INVESTIGATIONS OF THE ALP.ATKOSS. 211 



make our u.siuil speed. At S:i)r> p, m. we emerged from Goleta's Chaii- 

 ue], steamed out iuto the Paeitic, eueouuterinj;liy,iit westerly winds and 

 smooth sea. The weather was ch;ar overhead, but misty about the 

 horizon, (>bscuriug' tlieLunl. 



Everything worked smoothly dviring the night and toUowing day, 

 and a gentle breeze from SW. enabled us to carry fore and aft sail. 

 At 4:20 J), ui., August 7, the port high-pressure i)iston broke, disabling 

 that engine. The starboard one was uninjured and wonld drive the 

 vessel between -4 and 5 knots per hour, dragging the port proi)eller; 

 but it would be difficult to nnineuver under favorable condilions, and 

 in heavy Aveather the vessel would be nearly helpless. In view of the 

 fact that there were no machine shops at Unalaska or any facilities for 

 nmking repairs, the shij) was immediately headed for Tort Townsend, 

 the nearest place affording the necessary appliances. The' cylinder 

 head was taken ott' as soon as practicable, and the broken piston was 

 found lying in fragments at the bottom of the cylinder. The piston rod 

 was bent, and there was a small scratch on the internal surface of the 

 cylinder, but not of sullicient depth to do any damage. The low-pres- 

 sure cylinder was uninjured, so the high-pressure engine was discon- 

 nected, and about three hours after the accident both propellers were 

 working and, with the assistance of sail, the vessel was making nearly 

 her usual speed. The accident happened in latitude 52° 45' N. and 

 longitude loG^ 56' W., 649 miles from Port Townsend. We encoun- 

 tered fog as soon as we approached the coast, but the sea remained 

 comparatively smooth and we carried our fair wind into the Straits of 

 Fuca, arriving at Port Tow nsend at 11 :17 a. m., August 11. 



Fofj sif/nal at Cape FJattery. — An incident in connection with theCai)e 

 Flattery fog signal is worthy of mention. A dense fog prevailed as 

 we apiH'oached the Cape, and an anxious watch was kept for the 

 sound of the whistle, which Avas tinally heard distinctly at a distance 

 of 5 or 6 miles. Our course led us in the direction of the sound, but 

 it continued to grow fainter, until at Duncan llock, 1 mile away, it 

 ceased to be heard, except at long and irregular intervals, and then so 

 faintly that it would hardly have been noticed. There can be no p(>s- 

 sible question as to our distance from the whistle, as we nuide Duncan 

 liock ahead not more thau a quarter of a mile away. Going on up the 

 straits, the souinl increased in volume and regularity, and at a distance 

 of 6 miles was still distinctly audible. We have observed this phe- 

 nomenon on two previous occasions, but failing to sight Duncan liock 

 were not absolutely certain of our distance from it. Other vessels have 

 met with the same experience, usually attributing it to a temporary 

 lack of steam. There are two or three small rocky islets lying between 

 the whistle and Duncan Kock, all less than a quarter of a mile from the 

 former, and, although low and insignificant in ai)pearance they may 

 liave something to do with the detlection of the sound of the whistle 

 from the direction of the latter. 



