Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-12-18
A GREAT LAKE.

The Immense Body of Fresh Water Re
Gently Discovered in British Amer
lea.
While the worlds most daring ex-
plorers have been tracing the boundaries
of the Polar Sea, and navigating the
streams and newly found lakes of Cen
trail Africa, remarkable discovery has
been made within a thousand miles OF
this city by the Geographical Society
of Quebec. Within 500 or 600 miles of
the northern boundary of Maine there
has been found. if the reports made by
the members of that society are worthy
of belief, an inland sea as large as
Lake Superior.
Midway between the St. Lawrence
River and Hudson's Bay, stretching in
a northeasterly direction from Ontario
to Labrador. is a watershed of slight
elevation, designated on the maps as
..Height OF Land" A few miles to the
northward lies small lake known
as Lake Mistassini, from which
a stream known as Rupert's River
flows into the southern extremity
of Hudson's Bay. The region beyond
the wa sershed, between Labrador and
Hudson's Bay, is uninhabited except by
a few Indians and the traders of the
posts established many years ago by
the Hudson's Bay Company. In this
region, not far from the small lake
Mistassini, which may be seen on the
maps, lies the great lake which has re-
Gently been found.
At a meeting of the British Associa-
ton for the Advancement of Science,
held at Montreal last August, the pre-
siding officer of the geographical sec
ton, General LEROY, announced the
discovery of this great body of water
The first trustworthy information con-
corning it seems to have been given to
M. Comeau by hunters, Indians, and
Others who had visited its shores. An
expedition was fitted out and sent
northward by the Geographical Society
of Quebec, and the officer who left
Quebec in June with supplies for the
use of the exploring party has recently
returned.
The supply party, stating from
village on the Saguenay River about
thirty miles from Lake st. John, jour-
neved northward. passing the water
shed. and at a distance of about $50
miles from Lake ST. John and $50 miles
from Quebec the southern extremity of
the great lake was reached. Those in
command appear to have carefully dis
tinpuished the great lake from the
small one and to have discovered that
they are connected by Rupert's River.
For seven days they voyaged on the
great lake, and after 120 miles of navi-
cation the main body of it was not
reached. The waters swarmed with
fish. the banks were all wooded, and
tracts of the adjoining land were
arabic. Having deposited the provi-
sions at point on the shore, the sup
uly party returned without having en-
countered the exploring party. Prof.
Selwyn. of the Canadian Geological
Survey, is said to have recently stated
that the story about the great lake was
= hoax. because Lake Mistassini had
been surveyed in 1876 and was referred
70 in the geological reports of that year.
Rnt the commander of the supply party
asserts that the great lake lies beyond
the lake of which Prof. Selwyn speaks,
and it seems probable that the Profess
sor has been misled by belief that the
supply party had rediscovered the small
lake.
The region north ofthe ST. Lawrence
abounls IN small lakes, and that part
of If that lies between Hudson's Bay
and Labrador has been regarded as of
1ittle value for agricultural purposes. |
n has been controlled by the agents of
the Hudson's Bay Company, who have
not been inclined to favor the explora- |
Son of it The newly found lake lies !