NO. 30 SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, IQI2 21 
the National Museum, and the success of the undertaking was mater- 
lally increased through courtesies extended by the Treasury Depart- 
ment and the Bureau of Education. Dr. Edward O. Campbell, a 
former teacher on St. Lawrence Island, also gave valuable advice 
regarding necessary supplies and equipment. 
The journey from San Francisco to the island was made on the 
U.S. Revenue Cutter Bear. Iliuliuk, on the island of Unalaska, was 
the first stop, where the cutter remained for several days to clean 
boilers, thus permitting some measurements and observations of the 
natives. Later, visits were made to the Eskimo villages at Nome 
and St. Michael, and the graveyard near a deserted village on Golovin 
Bay was examined. 
While lying at anchor in the Nome roadstead, word was received 
that two ships were caught in the ice off the Yukon Flats, and it 
was necessary to go at once to their relief. They were, however, 
out of the ice before the arrival of the Bear. While cruising about 
to learn the condition and extent of the ice, a radiogram brought the 
information that Kodiak was buried under four feet of volcanic 
ash and that the wireless telegraph station at Wood Island had been 
destroyed, and presently orders were received to proceed at once to 
Kodiak. 
At a distance of two hundred miles from the scenes of disaster 
the Bear began to pass through large fields of voleanic ash, many 
acres in extent, which covered the ocean like a thick greyish-yellow 
cream. At Karluk, on the northwest coast of Kodiak Island, the 
deposit of ash was approximately a half inch in depth, but at the 
village of Kodiak, on the east shore of the island, there was a layer 
twelve to eighteen inches deep of very fine volcanic dust. 
After remaining at ‘Kodiak about three days the party returned 
to the Island of Unalaska where a stay of nearly a week made further 
researches possible. The vessel then proceeded to St. Lawrence 
Island, which was reached July 1, sixty-five days after taking ship 
at San Francisco. 
This island is situated in the northern part of Bering Sea about 
forty miles from the Siberian coast which was plainly visible on the 
few clear days during the summer. The average summer temperature 
is about 40° Fahrenheit, and on the warmest day the past summer 
was 54°. 
Work was started on July 6, and proceeded smoothly, though not 
always as rapidly as was desired, for nothing could induce these 
easy going Eskimos to hurry or to keep an appointment. 
