128 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



Department of Commerce and any major changes will be recorded 

 and reported to the representative of the Commandant, Navy Yard, 

 Puget Sound, during his annual visit to the island. 



Daily weather observations are transmitted direct to the Weather 

 Bureau, which has maintained a meteorological station on St. Paul 

 Island for a number of years in cooperation with the Navy Depart- 

 ment. Such observations are of much value in connection with the 

 forecast and warning service in Alaska and in the States. 



Pending the appointment of a radio electrician who will serve as 

 head operating engineer in charge of the power plant and other 

 electric equipment on St. Paul Island, the work at tliis station has 

 been carried on by Carl M. Hoverson in addition to his duties as 

 school teacher. 



ROADS 



St. Paul Island. — The new scoria road toward Marunich on St. 

 Paul Island, which branches westward from the Northeast Point 

 Road near Halfway Point, was extended one-half mile. Consider- 

 able work was done in repairing Northeast Point Road, including the 

 sodding of sand dunes along the roadway. Some repairs, also, were 

 made on Zapadni Road. In the spring there was built a retaining 

 wall for the road bank around Big Lake, where high water and con- 

 tinuous south winds had caused considerable damage during the 

 winter. 



St. George Island. — The Zapadni Road on St. George Island was 

 extended 5,700 feet, of which 1,500 feet was a plank road and 4,200 

 feet was surfaced with scoria. Repair work carried on during the 

 year included the leveling and resurfacing with scoria of sections of 

 Staraya Artil Road, the old road by North Rookery, and West Road. 



BUILDINGS 



St. Paul Island. — Excavations were made for the foundations of a 

 new machine shop, and a new salt-water intake system for washing 

 sealskins on St. Paul Island was completed. Extensive repairs were 

 made on washhouse A, which was damaged by storm on the night of 

 November 8, 1937. 



St. George Island. — Additional work was done in 1937 on buildings 

 erected in the previous year on St. George Island — namely, the elec- 

 tric power and cold-storage plant and an extension of the garage, and 

 the installation of cold-storage and power machinery and equipment 

 was completed. No major construction projects were undertaken 

 during the year. 



BYPRODUCTS PLANT 



At the byproducts plant on St. Paul Island in 1937, 6,490 cubic 

 feet of blubber, or about 337,480 pounds, and 31,260 fur-seal carcasses 

 were rendered into oil and meal. Operations began on June 20 and 

 were discontinued on August 4. The total products amounted to 

 377 barrels, or 20,234 gallons, of No. 1 oil; 172 barrels, or 9,596 

 gallons, of No. 2 oil; and 330,265 pounds of meal. The foregoing 

 quantities in gallons represent averages of 53.67 gallons per barrel 

 of No. 1 oil and 55.8 gallons per barrel of No. 2 oil, as determined 

 from the products sold by weight upon the basis of 7}^ pounds to the 

 gallon. 



