INVESTIGATIONS OF THE ALBATEOSS. 231 



imposed upon liiui the additional burden of cariug for his invalids. 

 The necessity of lauding the party among natives was too apparent to 

 require second thought. The Kuskokwim is considered the most diffi- 

 cult and dangerous to navigate of any of the streams visited by the 

 vessels of the Alaska Commercial Company in Bering Sea. We had no 

 knowledge of the region, and our charts were not only inaccurate, but 

 misleading; hence, I looked upon a trip up the river with no little 

 anxiety. Getting under way at 9:15 a. m. on the 11th, we entered 

 tlie Kuskokwim and readied a point 10 or 15 miles above Cooduews 

 Bay without accident or detention, and were then supposed to be near 

 a native village at which the party wished to land. Shoal water had 

 already driven us so far from the low, monotonous coast that it was dif- 

 ficult to distinguish objects on the beach, and, fearing we might i^ass 

 the settlement without recognizing it, we came to anchor and the party, 

 with their baggage and kaiaks, was landed in boats at a camp of 

 native beluga-hunters, about 10 miles from our own anchorage. These 

 people received the x)arty very kindly, assisted in pitching their tents, 

 built a large fire, etc., and promised to see them safely to the village. 

 They agreed also to furnish new men in i)lace of those who were dis- 

 abled. Having seen the party comfortably provided for, the officer in 

 charge of the boats returned to the ship. We furnished Mr. Petroft* 

 with everything he wished or would accept, and, landing him among 

 friendly natives, left him to prosecute his difficult and dangerous task. 



Getting under way as soon as the boats were hoisted, we steamed 

 down the river, but soon found shoal water where our chart gave from 

 10 to 15 fathoms. We followed the bank or shoal several miles with- 

 out result, then anchored in 10 fathoms, as night was approaching and 

 the tide falling. Another trial was made at daylight, but the same 

 impassable barrier was found to seaward. The channel was open in 

 the direction of Goodnews Bay, however, and we availed ourselves of 

 it, but were soon enveloped in a dense fog and forced to anchor. We 

 were under way again at 2:50 a. m. on the 13th, and steamed to Cape 

 Newenham without difficulty or delay, but found a gale blowing out- 

 side and were glad to seek shelter under the lee of the land near our 

 old anchorage. Thick nusty weather prevented our obtaining obser- 

 vations, but we took such angles as we could to correct the chart in 

 our immediate vicinity, for it was woefully out. 



Cape Neicetiham to Unalaska. — The gale subsided about noon, and 

 at 2 p. m. we got under way and commenced a line of dredging and 

 fishing stations in the direction of Northwest Cape of Unimak, the lack 

 of fuel preventing the extension of our investigations farther north. 

 The beam trawl showed a rich and varied fauna, but no codfisTi were 

 taken with the trial lines until we were about 30 miles from Cape New- 

 enham, the great body of liesh water flowing from the Kuskokwim 

 being sufficient, probably, to account for their absence. Soundings 

 were continutd throughout the short night, the beaui trawl and trial 



