NO. 30 SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, [CjI2 21 



the National Museum, and the success of the undertaking was mater- 

 ially increased through courtesies extended by the Treasury Depart- 

 ment and the Bureau of Education. Dr. Edward ( ). Campbell, a 

 former teacher on St. Lawrence Island, also gave valuable advice 

 regarding necessary supplies and equipment. 



The journey from San Francisco to the island was made on the 

 I". S. Revenue Cutter Bear. Iliuliuk, on the island of (Jnalaska, was 

 the first stop, where the cutter remained for several days to clean 

 boilers, thus permitting some measurements and observations of the 

 natives. Later, visits were made to the Eskimo villages at Nome 

 and St. Michael, and the graveyard near a deserted village on Golovin 

 Bay was examined. 



While lying at anchor in the Nome roadstead, word was received 

 that two ships were caught in the ice off the Yukon Flats, and it 

 was necessary to go at once to their relief. They were, however, 

 out of the ice before the arrival of the Bear. While cruising about 

 to learn the condition and extent of the ice, a radiogram brought the 

 information that Kodiak was buried under four feet of volcanic 

 ash and that the wireless telegraph station at Wood Island had been 

 destroyed, and presently orders were received to proceed at once to 

 K( idiak. 



At a distance of two hundred miles from the scenes of disaster 

 the Bear began to pass through large fields of volcanic ash, many 

 acres in extent, which covered the ocean like a thick greyish-yellow 

 cream. At Karluk, on the northwest coast of Kodiak Island, the 

 deposit of ash was approximately a half inch in depth, but at the 

 village of Kodiak, on the east shore of the island, there was a layer 

 twelve to eighteen inches dee]) of very fine volcanic dust. 



After remaining at Kodiak" about three days the party returned 

 to the Island of I nalaska where a stay of nearly a week made further 

 researches possible. The vessel then proceeded to St. Lawrence 

 Island, which was reached July 1, sixty-five days after taking ship 

 at San Francisco. 



This island is situated in the northern part of Bering Sea about 

 forty miles from the Siberian coast which was plainly visible on the 

 few clear days during the summer. The average summer temperature 

 is about 40 Fahrenheit, and on the warmest day the past summer 

 was 54 . 



Work was started on July 6, and proceeded smoothly, though not 

 always as rapidly as was desired, for nothing could induce these 

 easy going Eskimos to hurry or to keep an appointment. 



