36 REPOKT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [34] 



At 8 a. m. on the 13th we passed inside the capes, and at 4,50 p. m. 

 arrived at the Pusey & Jones Company's works, Wilmington, Del. 



Work was resumed at once on the hatching machinery. Some slight 

 repairs were made about the engines, and such modifications as the 

 season's experience suggested were adopted. 



The work was completed on the 13th of JSTovember, and at 8.50 a. m. 

 on the 14th we left for Washington, D. C. 



The weather was unsettled, and finding cautionary signals flying at 

 the cape we deemed it advisable to wait for a change. We anchored 

 inside the breakwater at 4.30 p. m., remaining till 7,50 p. m. the follow- 

 ing day, when, the weather having partially cleared, and the cautionary 

 signals lowered, we got vinder way and proceeded to sea. 



After clearing Cape Henlopen a course was laid which would carry 

 the vessel off shore, intending to make a depth of from 100 to 200 fath- 

 oms water by daylight, when we proposed to try the dredge and trawL 



We encountered a heavy southerly swell during the night, but it 

 moderated towards morning, and at 9.20 a. m. — latitude 37"^ 26' uorth^ 

 longitude 74° 19' west — cast the trawl in 56 fathoms, sand and shells. 

 Six hauls were taken during the day, in from 300 fathoms down to 18, 

 with most satisfactory results ; several new species were added to the 

 marine fauna of the coast, and some were found new to science. 



The last haul in 1 8 fathoms was taken after dark for the purpose of 

 ascertaining whether a gpeater number of fish would be taken than dur- 

 ing daylight. We saw no perceptible difference, but a single haul would 

 hardly be significant either way. 



The trawl was up at 7.30 p. m., and the vessel headed for land, pass- 

 ing inside the capes of the Chesapeake at 12,55 a. m., the 17th. At 10.45 

 a. m. we anchored off Saint Jerome Creek, and sent a party in with the 

 steam cutter to bring out a barge belonging to the Commission, which 

 we were directed to tow to Washington. They found her lying in a 

 bad position, pretty well filled with water, and the tide ebbing and flow- 

 ing through the open seams in her sides and bottom. 



The water was finally bailed out, the worst leaks temporarily stopped,, 

 and at high tide, about 2 a. m. on the 18th, an attempt was made to 

 tow her out ; but the channel had become filled with sand, making it 

 narrow for her to pass. 



She was taken back to her old station and anchored again, and, at 

 low tide, all our available force was put to work with shovels to widen 

 the channel. It was high tide again between two and three o'clock in 

 the afternoon, when we succeeded in getting her out, reaching the ship 

 at 5 p. m., having hedged off against a fresh northeast wind, and quite 

 a heavy swell. As soon as the barg^ was fast astern the boats wero 

 hoisted and we got under way for the Potomac. 



It was blowing a moderate gale from northeast by this time, with a 

 drizzling rain, and the night was intensely dark ; the sea was quite rough,, 

 causing the vessel to roll heavily, and soon filling the barge with water. 

 We had two hawsers fast to her, but one parted when we were off Point 



