the gigantic Protozoa of the Laurentian
seas, according to Sir J. W. Dawson; who after all
these years and amid all the doubt of able palaeon-
tologists and naturalists, is to-day the firm believer
in Eozoon he has ever been. For my part, and
I have made and examined many hundreds of
specimens, both as thin sections for the micro-
scope and decalcified specimens showing the
tubuli structure, I cannot say I am a believer
in Eozoon being organic. No one, however,
would be more pleased than I to see its organic
nature established. This I fear will never be
done unless something more definite than this
supposed Stromatopora, Stromatocerium, as it is
now called, is found.
The reproduction opposite p. 24 is from one of
the etched specimens, and with the description,
copied from the label on the large block of Eozoon
serpentine in the Geological Museum, Ottawa, will
give those who have not access to books and speci-
mens a general idea of this supposed fossil.
" A gigantic Protozoon of the order Foramini-
fera from the Laurentian system.
This specimen is part of an unusually large
mass of the fossil, contorted by the disturbance
of the containing beds.
The laminae of white calcite are the walls of
the test of the animal, and the laminae of
green serpentine fill the spaces originally occu-
25
EEMINISCENCES
pied by its gelatinous animal matter. Collected
by Mr. James Low at Petite Nation, on the
Ottawa."
When one considers that in Canada and
British America the Laurentian system covers
from 2,000 to 3,000 square miles and has in
Canada a known thickness of 40,000 feet of
strata, that part of this vast body of rock was
originally sedimentary matter derived from older
rocks of which we know nothing, and that other
higher formations are almost wholly composed
of the remains of animal matter, it seems strange
that Eozoon should be the only thing that can in
any way be attributed to organic structure.
Whether Eozoon is a fossil or not, it will always
remain an interesting subject of discussion for
students in palaeontology and mineralogy, and
the specimens prepared by the writer for the
London, Paris, Philadelphia, Chicago and other
Exhibitions, together with the pile of literature
on the subject remain forever as a proof of the
deep interest taken in this supposed fossil
Protozoa.
Like the Laurentian system, the Huronian
formation, which consists of a thickness of about
20,000 feet of strata composed of quartzites,
slates, limestone, jaspers, conglomerates and
many other varieties of rocks, contains no defin-
ite fossils. Certain markings on slates and other
rocks have been described and figured as the
26
AMONG THE ROCKS.
trails of mollusca, &c., but these markings are so
indefinite that few palaeontologists believe them
to be of organic origin. In one of my papers on
concretionary structure, published in the Tran-
sactions of the Nova Scotian Institute of Science,
Series 2, Vol. I, I mention serious mistakes made
in assigning to concretionary and other markings
organic origin.
The hundreds of miles of Huronian rocks
examined by the writer, both in Canada and
Newfoundland, have yielded nothing which can
definitely be regarded as organic. Billings'
Aspidella terranovica, (Palaeozoic fossils, Vol. II,)
from the Huronian slates of Newfoundland cer-
tainly looks somewhat like a crushed and dis-
torted chiton ; but this also is one of those doubt-
ful forms which will be looked at shyly by the
palaeontologist of the present day.
Thus in these two great systems Huronian
and Laurentian no true fossils have been found.
There are reasons why life should have existed
in both the Laurentian and Huronian forma-
tions ; but till definite fossils are brought to
light, most palaeontologists and geologists will, I
think, consider these two great formations
Archean or Azoic.
27
CHAPTER III.
A VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES JOURNEY TO THE ISLAND
OF ANTICOSTI MY ASSISTANT PROVES FORGETFUL AND
UNFORTUNATE DESCRIPTION OF THE ISLAND ITS GEO-
LOGICAL FORMATION SOME QUEER INHABITANTS I
SIGHT A COUPLE OF BEARS FURTHER MISFORTUNES OF
JACKSON DEPARTURE FOR QUEBEC.
It/! OST of the year 1864 was spent in assisting
"* Mr. Billings in palasontological and
Museum work. Most of the month of June was
occupied at Troy, Bald Mountain and Glens Falls,
N.Y., making collections of fossils from the
Primordial and Trenton formations. These were
needed for comparison with our "Quebec Group"
fossils. The specimens obtained at Troy and
Bald Mountain proved very interesting as they
threw new light on the relation of certain rocks
of N.Y. State to those of the "Quebec Group" of
Canada.
At Troy I was entertained and accompanied in
my researches by Mr. S. W. Ford, a young palaeon-
tologist of bright prospects.
At Bald Mountain, to be near my work, I
sought and found board and lodging in a typical
American farm house. The great kindness
shown me in this hospitable home, the interesting
nature of my work, together with the peaceful
28
AMONG THE ROCKS.
rest after the day's work will always cause this
period to be remembered as one of the most
pleasant of my early explorations.
On the 1st of June 1865, 1 received instructions
from Sir William Logan to prepare for a journey
to the island of Anticosti. I was to take a man
who could act as cook and general assistant, the
necessary camp equipment and provisions for
two months. I was to examine and collect fossils
from the coast rocks between English Head and
Becscie River, on the south side of the island.
In a few days my arrangements were complete,
and furnished with a Government official letter
to the Captain of the S. S. Napoleon III, (which
carried supplies to the Gulf shore lighthouses) I
with my assistant started on what proved to be
an exceedingly interesting trip, but which was
frequently beset with laughable and often danger-
ous incidents, a few of which with a slight out-
line of the geological structure of the island I
shall try and record.
I knew nothing of the man who was going to
be my companion on a wild sea coast, excepting
that my friend Mr. Root, who had recommended
him to me, said he was a good cook and first-rate
all round camp man. My first experience of any
short- comings in Mr. Jackson (John Jackson was
his name) occurred while waiting for the Mon-
treal boat to start for Quebec. While standing
near some of our baggage I saw a little woman
29
REMINISCENCES
bustling around looking anxiously for some one.
Seeing me among a lot of boxes she came up and
said :
"Are you the man who is going to Anticosti?"
I replied that I was.
"Well sir," she said, "I hope you will take care
of my husband, Mr. Jackson, for he can't take
care of hisself, and please sir where is he now?"
" Oh, he has forgotten his overcoat," I replied,
" and has run home for it."
"Ah, there it is," the woman said, "he never
does remember anything."
Just at that moment Jackson came up and
"All aboard " was called out. As we hustled the
little woman off I gave her a few dollars on
account of John's wages, and her last words to
John were, "Don't forget the baby."
The delightful voyage down our noble St.
Lawrence River, the courtesy of the officers on
our good ship, together with the little trials and
troubles of my assistant, will ever remain fresh
in my memory. We reached English Head Light-
house on the 18th of June, not, however, without
several strong reminders of the " perils of the
deep."
At the time of my visit to Anticosti in 1865,
there were no inhabitants at the west end,
excepting those connected with the lighthouse,
but fishermen from other parts of the island
frequently came on business to Mr. Malouin, the
30
AMONG THE ROCKS.
light-keeper. These men, like most fishermen,
are a rough, hardy set, ever ready to assist one
another in times of trouble, always ready to
indulge in what they call little jokes, but, as
will be seen by the following incident, very
much opposed to having a joke played on them.
For several weeks Miss Maloain (daughter of
the light-keeper) had been anxiously looking out
for a priest, who at that time visited the island
occasionally to administer religious functions,
and as there was a probability of her confessor
arriving that day she and I stood at the foot of
the flag-staff speculating on his approach. In a
little while we saw in the distance a boat con-
taining several men, and with the Union Jack
flying. In a moment all was ready to hoist the
flag in honor of the priest's arrival. When,
however, the boat came within a short distance
of the shore, to the young lady's dismay she
discovered that it only contained fishermen, who,
knowing the priest was expected, thought they
would play one of their little jokes by flying the
flag, usually displayed in honor of an ecclesiastic.
Seeing disappointment and anger depicted on the
lady's face, I pointed to a fishing basket which
lay near the flag stafl ; my meaning was instantly
interpreted. "Good," said Miss Malouin ; and
in a moment up went the basket to the top of
the pole. But, alas ! my little joke was observed
by the fishermen, and when they reached shore
31
REMINISCENCES
they made straight for me and were about to do
me bodily harm, but the brave girl rushed in
between us and cried, " Strike me if you want to
beat any one ! " on which the men slunk off,
muttering threats of vengeance on my head.
At English Head, as along the greatest part
of the south shore, a sloping reef extends sea-
wards probably from half-a-mile to a mile.
According to Bay field, the outer edge of the reef
forms a precipice from twenty to a hundred feet
deep. Ships approach the edge of this shelving
reef with great caution, sounding continually,
and in case of fog standing off two or three miles
from shore.
All lighthouse supplies are carried first in the
ship's boats, then in a cart which is kept for that
purpose ; with these our supplies and camp outfit
were landed. Letters of introduction to the
light-keeper, Mr. Malouin, gained me a cordial
welcome, and I was hospitably housed in the
lighthouse till the busy time caused by the
arrival of the Government supply boat was over,
and I could get the cart to carry me to Gamache
Bay, a distance, I think, of eight miles, where I
decided to make my first camp.
During my short stay at English Head, the
time was occupied collecting fossils and other
natural history specimens. The reef, already
referred to, which is dry at low tide, affords an
excellent opportunity for collecting some of the
32
AMONG THE ROCKS.
characteristic fossils of the island, among which
is the fossil to which Billings gave the generic
name Beatricea, and classed it in the vegetable
kingdom. Hyatt supposes it to belong to the
Cephalopoda family, placing it with Miller in
the animal kingdom. The latter supposes it to
belong to the Bryozoa family, and assorts it with
fossil ^sponges. After seeing many hundreds of
these forms in situ, I quite agree with Billings
in giving it a vegetable origin, and think it will
ultimately be described as a fucoide. I have
never seen a perfect specimen of Beatricea. The
base or root of this plant-like form is frequently
met with, but the upper end is always broken
and does not show the termination, so at present
we do not know what length this fossil attained.
The longest section seen by me measured twenty
feet and was about six inches in diameter, while
fragments of others measured a foot in diameter
They are cylindrical in form, slightly tapering
towards the upper end; the exterior is rough,
resembling the bark of some trees. A tube
crossed transversely with highly concave septa
runs the whole length, while between this central
tube and the outside, concentric layers resembling
those of an exogen tree and a coralline structure
are seen. Billings describes these species from
Anticosti as Beatricea undulata and B. nodulosa
They occur in the Lower Silurian, and are most
abundant in the Hudson River formation in the
c 33
REMINISCENCES
vicinity of the west-end lighthouse. This genus
was found in the Hudson River rocks of Rabbit
Island, L.S., by Dr. Bell, of the Canadian Survey,
and by the writer, in 1884, at Stony Mountain,
Manitoba.
My main object in visiting Anticosti was to
collect fossils from the rocks between Macasty
Bay, near the north-west end of the island, and
Becscie River on the south side, a distance in a
straight line of about thirty-seven miles, but
very much longer taking in the numerous bends
of the coast.
In these memoirs I can only speak in the
briefest manner on the geology of that portion
of the island visited ; leaving those interested in
the subject to peruse the able report of the late
Mr. James Richardson, of the Canadian Geologi-
cal Survey. The rocks of Anticosti belong to
the lower and Middle Silurian. The various
formations recognized by stratagraphy and fossils
are : the Hudson River, Oneida, Medina, Clinton,
and Niagara. A section of the Hudson River
rocks at the west end of the island gives a thick-
ness of 959 feet of strata, composed chiefly of
argillaceous limestones, limestone conglomerates
and other similar beds. These measures contain
fossils characteristic of the Hudson River forma-
tion, a formation which occupies a great portion
of the island, forming in places cliffs with an
34
AMONG THE ROCKS.
elevation of from 100 to 400 feet, in places almost
perpendicular.
Two days after our arrival at the west-end
lighthouse we succeeded in getting the cart to
carry us and part of our camp outfit to Gamache,
or Ellis Bay, a distance of about eight miles. I
sat with the driver, the light-keeper, while Jack-
son sat on our baggage. When within a mile or
so of our destination, hearing Jackson whistling
" Home, Sweet Home," I turned to ask him if he
was thinking of "the baby," and glancing
towards our baggage to my dismay I saw that
several pieces of our camp equipment were miss-
ing. Fortunately, however, they belonged to
Jackson. These things actually slipped from
under him as we jolted along the rocky shore.
" Good gracious, Jackson/' I exclaimed, "what's
gone with your dunnage-bag, long boots and
overcoat ?"
" Good God !" Jackson said, jumped off the
cart, and started back in search of his " duds."
Our camp was pitched, supper eaten and the
shades of night were closing in when John re-
turned with the lost baggage, which he had
found just as the tide, which had risen, was
about to cover them. John was in anything but
an amiable humor, but a nip of rye from the
medicine chest, and a good supper, soon restored
peace in our camp, and before we retired for the
night we bagged several large lobsters, one of
35
REMINISCENCES
which was the largest I have ever seen in
Canada.
During our journey from the west- end we saw
many seals, Phoca Grcenlandica, (Muller), which
were very numerous at that time. They lay
basking in the sun, but on our approach wriggled
off into the sea.
Part of the coast between west-end lighthouse
and Gamache Bay is exceedingly rough High
escarpments of dark and light grey calcareous
rocks most of the beds of which are prolific in
fossils, especially those of Junction Cliff, which,
owing to the over-hanging beds, form good rest-
ing places for the fossils which had "weathered"
out, and were gathered by handfuls.
Cape Henry on the west side of Gamache Bay
has a vertical face of about 300 feet. Similar
cliffs occupy a large portion of the coast, while
intervening; spaces are low land covered with a
coarse grass. Many varieties of fruit-bearing
trees and shrubs were seen between the west-end
and Gamache Bay, among which were : the moun-
tain-ash ; gooseberry ; currant ; cranberry, &c.
Pine, balsam, tamarack and other trees attain a
good size, and much of this wood is fit for building
purposes. During the ten days or so we camped
in Gamache Bay we visited the only three people
living in that vicinity : Luke, who kept the
government store where a supply of provisions,
&c., was kept, to be used only by wrecked sailors
36
AMONG THE ROCKS.
and others who had been cast ashore ; an old man
named Murray, whom we found in a log cabin at
the head of the bay, bedridden and in a terrible
state of dirt and wretchedness, cursing heaven and
earth, and all things on land and in the sea. So
far as I could learn, this man was the only remain-
ing member of a small band of wreckers, whose
chief was the terrible pirate-king Gamache. The
grave of this miscreant is situated at the end of
the bay. If any of the descendants of Gamache's
gang of pirates are living they could no doubt
tell some fearful stories of wrecks caused by this
execrable old wrecker. The only other occupant
of the bay was a fisherman, who was away at
the time, but his wife, who lived in a small log
cabin, furnished us with lobsters, and other
" fruits of the sea," and sheltered me for two or
three nights when I was almost driven wild by
mosquitoes and black flies. I was also indebted
to this woman for the use of a boat to make a
journey to River Becscie, a distance of about fif-
teen miles east of the bay. This journey was
made to get a further supply of the beautiful
bivalve fossil shell Pentainerus Barrandi (Bil-
lings), which was discovered by Mr. Richardson
in 1856. Knowing this was to be a dangerous
journey, after a good bit of coaxing and a promise
to pay him $8.00 per day, I got Luke, who was
well acquainted with the coast, to allow Jackson
to mind his " wrecked sailor provisions store,"
37
REMINISCENCES
and accompany me. We left the bay at 2 o'clock
in the morning, when the tide was well up, but
to avoid boulders and other obstructions we had
to keep well out, perhaps a mile from shore. The
moon was shining brightly, and as our frail boat
glided through the lonely sea, I too, like Jackson,
felt inclined to whistle " Home, Sweet Home."
At six o'clock we landed for breakfast and a
nap, and while Luke prepared our meal I started
out with my revolver to try and shoot a duck or
two, which in that locality, were quite numerous ;
but before I had gone a hundred yards I found
myself within fifty paces or so of two bears.
They were separated from me by a small stream,
and appeared to be feeding on dead fish. I gave
a shrill whistle, a signal agreed on between Luke
and myself, in case of danger. In a few moments he
was at my side, and if I was surprised at seeing
two bears so near me, I was more surprised to
hear the blasphemous curses that Luke hurled at
these denizens of the forest. Whether it was
Luke's choice language that decided the bears
to "get a move on" or not I don't know, but
after surveying us for a moment they moved off
towards the bush.
The next evening we reached Becscie River,
where, after a long search, I found and made a
good collection from the Pentamerous beds
already spoken of. Owing to stormy weather
we were detained here two days, and as the sea
AMONG THE ROCKS.
continued rough, and our small stock of pro-
visions gave out, we decided to haul up our boat
to a safe place and walk back. It was a tedious
walk over those fifteen miles of rough shore, " A
dreary beach with green waves tumbling free,"
but I was amply repaid by finding several new
and important fossils.
During our absence, while keeping a sharp
look-out on the Government store, Jackson had
busied himself in administering to the wants of
poor Murray, whose dirt and depravity had so
shocked him that he was glad to be relieved from
his task.
Jackson, who was an inveterate disciple of
Izaak Walton, had, while we were away, dis-
covered a fine trout stream, a short distance from
the head of the bay. The fish were small, but
very numerous, so I concluded to spend half a
day fishing.
Early the next morning we set off for our trout
stream, which I found as Jackson had represented ,
but here in the midst of our sport, misfortune
again befell Jackson. While stepping on a boul-
der in the stream he fell fiat in the water ; his
ducking did not, however, prevent him from con-
tinuing the sport. We reached camp that even-
ing with sufficient fish to give all our friends in
the bay a good feed.
The following day, according to previous
arrangement, the horse and cart were brought
39
REMINISCENCES
to convey us again to the west-end. We re-
mained there several days collecting fossils and
other objects in natural history along the shore.
Here, at the lighthouse work-shop poor Jackson's
misfortunes followed him. We had obtained some
leather, and John was busy mending a pair of
boots, while I talked to the lighthouse keeper
who was sitting on his work-bench. Suddenly
the loud report of a gun immediately behind me ;
the shattering of a saw which hung on the wall
near the light-keeper, and the exclamation " Mon
Dieu" caused me to turn to where the report
came from, and there I saw Jackson holding a
large old-fashioned flint gun which had been
tinkered into a cap -lock weapon. It appears
this old gun had been loaded some time ago with
shot and a ball to shoot a bear which had been
seen prowling round the light buildings. How-
ever the bullet and some of the shot passed so
close to Mr. Malouin that it grazed his coat before
shattering the saw. Jackson had received a cut
on his cheek by the nipple flying out, and his
wrist and face were blackened with powder-
marks which would remain as long as he lived.
John was at once ordered to leave the buildings,
and Malouin suggested that I put him in quar-
antine.
At last, after much trouble, I succeeded in
getting a boat and men to take us to our last
camping ground Macasty Bay, a distance of
40
AMONG THE ROCKS.
about twelve miles, in a straight line from
the west-end lighthouse, but as in our Becscie
River trip we had to stand well out from
the shore. During the journey fog set in, and
that with a rolling sea, a small boat, four men, a
large dog, which I had borrowed from the west-
end lighthouse folks, eight boxes of fossils and
provisions, rendered the journey a heavy and
somewhat dangerous one, but at last we reached
the bay and pitched our tent in a picturesque
spot near a small stream of clear water and a
considerable bush.
After a good supper of pork and pancakes,
which latter Jackson was past master in making,
the two men left us for the west-end. Jackson
and I sat at our camp-fire till quite late and then
turned into our blankets. How long we had
been in the " arms of Murphy," as one of my
men of former travels called it, I do not know, but
I, always a light sleeper while at camp, was
awakened by hearing some beast sniffing at our
pork -box just outside the tent. I gave Tom, the
dog, who was sleeping at my feet, a push, and
hastily unhooked the tent door. Tom rushed
out and gave chase to what I supposed to be a
stray cow from the west-end lighthouse stables,
but in the morning I was surprised to find the
tracks of a large bear all round the tent. Tom
slept on the outside of our tent for the rest of
our camp there.
41
REMINISCENCES
We remained several days in Macasty Bay,
during which time we made journeys in both
directions along the cost.
Some of the cliffs in this locality are high and
almost perpendicular, and a mountain rises to a
height of about four hundred feet. This is an
interesting spot for the palaeontologist, for the
rocks are very prolific in fossils, and besides the
many new species of fossils obtained by us many
more remain to be collected ; indeed the field
was so good for collecting that I had decided to
remain a week or two longer and run the chance
of another schooner other than the one which
was to call for us. But on the following morn-
ing a schooner anchored opposite the bay, and
the men seeing our camp came ashore. As I
found they were bound for Gaspe', I decided,
much to the delight of Jackson, who had an idea
that at any rate his bones would be left on " the
damned island/' to leave. In a short time all our
traps were on board and the boat was steered
for Gaspe , but owing to head winds the journey
lasted three times the duration it would have
done with a fair wind. It was a constant tack-
ing till we reached Gaspe Basin. The stench
was so great in the cabin, and it looked such a
delightful place for parasites, that I spent one
whole night on deck. However, we reached
Gaspe' safely just as the steamer had left for
Quebec. This obliged us to remain there a fort-
42
AMONG THE ROCKS.
night, which time was spent in exploring some
of the interesting geological sections of that
vicinity, one of which was at Douglastown River.
Here considerable excitement prevailed for some
time owing to the discovery of Petroleum springs.
Oil is seen oozing from the sandstones which
belong to the Lower Helderberg group (Upper
Silurian). The few fossils found here were
plants which have a Devonian aspect.
Another locality visited was Silver Brook, a
tributary of the York River. Here petroleum is
seen floating on the pools of water and oozing
from the rocks.
At the time of my visit to this place (1865)
boring for oil was in operation, but so far the
wells had only yielded salt water and gas.
Although this oil excitement is constantly
cropping up, I am not aware, even at this date?
more than thirty years after, that oil in paying
quantities has been obtained. A few interesting
fossils were obtained from the Silver Brook
rocks, and samples of petroleum collected for the
museum.
And now before closing this brief account of
my Anticosti trip, and bidding good-bye to our
friend Jackson, I must relate two other misfor-
tunes which befell him during our stay at
Gasp6.
Early one morning we provided ourselves with
a lunch, and started for a long geological tramp.
43
REMINISCENCES
After a time we left the main road and took a
bush path which followed the base of a range of
high hills and cliffs. We had proceeded a mile or
so when we came to a log cabin. Jackson, always
of an enquiring mind, started towards the cabin,
but when within a few feet of the door, a vicious
bull-terrier rushed out and buried his teethin John's
leg. At that moment a woman ran out and with
a stick beat the dog off. I demanded that the
dog should be tied up, and when this was done
examined the wounded leg. Fortunately the
flesh was not torn. I bathed the limb with water
from a stream close by and bound it with my
handkerchief, and we started back. It was a
painful walk for poor Jackson, and his leg was
very much swollen when we reached the hotel,
where a doctor attended to the leg. Jackson
stoutly declined to have me send someone to
shoot the dog. saying : " Perhaps it is the only
protection that poor woman has in that lonely
wood."
Like the proverbial cat with nine lives my
servitor was soon able to be about again.
The steamer for Quebec was due in three days>
so leaving John to look out for the arrival of our
boat, and instructing him to have all our traps on
the wharf in time, I drove off to inspect some
supposed ore deposits and an oil spring. I was
back half a day before the boat was due, but to
my surprise she was in sight and making for the
44
AMONG THE ROCKS.
basin, but Jackson, where was he ? I hurried to
the hotel, paid my bill, and on enquiring for
Jackson was told that he was, that morning,
going down to the wharf with the two bottles of
mineral water I had previously collected, and,
taking a short cut down a steep embankment,
had fallen, cutting himself severely with the
broken bottles, and that he was then lying in the
Harbormaster's office ; there I found the poor
fellow on a rough lounge, and covered with the
Union Jack.
By this time the steamer was at the wharf.
Going on board and explaining matters to the
Captain, he kindly allowed his men to fetch our
luggage from the store-room, and also to have
Jackson carried to the ship. The pitiable sight
my poor man presented will probably never
be forgotten. We left Gaspe* on the 27th of
August, reached Quebec safely, and in a short
time were on board our train bound for Montreal,
which place we reached a week after leaving
Gaspe". There I paid Jackson off and he at once
started for his home, where I trust he found his
wife and baby. I had long ago come to the con-
clusion that his wife was about right when she
said : " He can't take care of hisself."
I never saw the poor fellow again, and think
he died about a year after. So ends this brief
account of our Anticosti trip. The remainder of
the year 1865 and to July the following year, was
occupied in labelling and arranging my Anticosti
and other fossils and in my usual microscopical
and museum work.
45
\
CHAPTER IV.
THE SOUTH PETITE NATION RIVEE THE TRENTON FORMA-
TION THE CALCIFEROUS ROCKS OF ONTARIO WE LOSE
OUR WAY IN THE BUSH THE CHAZY FORMATION A
GUELPH FREETHINKER AN ADVENTURE WITH A BULL
VISIT TO POINT LE>IS AN ODD MISTAKE AT OUR
BOARDING-HOUSE THE EOZOON CONTROVERSY.
ON the 27th of July 1866, 1 left for the South
Petite Nation River and spent about ten
days examining and collecting fossils from the
Trenton formation. This series of rocks takes
its name from Trenton, Oneida county, New
York. Although its thickness in Canada does
not exceed probably 1,000 feet, it is palaeonto-
logically one of the most interesting formations.
It has been studied perhaps more than any other
formation, and has yielded a vast number of
species and genera; indeed the Trenton formation
has been likened to a magnificent museum of
well preserved shells. The extensive quarries of
this limestone in Montreal, Ottawa and many
other places have not only furnished stone for
our principal buildings, but have supplied our
museums with thousands of beautiful fossils.
In the distant days of the Geological Survey of
Canada, of which I now write, the Government
grant was small and one had to tramp many use-
46
AMONG THE ROCKS.
less (geologically) miles of country to save ex-
pense. It was on one of these journeys in the
South Petite Nation district that I took what I
supposed to be a short cut through the woods,
but long before reaching the main road leading
to the log cabin where I was quartered, night
came on, and I had frequently to look at my
compass by the light of a match. It was while
groping for my road in this way that I stumbled
over what I supposed to be a bear, but which I
found by striking another light to be a cow, and
to my delight I stepped into a path which led to
the road. In a short time I was safely housed,
and if it was a one-roomed log cabin, and if I did
have to sleep in the one bed while Mike and his
wife camped on the floor in close proximity, and
the youngsters slept in another corner of the
room, I was thankful for even that shelter and
also for the " God bless you " I received, when
after a hearty breakfast of milk and potatoes I
shouldered my large fishing basket and started
for fresh fields.
A short time after returning from the Petite
Nation River I left for Chambly (a short distance
from Montreal) and spent a few days on the
Hudson River rocks. I then visited Kempville,
Oxford and other localities in Ontario, and
worked among the Calciferous rocks, collecting
many interesting fossils among which were
several new species.
47
REMINISCENCES
The Calciferous sandrock received its name
from the New York geologists. It is developed
in many parts of the United States, where, as in
Canada it succeeds the Potsdam formation and is
chiefly a magnesian limestone. Its thickness in
Canada is supposed to be about 300 feet. It is
not very prolific in fossils, nor are the species
numerous as in the succeeding formations. It is
supposed the Lamellibranchiata that numerous
class of bivalves which are not equilateral, or
divided equally on either side of the apex com-
menced their life in this part of the Lower
Silurian.
Before the season ended, I accompanied Mr.
Billings to Isle Bizard, where we examined the
Calciferous and Chazy rocks. Our chief object
was to collect specimens of that characteristic
fossil of the Chazy formation, Bolboporites. The
weather was lovely, and Mr. Billings, who seldom
left the office for field work, was like a school-
boy let loose for a holiday.
Here a little incident caused us a good laugh.
We had finished our work and started on our
return journey. Opposite the house where we
had boarded was a considerable bush, and to save
a long detour we determined to cross it. Blocks
of Chazy and Calciferous limestone were strewn
over the ground, and we kept going from one to
another, picking up a fossil here and there, and
working, as we supposed, towards our destination,
48
AMONG THE ROCKS.
but to our surprise, instead of being a mile or so
away, we came plump up in front of the house
we had left. I laughed heartily in which Mr.
Billings joined at the time saying . " Take a
bearing with the compass, and you lead the
road." This time we got through the bush all
right and were soon back again in Montreal.
The Chazy formation takes its name from
Chazy, Clinton county, on the west side of Lake
Champlain. It has fine beds of workable lime-
stone, both for building and for ornamental work.
Some of the beds at Montreal, Caughnawaga,
and other localities furnish a good marble. It
contains many species and genera of fossils, and
is characterized by the small Brachiopod Rhyn-
chonella, of which some of the beds are almost
wholly composed.
Phosphatic nodules, which are supposed to be
coprolites, occur in abundance in some of the
beds ; they are composed chiefly of the remains
of the bivalve Lingula, which is supposed to
have formed the food of the animals from which
the coprolites were derived. It is in the Chazy
formation that we find many interesting Crus-
tacea (Trilobites), some of which are rolled up as
if to protect themselves from danger, as some of
the lower animals of the present day do.
My field work during the summer of 1867 was
confined to collecting fossils from the Guelph
formation at Guelph, Gait, Elora, Hespeler, and
D 49
REMINISCENCES
other localities where the Guelph rocks are
exposed. This formation takes its name from
the town of Guelph, on the river Speed, Ontario.
It occupies a position next above the Niagara
formation, and forms the top of the Middle
Silurian; is about 160 feet thick and is composed
chiefly of yellowish white dolomite, or mag-
nesian limestone. Some of the beds are hard ?
and make a good building stone. The beds at
Guelph and Gait are characterized by casts of
the large bivalve, Megalomus Canadensis (Hall).
The Guelph formation has yielded a large
fauna of fossils, many of which were described
by the late Mr. Billings. Other new species are
now being worked out by his successor, Mr.
Whiteaves, the present palaeontologist to the
Geological Survey of Canada. The numerous
fossils many of which were new to science
now in the cases of the Dominion Geological
Museum, show some of the result of our labor
among these interesting rocks.
I close these brief remarks on the Guelph
rocks by recording the name of my old friend
Mr. James Harris of Hespeler at whose house I
boarded. Both Mr. Harris and his two daugh-
ters worked in the woollen factory of Hespeler.
They were humble people, and while with
them I did not " live on the fat of the land," but
they gave of the best they had. This was the
first time I had lived with a confessed infidel
50
AMONG THE ROCKS.
for such was old man Harris and what with my
fossils and the learned talk of my host I found
plenty of food, if not for the body, for the
mind. There was one thing remarkable about
the old man's belief, and that was, when Sunday
came he always insisted on his children attend-
ing Sunday school, and learning their catechism.
Old man Harris is always associated in my
mind with the Guelph formation. The old man
must be dead long ago. I wonder whether he
still holds the same views of religion. As I
visited Hespeler and my old friend later on I
shall perhaps speak of him again.
The following month and until June 17th,
1868, I was fully occupied with museum, micro-
scopical and other work relating to the palaeon-
tological branch of the Survey. Then on the
last named date commenced a series of geological
excursions which proved highly interesting and
furnished much new palseontological information
regarding the great range of rocks on the
south side of the St. Lawrence between Point
Levis and Gaspe", and now known as a portion of
the " Quebec group," but which, owing to the
lack of fossil evidence, were in the early days of
the Survey assigned to various horizons.
My examination of these rocks commenced at
Riviere Ouelle, 80 miles below Quebec, to which
place I was sent by Sir William Logan to ex-
amine in situ, a series of black phosphatic no-
51
REMINISCENCES
dules, which were then, as now, supposed to be
coprolites, and the singular, cylindrical fossil-
looking forms which occur with the nodules.
These have been described in the Geology of
Canada for 1863, and are spoken of by myself
and illustrated by micro-drawings in the Geo-
logical Report for 1^76-77, pp. 432-33. Part of
the river shore is exceedingly rough and the
beach is strewn, or was at that time, with the
bones of the white whale, or Beluga, which were
trapped here for their oil. Like the seal Phoca
Grcenlandica, these small whales, or porpoise, as
they are called by some, are of great antiquity,
their skeletons having been found in the blue
clay many feet below the surface, and far away
from river or sea.
The cases of the Geological Museum, Ottawa,
contain many fossil bones of the last two species,
a great number of fossil shells and plants from
the Post-Tertiary clays of Montreal, Ottawa and
other localities. One case contains almost an
entire skeleton of a harp seal Phoca Grrcenlan-
dica (Muller). The label attached to this valu-
able specimen reads :
Skeleton of Harp Seal
Phoca Grcenlandica (Muller),
Post-Tertiary clays, Montreal. Found at the
depth of 30 feet below the surface in Peel and
Conte's clay pit 1861. Weston.
52
AMONG THE ROCKS.
After collecting the above specimens I spent
much time in freeing the bones from the clay in
which they were imbedded, and then in articula-
ting them, in which shape it remained till about
1887, when it was re -articulated and restored by
Mr. Jules Baily of Montreal, thus, in my opinion,
deteriorating the fossil aspect of the remains.
Besides the fossil bones and shells mentioned,
these Saxicava clays (which are largely used for
brick-making) contain, at Green's Creek, Glou-
cester, Ottawa, abundant nodules in which are
found beautiful examples of Mallotus villosus
(Cuvier); that delicate fish, the Capeling of the
lower St. Lawrence, one of the few fishes which
has weathered the storms and changes of cent-
uries.
While pacing the distance along Riviere Ouelle
and noting the various outcrops of rocks between
the railway station and the coast, I had a laugh-
able and what might have been a serious encoun-
ter with a bull. I was very intent on my task
as this was my first attempt to make geological
measurements with a view to plotting my work.
All went well, till, seeing a peculiar clump of
rocks in a field, I decided to make an offset
from the river road. About half the distance
was covered when to my surprise a wicked looking
bull came tearing along from the other side of
the field ; for a moment my chance of escape
seemed very slim indeed, but dropping my geo-
53
REMINISCENCES
logical traps, I ran as one runs for his life, and
succeeded in gaining the clump of rocks, up which
I scrambled just as his bullship was about to
hook me in the back. A shout brought a farmer
from the next field, and after some little trouble
I regained rny instruments, but my line of meas-
urement was never completed.
Soon after my return from Riviere Ouelle I was
again summoned to Quebec to accompany and
assist my old friend Mr. Richardson in his inves-
tigation of that portion of the " Quebec Group "
occupying the coast between Riviere du Loup
and Rimouski, a distance of about 60 miles.
During the autumn of 1867, and all the sum-
mer of 1868, Mr. Richardson was engaged in trac-
ing out the structure of these Quebec rocks. Up
to 1867, very little was known as to the palseon-
tological history of the coast rocks between
Riviere Ouelle, already referred to, and Rimouski.
The discovery by Mr. Richardson this summer
(1868), of one or more species of Trilobites was
considered so important that he telegraphed the
fact to Sir Wm. Logan and requested him to send
me to assist in searching for other forms. 1 was
at once despatched to Point Levis, where I found
Mr. Richardson waiting for me at the railway
station. It was a dark night, and I was cold and
hungry. In those days we had no luxurious
parlor and dining cars, but in a few moments we
were housed in the Victoria Hotel, that comfor-
54
AMONG THE ROCKS.
table house which has since then sheltered Logan,
Billings, Webster, Ells and other members of the
geological staff, after days of hard tramps over
the Levis rocks.
A glance at the fossils Mr. Richardson had col-
lected showed at once that they belonged to the
Primordial formation, a fact which threw a new
light on a large portion of the rocks of the St.
Lawrence river.*
The following morning we bade good-bye to
our genial hostess Mrs. Tofield, who has long
been numbered with the great majority, and whose
comfortable resting place for the traveller has
long been closed owing to the removal of the
Grand Trunk, Quebec and Levis depot to a more
convenient site, in close proximity to the Quebec
and Le" vis ferry boats and started for St. Roch, a
small village,close to the shore of the St. Lawrence
river, which place had yielded the precious fossils
which were to aid so materially in working out
the complicated structure of the Quebec rocks.
Our first day's researches proved highly satisfac-
tory, for we had bagged eight species of fossils
most of which were new and all of a decidedly
Primordial aspect. All these forms were obtained
from the limestone pebbles of the conglomerates,
a fact which left us to conclude that the matrix
*In these notes I speak of the various geological horizons
as they were known then, and not as they are known at the
present day, 1897.
55
REMINISCENCES
of the conglomerates and the other bedded rocks
were newer and belonged to the Potsdam forma-
tion.
We continued our examination of these shore
rocks at St. Anne, St. Denis, St. Paschal, Riviere
du Loup, Trois Pistoles, St. Simon, Rimouski
and other places. The result of our work was
considered by Mr. Richardson very satisfactory.
Our mode of travel was chiefly by Grand
Trunk Railway as far as Riviere du Loup ; east
of that to Rimouski we travelled either by buggy
or by Her Majesty's mail (often being the whole
night on the road) which sometimes consisted of
a buck-board and one horse.
The construction of the Intercolonial Railway
between Riviere du Loup and Halifax a con-
tinuation of the Grand Trunk line was then in
progress, and afforded us both opportunities of
travel and an insight into rocks hitherto con-
cealed. During our journeys in this section of
the country we saw much of the poor farming
class of French Canadians. Few spoke even
a little English, and as both Richardson's and
my own French was very limited, we often
made laughable mistakes ; two examples I may
mention here.
Being one day in a house where none of the
inmates could speak English, I undertook while
taking my soup to ask for a table napkin, but in
some way mistook the French word " sheet " for
56
AMONG THE ROCKS.
that of " napkin." Judge of my surprise when
the old lady brought me a large white sheet.
On another occasion our horse gave out and
we were obliged to put up for the night at a log
cabin where both food and accommodation were
at a low ebb. My failure regarding the table
napkin induced me to ask Richardson to try his
hand at Canadian French, so when asked by the
woman of the shanty " how many eggs we
wanted for supper, and whether boiled or fried,"
which modes of cooking were conveyed to us by
signs, Richardson said in French, as he thought,
" four boiled eggs/' but when we sat down to
supper behold there were four dozen. We ate
four and after assuring the poor woman that we
would pay for the whole four dozen, we divided
the remaining forty -four among the members of
the family. They were still feasting on the
remains of our supper when we entered the straw
bed on the floor of the loft of the cabin. This
trip finished my field work for 1868.
Between the last date to^the following June I
was fully occupied in the museum and in my work-
room. The Eozoon controversy of which I shall
again speak later on was still one of the inter-
esting geological subjects of the day, and much
of my time was spent preparing microscopic sec-
tions of Laurentian, Huronian and other rocks.
Sir William Logan watched my operations
with keen interest, and spent hours over my
57
REMINISCENCES
microscope examining the sections as they were
prepared.
About this time Sir William appointed me
Librarian to the Survey. I was to spend a short
time every morning, before going to my more
important duties, in recording the various publi-
cations purchased and presented, and attending
to the distribution of Survey reports, etc. I
retained the name of Librarian to the Survey for
six years, when a Mr. White was appointed to
relieve me from that work. The library at that
time consisted principally of books belonging to
Sir William, most of which were, after Sir
William's death, purchased from the Logan
estate. These books formed the nucleus of the
library of the Geological Survey of Canada
which to-day (1897) contains 12,000 volumes,
and has for Librarian the learned and venerable
Dr. J. Thorburn, who has two lady assistants.
In the last Geological Report, 1894, it is recorded
that during the year ending 31st December,
there were distributed 5,666 copies of the Survey
publication, This year (1897) 9,922 copies were
distributed. This record of the doings of the
library of the Geological Survey of to-day (1897)
marks the great progress in this department
since the time when I managed the affairs of the
library in an hour or so each day.
58
CHAPTER V.
THE FIELD SEASON OF 1869 JOURNEY WITH SIB. RICH-
ARDSON LOST IN THE BUSH THE PRIMORDIAL ROCKS
IN NEW BRUNSWICK ARISAIG, NOVA SCOTIA, AND
ITS COAST ROCKS RETIREMENT OF SIR WILLIAM
LOGAN FIELD SEASON OF 1870 THE ROCKS OP
QUEBEC ANOTHER VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES
VISIT TO STANFOLD, QUE. FIELD WORK OF 1871-2
THE COAST OF LABRADOR.
^T^HE geological field season of 1869,was a busy
and interesting one for me. Many hundreds
of miles were covered and much information
gained regarding the Primordial and other rocks
then under discussion. The first journey made
(June 12th) was to Beloeil Mountain, P. Q.,
to examine a small outcrop of Devonian lime-
stone. The distance between the small village of
St. Hilaire and this limestone was measured by
pacing and with a prismatic compass ; the var-
ious varieties of diorite and other intrusive rocks
which form the mountain were noted, and a small
but instructive collection of fossils made from
the limestones.
This mountain and exposure of limestone is
always associated in my mind with my old friend
and colleague Mr. James Richardson. It was
the following summer I think when I again
59
REMINISCENCES
visited this locality with him to make further
geological observations.
Arriving at the village already mentioned Mr.
Richardson decided to cross the mountain
through the bush while I took the cart-road to
our limestone locality at which place we were to
meet again. It was after one o'clock when I
reached this spot. The day was hot and sultry
and the mosquitoes thick and hungry. I was
tired, and concluded not to wait for Richardson,
but to take my lunch and sample the bottle of
claret we had provided ourselves with from the
village. After lunch and my after-dinner pipe I
began to be anxious about my companion. But
time wore on and the sun was near setting when
I reluctantly decided he was lost a strange con-
clusion to come to about a man who had spent a
large part of his life in the bush. But coming to
this conclusion I at once built a large smudge fire,
and as the smoke ascended prayed that my dear
old friend would see it. The shades of evening
were just beginning to deepen when a rustling in
the bush caused me to look up, and there was
poor Richardson with clothes torn and bathed in
perspiration. He sank down by the smudge fire
thoroughly exhausted. I at once gave him a
drink from our flask of claret, but for a time I
feared he had a sunstroke, and was doubtful
whether he could be got back to the village that
night. After bathing him with water, however,
60
AMONG THE ROCKS.
which I carried in my hat from a spring some
little distance off, and drying his clothes, he
revived, and before dark we were on our way to
the village. Mr. Richardson had followed a ridge
of rocks for a long distance through the bush and,
after several hours' tramp, found he had lost the
bearing of the locality where he was to join me.
Knowing I would wait for him at the appointed
spot, he had struggled on, but at last saw the
smoke of my smudge fire and was soon with me
again. In after years when we sat by our camp
fire he would often refer to this incident and
say "I never was so exhausted in my life, and if
I had not seen the smoke from your smudge, I
should have lain down and perhaps never seen
you again."
Part of June and till the latter part of July
was spent in visiting various localities in New
Brunswick. The Primordial rocks were occupy-
ing Mr. Billings' attention and it was thought
advisable to have me examine and collect fossils
from various localities where this formation was
well developed.
Arriving at St. John I at once sought Mr.
George Matthew of the Customs department, who,
in conjunction with Prof. Baily, during their
vacations, have done good geological work for the
Survey. I wish to record here my thanks to
Mr. Matthew for his kindness in furnishing me
much information regarding the places I was
61
REMINISCENCES
about to visit, viz Mouthpath, Ratcliffs Mill
Stream, Clark's Point, Oak Bay and other local-
ities.
The weather was beautiful, but occasionally
foggy, as is frequently the case in the vicinity of
the harbor of St. John. Prof. Baily joined me
for a few hours, and together we examined and
collected fossils from several of the exposures in
and near the city. Quite a number of interesting
forms were found, many of which are now in the
cases of the Survey Museum. A journey was
then made by buggy to RatclifFs Mill Stream, a
few miles from St. John, where the slates are
prolific in Primordial fossils. It is the home of
that pretty little characteristic Primordial Crus-
tacean, M icrodiscus which I shall mention again
while speaking of the Newfoundland rocks.
Here I obtained lodgings with some of the mem-
bers of the family after whom the stream was
named. My bed was on the floor of the dining,
sitting and general room. Outside a dense fog
prevailed and the night was chilly, but in the
house a wood fire blazed in a large open fire-
place and I expected to sleep well after a hard
day's work. Soon after lying down, however, it
seemed that there were dozens of mice playing
hide-and-seek, and when I did sleep I dreamed
that these wretched little rodents were dancing
a quadrille on the coverlet of my bed. In the
morning, while I ate uiy porridge at one end of
62
AMONG THE ROCKS.
the table, a daughter of my host combed her
raven tresses at the other end.
From St. John a journey was then made to
Oak Bay, Clark's Point and several other places,
chiefly in a stage coach much resembling the
ancient English coaches which carried Her
Majesty's mail and passengers before the days of
railways.
Some of these excursions were exceedingly
pleasant. From the top of one of these coaches
one not only sees delightful verdant hills and
valleys, lakes and streams, but occasionally gets
a sniff of sea air, wafted across the hills and
valleys from the Bay of Fundy.
