Stations. TABLE NO. 3.-Secondary points located from the primary system. Court-house flag- 46 29 54.49 staff. 84 20 35.02 Soo West base Meters. St. Mary's Catholic church spire. 46 29 55. 22 84 20 20. 61 West base Soo East base. TABLE NO. 5.-Geographical positions of the stations of the tertiary triangulation of the river between Little Rapids and Point Iroquois. F.-REPORT OF MR. II. VON SCHON, ASSISTANT ENGINEER. UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE, SIR: I have the honor to submit herewith my annual report for the fiscal year, from July 1, 1893, to June 30, 1894, consisting of two parts, viz: Part I. Report on the topographical survey along American shore of St. Marys River from July, 1893, to December, 1893. Part II. Report on mapping, charting, sketching, and office operations from December, 1893, to June 30, 1894. PART I. SUBJECT OF SURVEY, The subject of the survey, as defined in your letter of instructions to me dated June 13 and July 15, 1893, was the southern shore of the St. Marys River, Beginning at Little Rapids, including the western side of the new channel, thence westerly to a point beyond Point Iroquois, afterwards determined to be Salt Point. The survey was to extend from the shore line of the river back to the crest of the first range of hills parallel thereto, and to include all islands on the American shore. Ail light-houses, range lights, buildings; all topographical features relating to the conditions of the ground and improvements; all land survey, section and town lines, and contours for every 20 feet elevation were to be located and plotted on a scale of 1 to 5,000, afterwards changed to 1 to 10,000. CHARACTER OF TERRITORY. The character of this territory presents all the varieties to be found in this latitude. Almost the entire shore line on this reach is low and sandy or marshy, a rank growth of timber and brush reaching to the water's edge for more than half of the shore distance surveyed. Occasionally for short distances the shore line rises to a sandy bluff not exceeding 20 feet in height, and for the last 3 miles east of Salt Point outcroppings of a mineral formation are visible on shore, becoming very determined for about 1 mile, rising abruptly out of the water to a height of about 15 feet. The range of hills coming from the south enters this territory about 1 mile south of Little Rapids at an elevation of about 125 feet above the river level, then gradually approaches the west end of Sault Ste. Marie within one-third of a mile of the river shore at an elevation of about 115 feet, then bears south for a distance of about 2 miles and again approaches and touches the shore line at the Clay Banks at a height of about 85 feet. Thence it bears west to a point south of Point Iroquois, and thence north rapidly rising and culminating in the Iroquois formation at a maximum altitude of about 440 feet above the river level at Little Rapids. From here the hills gradually recede in a southwesterly direction to a considerable distance from shore, gradually decreasing in elevation. The drainage of this hill range from Little Rapids to the Clay Banks issues in three small creeks, and thence to its northward course to Iroquois is absorbed by the Waiska River, a water course of considerable volume. The Iroquois range proper drains into two small lakes at its foot which lie about 30 feet above the river and are without any visible outflow. The reach from Iroquois to Salt Point is broken by one creek only. The country between shore and hills is low and mostly thickly covered with all classes of timber and brush, tamarack, maple, and elm predominating. Occasionally large areas of timber are burnt over, and some depressions of considerable extent are swampy and marshy. No land was found under cultivation after passing Sault Ste. Marie until the Waiska River is reached, where Superior, a settlement of about 100 people, is located, and some farming is done. On a peninsula 14 miles north of this is the village of Bay Mills, with about 400 inhabitants, and 1 mile farther north on the beach is the Indian settlement "Mission" with about 75 people. From this point west the character of the country changes, the timber is frequently sprinkled with oak, and considerable of the land is under cultivation. With the exception of the sandstone near Salt Point, no mineral formation of any description was discovered. The means of transportation through this territory westerly are a dirt road (Waiska Bay road) leading from a point about 5 miles south of Sault Ste. Marie due west to Superior, whence it follows the shore to Mission; thence it leads upon the Iroquois plateau, and due west for about 5 miles to Dollar Settlement, where it terminates. The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railroad touches this territory at Superior, and thence pursues a northeasterly course to Sault Ste. Marie. The Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad enters in the eastern part, leading first north and then northeasterly to Sault Ste. Marie. |