﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  97 
  

  

  The 
  cruise 
  began 
  on 
  May 
  18, 
  1895, 
  when 
  the 
  Albatross 
  left 
  San 
  Fran- 
  

   cisco 
  for 
  Puget 
  Sound. 
  Several 
  days 
  were 
  occupied 
  at 
  Port 
  Town 
  send, 
  

   Wash., 
  and 
  Victoria, 
  British 
  Columbia, 
  in 
  collecting 
  information 
  respect- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  sealing 
  fleet, 
  after 
  which 
  the 
  vessel 
  proceeded 
  

   northward 
  through 
  the 
  passage 
  inside 
  of 
  Vancouver 
  Island, 
  having 
  on 
  

   board 
  Mr. 
  F, 
  W. 
  True 
  and 
  his 
  assistant, 
  Mr. 
  D. 
  W. 
  Prentiss, 
  jr., 
  who 
  

   were 
  to 
  spend 
  the 
  season 
  at 
  the 
  Pribilof 
  Islands. 
  Unalaska 
  was 
  reached 
  

   on 
  June 
  15, 
  where 
  Mr. 
  Leonhard 
  Stejneger 
  joined 
  the 
  ship 
  soon 
  after- 
  

   wards, 
  and 
  the 
  seal 
  islands 
  on 
  the 
  24th 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  month. 
  Messrs. 
  

   True 
  and 
  Prentiss 
  and 
  Mr. 
  K. 
  B. 
  Miller 
  were 
  landed 
  at 
  the 
  latter 
  place, 
  

   and 
  on 
  the 
  2Gth 
  the 
  vessel 
  proceeded 
  on 
  the 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  Commander 
  

   Islands, 
  oft' 
  the 
  Siberian 
  coast, 
  running 
  a 
  line 
  of 
  soundings 
  westward 
  

   along 
  the 
  parallel 
  of 
  50° 
  N., 
  from 
  longitude 
  177° 
  30' 
  W., 
  to 
  which 
  

   l)osition 
  her 
  hydrographic 
  work 
  had 
  been 
  carried 
  during 
  a 
  previous 
  

   season. 
  

  

  This 
  line 
  of 
  soundings 
  was 
  in 
  progress 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  

   year, 
  July 
  1, 
  1895, 
  stations 
  being 
  made 
  at 
  intervals 
  of 
  50 
  miles. 
  An 
  

   average 
  depth 
  of 
  about 
  2,10() 
  fathoms 
  was 
  carried 
  across 
  the 
  deep 
  

   basin 
  of 
  Bering 
  Sea, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  530 
  miles, 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  22 
  miles 
  N. 
  f 
  W. 
  

   from 
  the 
  northeast 
  point 
  of 
  Bering 
  Island, 
  the 
  bottom 
  throughout 
  this 
  

   area 
  being 
  composed 
  principally 
  of 
  brown 
  mud 
  and 
  ooze, 
  but 
  changing 
  

   to 
  gray 
  sand 
  and 
  mud 
  as 
  the 
  shelf 
  surrounding 
  Bering 
  Island 
  was 
  

   approached. 
  Cape 
  Yushin, 
  the 
  most 
  northerly 
  point 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  was 
  

   sighted 
  on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  July 
  3, 
  the 
  high 
  table-land 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  

   standing 
  out 
  through 
  the 
  mist, 
  while 
  the 
  shore 
  line 
  was 
  obscured 
  by 
  a 
  

   low 
  fog 
  bank. 
  A 
  line 
  of 
  reefs 
  runs 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  northern 
  shore 
  line, 
  

   with 
  outlying 
  rocks 
  not 
  definitely 
  located. 
  The 
  water 
  shoals 
  up 
  rapidly 
  

   in 
  places. 
  The 
  soundings 
  were 
  carried 
  around 
  the 
  northwest 
  end 
  of 
  

   Bering 
  Island, 
  passing 
  within 
  5 
  miles 
  of 
  the 
  northwest 
  point, 
  with 
  20 
  

   fathoms 
  on 
  the 
  reef 
  which 
  extends 
  west 
  from 
  the 
  point. 
  Anchorage 
  

   was 
  then 
  made 
  in 
  Mkolski 
  Harbor, 
  where 
  visits 
  were 
  exchanged 
  with 
  

   the 
  governor 
  of 
  the 
  islands. 
  Col. 
  N. 
  A. 
  Grebnitsky, 
  and 
  arrangements 
  

   made 
  for 
  the 
  landing 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Stejneger 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  conduct 
  of 
  liis 
  

   inquiries. 
  During 
  the 
  short 
  stay 
  in 
  ])ort 
  a 
  visit 
  was 
  paid 
  by 
  several 
  o!" 
  

   the 
  officers 
  of 
  the 
  vessel 
  to 
  the 
  North 
  Rookery, 
  of 
  which 
  some 
  excellent 
  

   photographs 
  were 
  obtained 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Townsend. 
  

  

  Leaving 
  Nikolski 
  on 
  July 
  G, 
  and 
  connecting 
  with 
  the 
  previous 
  lino 
  

   of 
  soundings 
  in 
  70 
  fathoms, 
  5 
  miles 
  oft' 
  ( 
  -ape 
  Yushin 
  or 
  North 
  Cajx', 
  

   Bering 
  Island, 
  a 
  course 
  was 
  laid 
  N. 
  51° 
  E., 
  true, 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  .'15 
  

   miles, 
  crossing 
  the 
  Kam(;hatka 
  basin. 
  In 
  a 
  run 
  of 
  9 
  miles 
  a 
  depression 
  

   of 
  1,017 
  fathoms 
  was 
  found, 
  the 
  bottom 
  on 
  this 
  slope 
  consisting 
  of 
  gray 
  

   sand 
  and 
  mud. 
  The 
  greatest 
  depth, 
  2,137 
  fathoms, 
  green 
  ooze, 
  was 
  

   reached 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  99 
  miles 
  from 
  Bering 
  Island. 
  One 
  hundred 
  

   miles 
  farther 
  a 
  rise 
  of 
  1,727 
  fathoms, 
  or 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  410 
  fathoms, 
  was 
  

   developed, 
  this 
  position 
  being 
  in 
  latitude 
  57^29' 
  N., 
  longitude 
  170^09' 
  

   E., 
  or 
  inside 
  of 
  the 
  100-fathom 
  curve 
  as 
  at 
  present 
  delineated 
  on 
  the 
  

   charts 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Coast 
  and 
  Geodetic 
  Survey. 
  Continuing 
  

   F. 
  B. 
  90 
  7 
  

  

  