plan of the survey from Taiya Inlet, but it is not as complete as
I would have liked. I have named this pass "White Pass," in honor of the
late Hon. Thos. White, Minister of the Interior, under whose authority
the expedition was organized. Commencing at Taiya Inlet, about two miles
south of its north end, it follows up the valley, of the Shkagway River
to its source, and thence down the valley of another river which Capt.
Moore reported to empty into the Takone or Windy Arm of Bove Lake
(Schwatka). Dr. Dawson says this stream empties into Taku Arm, and in
that event Capt. Moore is mistaken. Capt. Moore did not go all the way
through to the lake, but assumed from reports he heard from the miners
and others that the stream flowed into Windy Arm, and this also was the
idea of the Indian "Jim" from what I could gather from his remarks in
broken English and Chinook. Capt. Moore estimates the distance from tide
water to the summit at about 18 miles, and from the summit to the lake
at about 22 to 23 miles. He reports the pass as thickly timbered all the
way through.

"The timber line on the south side of the Taiya Pass, as determined by
barometer reading, is about 2,300 feet above the sea, while on the north
side it is about 1,000 feet below the summit. This large difference is
due, I think, to the different conditions in the two places. On the
south side the valley is narrow and deep, and the sun cannot produce its
full effect. The snow also is much deeper there, owing to the quantity
which drifts in from the surrounding mountains. On the north side the
surface is sloping, and more exposed to the sun's rays. On the south
side the timber is of the class peculiar to the coast, and on the north
that peculiar to the interior. The latter would grow at a greater
altitude than the coast timber. It is possible that the summit of White
Pass is not higher than the timber line on the north of the Taiya Pass,
or about 2,500 feet above tide water, and it is possibly even lower than
this, as the timber in a valley such as the White Pass would hardly live
at the same altitude as on the open slope on the north side.

"Capt. Moore has had considerable experience in building roads in
mountainous countries. He considers that this would be an easy route for
a wagon road compared with some roads he has seen in British Columbia.
Assuming his distances to be correct, and the height of the pass to be
probably about correctly indicated, the grades wo