244 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHKKIKS. 



bottom. The line was coutiuiied to the .southward, with 50-mile inter- 

 vals, the maximum depth, 2,145 fathoms, beinji; found in latitude 54° 

 .'U' N. and longitude 175^ 32' W. A very peculiar and irrej^julnr action 

 wsisobserved in the ])ort engine during tlieOth and 7th, which increased 

 to such an extent that we stopped work and started for Unalaska. The 

 trouble was traced to the port high-pressure valve, which was finally 

 disconnected, and the low-])ressure cylinder worked independently until 

 our arrival in port. 



Unalasla and vicinity. — We passed Bogoslof Volcano tlie morning of 

 the 9th and arrived in Iliuliuk at 4 :15 p. m. the same day. The revenue 

 cutter RuHh was iji port, and the steamer Arayo arrived from the seal 

 islands on the 12th. Having made the necessary repairs to the ma- 

 chinery, we filled the bunkers with coal and left the harbor early on 

 the morning of the 15th. Rumor placed valuable cod banks in the 

 outer bay, but no oiu> seemed to know their exact locality or extent. 

 Such a resource at the doors of a i)opulous settlement would be of 

 inestimable value. Availing ourselves of the opportunity offered by a 

 clear day, we ran several lines of soundings across the bay, making fre- 

 quent hauls of the trawl and trials with the fiwshing lines, extending the 

 examination to the 100-fathom line outside of Cape Kalekhta, or Priest 

 Point, and Cape Cheerful, without finding indications of even ordinarily 

 good fishing-ground. In fact, nearly every sounding inside of the capes 

 gave muddy bottom. Spots were discovered, however, near the shore 

 line, where cod were identiful. An anchorage was found for the night 

 in Wislow Bay, in 8 fathoms, near the small islet of that name, where 

 there is good jirotection from soutlierly winds. 



AVork was resumed at daylight next morning and carried to Cape 

 Makushin and thence to IMakushin Bay, where Ave anchored for the 

 night. The 100 fathom curve lies about 4 miles oft" shore at Cape Cheer- 

 ful, but draws in abruptly to about a mile, and sometimes less, until up 

 with Cape Makushin, and here, as in Unalaska r>ay, codfish and halibut 

 are fimnd in sj)ots along shore. From the cape a line of soundings was 

 run to Makushin Bay, where we arrived at 5 :50 j). m. A strong, south- 

 west wind raised quite a swell in the bay, with an uninviting lee shore 

 fronting the village, but we found a fair anchorage in 8 fathoms oft" the 

 mouth of a glacial stream of yellow muddy water 3i miles to the east- 

 ward of the settlenuMit. The village of Makushin is coinpose<l of a 

 small frame church ])ainted white, a frame store belonging to the Alaska 

 Commercial Company, and a dozen barabaras, or native earth huts, 

 which were n(^arly l)uried beneath laidv grass. 



Unfavorable Mcather detained us during the 17th, but the seine was 

 hauled with good results. Work was resumed on the morning of the 

 18th and continued with little interruption to the southwest end of 

 Unalaska and north extremity of T^mnak. From Cape IMaknshin to 

 Umnak is about 00 miles, the 100 fathom curve extending from 12 to 

 23 miles from shore, giving an area of over 1,100 sqtmre miles on which 