My stay at Oak Bay was a pleasant one. Here,
while collecting fossils, a man came up to me and
asked many questions, among which were the
same our Chinese friend of the yellow jacket, Li
Hung Chang, has lately been asking so many of
our country people, "Where do you come from?"
"How old are you?" "What salary do you get?"
In return for the information I gave him, he in-
formed me that his name was Weston, and when
I told him that was my name he was so tickled
as our American friends call it that we be-
came great chums, and it was through him I
spent some most enjoyable evenings with the
people of Oak Bay.
Having visited the localities mentioned and
completed, as far as time would allow, the work
63
REMINISCENCES
allotted to me, I returned to St. John and was
soon on my way back to Montreal.
On the 7th of August, a few days after my re-
turn from St. John, I was directed to proceed to
Arisaig, Nova Scotia, and make a collection from
the coast rocks of that place. About three weeks
were spent at this work, and a large collection
of fossils obtained, many of which were after-
wards described by Mr. Billings. I shall refer
to this locality again when speaking of my
travels of 1873. The usual routine of museum,
microscopical and other work, fully occupied my
time till the following summer.
During this year (1869) two important events
in the history of the Survey occurred the re-
tirement of our dear old chief, Sir William Logan,
and the appointment of his successor, Mr. A. R.
C. Selwyn. Logan had looked forward for years
to the time when he would be able to lay aside
the cares of the Survey and devote the remainder
of his working days to his beloved Eastern Town-
ship rocks, but he continued to hold the reins of
the Survey till this year, 1869, when he tendered
his resignation to the Government, and during
the month of December following Mr. A. R. C.
Selwyn was appointed his successor. Sir William's
health was then failing, but before he finally gave
up field work, he spent many days working out
certain facts relating to the geology of the East-
ern Townships. It was my good fortune to be
64
AMONG THE ROCKS.
chosen to accompany and assist him in the last
field work he did.
The following summer, 1870, was a busy one
in field work. I had so far been very fortunate
in fossil collecting; for this reason it was thought
advisable to have further collections made and
notes taken of any new cuttings or quarries in
localities which had already been reported on.
Receiving instructions from the director I started
June 5th for Grimsby, Ont., where I was to make
a collection of fossils and collect other geological
information regarding the Niagara rocks. I
was fortunate enough, at the pretty little village
of Grimsby, to get board and lodging with Mr.
Johnson Pettit, a veteran entomologist and col-
lector of fossils, to whom the Geological
Survey is indebted for many fine specimens of
the latter.
The Niagara formation derives its name from
Niagara, where, at the Falls, it is largely devel-
oped, consisting of shales and limestones. Many
of the beds are very prolific in fossils, a great
number of which have been figured and described
by Hall, Billings, and other palaeontologists.
This formation covers a large area of Ontario
(Upper Canada). After a short visit to Niagara
Falls, Mr. Pettit and I set diligently to work.
The large quarry, and constant wearing away of
the softer beds of the cliffs afford a good oppor-
tunity to the collector of fossils. It was from
E ' 65
REMINISCENCES
the well-washed banks in the vicinity of the
quarries of Grimsby that we obtained the fine
specimens of Garyocrinus, and other forms now
in the cases of the Dominion Museum.
Grimsby is a delightful spot, both for the
palaeontologist, artist, sportsman, and agricul-
turist, situated almost on the banks of Lake
Erie, and within a few miles of Niagara thunder
of waters Falls, which discharge 18,000,000
cubic feet of water per minute over an elevation
of 150 feet of blueish-gray limestone. Hundreds
of tons of grapes, apples, pears, peaches and
other fruit are raised annually in this vicinity.
Johnson Petti t, of whom I have spoken, lived in
the old Pettit homestead, a mile or so from the
village of Grimsby. It was in this dear old farm
house I spent many pleasant evenings and rest-
ful nights after the day's work was finished.
The first night, however, was not a restful one.
I had been allotted the spare bed- room which
contained a large old-fashioned four-post bed.
Immediately above the head of the bed were
several pegs, and on one of these hung a large
wide-brimmed beaver hat such as our Quaker
great grandfathers might have worn. When I
extinguished the light, the moon shone through
the window giving the old hat and other gar-
ments an uncanny appearance. After a time I
dozed off, and in a restless sleep dreamed that a
skeleton had taken possession of the hat and,
AMONG THE ROCKS.
with it on his skull, was walking off. I jumped
up and found the old hat had fallen from the
peg. At breakfast I related the incident to the
family and was informed that during the night
there had been a shock of earthquake, which was
no doubt the cause of this singular occurrence.
The hat and other garments were removed from
the room, and I slept peacefully the remaining
nights of my visit.
A few days after my return from Grimsby I
left for the island of Orleans, P.Q., to examine
and collect fossils at St. Laurent village and other
localities in that vicinity. It was at a place
called St. Patrick's Hole, near the village of St.
Laurent, that I was fortunate enough to find a
good specimen of Eophyton. It was the first
time this genus had been found in our Canadian
rocks, and was considered important as it helped
to determine the horizon of a portion of the rocks
of the " Quebec group." There has been much
discussion as to whether this fossil is a plant or
the track of some animal. I quote the following
remarks, made by Mr. Billings, from the Geolo-
gical Survey Report for 1870-71 :
** On the south side of the island of Orleans, near the
village of St. Laurent, Eophyton was found last spring by
Mr. Weston. It is there associated with several species
of fucoids identical with those that occur on Great Bell
Island (Newfoundland). The rocks here referred to
belong to the ' Quebec group,' but as they are consider-
ably disturbed it is not impossible that they may be older
and brought up by a fault."
67
REMINISCENCES
At any rate this genus was supposed to be
typical of the Primordial zone, or not to occur
higher than the Lower Potsdam formation.
Part of the month of July of this year (1870),
was spent on the Chaudiere and Famine Rivers,
in the Province of Quebec. I have already
spoken of the seven pound weight of gold taken
from the Chaudiere and its tributaries. Gold in
the sands of the Chaudiere has been known since
1835, from which time gold mining has been
carried on more or less annually till the present
time, (1897). In 1894 the gold deposits of the
Province of Quebec yielded 1,622 ounces of the
precious metal, valued at $9,196.
My work on these rocks was not connected
with their gold deposits ; but to try to find
fossils, and obtain other information which would
settle the disputed horizon of certain rocks of
this vicinity. While at work here I had the
pleasure of accompanying Mr. A. R. C. Selwyn,
our new director, who was making his first geo-
logical explorations in Canada. Both Mr. Selwyn
and I were, for a short time, the guests of Mr.
W. P. Lock wood, superintendent of the Canadian
and Northwest Land and Mining Company. To
this gentleman Mr. Selwyn was indebted for
much information about the auriferous deposits on
the Chaudiere and its tributaries; and to his charm-
ing wife, our hostess, we were both indebted for
many kindnesses, one of which I must relate here.
68
AMONG THE ROCKS.
After taking breakfast one morning at Mr.
Lock wood's hospitable house, I started out to
examine the rocks of the Chaudiere. When I
returned in the evening I found my pocket-book
containing fifty or sixty dollars was missing.
Knowing that I must have lost it since leaving
the house, I started to retrace my steps along the
river. I had gone about a mile when I came to
a small pool of water over which I had jumped
in the morning, and there in this shallow puddle
was my pocket-book saturated with water. I
hastened back to the house, and was congratu-
lated on the recovery of my money, and here the
kindness of our hostess came in. She took the
bank notes and other papers from the purse,
spread them on plates and dried them in the
kitchen oven.
Leaving the Chaudiere, I next visited several
limestone exposures on the Famine River, and
obtained from known fossiliferous rocks many
well defined fossils of a Devonian aspect. A list
of some of the fossils of this locality is given
in the Geology of Canada for 1863.
Most of the month of August was spent on the
Trenton limestones of Winchester, Ont., and at
the village of Industry, P.Q. A large collection
of fossils was made and notes taken of any
cuttings, etc.
During the month of September I again visit-
ed Whitehall, State of Vermont. The work done
69
REMINISCENCES
by Sir William Logan and myself in 1868 had
interested Mr. Billings so much that he decided
to visit the localities from which we had obtained
fossils. We spent several days at this work and
collected information which aided materially in
connecting the geology of this part of the States
with that of Canada.
We were working away at our fossil lime-
stones, about a mile from the hotel, when Mr.
Billings took a sudden desire to return to Mont-
real that day. Nothing I could say would in-
duce him to stay longer. " All right," I said,
" we will leave by the evening train, I have paid
expenses so far, give me money for our return
trip." " But," said Billings, " I haven't a dollar
in my pocket." He was not well at the time,
and this seemed to make him still more nervous.
I at once wired the office to telegraph us funds
to the Whitehall Canadian Express Company,
but strange to say we received no reply. How-
ever I felt bound to get iny superior officer home
that night. " Give me your note-book," I said, and
with that and my own I went to the express
office, saw the manager, told him the fix we were
in, and requested him to furnish us funds to re-
turn to Montreal, offering to leave our note-books
as security till we refunded the money either to
him or his company at Montreal. The old gen-
tleman gave a hearty laugh and at once furnished
the funds required, saying we could return it to
70
\
AMONG THE ROCKS.
his company at Montreal. I hastened to the
hotel, paid our bill, handed Mr. Billings into a cab,
and in a short time we were in our train bound for
home. It is a rather singular coincidence that
when I was in the same town with Sir William,
in 1863, he too was without money and borrowed
funds from me to pay his way to Albany as I
have already related.
Before closing my remarks for 1870 I must
record the death of my friend W. B. Hartley, a
young engineer who joined the Survey three
years, I think, before his death this year. Mr.
Hartley was with Sir William Logan, engaged
investigating the structure of the Pictou Coal-
fields, N,S. This work Hartley continued in
1870, but towards the end of the season over-
exertion and exposure in the mines brought on a
sickness which soon terminated the life of this
bright young man. Mr. Scott Barlow, of the
Survey, attended him in his last sickness at the
hotel in New Glasgow, N.S., and it was my pain-
ful duty to assist his father in arranging his
papers and personal effects in his office at the
Survey.
From the winter of 1870 to July 7th, 1871, I
was occupied with the usual museum and other
work of the Survey. On the latter date I went
to Eaton, P. Q., to examine certain micaceous
schists and other rocks in which no fossils had
hitherto been found. Mr. Richardson, of the
71
REMINISCENCES
Survey, who accompanied me, left Eaton to
attend to some private matters for Sir William
Logan, but before going said, " You will never
find fossils in these rocks." When he returned
in the evening, however, I showed him several
well defined corals, fossils of a Devonian aspect,
imbedded in pieces of hydro-mica schist. For a
moment Richardson seemed at a loss, but at last
said : " Well, Weston, you ought to be knighted
for this find." It may seem egotistical for me to
mention this, but I do so to show the great im-
portance Richardson, like Logan, attached to
fossils.
On August 3rd, I was again in the United
States, this time at Troy, N.Y., to which place I
had been sent to ascertain whether the conglom-
erates of Troy belonged to the same horizon as
the Bic rocks of the St. Lawrence.
I was assisted in this work by Mr. S. H. Ford
of Troy (already mentioned), who was then
studying the fossil fauna of that vicinity. We
were very successful in obtaining fossils iden-
tical with those of Bic. Poor Ford was then
just gaining fame as a palaeontologist, but in a
short time after I saw him last, his brain gave out,
and his relations had to place him in an asylum.
On the 22nd of August, a few days after my
return from Troy, N.Y., I left Montreal again for
Bic ; this time to accompany Mr. Billings, who
was then much interested in the fossil fauna of
72
AMONG THE ROCKS,
the Lower Potsdam formation. We visited several
of the most interesting localities between Riviere
du Loup and Bic. Mr. Billings was not well at
the time, and as at Whitehall often became
nervous and would not leave the house, preferring
to remain indoors and study the fossils already
collected. After a very interesting journey we
returned to Quebec and spent several days in
exploring the rocks of the Chaudi^re Falls.
Billings was then studying the small bivalve
fossil Obolella, and it was here we obtained much
information relating to this genus.
I have mentioned before, that at this time we
travelled between Riviere du Loup and Bic chief-
ly at night, with the mails which were generally
conveyed from station to station by a buckboard
and one horse.
Stopping in the night to wake up a sleepy
post-office keeper, changing horses and waiting
in the cold while the mail bags were gone through
etc., rendered these journeys anything but pleas-
ant. On one occasion a fat French woman got
into our stage. It was midnight, and her head
soon began to bob from one side to the other,
and at last it came down with a whack on my
shoulder. For some time that head rested
there. But ah ! those days have long passed,
and one can now stretch in a luxurious sleeper,
and arrive at his destination refreshed and ready
for work.
73
KEMINISCENCES
The next official journey was to Stanfold and
other localities in the Province of Quebec. Sir
William Logan still continued intent on his
Eastern Township rocks, and it was at his sug-
gestion that the Director of the Survey sent me
to these localities. The winter of this year 1871,
was a busy one for all hands in the Survey A
perusal of the report of the Geological Survey
for 1872-73 will show how varied my occupations
were when I was not engaged in field work.
My field work, in 1872, commenced May 29th,
when I again started out to continue geological
investigations in the Eastern Townships. Here-
ford, Farnham and other localities were visited
and additional information regarding the "Quebec
Group" obtained.
I had been working at Farnham Centre two
or three days, most of the time in one spot where
I had found a very interesting set of fossils.
During the day I had noticed people watching
me, but keeping a safe distance away. When I
returned to the boarding-house I heard the folks
talking of a crazy man who had arrived there
and was digging deep holes and breaking rocks
in a field where he expected to find gold. I took
no notice, but after supper was surprised to hear
that a deputation consisting of the chief men of
the village was waiting outside to interview me.
I went out and found several men, whose ques-
tions led me to think they took me to be a "little
74
AMONG THE ROCKS.
off." But when I told them it was not gold I
was after, but fossils, they seemed more convinced
than ever that I was not "all there," and deter-
mined to visit me at my work the following day,
but bright and early next morning I was away
to fresh fields. Whether these men ever learned
what o fossil is I do not know.
The fossil fauna of the " Bic Conglomerates "
had proved so interesting that Mr. Billings re-
quested the Director of the Survey to send me to
the straits of Belle Isle where the Lower
Potsdam Group is in an undisturbed condition.
Sir William Logan who still took a keen interest
in the working of the Survey, thought valuable
information might be obtained there, relating to
the " Quebec group." So on the 29th of May, I
received instructions to prepare for a journey to
the coast of Labrador. As assistant, I decided to
take Mr. Willimott, a young Englishman who
had recently been engaged to assist me in museum
work. A few additions to my Anticosti camp
equipment were made, and two months' pro-
visions, packed, and we were ready to start.
We reached Quebec the following morning
and boarded the lighthouse supply S.S. Napo-
leon III., whose, captain had received government
instructions to land me and my assistant at
L'Anse au Loup, or some convenient point on
the coast of Labrador.
During the landing of supplies I had an oppor-
75
EEMINISCENCES
tunity of again spending a short time on the
island of Anticosti near the lighthouses, and also
at two of the lighthouses at Newfoundland.
While near the straits of Belle Isle we encoun-
tered severe storms, and were in close proximity
to several icebergs ; fogs detained us for a day
or more. However, we landed safely and pitched
our tent at L'Anse au Loup, where we collected
a large number of beautiful specimens of Archeo-
cyathus, the first specimens of which were col-
lected by Mr. J. Richardson before 1863. All
Mr. Richardson's collection, except the one fig-
ured in the Geology of Canada for the latter
date, were lost at sea together with the schooner
on which they were shipped. The specimen
referred to, he fortunately had in his pocket.
While the rocks of the island of Anticosti
contain an almost endless variety of organic
remains, the rocks of the coast of Labrador
possess a very small fauna of fossils records
of past ages, when the scanty life of this planet
consisted of a few simple seaweeds, a few sponges,
a few different species of bivalves, and a few
varieties of trilobites animals belonging to the
Crustacean family. No well defined plants ex-
isted, and no vertebrate animal had yet appeared
on the face of the earth. Still the same sun
which shines now shone then, and rain fell in
those days as it does now. This is known by
the mud cracks we find on some of the argilla-
76
AMONG THE ROCKS.
ceous, or clay rocks, as one sees at the present
day on the clay of a dried-up mud-puddle, and
as we often see on clay, pits made by rain drops,
so we find them in the rocks we are speaking of.
While the island of Anticosti abounds in trees,
some of a large growth, and abundant vegetation
of endless variety mile after mile of the Labra-
dor coast is covered only by lichen and scrubby
brush, the roots of which we used for our camp
fire. Returning to our camp one day we were
fortunate enough to find, a mile or so away, a lot
of small pieces of sawn pine which may have
drifted hundreds of miles. This we gathered
up carefully, carried to camp, and used for
kindling wood.
It would take pages to narrate all the inci-
dents of this trip one would like to record ; but
I must bring this journey to a close. Towards
the end of July a small steamer, "The Beaver,"
which was built in Scotland, and was sent out
here for the fishery business, put into L'Anse au
Loup for coal. I interviewed the captain and
requested him to take us to Quebec, as I did not
wish to run the risk of remaining on that dreary
coast, probably till the fall. After much wrang-
ling about the matter he consented to take us,
providing I paid him 10, used our " own grub,"
and asked no questions. This I consented to do,
and in a short time we were on our way up the
St. Lawrence River. The captain seemed to
77
REMINISCENCES
have been drinking while on shore, and his first
mate acted like a typical nigger driver. Such a
journey as we had I never wish to experience
again, but after a most dangerous passage we
reached Quebec, and we left that ship as quickly
as possible, and arrived the following day at the
Survey with a fine, but hard-earned, collection
of fossils.
During the month of August I spent ten days
at Paquette's Rapids on the Ottawa River,
making a collection of Black River fossils, and
on the 1st of October I again went to Arisaig,
N.S., and returned late in the same month with
new information and another beautiful lot of
specimens.
78
CHAPTER VI.
LORD DUFFERIN VISITS THE SURVEY I ASSIST SIR WILLIAM
LOGAN IN THE EASTERN TOWNSHIPS ANOTHER VISIT TO
ARISAIG SOME OF THE PIONEER PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE
SURVEY A STORM OFF CAPE GASPE" A VISIT TO NEW-
FOUNDLAND LAKE TEMISCOUATA WORK AT HESPELER,
ONT. THE CONGLOMERATES OF BIC DEATH OF SIR
WILLIAM LOGAN THE PHILADELPHIA EXHIBITION THE
EASTERN TOWNSHIPS AGAIN DISTRIBUTION OF ROCKS
AND MINERALS ETHNOLOGICAL BRANCH OF THE SUR-
VEY.
INURING the latter part of the year 1872, and
"-^ the early part of 1873, several distinguish-
ed government officials visited the Geological
Survey, among whom was Lord Dufferin, who
had recently been appointed Governor-General
of Canada. On his first visit to our museum
Sir William Logan requested me to accompany
His Excellency, himself and Principal Dawson,
through the museum, that I might answer any
question relating to my work. Sir William then
occupied a small room on the palgeontological
flat as sitting, and sometimes sleeping room. The
wall on one side of this room was covered wholly
with large framed slabs of Potsdam Sandstone
on which are well defined Crustacean (?) tracks
Climactichnites, so named by Logan because they
resemble a rope ladder. While Sir William was
pointing out the beauty of this specimen, Dufferin
79
REMINISCENCES
said : ' That reminds me, when I was at
the skating rink the other day I saw some pecu-
liar tracks on the ice. I watched the skaters for
some time to find out what made those tracks,
and at last, would you believe it, I discovered
they were tracks made by a lady's petticoats."
By June 12th, I was again in the field assist-
ing Sir William Logan with his Eastern Township
work.
Sir William's last days of geological explora-
tion were fast approaching. Some of his strati-
graphical work in the Eastern Townships had
been disputed by Dr. Hunt, and feeling convinced
that he was correct, Sir William labored strenu-
ously to prove this. It was my privilege to be
allowed to assist him. We labored together at
Danville, P.Q. One day Sir William took me to
some plumbaginous limestones and other rocks on
the Nicolet River. " These," he said, " are the
rocks Hunt wants to make Huronian. Now if
we can only find fossils here, it will not only
be a feather in your cap, but it will save my
reputation as far as these rocks are concerned."
We had labored all day, going over the expos-
ures, sometimes on our hands and knees closely
scrutinizing them with our lenses hoping to find
some weathered -out fossil. In the evening we
were returning to our hotel without a fossil,
when I saw a thin band of limestone, less altered
than the rest, between the plumbaginous beds.
80
AMONG THE ROCKS.
" Stop," I said, " let us try these rocks." I broke
off a piece of the limestone, looked at it carefully
with my lens, then looked up at Sir William and
said, " I will bet $10 this limestone is full of
fossils." Sir William took the piece of rock,
looked at it with his lens, shook his head and
said, " I don't see the ghost of a fossil." " Neither
do I," said I, " but we will see what my micro-
scope says about it." Sir William took the
specimen, wrapped it in his handkerchief, and
said : " I am going in to-morrow to Cttrtier's
funeral, and will put this on your table in your
work-room." I went back to the Survey some
days later, found the specimen on my table, went
to work at it immediately, and in half an hour
or so ran down to Sir William and said : " I was
right ; that Nicolet limestone is made up of
fragments of fossils, and they look so much like
Trenton or Chazy forms, that I can't tell the
difference." If ever I saw our dear old chief's
face radiant with joy, it was then. This settled
a question of grave importance to Sir William
Soon we were again on the Nicolet River.
This time I took my camera and photo chemi-
cals there were no dry plates then to take
several views of the rocks. Two of them were
reproduced for Dr. Ells' report " Geology of
Canada for 1886."
Sir William remained several days with me on
the Nicolet River and took a deep interest in the
F 81
REMINISCENCES
work. Once when he was some fifty yards away
from me, I shouted " another fossil, Sir William,"
To reach me quickly he waded through water
which ran over his boot-tops. Soon after this
Sir William made me a present of a microscope,
whether in recognition of my work on the Nico-
let or not I don't know. This microscope was
purchased from Mr. J. F. Whiteaves, of the
Natural History Museum, Montreal.
I have dwelt a little long on these incidents of
the Nicolet River because I wish to record here
the great importance Sir William attached to
fossils, and because these were almost the last
days of his field work.
On the 20th of July, I again left for Arisaig,
Nova Scotia. A nervous feeling came over me
when I started, which increased all the way, and
when I arrived at Arisaig, after a thirty mile
buggy drive from New Glasgow, I was in a high
fever. My old friends, the McDonalds, came out
to meet me with a welcome always extended to
a visitor to that rough sea coast. I told them I
was sick and would return when the horse was
rested. The old lady hustled me off to bed in
quick time, took my purse, and when the horse
and man were rested and fed, paid and started
them back. They ^ave me some of their simple
medicines, for there was no doctor within twenty
miles. I was delirious for a short time, but in
three days was up and at work again. While I
82
AMONG THE ROCKS.
Jay in bed Mrs. McDonald came into my room and
smoked her black pipe, and her daughters would
sit around in their bare feet, " keeping me com-
pany " poor simple country girls. I often think
of those days when these kind folks walked miles
to get me better food than they could afford to
eat. The old folks are still alive, but have long
passed the allotted three score and ten.
I had taken my camera and chemicals with
me, and my first work was to take a series of
twenty-one photographs of the coast rocks. In
this work I was assisted by young Archie Mc-
Donald. Some of these views have been repro-
duced to accompany Mr. Hugh Fletcher's report
of the geology of this part of Nova Scotia (Geo-
logical Survey of Canada for 1882-1886.) A
section of the rocks at Joseph McDonald's cove,
by the writer accompanies the photo of these
exposures. I feel proud of these photographs, as
I may say they, and my Nicolet River views were
almost the pioneer photographs of the Geological
Survey of Canada. Years after when the dry
plate process was instituted field photographs
became so simple that few of the explorers of the
Survey went out without a camera and plates.
The collection of views taken in the field by the
various members of the Survey numbers many
hundreds and is of historical interest. Those
of Dr. George Dawson, Bell, Tyrrell, McConnell,
Dowling and myself give one an idea of the
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wonderful rocks and charming scenery of the
great North-west Territories. Those of J. B.
Tyrrell show us the immense herds of reindeer
which roam over the plains of the great barren
lands; those of Low the dreary lands of Labrador.
A great number of the fossils collected from
the coast rocks of Arisaig have been described
and figured by the late E. Billings, "Geology of
Canada, Palaeozic fossils 1874."
My last official trip of this year, 1873, was to
Gaspe where I went to examine and collect from
various fossiliferous beds, known as the Gaspe*
limestone, or Lower Helderberg group. The
thickness of rocks exposed at Gaspe* is said to be
9000 feet, the greatest part of which are lime-
stones holding a large and varied fauna of fossils.
Most of niy stay here was spent a short distance
from Cape Gaspe, where I was fortunate enough
to get lodging in a fisherman's house close to the
shore, Fish formed the principal food of these
toilers of the sea. Fish for breakfast, fish for
dinner, fish for supper ; but the invigorating sea
breezes made me hungry enough to eat fried shark.
During my stay here a terrific storm swept
twenty fishing boats from their moorings. It was
a grand sight to see the mighty waves lashing
the great cliffs. I had been invited to take a day
off from work and accompany a picnic party to
Gasp^ Basin. Soon after we arrived at our camp-
ing grounds, the great storm came on. The only
84
AMONG THE ROCKS.
shelter we could get was in a log cabin which
was soon filled with the women and girls of our
party. We men occupied the barn and slept in
the hay loft, where we spent a most unpleasant
night. The following afternoon the sea had
calmed down a little, and we started for Cape
Gaspe, but soon five or six of the womenfolk were
lying at the bottom of the boat. The sea was
very rough but we had a good boat and men who
had spent the greatest part of their lives boating.
At length we reached the wharf, and found all
the folk of that vicinity ready to render any
assistance in landing us, which was no easy task,
for as a large wave carried our boat alongside
the wharf only one person could be hoisted ashore.
I was grabbed by brawny hands and hoisted up
with as little ceremony as though I were a coil
of rope. At last we were all landed and many a
fervent thanksgiving was uttered for our safe
delivery from the perils of the deep. I returned
to Montreal on the 13th of September, after an .
instructive and profitable journey.
The winter of 1873-74, was occupied as usual
in museum and room work, preparing a num-
ber of microscopic sections of fossil woods to be
reported on by Dr. Dawson, developing and pre-
paring fossils for the museum and for study.
Sir William Logan was ever ready to assist his
colleague of the pioneer days of the Canadian
Survey, Mr. Alexander Murray, then director of
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the Geological Survey of Newfoundland, and
when in the spring of 1874, this gentleman wrote
to his old chief Logan, saying he was doubtful
about the horizon of some of his rocks, and
desired him, if possible, to send Weston to try
and discover fossils in these rocks, which if
obtained would settle the, to him, important ques-
tion, I was requested by Sir William who had
recently retired from the directorship of the Sur-
vey, but still continued to act as adviser, to ask
for two months' leave of absence that I might
proceed to Newfoundland. The director of the
Canadian Survey, Mr. A. R. C. Selwyn, acting on
Logan's advice readily granted the leave asked
for, and I left by the next English mail steamer,
which called at St. John's. Our ship arrived
safely, Murray met me at the wharf, and I was
soon housed in the best hotel in the city. Two
days after, Murray came with a trap and an Indian
named John, who was to act as ^uide and general
assistant. We drove off through a country, which
according to Murray, " was made of the chippings
of the world," and at last arrived at Manuel's
River, twelve miles from the city.
The following extracts from Transactions of
the Nova Scotian Institution of Science Vol. IX.,
Season 1895-96, will explain more fully the impor-
tance of fossils in geological investigations :
86
AMONG THE ROCKS.
THE PRIMORDIAL SILURIAN OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND
CANADA.
" In spite of the oft-repeated assertion of Professor
Jukes and the late director of the Geological Survey of
Canada, ' If the fossils don't agree with the stratigraphy ;
so much the worse for the fossils,' my long experience as
a collector of fossils and close observer of the varions geo-
logic horizons leads me to think that if the stratigraphy
does not agree with the fossils ; so much the worse for
the stratigraphy. To illustrate the faith the late director
of the Newfoundland Survey had in palseontological evi-
dence, I will relate one incident out of many similar ones
known to the writer : In the summer of 1874 Murray
wrote to Sir W. E. Logan, then adviser to the Canadian
Survey, saying : * I have made my Manuel's River rocks
Primordial ; I am doubtful, however, whether my strati-
graphy is correct ; neither Howley nor I have been able
to find the ghost of a fossil ; could you arrange in any way
to send Weston down for a few weeks.' The result was
that I left by the next steamer which called at Newfound-
land, and a few days after my arrival at St. John's was
taken by Murray to Manuel's River where he got lodgings
for myself and Indian guide. The following day I com-
menced my search for fossils, and in a short time was
rewarded by finding, in the gray argilites, the well-known
Crustacean. Microdisciis Ikiwsoni, (Hartt) ; which occurs
in abundance in the Primordial slates of St. John, at.
Ratcliffe's Mill Stream, and other localities in New Bruns-
wick. This Crustacean, Microdiscns, is a puny thing, not
larger than the half of a small pea, but it told me a big
tale about the geological horizon told me that Murray's
stratigraphy was correct, and that I stood on Primordial
strata similar to those of St. John, New Brunswick."
I may mention here that the term Primordial,
used by Barrande and the late paleontologist of
the Canadian Survey, Mr. E. Billings, is seldom
used now ; St. John Group being thought a better
name for that extensive group of rocks. This
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Cambrian division of the lower Silurian of New-
foundland, according to Murray, would, if found
consecutive at any one locality, represent a thick-
ness of 6,000 feet of black, grey and other
colored argillites, micaceous calcareous slates and
limestones, sandstones, conglomerates and other
rocks, some of which are prolific in fossils,
especially the iron-stained argillites of Manuel's
River and other localities in Conception Bay.
The fauna is similar to that of the Primordial of
St. John, Ratcliff's Mill Stream and other locali-
ties in New Brunswick.
Mr. Murray procured lodging and board for us
at a comfortable farm house a short distance
from Manuel's River, a mile or two from Con-
ception Bay. Before leaving us Mr. Murray said,
" Don't let Joe get even a smell of fire-water," so
when we were alone I said, " Joe, have you any
fire-water?"
" No, master," he replied.
I decided before starting to work next day I
would look round myself. Leaving Joe at the
house, I remained away about three hours ; when
I returned I found Joe so drunk that he did not
know who he was or where he came from. I
searched his bag and found one full flask of
whiskey and an empty bottle. These I took out-
side and smashed on the rocks. The old lady
got poor Joe to bed, and the following morning
my brave Indian was all right, and when I told
88
AMONG THE ROCKS.
him what I had done with his fire-water he said,
" much better."
After breakfast, with some lunch in our
pockets, we started off for the day. Murray and
his assistant had searched the rocks of Manuel's
River for fossils but failed to discover any. I
was more fortunate, for the first day, not long
after we started down the river, I found, in an
exposure of clay-slate, one solitary specimen of
that little fossil Crustacean, Microdiscus, already
alluded to. Imagine my delight when I saw this
wee fossil which, being typical of the Primordial
fauna of St. John, New Brunswick, proved that
Murray's stratigraphy was correct, and my jour-
ney to Newfoundland had been successful. But
there was more luck in store. Some distance
down the river 1 saw a small island with rocks
in the middle of the stream. Joe found we could
reach this by wading and ordered me to get on
his back, which I did, and was soon standing on
an exposure of iron-stained clay-slates crowded
with fossils Paradoxides and other typical
Primordial forms. We collected specimens
enough to fill several cases in Mr. Murray's
museum. Twc days after this was Sunday, and
knowing how delighted Murray would be to hear
of my discovery, I decided to start to St. John's
after breakfast, but judge of my surprise when
the folks of the house would not lend me a horse.
"No," said the old lady, "Ye shall no brak the
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REMINISCENCES
Sabbath with one of my horses." But go to the
city I would. Joe was quite willing to accompany
with me, so, with some lunch in our pockets, we
started off on our twelve miles' walk. The day
was very hot, and when I arrived at Murray's
house he was astonished to find we had walked in.
Murray was a kind-hearted man, ever ready
to assist those in distress, but was noted for fits
of temper, when he would use the strongest of
" swear- words," and on this occasion he did use
swear- words, and fairly boiled over with wrath
against the old woman of our boarding house.
But in a moment his anger was over, and, with
a serious face, he looked up and said, " But what
about the rocks ? "
When I told him the Manuel's River rocks
were crowded with Primordial fossils he was
astonished and delighted, but wondered how he
and that Howley had missed them.
After returning from Manuel's River, Murray
and I made several trips to various parts of Con-
ception Bay, and obtained many interesting new
fossils. I afterwards spent a short time on Bell
Island, sleeping one night over the one living
room of the house, where fowl, and a litter of
pigs formed part of the family group.
Having completed the field work assigned me,
I spent the remainder of the time till my steamer
arrived in putting some of the cases in the small
museum which consisted of several rooms in
90
AMONG THE ROCKS.
Mr. Murray's house in order, and also in classi-
fying the books in his library, during which
work I found four Church of England prayer
books. When I asked Murray how I would
class them, he was very angry that any one
should have "put their bibles in his library."
He flung them across the room and said some
of his choice swear-words. The next morning I
went to the cathedral church, Mr. Murray
was there deeply engaged in the devotions of
the day.
Before leaving for home Mr. Murray, after
paying all my expenses, insisted on presenting
me with 10, and on my return to the office Sir
William said " I have heard of your success, and
wish you to accept $50.00 from me." This
ended one of the most delightful trips I have
had since my connection with the Survey.
A short time after returning from Newfound-
land I was instructed to proceed to Lake Temis-
couata and if possible obtain fossils from the
conglomerates of that vicinity. Mr. A. H. Foord,
who had lately been appointed artist to the Sur-
vey, accompanied, me. It was his first geologi-
cal excursion ; the country was new to him and
the scenery delighted his artistic eye. We got
board and lodging at a French Canadian's house
close to the lake, but poor Foord, who had been
brought up in the most tender and delicate way
by his English parents suffered very much
91
REMINISCENCES
with bugs. Four times during the night he
came to my room to report the doings of these
pests. In the morning I found him asleep on
the floor tightly coiled up in a sheet.
The rocks we wanted to see were on the other
side of the lake, and the only boat 1 could get
was a dug-out canoe, but I secured an experienced
half-breed to take us over. The lake was a
little rough, but we landed safely on the opposite
shore. The wind however, continued to blow,
and by the time the man was to return for us
the water was too rough for his frail canoe.
Darkness came on and relieved us from the ten
thousand mosquitoes which my companion found
even worse than the bugs, for this was his first
experience of our Canadian mosquito. As bad
luck would have it I had forgotten both pipe
and matches things Foord never carried so
we were unable to make a fire. I lay down
under a tree and got a snooze, but Foord walked
the beach all night, and at six o'clock the next
morning, the water having calmed down, our
man came for us. We were hungry, but none
the worse for our night out on the lake shore.
Foord refused to cross the water again so I left
him to make sketches while I continued to
explore the rocks of the lake. We returned
home in about ten days, and after a short time I
was again working at the Guelph formation at
Hespeler, of which I have already spoken. Mr.
92
AMONG THE ROCKS.
Billings was then much interested in the fossil
bivalve Trimerella, figures of which will be
found in " Palaeozoic Fossil Vol. 1. 1861-65." It
was for the purpose of getting further informa-
tion of this genus, together with other new fos-
sils, I made these journeys to Hespeler, Gait,
Guelph, Elora and other places.
While at Hespeler, on the 6th of September, I
was called home to accompany Dr. Dawson,
Principal of McGill University, to the now world-
wide known Eozoon locality at Cote St. Pierre
near the Petite Nation River, province of Quebec ;
the home of our supposed Laurentian fossil.
In the early pages of these memoirs I have
spoken of this supposed organism of which page
after page might be written ; but I have neither
space nor inclination to continue this subject,
and shall only add here my last, published, re-
marks on Eozoon, " Transactions of the Nova
Scotian Institute of Science, Vol. IX, season
1895-96."
"The Laurentian rocks of Newfoundland are
similar to those of Canada, consisting of gneiss,
granite, syenite, limestone, quartzite, mica schist,
etc., all of which are frequently cut by granite
and other dykes. They form a large portion of
the island which, as Mr. Murray remarks, ' has
materially contributed to produce the remarkable
geological and topographical features which it
presents/ Probably it was the chopped-up
93
REMINISCENCES
appearance of the Laurentian and Huronian
formation which caused him to remark that
' Newfoundland was formed of the chippings of
the world.' The Laurentian of Newfoundland,
so far as we know, is totally destitute of the
remains of either vegetable or animal structure,
and therefore must still be considered Azoic,
although this term has been abandoned by some
geologists in the nomenclature of Canadian rocks,
owing to the discovery in the Upper Laurentian
of certain forms which resemble Stromatoceriuin
rugosa, one of the Protozoa of the Silurian.
This peculiar mineral aggregate (?), received from
Sir W. E. Logan and J. W. Dawson the name
Eozoon Canadense. Literature enough to fill a
cart has been published for and against this sup-
posed organism, among which Dawson's " Dawn
of Life" is the most interesting. With the excep-
tion of Sir J. W. Dawson, probably no one has
done more work at this supposed fossil than the
writer, who has prepared hundreds of microsco-
pic sections, micro -photographs, micro- drawings,
illustrative collections for the Paris, London,
Philadelphia and late Chicago Expositions, and
for other public and private collections ; still he
could never make up his mind that Eozoon C ana-
dense is of organic origin. Mr Billings late
palaeontologist to the Geological Survey of
Canada, pronounced strongly against the organic
character of Eozoon. I have frequently con-
94
AMONG THE HOCKS
versed with Dr. Selwyn, Dr. Ami, Dr. Ells, the
late Mr. Vennor (who obtained the Tudor speci-
mens), and other members of the Canadian
Survey, but none of these gentlemen ever admit-
ted that Eozoon is a fossil. However Eozoon
will always remain an interesting subject for
students in palaeontology and mineralogy."
During part of the month of August I was
again among the Bic Conglomerates trying to
increase our already large fauna of fossils from
the limestones of the coast rocks.
While at St. Simon, about twenty miles above
Bic, I had walked many miles and worked hard
to collect numerous small bivalve fossils, the
muscular impressions of which were interesting
various palaeontologists. I had seen an Indian
watching my movements during the day, but
took no notice other than to wonder why he did
not come close to where I was working. After
supper my specimens, which I was very proud
of, were packed and given into the hands of the
railway station agent. While at breakfast the
next morning to my surprise the stationmaster
came in to tell me that my two boxes of speci-
mens had been stolen during the night. I
never saw my precious specimens again. May
that wretched Indian, for I suppose it was he
who stole them, be punished when he gets to his
happy (?) hunting grounds !
Most of the summer of 1875, was spent col-
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REMINISCENCES
lectmg economic minerals for the Philadelphia
Exhibition of the following year. My field of
operation extended from Sarnia, Ontario, to
Beauce, Quebec. With the small sum of $400.00
28 boxes of specimens were obtained, consisting
of bricks, tiles, pottery, building and flagging
stones, ochres, brines, salt, marbles, &c. I may
mention here that through the kindness of the
directors of the Grand Trunk Railway I received
for about eight years, a pass which took me from
" station to station." Thus the Survey was saved
expending a large amount of money for travel-
ling expenses.
Before concluding my remarks for this year
1875 it is my sad duty to record the death of my
dear old chief Sir William Logan. Since his
retirement he had spent a good portion of the
three succeeding summers on his Eastern Town-
ship rocks. I have already stated that during
the summer of 1873 Sir William was working in
the Danville district and that I spent part of
June with him on the Nicolet River and in other
localities in that vicinity. This I believe was
the last field geology he ever did. In 1874, he
crossed the Atlantic to visit his friends and
relatives in Wales, where he gradually grew
weaker, till on the 22nd of June he died at Castle
Malgwyn Llechryd, South Wales. " And now
he sleeps in the quiet churchyard of Llechryd
between his brother Hart and his brother-in-law
96
AMONG THE ROCKS.
Mr. A.L. Gower; "Peace to his memory ! Honour
to his name !"
The memory of Sir William will always be
dear to those who have shared in his geological
travels. The interesting incidents one might
relate of his simple mode of life and disregard
for anything other than the work he was at,
would fill many pages, but I must content my-
self here by relating only one.
During the summer of 1864, I think it was, I
spent a few days with Sir William at Point Levis
and St. Joseph de Levis, opposite Quebec. Sir
William was engaged tracing out some of the
bands of limestone, a map of which he had
already published in 1862, while I collected
fossils from the conglomerates. For several days
we had plodded over muddy roads, through bush
and over fields ; Sir William looked unusually
seedy, and his broad-brimmed weather-beaten felt
hat, an old coat which had seen several seasons'
sunshine and rain ; a pair of well worn pants,
tucked in a pair of muddy boots, and a week's
growth of beard, did not improve his appearance.
It was Saturday afternoon and Sir William
proposed that we should go over to the island of
Orleans and spend Sunday there. "All right"
I said, " I will go to the hotel and settle up and
you can meet me at St. Joseph's ferry." In a
short time we landed at the west-end of Orleans
Island, a short distance from a small hostelry
G 9A
REMINISCENCES
kept by T. H. Lizotte. Sir William then pro-
posed that I should interview Lizotte as to dinner
and rooms for the night. I did so, and ordered
dinner for two. We remained outside looking at
the rocks, and in due time Lizotte came out,
looked for a moment at Sir William, then beck-
oned me aside and said : "Dinner is ready, but
do you wish your old man to dine with you, or
shall I give him his dinner in the kitchen?" It
is needless to say Sir William dined with me.
Had I been an artist like Sir William I certainly
should have portrayed the old gentleman as after
dinner he sat by the fire reading a novel, now
leaving off to wipe the tears from his eyes, and
again to stroke a cat which sat perched on his
shoulder.
Lizotte is still living. Last summer 1896, I
met him in Qnebec,and as is usual with him, when-
ever he greets me, he asked: "How is business?"
I answered " I am out of business now, and Her
Majesty has consented to allow me bread and
butter as long as I live ; but no jam." " No
jam," said Lizotte, " Ah that is too bad too bad."
Till the next summer my time was fully
occupied in arranging specimens for the forth-
coming exhibition. The beautiful exhibits of
thesupposed Laurentian fossil Eozoon Canadense,
which attracted so much attention from geologists
and palaeontologists from all parts of the world,
prepared in my spare hours.
98
AMONG THE ROCKS.
My field work of 1876 commenced in June, at
Melbourn. The Eastern Township rocks were
occupying a great deal of attention and no effort
on my part was spared that would throw some
light on the geological horizon of these much
disputed altered rocks, a thing which seemed
almost impossible without the aid of fossils. I
have referred to the importance of fossils while
speaking of Logan and my work on the Nicolet
River. It was a continuation of this work I was
at when on the 13th of June, I learned by tele-
graph that Mr. Billings was dead. I haste^SShi
to Montreal to attend his funeral, ^^r long
previous to his death at the requfl^rof Mrs.
Billings I left my work in th^Jtffonships and
came in purposely to take Mfi^fco the country for
a short time, hoping th^&fhange would do him
good. There was ^dApmfortable summer hotel
near the lake a^Woeil Mountain, P. Q., which I
chose as a quietr retreat, but we had only been
there three or four days when he became nervous,
and so restless that I was obliged to take him
home again. This was the last time he left his
house. It was with deep sorrow that I saw the
last of one with whom I had been associated so
intimately for over fifteen years.
Mr. Billings' funeral over, I returned to Mel-
bourn on the St. Francis River, and as usual
boarded with our old friend Mr. Gee. Poor Gee,
I often wonder why Logan did not speak more
99
REMINISCENCES
frequently of this singular man, at whose house
he preferred to stay, even if working half a
dozen miles away. Gee prided himself on his
" geological knowledge," and in his little store
and grog-shop, kept numerous specimens of rocks
and minerals, among which was his celebrated
" fossil duck " which was a piece of water-worn
limestone.
Our " grub " was none too good, but on special
occasions we got, by way of a treat, an English
plum-pudding. It was after being out all day,
with Logan (in 1873, I think) who never ate
between breakfast and his evening dinner that
I returned very hungry, having forgotten k) take
some lunch, and ate very heartily of plum-pud-
ding, the result of which was a severe attack of
night-mare from which I was wakened by Sir
William rushing into my room shouting " wake
up Weston you have been eating too much pud-
ding that comes of Gee feeding us too well."
Gee set apart one of the rooms of his house,
which he called the " Geologic room." It was in
this room Sir William often sat till the small
hours in the morning, protracting his work of
the day. The last night I spent with him in
this room, at twelve o'clock, he was dozing over
his papers, but at my request left them and went
to bed ; a few days after this he returned to
Montreal never to work again at his beloved
township rocks.
