30 B GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA
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; one thin irregular patches of anthracite sometimes a tenth of an inch thick.’’

This is the rock from which the Indians (Haidas) of Skidegate carve
small totems and other interesting ornaments. A quarry has been opened
in the slate by a Victoria company, and the material is shipped in the
rough to that place and there manufactured. The place was visited by
my assistant, Mr. S. C, Hills, B.A., last summer and the following descrip-

tion, taken from his notes, may be given:—

‘¢Slate Chuck creek is, during the summer months, a small but rapid
stream, and in high water rarely exceeds thirty feet in width. From
the temperature and colour of the water, as also from the comparative
shortness of the stream and the rapidity of its descent, the chief source of
the water supply is evidently the melting snow that caps the high ridges
on both sides of the valley.

‘‘This valley is one of the many short indentations which penetrate
the mountains of the west and southwest coasts of the island. The
extreme length of the valley appears to be three and a half to four
miles, and the width varies from a half to three-fourths of a mile;
on the east and west sides the mountains rise to elevations of 1500 to
3500 feet above sea-level.

‘‘Por about half a mile above tide-water the bed of the creek con-
sists for the most part of drift, derived partly from sedimentary, but
largely from igneous rocks. In this part of the stream are a few minor
outcrops of black shale, not the soft and workable variety but a more
brittle rock. From this on, the rise is more rapid, with occasional
falls of five to twenty feet over ledges of slate, with agglomerate and

other igneous rocks.

‘“‘About two miles from the mouth of the creek, and at an elevation
of 175 feet, the slate, in a soft and easily worked condition, is obtained,
sometimes directly underlaid by the igneous rocks, while occasionally this,
or a similar slate, occupies the bed of the stream. The slate is obtained,
usually, in masses, varying in weight from a few hundred pounds to several
tons. The surface of these blocks is in many cases slickensided and at
times an alteration to a chloritic condition is seen. It is probable that
this broken character extends downward through the main body of the
slate, though in the creek bottom the slate ledges are in places quite un-
disturbed. Generally there is a band of agglomerate between the slates
and the underlying diabase rock.’’

This rock was analysed by Dr. Harrington from samples brought by
Mr. Richardson, in 1872, and found to be a hydrated silica of alumina