268 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [32] 



southeast from Sandy Hook, I saw for 60 miles, scattered over the 

 water, thousands of dead and dying fish. This was in about 15 fathoms 

 ■of water." Like nearlj^ all the other statements we have, there is only 

 one position given, but from the context and from a consideration of 

 other data, we are able to estimate the probable course he made. 

 The wind permitting, the bark would, of course, be sailing direct for 

 New York, whither she was bound ; otherwise, she would be steering 

 close-hauled on a wind on whichever tack she could lay nearest to her 

 €Ourse. Mr. Wilcox writes that the Navariuo reported having a strong 

 northwest wind, and it must have been on March 22 that this wind i)re- 

 A'ailed, for on the 21st the bark Elizabeth Ostle, in or near the same 

 place as the Navarino, was on that day steered north by west, a course 

 which it would be impossible for her to make with a northwest wind. 

 With the wind at northwest, blowing a strong breeze, the Alf would, 

 in all probability, be close-hauled on the port tack, heading along about 

 N.NE., and, allowing for leeway, would be making a course about 

 NE. by N.^ N. Admitting this — and there seems no reason to question 

 it^ — the next thing is to determine where the fish were first seen. Cap- 

 tain Larsen says, "just inside the Gulf Stream, about 70 miles S.SE. 

 from Sandy Hook." Now, as the position, " 70 miles S.SE. off Sandy 

 Hook," is not just inside the Gulf Stream, but about 115 miles from it, or 

 nearly two-thirds the distance from it to New York, and as the captain 

 of the Elizabeth Ostle found the dead fish on the previous day off 

 soundings, though he called his position 65 miles from land — an evi- 

 dent error — we are compelled to believe that the Alf met with the dead 

 fish near the same place where they were first seen by the crews of the 

 Elizabeth Ostle and Navarino. It is probable that the northwest wind 

 had driven the body of floating Tile-fish slightly from the jwsition they 

 occupied on the 21st, and that the Alf fell in with them a little to 

 the southeast of where they were first encountered by the Elizabeth 

 Ostle. Crossing the track of the Navarino at an acute angle the Alf 

 stood on, gradually drawing on to soundings, and probably ran out of 

 the fish a few miles northwest of where their inner edge was observed 

 by the captain of the Avonmore three days later, at which time they 

 had, without doubt, been driven somewhat to the southeast by the pre- 

 vailing northwest winds. 



As to the Alf sailing for 60 miles in 15 fathoms of water, it is enough 

 to say that it is simply out of the question, since, if this were so, she 

 would have been standing along the New Jersey coast, in sight of the 

 land, and if such had been the fact it would doubtless have been men- 

 tioned. 



For the reasons given above, it is probable that the track of the Alf, 

 as laid down on the plate, is nearly the correct one. 



March 25, bark Avonmore passed through dead fish from lat. 39^ 15J' 

 N., long. 720 03' W., to lat. 39° 28' N., and' long. 72° 23' W. 



April 20, a floating Tile-fish was seen and captured by Captain 