100
AMONG THE ROCKS.
I had only been at Melbourn a day or two,
after returning from Mr. Billings' funeral, when
I was recalled and requested to proceed at once
to Philadelphia to take charge of the Canadian
Geological Exhibit at the Centennial Exhibition.
Dr. Harrington, of the survey staff, who had been
in charge several weeks and whom I went to
relieve remained a day to see me settled, and
then left for Montreal.
My duties were to answer any questions-relat-
ing to the specimens exhibited, ana -to keep a
general supervision over our department. Many;
thousands of people viewed the' -Canadian geo-
logical exhibit every day and many amusing
remarks were made about some of the specimens.
The large gilded pyramid representing the amount
of gold taken from the mines in British Colum-
bia during a certain number of years, attracted
much attention. It was pinched, scratched,
sounded with the knuckles, and otherwise ill-
treated. One old lady after rapping it with her
knuckles exclaimed : " Why that ain't gold, what
a sell." A man, after sampling it with his knife
said, it was " wood made to look like gold to gull
the public."
The fine display of amethyst quartz from
Thunder Bay, Lake Superior, which was not
under cover, gave me a lot of trouble. People
were constantly trying to steal some of the small
pieces. An elegantly dressed lady while passing
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REMINISCENCES
this display took a very fine specimen and hid it
under her cape. I saw the act, and although
sorry, requested her to replace it.
After eight weeks constant attention to my
duties, Dr. Bell, of the Geological staff, came to
relieve me. I remained a day to post him up,
and then returned to Montreal, not sorry to re-
sume my quieter duties of the Survey.
I have often before alluded to the supposed
Lanrentiaa fossil Eozoon, but I wish to record
here thfe interest scientific men from all parts of
fche world took ,in this supposed organism. Fre-
quently before looking at any other objects they
would say " I want to see the specimens of
Eozoon," and so it was at the late Chicago Exhi-
tion where the finest display yet made at any
exhibition was to be seen.
The winter of 1876-77 was occupied in the
usual museum and office work. Many micro-
scopic sections were made, fossils developed, etc.
Mr. Billings was sadly missed by those who had
been so closely associated with him, and it was
long before we could reconcile ourselves to his
successor, Mr. J. F. Whiteaves, late Recording
Secretary to the Montreal Natural History
Society, and Scientific Curator of the Museum.
A good portion of the summer of 1877 was
again spent in the Eastern Townships, trying to
gather material which would throw more light
on the " Quebec Group," and, at the same time,
102
AMONG THE ROCKS.
to make a large collection of rocks and minerals
for distribution. South Stuckley, Harvey Hill
Copper Mines, Hancherchief, and other places
were visited, and on the 12th of June, I accom-
panied Mr. Arthur Webster, of the geological
staff, to Berthier, P. Q. We next went to Drum-
mondville, the scene of my first explorations for
the Survey. But the old couple who had watered
Mr. Richardson's whiskey in 1863 were gone, and
as my friend Webster said, " lay with the tips bf
their toes turned to the roots of the daisies." A
good bit of new information was gained regarding
the fossiliferous rocks of that locality. Kingsey
and Danville were then visited, after which I left
Mr. Webster, and on the 25th June I left Quebec to
join Mr. Richardson at St. Jene, island of Orleans.
After a short time among the rocks of that vici-
nity, we crossed the island to Ste. Famille, on the
north side, and went carefully over the rocks to
the west-end, where we again met our old friend
Lizotte, who, since entertaining Sir William and
myself in 186 4-, had built a much more pretentious
hotel.
From the island of Orleans I again went to
Point Levis and worked among the conglomerates.
It was during this visit that I collected the beau-
tiful group of Salteretta, at St. Joseph de Levis,
the first yet found in the rocks of the Quebec
group. Salterella was then supposed to be a
characteristic fossil of the Primordial or Lower
103
REMINISCENCES
Potsdam formation. Sir William had told me
years ago that some day I would find Salterella
in the lower bands of conglomerates at Levis, and
I felt proud that his words ha come true, but
regretted he had not lived to see my beautiful
little group of Salterella.
Prof. Walcott, of the United States Geological
Survey, in one of his publications, credited Dr.
Selwyn, director of the Geological Survey of
Canada, with the discovery of this fossil ; but
perhaps my name got detached from the specimen.
Leaving Point Levis, I next spent several days
examining the conglomerates and other rocks
along the south shore of the St. Lawrence, op-
posite the east-end of the island of Orleans The
fossil fauna of these rocks are the same as those
of Levis ; but hold some forms not found at the
latter place.
A short time after returning to Montreal, I
again started off to investigate the rocks of the
Etchemen River. Mr. Willimott, then lately of
the Survey staff, accompanied me. Many new
facts relating to the Quebec group were obtained .
The first fossil sponge specula yet found in these
rocks were discovered in the green shales of the
Chaudiere Falls, together with one or two small
bivalve shells belonging to the Obolella family.
The geological structure of the Etchemen River
rocks is very interesting, and as one journeys by
stage or buggy up or down the river road, and
10*
AMONG THE ROCKS
puts up for the night at the various villages, he
is sure to meet with incidents of Canadian life
which, with the stories of the " drummer," who is
almost sure to be met with at country villages
will well repay a journey through this part of
Canada.
Before leaving the field for this year the fol-
lowing localities were visited and much work
done with the hope of throwing more light on
the rocks of the " Quebec group." Sept. 7th, I
was at St. Garvis studying the quartzites and
black slates ; Sept. 13th, at Armagh ; Sept. 15th,
at Rivieredu Sud ; Sept. 22nd, at St. Francis ;
Sept. 25th, at Berthier ; Sept. 27th, at St. Thomas,
and other places in the Province of Quebec.
It might be supposed by one not versed in geo-
logical field work, indeed, it has often been said,
that our work is a series of pleasant trips, at the
expense of the Government well, let the critics
try a few weeks in some of the newly settled
districts of the Townships.
Field operations being over for this season, I
again settled down to my work-room and museum
duties. Sir William Logan was always averse
to giving away geological specimens ; but this
year, assisted by Mr. Willimott, I commenced
making up (on a small scale) collections for edu-
cational purposes ; these, when distributed to
various colleges, proved so important that almost
from this date a constant demand has been made
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REMINISCENCES
on the Survey for these educational collections ;
thus, what commenced on such a small scale
has become an important branch of the Survey,
and now, as for years past, occupies almost the
whole of Mr. Willimott's time.
As with the early distribution of rocks and
minerals, so the Ethnological branch of the Sur-
vey commenced on a small scale. For three or
four years after my appointment to the Survey,
half a dozen or so of Indian stone and other
implements stood on the mantle-piece in a small
room on the " fossil flat " already referred to
as being used by Sir William as a sitting and
sometimes bed room. These, together with two
or three casts of Indian stone pipes, and a few
fragments of Indian stone pottery, etc., I had
picked up near Niagara, with Sir William's per-
mission I placed in a case in the museum ; soon
two cases were required, and so commenced the
Ethnological collection which now numbers many
thousands of specimens, hundreds of which (and
some of the finest) are boxed up and stowed away
for the want of room to exhibit them.
106
CHAPTER VII.
THE SOUTH SHORE OF THE ST. LAWRENCE SOME GOOD FISH-
ING CAMPING BY THE RIVER ASCENT OF THE SHICK-
SHOCKS A POACHING EXPEDITION : WE CATCH A FINE
SALMON THE LONELY MOUNT ALBERT PHOTOGRAPHS
AND FOSSILS COAST ROCKS BETWEEN DIGBY AND YAR-
MOUTH, N.S. "THE OVENS" FISHING AT SPINDLE
COVE LOST IN THE FOG.
ON the 18th of June, 1878, with camp equip-
ment and two months' provisions for my-
self and one man, I left Montreal for Gaspe. My
office instructions were to examine the coast rocks
on the south shore of the St Lawrence River
between Cape Rosier and Metis, especially with
regard to the fossil fauna.
At Gaspe I was fortunate enough to secure the
services of the Indian John Basque, who had in
1843 accompanied Sir William Logan over the
same ground. John (he is dead now) was a tall,
straight, well-built man, and handsome for an
Indian. Besides speaking English and French,
he spoke the language of several different tribes
of Indians, but could neither read nor write his
own name, things he very much wished to do
and which I tried hard to teach him, but it was
no use, and he gave it up for a bad job.
We made our first camp a short distance from
Cape Rosier lighthouse, and after a good supper
of fried ham, sea-biscuit and tea, John collected
107
REMINISCENCES
from a neighboring bush sufficient spruce-boughs
to cover the floor of our tent. On this our blank-
ets were spread, but John seldom came inside*
preferring to make a wigwam for himself.
The summer nights of the Gulf shore of the
St. Lawrence are always more or less chilly, but
drift wood is plentiful in most places, and one
can always, without the use of the axe, keep up
a rousing fire.
I found John a pleasant companion, and I sat
at our camp fire and watched the dark clouds
spread over the distant mountains.
All was solitary and still excepting the ever-
lasting splash of the waves on the pebbly beach
before us. It was long after darkness had ob-
scured every object within a few yards of our
camp fire before I tumbled into my blankets.
When I awoke in the morning I found my man
busy preparing our breakfast. John, who never
lost an opportunity of making new friends, had
already been to the lighthouse and brought back
some fish. After breakfast we closed up our tent,
and with a little lunch in our collecting basket, a
gun, hammers and note -book, started on this the
first part of our geological tramp of over one
hundred and eighty miles along the base, and
frequently over the tops of the great cliffs of the
Gulf shore.
My examination of these exposures commenced
at the base of the cliffs almost under Cape Rosier
108
AMONG THE ROCKS.
lighthouse. Here the strata consists of conglom-
erates, grey limestone bands, black bituminous
limestone, greenish and other coloured shales.
No fossils had hitherto been found by which the
geological horizon could definitely be determined,
but they were supposed by Logan to belong to
the Hudson River formation. It was my good
fortune, however, on this the first day's work to
find, almost in the shadow of Cape Rosier light-
house beautiful compound Graptolites which
evidently belong to the Levis zone which accord-
ing to the latest nomenclature of the Geological
Survey of Canada is Upper Cambrian.
The sun was setting when we returned to
camp. I think John thought we had done a little
too much work for one day, but I assured him
that I should not work so hard every day and
that he would not have to work on Sundays, as
with Logan, excepting to cook a thing an Indian
is always ready to do.
It was long after dark when I crept into my
blankets, but before doing so I had put some dry
plates in the dark boxes of my camera which I
had brought with me hoping to get some good
geological views of the coast.
I may mention here that I did get many fine
views, some of which have become historical,
having been published in the reports of the Sur-
vey. I may also mention here that all the nega-
tives taken by the Survey staff are carefully pre-
109
REMINISCENCES
served. They have lately been re-arranged, cata-
logued, numbered and placed where any one
of them can be found at once, by Mr. Percy
Selwyn, who is now private Secretary to the
present director of the Survey, Dr. G. M. Daw-
son.
It would extend these notes too much to
recount all the adventures John and I met with
while journeying along this great stretch of sea
coast. We shifted camp frequently, generally
every eight or ten miles. By so doing we were
able to walk down the coast to where we left off
our examination, and up the shore to where we
would camp next. Our mode of shifting camp
equipment, etc., was by boat or cart, whichever we
could get most conveniently.
During our journey by boat I frequently had
some good fishing. On one occasion while sitting
at the stern of the boat, I noticed fish jumping
at flies, I suppose ; but I did not see any. Hav-
ing a trolling line with hooks and spoon, silvered
on one side and red on the other, I \vas not long
in getting it ready. The two boatmen nudged
each other and winked, while John gave a sar-
castic smile, but I let go my troll, and before the
men had pulled half a dozen strokes I hauled in
a lovely mackerel, and before we completed our
ten miles' journey, twelve fine mackerel and two
cod fish lay at the bottom of our boat. The men
were greatly surprised and so was I. Fishing
110
AMONG THE ROCKS.
for mackerel and cod with a trolling spoon was
a new feature on the St. Lawrence.
Landing at Gritfon Cove, about ten miles above
Cape Rosier we pitched our tent at the base of
huge black cliffs composed of shale interstratified
with other rocks. The escarpment represented
here is probably 1,000 feet thick. Many of the
beds are highly fossiliferous, some being very
prolific in Graptolites, which have a decided
Hudson River aspect.
In the late publications of the Geological Sur-
vey of Canada, the formation here and for about
eighty miles of the coast to the Marsouin River
is Combeo Silurian i.e., Trenton, Utica, &c. The
late changes made in the geological horizon of
the coast rocks are chiefly due to fossil evidence
collected by the officers of the Survey, since the
time of the late Sir William Logan. All the
fossils collected on the journey of which I write,
and late journeys of Dr. Ells, Dr. Selwyn and
myself, have been studied by Prof. Chas. Lap-
worth of Birmingham, England, who I believe is
the best English authority on the Graptoliae
fauna.
The coast country between Cape Rosier and
Cape Chat, a distance of about 130 miles, is
mountainous. The hills and cliffs come close on
to the shore leaving for many miles no space for
settlement, excepting at the mouth of rivers
where one finds fishing stations of more or less
111
REMINISCENCES
pretensions. We always received a warm wel-
come from these Gulf shore people who seldom
see any other than their own class.
We made many camps between Griffon Cove
and Cape Chatte, and gained much information
regarding the fossil fauna.
At Ste. Anne, ten miles below Cape Chatte I
found my old friend Mr. James Richardson of
our Survey staff camped near the foot of the
river. Mr. Ord also of the Survey staff, Mr.
John Richardson and one Indian had just returned
from the foot of the Shickshocks mountains, a
distance up the river about 30 miles not taking
in the many crooks of the stream.
As it was my intention to ascend one of the
highest peaks of the Shickshocks, and as it re-
quired two experienced men to pole a canoe up
this river I engaged the Indian Joe, who had
just returned with Mr. Richardson. But Joe
flatly refused to accompany me till he had been
drunk, at least one day. John, my Indian, as-
sured me Joe would turn up all right according
to promise, said he "If Joe says a day, he means
a day, and no longer." It was impossible to get
another man who knew the river like Joe, for he
had been tripping on that stream for years, so I
had to submit to Joe's terms. A certain hour
was fixed for his return to camp, and to my
surprise but not to John's, Joe turned up all
right, and when asked how he felt after being
112
AMONG THE ROCKS.
drunk a day and night, said, "Bully." I preferred
a long narrow boat, much used on this river, to
the canoe Richardson had used. This I obtained
from the settlement at the foot of the stream,
and we were soon ready to start. We took our
blankets and three days' provisions, and of course
a gun and fishing tackle. We lunched off a
magnificient trout Joe stole from a net. It was
the most delicious fish I ever ate.
The Ste. Anne River is, or was, at the time I
ascended it, one of the finest salmon rivers in
Canada. In many parts the current is swift and
requires dexterous poleing and in places portag-
ing, but in places one passes over still pools where
the paddle cm be used. As we glided over these
pools and looked down into the clear water we
could see many salmon quietly floating or resting
on the bed of the river.
It was dusk when we hauled up for the night,
ten miles from our starting point.
After supper John and Joe collected a lot of
birch bark which was soon made into a flambeau.
Then Joe fished out from some hiding place, a
salmon spear which if found on him at the
settlement would have cost him lots of trouble.
When the night was as dark as it would be, we
stole forth and silently glided down stream. Then
I realized that for the first time I was on a
poaching expedition for the fishing rights of
the Ste. Anne were very strict, and I had no
H 113
REMINISCENCES
permit. But almost before I had time to reflect
on our evil ways, a twenty pound salmon lay at
the bottom of our boat. I forbade the men to
take any more fish than we needed for a change
of diet.
I shall never forget this my first poaching
experience, the stillness of the night, the brilliant
light of the flambeau reflected on the eager faces
of the two Indians, made up a scene well worthy
of the artist's brush.
The following morning we resumed our journey.
Towards noon the sun was very hot and the
weather most oppressive. John had been stand-
ing at the bow of the boat fully an hour assist-
ing Joe to push through one of the most difficult
parts of the stream, to navigate. Suddenly he
let go his pole and sank to the bottom of the
boat. Instantly our boat swung round and shot
down the swift-current, but in a short time Joe
ran it ashore arid we hauled John out to a shady
spot and laid him on his back, and for the next
two hours I thought we were going to have a
dead Indian to take back. We came to the con-
clusion that John was suffering from sun-stroke.
Eemembering I had a bottle of " Pain Killer " in
my fishing basket I made up a strong dose, but
it was a pretty big job to get John to take the
white man's medicine. He did however, at last,
and in the cool of the evening we resumed our
journey.
114
AMONG THE ROCKS.
The third evening after leaving our camp, near
the mouth of the Ste. Anne, we reached the foot
of the Shickshocks and camped for the night in
a trapper's deserted wigwam. At six o'clock
next morning we breakfasted on the remains of
our twenty pound salmon and then prepared for
the ascent of Mount Albert. John carried my
camera and other traps wrapped in blankets,
while Joe carried two days' provisions and camp
utensils. I carried well myself, a canvas bag
and small hammer, which I found quite enough-
I could not help wondering that while I stumbled
sometimes head first over fallen trees or slipped
down moss covered rocks, my two Indians glided
through all the difficulties which beset us with-
out a slip or stumble.
In about two hours we reached the summit of
Mount Albert 3,768 feet above the sea a great
dreary table-land with a few stunted spruce
trees, and strewn with weathered rein deer (?)
antlers. We chanced to reach the summit of this
mountain within a short distance of where Logan
and Murray in 1844, erected a flag-staff and
unfurled the Union Jack. The pole was still
lying at the foot of the mound of stones which
had supported it, but it was broken and weather
worn so John descended the mountain till he
found another good stick ; we then rebuilt the
mound, hoisted our pole and in place of a Union
Jack substituted a red cotton handkerchief.
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REMINISCENCES
The magnificent panorama presented from the
summit of Mount Albert is grand indeed. The
eye ranges over hills and valleys for a hundred
miles or more. The riyer we have ascended
looks almost like a brook winding through
mountains and forest till it joins the St. Lawrence,
the waters of which are dotted with ships and
fishing boats.
Although we can see some life in the distance,
I shall never forget the sense of loneliness I felt.
Even the Indians while we sat round our camp
fire spoke in whispers as though evil spirits
wandered round.
Crossing the table-land to the south side of
the mountain, we look down over masses of
serpentine and other rocks, into a great valley in
which a small lake nestles. I set up my camera
hoping to get a view of this wonderful scene; but
the black flies are so numerous that they partly
cover my lens and I see by my focussing glass
that a number have got inside the camera. I
look up to speak to Joe and find he is clasping a
small crucifix which hangs from his neck. He
is actually trembling with fright. " Joe what
on earth is the matter with you ?" I say ; Point-
ing to the lake, he says in a whisper " Look
see the devil is taking a swim." I look and find
a strong current of wind is passing through the
valley, which accounts for the heavy ripples on
the water. I asked Joe if he had any name for
116
AMONG THE ROCKS.
that lake and he whispered yes, "that devil
lake." All I could say to this poor fellow would
not alter his opinion regarding the devil and his
ablutions.
Granites enter largely into the formation of the
Shickshocks, but hornblende, quartzites, epidotic
and other rocks are largely represented, together
with massive beds of serpentines, which are fre-
quently beautifully stratified. Pieces of chromic
iron ore, about the size of one's fist, are scattered
over the table-land of Mount Albert, but I could
not find the bed from which they came.
We only made one night camp during our
return journey a journey full of pleasant remem-
brances, and of much geological interest.
Arriving at our old camp near the mouth of
the river, I found Mr. Richardson waiting me.
Poor Mr. Richardson, the veteran explorer for the
Geological Survey of Canada almost from its com-
mencement a man who had worked his way
from a poor farmer to that of the most trusted
field geologist then on. Logan's staff, had received
an intimation that the present director of the
Survey was about to apply to the government
for his superannuation. This, to a man like
Richardson, was a blow indeed, for outside his
geological work he had little or no pleasure. He
remained with me several days, during which
time we visited two or three interesting fossil
localities on the coast, one of these was about
117
REMINISCENCES
three miles above the Ste. Anne. Here we obtained
large slabs of black slate covered with the well
known Levis fossil Phillograptus typus (Hall),
and a number of other species. After a few days
Mr. Richardson left me and returned to Montreal.
John and I continued our journey along the coast,
camping as usual about every ten miles. Many
new fossil localities were discovered, and forms
found which were new to Canada. Duplicates
of all the fossils collected were sent to Prof.
Charles Lap worth, of Birmingham, England, for
identification and description.
During this long sea coast experience many
photographs were taken, prints of which can be
seen with the large collection of photographs in
the Geological Survey rooms. One of these views
shows the " Pillar Sandstones " on the coast, eight
and one half miles east of Ste. Anne River. I
focussed my view, then left John to expose the
plate, so that I might appear in this picture with
a little Indian dog who came to our camp one
day, whence we did not knew. He was first seen
sitting on his hind legs, as if asking to be taken
in. John at once adopted and christened him
Wap-e- cat, which he said was the Indian for "white
paw." This picture is reproduced in the Geologi-
cal Report for 1880-81-82, but by some mistake
is credited to Dr. Ellis, 1883.
I am loath to close this brief account of a jour-
ney during which every day brought to life some
118
AMONG THE ROCKS.
new geological information, besides giving one
an insight into the life and habits of the poor
fishermen, many of whom labor year after year
and never see anything other than their immediate
surroundings.
We reached Little Metis Sept. 21st, where we
struck camp for the last time. I paid off my
Indian, John, saw his money safely sewn up inside
his vest, and started him off to his wigwam at
Gasp&
The winter of 1878-79 was spent in the usual
museum and and work-room duties and in some
preparations for the removal of the Survey to
Ottawa.
My first exploration journey of 1879 was to
Roxton Falls, P. Q., to examine the limestone and
shales associated with the copper deposits. June
5th, I left for Nova Scotia to examine the shore
rocks of St. Mary's Bay. The journey from St.
John, N. B., to Annapolis by steamboat 45 miles
across the Bay of Fundy is, in calm weather, a
pleasant one, but this time it was most unpleasant.
From the time we left St. John, till we arrived
at Digby Gut the entrance to Annapolis Basin
the waves frequently swept over our boat. All
passengers were below deck, and most of them
sick. One old body was sick unto death, and if
ever she reached dry land again, &c., &c. I am
a good sailor and did justice to my 75 cent dinner.
The occurrence of fossil remains in the gold
119
REMINISCENCES
bearing rocks of Nova Scotia, by which the geo-
logical horizon could be determined, would be an
exceedingly important discovery. From time to
time forms which were thought to be of organic
structure have been found, as the following re-
marks by the writer, taken* from " Transactions
of the Nova Scotian Institute of Science," Series
2, Vol. 1, will prove. But in all cases a micro-
scopic examination of these forms has proved
them to be concretionary bodies
" Many times between the years 1860-70 the late Sir
Wm. E. Logan, and subsequently Dr. Selwyn, called my
attention to certain concretionary forms found in the gold-
bearing rocks of Nova Scotia. Some of these seemed to
be organic, and I was requested to make and examine
microscopic sections of them. In treating several of these
with acid, they proved to be composed chiefly of dolomite,
with a large proportion of siliceous matter, and generally
a little iron pyrites, which formed a nucleus.
" In 1890 a number of similar forms were found by Mr.
Willis, in the rocks of the Northup Gold mines, Rawdon,
Nova Scotia. They were handed to Professor Hind, who
supposed them to be fossils, and assigned them to Lower
Silurian age. Wishing the "judgment of a specialist,"
he gave them to Professor Kennedy, of King's College,
who confirmed Professor Hind's opinion and pronounced
the " fossils " to be Stromatopora. Mr. Fletcher and Mr.
Faribault, of the Geological Survey, while in the vicinity
where this discovery was made, visited the mines, and
brought away a number of these so-called fossils. They
were given to me by Dr. Selwyn, director of the Dominion
Geological Survey, for microscopic examination ; and I
regret to say, the result is precisely the same as for those
examined thirty years ago.
120
AMONG THE ROCKS.
" They appear to be composed of dolomite, and, when
dissolved in hydrochloric acid, leave a good percentage of
insoluble matter, probably felspar and silica. It is likely
that they were spheroidal or ovoidal in form before being
flattened by the pressure of overlying beds. One of the
specimens before me is a piece of greenish-grey laminated
mica-schist five inches long and one inch thick. Inclosed
in this are four of these concretionary forms broken
through the centre, each measuring one inch in length and
half an inch in breadth. Two of these are connected with
each other by a thin strip of the material of which they
are composed.
"In broken sections some of these bodies show slight
concentric layers which in microscopic sections are not
seen. Not a trace of organic structure was found.
' ' I quite agree with Professors Hind and Kennedy as to
the importance of finding fossils in the auriferous rocks of
Nova Scotia, and trust they may be more fortunate than I.
" It is well known that concretions occur in all rock for-
mations. One or two instances will be worth recording to
show how careful one should be in referring any forms of
a concretionary nature to organic structure (Read Nov.
9th, 1891.)"
It was chiefly to try and discover fossils in
these auriferous rocks that the present journey
was made.
Gold-bearing deposits occupy a great portion
of the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia. The rocks
consist of greenish and grey slates, quartzites and
other rocks, which, if as stated in the Geological
Survey Reports, belong to the Primordial Silurian
and Cambrian formations should contain fossils,
but at present nothing with decided organic struc-
121
REMINISCENCES
ture has been found. The so-called Eophyfon
from the " Ovens " gold-bearing slates is in my
opinion not of organic origin.
Many miles of coast rocks between Digby and
Yarmouth were examined, especially those of
Wey mouth, Church Point, Montegan, Salmon
River, Bear Cove, Cape St. Mary, Cranberry
Head, &c.
Having a good camera and dry plates with me
I was able to obtain excellent photographs show-
ing the stratification, folding, &c. of these rocks.
The Nictaux iron ore deposits were also visited.
Here the Hematite ore-beds contain well de-
fined fossils which belong to the Devonian for-
mation.
I travelled along the coast road by stage or
buggy. The journey through the Annapolis val-
ley is a most pleasant one. It is the great apple
raising country of Nova Scotia. Continuing
along the coast and shore road I reached Yar-
mouth, where after a few days' work among the
rocks of that vicinity I left for Lunenburg the
oldest British town in the Province of Nova
Scotia and on the 9th of July, crossed the harbor
to the u Ovens," already mentioned with regard
to the so called Eophyton, (Torell), eos, dawn ;
phyton a plant. From the harbor of Lune-nberg
are seen on the west side a range of cliffs con-
taining a number of even cavities, the regularity
of which whether made by human agencies or
122
AMONG THE ROCKS.
by the action of the sea no doubt suggested the
name " Ovens."
These rocks were known to contain gold many
years ago, and considerable excitment has at
various times prevailed, when a specimen of
quartz or slate had been found which held a
good sample of the precious metal.
The only mining going on at the time of my
visit (1879), was done by a few of the fishermen
of Spindle Cove, on the " Ovens " shore, who with
a rude cradle, shovel, or other simple implements
gathered from the sea sand of the shore, gold
dust to the amount of from fifty cents to a dol-
lar a day. But my visit to the Ovens was not
for gold ; but for fossils, which after a most dili-
gent search I failed to find, nor could I find
another specimen ot the so-called Eophyton
marks, which could readily be made by a bit of
rock passing over a soft substance such as these
slates were once.
At the time of my visit to the " Ovens " there
were only five or six families living near thie
shore ; they were fishermen. 1 found board and
lodging with a German family at Spindle Cove.
Among my accounts of this journey I find the
item : Four days' board and lodging at " Ovens "
$2.00, but besides this I paid $2.50 for
boating and assisting with my camera. This
small sum of $4.50 to these poor people meant
much. When shown to my room the first night
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of my stay with these fisherfolk I found there
were two feather beds only. Thinking they had
forgotten the sheets and blankets, I found my
way down stairs where already they were at
their family devotions. Waiting outside the
room till prayer was over, I then requested the
man to go up to my room where I explained that
there was no covering to the bed. He looked
puzzled and called his wife up, when I made
known what I wanted she looked surprised, but
a happy thought seemed to strike her, and she
went away with a smile on her face, soon she
returned with a quilt, but at the same time
thought I would find it more comfortable to
sleep between the feather beds.
I have spoken of catching mackerel with a
hook and spoon, but that fishing was tame to
the sport I had at Spindle Cove. Shoals of her-
ring the well known Yarmouth bloater came
into Lunenburg harbor, followed by the horse
mackerel even into the fish traps, or seines. It
is a powerful fish and much dreaded by the fish-
ermen who have herring nets or seines set, and
who lose no time in getting them out of the way
by harpooning.
During my stay at Spindle Cove I assisted in
harpooning two of these creatures which were at
last killed by severing the caudal vertebrae with
an axe. One of these measured five feet long
and was over two feet in diameter. I had it
124
AMONG THE ROCKS.
towed to shore and then photographed it. In
appearance these huge fish are just the same
shape and color as our mackerel ; but the tlesh
is coarse ]ike that of the seal.
On the 12th of July, I crossed the harbour
again (four miles) with the people I had been
staying with. They, at least the man and his
two daughters, were taking fish to the Lunenburg
market. There was a light fog when we started
which soon increased till we could not see a
yard before us. At last the man and his daugh-
ters ceased rowing, confessed they were lost
and did not know where they were. Fortunately
the man knew the compass bearing from his
shore. I looked at my compass and found we
were headed almost in the opposite direction.
This however, these folks could not believe, but
at last decided to be guided. After pulling an
hour or so through the dense fog we ran right
against the wharf at Lunenburg. I wished my
companions of the fog good-bye, took steamer
and was soon at Halifax, were I spent a short
time with my friend Kev. Dr. Honeyman, cur-
ator of the Provincial Museum, who had been in
1876 my companion for eight weeks at the
Centennial Exhibition, Philadelphia.
While on this journey I had received official
instructions to visit on my way back, the Jog-
gins shore and get photographs of various cliffs,
to illustrate a paper Sir William Dawson was
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REMINISCENCES
writing for the Royal Society. I was fortunate
in getting what Sir William wanted, and these
were published in the Royal Society Reports.
I reached Montreal on the 20th of July.
On the llth of August I started out again to
the Eastern Townships, visiting West Farnham,
Bedford, St. Dominique, Richmond, St. Pie and
again to West Farnham. October 1 9th, I accom-
panied Mr. Richardson to St. Armond and
Grand Ling. This was the last official journey
Mr. Richardson made. He was superannuated
greatly against his will shortly afterwards,
This completed my field work for 1879.
The winter of 1879-80 was occupied in my
usual microscopic and museum work. A great
number of microscopic sections of rocks and fos-
sils and preliminary examinations were made.
In the museum many new fossils were labelled
and arranged in the cases. In some of the work
I was assisted by Mr. Willimot.
126
CHAPTER VIII.
BAIE DE CHALEURS AND ADJACENT DISTRICTS A FOSSIL PISH
AND A PIOUS CRITIC A LIST OF TITHES -REMOVAL OF
THK HEADQUARTERS OF THE SURVEY FROM MONTREAL
TO OTTAWA THE JOGGINS COAST, N. S. CAMPBELLTON
AND THE RESTIGOUCHE RIVER A TRIP TO SAULT STE
MARIE THE CYPRESS HILL AND THE NORTH-WEST A
THREE MONTHS GEOLOGICAL EXPLORING TOUR.
of the summer of 1880, was spent in
the examination of the shore, rocks of Baie
des Chaleurs, Cascapedia and Matapedia Rivers,
Campbell ton and other localities in that district.
The shore rocks of the Restigouche River near
the back of Campbellton Railway Station and
those on the opposite shore are highly interest-
ing, containing as they do, a remarkable fauna
and flora of fish and plant remains of Devonian
age. Many fine fossils were collected from this
locality by myself and later by Mr. Foord.
On the llth of June, I crossed from Dalhousie
to the north shore of Scaumenac Bay where I got
board and lodging at a farm house, the occupants
of which were an old couple and a grown up son
and daughter.
My field of research here was along the shore
towards Pt. Maquasha, Baie des Chaleurs, but
chiefly on the shore of Scaumenac Bay. Here
high cliffs of lightyellowish grey sandstone occupy
127
REMINISCENCES
the shore. The rocks are of Devonian age and
o
underlie the lower Carboniferous conglomerates
of the north shore of the Restigouche River. It
was in these Devonian cliffs of Scaumenac Bay
that Mr. R. W. Ells of the Geological Survey in
1879, discovered that curious crustacean Pterich-
ihys ; or fish belonging to the Ganoids which-
ever it is. This discovery led to my present
researches and during the next summer to those
of Mr. Foord, also of the Geological Survey staff.
Some of the beds of these great sandstone cliffs
contain nodules, or concretionary forms. The
following description from my notes on concre-
tionary forms published in Transactions of the
Nova Scotian Institution of Science will suffice.
'The Upper Devonian fish and plant-bearing beds of
Scaumenac Bay, New Brunswick, are prolific in fossilifer-
ous concretions, which are composed of calcareo -arenac-
eous rock, and take various forms according to the shape
of the nucleus, which, when a fish, is often so well pre-
served that every bone can be seen. One of these con-
cretions obtained by A. H. Foord measures over twenty-
one inches in length, and contains the skeleton of a fish
almost as long. It is Chirolepis Canadensis (Whiteaves).
In other concretions from this locality the writer and Mr.
A. H. Foord found : Glyptolepis microlepidotus (Agassiz),
Phaiwroplenrvn curium, Pterichthys Canadensis (Whit-
eaves), Eusthenopteron Foordi, etc."
These concretions are scattered along the shore,
being washed up by the waves of the bay. It
was in one of these that I discovered the first
fossil fish known to the Survey, from these
128
AMONG THE ROCKS.
rocks This find is always associated with the
old couple with whom I boarded. When in the
barn carefully chiselling off a portion of rock
which concealed part of my fossil fish, the old
lady came in, and after watching me for a short
time said : " Well now, it do look like a mackerel,
but if God made stone fishes it was for some wise
purpose that we poor mortals can't understand
and ought not to meddle with, and Sir, it would
be much better for you to leave them where the
Lord placed them." I tried to explain that a few
million of years ago this fish swam in the sea,
then died and was buried in the sand and mud
at the bottom, then the sand and mud became
stone. But the few millions of years seemed to
frighten the old lady and she left me. Then the
old man came to interview me on the subject, and
chided me for even thinking of a few millions of
years ago, said he " Do you dispute the words of
the Holy Bible, etc., etc." That evening I was
requested to attend service before retiring for
the night. The old man read a chapter from the
Bible explaining the same as he went on, then
the family sang a long hymn, drawling out each
word till I dozed off to sleep. But at last sing-
ing was over, and then the old man delivered
what some church people would call a most pow-
erful prayer, full of beautiful thoughts, which
ended with " Oh Lord bless the stranger within
our gates, and keep him from vain babbling ; and
J 129
REMINISCENCES
turn his mind from things of the past, to his
future salvation, Amen." No doubt the few mil-
lions of years was in the old man's thoughts
when he spoke of vain babbling.
The following day I collected from these same
fossil fish-beds, fossil plants, among which were
specimens of an old fashioned fern which Sir
William Dawson has since named Archaeopteris
Jacksoni. This specimen puzzled the old man of
my boarding house, but no further allusion was
made to vain babbling in the old man's prayer
that evening.
Leaving Scaumenac Bay July 1st, I proceeded
to New Richmond, where a few days were spent
on the rocks of that vicinity, a journey was then
made to Causapscal railway station, on the Inter-
colonial Railway, and on the Campbellton road,
near the Matapedia River. Here I obtained
lodging at the trackman's cottage, where I fed on
fat pork, brown bread and potatoes, while H. R.
H. Princess Louise two or three hundred paces
away lived on the best of the land, and while
I fished with my hammer among the rocks for
fossils, she fished in the river close by, for sal-
mon ; and got them, too. Several members of
the Royal family have been the guests of Sir
Donald Smith, who has a summer house or fish-
ing station on the banks of the Patapedia River,
a lovely spot close to the Causapscal Ry. station,
which, since being patronized by royalty, has
130
AMONG THE ROCKS.
become quite a noted spot on our long railway.
The platform of this station is the lounging place
for Indians while waiting to be engaged by sports-
men who go up the Matapedia River, either to
fish or shoot.
Having completed my examination of the rocks
at the Devil's Elbow, a turn on the river two
miles or so below the station, with a canoe, two
Indians and a few day's provisions, we left for a
journey up a portion of the Matapedia River.
The rocks of this river belong to the Gasps' series,
and are almost destitute of fossils. One who has
camped on this beautiful river will never forget
the charming scenery, and if he is fortunate
enough to " hook " a salmon or one of the large
trout found in the rivers of this vicinity, and to
have his Indian canoe-men cook it in their
fashion, he will long remember his camp on the
Matapedia River.
Arriving at Campbellton on Saturday evening,
I concluded to stay there nntil Monday. Judge
who was on his circuit, and staying at
the same house, invited me on Sunday morning
to accompany him to service at a sraall Catholic
church on the north side of the river. We en-
gaged an Indian to paddle us over in his canoe.
The little church was already crowded with
people of various nationalities, with a good
sprinkling of Indians.
After the sermon in which the priest exhorted
131
REMINISCENCES
his flock to attend to their religious duties more
diligently, on pain of excommunication he pro-
duced a roll of paper in which were the names of
those who had and had not paid their tithes :
John Brown, four cords of wood; Patrick O'Farity,
ten pecks of potatoes ; Peter Basque, fifteen pecks
of beans ; John Gabriel, one side of pork ; Francis
Cye, one ton of hay ; Narcisse Cromk, NOTHING,
and the priest looked round with fire in his eye,
but he could not spot poor Narcisse, and so the
list went on.
My wanderings during the remainder of the
field season of 1880 covered many hundreds of
miles, and new geological facts were obtained
from the rocks at Father Point, Rimouski,
Negette, Bic, and many other localities on the St.
Lawrence shore and in the Eastern Townships.
The most important event connected with the
Survey this year, 1880, was the removal to
Ottawa.
The director's summary report for 1881 states
that : "The total number and weight of packages
forwarded from Montreal between the month of
November, 1880, and May, 1881, was 1,729 boxes;
101 barrels ; 162 miscellaneous packages gross
weight, 282,585 Ibs.
The work of packing all the type fossils from
the cases, specimens from the drawers, wall
cases and the large wall specimens, was done by
myself and those under my direction. In this
132
AMONG THE ROCKS.
work I was assisted by Mr. Broadbent and Mr.
Holmes. It gives me great pleasure to record
here the valuable services rendered in this work
by Mr. Broadbent, a young Englishman, who had
just come to this country to seek his fortune, and
who, with the Director's permission, I engaged to
assist in the removal of the fossil department of
the Survey. Mr. Broadbent being a good writer,
I appointed him the task of cataloguing the species
and formation of every type fossil taken from
the cases a work he accomplished most satisfac-
torily, indeed, his diligence in the duties as-
signed him decided me with the Director's per-
mission, to take him to Ottawa to assist in re-
organizing the collection. After assisting me
for several months, Mr. Broadbent was removed
to the mineral department, and was soon after
appointed a member of the staff. He now holds
the position of museum assistant in the mineral
department.
The work of replacing all the type specimens
in the cases, and the thousands of specimens kept
in drawers under the cases required much time
and patience. Mr. J. B. Tyrrell, so well known
now as field geologist and explorer in the distant
lands of the North-west Territory, assisted me
in part of this work.
After spending most of the summer months
since 1863, in travelling and field work, it was
not pleasant to spend the whole of the summer,
133
REMINISCENCES
excepting five days in museum work. The five
off days were, at the Director's request, spent in
accompanying Mr. Walter Billings, Mr. Ami and
Mr. Souter to Paquett's Rapids, on the Ottawa
river. It was dark when we arrived, with our
camp outfit and a few days' provisions at our
destination on the 5th of September. My three
companions were students in Palaeontology, and
so eager to obtain some of the fine Black River
fossils which occur in thePaquette's Rapids rocks,
that instead of pitching tent and getting off to
bed, they started off with a supply of matches to
hunt fossils. To an old collector like myself this
was a strange procedure. When they returned I
was rolled in my blanket and sleeping. Before
my companions were up the following morning I
had co lected one of the finest specimens of Stro-
matocerium rugosum now in the geological
museum.
Mr. Ami, now Dr. Ami, M.A., etc., etc., is assist-
ant palaeontologist to the Survey, and is one of
the bright scientists of the Survey staff. I had
a jolly time, and returned with renewed energy
to deal with the Climactichnites tracks of which
I spoke in connection with Lord Dufferin's visit
to the Survey museum.
Unfortunately the director who superintended
the taking down of this large specimen had not
calculated its weight, and in lowering it from the
wall, when at an angle of about 45 it fell with a
134
AMONG THE ROCKS.
crash, shattering the plaster casts round the speci-
men into fragments and breaking some of the
sandstone. The director got a black eye which
he afterwards told his friends was not a disreput-
able one, and the two men assisting got hurt. It
is a wonder it did not go through the floor to the
next flat. I was then requested to take it in
hand. The fragments were boxed up and shipped
to Ottawa, and after three weeks' work, assisted
by Mr. Broadbent, a carpenter and a man who
made new casts to fill up the frame, we succeeded
in getting it placed against the wall once more.
We made the best it was possible to make of
it, but the specimen, which was one of Sir Wil-
liam's pet fossil slabs, is far from looking as well
as when in his bed -room in the Montreal museum.
Before and while the removal of the Survey
was in progress, the families of the members of
the staff were removed to Ottawa at the Govern-
ment's expense.
After seeing my family settled in the capital,
I returned to Montreal, and boarded, strange to
say, in the "Logan House," which had been rented
by the administrator of the Logan estate, Mr.
Grant, to my friends the Austins. The room as-
signed me was the one formerly used by Sir Wil-
liam as library and sitting room, a delightful
room opening by French windows on to the
spacious garden. I spent many happy evenings
in this old homestead where there were still
135
REMINISCENCES
things left to recall the memory of our dear old
chief, and the time when he was ever ready to
welcome the humblest members of his staff, and
to listen patiently to their troubles. I recall the
time, one Sunday in 1865, when oppressed and
despondent, I went to tell him I thought of re-
turning to England. " Fiddle-de-dee " said Sir
William. He then like a father reasoned with
me and pointed to a brighter side of my troubles.
When I left his house it was with renewed energy
to continue my duties at the Survey. Such was
the kind influence ever extended to those with
whom Sir William had to deal.
Many other incidents worth record ing occurred
during the year of our removal to the capital,
but I must hasten on with my travels.
By the spring of 1882 the geological museum
was in fair order and my field work was resumed
early in June, by a journey to the Joggins coast,
N.S., with a view to increase, by fossils, our
knowledge of the Carboniferous formation.
To the student who wishes to study the geology
and palaeontology of the Carboniferous forma-
tion there is probably no better opportunity af-
forded in the world than the Joggins coast.
Here he sees a magnificent range of cliffs extend-
ing for miles along a shore washed by the waves
of the Bay of Fundy.
Occasionally in the great red sandstorfe cliff's
one sees portions of erect trees, or rather the
136
AMONG THE ROCKS.
casts of portions of large exogen trees, the woody
structure of which decayed and disappeared leav-
ing the bark standing, to be filled with the sand
of the sea or lakes near which they grew. While
in a decayed form the base of some of these
trees were penetrated by small reptiles who no
doubt took shelter there for safety. These little
reptiles represent the first vertebrate animals of
this world. Some of the sandstones and shales
contain the remains of beautiful ferns and trop-
ical plants, on the leaves of which we find small
shells, representatives of the Mollusk family.
Other beds are made up almost entirely of small
bivalve shells, which Sir William Dawson called
Naiadites carbonaria.
In the geological museum can be found a fair
representation of the Carboniferous fossil fauna
and flora of Canada ; but as my last discovery
in the Joggins rocks proves there is still much
information to be gained with regard to the life
of the Carboniferous period.
The splendid geological work accomplished in
the Carboniferous formation of Novia Scotia by
Logan and Dawson in the early days of the Sur-
vey, and later by other members of the staff, is a
most important feature in the geology of Canada,
for on the correct interpretation of the Carboni-
ferous strata often depend^ vast sums of money.
Having secured fine sections of the fossil trees,
Siyillaria, so named from the seal-like scales on
137
REMINISCENCES
the bark, and specimens among which were
scales of fishes, ferns, and other fossil plants
work in which I was assisted by Mr. James
Devine, a coal miner, I spent a tew hours visit-
ing the mines, which are situated half a mile or
so from the coast.
In the superintendent's house I was surprised
to see several mounted moose heads (Cerius
alres) which my friend the superintendent said
he shot at his hunting grounds a few miles from
Joggins.
