144 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



POWER SCHOONER "eIDEr" 



At the beginning; of the year the Eider was at Unalaska. In Janu- 

 ary a trip was made to islands westward of Unalaska to deliver and 

 receive mail and afford transportation to a representative of the Bureau 

 of Education, who was making an investigation of conditions among 

 the natives. Return was made by way of the Pribilof Islands, where 

 mail was delivered. Early in March a trip was made to the Pribilofs 

 for the purpose of transporting from St. Paul Island a naval employee 

 suffering from a serious nervous disorder. 



In April the Eider proceeded to Ikatan, where passengers and 

 freight were taken aboard from the S. S. Redwood, and then returned 

 to Unalaska to await conditions favorable for proceeding to the 

 Pribilofs. Ice conditions about the Pribilofs made it impossible to 

 go there promptly and in the meantime a trip was made to Akutan 

 to receive freight and passengers from the S. S. Victoria. On May 28 

 the Eider left Unalaska for the Pribilofs. No ice was found at St. 

 George Island. Ice about St. Paul Island made navigation hazardous, 

 and while freight and passengers were successfully landed the work 

 was attended with considerable danger, the vessel havmg to work- 

 through ice that closed in about it. 



The month of June was occupied in the transportation of freight 

 and passengers to the Pribilofs. The first part of July was devoted 

 to an investigation in regard to the presence of sea otters about the 

 Shumagin and Sanak Islands. Fog and unfavorable weather pre- 

 vailed and no sea otters were observed. Later in the month the Eider 

 assisted with the annual computation of the fur-seal herd. In the 

 latter part of July and the first part of August the vessel was engaged 

 in work connected with discharging cargo from the U. S. S. Vega, which 

 had brought from Seattle the general shipment of the year's supplies 

 for the fur-seal service. 



On August 20, while off St. George Island, the main crankshaft 

 broke, making it necessary for the vessel to be towed to Unalaska 

 by the Coast Guard cutter Algonquin. 



In the latter part of October and the first part of November the 

 Eider was engaged in transporting cargo and passengers between 

 Unalaska and the Pribilofs, and on November 4 left the Pribilofs for 

 Seattle to undergo necessary repairs. Seattle was reached on Decem- 

 ber 4. While on this trip assistance was rendered in refloating 

 and docking the M. S. Sierra, which, en route from Nome to Seattle, 

 had stranded near Unalaska. During the year the Eider traveled 

 8,577 nautical miles. 



ROADS 



St. Paul Island. — In the spring of 1927 ice remained about St. 

 Paul Island until well in June, a very unusual occurrence. The 

 records show that on May 20 the island was completely surrounded by 

 ice. On May 29 the Coast Guard cutter Haida arrived after having 

 pushed through about 5 miles of ice. As late as June 10 ice was 

 recorded inshore. It was not until the arrival of the Haida on May 

 29 that temporary native workmen from Unalaska and elsewhere 

 could be landed, with the result that very little road work was possible 

 before the beginning of commercial sealing operations. Most of the 