At this time there was only one main road in
the village and another, the coast road, which ran
near the brow of the cliff. On these roads are
dotted the homes of the miners. The coal is
conveyed from the mines by tram-ways and
dumped down a chute to schooners and other
vessels
Fifty years ago few people excepting those
engaged in mining, or in the manufacture of
grindstones were to be seen in the village, and
along the Joggins shore. All communication
being by stage, buggy, or boat.
Having packed and shipped my specimens I
again mounted the rambling old stage and after a
pleasant ride through a verdant country over
which refreshing sea breezes are wafted from the
Bay of Fundy, I arrived at Maccan Station, and
on June 26th, again landed at Campbellton
where a few days were spent collecting from the
138
AMONG THE ROCKS.
Devonian rocks on the banks of the Restigouche
River.
Among the interesting specimens secured this
time were good examples of the fossil-plant
Psilophyton princeps, (Dawson) .Miller says it is
the oldest known plant in America, and is sup-
posed to have grown in a marsh (psilon, smooth ;
phyton, stem.)
The agglomerates of this vicinity are rich in
fish remains, and the conglomerates with their
various bright colored pebbles of jasper, sand-
stone, quartz, agates, and other rocks, enhance the
beauty of this lovely spot where not so very
many years ago the red man alone pitched his
wigwam, built his birch bark canoe, and speared
salmon as he glided down the often swift waters
of the Restigouche to one of his wigwams, where
now stands the little church of which we have
read in previous pages of these notes. Now the
whistle of the locomotive echoes among the hills
and through the valleys, the white man plies his .
axe, Royalty dips its fishing-line in the waters,
and the geologist pokes his nose I mean his
hammer into the rocks.
A few days after my return to Ottawa I
received instructions to proceed to Sault Ste.
Marie, to examine and collect typical specimens
of the rocks of that locality, and along the coast
of Georgian Bay and part of the north coast of
Lake Huron.
139
REMINISCENCES
It was then, and is now, an important question
as to the exact geological horizon of the red sand-
stones, so largely displayed in the construction of
the Soo Locks. It is supposed that they belong
to the Potsdam formation, but the want of fossils
to confirm this question still remains, as my
researches revealecfnbthing which could definitely
be pronounced organic. It is recorded that one
fossil of a Potsdam type was found in some part
of these sandstones ; but as no one knows when,
where, or who collected it, I think we may con-
sider it doubtful. Still I think with Logan that
these sandstones are Potsdam, and that fossils
will be found to confirm this fact.
My short stay at the Soo was full of pleas-
ant incidents > most of which were due to Mr.
Cousins, a prominent Civil Engineer of that place.
But our pleasant moonlight boating parties
like all other good things, came too soon to an
end.
Leaving Sault Ste. Marie July 22nd, with two
half-breed Indians and a boat, a journey was
made down that beautiful stream called Garden
River the highway for ships passing through
the Soo Locks to Lake Superior. Returning to
Sault Ste Marie a few more days were spent in
the examination of the rocks of that vicinity,
after which, providing myself with a horse and
cart and an Indian guide, camp outfit and pro-
visions, a journey was then made by road to
140
AMONG THE ROCKS.
Echo Lake. All rock exposures were noted and
typical specimens collected.
Arriving at Echo Lake, I was cordially received
by those in charge of the copper mines property,
which is situated on the north side of the lake,
two or three miles from Lake George. The rocks
here are chloretic slates, quartzites, conglomerates,
&c. They belong to the Huronian series and
contain veins of yellow copper ore.
Although extensive preparations have been
made for mining and shipping the ore, I do not
think up to the present time any profit has been
derived from these mines.
A short distance from the mines at Limestone
Point, a stratified dolometic limestone occurs in
large quantities as on the banks of Garden River.
This limestone is well adapted for ornamental
purposes. The scenery in this vicinity is wild
and rugged ; it is a delightful spot for the sports-
man. A pike weighing fifteen pounds was taken
from the lake by my Indian guide. Returning
to Sault Ste. Marie, I engaged two half-breed
Indians and their boat and we started on a coast-
ing journey down St. Mary's River, part of Lake
George, along the north side of St. Joseph's Island,
where at Gravel Point I secured a large number
of fossils belonging to the Black River formation,
and finally arrived at the Bruce Mines on the
north side of Lake Huron, where at fifty fathoms
from the surface, in 1847-9, 400 tons of copper
141
REMINISCENCES
ore was raised. But the working of these mines
was discontinued many years ago.
At the time of my visit one oi the pioneers
if not the discoverer of these mines Col. Rankin
was engaged loading a barque with the quartz
debris from the stamp mills. He hoped to dis-
pose of this broken rock to a Boston firm who
were to use it for covering the walks of parks
and private residences. There were then many
thousands of tons of this material, but whether
Col. Rankin made a paying speculation of it or
not I do not know. Associated with these cop-
per-bearing rocks are great bands of jasper con-
glomerates, which form quite a feature in the
Huronian district. It is a beautiful rock, remark-
able for its bright red jasper pebbles. Masses of
detached pieces, some almost as large as a small
log cabin were seen in or near the village of the
Bruce mines. I shipped a large block of this con-
glomerate to the Survey, together with many
other specimens characteristic of the Huronian
formation, and on the 19th of August, returned
to Sault Ste Marie where I again engaged two
half breeds, and with a good boat, provisions,
&c. we started on a ten days' journey along the
North shore of Lake Huron.
It would be tedious to record all the incidents
and adventures we met with in this long journey,
most of which was made on foot with one man,
while the other followed slowly with our boat,
142
AMONG THE HOCKS
landing whenever signals were made for him to
do so. Some of our night camps were made on
the small islands near the shore. They are com-
posed of similar rocks to those of the coast, but
in many instances are smoothed by the waters of
the lake, affording a good opportunity to study
the stratification of the strata. On one of these
islands, composed of chloretic slate^ we found
although very much water worn, cavities made in
taking the rock out with rude instruments, for
(as my Indian guide said) making stone pipes.
Each of my men carried away pieces for this pur-
pose. They said this spot was known to their
forefathers, who journeyed many miles to obtain
this favorite " pipe stone."
Arriving at Thessalon Point we ascended the
river of that name for twenty miles or so, pass-
ing over many of the typical rocks of the
Huronian series. Returning we continued along
the coast arriving at Algoma Mills Sept. 2nd,
where my men were paid off. I saw them and
their boat safely on board the steamer bound for
Sault Ste. Marie, their home, and after spending
a day or two on the large exposures of rocks in
that vicinity, boarded the returning steamer for
Owen Sound, and thence by rail returned to
Ottawa which place I reached Sept. 6th, af cer a
journey not free from dangers, and geologically,
of less interest than any of the previous journeys
I had made. A few days after my return from
143
REMINISCENCES
the above lakes I was again in New Brunswick
working up palseontological evidence regarding
certain formations then under discussion.
Returning to Point Levis a few days were spent
among the Graptoletic rocks of the " Quebec
group," and on the 5th of October, I once more
settled down to my winter's work connected
with the Survey, which consisted, as usual, in
musuem work, mending and restoring a number
of fossil bones collected by Dr. G. M. Dawson
and Mr. R. G. McConnell. My microscopical
work consisted in preparing 300 sections of rocks
and fossils. A large number of specimens were
developed and prepared for study and for the
museum, and the remainder of my time was
spent in arranging for my next summer's field
work.
The duty assigned me for the summer of 1883,
was to make a geological examination of that
portion of the North-west lying between the
Cypress Hills, Manitoba, and the Rocky Mount-
ains in the vicinity of Kootenay, or Water ton
Lake, a distance of about 500 miles.
As Dr. G. M. Dawson now director of the
Survey accompanied by Mr. J. B. Tyrrell, also
of the Survey was about to make a Survey of a
portion of the North-west Territory this summer,
it was thought advisable that I should accom-
pany him as far as Fort McLeod, Alberta, near
the line of the fifth principal meridian.
144
AMONG THE ROCKS.
I left Ottawa, May 22nd, picked up my son G.
H. Weston, then a student at the Agricultural
College Guelph, Ont., who was to accompany me
as assistant and proceeded to Toronto, there to
wait the arrival of Dr. Dawson, who joined us a
few days later. We left Toronto, May 27th, and
started by rail via Hamilton, Chicago, St. Paul
&c., arriving at Winnipeg on the 30th, and Bran-
don the same evening, where we purchased part
of our travelling outfit and chartered a freight
car which for the remainder of our rail journey
became a home not only for our horses, waggons,
hay, &c., but for Dr. Dawson, Mr. Tyrrell, myself
and our assistants.
The construction of the Canadian Pacific
Railway was then in progress, and in the vicinity
where we were, the one train running on this
section consisted of construction cars and one
construction passenger car. We got our car
attached to this local train and started towards
Swift Current. The nrst town we struck, after
leaving Brandon was called Red Jacket. It con-
sisted of two large canvas tents, one a general
store, and a sign on the other stated that it was
" Red Jacket Hotel."
We reached Maple Creek June 9th, where we
found Mr. R. G. McConnell of the Survey,
camped a short distance from the Mounted
Police Station. This was the end of our railway
journey, and here we pitched our tents and com-
K 145
REMINISCENCES
pleted our arrangements for the journey across
the plains.
Long before the great Canada Pacific Railway
passed through that portion of the North-west
Territory known as the Assiniboine district,
Maple Creek./ was one of the principal Indian
posts. Here Crees, Assiniboines, Sarcees, Bloods,
Blackfoots and other tribes brought their furs
and other produce and traded with the white
men. Although most of the land of this district
is now owned by the white settlers it is still the
favorite camping ground of the aborigines.
A mile or so from our camp were congregated
a large number of Indians belonging to various
tribes. In their tepees, we were told, they were
preparing for their annual " Sun-dance."
Thinking t-his a favorable opportunity to get
a few good photographs we caused one of onr
vehicles to be hitched up, then Dr. Dawson and
I drove across the prairie towards the wigwams.
When within half a mile of this camping
ground we noticed that close to the tepees were
probably a hundred Indian ponies already brid-
led. A moment later, as many bucks in all their
war paint and feathers issued from their
tepees, hastily mounted their horses, formed a
line and started at full gallop in a direct line for
us. On they came till within a hundred paces
or so of us. For a moment I sat paralyzed,
expecting to be trampled under their horses'
146
AMONG THE ROCKS.
feet, but when within thirty or forty feet of us
they opened out in the centre allowing room for
us to pass, and with a rush and the Indian salu-
tation " How," they were soon far away. It
was a beautiful sight, one not soon forgotten.
Arriving at the Indian camp, Dr. Dawson
attempted to get a photograph of some of the
squaws and young Indians, but the moment we
got the camera up, away they scooted into their
tepees. However I seized the hand of an almost
nude youngster, and he and I form part of a
pretty picture (?)
Both inside and outside the general stores of
Maple Creek at this time, 1883, were favorite
lounging places for the Indians. Many of the
aborigines were quite picturesque looking, adher-
ing strictly to the Indian costumes of their
fathers, while others adopted any of the white
man's cast off clothing they could find. The
respect accorded an Indian appeared to depend
on how many ponies he possessed and his ability
to support himself without the aid of the white
man. In this district there appeared to be a
great many Indians who absolutely refused to
remain on the Government reserves, therefore
obliging themselves to pick up a precarious liv-
ing, one method being the collecting of buffalo
bones for which so much per hundred pounds
weight was given by men commissioned to receive
and ship them to various towns to be used in
147
REMINISCENCES
refining sugar, fertilizing, etc. It no doubt seems
hard to those who a few years ago hunted the
buffalo in all its wild grandeur to be gathering
and selling for the small sum of money or provi-
sions the bones which in their happy hunting
days they left to bleach on the plains.
By various signs I talked to an old Indian
whose photograph now adorns a wall in the
ethnological room of the geological museum of
the glorious days of the buffalo hunt could one
have photographed the various expressions of
this aged buck's face and the beautiful way he
illustrated by signs and gestures the buffalo
chase, and later the total extinction of this noble
monarch of the plains it would have been a
picture indeed.
We had completed our arrangements and pro-
posed leaving the following morning, June 6th.
Our horses, eight in number, two heavy waggons,
one buggy, and one buck-board were all arranged
round our tents. It was late when we left our
camp fires and tumbled in for the night. At 6
o'clock next morning Thompson one of Daw-
son's men reported that three of our horses
were missing. We had been warned by the
mounted police that Indians were stealing horses
in all directions. This made us anxious and
men were at once sent in various directions to
look them up. It was dusk in the evening when
my man Haultain returned with our horses,
148
AMONG THE EOCKS.
which he said he found among a number of
Indian ponies miles away. Dr. Dawson had
brought with him a branding iron, a broad arrow,
the government brand mark, and each horse was
at once branded. A sharp look out was kept
during the night and the following morning
after an early breakfast and a good-by to our
friends of Maple Creek we started on our journey
towards the Cypress Hills. Our mode of pro-
cedure was : Dr. Dawson and his assistant, Tyr-
rell, in a buggy, Johnson on horse back, who
chose the best road for our waggons, then followed
their supply waggons. Next came my equip-
ment waggon, and my son with a buck-board,
and lastly myself on horseback.
In five days we had reached and crossed a
portion of the Cypress Hill and were camped in
a valley about 150 miles from Fort McLeod.
The discovery this year, 1883, by Mr. R. G. Mc-
Connell of the Geological Survey, and later by
myself, of mammalian and other fossil remains,
had rendered the Cypress Hills' district a most
interesting localities for the geologist and osteo-
logist. But I shall speak of the rocks and fossils
of the hills and valleys of the Cypress Hills in
my notes of next summer's travels.
The 12th of June found us in the vicinity of
Pagon Creek on the Fort Walsh trail. Here we
gathered as many mushrooms as we wanted. The
scenery here is very fine. By compass we had
149
REMINISCENCES
travelled over hills and through valleys where
we had found both wood and water, but now we
are about to journey for a few days through a
district where wood is more scarce than the
"Prairie dog," Spermopoilus Ludovicianus, and
our men are filling every available space in the
waggons with food for our camp stoves.
As we travel these plains I can't help thinking
of the time not many years ago when vast
herds of buffalo followed each other, in single
file, along the narrow trails we so often cross,
which if we follow, we will surely come to
water. Then the Indian was perfectly inde-
pendent of the white man, for the buffalo fur-
nished him his clothing, his tents to live in, and
meat to eat. But all is changed now, bark and
dirty rags form their wigwams, and those who
will not remain on the reserves, furnished them
by government, must eke out a living as best
they can. The small cash treaty annuities (which
I think average from $3 to $25 according to age
and rank)is frequently spent the day it is received,
generally on a few luxuries for the buck, not for
his wife and children.
While passing through the beautiful valleys of
the Cypress Hills, and over the Sweet Grass Hills,
we followed the advice of the Mounted Police
and kept a sharp look out for Indian or other
horse thieves, by having our men take turns in
mounting guard during the night. The horses
150
AMONG THE ROCKS.
were picketed near our camps and each man, well
armed, took a two hours' watch.
Many mishaps incidental to travelling the
prairies were met with a break down while
crossing a soft -bottom stream, an axle-tree broken,
through a wheel dumping in a badger hole and
so on. But the beautiful scenery and the impor-
tant geological facts gleaned as we went along amply
repaid us for the cares of the day, and at night
when safely housed in our tents with the spoils
of our journey consisting sometimes of Indian
skulls, fossils, &c., new food for the osteologist
and palaeontologist, we felt that we had done
some little for our " Queen and country ". The
chief incidents of interest during the next few
days were the discoveries of small seams of coal
(lignite) ; rocks with beds of fossil oyster shells,
small herds of antelope ; water which when sep-
arated from thousands of small red insects by
straining through a handkerchief, was not so bad,
no wood and a scarcity of buffalo chips (dung)
for our camp stoves, a constant look out for red-
skin horse thieves, and many other things which
tended to impress this section of the Territories
on one's memory.
Passing through Verdigris Coulee and along
the margin of Suds Lake we arrived at Milk
River Ridge in the vicinity of which a remark-
able fossil fauna was found. It is probable that
fifty different species were obtained from a patch
151
KEMINISCENCES
of rocks a couple of yards square. We named
this spot Fossil Coulee. It can be found in Daw-
son's map of this district. This unique collection
together with all specimens obtained during our
long journey from Maple Creek, now lies at the
bottom of Lake Superior owing to the sinking of
the ship Glenfinlas. It is fourteen years since
this occurred, but I still mourn the loss of these
hard-earned specimens which were shipped by
bull-team from Fort McLeod to Maple Creek.
From the top of Milk Ridge we got our first
view of the Rocky Mountains. On the 25th, of
June we struck the Benton trail and saw one of
the interesting sights of prairie travel, a train of
twelve great schooner waggons divided into four
sections, each section having six teams of mules
It is worth a long ride to see one of these cara-
vans cross a soft-bottom stream, especially if any
of the harness breaks and the mules get mixed
up then one hears language which well I cer-
tainly should not like to have a member of the
fair sex with me at that time. The mule driver
is swift in overcoming difficulties, but though his
poor dumb companions may strain every nerve
to straighten things out again, they never go
unpunished for any mishap that may occur, and
at such a time it is well for the tenderfoot not to
interfere.
Passing Ed. Mahan's coulee we camped for the
night at tifteen mile lake, within a short distance
152
AMONG THE ROCKS.
of a small encampment of Blood Indians who
were not long in paying us a friendly visit,
shaking hands all round and saying " How "
We presented each with a slice of pork and while
Dr. Dawson was fixing his camera to get one of
his historical pictures I presented each one with
half a plug of black tobacco, but at the words " all
right, steady," from Dawson, off they went mak-
ing a bee-line for their wigwams.
June 27th, we reached Belly Valley through
which the swift and often turbid Belly River
courses. To our right are drift deposits forming
high steep bluffs under which are extensive beds
of coal which were being worked. The opposite
side of the river is Coal Banks, so named from
the coal deposits. The river here is said to be
437 feet wide ; the prairie level 300 feet above
the stream, and the scarped banks which pre-
sent beautiful sections of these stratified rocks
200 feet high. The rocks of the Coal Bank dis-
trict belong to that portion of the Cretaceous
formation known as Pierre shales, Belly River
series, &c., some portions of which are almost
destitute of fossils, while other beds are exceed-
ingly prolific in organic remains.
After days of travel over woodless plains,
it is exceedingly pleasant to strike a verdant
spot like Belly Valley where wood is plenti-
ful and the blossoms of the thousands of wild
roses perfume the air but, tread carefully,
153
REMINISCENCES
for the deadly rattlesnake lurks among the
plants.
One would have liked to linger many days in
this charming spot, but having secured some
baking powder, a few other luxuries, and two
or three good photographs, we crossed the stream
on the Coal Banks ferry for which service we
paid $4.75.
The following morning we left Coal Banks,
climbed the steep hill and were again on the
prairie level ; continuing our journey we passed
Rye Grass flat, of which I shall speak later on,
and camped for the night on the banks of the Old
Man River where a large number of Indians had
pitched their tepees, and appeared to be holding a
pow-wow.
The following morning, after a journey of
eight miles over an excellent trail, we arrived at
Fort McLeod, one of the important trading posts
of the Alberta district. Here all our precious
rocks and fossils which I have already stated
now lie at the bottom of Lake Superior were
repacked and left with J. G. Baker & Co. for
shipment by the first bull or mule train which
left for Maple Creek.
Lieut. Gov. Dewdney arrived at this time and
was given a good reception by the few white
men of the village and a dozen or so of Indian
bucks who came from well I don't know where,
but I do know that among them seated astride
154
AMONG THE ROCKS,
on an Indian pony was a fair(?) daughter of the
plains who cast sheep's eyes at our worthy Lieut.
Governor. " Nothing venture, nothing have "
was quoted by one of our men.
How shall I describe this place where dirt pre-
vaileth and righteousness enter eth not within
her gates well perhaps it is better to leave that
to a more prolific pen than mine.
Sunday, July 1st, and the two following days
we had a busy time getting horses shod, waggons
mended, laying in provisions, &e., preparatory to
our journey to Kootenay Lake, about 150 miles
west.
So far Dr. Dawson and his assistant Mr. J. B.
Tyrrell, had been our guides and companions,
but on July 3rd, they left us and started across
the plains in an opposite direction to the one we
had to take.
Any one who has travelled with Dr. G. M.
Dawson will I feel sure look back with pleasure
to their journey with that most courteous gentle-
man whose faculty for overcoming difficulties,
and great knowledge, has won him the high
position of Director of the Geological Survey of
Canada.
We watched the doctor's outfit till it was lost
in the distance and a few hours afterwards the
" Weston outfit " was heading for the Rocky
Mountains. It consisted of one heavy waggon
drawn by two fine strong chestnut horses
155
REMINISCENCES
" Baby, and Dick ;" a buck-board with a yellow
horse, " Buck," and my saddle-horse " Pink eye."
Haultain our driver and my son G. H. West/on,
camp equipment &c., for a journey of six or eight
hundred miles over the plains. As on these
journeys one's life often depends on one's horses,
it is not surprising that they are well looked
after and that their various peculiarities are
noted. Continuing our journey, sometimes by
trail and sometimes by compass, we reached
Pincher Creek, an important fossil locality,
July 9th.
After leaving Fort McLeod, we journeyed over
hills and through valleys, forded rivers and
creeks. The high cut banks of the rivers in this
locality often render it necessary to travel long
distances before a crossing can be found, and
then to cross these swift streams required a steady
head. On one occasion Haultain had got his
waggon safely over a broad swift river, and my
assistant George on his buck -board was anxiously
watching Buck's legs to see if they moved, but
turning for a second to see how I was getting
along, and seeing that my horse was turning
round, shouted, <l for God's sake let go your reins ;"
I did so, got a tight grip on the saddle, closed my
eyes, and in a few moments felt my horse
scramble out on the bank of the river ; the rush-
ing water had made me giddy and I was keep-
ing a tight rein on my horse, but the moment
156
AMONG THE ROCKS.
Pink Eye felt his head free he made for his com-
panions on the shore. Since this incident I have
often trusted to my horse, feeling sure his brute
instinct would overcome what to me were grave
difficulties. Halting for our noon meal about
fifty miles from Port McLeod we discovered that
one of our dunnage bags was missing. Haultain
was just about to return on our trail to look for
it when in the distance we saw four wild looking
Indians mounted on bare-backed ponies. One
horse carried our dunnage bag tightly lashed on
his back. The day was very hot, and for the
journey the Indians had divested themselves of
almost all their clothing displaying a good por-
tion of their forms. By a diagram drawn in the
sand they reported that the bag had been found
in one corner of the Indian reserve, and by signs
demanded $2 each. I showed them the govern-
ment brand on our horses ; we made them under-
stand that the bag was the property of the gov-
ernment and that fifty cents each was the price,
of the work they had done ; after a little parley
with each other they decided to accept our terms,
shook hands, said " How," mounted their horses
and at full gallop started back for the Blood
Indian Reserve.
Reaching Pincher Creek, July 9th, we pitched
our tents in a picturesque locality on the bank of
the creek, a mile west of the North West Mounted
Police farm. Near us were camped two families
157
REMINISCENCES
of West Percy Indians. The bucks were fine
strong dark skinned fellows who during our two
or three days' stay in this locality became very
friendly, especially a stout well formed youngster
who made his initial visit to our camp in a per-
fect state of nudity.
At Col. McLeod's house, a mile or so from our
camp, we found our mail from Ottawa. It had
been twenty-two days on the road, but was very
acceptable.
The geology of Pincher Creek is very interest-
ing, winding its way, as it does, through the Foot
Hills of the Rocky Mountains, the cut banks of
the creek afford an excellent opportunity to study
the various beds of rock which constitute the
Laramie or Eocene of Canada either the base of
the Tertiary or the upper beds of the Cretaceous.
Some of the rocks here are very prolific in fossils.
One cliff perhaps 200 feet high holds a thick bed
of limestone partly made up of well preserved
gasteropods and other shells. The beautiful
spiral shell Physa Copei described by Mr. Whit-
eaves in " Contributions to Canadian Palaeonto-
logy/' Vol. 1, Part 1, is very abundant. Some
of the shaly beds hold fossil plants. Red,
purple and grey clays overlie the fossiliferous
rocks.
We reached Mill Creek another important
fossil locality July 13th, while a big hail storm
prevailed. As at Pincher Creek, we succeeded in
158
AMONG THE ROCKS.
getting several good geological photographs of
these localities.
The rocks, which are well displayed here, form
a portion of the Upper Cretaceous formation.
They have been divided into Mill Creek and
Niobrara beds. The latter beds hold the well
known bivalve Inoceramus problematicus, and
the former beds, many beautiful shells, some of
which have been described by Mr. Whiteaves.
Among the fossil flora of this locality are sev-
eral species of ferns, and leaves of exogen plants.
Some of these have been described and figured
by Sir J. W. Dawson in Transactions of the Royal
Society of Canada.
The Mill Creek sandstones of this vicinity are
represented by high clitfs. In these we saw casts
of large trees relics of that epoch of this world's
history when great carnivorous reptiles peopled
a large portion of America a time when croco-
diles tilled the waters and swarmed over the
banks of rivers which now flow past the city of
Philadelphia.
Our three days' sojourn in Mill Creek val-
ley was a most pleasant one surrounded by
green pastures on which the finest cattle of the
North-west roam. We had good trout fishing at
the South Fork of the Old Man River ; a grand
view of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains ; civ-
ilization in the way of a blacksmith's forge, car-
penter shop, Gladstone's House, a boarding place,
159
REMIJNISCENCES
mill, white men, half breeds, Indians, and abund-
ant food for the mind of the geologist and
palaeontologist.
It was not without regret that on the 16th of
July, we pulled up stakes and continued our
journey towards Kootenay Lake.
Following the trail Canada's Governor General,
Lord Lome, travelled over in J882, and the
Kootenay River, after many difficulties fording
streams and creeks, in which a broken axle of our
waggon figured conspicuously, as it obliged two
of us to return to Mill Creek ; thence on horse-
back over rivers and hills to Garnet's farm where
Dr. Dawson had left a makeshift axle which his
men made from a stick of hard wood then carried
swung under his waggon. This my son George
brought down the hills, and over rivers and
creeks, on horseback no small task ; which it
gives me pleasure to record.
After a good night's rest at the creek, we
returned with our precious stick of maple and
some telegraph wire, to obtain which George and
I had driven eighty miles, and with a broken
shafted buckboard had twice forded the swift
waters of Kootenay River. But at last we were
again at the scene of our wrecked waggon, where
Haultain had been guarding our provisions from
prairie wolves and prowling Indians.
At daylight the following morning the wheels
of our waggon were firmly lashed on our ama-
160
AMONG THE ROCKS.
teur axle, a new shaft for our buck-board was
roughly made from a stick of cotton-wood cut in
a small bush miles away, and other repairs were
attended to. Our present difficulties being over,
we resumed our journey and in two days camped
in the vicinity of Kootenay Brown's shanty at
the south end of Waterton (Kootenay) Lake, a
magnificent sheet of water nestling at the foot of
grand, rugged, picturesque mountains, some of
which have an altitude of 4000 feet above the
lake.
I did not see any fish from the lake, but from
the home-made fishing tackle seen in Brown's
house I should fancy some of the largest fish
found in our Canadian Lakes inhabit these waters.
Brown appeared to be an educated American,
living with an Indian woman. Why he chose to
become a squatter in this lonely spot, he refused
to reveal to us. The heads and skins of the
grizzly bear, mountain sheep and other wild ani-
mals which adorned his humble dwelling proved
that he was no mean hunter.
With him as our guide I visited the " Cascade,"
a beautiful waterfall on the western shore of the
lake. Many of the characteristic rocks of the
mountains are well displayed here, and I hoped
to obtain fossils from some of the beds, but my
researches were fruitless.
The following day Brown was engaged to
accompany my son and me through a portion of
L 161
REMINISCENCES
the South Kootenay Pass a lovely valley through
which a small stream of water courses. It was
here while my horse was picking his way over a
rough trail at the foot of high cliffs that Brown
shouted " look out for the grizzly ". Looking
across the valley we saw a full grown grizzly
slowly piloting her cub down the side of a pine
clad mountain. Being unwilling to take any
risks with her ladyship I moved off as quickly as
possible, but Brown who was fully prepared for
any emergency begged me to allow him to follow
up his big game. When George and I were half
a mile or so away, we heard the report of his
rifle, but later on when he overtook us he repor-
ted that just as he fired his horse baulked, and as
the bear charged at him, and his horse not being
accustomed to that work, he thought it best to
retreat. He said however, that he should renew
the chase next day as he had an order for a
grizzly cub, and if he could despatch the mother
he could readily bag the young one.
The sun had set, when after a horse-back ride
of forty miles or so we returned to camp. We
had followed the narrow trail which for hundreds
of years had been traversed by the Kootenay and
other tribes of Indians when going to their buffalo
hunts.
The n agnificent ranges of snow capped moun-
tains the home of the mountain sheep and goat
which tower thousands of feet above the thickly
162
AMONG THE ROCKS.
forested sides of portions of the valley, the home
of the grizzly bear, render the Kootenay Pass a
most interesting spot for both the artist and the
sportsman.
In wishing us good -night, Brown said " Keep
up a good fire, boys, for there are more than two
grizzlies round these diggings."
The geological horizon of the Waterton (Koote-
nay) Lake rocks, owing to the absence of fossils,
has not been determined definitely, but in Dr.
Dawsoii's survey of this district, he divided them
into several zones Cambrian, Carboniferous,
Devonian, and probably Triassic.
Among the great variety of rocks which form
the magnificent elevations of the Waterton Lake
and South Kootenay Pass district one of which
reaches a height of 10,535 feet above the sea
are magnesian limestones, slates and shales,
quartzites, amygdaloidal traps, etc., rocks of
every tint ; bat fawn, bright red, yellowish and
brown colors predominate. Sheep Mountain, one
of the Kootenay Lake ranges which was measured
by Mr. R. G. McConnell, of the Survey, who has
done so much valuable exploration work in the
Northwest Territories, has an elevation of 1,955
feet above the lake. It is composed of sandstones
of various tints, red and green shales, jasper con-
glomerates, limestones, etc., some of the sand-
stones are ripple-marked. The south Kootenay
rocks represent a thickness of about 4,100 feet,
163
REMINISCENCES
but in all this series of strata no fossils have yet
been discovered.
Our geological work being finished, as far as
time would allow, in this district, we struck
camp July 25, and the following day forded the
Kootenay River. Heavy rain and the melting
of snow on the mountains had swollen the river
so much that crossing became difficult my horse
lost his footing and swam for it, landing half a
mile down the river. George thought Buck
towed his light vehicle over, Haultain's waggon
being heavy, did not float.
By July 27th, we were again at Fort McLeod,
where we got a new axle for our waggon and a
shaft for our buck -board.
While camped near the village waiting for re-
pairs to our outfit, etc., we saw a good bit of the
Indian life of this district. The Blood Indian
reserve being only a short distance away, Indians
were constantly travelling between the reserve
and the village. Although associating with the
white man, a great number of the Indians of this
district still adhere to the paint and feathers of
their forefathers. Many of the young Indian
women of this place appear to be as vain as
some of their white sisters in their adornments.
But this is a mounted police settlement!
From sunset till the small hours in the morn-
ing we heard the monotonous turn, turn, turn, on
the Indian drum, which seemed to accompany all
164
AMONG THE ROCKS.
gambling, the nightly pastime of the red man of
this village.
In the corner on the mud floor of one of the
Indian shacks lay a mother and her babe sleep-
ing, while close by squatted two " bucks " deep
in an Indian game of chance, One of the men
was stripped almost to his breech-cloth. He had
staked his blanket and lost; staked the few mis-
erable household possessions, and lost ; and still
the play went on, and the half clad Indian boy
sat in the corner and beat his turn, turn.
July 30th, we left Fort McLeod, and camped
for the night at Willow Creek, and the following
day reached Rye Grass Flat, Old Man River, a
locality of much geological interest. Here thick
beds of yellowish white limestone are crowded
with well preserved fossil bivalve shells, which
belong to the Lamellibranchiata family. Some
of these forms have been described and figured
by Mr. Whiteaves ; Contributions to Canadian
Palaeontology, Vol. 1, Part 1. These fossils which
are well represented in the cases of the Geologi-
cal Museum belong to the Laramie, which forms
the base of our Canadian Tertiary formation.
Leaving Rye Grass Flat so called from grass
of that name which is characteristic of this val-
ley, Aug. 3rd, we proceeded by compass across
the prairie level to Scabby Butte, where 'we
expected to camp for several days, but on our
165
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arrival we found the small lake of that locality
dried up, and after vain attempts to get water,
even enough to make a cup of tea, we decided to
hasten back to our old camping ground, the only
place for miles where we could get water.
A few days later we were again at Coal Banks,
following the banks of the Belly River. High
scarped yellowish sandstones form an interesting
feature of this locality. Besides holding many
important fossil shells, we found several bones of
a great Dinosaurian reptile, probably the Lee-
laps incrassalus (Cope). The prairie level here
is probably 200 feet above the river. In one or
more instances we found much difficulty in get-
ting our horses down to the water, and several
times had to carry water for camp use half a
mile or more up these steep banks.
Aug. 12th, we were following the banks on the
north side of the St. Mary River, which enters
the Belly River a few miles above Coal Banks.
It has its source in the mountains south of the
49th parallel, is exceedingly rapid, and passes
through a beautiful verdant valley, in places 200
or 300 feet below the prairie level.
The rocks which belong to the Upper Cretac-
eous and form a portion of the Pierre and Fox
Hill formations, contain many interesting fossils,
but as yet, considering the extent of these forma-
tions, very little has been done regarding the
palaeontology of these great exposures.
166
AMONG THE ROCKS.
I must pass over our wanderings for the next
few days and take the reader of these notes once
more to our old camping ground at Rye Grass
Flat, in the valley of Old Man River. We were
returning DO Fort McLeod and remained here to
pay another visit to Scabby Butte. It was the
15th of August. The water in all the rivers was
low and the ponds and swamps dried up. Fear-
ing we would again find the Scabby Butte district
destitute of water, I decided, with George, to
make the journey with one horse and a buck-
board. So with a large tin pail of water, for our
horse Buck, and a small keg of water for our-
selves slung under the buck-board, we started at
7.30 am., and following our old track reached
the Buttes in about three hours. Scabby Butte
is a remarkable place, reminding one of the exca-
vations of an ancient city. The sands, clays,
lignite shales, lignite coal, sandstone and other
rocks, have been scooped out, as it were, from
the prairie land, to a depth of fifty or sixty feet,
leaving portions of stratified rocks standing up
like the walls of a burned city. There is evi-
dence that at one time this was a great rendez-
vous and hiding place for Indians during their
buffalo hunts and probably during their time of
war. The geological horizon is Laramie, sup-
posed Lower Tertiary, or Eocene. Some of the
same fossil shells found at Rye Grass Flat, and
other localities mentioned, occur here, but the
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REMINISCENCES
chief interest of Scabby Butte lies in its fossil
bones. It was the home of the great Dinosaurian
reptiles.
. . . Monsters of the prime,
Who tare each other in their slime.
Mr. R G. McConnell, of whom I have several
times spoken, was the first to discover, in 1881,
fossil bones at this locality. In the year men-
tioned he dug from a soft sandstone cliff, a
femur or thigh bone of one of these extinct
kangaroo-like reptiles. This bone is about the
size of the thigh bone of a mastodon. It fell
to my lot to restore it, for it was in many frag-
ments.
Another interesting feature of Scabby Butte
is the fossil wood found in the sandstones and
other rocks. Many feet below the prairie level
we saw the stumps of exogenous trees trees
which grew in the silent ages of this world
silent but for the struggles of fierce reptiles,
whose sharp cutting teeth show that they were
flesh eating animals ; and for the sound of rest-
less waters which have left us as souvenirs ex-
amples of ripplemar kings. Here, too, these large
trees spread their branches over delicate ferns
and grasses which have left their impressions in
the sandstones and shales. The fossil wood of
this, and many other places in the North-west,
is of much palyeontological value when it is
found in place, as it grew. Being silicified these
168
AMONG THE ROCKS.
woods stone woods they are frequently called
retain their cellular structure. This enables the
palaeontologist to determine their species.
Sir J. W. Dawson has described in Trans, of
Royal Soc. of Canada, from sections made by the
writer, a number of these woods. They show
that the flora of those days contained, poplars,
pines, oaks, and other trees which grow at the
present time.
One of the specimens of fossil wood we
brought from Scabby Butte is about five feet
long and a foot wide. It shows it has been very
much flattened by the pressure of overlying beds,
rocks of great thickness which must have over-
lain the present beds and been denuded before
the time of the present prairie level.
The sun was getting low when Buck who
had refused to drink the water we had taken so
much trouble to carry for him was released
from his picket rope, and in a short time we
were retracing our trail over this trackless por-
tion of the prairies. The only animal life we
saw while on our Scabby Butte journey was a
small herd (six or eight) of antelope and some
blackbirds, one of which for a more elevated
position perched on Buck's head, and on this
perch Mr. blackbird got a free ride for several
miles flying off at times, then returning. But
this is not an unusual sight on the prairies. We
reached camp in the gloaming, where we found
169
REMINISCENCES
Haultain prepared to give us a good supper of
prairie chicken and pork.
Continuing our journey from Rye Grass Flat,
past Coal Banks and through a part of Chin
Coulee over a portion of the country where
long distances have to be made between drink-
able water we reached the South Saskatchewan
River, a little below the confluence of the Bow
and Belly Rivers, August 23rd. The valley here,
which is 250 feet deep, exposes a fine section of
Cretaceous rocks. Many of the beds are prolific
in fossils especially the genus Ostra. Some of
these oyster beds are very interesting as they
contain fragments of bones which probably be-
long to the Dinosaurian reptile, Lcelaps.
The current of the river here is swift, and the
water, which is beautifully clear, of an aqua-
marine color.
We pitched our camp on a flat a little below
the Forks of the Bow and Belly rivers. The
vegetation was chiefly wild sage, grass, and sun-
flower plants, which latter at this time where in
full bloom, looking from a distance, like a cloth
of gold. These plants formed an excellent covert
for prairie chickens which were quite numerous.
Before leaving this interesting but lonely spot,
George and I visited an Indian cairn a few
miles below the Forks of the Bow and Belly
rivers and while returning to camp in the even-
ing saw, on the opposite side of the banks
170
AMONG THE ROCKS.
of the river, a man on horseback, making signs
which indicated that he was lost and hungry.
We signalled him to follow the banks of the
river towards our camp, but he evidently did not
mean to lose sight of us for he dismounted and
at once commenced to lead his horse down the
250 feet of shelving rocks a feat one might
suppose only a goat could accomplish. We
watched them with almost abated breath expect-
ing every moment to see both horse and man roll
to the foot of the cliff. But no, they landed safe
at the water's edge where on a small grassy flat
the man picketed his horse and then followed
the stream keeping a sharp eye on us as we
followed the banks two or three hundred feet
above.
In due time we reached camp, but how to get
our man over a river too deep to wade and too
swift to swim we did not know, till Haultain said
he had seen up the river a roughly made weather-
beaten boat left there probably by surveyors,
years ago. This we decided to try and use, and
as there was no stick of wood we could employ
as a paddle down came our tent, and with the
poles for paddles, and partly stripped for any
emergency, George and Haultain started across
the stream, but before they were half over the
current almost swamped their leaky boat. How-
ever they landed safely, and with the lost and
hungry man, and a short slab of wood they had
171
REMINISCENCES
found where they landed, to assist, they crossed
the river again, landing a mile below our camp.
We found that our visitor was a butcher from
Medicine Hat, who had been hunting stray cat-
tle, and had been without food for three days.
Our supper, which was already waiting us, con-
sisted of boiled prairie chickens, pork, beans and
hard-tack biscuit, of which Mr. Butcher ate till
we were obliged to stop the supply as we feared
he might " overdo the thing " as Haultain said.
In a short time the stranger was fast asleep
and next morning after a good breakfast, and
with three days' provisions and a sketch of the
river he was to follow, he crossed the stream
again. The winding of the shore prevented us
from seeing where he landed or how his horse
and he succeeded in reaching the prairie level
again.
This man whose name was George Spindle
stated that within five miles of our camp Indians
were hunting buffalo and two days ago he had
seen more than one, and would have chased them
but for the want of cartridges for his rifle
which we supplied him with before he left us.
I am doubtful however about his having seen
buffalo, as we had seen no fresh tracks of them
on all our journey.
Leaving the Forks of the Bow and Belly
rivers we continued our journey along near the
top of the scarped banks of the South Saskatch-
172
AMONG THE ROCKS.
ewan which in places here is 100 feet wide and
runs through a valley 250 or 300 feet deep.
A prairie fire had lately swept over this
portion of the country leaving 15 or 20 miles of
land destitute of grass. We descended the banks
of the river when an opportunity afforded, and
while our horses fed, made our geological exami-
nations; always finding interesting palaeozoic
objects now the scale of a fish, which must
have been of great size ; now fragments of bone
belonging probably to our great Dinosaurian
reptile, now fossil shells belonging to the oyster
family, and in the shaly beds, fragments of
grasses and leaves relics of the Cretaceous
epoch of our world's history.
We reached Medicine Hat, Aug. 28th. " The
Hat " is one of the live prairie towns of the
Northwest an important station on the Cana-
dian Pacific Railway which crosses the South
Saskatchewan River a little below. At this
time (1883) most of the shops and dwellings
were of wood. Besides twenty or more merchants
there were two doctors, two barristers and
solicitors, four hotels, and several boarding
houses.
A large flat in front of the " town " afforded
an excellent camping ground for Indians whose
tepees numbered a hundred or so. While some of
the N itches as they are called here pick up a
precarious living, selling to the white man any
173
REMINISCENCES
fancy ornaments they may be able to make, a
few of the " gentle sex," with painted faces and
gaudy Indian attire, solicit favors from those
men who have no regard for either body or soul.
And a Salvation Army man stood at the cor-
ner of the street and beat his big drum.
Rattlesnakes must not be. uncommon in this
section of the country, for several of these deadly
reptiles were exhibited in the shop windows of
the town ; one was in a case outside the C.P.R-
ticket office. On a subsequent visit to this
vicinity I had the pleasure (?) of almost treading
on one of these creatures, and should have done
so, had his snakeship not saunded an alarm with
his rattles.
Many interesting memories are associated
with our short stay at Medicine Hat. Here we
packed and shipped several boxes of specimens
for study and for the museum. One of the
boxes contained a fine bleached skull and other
buffalo bones from one of the many " buffalo
graves " we had seen along our line of travel.
We had now completed our geological work, and
at 3 p.m. Aug. 29th, started on our last prairie
journey. We made 17 miles that evening before
camping for the night. Our horses seemed to
know that they were nearing their home, for
they were very restless all night. We were
greatly annoyed too by the howling or barking
of prairie wolves. With great care we kept our
174
AMONG THE ROCKS.
horses till early morning, when after our last
breakfast on the plains, we left for and arrived
at Maple Creek, which place we had left on the
8th of June.
During our almost three months of prairie camp
life I had ridden horseback many hundreds of miles
over the barren and fertile fields of our Canadian
North-west, chased the antelope and coyote, seen
that important institution of prairie ranches,
the cow-boy, in his dangerous and exciting work,
" rounding up," visited the Indians in their wig-
wam, etc., and what was more interesting to me,
secured many valuable specimens which have
found a resting place in the Geological Survey
museum of the Dominion. After storing part
of our camp ouifit and other government pro-
perty we left for Ottawa which place we reached
Sept. 10th.
175
CHAPTER IX.
TO SOUTH JOGGINS, N. S. PALAEONTOLOGY OF THE CAR-
BONIFEROUS ROCKS JOURNEY TO MANITOBA AND THE
NORTH WEST MAPLE CREEK AND THE CYPRESS HILLS
VERTEBRATE REMAIN'S A HERD OFWILDCATTLE BELLY
RIVER AND THE PRAIRIES SOME INDIANS SELKIRK AND
ITS ATTRACTIONS A PELICAN THE RED RIVER WIN-
NIPEG AND ITS MISCELLANEOUS STORES.
days after my long North-West trip, I
was on the road to the South Joggins, N. S.,
where I again worked along the coast gathering
new information regarding the palaeontology of
the Carboniferous rocks. I returned to Ottawa,
Oct. 5th, with many fine specimens. My explora-
tion expenses for this year, 1883, were $1321.46.
The winter of 1883-84 was as usual fully
occupied in office and museum work.
The preparation of " Contributions to Micro-
Palseontology " by A. H. Foord, artist and assist-
ant Palaeontologist to the Survey, required a great
number of micro-sections of fossil Polyozoa, or
Bryozoa. This interesting work took up a good
portion of my time, and the remainder was spent
in preparing fossils for study and for the cases of
the museum, writing labels, superintending the
mounting of specimens, &c. &c.
To defray my expenses during the summer
1884, I received from the director of the Geolog-
ical Survey of Canada a letter of credit for
$1,700.00 with instructions to proceed to Man-
176
AMONG THE ROCKS.
itoba and the North- West Territories to collect
fossils and obtain all the geological information
I could from the rocks of the Cypress Hills, and
from the deposits on a portion of the south shore
of Lake Winnipeg. *
As in other cases already mentioned I was to
give another young member of the staff his
initial exploration journey. This young student
in geology was James A. Macoun, son of the
veteran botanist of the Survey, Prof. Macoun,
M.A., F.L.S., F.R.S.C.
The little I knew of James Macoun led me to
believe he would make a most agreeable com-
panion. " What about Macoun?" said the chief
on our return to Ottawa ? '"Give me James
every time," was my^reply " he knows no fatigue,
and fears no danger."
With camp equipment which included a good
Winchester rifle, a Remington gun, fishing tackle
&c., we left Ottawa May 21st, and proceeded by
rail to Toronto and Owen Sound, thence by S. S.
Athabasca through a portion of Georgian Bay,
Lake Huron, and Lake Superior to Port Arthur.
The voyage over part of these two magnificent
lakes, and along a large portion of Georgian Bay
which together have an estimated length of
635 miles, and a breadth of 350 miles on one of
* Dr. G. M. Dawson the present Director of the Geological
Survey of Canada has kindly allowed me to make use of my field
note-books, for dates during the remainder of these Reminis-
cepces.
M 177
REMINISCENCES
the powerful and well equipped steamers of the
Canadian Pacific Railway, from Owen Sound to
Port Arthur, occupied from 8.30 p. m. May 22nd,
to 12 p. m. May 25th. While in Georgian Bay
we were detained some time by fog, and soon
after passing through Sault Ste. Marie locks into
Lake Superior, we passed through a large body
of field ice. The nights were cold, and while on
deck an overcoat felt comfortable. We had sev-
eral opportunities of seeing some of the extensive
fisheries of these great lakes, and of tasting
white fish and salmon trout just after being
taken from the water. The scenery en route is
in many places especially the range of various
colored cliffs along the south shore and Thunder
Cape very grand. The gold, copper and other
minerals taken from the rocks in this section of
Canada represent many millions of dollars, and
yet it is thought that vast mineral wealth remains
to be developed.
A motley group of people met our steamer at
the Port Arthur landing ; rough miners, Indians,
wrapped in their bright colored blankets, beaded
leggings and moccasins, the cow-boy with his
broad brimmed hat, leather trousers and brace
of revolvers stuck in his cartridge belt ; the
tourist with his photographing camera, and the
man shark, " seeking whom he may devour."
But we had little time to study this picturesque
group, fur ai'ter a hasty meal at the hotel we
178
AMONG THE ROCKS.
were soon in one of the handsome Pullman cars
bowling along towards Maple Creek, a distance
of about a thousand miles from Port Arthur
from which place, it will be ; remembered, we
started on our prairie journey in 1883.
Arriving at Maple Creek, May 29th, we found
the " town," which consisted of three stores, two
hotels and a few scattered dwellings in a state
of excitement over a white man who had been
killed by an Indian. This trouble, with the com-
forting remark that Indian horse thieves were
numerous over that part of the country we were
going to, made us feel a little anxious. To make
the journey at this time the people of the village
thought dangerous, and the sergeant in charge at
the mounted police fort kindly offered to give us
an escort, but we decided to risk the matter, and
at once set about getting our outfit in order. As
usual the J. G. Baker Company, who have stores
in all the principal North-west towns came to
our assistance, and in a short time we were pro-
vided with a waggon, buck board, four horses, two
half-breed Indians (cook and driver) and a month's
provisions. All being ready we left Maple Creek
at 12 noon, May 31st, and struck off for the
Cypress Hills, and our interesting fossil bone
locality, which I have already stated was dis-
covered by Mr. R G. McConnell of the Canadian
Geological Survey. We made 18 miles that day
and camped near a creek in close proximity to a
179
REMINISCENCES
large encampment of Blackfoot Indians who
were engaged in collecting buffalo bones to be
used for refining sugar and for fertilizing pur-
poses. Continuing our journey the following
morning, partly by trail and partly by compass,
we reached our field of research 48 miles from
Maple Creek, Sunday, June 2nd a great verdant
valley extending many miles in a north and south
direction. Here we pitched our camp within a
short distance of where the water flowed south
into the White Mud River and north into Swift
Current. From this main valley coulees branch
off at right angles and extend from a short dis-
tance to several miles till they are lost in the
prairies. In these coulees are found the best
escarpments of Miocene tertiary rocks; which
although several hundred feet in thickness are
seldom seen in vertical sections of more than fifty
feet. The sides of the coulees slope at various
angles up towards the table land, and are partly
covered with scrubby brush, grass and wild sage
(Artemwiacaiid), while in the bottom a stream
of clear water flows, and willow, pine and other
trees form a shelter for the antelope and other
smaller game.
The Miocene rocks of the Cypress Hills plateau
consist largely of gravel in which pebbles of
quartzite from half an inch to a foot in diameter
predominate. In all the overlying strata frag-
ments of fossil bones, either fish, reptile or mam-
180
AMONG THE ROCKS.
mal have been found, but it is in the agglomerate
bands that most of the vertebrate remains, now
in the Dominion Museum, were obtained. This
consists of (in places) a four- foot bed of yellowish
sandy limestone which when treated with hydro-
chloric acid leaves a residue of grains of quartz
and fragments of a variety of other rocks, angu-
lar and partly rounded pieces of rock similar to
the matrix. Occasionally pebbles of red, black
and other colored jaspers, banded quartzites,
chert and porphyry are found ; all derived from
the Lauren tian or Huronian mountains east of
these deposits, and transported during the glacial
epochs. In these rocks are entombed the remains
of an extinct Rhinoceros which Prof. Cope
named Menodus angustigenis. It is the largest
hoofed animal yet found in Canadian rocks. It
was our good fortune to discover, besides many
vertebrae, limb and other smaller bones, the
largest part of a cranium of this ponderous beast.
Some of the teeth are almost perfect great
sharp-edged cutting molars. The nasal bone is
ornamented with two horn cores.
SECTION OF MIOCENE TERTIARY ROCKS NEAB THE HEAD
WATERS OF SWIFT CURRENT.
a. Superficial and other deposits in which, in a bed of
yellowish- white silt 20 feet above the agglomerate beds
(6 of section), the teeth of an extinct deer, Leptomeryx
mammifer Cope, were found. 30 feet.
b. Agglomerate beds, containing rounded pebbles of
quartzite, jasper and chert. These are the beds from
which Menodus angustiqenis, M. Proutii, M. Americanus,
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REMINISCENCES
Hemipsalodon grandis, and other genera and species were
found. 4 to 20 feet.
c. Yellowish sand with a few pebbles of quartzite.
r 2".
d . Fine conglomerates in which a few fish remains were
found. 0' r.
e. Sand and thin beds of conglomerate. 5 feet.
/. Conglomerates in which a large bone was seen. 2
feet.
g. Sand and fine gravel. 2 feet.
h. Gravel, loose pebbles varying in size from half an
inch to a foot in diameter. 15 feet.
so' - ol'
'.r^^tC^M^^-.-a* &
- - "~^ ;. -r^m- t. C?
FROM TRAN. OF THE NOVA SCOTIA INST. OF SCIENCE, 1892-93.
182
AMONG THE ROCKS.
Another interesting specimen obtained is one
of the ranii of a large flesh-eating animal allied
to the hysena a portion of one of the canine
teeth of this powerful and ferocious animal
measures one and a half inch in diameter.
Then we found an almost perfect lower jaw of
an extinct wild boar, Mothxriwn arctatum. Cope
named this. Then we found a portion of the
jaw of an extinct horse, which could not have
been as large as a Newfoundland dog Ancliithe-
rium Westonii. Prof. Cope named this after
the discoverer and writer of these notes. As the
remains of our little horse were found in the
same beds with the remains of the great flesh-
eating animal, it makes one think he must have
had a tough time keeping clear of this savage
beast.
Among other specimens from this interesting
locality are the remains of extinct fishes, one
bone of which Cope named Amia Whiteavesian,
after the distinguished palaeontologist of the
Canadian Geological Survey. Then we saw arid
collected portions of large trunks of silicified
trees, the lines of growth of which showed that
they were exogenous and of great age. It is
singular that in all these fossil bone beds, not a
single specimen of a leaf or blade of grass was
found. There must have been leaves to these
trees, and if there were no grass or other vegeta-
tion, what did our little horse live on ? Another
183
REMINISCENCES
singular thing is, that in this vast body of Miocene
rocks only one cast of a shell was found, while
the formations above and below are crowded with
fossil shells.
By the numerous stone chippings and an
occasional perfect arrow-head, we found that the
pebbles of these Miocene rocks had been used by
the Indians in forming their implements and
weapons of war. A fine quartz arrow-head was
found in one of the cut banks, two feet below
the prairie level. How long did these two feet
of earth take to accumulate over this relic of
the red man ?
In rambling through the great valleys and
over the buttes of the Cypress Hills, one meets
with incidents not soon forgotten. Out of many
I could relate I must only mention one, for there
is still much to record before we get to the end of
our '84 travels.
Joe, my half-breed cook, and I were making a
journey in our buck-board along the great main
valley already mentioned, when on rounding a
butte which had obstructed our view, we came
face to face with a great herd of almost wild
cattle. They were directly in our path, filling
the space between the hills to our right, and the
stream to our left. Had we been on foot we
certainly would have been trampled to death.
For a moment only, Joe hesitated, then grabbing
a picket-line that lay at our feet, with tremen-
184
AMONG THE ROCKS.
dous shouts swung it around his head, while I at
the same time urged the horse on It was a
critical time, and to this day I can't think how
we got through this herd of cattle who had yet
to be subjugated by man.
Continuing south, we at last came to a place
in English " The old man lying on his back."
It was here during a war between two tribes of
Indians a red man finding one of his opponents
sleeping on his back, drove his tomahawk through
his skull. Near this locality we came to what
Joe was anxious to show me, viz : A butte, com-
posed but I will quote from my notes on con-
cretions, Transactions of the Nova Scotian
Institute of Science, Vol. IX., Session 1894-95.
" Another interesting concretion locality lies half
a mile west of White Mud River, near the Fort
Walsh trail in the Assiniboine district, N.W.T.,
the rocks belong to the Laramie formation. Here
a small butte was pointed out to me by my half-
breed Indian guide, who called the place gun-
shot butte, and said, a few years ago when he,
with others, hunted buffalo in that locality, they
sometimes when ammunition was scarce used
these balls in their guns and rifles. I found the
hill or butte to consist largely of calcareous sand,
which contained enormous quantities of spheroidal
concretions, varying in size from that of buck-
shot to an inch in diameter, the ordinary size
being that of rifle balls, etc." These curious forms
185
REMINISCENCES
can be seen in the cases of the Dominion Museum.
Near this spot we saw the remains of shacks
which had been used during the buffalo hunt.
" Ah ! " said Joe, " they was the good times, good
lot to eat and good lot of fun. But we must
get back to camp before the sun he go down."
So our horse's head, much to his satisfaction, was
turned towards Skull-bone coulee, so named be-
cause of the fossil skull we had found.
It is known to all who have travelled the
prairies with a small band of horses, how very
" chummy " they become ; so much so that if one
is taken away, it requires a strong picket to keep
the others from following ; and how sensible they
are to the approach of a companion ! One day I
sent Joe on horseback to bring me a specimen of
rock from a far distant cliff. The sun was set
and I was becoming anxious about their return,
when after a time one of our waggon horses
began whinnying. I looked in all directions,
but could see neither man nor horse, and it was
two minutes or more before Joe and his horse
appeared, making their way over the top of a
butte half a mile distant. How the horse recog-
nized the approach of his companion half a mile
away, and before he saw him, we shall never
know.
During our journey back to camp we saw
several Indian graves. Joe told me that some
years ago many half-breeds and Indians had
186
AMONG THE ROCKS
died in this valley of smallpox and were hastily
buried. The graves were covered with stones to
prevent the prairie wolf or coyote from getting
at the bodies, but one grave had been dug up
and the bones scattered around. I felt loath to
leave these great valleys and coulees of the
Cypress Hills where every day brought to light
some relic of days when the savage hyaena, the
bulky rhinoceros, our little horse and many
other long extinct creatures lived and were never
hunted by man. But we had spent all the time
we could afford, and with our precious specimens
and several excellent photographs of the rock
exposures, etc., we started on our return journey
to Maple Creek, which place we reached June
19th, and were soon busy repacking specimens
for shipment, settling accounts, photographing
typical Indians for the ethnological department
of the Survey Museum, preparing for our next
field of research, etc.
Maple Creek was a busy place just then
ranchers were in for supplies; cow-boys flirted
with dark-skinned Indian girls, and the red-
coated mounted police officers and men who had
driven in from " The Fort " for the mail, added
a warmth to the picture. But it was sad to see
the poor Indians toiling in with their rude carts
laden with buffalo bones. Thousands of tons of
these bones have been gathered by Indians from
the Cypress Hills district.
187
REMINISCENCES
And now, before starting on our journey down
the Red River, I must say a few words about
another very interesting fossil locality about fifty
miles east of Maple Creek, and a few miles from
Medicine Hat.
At 2.30 o'clock June 23rd, Mr. Macoun, Joe
and myself boarded a freight train on the C.P.R.
and started for Irvin Coule'e.
At a lonely part of the prairie called Walsh,
our train was delayed eight hours waiting for
right of way. The only building there, was a
log cabin put up for telegraph purposes. The
operator kindly gave us some supper, and then
we spread our blankets and tried to get to sleep,
but the constant ticking of the telegraph machine
and the knowledge that in a box a few feet from
me was a live rattlesnake, prevented me from
getting even the proverbial forty winks. This
was a lonely place for a man to live, but the
operator delighted in nature and the wild prairies
and spent much of his time with his rifle and dog.
The prairie wolf or coyote now in one of the
cases of the Geological Museum was shot by him,
and presented at my request to the Survey.
At 2.30 we boarded our train again and at 6
o'clock the same morning reached Irvin. The
only house here was the railway section- house, a
rough place with rough line-men, but we were
glad to get breakfast here, then to spread our
blankets on the floor and take a few hours sleep.
188
AMONG THE ROCKS.
Fortunately for us, a man with a yoke of oxen
was here from " The Hat " and we got him to
take our camp outfit two or three miles down
Irvin coulee, our next place of research.
We pitched our camp on the banks of Ross
Creek at the head of a verdant coulee near the
line of the C. P. Ry. A great portion of this dis-
trict is a sandy desert, with masses of soft sand-
stone interstratified with harder beds and in
places thin beds of lignite shales. By the action
of water these rocks have been worn into all sorts
of grotesque forms. See photo, p. 46, C. Geologi-
cal Survey Report for 1884. These rocks which
belong to the Belly River series already spoken
of contain fish and reptile remains. Mingled
with the bones of extinct turtle, on the water
washed sun-baked sands, we found many bony
enamelled plates, or scales of the Ganoid, and
teeth which may belong to the same fish. The
most important geological specimen found in
Irvin or Ross Coulee was the scapula of an ex-
tinct animal, probably a Dinosaurian. It was a
bone three feet long, eight or ten inches wide and
half an inch to one or two inches thick. I spent
six or eight hours uncovering this bone, and Mr.
Macoun walked sixteen miles to Medicine Hat
and back to get glue or some other material
with a view to preserving this specimen. It was
like most of these fossil bones, cracked in all
directions. Well, after all our trouble, while lift-
189
REMINISCENCES
ing it from its sandy bed, it fell into a thousand
fragments, and now lies at the bottom of one of
the great excavations in these soft sandstones.
Still I mourn the loss of this bone.
The fact that the coulee in which we were
camped was a favorite resort for prairie wolves,
rattlesnakes, and other animals, gave rise, as we
sat round our camp-fire to many wolf and snake
stories. One told by Joe, our cook, was that a
rattlesnake will never touch a pregnant woman.
Both half-breeds and Indians believe this. We
saw several wolves and one antelope in this cou-
le'e. In shooting at one of these, the end of my
rifle burst, the break only affected an inch at the
muzzle, and Joe was soon busy sawing this off
with the bread-knife. It took three hours to do
it, but it was accomplished as well as though we
had proper tools for the job. This rifle, which
hangs close to where I now write, reminds me of
an incident I may relate. While camped at Maple
Creek this summer a very fancy dressed Blood
Indian came along, a thick shock of hair stood
straight up from his forehead, the lower part was
colored green and the upper part red ; his dark
brown face was striped with red and yellow
paint; his bright colored blanket half covered
his almost nude body. Joe, at my request, inter-
viewed this dude, and found that in a few hours
he was to be married. I at once set up my
camera to get a picture for our ethnological room
190
AMONG THE ROCKS.
in the Survey Museum, but the moment Mr.
Indian saw the camera away he went. Joe
fetched him back, showed him a plug of tobacco
and gave him the rifle to shoot me if the " picture
maker " hurt him in any way. By these means
I succeeded in getting a good photo, of this bride-
groom elect, and also of Joe (who was almost as
dark-skinned as the Indian).
While Macoun and Joe had gone in search of a
vehicle no easy task in this locality I wandered
alone among the sandy buttes and clays of the
" bad lands " of this district. I had found, and
was bagging some small fossil bones, when a slight
noise caused me to look up, and there, fifty paces
away, was a large hungry looking wolf. It did
not appear to be the night-prowling coyote, but a
larger and darker colored species probably the
dusky wolf. For a moment I did not know what
to do, bub remembering what Joe had said, I gave
the biggest war-whoop this valley had perhaps
ever heard, and to my delight Mr. Wolf turned
and walked off. Towards evening my assistants
returned with an ox cart and driver. We camped
that night near the railway track close to Irvin
section- house. Here I paid off Joe and started
him on his road back to Maple Creek. He had
been a good man and I tried hard to persuade
him to accompany us oil the remainder of our
journey, but he would not go so far from
home.
191
REMINISCENCES
The following morning Mr. Macoun and I visi-
ted a very interesting locality, first noted by Mr.
McConnell of the Survey in 1883. In my notes
on Concretions found in Canadian Rocks Trans
of the Nova Scotian Inst. of Science, Vol. IX.,
1894-5 I remark as follows :
44 The largest concretions seen by the writer were found
in the Fox Hill and Pierre shales and clays of the North -
CONCRETIONS AT IRVIN COULEE, N.W.T.
West ; a very interesting exhibition of these giant forms
may be seen three miles north of Irvin station-house on
the Canadian Pacific Railway. Here huge boulder-like
spheroidal and ovoid concretions once held in the rocks,
but removed by denudation (probably in the Glacial epoch,
for Glacial striae are seen on some of the flat beds), stand
out in bold relief, resting on the flat and up-turned edges
of shale and sandstone ; and on the top of one of them,
about twenty feet high, an eagle had built its nest of
buffalo bones and the roots of the wild sage, for want of a
192
AMONG THE ROCKS.
more elevated situation, which does not occur in this
locality."
We found many interesting fossils here, among
which was Linyula, nitidu ; Protocarilia sub-
quadrata ; Liopistha, and other species new to
these rocks. Crystals of selenite (gypsum) are
scattered over the sands and clays of these bad
lands lands which till only a year ago, when our
great Pacific Railway wound its way across almost
trackless prairies were seldom traversed, and
then only by the red man and wild beasts, and
now in hundreds of places, where previous to
1883, the Indian pitched his wigwam and the
prairie wolf roamed, one sees fields of grain and
probably runs against a barbed wire fence.
We left Irvin July 1st, and the following
day drove from Medicine Hat to the Saskatch-
ewan coal mines (distant about eight miles). Mr.
Lawson the manager received us kindly, and we
remained at his house two days. This is a
remarkable place, with great coule'es and buttes,
which contain thick beds of lignite coal.
From some of the sandstone and iron -clay
stone we obtained many good fossils of both
plants and shells. One of the most interesting
fossil plants found here at a spot where Mr.
Lawson the day before killed a rattlesnake
has been described and figured by Sir J. W.
Dawson in Trans. Royal Soc. Canada 1885. Sir
William calls this pretty fossil leaf Brasenia
N 193
REMINISCENCES
antiqua, but by mistake gives Mr. Lawson credit
for its discovery. The geological formation here,
is Upper Cretaceous, part of the Belly River
series. The photographs we obtained of these
Coal mines, give a good idea of the country and
also of the Lignite beds. We returned to Medi-
cine Hat, July 4th, and spent several days
examining the rocks of that vicinity. We
reached Winnipeg July 14th, and the same day
we landed at East Selkirk on the banks of the
Red River 30 miles from Winnipeg. Here we
found lodging at a small but comfortable hotel.
The Village of Selkirk is about three miles dis-
tant from the bank of the Red River. The chief
attractions of the place then (1884) were the
quarries, where great loose pieces of limestone
are dug out of the clay and shale and sent to
-Winnipeg to be used in the construction of some
of the fine buildings of that city ; the arrival and
departure of C. P. Ry. trains, and the lime kilns.
The limestones of this locality and a good por-
tion of the Red River Valley belong to the
(Galena) Trenton and Black River formation.
They are whitish yellow in color and contain a
large fauna of fossils, many of which have been
figured and described by Mr. Whiteaves of the
Canadian Survey. The fossils obtained by the
writer and Mr. Macoun, and later by Mr.
Lawrence M. Lambe artist to the Geological
Survey whose beautiful drawings adorn the
194
AMONG THE ROCKS.
Reports form one of the important fossil
exhibits of the Dominion Museum.
It was several days before we could obtain a
boat and men, but at last we secured a good
stout sail-boat, one elderly Cree Indian who
had spent most of his life at the Hudson Bay
Post one half-breed, who owned the boat, and
one month's provisions. At 9.30 a.m. July 19th,
we left Selkirk Village and drifted down the Red
River a muddy stream with a strong current,
which in a few hours after passing through the
large and handsome city of Winnipeg, empties
its sediment-laden waters into Lake Winnipeg.
For some miles after leaving East Selkirk, the
banks of the river on each side are dotted with
small thatched cabins or cottages, and a few
larger and more pretentious houses. Most of
these dwellings belong to half-breed Indians,
some of whom have good farms and fine cattle.
After this, for miles before reaching the lake,
the land on either side of the river is low and
marshy, with a thick growth of rank grass, and
rushes growing to a height of five, ten, and even
eighteen feet. This swampy land appears to be
the home of wild birds, especially the bittern
and other members of the heron family. Camp-
ing ground is very scarce, and when found is
well like most Indian camping grounds.
We pitched our first camp on the shore of
Lake Winnipeg, July 21st. It would occupy
195
REMINISCENCES
too much space in these notes and perhaps
weary the reader to follow us from island to
island, and over long stretches of water and the
shores of this beautiful lake, so I will only relate
a few of the many incidents still fresh in my
memory.
Our second camp was made on Elk Island,
near the north shore and thirty or forty miles
from the mouth of the Red River. It is a pretty
island, three miles or so in length, well wooded
with birch, poplar, pine, &c. My men said the
lake was well stocked with fish, among which are
pike, cat-fish, sturgeon, whitefish, etc. I can
vouch for the cat-fish, for Macoun, by wading in
up to his waist and slinging a line and hook
baited with pork, brought out some very fine
specimens. I was surprised to find how different
fish, just taken from the lake, tasted from those
of our canals and lakes near cities.
Boulders of every description of Laurentian
rocks line part of the west shore. The bedded
rocks and the fossils they contain resemble
those of the Hudson River formation of Anti-
costi.
After spending a short time at Observation
Point, we sailed to Big Island, where the rocks
are pretty much the same as at Elk Island.
Among the few fossils obtained here was an
interesting specimen of Bryozoa, which has been
figured and described by E. 0. Ulrich, of the
196
AMONG THE ROCKS.
Geological Survey of Illinois, Contributions to
micro-palaeontology, Part II, 1889, as Diplotrypa
Westoni.
Our 5th canip was made on Deer Island Here
sandstone, green shale and limestone form a
ridge of cliffs twenty to sixty feet high some of
the shaly beds are characterized by fucoidal
markings which have been, perhaps, twenty feet
in length ; among other fossils observed here are
Orthoceras, of large dimensions ; Receptaculites,
which resemble the seed portion of large sun-
flowers one or two species of coral, and a few
other obscure forms.
Punk Island was the next locality visited. A
strong north-west wind drove us on this island,
very nearly wrecking our boat. The shore at
the east end is white sand, which would make 'a
good glass. This sand is characteristic of several
parts of the shores of this lake. There was little
to interest us here, and, while waiting for the
weather to clear, we amused ourselves with fish-
ing, several " gold eyes " and two fine cat-fish
were caught.
From Punk Island we crossed the lake to Big
Grindstone Point, on the south shore. Between
this and Washow Bay the shore is rugged with
shelving cliffs of sandstone and limestone rocks
similar to those of the islands already spoken of.
Our lake Winnipeg photographs which may
be seen at the Geological Survey Department,
197
REMINISCENCES
give an excellent idea of a portion of this beau-
tiful lake.
July 31st we crossed Washow Bay to Bull's
Head. While our two men went slowly on with
boat and equipment, Macoun and I walked many
miles along the shore, noting the various ex-
posures of rock, collecting fossils and other objects
in natural history.
Low ridges of broken cliffs occupy several miles
of the shore of this locality. Many interesting
fossils were found here in the vicinity of Dog's
Head, where our next camp was made. Here,
one evening while wandering alone along the shore
I captured with my hands a fine pelican. It ap-
peared to be resting after a long flight, and sleep-
ing ; when grabbed by the neck it fought bravely.
I shouted, and Macoun ran to my assistance. We
wanted this specimen for the museum, or we
should have given it its liberty. But how differ-
ent this fish-eating bird of the wilderness looks
in the glass case ! The following day (Sunday)
Macoun skinned and prepared the pelican while
I photographed the Hudson's Bay Post, of Dog's
Head a log cabin occupied by a half-breed
Indian, his wife and children. A portion of the
building appeared to be a stable for a number of
esquimaux and other dogs which were then lying
around the buildings. This H. B. Post was the
only building seen along the coast.
Near any H. B. Post one is sure to meet with
198
AMONG THE ROCKS.
Indians; such was the case here, two families,
representatives of the Bungo and Swampy Cree
tribes. Twelve members of" one family were
crowded under a poorly constructed bark wigwam.
It cost half a pound of tea to get a photo, of this
outfit. The other family said they were also
Bungo Indians, who I believe are an offshoot of
Swampy Crees. These descendants of once brave
races of red-skins appear to have discarded, or
perhaps for a few of the white man's luxuries
parted with all the gaudy trappings so dear to
their forefathers. With very few exceptions all
the Indians seen on the shores of Lake Winnipeg
were clothed in the cast-off garments of the white
man. One weather-beaten buck considered him-
self in full dress when he wore a battered stove-
pipe hat, which was probably made before the pre-
sent owner was born. Through my boatmen,
who spoke this old buck's language, I found he
was chief of one of the Swampy Cree tribes, and
had lately been married to a young squaw. One
of my most valued Indian stone pipes* was ob-
tained from this man for a plug of tobacco.
Many of these old chiefs although very poor
are proud and courteous in manner and always
find a way of returning, in some small way, any
gift or compliment paid them. After trading for
the stone pipe and a fine pike just fresh from the
lake, I invited the old man to tea with us. We
* See Toronto Hail and Empire, Feb. 2nd, 1898 Fig. 1.
199
REMINISCENCES
had canned beef, pancakes, &c., &c., for supper.
It was perhaps the feast of the old man's life ; he
went away with his hand on his stomach and
tears of gratitude in his eyes. Just before turn-
ing in for the night, we were surprised to see the
old man appear at our camp fire with a young
squaw his new wife. Speaking in his own
language, and with great courtesy, he present-
ed his bride to me ; I called our Indian cook
Basque to interpret arid found that the old chief
presented his wife to the white chief for the
remainder of the time he pitched his wigwam at
Dog's Head ! Through Basque I presented my
sincere thanks for the noble chief's kind offer,
which I could not accept as I had a white squaw
in the big city, and she would not like me to
take another into my wigwam. The old man
looked hurt and surprised, but a little tea to the
fair lady, and a slice of pork to the old man,
fixed matters up nicely, and they went away
into the darkness of the night.
Continuing our journey along the coast, we
reached Kinwow Bay, Aug. 8th. From this
beautiful spot we sailed to a small island a few
miles distant. This we found to be the most
interesting yet struck, so far as fossils are con-
cerned. Thousands of slabs of yellowish white
dolomitic limestone have been washed up from
the lake, many are much water-worn and bleach-
ed by the rain and sun till they look like big pan-
200
AMONG THE ROCKS.
cakes. These rocks, which are seen in place at
low water, dip at a slight angle towards the
north. During the few hours we were able to
remain on this little island, we collected many
fossils new to the Galena limestones of that
district ; in fact the rocks were so rich in organic
remains that, on being requested by the men to
name the island, I called it Bonus Island. From
this prolific spot of land and rock we crossed to
Cat Head. Here a large range of cliffs 60 to 70
feet high occupy the coast. Geologically they
are interesting rocks as they contain fossils not
found in this formation elsewhere. These cliffs
hold a great number of kidney shaped " chalk
balls" which give the face of the cliff the appear-
ance of having been bombarded. Some of these
forms have a nucleus of flint.
This is the end of our journey towards the
head of the lake. Since leaving the mouth of
the Red River we have covered about half the
length of this magnificent lake, which is about
270 miles long. While returning we encountered
several heavy storms and often had to run into
some sheltered spot.
Aug. 12th, we were again at Dog's head this
time to find a large number of Bungo or Swampy
Cree Indians assembling from all parts. They
were congregating to hold their " Dog Feast."
This accounted for the constant turn, turn of
the Indian drum, which we had heard, wafted
201
REMIiNISCENCES
over the waters of the lake from distant
shores.
The feast was to take place the following day,
on the opposite shore of the lake, which here is
perhaps only half a mile across so we de-
cided to stay and witness this feast of the white
dog.
After a great deal of formality, in which two
pounds of tobacco and a few other traps figured,
Chief Sac-a-chew-we-ass allowed the servant of
the great white chiefs at Ottawa to point the
nose of his camera over the top of the blanket
door of their sacred wigwam, which consisted of
a long shed-like tent, built of branches of trees,
and decorated with any scraps of bright colored
ribbons, rags, tin cans, etc., they could beg, bor-
row or steal. In the centre of this feast-wigwam
was a large iron pot, in which the white dog was
to be boiled. The occasion of this dog-feast
gathering was to initiate young Indian braves,
lads who were old enough to be instructed in the
art of Indian warfare. When part of the object
of our visit was accomplished, through an inter-
preter, we were politely requested to move off,
that the great Dog Feast might proceed. As we
pushed our boat from shore, the blanket door of
the wigwam was raised to admit twenty or thirty
Indian braves (?) who, with rattles made of
tomato and other fruit and meat cans containing
a few pebbles and fastened to the end of sticks,
202
AMONG THE ROCKS.
had been driving away any evil spirits lurking
around the ceremonial lodge.
August 17th. We had a splendid run from
Goose Island, where we had been weather-bound,
to Grassy Narrows. Here we shot several ducks,
and Macoun clubbed a pike three feet three
inches long. We had little or no provisions left,
so these edibles were very acceptable.
We pitched our twenty-first lake camp near
Willow Point, and the following day ran our
boat into the Red River and made our night
camp on a marshy spot of land, the right of
which we had to dispute with hundreds of frogs.
At 5.30 the following morning we found a
stiff head wind blowing down stream. Rowing
against wind and current was out of the ques-
tion, so the remainder of our boat journey was
made by tracking, and at 2 p.m., August 21st, we
reached the point at Selkirk we had left on the
19th of July.
Our grub had been poor and scanty for several
days, so on reaching the hotel all hands sat down
to a jolly dinner, after which Basque and our
skipper were paid off; the former proceeded at
once to get drunk, while the man of our little
craft who had brought us safely through storms
and sunshine slipped quietly down stream to-
wards his humble home on the north shore of
the great lake over which we had safely glided.
Late that night poor Basque was found under
203
REMINISCENCES
a hedge sleeping off the effects of too much fire-
water. The money I had paid him money
which would have furnished his family, who
dwelt in a wretched shack down the river, with
pork and flour enough for the winter was gone.
We spent two or three days collecting specimens
and visiting several historical spots on the banks
of the Red River. One of these was Fort Garry
renowned for the many attacks its walls had
withstood in the fierce warfare with savage
Indians. Another interesting spot was the Gun
homestead, where we found lodging for a day or
two. The Gun family date back to the early
settlement of half-breed Indians on the banks of
the Red River. Stone implements of war and
the chase are often plowed up on the banks of
this muddy stream. It was our good fortune to
find two fine stone mauls or hammers. Now
where the Indian prepared his flint arrow-heads
and weapons of war a church stands, and a bell
calls both Indian and white man to prayer.
August 30th, we were again in Winnipeg
(" Win " muddy and " Nipi " water) the largest
prairie city of Manitoba, over 760 feet above the
sea ; in 1871 a village with a population of 241
souls, which in thirteen years increased to 20,000.
Where thirty years ago the red man pitched
his bark wigwam, now stone churches, banks,
schools, factories, handsome dwellings and stores
stand.
204
AMONG THE ROCKS
At this time, 1884, cheap, hastily erected frame
buildings occupied a large portion of the town,
prominent among these were many " second-
hand " shops, where for a small portion of their
original value might be purchased guns, rifles,
revolvers, dagger-knives, fishing tackle, cartridge
and money belts, together with hundreds of other
articles which were to figure in the new life
their former owners were to pursue
But we must hasten to the locality where our
last geological examinations are to be made
Stony Mountain, which place we reached August
30th, Stony Mountain, that dreaded name to
all evildoers in Manitoba, for it is here, a few
miles from Winnipeg, on elevated ground, sur-
rounded by fertile prairie land, that the hand-
some Penitentiary is situated.
In the spacious vestibule of this building were
mounted specimens of buffalo and other denizens
of the surrounding country ; the walls were hung
with Indian trophies of war and the chase.
Mr. Bedson, warden of the institution, received
us kindly, and after dinner detailed one of his
men to show us his fine herd of buffalo, which,
with the exception of having only a limited
range of their native prairie to roam, are in a
state of nature. Two prairie wolves, a badger,
a bald headed eagle, and other live stock served
to amuse those prisoners who were allowed to
leave the jail walls.
205
REMINISCENCES
The fossils found in the white limestones of
Stony Mountain indicate that the geological
horizon here is higher than that of East Selkirk
and Lake Winnipeg. Our fortunate discovery
of Beatricea ungulata, a fossil (?) which is char-
acteristic of the Hudson River formation of An-
ticosti arid Rabbit Island L. S., seems to leave no
doubt about the formation.
In digging a well to supply the Penitentiary
with water a thick bed of purplish colored argil-
laceous limestone was cut through. This bed is
crowded with organic remains corals, bryozoa,
brachiopoda, gasteropoda and other genera are
abundantly represented in these rocks, which, but
for the excavation made for water, might have
remained unknown. Apart from my study of
the rocks, bugology occupied a good portion of
two nights. Caesar's ghost ! when I think of
those two nights, and yet our hostess expressed
no surprise when shown how many boarders
occupied one bed.
And now our geological work in Manitoba is
over for this season and we are homeward bound.
During our explorations my companion, James
Macoun has, whenever an opportunity presented,
pursued his favorite study botany, and returns to
Ottawa with an important addition to his father's
already large collection of Manitoba plants.
At Barkley a small way station between
Winnipeg and Port Arthur owing to a big
206
AMONG THE ROCKS.
wash-out, our train was delayed thirty-six hours.
Alex. Mackenzie, M.R, ex-Premier of Canada,
and wife were passengers on this train. The old
gentleman asked, and I answered, many ques-
tions regarding the working of the Geological
Survey.
At Port Arthur we found a number of mem-
bers of the British Association, who, with the
Director of the Canadian Geological Survey, were
taking a run through a portion of our great
North-west.
Another voyage over the waters of Lake
Superior, Lake Huron and Georgian Bay to
Owen Sound, a railway journey of two hundred
miles or so and we were again, on the 6th of
September in Ottawa.
207
CHAPTER X.
EXCAVATIONS AT QUEBEC EOZOON AGAIN A COLLECTION
OF MAMMALIAN REMAINS WORK ON THE QUEBEC
GROUP THE BLACK LIMESTONES OP QUEBEC SUP-
POSED COAL DEPOSITS EVADING THE SCOTT ACT
WITH MR. FLETCHER TO CAPE BRETON ARISAIG,
N.S. THE COAL MINES OF SYDNEY.
^EPTEMBER 17th. Having heard that some
*** obscure fossils had been found in the rocks
then being taken out of the excavations of the
Drill Hall on the Cove Fields, Quebec, I lost no
time in reaching that locality, and was rewarded
by adding to our exceedingly scanty knowledge
of the fauna of the Quebec City rocks. Among
the interesting collection of Graptolites made
were several forms new to this portion of the
Quebec group I shall take this opportunity of
recording that in all the researches made in these
city rocks, not one typical Lie" vis fossil has been
found, such as Phyllograptus typus, Hall. Leav-
ing Quebec City rocks, a short time was again
spent among the graptolitic shales of Point
LeVis, and again, as is always the case in these
remarkably prolific rocks, many interesting ad-
ditions were made to our already large collection
of graptolites. Some of these forms show fea-
tures not known to Prof. Hall when he wrote
his important Monograph, Decade II, 1865,
208
AMONG THE ROCKS.
" Graptolites of the Quebec Group," written
for the Geological Survey of Canada.
This was the year of the discovery of that
interesting graptolite Tetragraptus approxi-
matus.
It seems strange that this species, which is
common in some beds of the Levis shales, should
not have been known at the time Hall wrote the
above report. My last official journey of 1884
was made Oct. 2nd, to Cote St. Pierre to obtain
a new supply of specimens of the supposed fossil
Eozoon of which I have already spoken. Another
fine collection was made from the locality where
Sir J. W. Dawson and I collected in 1874.
Mr. Larique, a farmer, occupant of the small
house figured by Dawson in his sketch of the
Cote St. Pierre Eozoon locality " Dawn of Life,"
p. 22 drove me to Papineauville. Here at the
railway station I met two English geologists who
had been in search of Eozoon and " the man with
the hammer." These gentlemen Dr. James
Murray and G. H. Parke had been told in
Ottawa that I was in the Eozoon locality, so they
hunted both Eozoon and the man with the ham-
mer. The} 7 discovered the latter just as he was
about to start for home, but their precious collec-
tion of " Eozoon " did not happen to have a single
representative of this distinguished "Laurentian
fossil." I gave them several specimens from my
collection, and they went away happy.
o 209
REMINISCENCES
Although so few geologists now believe in
Eozoon being organic, Sir William Dawson, who,
by the way, a few weeks ago, celebrated his golden
wedding is still as firm a believer in Eozoon as
he was when he wrote his " Dawn of Life." At
this time (April '97) I believe his last efforts in
behalf of Eozoon are going through the press.
During the winter of 1884-85 many duties
connected with the museum and the restoration
of specimens for study and exhibition fell to my
lot. The first of these was the removal and re-
arrangement of the ethnological collection from
the upper to the middle flat. This being ac-
complished, the somewhat tedious task of restor-
ing, labelling, etc., the large collection of mam-
malian fossil bones, collected by Dr. Dawson,
Mr. McConnell and myself from the Miocene
rocks of the Cypress Hills, N.W.T., was under-
taken. There being no osteologist connected
with the Canadian Geological Survey, it was de-
cided that this, or a portion of this collection
should be placed in the hands of Professor E. D.
Cope, of Philadelphia, the renowned professor of
comparative anatomy, etc., etc., etc. Having
arranged this large collection of Miocene fossils
for inspection, the Professor was invited to come
to Ottawa and select such specimens as he
thought worthy of description and illustration.
Prof. Cope came, made his selection, and they
were shipped to his rooms in Philadelphia. The
210
AMONG THE ROCKS.
result of Professor Cope's studies of this collec-
tion can be seen in " Contributions to Canadian
Palaeontology/' Vdi. Ill (Quarto), 1891. Later
on I shall speak of Prof. Cope again, but there is
an incident I must record here.
Yesterday, April 15th, 1897, while writing the
above lines, and while my thoughts were wan-
dering to Prof. Cope's work-rooms, 2102 Pine
Street, Philadelphia, where another large collec-
tion of fossil bones belonging to the Geological
Survey of Canada chiefly of my collecting
were being studied, I received the Philadelphia
"Evening Bulletin" for April 12th, 1897, in which
the death of Prof. Cope was announced. I need
not say what a shock this was to me, After two
weeks' sickness, this great scientist was cut down
in the midst of his geological labors. And now
shall I have to go to the Quaker City and see to
the returning of our specimens ?
The remainder of the winter and till June 2nd
was spent in over-hauling all the Carboniferous
fossils in the museum. Many of these were
developed, relabelled, etc., and several weeks at
microscopic work completed the indoor duties
for 1884.
The short time allotted me for field work
during the summer of 1885 was spent on the
rocks of the " Quebec Group." The want of
fossils to determine the geological horizon of the
Quebec City, and a large portion of the Eastern
211
REMINISCENCES
Township rocks, was the cause of my researches
this summer. As the following notes will show,
Dr. Selwyn, director of the Geological Survey,
was much interested in this "Quebec Group"
work, and joined me several times for the pur-
pose of studying the stratigraphical structure of
this formation. Arriving at Quebec June 23rd,
I found our chief awaiting me at the St. Louis
Hotel. Together we carefully went over the
rocks of the " Cove Fields " (already mentioned).
I was then left alone to examine the rocks of the
city, and here I must record one of the most
interesting fossil discoveries made in the shales
and limestones of this place.
It seems but why, no one knows till this
time to have been taken for granted that with
the exception of two or three species of grapto-
lites found last year in the " Cove Field " beds,
a few fragments of crinoiclal columns and plates,
and two species of Bryozoa, discovered by the
writer during Logan's connection with the Survey,
that these city rocks were destitute of fossil
remains. The result of these discoveries and
those of the last three or four subsequent years
has proved that the limestones, shales and con-
glomerates of Quebec City hold many interest-
ing organic remains ; in fact, a large fauna of
both graptolites and other genera, among which
those found this year 1885 deserve special
mention. I refer chiefly to the discovery in the
AMONG THE ROCKS.
rocks near the back of St. John's St., or Mont-
calm Market. Here I found the black shales and
limestones to contain numerous small bivalve
shells belonging to the Lingula family, also a
great number of minute Crustaceans belonging to
the Trilobite family. Specimens of the latter
fossils were forwarded te Mr. Ford, of Troy,
N.Y., who was then engaged in the study of the
trilobites of the primordial formation. Ford's
interesting report on this collection can be found
in " Transactions N. Y. Academy of Science,"
vol. 7, 1897.
On June 25th, Dr. Selwyn again joined me
in the study of the black limestones of the city,
more particularly those of the quarry near to
St. Patrick's Street, where this rock has been
largely quarried for making hydraulic cement.
They are the characteristic limestones of the city,
and a portion of the north-west end of the island
of Orleans, and contain one or two species of
graptolites which occur abundantlyin the Hudson
River formation. On June 27th, the well-known
surgeon, Dr. Ahem, of Quebec, accompanied me
to Point Levis, where the previous year he had
discovered, near Fort No. 2, fine specimens of
the typical bivalve shell, Lingula Quebecensis.
A few good specimens were obtained, but I had
to leave further researches for some other time,
which at present has not come. Dr. Ahern has
frequently done the Geological Survey good
213
REMINISCENCES
service, and to this day remains one of my most
esteemed friends.
On July 1st, Dr. Selwyn again joined me, and
together we examined some miles of the rocks on
the south side of the island of Orleans. Two or
three days were then spent between the east and
west end of the island, on the north shore.
Our present visit afforded us a good oppor-
tunity of visiting the so-called coal deposits,
which were then being so much talked of. We
found the locality, but as usual these " coal beds "
turned out to be a deposit of black shale, owing
its blackness, in part, to being very much slicken-
sided caused by two beds of rock rubbing to-
gether and to thin veins of Anthraxolite, a meta-
morphosed or hardened bitumen, a mineral found
in thin seams in the various formations of the
" Quebec Group." I think I have mentioned
before that the rocks of the island of Orleans are
many thousands of feet below the coal beds of
Nova Scotia, and were deposited many thousands
of years before any coal deposits we know of.
The following incident relates to the first out-
cry I heard of coal on the island of Orleans.
Somewhere near the year 1868, one or more
gentlemen waited on Sir William Logan and
informed him that a deposit of coal had been
found in the rocks of the island of Orleans, and
requested that he would accompany them and
make a report on this discovery. " Fiddle-de-
214
AMONG THE ROCKS.
dee !" said Sir William ; " the rocks of the island
of Orleans are thousands of feet below the car-
boniferous rocks, and we have no coal in Canada."
"But, Sir," replied one of these men, taking some
lumps of coal from his pocket, "here are specimens
from our coal beds." " Yes," replied Sir William,
" these are good samples of Newcastle coal." The
men were persistent, however, that they had a
valuable coal deposit, and at last Sir William
consented to visit these mines. A careful investi-
gation of the locality resulted in the discovery
that many years ago a blacksmith's forge had
stood on this spot, and later on a rock slide had
buried the blacksmith's forge and the coal which
constituted this valuable coal mine.
In 1846, Sir William was called on to inspect
some " coal deposits " in the vicinity of Baie St.
Paul, below Quebec. Here with the exception
of a patch of Trenton rocks the formation is
Laurentian. The upshot of Sir William's re-
searches here resulted in the discovery that im-
ported coal had been carefully " packed " to
deceive the inhabitants.
Other similar incidents might be related with
regard to the discovery of coal in the Province of
Quebec, but the above will serve to show that at
present no true coal has been found in beds
lower than the Carboniferous formation, which
formation is not represented there so far as we
know. Our nearest coal deposits are in Nova
215
REMINISCENCES
Scotia. Continuing our journey eastwards from
the " coal mine " partly by buggy and partly on
foot along the margin of the island, we were soon
opposite the magnificent Falls of Montmorency,
which are said to be nearly a hundred feet
higher than those of Niagara. Here the foamy
waters leap 250 feet over the face of rugged
rocks. A view of the falls from Orleans island
is worth going a long distance to see ; but the
grandeur of this mighty body of water rushing
from its summit to the valley below can be seen
to its best advantage only at the foot ot the fall,
where if one is so inclined he can in a few
moments get drenched to the skin in the icy
spray which rises like a cloud from where the
fleecy waters bury themselves beneath the waters
of the river. Some years after the time of which
I am writing, while making a typical collection
of the rocks of the falls, I experienced what it
was to get a bath from this icy spray. Perhaps
it was the exertion of climbing the 400 steps to
the top of the cliff that counteracted the chill
received.
Taking to our buggy again, we continued east
along a road dotted with farms owned by French
habitants, descendants of the early French sett-
lers of the island. The numerous wild plum
trees and vines of this island perhaps account
for Jacques Cartier calling it the " Isle of
Bacchus."
216
AMONG THE ROCKS.
Arriving at St. Famille a thoroughly French
village " as old as the hills " on Saturday after-
noon, the doctor decided we had better remain
there till Sunday, so our driver, a French Cana-
dian, interviewed the only people who kept
boarders, and after a considerable amount of talk
we were at last quartered till the following morn-
ing. After a sumptuous dinner of pork and
beans my good chief who never lost an hour
working time unless his strength gave out pro-
posed that we should descend the banks to the
shore and proceed towards the east end of the
island. The shades of night were falling when
after a four hours* geological tramp we returned
to our French Canadian boarding-house, where
no one seemed to speak English. We were both
a little played out and I proposed taking a little
stimulant, if it could be got in a village where
the " Scott Act " was in full force. Hunting up
our landlord, and taking him to one side, I placed
my hand on my stomach and said : " Monsieur,
mon ami et moi bien fatigue's, nous-avons mal-dau
coeur, avez-nous du quoi, du whiskey ou du
brandy." The old man gazed in a frightened way
around the room, then with one finger up to his
nose to enjoin silence locked the front door. Dr.
S. and I were then taken into a back room, the
door of which was also locked ; then the old man
unlocked a quaint old-fashioned corner cupboard
and produced a bottle of gin ; well, we had our
217
REMINISCENCES
drink, but while taking it I felt like a thief and
was glad when the doors were unlocked and open
once more.
At 8 o'clock the following morning (Sunday),
we were in our buggy again and crossing to the
south side of the island. The geological section
presented along the south shore of this pretty
island, affords an excellent opportunity of study-
ing a number of the characteristic rocks of the
" Quebec group."
Towards evening we reached the west end of
the island and again took up our quarters for
the night in our friend Lizotte's comfortable
hotel long since destroyed by fire, but restored
again on a much more extensive plan by the
enterprising owner who, like our friend Gee, of
whom I shall speak later on, has sheltered and
fed many members of the geological staff, and to
whom so many of the improvements of the west
end of this pretty island were due.
July 6th. We crossed over to St. Joseph de
Levis where the government graving dock was in
course of construction. It is a structure 484 feet
long and 100 feet wide. This great work has
long been completed, and I have there often
walked under the keels of our large ocean steam-
ships. In excavating for this great dry -dock
many interesting beds of the LeVis rocks were
exposed. One large block of conglomerate taken
out we thought worth having cut into slabs for
218
AMONG THE ROCKS.
the museum, and it was shipped for that pur-
pose.
From St Joseph we took the I.C.R. track to
Point L6 vis, stopping every little way to examine
rock -cuttings, some of which yielded many fossils
new to the " Quebec Group." We returned to
Ottawa that evening, July 6th.
Part of the months of July and August were
spent in the Eastern Townships examining the
rock exposures near Richmond on the St. Francis
River and Hereford, where I crossed the boundary
line into the State of New Hampshire.
The first indication I got that I was in Uncle
Sam's domains was a cemetery with most of the
graves decorated with small American flags,
flowers and children's toys. It looked strange
to us to see all these little Yankee flags stuck
into the graves, but since then I have seen many
American burying-grounds, and find the people
of the United States pay much attention to the
decoration of graves.
The absence of fossils in the great stretch of
rocks examined rendered this my last official
journey of 1885 monotonous; still it was pleasant
to travel along the banks of the picturesque St.
Francis River, almost every foot of which was
known to my driver, who was our old friend
Gee, whose house at Melbourne had for months,
sheltered our greatly respected late chief Sir
William Logan, Richardson, Webster, myself and
219
REMINISCENCES
other members of the Geological Survey staff.
Poor Gee! Incidents relating to his " historical
house " crowd thickly on my memory. Many
pages might be written about the " Gee home-
stead," where Logan spent his last working
days. Gee was never more happy than when
driving his renowned guest, Sir William, to and
from his field work in distant localities. All
of the old members of the staff of those days
excepting Dr. Bell, who is still actively en-
gaged in field work for the Survey, and my-
self (at my own request I was superannuated
in 1894) are gone to rest. Logan, Murray,
Billings, Richardson, Barlow, Hunt, and many
others, who, though not members of the staff,
took an active part in the Survey work. Last
of these (to the present time, 1897) I must men-
tion our old friend Gee. of whom I have been
speaking. Poor Gee, who fed us on the fat of
the land (?) and delighted in piloting us to some
new discovery he had made of serpentine, slate
or other minerals. I believe this geological ex-
cursion of 1885 was the last Gee ever assisted in.
But even though all these late members of the
staff' have passed away, the geological work as
the reports of the Survey will show still goes
on, being diligently pursued by Dr. R. W. Ells
and other members of the staff.
As usual, the winter months of 1885-86 were
occupied in office and museum work. During
220
AMONG THE ROCKS,
this season in conjunction with Mr. (now Dr.) Ami,
many improvements were made in classifying,
arranging and labelling specimens, preparing
samples of gold and Eozoon for the Colonial and
Indian Exhibition.
My geological excursions of 1886 commenced
early in July, when I joined Mr. Hugh Fletcher,
B.A., one of the Survey's most energetic field
geologists. The geological work accomplished
by Mr. Fletcher in Nova Scotia and Cape Breton
will remain forever a monument to his energy
and perseverance. It was to assist this gentle-
man in researches for fossils to determine by
palaeontological evidence the geological horizon
of certain rocks, that I joined him. To be with
Mr. Fletcher while he is pursuing his field work
is a geological feast. This, with the beautiful
country through which we travelled, was refresh-
ing indeed after spending weeks on the non-fos-
siliferous rocks of Lake Huron and the Georgian
Bay. With Mr. Fletcher I drove and walked
through a good portion of Antigonish, gleaning
from the rocks much evidence of their past his-
tory. About ten days were spent examining the
various rock exposures in the vicinity of beauti-
ful Lochaber Lake, near the shore of which we
boarded with a charming family, who, after the
day's duties were over, gathered around the piano
or organ and sang the good old melodies of long
ago. A game of euchre with the old folks, or a
221
REMINISCENCES
sail on the lake usually ended the days days all
too short for both work and pleasure.
From Lochaber Mr. Fletcher and I journeyed
to Arisaig, N. S., which place we reached July
20th. Since my first visit to this locality in 1869
many changes had taken place. The tedious
buggy drive of 30 miles from New Glasgow is
now accomplished in a short time by rail.
Changes, too, had occurred in my old friend
Joseph McDonald's homestead; marriages, deaths,
departures to fields more promising than this
rough sea coast and the scanty livelihood to be
got from these rocky lands. But " The sea rolled
on as it rolled before," and here, as we travel
under the sea-splashed cliffs, we see no change
and decay. I have spoken of the geology of the
Arisaig rocks before, and shall only mention here
that many new fossil forms were added to our
already large collection.
Aug. 8th Mr. J A. Robert one of Mr Fletcher's
assistants joined me, and together we proceeded
to Cape Breton to examine some of the Cambro
Silurian rocks of that region. Railway, stage
and steamboat carried us to North Sydney, where
I had an interesting chat with Mr. Richard
Brown, manager of the Sydney coal mines. To
this gentleman the Survey is indebted for many
beautiful Carboniferous coal plants.
Leaving Sydney we drove to George River,
Bras d'or Bay, where, in the vicinity of Mr.
222
AMONG THE ROCKS.
McFee's farm, we discovered beds of limestone
holding numerous fossils belonging to the genera
Obolella, Lingula, Hyolithes, &c., forms, some of
which have been described by Mr. Matthew, of
St. John, N. B.
After wandering along the shores of Bras d'or
Bay which were strewn with thousands of jelly-
fish cast up by the waves over verdure -clad
mountains, along the shores of Escasoni Lake,
where we fought the rocks, and caused them to
yield up many precious geological relics, and
where we boarded at some of the picturesque
farm houses in the vicinity of Christmas Island
settlement, where some of the people end most of
their sentences with " whatever," we wended our
way to Riversdale station, on the Sydney branch
line of the Intercolonial Ry., a short distance from
Truro. Here we found lodgings at the Post
Office, kept at one of the few houses in the im-
mediate locality of the station, where the arrival
and departure of trains formed the chief excite-
ment of the place.
We spent five quiet, restful days with the
homely old lady and her daughter, who carried
the mail- bag between the station and the house.
In this quiet old-fashioned home, where the
table in the best room was strewn with goody-
goody books, to my surprise I found a charming
novel, " Broken Toys," by I forget the author
written many years ago, evidently by one who
223
KEMINISUEISCES
understood the ways of children well, for it gives
a beautiful description of a little girl who tried
to bring up a large family of dolls in the way
they should go, but with all her love and care
some of them went sadly wrong ; one lost an eye,
another a leg, then Mary Jane became so
thoroughly demoralized that, as an example to
her other sisters, she had to be buried and gotten
out of the way for ever and ever.
The rocks in the vicinity of Riversdale Ry.
station represent a portion of the Carboniferous
or Devonian system. The railway, a little east
of the depot, cuts through a thickness of about
115 feet of argillites of various colors, beds of
sandstone and layers partly made up of concre-
tions. Some of these beds are prolific in the
bivalve shell Naiadites (Dawson), while other
strata hold numerous fragments of fossil plants,
chiefly Cordaites leaves. Catamites, Neuropteris
and many other fossils of the Carboniferous
or Devonian period occur in these interesting
rock sections. This is a locality where many
days might be spent profitably collecting.
August 31st, I passed through Point LeVis and
spent a few hours on the graptolite beds, adding
one new species to our list.
Oct. 7th, I was again at our famous Eozoon
locality at C6te St. Pierre, where, thirteen years
ago with Sir William (then Principal) Dawson, we
studied in place the supposed Laurentian fossil,
224
AMONG THE ROCKS.
Again this year, 1886, with Glen Gordon, of
Ottawa, I was entertained in the little farm
house made historical in that interesting book
" The Dawn of Life." But I have spoken several
times about this supposed Lauren tian fossil, and
shall only say here that, although cart loads of
pieces of this supposed ancient coral reef have
been carried away, hundreds of tons weight still
remain for those interested in Eozoon Canadense.
While writing the above I have received a let-
ter, and several photographs, from Mr. Fletcher,
of the Survey, dated May 20th, 1897, in which
he says : " A crowd of us, including Dr. Selwyn
and Adams, went to Cote St. Pierre last Saturday
to find Eozoon" which, he adds, some think " will
die a natural death."
During the winter months of 1886-87 I was
occupied as usual with microscopic and other
work connected with the ethnological and
palaeontological branches of the Survey and
museum. It gives me pleasure to record here
the advice and kindly aid I always received from
those officers of the Survey who were more
learned than myself in some matters I had to
deal with. My thanks are specially due to Mr.
Whiteaves, Mr. Fletcher and Dr. Ami, for kind
assistance in anything pertaining to literary
work.
22*
CHAPTER XT.
EXPLORATIONS ON THE SOUTH SHORE OF THE ST. LAWRENCE
FISHING FOR COD A PLEASANT STAY AT MR. RICH-
ARDSON'S A JOURNEY TO GRIMSBY A TRIP TO THE
NORTH-WEST PLAINS MAPLE CREEK SWIFT CURRENT
BIG JAW COULEE A PRIZE PIG THE BAD LANDS
LETHBRIDGE WE LAUNCH A BOAT ON THE RED DEER
RIVER BUT AFTERWARDS GIVE UP OUR PLAN THE JOG-
GINS COAST ONCE MORE.
DURING the winter of 1886, doubts regarding
certain portions of the geological structure
on the south shore of the St. Lawrence, below
Levis, existed in the mind of the Director of the
Survey and he decided to visit this section of the
" Quebec Group " the following summer, and that
I should accompany him.
Accordingly on the 14th of June, 1887, 1 joined
Dr. Selwyn in Quebec and together we proceeded
by caleche to Beaumont, the small village next
below St. Joseph de Levis. Here we bagged some
lunch and started down the shore in search of
various outcrops recorded by Mr. Richardson.
We had a most interesting tramp, and many facts
regarding the relation of the south shore rocks to
those opposite on Orleans Island were obtained.
The following day we examined the exposures in
the vicinity of St. Michel de Bellechasse. Along
this section of the coast, many fine examples of
anticlinal and synclinal foldings are seen. Miles
226
AMONG THE ROCKS.
of red, green and gray argillites, quartzites, lime-
stone, conglomerates, and other rocks tilted at
various angles, form a rugged coast. There is
considerable evidence that the rocks in this local-
ity are lower than the Lie" vis proper. Since the
date of which I write, the geology of this shore
has been worked out and mapped by Dr. Ells of
the Survey.
Continuing along the shore towards Levis we
came on what Dr. Selwyn supposed to be the
fault between the Lower and Upper Levis. The
former horizon as regarded by Selwyn extended
past the snow shed on the Intercolonial Railway.
But here in the shed, fossils came to our aid, and
for the first time since the " Quebec Group " con-
troversy typical LeVis fossils were found, among
which was the bivalve shell Lingula Quebecensis,
thus proving that we had passed the Lower Levis
beds, and were then on the Upper LeVis formation.
On our return to Point LeVis Dr. Selwyn left
me, and I spent several days alone collecting fos-
sils from the cliffs at Le'vis and from the shore
rocks in the vicinity of Cap Rouge on the Que-
bec side of the river.
On the 7th of July, I again left Ottawa for
Quebec to join Dr. Selwyn, who was to accom-
pany and spend a short time with me and Mr.
Lambe the artist of the Survey, who was to be
my assistant on the rocks in the vicinity of
Gaspe and Cape Rosier.
227
REMINISCENCES
In a former visit to Cape Rosier I had discov-
ered compound graptolites which indicated that
the escarpments in the vicinity of the light-
house were older than they had hitherto been sup-
posed to be, and it was chiefly to see these grap-
tolitic beds that the chief of the Survey accom-
panied me. Going by rail to Dalhousie, and by
steamer Admiral to Gaspe was a delightful trip.
The Government S. S. La Canadenne which was
about to leave Gaspe Basin with lighthouse sup-
plies, carried us to Grand Greve where through
the kindness of Dr. Wakeham, commander, we
were landed by one of the steamer's boats. A cart
carried us from Grand Greve to Cape Rosier
lighthouse where we were kindly received and
accommodated with board and lodging. Although
it was the llth of July, the weather was cold,
and we were glad to sit by a wood fire and listen
to the waves as they dashed against the rugged
cliffs a short distance below our bedroom window.
The following morning our worthy chief, anxious
to see the rocks in which I had a few years before
discovered the compound graptolites, hurried us
off to the shore below the lighthouse. For a
short time I failed to find my graptolite beds, and
think the Doctor doubted my veracity. How-
ever in clue time I pointed to some thin bands
of blackish gray limestone, perhaps thirty feet
up the cliff, and said, <: you are a good climber,
Sir will you see what those black beds con-
228
AMONG THE ROCKS.
tain ?" Up went the doctor, and in a few mo-
ments, holding a piece of limestone in his hand,
and with a beaming face called out : " You are
right, Weston, here are your compound forms."
While the doctor threw down pieces of the rock
Mr. Lambe and I made a selection of the best
fossils, some of which are now in the hands of
Prof. Lapworth, of Birmingham, England, for
identification. The remainder of the day was
spent along the coast east of the lighthouse. Two
days later the chief left us and returned to Gaspe*
to join his daughter, who had accompanied us
from Levis to that place.
During the third night of our stay at Cape
Rosier lighthouse, while the wind roared and the
angry waves lashed the shore, a wee wail from a
new-born babe was blended with the roar of the
sea, and we were called on to drink the health of
the little stranger who had come to help swell
the French- Canadian population.
Mr. Lambe and I left our snug retreat in the
lighthouse July 19th, and proceeded by cart
along the coast road, making our geological
observations and collecting fossils wherever we
could find them.
We reached L'Anse au Griffon July 20th,
where bold cliffs of aroillite and other rocks
O
occupy the coast. The rocks of North Bluff at
Griffon Cove are prolific in graptolites, many of
which are characteristic Hudson River forms.
229
REMINISCENCES
In a hay cart we pursued our way along the
shore road, which, as my companion Lam be
observed, " was just rough enough." At Cape
Magdalen we spent a very pleasant day or two,
boarding as usual in fishermen's homes where
each member of the family vied with the others
in trying to make us comfortable.
Black slates containing graptolites of the Hud-
son River formation are well displayed in the
vicinity of the lighthouse, and the sand stones of
this vicinity hold a few Brachiopods. From Cape
Magdalen lighthouse we examined the coast rocks
to Mont Louis and Gros Male. Graptolites of
the Hudson River series occur in abundance in
some of the beds of black shale.
The scenery of this section of the river is very
fine; in fact all along the shore of the grand
stream one finds an endless variety of scenery,
and a constant change in the arrangement of the
rock formations. The pleasure, however, of a
journey such as the one I am speaking of, is much
greater when with camp and provisions as in
my first journey up this coast as then one is
independent of the (very often) poor, but cheer-
fully given accommodation in fishermen's homes.
We reached the Marsouin River July 29th.
This is another very interesting geological
locality. Its black shales are abundantly stocked
with graptolites, presenting a rich feast for the
palaeontologist.
230
AMONG THE ROCKS.
A considerable amount of fishing is done at
the various places near where we found lodging
for the night. If at some of these stations one
has time to spend half a day cod fishing with one
or two of the sturdy fishermen of this coast, he
will find food for the mind as well as food for
the body. Generally I am not a successful
angler, but standing one evening on a block of
stone a few paces from the shore, I cast my fishing
line, with a hook baited with pork, into the dark
waters. In a few moments I felt a vigorous tug
at my line and hauling in I found a good sized cod
on my hook. In a shallow stream which empties
into the river, small trout were abundant, but as
they feed on the decaying refuse of thecod fish,
prepared here for market, I did not disturb them.
On the first of August we reached Ste. Anne
des Monts, where the St. Anne River one of the
finest salmon streams in Canada empties into
the St. Lawrence River. I have already spoken
of this river and my journey up it to the Shick-
shock Mountains, in 1878.
The coast here presents many interesting
features to the geologist and palaeontologist.
Here an extensive series of dark colored slates
and shales occur, in which we find three miles
or so above the mouth of the St. Anne River
typical graptolites of the " Quebec Group," the
most prolific forms are the well known Phyllo-
graptus typus and P. angustifolius.
231
REMINISCENCES
Above Ste. Anne, black, green, red and other
colored slates and shales with massive beds of
conglomerate are seen for miles up the coast.
The fossils found in the limestone conglomerates
leave no doubt as to their geological horizon, viz.,
" Bic conglomerates " of the " Quebec Group."
Following this varied strata we reached
Ruisseau A'sem, Aug. 4th, where we were hospit-
ably received by Mr. John Richardson, son of
James Richardson of whom I have frequently
spoken in these memoirs. We found Mr. Rich-
ardson busily engaged in his saw-mill, where
thousands of cords of birch wood had that
summer been stowed, and were then being cut
into long strips, tied up in bundles and shipped
to Scotland and other places for making spools.
At this time a large barque was being loaded
with bundles of this product birch cut from the
extensive forests near the shores of the St.
Lawrence River some of which would no doubt
in course of time be returned to Canada in the
form of cotton spools.
The weather was delightfully fine during our
stay at Ruisseau and we made long tramps along
the rugged shore, returning at sunset to find the
busy operations of the day suspended, and the
mmates of Mr. Richardson's refined seaside home
gathered around a cheerful wood fire. After a
pleasant evening, in which music and cards fig-
ured, and while the mighty waves dashed against
232
AMONG THE ROCKS.
the great cliffs just below, each member of the
household read a verse from a chapter in the
Bible, after which a prayer followed in which
the " strangers within our gates " were not for-
gotten, and the good Lord was asked to guide
the footsteps of those who sought sermons in
stones.
We left this delightful retreat Aug. 5th, and
followed the coast to Grande Matane where we
were kindly received and entertained at the
house of Mr. and Mrs. James Russell son-in-law
and daughter of the late Mr. James Richardson.
Following the coast to Little Matane we passed
over large exposures of black slates, some of
which are rich in graptolites, especially in two
or more species of Dictyonema fossil Polyzoa,
or Hydrozoa, which resemble on a small scale
the coral sea fan Gorgonial.
Having finished as far as time would permit,
our coast examinations, Mr. Lambe and I pro-
ceeded by rail to Point LeVis, where after a few
hours on the ever interesting rocks of that local-
ity, we returned to Ottawa.
The excellent water color sketches of some of
the coast rocks made by Mr Lambe, on this his
first geological journey, together with the series
of photographs taken by myself in 1878, serve
to remind us of pleasant days days spent in
trying to unravel the complicated structure of the
Quebec rocks, pleasant days for those who, as
233
REMINISCENCES
John Richardson said in his prayers, " sought
sermons in stones."
On the 1 4th of September I was again in
Grimsby, Ont., that pretty little village near the
shores of Lake Erie, and a few miles from Niag-
ara Falls. Here again I met my old friend Mr.
Johnson Pettite who was ever ready to lay aside
his books and " bugs " and accompany me in a
fossil hunt. But I have spoken of Grimsby and
our friend Pettite before, so will only mention
here that again we had a profitable time among
the (in places) highly fossiliferous rocks of the
Medina and Niagara formations. Besides secur-
ing many good specimens belonging to the order
Echinoidea, or sea urchins, we collected many
other fossils of interest, and the large slab of
Arthrophycus Harlandi which adorns the wall of
the geological museum. It is supposed to be a
fucoid or sea plant arthron a joint, pkykos, a
sea plant.
September 17th I again settled down to my
usual winter duties in the Survey building.
Many new specimens were added to the museum
and much good work done by each member of
the staff work done not simply for our daily
bread and butter, but for the love and interest
each member of the Survey took in the welfare
of the institution.
During the early summer of 1888, I was again
preparing for another long journey across the
234
AMONG THE ROCKS.
North-west plains. Our former collection of
mammalian and reptilian fossil bones had proved
so interesting that it was thought advisable to
visit the Cypress Hills district again, and then
proceed to Red Deer River, Alberta, where in
1887 Mr. J. B. Tyrrell of the Survey had ob-
tained a large portion of a Dinosaurian skull and
other reptilian fossil bones.
On June 28th, provided with camp equipment
I left Ottawa and proceeded by Canadian Pacific
Railway, about 1600 miles, to Maple Creek which
place I reached July 2nd. Here I was again in-
debted to Horace Greely, of Powers and Bros,
general store, for fitting me out with waggon,
buck- board, horses, two half-breed Indians and
provisions.
We left Maple Creek July 4th, and struck out
for the head waters of Swift Current. On reach-
ing a prairie farm a few miles distant one of the
men repented his contract and refused to go
further with us. I was just about to return to
the Creek to try and get another teamster when
a typically dressed cowboy stepped up and said :
" What's the matter with me going with you
uncle ; I don't like boastin', but there aint many
places around these parts Joe Lowry and Billy
don't know, and for that matter Billy and me kin
take you any wheres between here and Cali-
fornia."
I found Billy was a French Canadian pony
235
REMINISCENCES
that had been the constant companion of his
master Joe in all his wanderings from the Pacific
coast to the Atlantic, and back to our present
locality. I liked Lowry and we soon proceeded
on our journey Jim our teamster with the wag-
gon, Lowry with the buck-board, I on horseback,
and Billy following as close to his master as he
could get. We reached the head waters of Swift
Current July 10th, and camped in the main val-
ley called Frenchman from which many cou-
le"es branch. It was in one of these coulees, on
our present explorations, that the largest por-
tion of the skull of an extinct Rhinoceros was
found.
Big Jaw cou!4e, through which a beautiful
stream of clear cold water flows and in which
bush and green pastures form a delightful retreat
for the antelope and a few other wild animals
who still roam the Cypress Hills and valleys,
besides yielding to us a large portion of the extinct
Rhinoceros skull, has been the home of ferocious
flesh-eating animals animals nothing but the
bones of which have ever been seen by the eyes
of man, who appeared on this planet ages after
these creatures had ceased to exist.
Lowr\' became greatly interested in my
researches and determined that he too would add
something of value to our collection. I was
making the geological section which appears on
a previous page, when Joe, who was far up the
236
AMONG THE ROCKS.
other side of the couie'e shouted " Uncle " the
only name Lowry ever gave me "I've found the
big bone you wanted." I found the specimen to
be a well preserved femur or thigh bone of our
extinct Rhinoceros, or as Prof. Cope calls it
Menodus angustigenis.
It would require too much space here to record
all the interesting incidents of our journey over
the plains, and through the valleys of the Cypress
Hill district.
A few more words however which by permis-
sion I copy from my field-note book and for
this year we must leave our Miocene rocks with
their wonderful records of a silent world silent
except for the roar of savage beasts as they
sought their prey among the peaceful animals of
those past ages.
Big Jaw Coulee N. W. T.
Sunday July 15th, 1888.
"8 a.m. Bright clear morning Bar. 26.1 Ther. 54. strong
S. E. wind. 9 p.m. Scout (Lowry) and I have ridden about
ten miles over this locality and have visited one of my bone
coulees I think the one we named Cold Water coulee, as
besides having a stream of water through it, it had several
springs near the mouth. This is the head waters of Swift
Current, about five miles north of our camp or where the Pie
Pod trail enters the main coulee (Frenchman). The day is
closing in very cold I have to keep on my over-coat. My
two cow-boys are merry to-night, owing to the prospect of
starting for civilization to-morrow."
Two lunch and one night camp which was
made at Bear Creek on the East Post trail, and
we had again crossed the Cypress Hills and are
237 *
REMINISCENCES
at Maple Creek busy shipping specimens, settling
accounts, &c.
Barring the little accidents almost always met
with in crossing the North-west plains the jour-
ney, to one who loves nature, is full of pleasure,
especially if one has men like those I have had
on this trip who when the day's work was done
sat around the camp fire and told of their wand-
erings in distant lands ; of their cow-punching
incidents, feats in lassoing wild steers, &c. I
was inclined to doubt some of the tales Lowry
told of his lassoing exploits, but while at " The
Creek " I had an opportunity of seeing that he
was no boaster in the art of lassoing. While we
were waiting for our train we joined a prairie
picnic which was going on near the " town."
Among a number of prizes offered for various
feats, was a pig which was to be given to the
first man, Indian or white, who could lasso Mr.
Pig at a distance of fifty yards. The pig was
dumped out of a box on the prairie flat ; a sharp
prod in the hind quarters started him off at full
gallop, but in a moment six lassos were thrown,
in another moment a wild shout from hundreds
of Indians, cow-boys and the motley group which
always composes a prairie picnic for Lowry had
his lasso round the pig's neck, thus winning the
prize, which I believe he sold for $5.00.
On July 22nd, I was again at Lethbridge, and
the following day (Sunday) with a team of horses,
238
AMONG THE ROCKS.
waggon, saddle-horse, two men one of whom
was a typical North-west mule driver and pro-
visions for a few days, we started for Milk River
Ridge.
I have stated before that the collection of fos-
sils Dr. Dawson, Mr. Tyrrell, my son George and
I made in 1883 were all lost by the sinking of
the ship on which they were freighted. It was
with the hope of replacing some of these speci-
mens that the present journey was made.
Soon after leaving the settled portions in the
vicinity of Leth bridge bad luck seemed to follow
me. Travelling the bleached clays and sands of
the " bad lands " of the North- West Territories
under favorable circumstances has not many
redeeming features, but in a blazing sun with
one's horses almost mad with the stings of that
great pest of the North-West, the horse fly, and
one's self swarmed with mosquitoes, to have to
listen constantly to the blasphemous language
of two of the lowest types of prairie mule-drivers,
takes away much of the pleasure of a geological
journey.
Many miles away from civilization we woke
at sunrise to find our horses gone. Jim stood
for a few moments, using language not fit for
these or any other pages, then without breakfast
started to track our horses The sun had set
when he returned with our three horses and two
extra ones he had picked up on the plains. It
239
REMINISCENCES
was during Jim's absence that the fine large
bivalve fossil shells which are to be seen in a
wall case in the Survey Museum, were discov-
ered ; other fossils of much interest were found
in the natural excavations of these barren lands.
Here was the tooth or rib of some extinct rep-
tile, and there the cast of a delicate shell whose
pearly beauty had long perished, and here again
the leaf of a plant which received its name many
thousands of years after its verdant life had
decayed. These and many other relics of past
ages were gathered from the rocks of the Milk
River Ridge.
I was not sorry to hurry away from these
dreary, though highly interesting bad lands of
the Milk River district, and rid myself of two
men who were pessimists of the first water. We
reached Lethbridge July 26th, where men and
travelling equipment were at once returned, and
the hearts of an Indian and his bride, who
arrived at that moment both seated astride an
Indian pony, were made happy with the remains
of our provision larder.
During the winter of 1887, 1 had, through cor-
respondence with the Rev. Leo. GSfetz of the Red
Deer Crossing (about 100 miles from Calgary),
arranged to have a large flat bottomed boat built
in which to descend to and below the confluence
of the Red Deer and South Saskatchewan rivers.
I left Lethbridge July 27th, and arrived at Cal-
240
AMONG THE ROCKS.
gary two days later, where a short time was
spent on the rocks of the Bow River, where the
Canadian Pacific cuts through high banks of
gravel, sandstone, and shales. The two latter
series of strata hold many fragments of fossil
plants, but the most prolific rocks in fossil flora
are those of the " Hog's Back," one mile down
stream from the railway depot. Here in a fine
display of the Belly River sandstones, capped
with drift deposits which together form a bluff
of perhaps 200 feet in height, large fossil leaves
of exogeii plants, associated with smaller leaves
and flowering plants were found. Some of these
interesting fossils have been described by Sir
J. W. Dawson in Proceedings of the Royal
Society of Canada. Those figured, are from
drawings made by my friend L. M. Lambe, the
artist of the Geological Survey. These are relics
of an epoch ages prior to the time when man
appeared and shaped his weapons of war and the
chase out of some of the stone found here, and
when no human eye had seen the mighty sea,
which has left tracings of its winds and waves in
these stony records. Early on Thursday morn-
ing, August 2nd, perched on the top of a large
lumbering stage coach I started for the Red
Deer crossing, which, as I said before, is about
100 miles north of Calgary. The journey co one
not acquainted with prairie life is one of much
interest. Our first night was spent at a prairie
Q 241
REMINISCENCES
farm where, after a good supper of pork aud
potatoes, with six other men, rolled in buffalo
robes, we slept on the floor.
At five the following morning the horn sound-
ed for breakfast, and at 7 o'clock we were again
on our road. The heavy rains of the two pre-
vious weeks had made much of the trail almost
impassable, and many times the horses were knee
deep in black peaty muck. Our stage broke
down several times. Only an experienced
driver, which we had, could have got through
these sloughs. One of the interesting features
of a journey to Edmonton from Calgary is the
meeting of hundreds of " freighters," all half-
breed Indians, men who from infancy have toiled
along the prairie trails with their heavily laden
carts.
We reached the small village of the Red Deer
Crossing Aug. 5th. Here I found the boat I had
expected to be ready, only just commenced, so I
pitched my tent and waited. The Red Deer
Crossing village consisted of two general stores ;
one run by the son of the Rev. Leo Geatz, who
has a residence and farm about a mile distant,
and one, during the absence of the owner, kept
by Mr. W. B. Vennor, brother of the late H. G.
Vennor, late of the Geological Survey of Can-
ada. The latter gentleman will be remembered
by many as at one time holding the important (?)
position of Canadian weather prophet. These
242
AMONG THE ROCKS.
two stores and a few scattered houses form the
welcome resting places of many weary freighters
before and after crossing one of the most rapid
streams of Alberta.
I failed to find a man who had been more than
ten miles down the Red Deer River from the
Crossing, in the summer, and was glad to get two
half breeds who were willing to leave civiliza-
tion for an uncertain length of time, and ven-
ture down a part of a river unknown to them or
any of their associates. But at last these two
men were engaged, and while waiting the com-
pletion of our boat, which was being built by
half-breed Indians from pine cut on the bank of
the river a few miles below the crossing, and
sawn for that purpose, I had several rambles
with my friend Vennor who years ago had left
his position in the Montreal Bank to wander in his
"adopted country" who pointed out many
places of geological interest and caused me to
assist him in making a collection of the wild
flowers of that district which appeared to be, in
variety and abundance, more beautiful than in
any other portion of the North-West I had been
over.
Monday, Aug. 13th, our boat was launched,
and after taking dinner in the parsonage and
farm-house of the Rev. Mr. Geatz and his charm-
ing family we three men, with camp equipment
and three months' provisions, embarked in our
243
REMINISCENCES
rudely constructed boat, and drifted down the
swift current, watched by all the members of the
Geatz homestead, who made their adieus and
wished us God speed. I think from their anxious
faces they had doubts as to whether our boat
would carry us far, before some calamity over-
took us. If they did think that, they were right,
for in a short time I found that we were incap-
able of guiding our heavy-laden boat through the
swift waters, in fact my men seemed to know
nothing about navigating rapid streams. Part
of our first night was spent in trying to patch up
our boat, and the following morning we succeed-
ed in reaching Mr. McKenzie's farm, eight miles
below the crossing, and the last settlement on the
banks of the Red Deer River, before entering
an unsettled and little known portion of that
land.
Mr. McKenzie, a noble specimen of the half-
breeds of that district, was greatly surprised to
find us attempting to descend the river equipped
as we were, and strongly advised me to abandon
the journey, promising if I did, to have another
boat built by the following spring and to
accompany me himself. This I decided to do,
and in a short time boat and part of our provis-
ions, camp equipment, &c. was stored, my men
settled with and soon I was on my way back by
stage to Calgary. It seemed hard after so much
trouble to abandon my long looked for trip,
244
AMONG THE ROCKS.
but as McKenzie said we could not afford to
lose our lives for a little geological work.
I reached Calgary Aug. 18th, and Irvin, or
Ross Coule'e, the following day I have already
spoken of this interesting locality and after
spending a few days gleaning new facts regarding
the geology of this district, returned to Ottawa,
which place I reached August 30th .
On Sept. 9th, I was again on the Joggins
Coast, Nova Scotia, and with my old friend Mr.
James Devine,a coal miner who to assist me for a
short time, had left his pick and shovel far down
in the bowels of the earth was again searching
the shore rocks for new geological information.
It must indeed be a poor student in geology and
palaeontology who cannot find abundant material
for study from the magnificent cliffs of the
Joggins Coast, which are constantly crumbling
away and exposing to view erect sections of
fossil trees, trees in the base of which small rep-
tiles some of the first representatives of verte-
brate animals of this world crept for safety,
trees whose branches overhung shallow waters
in which some of the first fishes known by these
fossil remains, sported ; waters on the shores of
which grew delicate and noble ferns, grasses and
other plants ; representatives of our early endogen
and exogen flora.
The view of the Carboniferous rooks as repre-
sented on the Joggins coast is one of great inter-
245
REMINISCENCES
est ; its massive beds of sandstones intersected
by bands of coal, beds of bituminous shale hold-
ing millions of bivalve-looking fossils, which
some writers think belong to the Crustacea
family; beds of limestone in which scales of
extinct fishes are mingled with delicate jaws of
minute reptiles. But to unravel and read from
these stony records an epoch when the great coal
deposits of Nova Scotia were formed has taken
years of patient work, to which the writer of
these notes is proud to have been privileged to
add his mite.
A stage journey of about three hours brought
me again to Macan where, after dinner and the
shipping of my specimens one of which was the
large section of a fossil tree, now exhibited in
one of the upright cases of the geological musem
I boarded the west bound train on the Inter-
colonial Railway, and two days later was again
in Ottawa.
246
CHAPTER XII.
SUPPOSED FOSSIL TREES A VISIT OF INVESTIGATION TC
KINGSTON I START FOR THE RED DEER RIVER
MR. MCKENZIE JOINS ME AT CALGARY EXTENSIVE COAL
SEAMS FINE DINOSAUR REMAINS CANADA HA.S PONE
COMPARATIVELY LITTLE TOWARDS RESTORING THESE
DENIZENS OF A SILENT WORLD DANGEROUS QUICK-
SANDS WE CELEBRATE DOMINION DAY A LONG RIVER
TRIP ANOTHER TRIP TO THE CYPRESS HILLS UN-
PLEASANT EXPERIENCES ON THE BORDERS OF LAKE
SUPERIOR.
DURING this year, 1888, much discussion
prevailed concerning the discovery of sup-
posed fossil trees, many examples of which are
seen in the Cambrian (Potsdam) formation on
the banks of the Rideau Canal, Kingston, Ont.
The attention of the director of the Canadian
Geological Survey was drawn to these singular
forms ; he visited the locality and caused a sec-
tion of one measuring four feet in diameter to
be sent to the museum in Ottawa. (Notes on
concretionary structure, by the writer ; Transac-
tions of the Nova Scotian Institution of Science,
Series 2, Vol. 1.)
On the director's return I was requested to
visit the locality, and on the 16th of October,
accompanied by Mr. Topley, the Government
photographer, we started, and on arriving at
247
REMINISCENCES
Kingston found several people much interested
in the discovery of these so called " fossil trees."
In a shop window we saw a section of one labelled
" Section of a stone tree." Hiring a team we
drove through the historical city of Kingston.
Our twelve mile drive to the celebrated quarry
where these so-called fossil trees occur was a
pleasant one.
We found quite a number of these cylindrical
forms, some examples would weigh many tons ;
some of the weathered sections show irregular
concentric rings which resemble somewhat the
lines of growth in exogen plants. No fossil trees
have yet been discovered in the Cambrian form-
ation to which these deposits belong, and the
conclusion arrived at was that these tree- like
bodies are of concretionary structure, formed
probably in geyser cavities. The "potato-stones"
found in these sandstones are nodules, formed of
the same material which composes these rocks.
The photographs taken at this interesting
locality are the property of the Geological Survey
and can be seen at that institution. This com-
pleted my geological journeys for the summer.
The winter of 1888, was fully occupied in office
and museum work ; work to me always interest-
ing and instructive, and of tener than not a labor
of love.
On Saturday, June 1st, I again started for the
Red Deer River. Dr. G. M. Dawson. now Di-
248
TREE-LIKE (_'<.< KETIONS AT KINOST^A*. O.ST
AMONG THE ROCKS.
rector of the Geological Survey, left at the same
time for British Columbia, and we travelled to-
gether as far as Calgary, which place we reached
June 6th.
Comfortably seated in one of the luxurious
Pullman cars of the Canadian Pacific Railway I
often thought of our first journey over a portion
of this railway, when we shared part of a freight
car with three horses, dismembered waggons,
bales of hay, etc., and took our meals in tents
and rude buildings by the track-side.
At this time, during the construction of the
C.P.R. through the districts of Saskatchewan,
Assiniboine, and Alberta, the red man of the
plains, together with their dark-skinned squaws
and children, all attired in bright colored blank-
ets, beaded leggings and moccasins, feathers and
paint, assembled at various points of the track
to watch the doings of the white man. As the
status of the Indian is estimated by the number
of ponies he has, these " cayuses " always accom-
pany their owners, who flocked to watch the
iron horse plough its way through their late
hunting grounds, and to pick up a few pence
from the travelling tenderfoot in exchange for
polished buffalo horns and other trinkets made
in their " spare time."
Although only a dozen years or so have passed
since our first journey over this country, it is
remarkable what a change has taken place in the
249
REMINISCENCES
appearance of many of these children of the
plains. The blanket, by most, has been discarded
for the cast-off clothing of the white man, and
many bucks and squaws out of sheer necessity
are working alongside the white man. Still
there are many elderly aborigines who scorn to
labour, and will, so long as life and memory last
adhere to the pursuits of their forefathers.
June 6th. Mr. McKenzie a fine example of
the half-breed Indians of the Canadian North-
West Territory joined me at Calgary. He had
made the journey of a hundred miles or so with
waggon and horses from his farm on the banks
of the Red Deer River, to meet and convey me
to my starting point down this so far as verte-
brate palaeontology goes one of the most inter-
esting rivers of the North- West.
After another short examination of the fossili-
ferous rocks of Calgary, from which several fine
specimens of fossil leaves one 12 inches in length
were collected, and a supply of provisions laid
in for our journey, we started for the McKenzie
farm. I have spoken of my previous journey by
stage, from Calgary to the Red Deer Village.
Our present trip by waggon was much less inter-
esting, and occupied a day longer. Part of it
was made on the Edmonton stage road, and part
over the plains, till we reached the banks of the
Red Deer River, opposite the McKenzie farm
eignt miles or so below the Red Deer Village
250
AMONG THE ROCKS.
which place we reached at 10 p.m. July 13th.
Our horses had long scented their stables and
were very impatient to cross the river, then a
very rapid stream which had risen a foot since
" Mac." left, and it was a question whether we
would not have to go to the ferry, eight miles up
stream. Mac. gave me the reins while he exam-
ined his sounding marks on the banks of the
river. The night was cold, and in the distance
we heard the barking of numerous prairie wolves
or Coyotes (Canis latrans) ; I had anything but a
soft job to hold in our horses till Mac. returned
and said we would cross on his lower ford. Our
camp equipment was arranged to keep it from
the water, which Mac. expected would cover the
floor of the waggon, then he took the reins and
with the cheering words, " keep your eyes closed
and don't move/' allowed the horses to plunge
into the stream. For a moment I felt the wag-
gon sway with the current and the water covered
its floor, but in another minute or two our horses
gained a footing on the opposite shore, and with
a last brave pull ascended the steep bank, and in
a few moments I was comfortably seated before
a large fire in the hospitable home of one of the
early pioneers of the Red Deer River district.
June 15th was spent at the mouth of the Blind
Man River, eight and a half miles up stream,
where a fine geological section of the Edmonton
series is seen. One of the beds of rock here holds
251
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beautifully preserved fossil plants ; leaves which
have been pressed in nature's stony-book
pressed so closely that every vein is plainly seen.
Our small but valuable collection of fossil plants
from this locality, together with photographs
showing the confluence of the Blind Man and
Red Deer rivers, form an interesting souvenir of
this picturesque spot where we saw a graceful
deer come to the water's edge, drink and then
glide away into the bush.
My friend McRenzie, who was versed in several
Indian languages, and had spent many years
among the aborigines of the Canadian North-
West, gave me many interesting accounts of the
early settlers and explorers of the Alberta and
other districts ; which reminded me of having
read that among the earliest explorations of
which any record remains, we find the name of
M. Bigot, the French Intendant, who after his
succession to the intendancy in 1748, sent out
explorers to spy the land in various parts of
unsettled Canada, hoping, it is presumed, to add
to his already luxurious and libidinous ways of
living.
In Alberta, as in almost all sections of the
North- West Territories, many of the beautiful
names given by the Cree and other Indians to
lakes, rivers and mountains have been changed
by the white man, but between themselves I
found the Indians used the old Indian appella-
252
AMONG THE ROCKS.
tions, and even the half-breed seemed to resent
the re-naming of rivers, localities, etc., a thing
too much done by young explorers of the present
day.
The following morning, June 17th, after a
successful day's work at the confluence of the
Blind Man and Red Deer rivers, the McKenzie
family, typical representatives of the half-breed
Indians of the Canadian North -West were
assembled and photographed, then our two boats
were launched and provisioned, and at 2 p.m. we
waved adieu to our friends of the last habitation
we should see for many days, and drifted swiftly
down a portion of a river unknown in the
summer to any of the settlers I had met with
in Red Deer village. This is probably due to
the swiftness of the current, which in places is
so rapid that it is almost impossible to track a
boat up stream again. The waters of the Red
Deer flow from one of the snow-clad interior
ranges of the Rocky Mountains, vhere, after
coursing through the foot-hills it is a smooth
stream of clear blue water two hundred feet
wide.
Soon after leaving the McKenzie farm we
reached the " canon " in which are high, steep
and scarped banks. Here we found the water
rushing between large Laurentian boulders, ren-
dering navigation dangerous ; to me the scene
was very fascinating. Once the bow of my boat
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was driven on a projecting boulder, and in an
instant the stern swung around and our flat
bottomed craft was heading in that fashion down
stream. I heaved a sigh of relief when a few
moments later we swept into smooth water. In
a short time we reached the great, yet (1889)
undisturbed coal seams of this district. Here an
almost vertical section of seams of coal rises fifty
feet above the water's edge and as far as can be
seen below the surface of the river. In 1858,
when Dr. Hector navigated this stream, large
exposures of this coal were seen to be burning,
and now the large outcrops of red and yellow
burnt coaly matter lend a picturesque aspect to
this vicinity.
Bold escarpments several hundred feet high
occupy portions of the river-sides for many
miles, and from the table- land, sloping valleys,
thickly wooded in places, form lovely retreats
for the numerous wild animals that roam the
sheltered recesses. Along the shore of the river
and muddy flats we noticed the tracks of grizzly
and smaller bears, coyotes or prairie wolves,
woodchucks or ground-hogs, the prairie dog,
and other rodents. I must not forget to men-
tion the beaver, individuals of which tribe were
seen in several places along the margin of the
river. One fine fellow was busily engaged in
the construction of a dam, but disappeared the
moment he caught sight of us. Outside a deserted
254
AMONG THE ROCKS.
hunter's shack near the confluence of the Red
Deer and South Saskatchewan rivers, I saw
several skeletons of these animals. It is a pity
that this valuable rodent, which together with
the maple leaf, forms our Canadian emblem,
should be becoming extinct on many of our rivers
and streams, where a few years ago they were
numerous. The rancid spelling oil secreted near
the root of the tail of the beaver furnished the
castor oil of the early medical man. I remember
reading, I think in some book of fables, of these
animals, when being pursued, biting out these
oil-glands and casting them before the hunters.
We all know that the castor oil now used is
made from a bean.
As our boats glide silently past numerous small
thickly wooded islands and occasionally verdant
valleys, we constantly hear the twittering and
sweet song of birds, among which is the soft
cooing of the wood-dove. The high sandy buttes,
where little vegetation, excepting wild sage
grows, is the home of the bald-headed and other
eagles. On the ragged projecting portions of
these escarpments, out of reach of the prowling
coyotes, these noble birds build their nests of
twigs and buffalo bones; I found in one nest a tin
tea spoon.
In the twilight of the evening the hoarse cry
of an owl is frequently heard, and the king-fisher
is seen to dart from his river-side perch and
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swoop down on an unlucky " gold- eye " who has
ventured too near the surface of the water.
The banks of the Red Deer River are a favorite
resort for wild geese ; the proverbial stupidity of
these birds is very noticeable. Many times after
our night camp, we saw a few hundred yards
away, a flock of geese feeding on short mossy grass
which grows on the muddy shore of the river.
They remained feeding till our boat came within
gun shot, then there was a hasty, partly running
and partly flying, not into the bush or fields, but
straight ahead of our boats, stopping to feed when
we camped for lunch, or landed to examine some
favorable spot for fossils, and then on again till
night. Sunday June 23rd, we were fairly in the
bad-land district of the Red Deer River. The
great sandy buttes and escarpments of this part
of Alberta extend for many miles, sometimes
coming close to the river side, and in other places
lying back, leaving room for grassy and sandy
flats. These great exposures belong to the Lara-
mie or upper Cretaceous formation. In this geo-
logical horizon, far below the Miocene Tertiary
in which the remains of an extinct rhinoceros,
already referred to, were found is a series of
rocks of special interest to the osteologist as they
contain the remains of great Dinosaurs, those
terrible flesh-eating reptiles which inhabited cer-
tain portions of our North-west, at a time when
what is now prairie land and rivers was occupied
256
AMONG THE ROCKS.
by great lagoons and jungles. On one of the
great sand and shelving sandstone buttes, a hun-
dred or more feet above the river, and in close
proximity to several eagles' nests, we came on the
remains of one of these huge Dinosaurs (deinos,
terrible ; saura, lizard) the skull and other bones
of which now occupy a prominent position in our
Geological Survey Museum. In the sandstone
beds that contain these remains I first saw the
two lower jaws ; the right ramus covers a por-
tion of the left, concealing the teeth, which are
seen in the other jaw. A close examination
showed that the rami lay upon the roof or palate
of the cranium. Only the roots of the teeth of
the upper jaws remained, but the teeth of one of
the lower maxillaries is almost perfect large,
curved, and beautifully serrated at the edges.
There were also portions of limb- bones and claws
dreadful claws the sight of which carried one
back into past ages.
Besides these remains we found slabs of sand-
stone covered with ripple marks and rain-prints
showing us that in those remote ages before any
human eye had gazed on the wonderful works of
our Creator the wind blew and the rain fell as
at the present time. Overlying this Dinosaurian
grave the bones in which have been since deter-
mined by Prof. Cope to be Lcelaps incrassatus
were slabs of rock holding beautifully preserved
leaves of exogen plants, and grasses,
K 257
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In the geological section of this earth's crust,
these fierce Dinosaurians occupied a period in
the animal kingdom millions of years after the
Devonian and Carboniferous age, when the first
fish and smaller reptiles appeared on life's stage.
When one contemplates the vast ages which
have rolled away since the days when these great
kangaroo-like saurians disappeared, never again- -
we may presume to be repeated on this planet,
and then think that the Laramie rocks of which
we are speaking, only occupy one leaf of nature's
great stony records, our minds are bewildered
among the immensities of the past. Scientists
tell us that while it takes or has taken 730 years
to deposit one foot of some of our sedimentary
rocks, other formations have taken 6,800 years to
deposit one foot. Thus, remarks one writer, the
period of time required to build up 100,000 feet
of sedimentary rock has varied according to
locality, from 37,000,000 to 680,000,000 of years.
Leaving the high buttes and desert-like sandy
flats which have yielded so many important geo-
logical specimens food for the mind and con-
tinuing down the beautiful but sometimes treach -
erous Red Deer River, we pass through verdant
valleys, in places 150 feet below the prairie level.
A flock of wild geese keeps ahead of our boat
and a beaver slides down the bank into its shelt-
ered dam, a little further on as our boat glides
swiftly over a long stretch of rapids we pass a
258
AMONG THE ROCKS.
hungry -looking coyote, who is evidently looking
for a breakfast of goose, and towards evening
find ourselves among a series of similar rocks to
the Laramie, but lower in our geological section ;
they belong to that part of the Canadian Cretace-
ous known as the Belly River Series. As in the
Laramie formation, we find these sandy buttes
and escarpments strewn with fossil bones, chiefly
fragmentary here several vertebrae twice the
size of those of the buffalo ; here the distal end
of a femur or thigh bone, which must have be-
longed to a larger animal than that great ele-
phant " Jumbo "whose skeleton now adorns one
of the American museums. These are the bones
of Dinosaur reptiles who lived prior to those al-
ready spoken of. But besides these great carni-
vorous beasts there lived in those remote ages,
huge herbivorous Dinosaurs, one of which has
been named by Prof. March Stegosaurus ungul-
atus. It is remarkable for a series of armour
plates on its back and for its small head, com-
pared with the size of its thigh bone. Scatt-
ered on these sandy flats are the remains of
turtles, scales of Ganoid and other fishes creat-
ures who existed ages before the Mastodon and
Mammoth appeared, and at the time when the
lignite coal of our North-west Territories was
being deposited. The restorations and writings
of Cope and March furnish us with a grenf
amount of information about these extinct ani-
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mals, especially about those remains found in
the United States, where a large sum of money
has been spent in pursuing this most interesting
branch of fossil osteology. Compared with the
researches of the United States, however, com-
paratively little has been done in Canada towards
the collecting and restoring of these wonderful
denizens of a silent world silent except for the
roar of these wild beasts and the occasional rag-
ing of the tempest. While wandering alone over
one of these desolate bone-strewn spots, and
wondering whether any human foot had ever
trodden the sandy ground, I stumbled over a
human skull. It was bleached and weathered
and is probably the skull of an Indian who lost
his life in one of the fierce battles waged between
the Bloods and Crees. This skull is remarkable
inasmuch as the atlas or first cervical vertebra
is firmly ankylosed to the occipital or base of the
skull, which peculiar defect must have deprived
Mr. Indian of the pleasure of turning his head
either to the right or left. This skull is now in
the ethnological room of the Geological Survey
Museum, Ottawa.
The patches of quicksand met with in parts of
the river bottom and on the flats near the stream,
often caused us much trouble. In some parts of
the river where the water spreads out consider-
ably our boat, though not drawing more than
six inches of water, frequently stuck fast in the
260
AMONG THE ROCKS.
sands which are continually drifting with the
current, and will in a short time completely sur-
round one's boat unless it is immediately got out
into deeper water, not always an easy task to
accomplish as our boat-pole sunk its full length
without finding bottom. On one occasion I was
much struck with the danger of quicksands. I
had been rambling alone over some of the high
sandy buttes in Range 21, Tp. 33, and when re-
turning to our tents stepped on what I thought
hard sand, in a dried up brook-course, only two
yards or so wide, and in a moment down I went,
up to my waistcoat pockets. Almost before I had
time to think I had stretched out my arms and
grabbed a small bush which grew on the opposite
bank, and with some difficulty pulled myself out,
to find I was covered up to my waist with ice-
cold slimy sandy mud. I scraped part of this mud
oft with my sheath-knife, and then hastened to my
tent which was hidden behind a clump of cotton-
wood trees. On turning this obstruction to a
straight path I almost stumbled over two coyotes
who had evidently been trying to get into our
provision boxes. Although these sneaky wolves
are very cowardly, it is not pleasant to be in
close proximity to them, for when hungry they
will sometimes attack anything.
When my men returned to camp I got Mc-
Kenzie to sound the place which had almost en-
gulfed me, and when no bottom was found with
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our fifteen foot boat-pole, Mac looked at me and
said : " Well we should have knowed where you
had went to, for your hat would have been left."
The old saying that birds of a feather flock
together, holds good regarding the distribution
of fossil bones over the bad lands of the Red
Deer. After leaving the interesting locality
where the Dinosaurian jaws were found, I
walked over many sandy buttes and flats with-
out finding any tiling of interest. The portion of
river we had been travelling for the past few
days, passed through valleys 600 or more feet
deep. Small but well wooded islands formed
sheltered nooks for our night camps. Often the
surface of the water fairly bubbled as hundreds
of " gold eyes " snapped at flies.
In this vicinity, while one's boat glides swiftly
with the current and one is congratulating him-
self that he is making probably ten miles an
hour, he finds his boat stuck fast in quicksand.
Then it is get out if you can, with your boat pole,
but if it is not quicksand one can drag the boat
into deeper water.
Sunday, June 30th, was spent in exploring
some of the buttes in the vicinity of Range 21,
Tp. 30. Here in places the buttes and escarp-
ments came close up to the river. In one of the
ranges seams of coal are seen ; further on a burnt
butte exhibits in a marked manner the stratifica-
tion of various coaly layers or beds, some of
262
AMONG THE ROCKS.
which are of a bright Indian red while others
are of various yellow tints. The river scenes in
this vicinity are charming, a flock of wild geese
keeps ahead of our boats, a large eagle hovers
above us, and the constant twitter of birds adds
to the pleasure of our journey. The following
morning was bright and beautiful. My men had
been looking forward to this day for some time,
for it was Dominion Day, and we were to cele-
brate it by tapping our only bottle of brandy
which I had guarded diligently in case of getting
a rattlesnake bite. Hitherto our " nips " had
been made of a decoction of pain-killer, sugar
and hot water, a splendid drink when one is
" chilled to the bone." We were early in our
boats, and while drifting with the current, passed
several beaver dams, shot a wild goose, and had
climbed a high butte by 11.30 Here we hoisted
a long pole we had brought up, which with a
large red pocket-handkerchief served as a flag
staff. Having christened the elevation '*' Domin-
ion Butte," fired a salute, sung " God Save the
Queen," drunk to all absent friends and relations,
we descended to our boats which we reached just
in time to find that they were being, inspected by
several Indians. These were the first people of
any sort we had seen since leaving the McKenzie
farm. We found that these red skins were on
their way to a far distant lake, where, through
some of their tribe, they had heard that there
263
REMINISCENCES
were buffalo. Mac got uneasy and motioned me
to get in the boat, which I did at once, and as we
shot down a stretch of rapids he said : " It's a
d good job, while we were away, they did
not take boats, provisions and everything they
could lay their hands on."
For two or three days after leaving Dominion
Butte we struggled with sand bars (for the river
was very low), mosquitoes, head winds, etc. But
as an offset to these little troubles we had rousing
camp-fires and jolly suppers of fish (gold eyes),
which were so our cook expressed it " too
quick to take the bait, and so spoilt the sport."
In this section of the country, one must be a
good sleeper, indeed, not to be continually dis-
turbed with prowling rodents, the barking of
coyotes and the croupy cry of the big grey
owl.
But morning comes, and with a fair wind and
rudely constructed sail at the stern of our boat,
which seems to dance over the rippled waters,
we forget the troubles of yesterday and those
ahead of us.
July 5th, we had reached Dead Lodge Canon,
Range 13, Tp. 24. In this vicinity the river cuts
through a fertile valley from 400 to 600 feet
deep. Here nature had used her scooping shovel
to an enormous extent, for between the prairie
level and the river sandy buttes interstratified
with bands of sandstone form pyramid -like
264-
AMONG THE ROOKS.
structures. Here to my delight I found on the
bleached sands numerous fossil bones, and further
search revealed the fact that this at one time
had been the home or rendezvous of both flesh-
eating and herbivorous extinct animals, among
which figured our old friend, Lcelaps incrusatus,
Cope, for here in the cut side of a high butte sticks
out the proxhemal end of a femur which we know
to be that of a Dinosaur. Three hours were spent
digging out this bone, and three pairs of hands
carefully lifted our precious specimen to put it
in the rude box we had made from part of the
upper floor of our boat, when to our surprise the
thing crumbled into a thousand fragments. Many
of the bones found in these formations are solid
stone, the bony pores having been filled with
silicious matter. In this case, however, only a
thin outside crust remained, while the interior
was a decayed mass which crumbled into dust
when exposed to the atmosphere.
In these great sand banks must be buried
thousands of tons of fossil bones, for as the
weathering away goes on, these relics of distant
ages weather out and remain on the sandy flats
or roll to the foot of the banks and cliffs. These
bones belonged to animals that existed in that
wonderful epoch called the Reptilian age, turtles
six feet long held their own with the great kanga-
roo-shaped carnivorous reptiles who with their
curved knife-like teeth would have been formid-
265
REMINISCENCES
able foes even to the great Mammoth and
Mastodon who did not appear till ages after the
great Dinosaurs " had laid their bones down," as
one of the men expressed it. It was with great
reluctance I left this interesting bone locality,
but provisions were getting scarce, and we still
had to explore many miles of a country unknown
excepting for the valuable map of this river,
compiled by Messrs. McConnell and Tyrrell of the
Canadian Geological Survey.
Sunday July 7th, we waved adieu to what is
probably the most important field in Canada, so
far as bones of extinct animals is concerned. It
would take years to glean from these great sandy
buttes, flats and cliffs even a part of the inform-
ation they hold relating to that period when the
Cretaceous rocks of Canada were laid down a
time contemporaneous to that when crocodilian
reptiles swarmed the banks of the river, now
part of Philadelphia, and the lagoons of
Penny si vania. Continuing our journey we still
pass elevations varying in height to perhaps 600
feet, but the Unio and other bivalve shells they
contain tell us that they are a little higher in the
geological horizon.
The river is still low, and though our boats
only draw seven or eight inches of water we
have continually to cross and re-cross, keep-
ing them in the small channels made by the
current.
266
AMONG THE ROCKS.
Laurentian boulders of almost every variety
are scattered over the table-land, the buttes, and
the bed of the river.
Sunday 14th, we reached the confluence of the
Red Deer and South Saskatchewan rivers. In this
vicinity there are some fine flats well timbered
with cotton-wood, black birch, elder, willow and
other woods. During the past few days we have
seen many flocks of wild geese, a few ducks,
several coyotes, and Mac had no trouble in
supplying our camp with fish, but with the excep
tion of an occasional black bass it was always
" gold eyes."
Near the junction of the two rivers we came
on two " shacks." These were the first signs of
civilization we had seen since seeing the small
band of Indians at the foot of Dominion Butte, so
we went ashore (as Mac said) to see how the cat
jumped. Several sharp raps on the first door
brought no response, and as the door was not
locked we entered and found probably all the
worldly possessions of a North- West trapper.
A candle stuck in a black bottle adorned a rough
home-made table, several guns and a rifle hung
on the wall, there was a cupboard in one corner
of the room, but " when we went to the cup-
board we found it was bare." At the back of
the shanty we found the festering remains of
coyotes, beavers, skunks and other animals.
With a blazing sun and the thermometer register-
267
REMINISCENCES
ing 90 in the shade the stench of this decayed
matter was so great that we only remained to
tack our cards on the door.
Here at the junction of the two rivers the
Saskatchewan takes a northerly course and at a
distance of about 70 miles, in a straight line
but probably about double that distance by
water passes through Medicine Hat (of which I
have already spoken) where one of the fine iron
bridges of the Canadian Pacific Railway spans the
stream. But from the mouth of the Red Deer
we continue westward.
Monday July 15th, at 8a.m. the thermometer
registered 80 in the shade. For the past few
days we had been drifting with the current down
the Saskatchewan where in many places the
water is both swift and deep quite a relief after
the shallows of the Red Deer. Mac tells me that
these rivers, after heavy rains, rise six inches in one
night, so the next persons to follow our tracks in
search of geological treasures, may be more
fortunate, and not even know half the difficulties
one experiences when the water is unusually
low.
The distance from the mouth of tke Red Deer
River to the Battleford and Swift Current cross-
ing is not counting the many windings of the
river about 100 miles. A great part of this
distance is uninteresting to the geologist; as the
river is flanked on both sides with mud banks
268
AMONG THE ROCKS,
and the low valleys are covered with vegetation ;
the sportsman, however, can find plenty of work
for his gun and dogs.
Leaving our Belly River rocks so named
because they are largely developed on a river of
that name which have yielded us so many
interesting fossil bones, we 20 miles or so be-
fore reaching the Saskatchewan Landing come
to a series of strata made up of sand, clays, muds,
sandstone and limestones. They represent the
upper part of the Canadian Cretaceous known as
the Pierre and Fox Hill Group. We hastily pass
over these few remaining miles, and at noon,
July 19th, reach the Battleford and Swift
Current crossing. Here we find a small settle-
ment of half-breed Indians ; many of these hardy
sons and daughters of toil hae been occupied
from almost childhood in freighting over the
great plains of our North- West. Some of these
freighters can tell wonderful tales of the fierce
struggles between various tribes of Indians who
waged war with one another in this vicinity
where the old worn-out freighter now cultivates
his little garden, while the stronger members
of his family continue their freighting occupa-
tion.
We pitched our tent for the night on the shore
near a " shack " or log cabin which was occupied
by one of the North-West mounted police officers.
Here, in exchange for one of our boats, we
269
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obtained sugar and pork which we were much
in need of.
The following morning having arranged with
a freighter to meet us with a cart, in four days,
we drifted down stream about ten miles and
pitched our tent on a verdant plateau opposite
Swift Current coule'e.
I have already mentioned that the geological
formation of this section of the country is the
upper part of the Cretaceous. This formation
here, is characterized by high cut banks, buttes
and flats. These deposits of various colored
clays, sands, etc., in places, hold concretions or
nodules of iron-stone, in which are found beauti-
fully preserved fossil bivalve and other shells
ranging in size from a quarter of an inch to a
foot or more in diameter, the latter being the
large bivalve Inoceramus, which must have
held meat enough for a hungry man's dinner
had he existed in those days.
Among the great variety of fossils found in
the upper Cretaceous which represents the
upper part of the Mesozoic rocks of Canada so
wonderfully developed in this locality, we find
several species of Ammonites, representatives
of the Cephalopoda family so called because
they have some resemblance to the horns of the
Egyptian God, Jupiter Ammon. In the rocks
and clays of this locality we frequently find
portions and sometimes whole specimens of these
270
AMONG THE ROCKS.
forms, some of which measure two feet in
diameter, and on the outer shell show all the
beautiful opalescent colors as when in ages ago
these " shells of the ocean " floated on silent seas
seas no human eyes had ever gazed upon.
Over these clays are also scattered the fossil
remains of animals whose form and character we
shall probably never know, for the osteologist
who can build representations of some of the
extinct vertebrate animals out of a limb bone
fails to recognize some of the specimens from
this locality.
Now I have come to our last night's camp on
the shores of the Saskatchewan River. Long
after darkness had closed in, my two faithful
half-breeds and I sat beside a roaring camp-fire
and talked of days when the aborigines of the
North-West pitched their wigwams on these
shores and engaged in all the cruelties of
Indian warfare. But hark ! the crackling of
our camp fire does not prevent the half Indian
instinct of Joe hearing an unusual sound, and
in a moment he seizes my rifle and creeps
through the bush followed by Mac with a gun.
For a time all is quiet, then a rifle shot is
heard, and in a short time the two men re-
turn to camp, but without any trophy of the
chase.
Presently I turn in and sleep soundly till
towards morning, when I awake to find a brilliant
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reflection of our camp fire on the walls of my
tent, and to hear Mac singing :
' Prowling beasts about Thy way,
Stones Thy pillow, earth Thy bed.'
In his young days, Mac had attended the
Mission School on the banks of the Red River
near Winnipeg.
We found that Joe's rifle shot wounded some-
thing, for there were blood stains on the grass.
While at breakfast the sight of an Indian
freighter wending his way over the rough undu-
lating country on the other side of the river, was
a signal for us to strike camp and cross the river
which just then, owing to the recent rains we
had had, was exceedingly swift and, as after all
heavy rains, very muddy. In a short time we
had crossed the stream and had drap*p;ed our boat
OO
above high- water mark, there to leave our good
but roughly constructed and now much battered
craft, which had carried us safely over hundreds
of miles of the two winding rivers we had hastily
examined for the remains of a world uninhabited
by man.
Our traps were soon packed in the freighter's
cart, and after a journey of ten miles over hills
and through valleys we again reached the ferry
crossing.
I spent the night in the police shack while
the men camped outside. Early next morning,
with our dozen or more boxes of fossils weighing
272
AMONG THE ROCKS.
about a thousand pounds snugly packed in
freighter's carts, we left the banks of the Saskat-
chewan River, and following the Battleford trail
arrived at Swift Current at sunset. The dis-
tance, although only thirty miles, presents many
interesting features incident to prairie travel,
especially when one makes the journey, as we
did, with an old-time freighter (and his numerous
family) who had spent most of his life on this
trail and could point out spots where, as our old
guide said, brave Indians buried their tomahawks
in each other's skulls. But now here all is peace,
and the " iron horse " of that wonderful Canadian
Pacific Railway snorts its way through the quiet
village of Swift Current, where a few Indians
still remain, loath to quit their buffalo hunting
grounds of a few years ago, loath also to assist
the white man, yet forced to make a scanty
living from him. The following morning I bade
good-bye to my two genial companions of many
days and nights spent " near but yet so far "
from the haunts of the white man.
July 26th. I was again at Maple Creek pre-
paring for another trip to Cypress Hills. I have
already spoken of the verdant hills and valleys
of this bright spot in our North-west Territories,
and recorded a few of the fossil remains found
in the Miocene Tertiary rocks exposed in the
coulees and hills of this locality, so shall hastily
pass over the present journey to these interesting
s 273 "
REMINISCENCES
rocks rocks which have thrown much light on
the fossil fauna of the North-west.
Having hired a wagon, three horses, one a
saddle horse, and two men, and with a month's
provisions, we left Maple Creek July 27th, and
followed the trail James Macoun and I took in
1884.
Between Maple Creek and our present desti-
nation I notice many changes have taken
place during the past five years ; land then
covered with prairie grass is now under cultiva-
tion. In other parts ranches appear, and the
typical cow-boy herds his cattle ; further on,
where the trail descends into a deep valley, we
pass the bleaching bones of a horse " rode to
death while tracking an Indian horse-thief "
says one of my men. Still further on in a
valley we come to four Indian graves; stones
that cover the recently turned earth have not pre-
vented the hungry coyote from digging up por-
tions of the buiied bodies, for fragments of limb
bones and a piece of a skull lie near by. Some
distance from this locality we came on another
Indian grave, but this is in a tree a rudely con-
structed wooden box rests on two limbs of the
tree, out of the reach of prowling beasts. We
looked into this box and found the remains of an
Indian woman, who in life was no doubt loved
and considered beautiful, for beside her had been
placed two skilfully worked bead bags, each con-
274
AMONG THE ROCKS.
taining pigments for painting the face ; a string
of glass beads and a few brass ornaments com-
pleted the toilet articles which were to adorn this
dusky lady of the forest and plain when she
entered the happy hunting grounds of her fore-
fathers.
The great numbers of buffalo bones that lay
bleaching on the plains and in the valleys are now
all gone gone to refine sugar and fertilize other
lands gathered up by the same Indians who a
few years ago only gathered the hides and a
little flesh of the now almost extinct noble bison
which roamed these prairie lands in vast herds.
Only, in many miles, one skull was seen, and
this served as a finger-post, for on it was roughly
painted " water 100 yards north."
We pitched our tents near the head waters of
Swift Current where a large coulee entered the
main valley of this district.
About a week had been spent collecting fos-
sils and gaining new geological information
relating to our Miocene deposits, when to my
surprise I found a deadly enmity had sprung up
between my two men, one of whom I had days
before discovered was a deserter from the Ameri-
can Army a man of the very lowest type of
the scam of the earth. For several days the
sound of this man's blasphemous tongue had
grated on my nerves so much that I was almost
unfit for work. This together with the loss
275
REMINISCENCES
of one week's provisions, " stolen by our
Yankee soldier " said my other man, who was
not a bad fellow, decided me to return to Maple
Creek ap soon as possible. Quietly loading my
rifle while talking to these men I ordered them
to load up at once as I intended to sleep at the
police camp that night. It was thirty miles
away and we had nine hours to do it before
sunset. With rifle in hand I mounted my horse
and waited patiently till all was ready for the
start. Our Yankee was particularly sullen and
I feared he would not go ; but he knew full well
that if he deserted me he could not appear in
Maple Creek again, so at last we started. Fol-
lowing the waggon enabled me to keep a sharp
eye on Sam, for that was our Yankee's first
name. Our road lay through valleys and over
high buttes and was an exceedingly tough jour-
ney.
Some one has said that the vilest of men have
some redeeming traits, so I found it with this
man. Large herds of half wild cattle unmol-
ested excepting during the branding seasons
wander up and down the valleys of the Cypress
Hills district. In one of these valleys we found
a young steer mired in a creek which crossed the
valley. Without uttering a word our Yankee
friend (?) jumped out of the waggon and motioned
the driver to stop, then taking two picket-ropes
from the waggon beckoned him to assist. In a
276
AMONG THE ROCKS.
few minutes the ropes were fastened around the
horns and body of the poor beast, then the horses
were taken from the waggon and the ropes
attached to the whipple-pole, and the almost
exhausted steer dragged to dry land, probably to
die, for it was too feeble to stand when we moved
on. During our long journey, this was the one
redeeming act of our Yankee outlaw.
Half an hour or so later in a narrow part of
the valley we came on a large herd of cattle,
creatures who for a few years of their lives
range as much at will as the buffalo who once
darkened these valleys with their dusky and
bulky forms. We were close on these cattle,
and for a moment I wondered what these cow-
boys would do to get a way through this moving
mass of animals. But when we were within a
few yards of the head of the column, which
appeared to be headed by several very fierce
looking bulls, one of the men turned towards me
and motioned me to put spurs to my horse and
ascend the banks of the valley then each man
seized a picket rope, and with great shouts swung
them around their heads, at the same time urging
the horses on. Out of danger I watched the slow
progress of our waggon through this great drove
of cattle, which probably numbered two thousand.
I breathed a sigh of relief when at last the team
passed safely with the exception of a nasty
wound one of the horses got.
277
REMINISCENCES
Our way now lay over a very rough portion of the
country, so much so that in descending some of
the hills all four wheels of the waggon had to be
firmly lashed together. But we reached the
police station (shacks, or log cabins) safely, where
I was hospitably received and sheltered for the
night, while the men camped outside. To the
sergeant in charge I related the trouble I had
had with my men and that serious trouble might
happen before I got them back. The following
morning, Sunday, I found a splendidly-mounted
police officer had been detailed to escort me
" into town," he had received instructions not to
leave my side till we were in Maple Creek. We
rode ahead of the waggon, but twice the police
officer had to return, and presenting his revolver
order the driver to "get a gait on." We
reached our lunch camping-ground, where the
buffalo's skull was, with the notice ; " water 100
yards north " ; then after giving our horses an
hour's rest continued and reached Pie-pod's Creek
and at 6 o'clock our camping ground for the
night. Here we found ^ large encampment of
Indians, aborigines who prefer a roaming life
and often hungry stomachs rather than remain
on the Government Reserves with daily rations
of food. This (Bear Creek) is a favourite camp-
ing ground, and just then there appeared to
be an unusual gathering of red- skins, for some
special purpose. We would have preferred
278
AMONG THE ROCKS.
spending the night elsewhere than in such close
proximity to these Indian camps, but as this was
the only place we could get water, for some
miles, we had no option.
After supper our horses were safely picketed a
few yards from our tents, and at 11 o'clock our
police escort took off his boots and coat, spread
his blanket and was soon asleep by my side.
Although tired after being ten hours in the sad-
dle and much worried, as several annoying inci-
dents (due to my men) had occurred during the
day, I did not doze off till near midnight. Then,
with the exception of a faint light in two or
three of the numerous tepees, and a few prowling
dogs, all was quiet, but it seemed I had scarcely
closed my eyes when a tremendous discharge of
fire-arms, accompanied with savage yelping,
startled me, and at the same moment the police
officer sprung to his feet, and with revolver in
hand rushed from the tent ; returning in a few
moments, he said " without my boots, my horse
takes me for one of those b y red skins and
will not let me go near him. I'm not afraid that
they will do us any harm, but I am afraid they
might play some trick on my horse." This man's
magnificent horse although the night was
unusually dark recognized his master at once,
with his boots on, and allowed him to lead him
to our tent and picket him close to us.
The Indians continued firing and shouting
279
REMINISCENCES
their war-whoops till early morning, when all at
once they quieted down to gambling, a fact indi-
cated by the constant beating of several " tom-
toms." But soon after they were up and prepar-
ing for other celebrations.
The two men I have so frequently mentioned
during this description of my third trip to Cypress
Hills, for some cause not known to me, appeared
very anxious to be away from this Indian camp,
and, as I shared in this anxiety, we were in our
saddles by six o'clock and on the last stage of
our journey. While the police officer and I rode
ahead, our team and men followed. The trail
was good and, although my Yankee attendant
made a bold attempt to run me down with his
horses and waggon which almost cost him a
bullet in his unworthy body we reached Maple
Creek safely, where, nothing loath, I gave up my
outfit and prepared to reach the last locality I
had been instructed to examine before returning
to Ottawa.
Although I had been unfortunate in this, my
last journey to the Cypress Hills, we secured
several specimens new to our Canadian Miocene
rocks, among which may be mentioned a left
ramus of mandibule of an extinct wild boar. I
think I have already mentioned that Professor
Cope named this fossil jaw Elotherium arctatum.
It is described and figured in " Contributions to
Canadian Paleontology Vol. III. It is probable
.280
AMONG THE ROCKS.
further researches in the Miocene rocks of the
Cypress Hills may reveal many other remains of
extinct animals, other than those now exhibited
in the cases of the Dominion Geological Museum.
Taking the C. P. Ry., Aug. 6th, I arrived two
days later at Port Arthur, and at once com-
menced my researches for fossils in that portion
of the Lower Cambrian rocks known as the Ani-
mikie series, which has an area of over 1,000
miles, extending from Port Arthur along the
west shore of Thunder Bay, Lake Superior, and
other localities in that region.
The rocks of the Animikie formation consist
chiefly of even bedded grey and blackish argillites,
diabasis and other traps, cherts and jaspers. In
places, the argillites (clay slates) are very
micaceous and stained with oxide of iron, some are
soft am! stain the fingers with a carbonaceous
matter, others are hard and dolomitic. They are
supposed to have a thickness of 12,000 feet and
to rest upon the Archian formation. They form
the silver-bearing rocks of Lake Superior. Among
the group of mines now being worked in the
Animikie formation are the well known Rabbit
Mountain and Beaver mines, which are situated
a few miles from Port Arthur.
Although the stratigraphical relations of the
Animikie series seem to prove that they are not
far removed from the Laurentian formation,
they are thought by some writers to belong to a
281
REMINISCENCES
higher series of strata a series in which one
might expect to find fossils of a Primordial type,
but, although the enormous exposures of these
slates at the silver mines, Rossport, and other
localities afford the collector such a splendid
chance, no fossils have yet been found in the so-
called Animikie series. For various reasons it is
exceedingly important that fossils should be
found in these rocks, and the geological or other
investigator who does find organic remains, whe-
ther belonging to the animal or vegetable king-
dom, will solve a most important geologic question.
Mountains, hills, and valleys part of which
are heavily timbered characterize the Thunder
Bay, Lake Superior silver mining district. Bold
escarpments of trap and other eruptive rocks
give a rugged aspect to portions of the country.
A three or four hours' stage ride carried me
from Port Arthur to the noted Beaver and Rab-
bit Mountain silver mines. At the Beaver mines
I found my old friend Capt. Williams, with whom
J had spent many pleasant hours at the Echo
Lake Copper mines. Capt. Williams, who was
then in charge of the Beaver mines, invited me
to accompany him through the workings. I at
once embraced the opportunity, and after being
enveloped in rubber boots, coat and cap, with a
tallow candle in my hand, we were lowered into
the bowels of the earth. Down, down we went
till my head became dizzy, but I closed my eyes,
282
AMONG THE ROCKS.
and held on to the side of the cage till a series of
sharp bumps under our feet notified us that we
had reached the bottom. Just at that moment,
far away in one of the tunnels, an explosion took
place shaking the foundation on which we stood,
but my guide said it was all right his men
were blasting.
One who is not nervous finds much to interest
him in these silver mines. Here and there in the
great walls of black slate were partly imbedded
cannon-shot-like concretions ; the miners call
them "bombs." They vary in size from half an
inch to two feet or so in diameter. In the dense
darkness of this " silver pit " our tallow candles
showed but a faint light, sufficient, however, to
reveal the beauty of some of the trap and other
rocks whose sides fairly glistened with iron
pyrites, calc-spar and other minerals. But so
little silver ore is seen that one wonders where
the $5,000 worth of that metal, taken out last
week, came from.
The vast accumulation of dump matter taken
from these mines and deposited near the mouth
of the pits affords the searcher for fossils an excel-
lent opportunity, but in the many thousand tons
of rock examined not the least trace of organic
structure was seen.
Leaving the Beaver mines Aug. 14th, I again
took the C. P. Ry. to Rossport, a small fishing
station on the south shore of Lake Superior,
283
REMINISCENCES
about eighty miles east of Port Arthur. On my
way I met Dr. Lawson, one of the field geologists
of the Survey, who was then engaged tracing out
the boundaries of the Animikie formation. Hav-
ing secured lodgings at the only boarding house
in that vicinity and hired a small fishing smack,
together we visited several small islands within
easy reach of the shore. On one of these, Quarry
Island, sandstones of the Nipigon series are
largely displayed and are seen to rest on the
black slates of the Animikie formation. They
resemble some of the Potsdam rocks of the St.
Lawrence River, but, so far as we know, contain
no fossils ; they have been largely used in the
construction of bridges, etc.
Another island is partly composed of Amygda-
loidal traps, others display fine sections of the
Animikie carbonaceous slates ; one is not likely to
soon forget a sail around these beautiful islands,
nor the delicious supper of fish one can always
get here fish just fresh from the deep cold
waters of an almost matchless lake.
Rossport if one can do without the luxuries
to be had in the smallest town is a charming
place to rusticate in for a short time during the
hot summer weather. Boating, fishing, gunning,
and a hundred and one shady nooks to explore,
nooks which remind one of the song in the Opera
" Wang,"
"A shady nook, a babbling brook."
284
AMONG THE ROCKS.
August 21st, I was again in Ottawa unpacking
my gleanings, from a few of the rocky leaves con-
taining the relics of that wonderful epoch the
Age of Reptiles. The great extent of Miocene
Tertiary and adjacent Belly River series, dis-
played along and near the banks of the Red
Deer River, have as yet only yielded up to us, so
far, a few of the many palaeontological relics they
must contain. Let us hope that others interested
in the past history of the great Dinosaurian age,
will continue researches in these rocksonly a
few drops in the bucket, as it were, of which have
yet been partially examined, and yet have added
so much more valuable knowledge to the story of
our Canadian fossil vertebrates.
285
CHAPTER XIII.
THE " QUEBEC GROUP " CONTROVERSY AN INTERRUPTION
BY ILLNESS I AFFORD AMUSEMENT TO THE NATIVES
THE MONTMORENCY ROCKS THE GOLD-BEARING ROCKS
OF NOVA SCOTIA IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MUSEUM OF
THE SURVEY A CLERICAL GEOLOGIST THE PILGRIMS
TO BONNE SAINTE ANNE THE GEOLOGY OF THE SAINT
ANNE DISTRICT SURROUNDED BY THE TIDE.
pvURING the year 1889, the " Quebec Group "
*"^ controversy, was still a bone of contention,
and again I received instructions to examine
especially for fossils certain rocks in various
parts of the Eastern Townships beginning at St.
Julie, a small village, a short stage ride from the
Becancour Station on the G. T. Railway, from
which place I followed the rock exposures to
Inverness, Lloyd's Mills, through the village of
Ste. Agathe and St. Sylvester to the Chaudiere
River, thence to Point LeVis (South Quebec.)
More than one person had said to me : " you
geological fellows have a grand picnic all the
summer, and spend the winter preparing for the
next summer's sport " ; well, if these grumblers
had followed my footsteps even over this short
journey they would have found there was not
much sport in it, and " those geological fellows "
well earn all the money they get for " picnicing."
286
AMONG THE ROCKS.
It would take too long to record all the inter-
esting incidents of a geological trip through the
Eastern Townships, so I shall only mention one
which may be of use to those following up this
work'
At Lloyd's mills, in a deep gorge, through
which the waters of the River Thames rush
over rugged escarpments of slate and limestone
conglomerates, I found in the latter rocks, several
examples of the pretty little fossil Salterella
rugosa, (Billings,) a very small conical shell,
belonging to the Sub-Kingdom Articulata. 1
found that these conglomerates had a dolomite
matrix and resembled very much the dolomitic
conglomerates of the west-end of the island of
Orleans (over fifty miles away.) Now, I thought,
when I reach Quebec, I will at once cross over to
Orleans Island, and if I can find Salterella in the
dolomitic conglomerates there, it will be an
interesting link in the palseontological chain of
the " Quebec Group." I reached Quebec Sept.
12th, crossed over to my conglomerates, and
there a few yards distant from where Sir
William Logan and I had sat years ago I found
a beautiful little group of Salterella. I thought
how Logan's eyes would have glistened had we
found these fossils then ! My little prize now
occupies a place in the cases of the Survey
museum.
A few days were spent on the rocks of Point
287
REMINISCENCES
LeVis and Quebec; and then I returned to
Ottawa, having finished my field work for 1889.
The summary Report of the Geological Survey
for 1889, after giving a brief account of my
explorations for this year, says :
" The remainder of the year has been occupied by Mr.
Weston in preparing, labelling and arranging for exhibi-
tion in the Museum the collections received during the sum-
mer."
During my connection with the Geological
Survey, to the year 1890, I had seldom been
away from official duties, more than a day or
two at a time, but this year was an unfortunate
one for me. A severe attack of la grippe brought
on another complication which taxed the medical
skill of my friend, Dr. H. P. Wright, to whose
constant care I probably owe my life.
The following item is from the Summary
Report of the Geological Survey for 1890 :
" From the 6th of January to the 26th of June, Mr.
T. C. Weston was confined to his house by severe illness.
He subsequently obtained leave of absence until the tirst of
August, and during that time and up to the 8th of Sept.
he was occupied in the examination of the rocks in the
neighborhood of Quebec City, from which he was success-
ful in obtaining a remarkable and in some respects a
unique set of fossils, which throw considerable light on
the age of these rocks, which is still under discussion.
From the 10th of September until the close of the
year, Mr. Weston's time has been spent in museum work
in the palaeontological and archaeological sections, in
arranging several hundred new specimens in the cases, in
preparing descriptive labels for them and the like."
288
AMONG THE ROCKS.
The fossils from the Quebec City rocks, men-
tioned in the above quotation, were found in the
grey slates near the back of St. John's or Mont-
calm Market.
It is a singular fact, that in all the geological
work done by Logan, Billings, Richardson and
others, up to this date (1890,) and two or
three years previous, when I discovered minute
trilobites, small brachiopods belonging to the
Lingulidse family, and other forms in this same
series of slates, no fossils had been found, so far
as I know, in the city rocks. These trilobite
and Lingulae beds have long been under the road-
bed of the improved portion of St. Patrick's
Street, and now while I write (1897) the rocks in
which the remarkable series of graptolites,
bivalve and other fossils were found in 1890, are
being covered up in making local improvements ;
we regret that we did not do more work at these
rocks now " Lost to sight, but still to memory
dear.'' Many of the fossils just referred to were
obtained under rather trying circumstances.
The " St. John Market rocks" now covered
are in a thickly populated part of the city, where
the youthful French element is almost unlimited.
To these juvenile members of (the "Quebec
Group " I was going to say,) the ancient city, I
owe more than one blow which might have been
serious. To see a man standing on a ledge of
rocks, hour after hour in the blazing sun pound-
T 289
REMINISCENCES
ing these rocks, and every now and then care-
fully wrapping up and bagging the pieces, was
so said one boy in French " as good as a
circus." One day, a crowd of rough boys return-
ing from school came down the bank in a body
to interview me. I tried to explain what I was
doing, but my little lecture on palaeontology
evidently did not please them, for they left in a
body, ascended the bank, and opened fire on me
with corn-cobs and other vegetable matter of
which there was plenty at hand. I was getting
the worst of it when fortunately an old priest
came along, and seeing the trouble, came to my
assistance and rescued me from the hands of the
Philistines.
Collecting "diamonds" to sell to the many
tourists who visit the "Ancient City " is a favorite
pastime for many Quebec children, and as my
" market rocks " yielded many specimens which
could be sold for ten cents or so a dozen they
were a perfect mine of wealth to the little ones
who on half day holidays gathered here armed
with any iron implements, from a railway spike
to an old horse shoe, indeed one little girl con-
fessed that she had stolen her father's shoe-
making hammer for this work. Seeing me, one
day, working in a certain spot for a long time, a
number of these children, concluding I had made
a good strike, crowded me so much that I was
at>out to give up work when the thought
290
AMONG THE ROCKS.
occurred : Suppose I offer these youngsters five
cents a dozen for all the diamonds they can get
anywhere ten yards from where I am working.
The offer was made and gladly accepted, and for
two hours I worked in peace ; then at five o'clock
I called time, and the youngsters gathered around
me with their *' diamonds," some had two or
three, while others had many. I found it no
easy task to settle up accounts with these young
folks, but at last matters were squared satisfac-
torily, and I went away with about five dozen
" diamonds," which after all cost me fifty cents.
Now, when I look at the fossils collected that
day, I seem to see those twenty or thirty child-
ren pounding away at the rocks some singing
French songs, while another small group sang
" Digging dusky diamonds all the season round,
" Down in a coal mine underneath the ground."
Passing two young women in Quebec the other
day, one who carried a baby nudged the other
and said: "That's the fellow that bought our
diamonds, when we were youngsters, wasn't them
happy days ? "
This year (1890), owing to differences of opinion
regarding the rocks of Montmorency Falls, it was
decided to have each variety of these rocks
examined microscopically. This duty was
assigned to the lithologist of the Survey, Mr.
Ferrier, and I was requested by the director to
make a collection of all the typical rocks of the
291
REMINISCENCES
falls. I was still very shaky, after my iate ill-
ness, and this task, although accomplished in one
day, was a severe one. However, a very inter-
esting stratigraphical collection was made, which
I regret to say has not yet been reported on.
While trimming "hand specimens," a short
distance up the river from the falls, a lady came
along with her " kodak," and after taking several
snap-shots at the beautiful scenery of this delight-
ful spot walked away in the direction of the
hotel. In a short time I too made my way to
the hotel, where I learned that this lady was the
Countess of Aberdeen, who with her noble hus-
band the Earl of Aberdeen was, I believe, making
a flying visit to Quebec. A few years later
(1895) Lord Aberdeen became Governor-General
of Canada. To their Excellencies the people of
Ottawa will always be indebted for their good
works, delightful winter sports, and other social
gatherings at Eideau Hall.
During the winter of this year (1890), the
geological horizon of the gold-bearing rocks of
Nova Scotia afforded considerable discussion.
Certain nodular forms, which when weathered
seemed to show coralline structure, had been
found by Mr. Willis in the rocks of the Northrup
gold mines of Nova Scotia. These forms were
handed to Professor H. Y. Hind, who supposed
them to be fossils of Lower Silurian age. They
were then handed to Professor G. T. Kennedy, of
292
HURON IAN CONCRETIONS: Once supposed to be the fossil
Oli.lhatma so dint n. From the Huronian argillites, New-
foundland.
CoNCRETictys : Micro-drawing from a thin slice of Cape
Breton oolitic limestone, magnified about twenty times.
AMONG THE ROCKS.
King's College, who confirmed Professor Hind's
opinion, and pronounced these " fossils " to be
Stromatopora. Had this been a fact, it would
have altered our present idea of the stratigraphy
of the Nova Scotia gold-bearing rocks, consider-
ably. Mr. Fletcher and Mr. Faribault of the
Geological Survey having collected numerous
examples of these supposed fossils, I devoted
considerable time preparing microscopical sec-
tions, etc. of these forms ; the result of which was
that not a particle of organic structure was
found, and like the wonderful discovery of
Oldhamia in the Huronian slates of Newfound-
land mentioned elsewhere were found to be
only concretions.*
A considerable time was spent this winter in
hunting up the dates when certain old museum
specimens were collected. Although the locali-
ties were on these specimens, for some reason the
date of collection was omitted. It is due to Dr.
Selwyn, then director, that now almost every
specimen in the museum bears the date of collec-
tion. This and other museum work together
with a large share of time spent in the restora-
tion of fossil bones, the developing of other speci-
mens, etc. kept me fully occupied till the spring.
Before closing my remarks for this year I take
much pleasure in recording my sincere thanks to
(* See notes on concretionary structure by T. C. VVestou
Trans ol the Nova Scotiau lust, of Science Ser. 2, Vol. 1.)
293
REMINISCENCES
Dr. H. M. Ami, M. A., F. G. S., of the Survey, who
during my sickness besides his own work
devoted much time attending to many of my
duties, both in the palseontological and ethno-
logical branches of the Survey, and later in assis-
ting me to select typical graptolites of the Point
LeVis and Quebec City rocks, to send to Prof.
Walcott, director of the Geological Survey of the
United States, and Prof. Lapworth, LLD., F.G.S.
of Birmingham, England, who had kindly con-
sented to identify these fossils. Prof. Lapworth's
interesting report on these Quebec graptolites
will be found in Trans. Royal Society of Canada,
Section IV. 1886.
As will be seen by the reports of the Geologi-
cal Survey, the year 1891 was an interesting
epoch in the history of Canadian geology and
also in the history of our National Museum.
It was my privilege to be allowed to make many
improvements in the arrangement of specimens,
both in the palaeontological and ethnological
branches, to add many new specimens to our
already splendid geological exhibit, and to restore
many of the fine fossil bones which now form
one of the interesting features of the museum.
In this work the winter months passed pleasantly.
The " Quebec Group " controversy continued, and
more than one unbeliever in our director's strati-
graphy of the LeVis formation got an occasional
roasting !
294
AMONG THE ROCKS.
To try and prove certain theories by fossils I
was again preparing to leave for further work at
the Quebec City, and island of Orleans rocks,
when Ottawa in fact the whole of Canada
was cast into mourning, by the death of our Pre-
mier and Minister of Railways The Right Hon. Sir
John A. Macdonald, which took place on the 6th of
June. By the death of this great man Canada
lost its greatest statesman, and the Geological
Survey one of its best friends.
On the 30th of June, I was again in the City
of Quebec, spend ing a few days on the St. John's
St. " Market rocks" which now, as I have
already stated are covered up. It was during
my work this summer, that a very interesting
series of fossil Graptolitidce, belonging to the
genera Dictyonema, were found in one of the
layers of slate composing part of these " Market
rocks." Now that these rocks are for ever hid-
den from us, the fossils obtained from them with
so much trouble and perseverance should be con-
sidered among the choicest specimens of the geo-
logical Survey.
During my visit to Quebec, I have often spent
interesting half hours with Abbe Laflamme of
Laval University, who, as the reports of the Sur-
vey show, has, during his vacation from the
University, done much important geological work
for the Survey. Like all true geologists, the pro-
fessor had a sharp eye for fossils, but in some
295
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way, he like others seems to have taken it for
granted that the Quebec City rocks contained no
fossils, an idea which might be due to the fact
that thousands of tons of the black limestone of
the city may be broken without finding the trace
of a fossil. Having on the 6th of July, mentioned
to Prof. Laflamme the discovery of Dictyonema
and other graptolites, in the " market rocks," he
at once locked his study in the University, and
accompanied me to these rocks whose fossil evi-
dence had so long escaped the notice of geologi-
cal workers in the " Quebec group " formation.
To see a black robed priest, with hammer in
hand, pounding rocks in the heart of the city
must have seemed strange to many passers-by,
but even the curiosity of the small boy was sus-
pended during the priest's stay with me. Had I
been alone no doubt there would have been a few
corn-cobs flying around as on former occasions.
During my few days sojourn in Quebec this
summer, I had the pleasure of taking my friend
Mr. R. G. McConnell, of the Canadian Geological
Survey who, during a vacation, was making a
hasty trip to England over a portion of the
Quebec City 'and Levis rocks, McConnell, who
is one of the "long distance" Northwest explorers
of the Survey, had never been in Quebec before,
or seen in situ any of the Quebec or LeVis rocks,
so often discussed (sometimes hotly) in his pres-
ence in the work-rooms of the Survey. To a
296
AMONG THE ROCKS.
veteran geologist a different series of rocks from
those he has been studying for years always
proves interesting ; so it was with McConnell's
hasty glance over a portion of our Quebec group
rocks.
Accompanied by Mr. Bedard a Laval Univer-
sity student as assistant, we boarded one of the
market boats which runs from Quebec to several
small villages along the north side of the island
of Orleans. In a few hours we landed at St.
Famille the small French village spoken of
while recording a previous journey with Dr.
Selwyn some years ago. From this village we
went carefully over the shore rocks, both east
and west, hoping to gather new facts regarding
the relation of these rocks to those of Quebec
city. After much hard work and weary tramps
nothing was found to disagree with Logan and
Richardson's interpretations of these rocks. The
only new feature recognized this summer was
that near the west point of the island of Orleans,
nearly opposite Beauport church, there is a set of
black limestones containing fossils identical with
some of those found in the St. John's market
rocks. This proves, without doubt, that these
Orleans Island limestones are a portion of the
black rocks seen in most parts of Quebec City.
To try and confirm, by fossil evidence, some of
the statements made regarding the geological
horizon of the rocks on the north shore oppo-
297
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site the island of Orleans I proceeded alone by
boat, to Ste. Anne de Beaupre' a village situated
on the banks of the St. Lawrence River 21 miles
from Quebec. But who has not heard of that
wonderful spot where thousands yes, hundreds
of thousands of pilgrims assemble yearly to do
homage at the shrine of St. Anne, to hear mass
in the magnificent church, and drink water at
the " miraculous " fountain. Rich and poor, old
and young, kneel side by side at the beautiful
altar, and are blessed by one of the numerous
priests who are ever ready to administer spiritual
consolation to the afflicted, many of whom make
heroic sacrifices to reach this wonderful place of
miracles :
"The waters of the grand Saint Lawrence glide
In calm majestic motion, on their way
Past Bonne Saint Anne, as if the gentle tide,
Its silent humble homage thus would pay
Before the ancient shrine, as on its breast
It bears the pilgrims to this place of rest.
At this time, 1891, there were no large hotels,
as now, at Ste. Anne, and I found shelter in one
of the many cheap boarding houses of this strange
place of religious associations.
A great many people who visit Bonne Sainte
Anne for religious comfort are poor indeed ! a
fact readily seen when one looks at the hundreds
of rudely made crutches, trusses, and other instru-
ments, constructed to support the crippled and
298
AMONG THE ROCKS.
otherwise afflicted. Year by year these instru-
ments of suffering humanity have accumulated.
Day by day these relics of pain and decay are
laid at the shrine of Saint Anne. Tobacco and
snuff boxes, pipes, spectacles, jewellery, and many
other things have been laid with grateful hearts,
for health restored and hopes renewed, at the
feet of Saint Anne. Hundreds of these offerings
adorn the walls of the church, while other large
instruments made for the afflicted cover one of
the great pillars of this noble building.
But to return to our boarding house, where, to
reach the small bed -room assigned me, one has to
pass through a large sitting room which, at this
time, was used by " women only," pilgrims who
come and go every hour of the day. Having
wended my way past twenty or more chattering
French Canadians and gained my " chamber," I
prepared at once for a good geological tramp,
then sought the dining room where, seated on
long benches before a large, roughly made deal
table, were a motley group of pilgrims. Each of
these visitors to Ste. Anne appeared to be eating
provisions they had brought some brown bread
and a little pork, while others seemed to fare
luxuriously on sweet corn, bread, butter, and
cakes, purchased in the village. Some of the
more fortunate ones indulged in a plate of soup,
or a cup of tea, furnished by the house for five
cents each. But poor and scanty as the food of
REMINISCENCES
many of these people seemed, they were all
happy, and why not ? They liad made their
oblations to the good Saint Anne, drunk of the
water of the " miraculous " fountain, been blessed
by the good priest, and were now waiting for the
steamboat to carry them back to their homes.
After dinner which was taken at the same
table with the pilgrims, I hurried off to my work,
returning late in the evening to find the house
crowded with a new lot of pilgrims, who for
some reason had been detained on their journey
and were now obliged to remain over at Ste.
Anne for the night, an unusual thing for pilgrims
to this place.
The night was beautiful, and after supper I
wended my way down to the foot of the long
wharf, over which, during the last year (1890),
105,672 pilgrims had walked on their road to do
penance and receive Holy Communion at the
shrine of Saint Anne, to do which many had
made brave sacrifices.
Alone I sat in the gloaming on the foot- worn
steps of the pier and watched the thousand
twinkling lights of the Quebec and Point Levis
shores, and their reflection in the dark waters of
the St. Lawrence.
From this distant point one sees a great por-
tion of the district surroundings of the ancient
capital of Quebec, every yard of which is freighted
with historic interest, the cliffs of the Citadel,
300
AMONG THE ROCKS.
the magnificent Dufferin Terrace 1,400 feet
long and 200 feet above the level of the river,
the towering cliffs of Levis which have yielded
us such an abundant fossil fauna, and, after
researches made almost every summer for the
past fifty years, still give us an occasional new
form, but
" The day is done, and the darkness
Falls from the wing of night,
As a feather is wafted downwards
From an eagle in his flight."
And again I wended iny way to the pilgrims'
lodging house, passing the wharf toll-gate through
which 2,000 seekers after religious consolation
had passed that day, each paying a small toll,
which, to save time, is arranged for by the good
fathers who organize the excursion.
A short walk and I was again in my boarding-
house. All was quiet, and unobserved I reached
the large room that led to my bed-room. On
opening the door, to my astonishment I saw the
floor covered with cheap mattresses or straw
beds on each of which was stretched, one, two or
three women. I backed out of the room, closed
the door and went in search of the good woman
of the house, and having found and explained
matters to her, she smiled and said " Monsieur,
I will escort you to your chamber." Following
my hostess, we picked our way carefully between
these sleeping pilgrims and gained my chamber,
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REMINISCENCES
I was tired and slept well till late the following
morning, when on opening my door I found all
quiet again, and the people of the house busy
preparing for another batch of visitors to this
village of miracles. And so these pilgrims come
and go every day during the summer months,
each leaving their small oblations towards the
support of the church, and each carrying away
some small souvenir of their visit to the shrine
of Saint Anne.
It is a beautiful sight, while leaning on the
rails of Dufferin Terrace at sunset, to watch one
of our large St. Lawrence steamers heavily laden
with homeward bound pilgrims glide gracefully
past the walls of the Citadel and through the
shadows of the towering cliffs of Cape Diamond;
to watch the brilliant reflections of the evening
sun on the waters, the cliffs and the numerous
windows in the Catholic buildings of Levis. But
hark ! a thousand voices on the throbbing steamer
are chanting their vesper hymns. Happy souls,
many of whom endured much to make this pilgri-
mage to their Bonne Sainte Anne, to
'* Confess their sins, receive the Bread of Life."
But to our geology again. Returning to Ste.
Anne by the Beauport and Montmorenci road we
pass numerous outcrops of Trenton limestone and
many small lime kilns in which the French Can-
adian farmers burn lime for agricultural purposes
and for whiting the walls of the houses.
302
AMONG THE ROCKS.
At the summit of Montmorenci Falls of which
I have already spoken the Trenton limestone is
beautifully displayed in the " natural steps," of
the Montmorenci River. Here the formation has
an estimated thickness of fifty feet of dark grey
limestone (resting on gneiss) holding most of the
typical fossils, among which are found good
examples of our Lower Silurian Bryozoa, Brachi-
opoda, Gasteropoda, Cephalopoda, Crustacea and
other divisions of the fossil fauna of the Trenton
formation.
An interesting geological feature of this delight-
ful locality in the shadows of pine woods, and
the roar of waters as they hasten on to hurl them-
selves over the great cliffs and mingle with the
waters of the St. Lawrence is the occurrence of
a rich deposit of ochre, covering an area of several
acres, and having a depth of one to seventeen
feet. The colors of these pigments vary from a
light yellow to a dark brown. In 1875 while
making a collection of these ochres for the Phila-
delphia Centennial Exhibition I found a number
of flint chippings and bits of Indian pottery.
Some of these relics were a foot or more below
the surface. It is probable this was a favorite
Indian camping ground during their hunting
expeditions hundreds of years before the first
page of Canadian history was written.
Continuing our journey by road, from the
Falls of Montmorenci ; towards the Ste. Anne
303
REMINISCENCES
Biver and at the lower falls, almost all the
typical rocks of the Trenton, Utica and Hudson
River formations. These have characteristic
fossils and a great variety of strata of bluish -
grey limestone, dark bituminous shales, grey
and other colored sandstones, etc. Together with
the Laurentian gneiss on which one of these
formations (Trenton) is seen to lean or rest, they
form a thickness of about 1200 feet.
Arriving again at Ste. Anne I take another
meal at our pilgrim boarding house, then pro-
ceed by buggy to St. Joachim another small
French village on the banks of the St. Lawrence
River, a few miles below Ste. Anne.
It is a lovely drive, the river tq the right and
verdant sloping banks or terraces to the left.
Outcrops of sandstone and other rocks belonging
to the Hudson River formation are numerous.
Most of these I examined carefully for fossils.
In one ledge of sandstone good examples of the
Graptolite Diplograptus pristis were found.
These were important specimens, and I was in-
tent on my find when a typical lower-class
French Canadian of this district who was pass-
,ng stopped to see what I was doing. Seeing
me carefully wrap up and bag a piece of this
fossiliferous rock, he turned to my carter and
said :
"Sacre" crapaud! pourquoi emportes tu dans
ton sac, ce petit morceau de pierre ? Mon Dieu!
304
AMONG THE ROCKS.
il peut bien prendre, toutes les pierres qu'il
trouvera sur ma ferme !
Continuing our journey in a short time we
came to the Grand River, a small but rapid
stream hurrying on to plunge and mingle its
waters with those of the St. Lawrence.
Here where the road crosses the stream, we
find a beautiful example of rock crumpling or
folding, forming a number of small anticlinals
and synclinals But to which formation do
these strata belong ? They look like some of our
Levis rocks ; and they ought to belong to the
Hudson River formation what will the Index
to our stony book say? With hammer in hand
T wade along the margin of the stream to where
it cuts through a series of black shales and thin
bedded sandstones A few minutes work and I
have in my bag several typical fossils of the
Hudson River formation. The stratigraphy of
our rocks across the river on the north shore of
the island of Orleans told what we might ex-
pect here, and the fossils in my bag confirm the
supposition.
Quite satisfied, and the best of friends, with
this fine example of corrugated strata and the
fossils obtained from some of the beds, my carter
and I sat down in a shady nook on the river bank
to enjoy a lunch the good lady of ourpilgrim board-
ing house had provided us with a bottle of milk
four hard boiled eggs, bread, butter and cheese,
u 305
REMINISCENCES
we were both hungry and it was a delicious
meal so my carter thought and when I gave
him a cigar, he murmured words of thanks in
which le Bon Dieu figured ! Man and beast
being fed and rested, we resumed our journey,
and when within a mile of St. Joachim Church
came to an interesting outcrop of dark grey lime-
stone mentioned in the Canadian Geological
Report for 1863. Here we do not have to
hammer for hours as in some cases for a fossil,
for the index of this chapter of our stony book is
opened out before us, and we see at a glance
that the fossils exposed on the weathered surface
of this sedimentary rock are characteristic forms
of the Trenton formation.
A few minutes suffice to give us all the typical
forms we need to identify this strata, some of
which belong to the following genera : Stenopora,
Leptcena, Strophomena, Orthis, Catymene, etc.
Between this Lower Silurian strata and St.
Joachim village only Laurentian rocks are
seen, but the limestone is met with again at Bay
St. Paul, fifty miles or so lower down a loca-
lity I shall mention in my next year's (1892)
rambles
St. Joachim village, like St. Anne, and I think
all the villages along the lower St. Lawrence
coast, are essentially French Canadian settle-
ments. In every village a large Catholic church
occupies a prominent position. They are all
300
AMOJSG THE ROCKS.
dedicated to some saint. " In the gospel accord-
ing to St. Luke, Joachim is mentioned under the
abbreviated name of Eli, as father-in-law to St.
Joseph. The only but glorious offspring of this
marriage was the Blessed Virgin Mary." How-
ever large these churches are, they are seldom
large enough to accommodate the great number
of people who assemble for Sunday morning
mass. Sunday is a red letter day for the toiling
Canadian farmer and his family. To some who
have to make long distances to their church, it
means most of the day at mass and on the road ;
but after their devotions are over, the remainder
of the day is given up to pleasant intercourse
with- one another, and for a short time the trials
and cares of life are forgotten. After seeing
much of the poor class of French Canadians one
comes to the conclusion that they are indeed a
happy race of people.
Leaving the village of St. Joachim with its
grassy flats where the " sport " finds good work
for his dogs to do, we return to Ste. Anne, where
again a few more geological tramps were made
along the shore and shore road. Although the
rocks had yielded many interesting fossils, I
found nothing to refute the work done by Logan
and his colleagues, during the early history of
the Survey.
July 20th, my friend Mr. Bedard joined me in
Quebec and together we spent a day on the
307
REMINISCENCES
Utica shales between the mouth of the St.
Charles River and Beauport.
The Utica formation, which takes its name
from Utica, New York, is represented in Canada
by about 300 feet of black bituminous shales,
interbedded with harder rocks, sandstones, lime-
stones, etc.
At low tide near the mouth of the St. Charles
River a fine section of this strata is seen, its dip
is about S.E <40. To the palaeontologist who
is interested in Utica and Hudson River fossils
the latter formation in Canada has a thick-
ness of 2,000 feet and is intimately associ-
ated with the Utica deposits this locality pre-
sents a fine field for collecting most of the typical
Utica and Hudson River graptolites. It is
singular though that while much of the strata
here is very prolific in graptolites, I failed to find
one of the trilobite or fossil bivalve shells, which
are so numerous in the Utica of other localities.
The tide rises rapidly over the Utica rocks
and extensive marshy flats near the mouth of
the St. Charles River. This I found to my cost
one day, for while intently examining some fine
specimens of the graptolite Climacograptus
bicornis, I felt & splash of water over my boots,
and looking up, I found myself surrounded with
water ; the twenty or more cows who were near
me a short time ago feeding on the marsh grass,
had evidently paid more attention to the tide
308
AMONG THE ROCKS.
than I, for they were on the shore half a mile
away. Slinging my collecting bag, which con-
tained my lunch and perhaps fifty pounds weight
of rocks, over my shoulder I made for the shore,
which I reached just after the water had found
its way into my trousers pockets. The day was
very hot, and while my clothes dried in the sun
I Watched the burning of a schooner which had
been beached here for that purpose, and thought
of those startling military times of 1759, when
the siege of Quebec took place and all this shore
between the mouth of the St. Charles River and
Beauport was lined with batteries, arid the sur-
rounding country for miles was covered with
French encampments.
A spot a little to the right of where I sat enjoy-
ing a bottle of ginger ale and some sandwiches,
provided me by my good sister-in-law, Mrs. M. G.
Mountain, an old resident of Quebec is still
pointed out as the place where in 1535 Jacques
Cartier and his companions passed the winter.
It was here also that the French constructed
floating batteries and fire-ships which floated
with the current down the St. Lawrence and did
much damage to the English fleet.
July 22nd, I was again on the island of
Orleans trying to connect by fossil evidence the
black shales and limestones of the " cement
quarry " with the bituminous limestones and
slates of Quebec City. The fossils obtained
309
REMINISCENCES
threw much light on this complicated strata, but
much still remains to be done. I returned to
Ottawa July 27th, and owing to delicate health
did not return to field work again this year.
During the remaining part of the summer and
winter of 1891-92 my time was occupied again
in palaeontological and archaeological work con-
nected with the museum, varied with microsco-
pical and official work.
During the past winter my health had been
poor and my request to be allowed to make
short geological excursions during the summer of
1892, was readily granted.
Knowing that extensive excavations for the
foundation of the Chateau Frontenac were in
operation, and hoping to obtain more fossil
evidence regarding the Quebec City rocks, I
again on the 18th of July returned to the ancient
capital.
310
CHAPTER XIV.
FURTHER GEOLOGISING AT QUEBEC CITY EXAMINING THE
ROCKS PRECIPITATED BY THE LAND-SLIDE A VICTIM
OF POISON-IVY A SEARCH FOR A METEORITE ON THE
OTTAWA RIVER THE LAURENTIAN MARBLE AN
ARTIST'S SKETCH is USEFUL THE JOGGINS COAST, N.S.
AGAIN CONCLUSION AND THANKS TO MY FRIENDS OF
THE SURVEY.
thousands of tons of black limestone
excavated for the new Frontenac hotel,
Quebec, afforded an excellent opportunity for
fossil researches, and I worked hard to get new
facts, but regret to say that with the exception
of one species of graptolite Dyplograptus
pristinijormis these rocks were destitute of
organic remains.
Returning to the St. John St. market rocks I
found my Dictyonema beds gone ; gone to pave
the streets of the city. I have already stated
that the road-bed of St. Patrick's street covers
my trilobite beds, now the Dictyonema beds
only a few yards distant, are gone. It is a singu-
lar fact that the fossil Dictyonema has not so far
been found in any other than the St. John Street
market rocks, in all the city. The loss of these
rocks which have been made historical by the
writings of Professor Lapworth of Birmingham,
311
REMINISCENCES
England, and several members of the Geological
staff will always be regretted.
While still at work at these ever interesting
Quebec and Levis rocks I received official
instructions to proceed to Bay St. Paul, there to
make a large collection of the garnetiferous
gneiss which forms one of the interesting geo-
logical features of the nor tli- east side of the bay.
Bay St. Paul which is one of the lesser salt
water resorts of the river St. Lawrence, is about
60 miles below Quebec, 30 miles above the popu-
lar summer resort, Murray Bay, and 90 miles
below Quebec. Between the latter Bay and Bay
St. Paul, the coast is very rugged, and affords an
excellent opportunity for the student in geology
to study Canadian Laurentian rocks, and also
some of the Lower Silurian strata ; as at Bay St.
Paul, where the Trenton limestones are largely
developed and contain the characteristic fossils
of that formation.
A little saline spring issues from the Silurian
rocks of this bay, and a short distance away, in
the parish of St. Urban large deposits of iron
ore (limonite) occur.
The journey from Quebec to Bay St. Paul in
one of the fine Saguenay steamers occupies
about five hours. Before reaching Riviere
Ouelle, about 80 miles below Quebec we enter
salt water and see, perhaps, several white por-
poises, that peculiar Cetacea, white whale or
312
AMONG THE ROCKS.
Beluga Delphinapterus catodon, which as a
skeleton in the Geological museum, Ottawa
shows a length of 18 Dr 20 feet, and fossil bones,
also seen in the same institution, from the
Post Tertiary clays of Montreal, show that this
aquatic mammal existed prior to the formation
of the Leda clay deposits in which such a variety
of " chalk shells " are found.
A Quebec paper states that during this spring
(1898, large droves of porpoises have been seen
in the St. Lawrence following the small fish on
which they feed. Nearly one hundred have been
captured at the River Ouelle fishery. This catch
represents a value of over three thousand dollars.
One of these porpoise, or white whales, was sold
to an American, representing the Barnum Museum
for $80.
August 9th, I was again in Quebec accomp-
anying Dr. Selwyn, director of the Geological
Survey of Canada, over some of the Quebec City
rocks he had not yet studied. We first examined
the great pile of rock debris which fell from
almost under the foundation of part of the Cita-
del walls in 1889, crushing through several
houses and hurling fifty-one souls into eternity.
The falling of these rocks brought to light sev-
eral beds of strata exhibited in no other part of
the city, thus affording an excellent opportunity
for fossil researches ; but although we climbed
over thousands of tons weight of this land-slide
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REMINISCENCES
we failed to find more than one species of fossil,
that being a graptolite common to the Hudson
River and Utica formations.
From these fallen rocks we ascended the steep
partially verdant cliffs till we were immediately
under the walls of the Citadel. It was an exceed-
ingly hot day, and the journey up about 180
feet of slippery shingle was not easy. When
about half way up we came to a large bed of
poison ivy; turning to me the doctor said,
"Weston is this poison ivy?" "Yes" I said,
" put on your other glove and if possible don't
touch it. For my part I have no gloves nor
umbrella, and must hold on to this villainous
plant or perhaps roll to the bottom of the
cliff." I had suffered from this poisonous plant
before, and knowing that I was then in a fit
state to receive the poison felt sure I should
suffer again, but there was no help for it, so I
used the stems of the plant as a ladder. Reach-
ing the top of the cliff, without thinking where
my hands had been, I brushed the perspiration
from my forehead. The following day I took
my chief to see the Utica slates, near the mouth
of the St. Charles River (already spoken of).
Before leaving Dr. Selwyn that evening, I held
out my wrists and said, " look doctor, the poison
is beginning to do its work." The next and fol-
lowing seven days I was in bed and suffered well
I shudder now when I think of the awful distress
314
AMONG THE ROCKS.
that infernal plant can cause large water-blisters
over one's face, one's hands tied up in linen sat-
urated with lotions, and all the rest of it. It is
a singular fact, however, that this poisonous
plant, which covers a large portion of the Citadel
rocks, only affects some people, and that only at
certain times of the year, and when the skin is
in a fit state to receive the poison. We are told
in classical mythology that ivy was sacred to
Bacchus, whose head was surrounded by a wreath
of it. I wonder what the effect would have been
had they crowned him with the same species of
ivy that caused me so much trouble I The species
of ivy spoken of above is Rhus toxicodendron.
French Canadians call it Herbe a la puce. It is
found in abundance under the rampart and Cita-
del wall, along the shores and on the islands of
the St. Lawrence river. Although in handling
this plant it may only affect one person in fifty,
it is better to avoid touching it in the hot months
of summer.
During my stay in Quebec this summer (1892)
I found an opportunity of again examining the
Mountain Hill Cliff. Geologically this is a very
interesting portion of the Quebec City rocks ;
but here too the moment one touches the
rocks with his hammer, he is surrounded by peo-
ple who want to know why you break the
rocks while there is so much already broken, etc.,
etc.
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I was delighted one day when Mr. G. A.
Laf ranee, whose book-binding establishment comes
close up to the cliff, allowed me to get out of a
back door on to the escarpment. I worked
without interruption, and found such important
information regarding the Quebec city rock de-
posits, that some days after when the director of
the Survey returned to the city, he gladly
accompanied me, and together we crept through
the little back-door, or trap, in Mr. Laf ranee's
factory. We left this locality with quite a num-
ber of fossils which prove that a large part of
these Mountain Hill rocks belong to the Trenton
and Hudson River formations.
The following extract, from a paper contributed
by me to the Ottawa Naturalist, will serve to
record in these memoirs, several interesting facts
regarding this portion of our Quebec City rocks:
" Out of the 12,000 feet or more of strata which form
the much discussed "Quebec Group," there are several
interesting escarpments and sections which have hitherto
not received the attention they deserve. One of these
escarpments is the Mountain Hill cliff, which forms a
portion of the height over which the ramparts of the city
of Quebec are built.
** A close examination of the cliff immediately facing
Mountain Hill House, on the lower part of the hill, shows
it to be composed of a coarse grey nodular limestone ; in
places, bedded structure may be seen, while the principal
portion (which is the matrix of the conglomerate), is com-
pact, and sometimes flinty, with seams of carbonaceous or
bituminous matter.
316
AMONG THE ROCKS.
14 This portion of the cliff is prolific in fossils, but they
are chiefly fragmentary, and might readily be overlooked.
This is probably the reason why, in the early study of the
geologic structure of the city portion of the ' Quebec
Group, ' these were included in the Levis division of the
same.
''No fossil remains had been found or observed in the
Mountain Hill cliff until the summer of 1877, at which
time the writer discovered a D umber of interesting species.
In 1892, another opportunity was afforded me to examine
that portion of the exposure immediately back of the
Express office, and adjoining the book-binding establish-
ment. On that occasion there were found some remark-
ably well-preserved fossils, some of which were immediately
recognized as being characteristic Trenton forms. Dr.
Selwyn arrived in the city at the time, accompanied me
to this locality, and several new species were added to
our former collection."
My last official journey of this season (1892)
was in search of a meteoric stone, or large piece
of meteoric iron which celestial bodies, we
know, occasionally fall from the heavens.
On the 3rd of September, Mr. Robert Abbott, of
Ottawa, who has spent many years on the Ottawa
River, mentioned to the director of the Geological
Survey that some years ago he had seen a "chunk
of iron," which he supposed to be a meteorite, on
the banks of the Ottawa River near the village
of Portage du Fort.
That same evening Mr. Abbott and I left
Ottawa in search of this specimen. After five
hours' railway journey we arrived at Portage du
Fort, where, on seeing the rock deposits of that
317
REMINISCENCES
locality, I said "if anyone wishes to build a
marble palace on the banks of this beautiful
river, there is plenty of material here."
Although the Laurentian crystalline limestone
of Portage du Fort, and other localities on the
Ottawa, is not fit for statuary, it is well fitted
for any ornamental work, and has been largely
used for decoration purposes in the Parliament
buildings of Ottawa. The following morning
(Sunday), Mr. Abbott and I started after the
" thunder-bolt," arriving at the spot where he
had seen the " chunk of iron " some years ago.
We found we had as Mr. Abbott expressed
it had a wild goose chase. We searched dili-
gently among the Laurentian boulders which
cover a large portion of the bank of the river
here, but failed to find the "Thunder-bolt."
Returning to the village, we made enquiries from
some of the old habitants of the place. One
said that some boys, having heard that the "iron
stone " was valuable, rolled it into the river till
such time as they could find a way of disposing
of it. Another said that priests from Montreal
had attempted to cart it away, but finding
they could not do so with the means they then
had, buried it till they could find a way to trans-
port it to the railway. Mr. Abbott affirms the
specimen was there, and that he had seen it many
times, each time thinking to report the matter to
some public institution. It is a great pity he did
318
AMONG THE ROCKS.
not while it was there. However, he still hopes
to find this valuable specimen
The large and only meteorite in the Ottawa
geological museum now, is said to be of extra-
terrestrial origin and an aerolite. It was found
in 1N54 upon the surface of a field at Madoc, and
weighs 370 pounds so says the Geological Sur-
vey Report for 1863. It is probable that this
specimen was first found on the surface of a field;
but Sir William Logan told me that he found it
propping up the corner of a barn, and at once
sought the owner of the barn and offered to put
a good square stone in its place; the offer was
accepted and Sir William immediately had this
valuable specimen removed and placed in the
museum.
My official duties during the winter months of
1892 consisted as usual, in museum work con-
nected with the palseontological and ethnological
branches of the Survey. During the first three
months of 1893, some of fche members of the geo-
logical staff were busily engaged preparing maps,
rocks fossils, etc., for the forthcoming World's
Fair at Chicago I was requested, as usual, to
prepare a series of specimens, illustrating, as far
as possible, the supposed Laurentian fossil Eozoon
Canaden.se already spoken of in these pages.
The preparation of these specimens occupied
about two months. They consisted of decalcified
and other specimens showing the tubuli structure,
319
REMINISCENCES
microscopic sections, micro-photographs, micro-
drawings, etc., altogether forming one of the
most interesting collections of Eozoon yet exhi-
bited.
My next duty was to prepare a stratigraphical
collection of Canadian fossilif erous rocks. These
were included in the large collection of hand
specimens which represented as far as possible
examples of all our Canadian rocks.
My next work, also for the coming exhibition,
was the re-labelling and re-arranging a large
number of specimens of native gold, models of
gold from the Chaudiere River, specimens of
platinum, etc., and lastly in preparing a series
of labels, tablets, etc., to illustrate the me-
thods employed by the Survey in labelling
and exhibiting geological specimens in the muse-
um. These specimens filled three of our muse-
um flat show cases, which when in place in
the Chicago Exhibition formed an interesting
and instructive feature of our geological ex-
hibit.
June 17th, 1893, through indisposition I ob-
tained a short leave of absence and again return-
ed to Quebec. After a few days' rest, although
the flesh was weak, the rocks on the other side
of the river had such magnetic attraction, that
again, with a boy to hammer, and carry my col-
lecting bag, another important collection of fos-
sils was made.
320
AMONG THE ROCKS.
I think I have already mentioned that fossils
are not evenly distributed through the LeVis
rocks, but occur generally in colonies ; so one
making his fossil debut to our Quebec city and
Levis rocks must not be like the foreigner who
said to me : " I have tapped the Levis cliffs, and
find them to be Laurentian, for there is not even
the ghost of a fossil in them."
Expecting to visit Murray Bay for a few days,
I had, before leaving Ottawa, requested my
friend, Mr. Lawrence M. Lambe, artist to the
Survey, who was well acquainted with that
locality, to recommend me to a good hotel. He
at once made a pencil sketch of a little, stout,
dumpy man, and said : " That is something like
my friend, Mr. C., who keeps the best hotel at
Murray Bay."
Monday morning, June 27th, I boarded the
fine S. S. Saguenay, and after a delightful trip
arrived at this charming salt-water summer re-
sort at 4 p. m. With Mr. Lambe's sketch in my
hand I looked over the gay crowd of summer
visitors, who always flock to the wharf to see
new arrivals, and sure enough among this
group was our little dumpy man. The sketch
was so like him that when I presented it to
Mr. C. and said, that is the man I am looking
for, he fairly shook with laughter, said, " that's
me," and requested to be allowed to keep the
sketch.
v 321
REMINISCENCES
The days were beautiful, and in the evenings
when music and laughter prevailed, one thought
of Longfellow's words :
" And the nights shall be filled with music,
And the cares that infest the day,
Shall fold their tents like the Arabs,
And as silently steal away. "
Here, at Murray Bay, as at most of the salt
water summer resorts below Quebec, the man
with the hammer finds the rocks more interest-
ing than the festivities of a gay hotel, and
wanders forth into the valley of Murray Bay
River to search for new fossil evidence, which
there is always a chance of obtaining in any of
nature's rock storehouses.
But to one interested in the Laurentian form-
ation of the Lower St. Lawrence River, a tramp
over the sea-splashed rocks between Murray Bay
and Bay St. Paul, gives much pleasure, for here,
if one is fitting up a cabinet of Laurentian rocks,
he can find a charming variety. But while at
this work, he must not forget like the writer of
these notes did and get cut off by the tide, and
have to remain in an awkward position till ebb
tide.
Before leaving Quebec for Ottawa, I was re-
quested to again visit officially the Joggins
Coast, N. S. In previous pages of these memoirs
I have spoken of the magnificent section of car-
boniferous rocks which occupy the south coast of
322
AMONG THE ROCKS.
Cumberland Basin, or the head of the Bay of
Fundy.
The writings of Sir William Logan, Sir Wil-
liam Dawson. and other celebrated geologists,
have told us of the remarkable fauna and flora
of these coast rocks, and given us sections and
descriptions of the Joggins Coast deposits till one
would almost fancy the geological structure, and
palseontological evidence was exhausted, but that
is npt so, for during this my last visit to this
ever-interesting locality it was my good fortune
to discover two very large unio-like shells. They
are fresh water bivalves, one measures a little
less than eight inches in length, and the other
a little more than eight inches. They were
found in the rocks belonging to the productive
coal measures, with SigUlaria, LepidodeTidron
and other Carboniferous fossil plants, and an
almost perfect lower jaw of a reptile whose
largest tooth was half an inch long. It was pro-
bably the maxillary bone Baphetes plciniceps.
Owen, (Acadian Geology, Dawson, p. 360). Like
many fossil bones of the carboniferous formation
this was so fractured that it could not be pre-
served with the means then at hand.
One of these remarkable fossil bivalves has
been described and figured by Mr. J. F. Whit-
eaves, F. R. S. C., F. G. S., palaeontologist to the
Geological Survey of Canada, in Transactions of
the Royal Society of Canada. It received the
323
REMINISCENCES
name Asthedonta Westoni, being dedicated to
the discoverer.
My friend, Mr. G. F. Matthew of St. John,
N. B., who has done much good geological work
for the Survey, having heard of this Carbonifer-
ous fossil bivalve, writes : " Let me congratulate
you on the giant clam you have found; quite a
respectable companion to him of the Pacific ocean
and a head and shoulders taller than any modern
fresh water beast of our country."
Another important fossil find was made this
season in the productive coal measures of the
Joggins Coast. Sunday July 15th while stroll-
ing along the shore, in the vicinity of Hard-
scrabble Wiiarf, with my coal miner friend, Mr.
James Devine who has a sharp eye for fossils
we discovered on the surface of a large block of
sandstone which had fallen from one of the
upper beds of the cliff, the tracks of a small
reptile. It is probable that these are . the foot-
prints of the small saurian reptile, or lizard
Hylonomus Lyelli, Dawson, (Acadian Geology,
Dawson 1863 p. 373.) It is probable that the
rami of the small reptile which made these
tracks did not exceed half an inch in length.
These, almost the first vertebrate animals which
appeared on this earth, were the small reptiles
whose bones Sir William Dawson has found in
the base of erect fossil trees belonging to the
genus Sigillaria. These delicate little lizards, as
324
AMONG THE ROCKS.
the name Hylonomus indicates, were forest
dwellers, and lived chiefly in the base of the
coneiferous trees which formed a large portion of
the forests of coal period. The slab of sandstone
just spoken of now in the Geological Survey
museum containing the footprints, was obtain-
ed with much difficulty, apart from our having
to carry it for more than a mile over a rough
sea coast, but one is always ready to risk a little
to obtain a good geological specimen.
The study of the Carboniferous system in Cum-
berland county, Nova Scotia, is very fascinating ;
the great variety of rocks including sandstones
shales, conglomerates, limestones, clays, gravels,
etc., with their vastly important bituminous coal
beds, and great cliffs of sandstone peculiarly
adapted for grindstones, thousands of which are
yearly manufactured close to the sea shore, a few
miles distant from the Joggins coal mines. These
rocks which in Canada are spread over a good
portion of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
have an estimated thickness of about 11,000
feet, not including the Permian beds. They were
formed in the ancient carboniferous seas, and
contain, besides a very large number of species of
fossil plants, the bones of extinct fish and rep-
tiles ; the foot prints of great Saurians and, as
we have just seen, the tracks of small lizards
whose whole body would not measure more than
the length of a claw of the great Saurian who
325
EEMINISCENCES
has, so far as we know, only left his footprints
behind.
From the e ver-in teresting shores of the Joggins
coast, where the sea lashes the great sandstone
cliffs, which as I have already said occasionally
exhibit sections of erect fossil trees, I paid my
initial visit to Spring Hill. Arriving there July
24th, I at once visited the coal mines and through
the courtesy of Mr. Alex. Mclnnes got a slight
idea of the extensive mining then going on.
The village or town of Spring Hill is situated
inland a few miles from the Joggins coast, reach-
ed now by railway. Geologically, above ground,
this is not an interesting locality ; I saw no rock
exposures near the village, and the only chance
of examining the geological strata is in the mines,
or on the dumping ground where one can get
some idea of the underlying deposits, and
occasional^ pick up a good fossil plant or perhaps
a section of a " petrified " trunk of a tree such as
those found in the cliffs of the Joggins coast.
I had only been at Spring Hill a few hours, and
was getting much interested in the deposits on
the dumping ground where several good fossil
ferns were found, when suddenly a severe sick-
ness overtook me, resulting probably from some
fish I had eaten for dinner. Attended by Dr.
Cove and the cook of the hotel I remained in
bed five da}'s the longest five days I ever spent.
But there was a silver lining to my dark cloud,
326
AMONG THE ROCKS,
which was represented by wonderful extempore
music created by the host of the hotel, a young
man who had recently become proprietor of this
famous old hostelry.
To Mr. -Alex. Mclnnes, manager of the Spring
Hill coal mines, and Dr. Cove, M.A., my thanks
were specially due for many kindesses, espec-
ially for collecting a number of fossil plants for
me during my short but almost fatal sickness
which lasted some days after I again returned
to Ottawa. It was this sickness and general debi-
lity that caused me to apply for superannuation,
which after a further leave of absence for four
months, during which my time, whenever able,
was spent on the Quebec rocks in the interest of
the Survey was granted on the 1st of July 1894.
A few more words before closing these
rambling remarks. During my 35 years' con-
nection with the Geological Survey of Canada
changes have constantly taken place, and con-
stant improvements in this Institution have been
made, especially since the Dominion Govern-
ment decided to remove the Survey to Ottawa.
The palaeontological branch has (like all the other
branches) prospe.ed under the able chief of that
department Mr.J.F. Whiteaves and his assistants,
one of whom it has been my privilege to be since
the death of the former palaeontologist, Mr. E.
Billings. It has not been as some members of the
Survey prophesied "the beginning of the end,"
327
REMINISCENCES
but rather the beginning of a new epoch in the
history of this important institution, which I feel
sure will continue to prosper under the able
management of its present director, Dr. G. M.
Dawson. I may mention here that while the
Survey was in Montreal the largest number of
visitors, to the museum, in any year, was 1652.
In 1897 (this year) the number has increased to
32,357. Year by year these numbers have risen
and will probably be doubled when a proper
building is provided for displaying the thousands
of specimens now stored away.
Passing through the various departments of
the Survey one is constantly reminded of absent
friends who have long passed away, but whose
faithful works in the interests of geology
will always remain as monuments of their in-
dustry and love of their chosen pursuits.
In previous pages of these notes I have spoken
of some of these diligent workers in our Canadian
Geological field, and now to the present members
of the Geological staff: Dr. G. M. Dawson, Dr. Bell,
Mr. J. F. Whiteaves, Dr. Ami, Mr. Fletcher, Mr.
Lambe, Mr. Dowling, Prof. Macoun, and others of
the Survey, who are diligently continuing the
good work of their predecessors, I tender my
sincere thanks for friendship and valued counsel.
328
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